The relevance of todays music
Slipkid
Posted 2009-09-22 4:41 PM (#397246)
Subject: The relevance of todays music



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I've been thinking about this since the Beatle thread started.
We'll never again see such a creative, evolutionay burst of music like we saw between '65 and '75. I've waited not so patiently through disco, punk, grunge, new wave, and rap for the cycle to come back around. Instead the public at large has gone back to the old stuff.

Anyway... there was an article in todays Free Press that hit the note I was looking for.
It's two pages so don't cut your read short.
Today\'s Pop Music

There is the possibility here to stray into forbidden areas. I trust that we can give those boundries a wide berth so Papa Miles and Uncle Al won't have to step in.
Be good.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2009-09-22 4:52 PM (#397247 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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by Slipkid:
We'll never again see such a creative, evolutionay burst of music like we saw between '65 and '75.

I've waited not so patiently through disco, punk, grunge, new wave, and rap for the cycle to come back around. Instead the public at large has gone back to the old stuff.
That's cuz Owsley ain't making that good acid any longer... :eek:

One pill makes you larger... And one pill makes you small...
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alpep
Posted 2009-09-22 5:23 PM (#397248 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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interesting article

but I don't buy it.

check out youtube and my space and facebook.

it is now easier than ever to get music out there and there is tons of music out there.

sure much of it is horrible but there is a bunch of good stuff to.

go to a local open mic or join a local songwriter group. I am floored by some of the stuff I hear.

the good stuff is out there you just need to seek it out.

mtv and the radio just aren't playing it but if you take some effort you can find it
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alpep
Posted 2009-09-22 5:24 PM (#397249 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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oh yeah owsley didn't hurt any either
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Darkbar
Posted 2009-09-22 6:00 PM (#397250 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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For me, digitization(?) is what screwed up music. It started with moog synthisizers and went downhill from there. Oh I know, ELP and others did some creative things when it all first started, mixing acoustics with synth's, but soon it started going crazy. That started the whole disco thing, and real instrument playing became irrelevant. Now so much music has a digital base that it's not even real anymore.
But I do think it's coming back. It started with country, then the crossover artists, now it's moving into mainsteam.
I no longer care about trendsetters breaking new ground...I'm happy that singer/songwriters are coming back into vogue...playing acoustic guitars.
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twistedlim
Posted 2009-09-22 6:17 PM (#397251 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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Ditto that.
Today is seems if you have a Stetson you can be cosidered a "country artist". You rap, carry a Glock and you can be a "gangsta", blonde hair and a shape and you are a "diva" Heck you dont even have to write your own lyrics. American Idols have taken over the charts and that is why CD sale plummet. It aint about the music.

I also agree with Al that there are incredible players out there waiting to be "discovered". But, I believe the days of artists writing and preforming stuff that will be played for decades is "long gone" as Ernie Harwell would say.
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Waskel
Posted 2009-09-22 6:22 PM (#397252 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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Elvis, Chuck and Little Richard pioneered the idea that music could and should also be a tool of cultural revolution?

Uh... that just might be giving them a little more visionary credit than is due them...
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Slipkid
Posted 2009-09-22 6:25 PM (#397253 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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Ernie Harwell.... sigh

I see your point Al, but you/us/we tend to be music people to begin with. We/us are the type to seek out what we are looking for. But gone are the days where a song or group can nudge the entire culture one way or another.

As popular music's ability to shock has declined, its attempts to do so have only become more naked and needy.
I submit we actually have no shortage of conditions that still require rebellion. What we lack is the will to act. That's sad.

Once upon a time, music was brave. Now we have only echoes of the bang.
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2009-09-22 6:41 PM (#397254 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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Totally 100% agree with Al. I saw a local group play their first gig on Saturday evening. All original tunes (well 'cept for one)..

I'll skip to the chase.. one of the tunes they played inspired me for the first time in nearly 15 years to write two songs. I have had writers block for those nearly 15 years. Even taking the Sammy Hager method of "just write about anything, it doesn't have to be good, just write" didn't work. I haven't written them yet.. but they are in progress.

Also... I also do not subscribe to the idea that music "should also be a tool of cultural revolution." It certainly could be, and it has been... but I think "should be" is just nonsense..

Music "should be" whatever the performer or listener wants it to be... nothing more... nothing less.

