All part of the genre? or, If you like this you must/should like this!
 

Yeah, crap title I know: I'm tired.
Main idea is, from a point made in another thread, if you're into a specific genre should you reasonably be expected to like all or most of the bands in that genre? Or even subgenre? Like if you're into thrash metal, you probably love Metallica and Megadeth, but should you have to love Slayer? Or like me: big prog fan but there are bands I don't like who are considered a big part of the genre --- ELP, Yes to a degree, Jethro Tull --- and people generally think "Wow you like Genesis (say) but you don't like Tull (say)? Thought you were a prog fan! How can you not like Tull?" etc.

So the question is: should you feel, if you like, obligated to like or at least tolerate the "big bands" in your selected genre or genres, or is it acceptable and understandable to say "I like bands X and Y but not Z" and not expect to be stared at like you just arrived in the mothership?

Whaddyaz think? I have definitely come across this attitude (without any malice but sometimes with a little derision) in my chosen genre. Has it happened to you and if so what do you think about it?

Tell me in the morning: I'm for bed.
Someone invent a "sleeping" smiley please...

Well I'm into Anthrax, but not Slayer, if that helps.

Not really, no. To use your example, I like thrash, and love Metallica and Slayer, but Megadeth bore me.

That's what I don't understand about prog heads. It seems to be a given that if you're into Genesis you must love Camel, or if you like Gentle Giant you must be a Yes fanatic, and you're looked at oddly if you say "I don't like Tarkus" or "Van der Graff Generator are a bit boring", and so on. I just like music because, well, I like it, not necessarily because it's in a genre I like. And I don't feel like making myself like it just because it's seen that I should...

I don't even like all the members of particular Hip Hop collectives. So no.

Each individual listener can be quite fickle about exactly who they like and prefer to listen to. As for thrash, I can personally tolerate early Metallica but I don't care for any of the other thrash bands like
Slayer, Megadeth, and so on. Pantera
was always my pick out of all the thrash bands. And even then, I only like a few of their songs. As far as progressive rock goes, I've always prefers bands like Yes, Rush, and Supertramp. And a few other prog. bands from a particular era during the 70s.

re: prog. I like Gentle Giant, King Crimson, and Hatfield + The North. I can't listen to Genesis, Yes, ELP or Jethro Tull without getting a bit bored, even though they're obviously good at what they do, and no more or less 'prog' than the prog artists I do like.

I suppose it comes down to liking specific artists rather than specific genres?

Just because I listen to a handful of bands who were instrumental in establishing a genre or bands in that genre that do something interesting with it doesn't necessary mean I want to listen to the thousands of unoriginal also-ran bands that crop up later on.

This. I tend to get more excited when I hear a band doing something new than I really feel a specific connection to a genre/sound. It doesn't have to be completely groundbreaking, but I at least want a fresh spin on SOMETHING when I hear a new band. It't the whole Led Zeppelin vs Wolfmother thing. I love shoegaze, but I don't want to listen to another Slowdive/MBV copycat.

Honestly, I have pretty decent amounts of music from most genres. Metal is the only one that comes to mind that I just can't get into, and that has more to do with the scene/attitude associated with the genre than the way the genre sounds, really. That and the fact that metal lyrics tend to be pretty terribad (and normally I'm not turned off by bad lyrics - they usually don't matter much to me at all). And that the bands and the fans take themselves so seriously.

Hell no. Like what you like, whether that be virtually an entire genre, individual bands from that genre, or even just individual songs from that genre. I'm not a major fan of rap, but there are a few individual rap songs that I do like. In comparison, I like many more post-hardcore, metal-core, and pop-punk songs and bands - but still, not every single one.

Your musical taste is quite frankly, no one else's concern, from the perspective that after all, you're the one who's listening to your playlists. Why should you feel obliged to include genre "staples" just because other people like them? It's what YOU like that's important.

If you had a plate of chips - [that's steak-cut fries, if you're American] then it would be up to you what you wanted to put on it. Who cares if other people don't like your taste in condiments? You're the one who's eating the meal... and you should by no means feel obliged to use ketchup or mayonnaise just because they're popular, if you personally don't happen to like them. [Though straying from the metaphor, I f-ing love ketchup :P ]