Quote Originally Posted by Smokey
I think for most music lovers, there is probably some one in their life that influence their taste in music when there were younger...What is your story?
Unlike many here, my family members were not at all involved in music. That was something I discovered on my own when I was 12 and listened to Quixie in Dixie AM 790 hits in Atlanta. In time, I discovered prog rock and really enjoyed Yes, EL&P, Renaissance, etc. That got me primed on classical themes. What changed everything was befriending the owner of a hi-fi shop who opened a store near me when I was 17. I later worked for him in college and through the shop, met JWC who was a writer for TAS at the time. Both Julian and John listened primarily to classical, so listening sessions for new product at the store or hearing JWC's latest system always involved classical, choral or broadway content. I can clearly remember hearing The Planets on Magneplanar T-IIIs tri-amplified with Audio Research electronics back in '74. At first, I was lost but found that I really enjoyed quite a bit of what was getting played. HP introduced me to a number of artists showcased on Hearts of Space.

Today, I still enjoy my pop and rock roots, but enjoy classically oriented soundtracks and many favorites that I was exposed to back in the 70s. In a listening session, I may go through some 60s pop hits (Supremes, Elvis, Association, surf music), the soundtrack from Avatar or the last Harry Potter film, some Prokofiev piano concertos (hearing the second on Dayton-Wrights in '76 is what made me an electrostatic freak) and the TAS Hearts of Space sampler.

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