Finally If all you listen to is MTV, VH-1 and the Radio to get your music... don't whine about a lack of material... you are getting full value of what you paid for...
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Waskel
Posted 2009-09-22 6:49 PM (#397255 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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+1
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Beal
Posted 2009-09-22 7:07 PM (#397256 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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There is good stuff out there, it's just that finding it is harder, we got to do the searching, the record companies don't serve it up to us anymore.
I get tired of the search because so much of it is crap, and just noise.
I guess that's why I like acoustic much more than 25 years ago.
Having a friend like Debanjo to tell me who IS making it happen helps too.

As far as music having the worldly impact that the Beatles and other bands of that time frame did, I really doubt that will happen again.
I'd like to be wrong, I think(so long as I actually like the new music!)
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Slipkid
Posted 2009-09-22 7:20 PM (#397257 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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Big picture gentleman... big picture.
Individuals have made an effort to search the nooks and crannys. Al, Miles, Bill, Wabbit and Jeff to name just a couple. It used to be that you didn't have to look. It was right there like low hanging fruit.

I think that the idea that great music, whatever its form used to have an air of danger about it. All the way back to Woody Guthrie and up to CSN&Y "Ohio". Yes... that's the revolutionary part but remember when, for good or evil, we listened to and sang American Pie pretty much as a nation.

edit:
Having a friend like Debanjo to tell me who IS making it happen helps too.
Yes indeed... it's nice to have a trail guide thru the wilderness.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2009-09-22 7:25 PM (#397258 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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As an outside observer, some may think that "Music Shaped A Generation"...

But that is backasswards. The revolution was in the hearts of the writers, not the other way around.

The 'Movement' came before the Music.
The music just gave voice to the spirit that was in the writer.

Contrary to media-hype... Woodstock marked The End of a Period... Not the beginning.

The beginning was when you had to search for a Ten Years After album, not when you could buy a Beatles album in Woolworth's. When you had to go 'into town' to find a little Head Shop to get some decent music. Or stay-up late to hear good music on the "Underground Pirate Radio" beamed outta the University's AM Radio station... Cranked-up to illegal power levels late at night.

Remember, when The Grateful Dead finally got a song on the Top 40 (Touch of Gray) they said that they must've done something Wrong.
Jimi Hendrix had to go to England to get famous.
The Ramones played to Packed Houses for Decades and never made it on MTV, or the Top 40.
(Not that I am a big Ramones fan, just an example...)

Now 'The Times There Are a-Changing' is the theme song for some Diet Munchies or a HMO.

Some of the best musicians I've heard in my Life were Street Musicians that nobody ever heard of...

[And Brad, remember they wanted to Lock-Up Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger]
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Gallerinski
Posted 2009-09-22 7:30 PM (#397259 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music
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This is the same discussion that our patents had 30 years ago. Get over it, OUR generation is not the best. It only seems that way to us.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2009-09-22 7:32 PM (#397260 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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Gallerinski observes:
This is the same discussion that our patents had 30 years ago. Get over it, OUR generation is not the best. It only seems that way to us.
:eek: OUCH! :eek:
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Mark in Boise
Posted 2009-09-22 7:54 PM (#397261 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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I remember my Dad complaining about what meaningless crap was on my Black Sabbath album and how it wasn't music.
Alas, he was right.
I agree there's a lot of junk out there, but there's plenty that meet my standards of what music should be. I agree with some of what that article said, like nothing is really shocking anymore. That doesn't mean that being the first to sing "who the f--- are you" meant your album had meaningful or revolutionary lyrics, anymore than a rapper sells albums by filling it full of obscenities. Obscenities are just a substitute for an intelligent vocabulary.
OMG, the transformation is complete. I have become my father.
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Slipkid
Posted 2009-09-22 8:06 PM (#397262 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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That doesn't mean that being the first to sing "who the f--- are you" meant your album had meaningful or revolutionary lyrics, anymore than a rapper
Very true.

And I will say that I have gone back and listened to some "classics" and wondered how in the world I ever wasted time on such drivel.
A lot of it holds up. A lot does not.
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CanterburyStrings
Posted 2009-09-22 8:14 PM (#397263 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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I've been thinking about this off and on all day. I stopped listening to commercial radio back in the late 70's and didn't turn it on again until the early 90's. I liked Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and some of the other bands that were big then. It seemed like the first time in a couple of decades that something soulful, heart-felt and original was happening. But that didn't last long.

