In addition, there seems to be too much variety out there. I am a bit thankful that I grew up before the invention of mp3 players. My generation was forced into homogeny. Music was just a backdrop to events. The radio taught us what we should like. My most favourite songs were ones I learned when my friends and I ran a summer arcade. With the old jukebox, people actually paid for the privilege of selecting something to listen to. That meant everyone within earshot was also forced to experience the same artists. Now, listeners select and tote around their own, individualized audio experiences.
I chose this topic today because the other evening I was listening to an album I wanted to mention. The particular one I'm discussing is very logically organized. I would suppose that kids no longer listen to an entire album in order and I suppose we did only because it was too difficult to skip a track on a phonograph. Regardless, I was impressed with Styx. Earlier I mentioned the term 'formative years' and this group fits the bill exactly. Their Grand Illusion was released in 1977 which is when I graduated from high school. Cornerstone came several years later. The album that sounded so good the other night was Paradise Theater. It made its debut in 1981. I completed college the same year.
Even though a quarter of a century old, the music rocked in .wma format through my computer's HDA Xplosion card and out to my aging Onkyo home theatre system in DTS. You might even say it was The Best of Times.