I was just listening to stuff like Led Zeppelin, Heart, The Moody Blues, The Doors, The Who, Rush, Jefferson Airplane, Ozzy, Hendrix, etc. I was mostly under the impression that the cooler the guitar solo/the higher the singer's notes, the better the song. I paid no attention to bass and drums, and I didn't really "feel" the music either.
Since I started listening to Japanese music, my appreciation for all the parts, (including bass, drums, mood, etc.), has gone way up, and music has become more important to me. I also am more open to different kinds of music now. I used to think metal and anything with screaming in it sucked, but now my favorite band is Dir en grey and I really like D'espairsray, Plastic Tree, Merry, UnsraW, Versailles, 9Goats Black Out, etc.
Anyway, I'm glad I started listening to these bands from Japan.