I usually just listen to my local NPR station. Classical in the morning, jazz in the evening. I thought maybe it was just that my musical taste had matured. I can't remember the last time I heard ANY piece of music without thinking of it in terms of "how would I go about playing this on my guitar?" I guess what I'm saying is I'd rather play than listen. And most of the new stuff I play is stuff I wrote. I loved 60's music in the 60's, and early 70's music in the early 70's. But I really don't want to listen to it any more.

That's one of the great things about the OFC. Yeah we learn alot about guitars, and of course we make good friends, but every once in a while someone posts something so thought provoking that, I at least, learn something about myself. Now I have to figure out WHY it is that I really don't like listening to music anymore. I mean, the classical stuff in the morning is great music, but it's just background while I'm getting ready for work, and most of the time I shut it off so I can play guitar. The jazz at night is just background while I read or do a crossword, and most of the time I shut it off so I can play guitar. I guess I just want to play...
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Slipkid
Posted 2009-09-22 8:53 PM (#397264 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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I loved 60's music in the 60's, and early 70's music in the early 70's. But I really don't want to listen to it any more.
Almost the same here only I'd much rather play it than listen to it.
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stephent28
Posted 2009-09-22 9:08 PM (#397265 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
As an outside observer, some may think that "Music Shaped A Generation"...

But that is backasswards. The revolution was in the hearts of the writers, not the other way around.

The 'Movement' came before the Music.
The music just gave voice to the spirit that was in the writer.

Contrary to media-hype... Woodstock marked The End of a Period... Not the beginning.

The beginning was when you had to search for a Ten Years After album, not when you could buy a Beatles album in Woolworth's. When you had to go 'into town' to find a little Head Shop to get some decent music. Or stay-up late to hear good music on the "Underground Pirate Radio" beamed outta the University's AM Radio station... Cranked-up to illegal power levels late at night.

Remember, when The Grateful Dead finally got a song on the Top 40 (Touch of Gray) they said that they must've done something Wrong.
Jimi Hendrix had to go to England to get famous.
The Ramones played to Packed Houses for Decades and never made it on MTV, or the Top 40.
(Not that I am a big Ramones fan, just an example...)

Now 'The Times There Are a-Changing' is the theme song for some Diet Munchies or a HMO.

Some of the best musicians I've heard in my Life were Street Musicians that nobody ever heard of...

[And Brad, remember they wanted to Lock-Up Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger]
WELL SAID old man....WELL SAID!
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fillhixx
Posted 2009-09-22 10:24 PM (#397266 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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A- 90% of everything is crap. But the crap fades away.

B- Music has had several little exciting peaks. There was one in the 50's, 60's, 70's(punk/new wave) and on and on....and before that and before that too.....

C - Many of us here don't know the coolest current stuff because WE'RE TOO DAMNED OLD! (I for one thought I'd be dead long before now, when I was 19)

D- Y'wanna stay current? Find someone who's obsessed with current music and go visit him in his parents basement once in a while to find out what's the what. Twice a year works for me. :rolleyes:
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GaryB
Posted 2009-09-22 10:48 PM (#397267 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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I think Al's right. There's a ton of good music out there. Music just isn't as important to as large a segment of the population as it was to those of the '50's, 60's and, I guess, '70's.

There are too many diversions available now, computer games, twitter..texting..all that crap. And that's a shame, because never have musician types had such a wealth of great information available. The ultimate irony I guess..
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2009-09-23 12:06 AM (#397268 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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It's all that Damn Guitar Hero's Fault!

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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2009-09-23 12:12 AM (#397269 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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It's all that Damn Guitar Hero's Fault!



OOOOPs! :eek: I didn't mean to quote myself, I meant to edit. Pushed the wrong button...
Which is another reason why I will never play Guitar Hero! :p
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Joe Rotax
Posted 2009-09-23 12:19 AM (#397270 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:


The 'Movement' came before the Music.
The music just gave voice to the spirit...

As I was reading through this thread that is the thought that was forming in my mind such as it is.

A lot changed after WWII and it wasn't just because of music - things sort of brewed through the 50s and boiled over in the 60s but it was coming whether there was music or not. The music just galvanized or reflected what was happening and in some ways reflected it badly. Woodstock and the surrounding hype was naive idiocy - that was my opinion then and it hasn't changed. CSN&Y, to my mind, were a collection of fat boys all full of themselves whereas people like Townes Van Zant or Blaze Foley said more with one song than CSN&Y achieved with their entire careers.

So, with that said, I'll just slink off to the bad dog box..lol
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AlanM
Posted 2009-09-23 12:23 AM (#397271 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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JMHO, but perspective is important: It's all filler under the peaks established earlier by the greatest of the greats: Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn...and a VERY select few others. I mean these guys wrote hours and hours and hours of MIND-BLOWINGLY SPECTACULAR, PIN-YOU-TO-THE-WALL stuff...stuff that hit musical peaks regularly throughout the same piece. And that could be ONE composition! And they did it coordinating SIXTY or so instruments and players!!!

Heck, I feel a sense of accomplishment when I rip through a 15-second solo that is clever, or put together a few chords that work for a minute or two.

Not that contemporary stuff doesn't have its place, but most of it -- even the best stuff of the 20th century -- is really little more than stuff to outgrow.

Any discussion of music without the old guys, and the standards of genius they set, is like a discussion of golf without Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus.
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fillhixx
Posted 2009-09-23 1:07 AM (#397272 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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The Sunday Edition on CBC has been working through this idea and into the second season of examining 20 Pieces of Music That Changed The World. Sunday before last they spent 20 minutes examining all the influences and results of those influences that sprang from Please Please Me.

No one will be able to do this with todays music quite yet because you need distance to reflect on relevance. Maybe Kings of Leon, The Jonas Brothers, or Michael Franti will produce the music that defines their generation. Or something that catches fire in the world like Reggae will spring from some part of the world no one is expecting any day now.

Or something else. But if it's really gonna spin your head around, you won't see it coming....
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Joe Rotax
Posted 2009-09-23 1:46 AM (#397273 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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Originally posted by fillhixx:
... CBC has been working through this idea ... they spent 20 minutes examining all the influences and results of those influences that sprang from Please Please Me.
That doesn’t bear thinking about; I can only imagine the guilt ridden liberal diatribe..lol
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2009-09-23 1:49 AM (#397274 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



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Decades ago, when I was an Auto Mechanic, my friends used to think I was weird cuz I would be listening to Classic Music while working. (I guess they didn't think that it went with the "Image") But it was good background music. Plus I figure that this music has survived for centuries, so there must be something to it! :rolleyes:

No, really... Classical Music obviously does stand the test of time.
Will people be listening to 'Classic Rock' in a hundred years?
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an4340
Posted 2009-09-23 9:11 AM (#397275 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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We'll never again see such a creative, evolutionay burst of music like we saw between '65 and '75.

I think tupperware and beal have honed in on it ... Some people would say that the music from the late 70's and early 80's was an evolutionary burst ... witness the Ramones, talking heads, blondie, television, the Clash, Grand master Mele mel etc. It seems to me that every 10 years there's another burst ...

I have to agree ... the good stuff is not served up so easily and you have search for it.
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AlanM
Posted 2009-09-23 9:27 AM (#397276 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
Decades ago, when I was an Auto Mechanic, my friends used to think I was weird cuz I would be listening to Classic Music while working. (I guess they didn't think that it went with the "Image") But it was good background music. Plus I figure that this music has survived for centuries, so there must be something to it! :rolleyes:

No, really... Classical Music obviously does stand the test of time.
Will people be listening to 'Classic Rock' in a hundred years?
Nicely said. Again, JMHO.

One more addition: The music of the 60's and 70's consisted mostly of topical period pieces, reflecting, accurately or not, the perspectives and states of mind of the times. 100 years from now, when the Vietnam war is to people as the War of 1812 is to us, will people listen to the 60's protest songs? Answer: if and only if the musical elements (melody, rhythm, dynamics, etc.) carry it. The words will be purely abstract.

Furthermore, since the words were frequently the element considered most important, melodies and rhythms of that time tended to be simple and rudimentary. Much, if not most, of the music of that time had its own obsolescence built in.

"All we are saying, is give peace a chance" may have resonated with people at the time, but 100 years from now, I have a feeling this song will be long gone. Why? Well, that's pretty much all they were saying. Certainly, neither the melody nor the rhythm, nor vocal qualities will carry it into posterity.

That's the greatness of Mozart's, Beethoven's, etc. music: the musical elements transcend time. The astonishing beauty of Mozart's Clarinet concerto, or Brahms' First Symphony, or Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto will -- can! -- never go out of style, because they're not dependent on chronological relevancy. They represent the efforts of titanic intellects to speak to something innate in humanity, and to produce art of universal and timeless relevancy.
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alpep
Posted 2009-09-23 10:27 AM (#397277 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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remember also that the record companies have forced artists into being almost "singles only" due to the downloads and mp3's they have no reason to cultivate a musical artist and to allow them to grow over a series of lp's cd's cylinders whatever.
most of the "signed" bands already have a local following, already have a cd and already have the one song that the companies want. they promote that tune and the rest is filler.

there is no more AOR rock (album oriented rock) like there was in the 60's 70's 80's so there is no outlet for the music.

the last time I saw young people really fired up over guitar was with kurt cobain.

seek out the good new music it is there you just have to dig a little harder.
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Losov
Posted 2009-09-23 10:31 AM (#397278 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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I suspect you're missing one important factor, Brad: Demographics.

Pop music is not just a musical idiom. It's a flag carried by the young for the young. There has been, in fact, much inventive music created in the years since we were in our twenties, including some of the genres you mentioned. They didn't appeal to us because they weren't supposed to. We were not the target demographic. The people who typically spend the largest portion of their disposable incomes on pop music - the young - were.

Periodically the flags change, but they're always carried by the same demographic.
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2009-09-23 11:28 AM (#397279 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
Originally posted by stephent28:
Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
As an outside observer, some may think that "Music Shaped A Generation"...

But that is backasswards. The revolution was in the hearts of the writers, not the other way around.

The 'Movement' came before the Music.
The music just gave voice to the spirit that was in the writer.

Contrary to media-hype... Woodstock marked The End of a Period... Not the beginning.

The beginning was when you had to search for a Ten Years After album, not when you could buy a Beatles album in Woolworth's. When you had to go 'into town' to find a little Head Shop to get some decent music. Or stay-up late to hear good music on the "Underground Pirate Radio" beamed outta the University's AM Radio station... Cranked-up to illegal power levels late at night.

Remember, when The Grateful Dead finally got a song on the Top 40 (Touch of Gray) they said that they must've done something Wrong.
Jimi Hendrix had to go to England to get famous.
The Ramones played to Packed Houses for Decades and never made it on MTV, or the Top 40.
(Not that I am a big Ramones fan, just an example...)

Now 'The Times There Are a-Changing' is the theme song for some Diet Munchies or a HMO.

Some of the best musicians I've heard in my Life were Street Musicians that nobody ever heard of...

[And Brad, remember they wanted to Lock-Up Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger]
WELL SAID old man....WELL SAID!
+1
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2009-09-23 11:39 AM (#397280 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
Some additional factoids...
- Concept of "record company" is nearly completely dead (as Al mentioned) from the sense of they are only interested in producing the next pop hit. That's it.

- The days of record companies bringing bands into a studio to create music and record it are also almost completely gone. No one can afford it. They are looking for finished product.. or close enough where they can knock out an album in a couple of sessions. No more studio experimentation.

- On the other-hand... there are a gazillion home studios. Some of the most basic "consumer" gear for a few hundred bucks can turn out better master quality product than most pro gear of 70's and earlier.

- On the positive, unlike the 80's and earlier a band that has talent and can cobble together even the most basic recording can now reach an INTERNATIONAL audience at a click... for nearly no cost.

As others have mentioned... now is GREAT time for music, and there is great music out there... it's just not mostly what many of us like... but then again.. I seem to find plenty I like.
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fillhixx
Posted 2009-09-23 11:50 AM (#397281 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4833

Location: Campbell River, British Columbia
Originally posted by AlanM:
The music of the 60's and 70's consisted mostly of topical period pieces, reflecting, accurately or not, the perspectives and states of mind of the times.
Really? Then where are the classic tunes of the 60's reflecting the state of mind of the young apprentice? The middle management drone? Those girls in the 'secretarial pool'?

POP music then, as now, is geared the the state of extended adolescence that modern society has created that lasts from about 10 to 30 years of age....longer in some. :rolleyes:

Re: Joe R vs The CBC. Heck, I have no great love for the CBC. They were my competition when I managed a small town private radio station. But some things they do well, agree with their underlying 'noblesse oblige' mindset or not.

Sunday Morning with Michael Enright is one thing they do well. Even if I disagree with his politic, he's right most of the time. (respect for differing points of view is one of the great handicaps of North American society these days,IMNSHO.)


Oh Yeah! What Mr. O said, +1.
"Because something is happening here
But you don't know what it is
Do you, Mister Jones?"
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AlanM
Posted 2009-09-23 12:17 PM (#397282 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


Joined:
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Posts: 1851

Location: Newington, CT
Originally posted by fillhixx:
Originally posted by AlanM:
The music of the 60's and 70's consisted mostly of topical period pieces, reflecting, accurately or not, the perspectives and states of mind of the times.
Really? Then where are the classic tunes of the 60's reflecting the state of mind of the young apprentice? The middle management drone? Those girls in the 'secretarial pool'?

POP music then, as now, is geared the the state of extended adolescence that modern society has created that lasts from about 10 to 30 years of age....longer in some. :rolleyes:
Agreed...most of the period's music reflected (note I said: "accurately or not") the perspectives and states of mind of the leisured, disaffected youth. The others -- "young apprentice? The middle management drone? Those girls in the 'secretarial pool'?" -- were too busy working for a living to make music. I think that those people bought the music because they WANTED some time to be among the leisured disaffected!

It's also why I think that the music of the 60's, 70's, etc. is, ultimately, just not a big deal. Too self-obsessed and narrowly focused. Not that I don't like it...just that it's NOT great art.

However, if you TRULY want to expand your horizons, and stretch your mind, and blow yourself away, get into Mozart, Beethoven, etc. -- LOUD! -- for a bit. Absolutely mind-blowing! And WAAAAAY more far out than "Blowin' in the wind."

I always marvel when I listen to Mozart or Bach -- again JMHO -- I get no feel for what they were like as a people. They seemed to be able to remove themselves entirely from their art, focusing on what was THE right note and cadence to put in. Not THEIR right note or cadence. It just wasn't about them; it was about the music. Now THAT's universal appeal! Beethoven is a bit less like that -- one gets the feeling of the tortured genius. Tchaikovsky as well.

And, yes, I STILL like "Blowin' in the wind." I just think that it's not great art. The stuff of the 60's, 70's and 80's never answers the question: "So what?" for me.

And, yes, I could be wrong (hence, the repeated JMHO's). Several things I have learned from studying various musics for years: you will NOT get to the end of it, and it is FULL of surprises! And, there is ALWAYS room to improve and refine one's perspective.
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AlanM
Posted 2009-09-23 1:07 PM (#397283 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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April 2008
Posts: 1851

Location: Newington, CT
The impression I always get when discussing music from the second half of the twentieth century is of talking about the little hills and valleys, when the Himalayas lie just a bit beyond. The little hills and valleys are cute, and pretty and quaint, but just over there is grandeur and majesty and sublimity.

Yes, it's fun to climb the intellectual hills, but I think it's important to try to scale the Himalayas of intellectual and artistic endeavor from time to time.
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AlanM
Posted 2009-09-23 1:09 PM (#397284 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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Location: Newington, CT
...and yes, sometimes I'm a pompous blowhard.

:D
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stonebobbo
Posted 2009-09-23 2:16 PM (#397285 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307

Location: Tennessee
Originally posted by fillhixx:
Then where are the classic tunes of the 60's reflecting the state of mind of the young apprentice? The middle management drone? Those girls in the 'secretarial pool'?
We've Got To Get Out of This Place - The Animals

Bus Rider - The Guess Who

Downtown - Petula Clark


Just a thought. ;)


P.S. Nice bit from Mr. Byrne. To tie him to one of the themes of this thread ... "The world was moving and she was right there with it and she was".
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Wildwood
Posted 2009-09-23 5:30 PM (#397286 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


Joined:
July 2006
Posts: 95

Location: St Louis
Been following the thread and read the article...

I'm on the side of the fence that says there is a ton of good, new, innovative music out there...you just have to look harder to find it.

There was a much more "captive" audience back in the 60's/70's. Fewer outlets to find different great music. Maybe one FM station to listen to (at least where I grew up) so everything was new and innovative and cool.

I grew up listeng to The Allman Brothers Band and have followed them since I first heard Whipping Post but I still continue to find something new and different.

Chase The Sun
The Buddaheads
Albert Cummings
Ansley Lister
Back Door Slam
Derek Trucks
Cafe R&B
Matt Schofield
North Mississippi All Stars
Scott Henderson
Sugarcane Collins

...to name a few.
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2009-09-23 5:36 PM (#397287 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


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December 2001
Posts: 7247

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
My new favorite.. Lily Allen "Not Fair" is painful, but dang... talk about writing from your heart... ouch
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Designzilla
Posted 2009-09-23 10:00 PM (#397288 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 2150

Location: Orlando, FL
This is a great thread. There is definitely a lot of great music out there.

Technology has made it far easier to record and distribute music. I have discovered a ton of new and great music because of Pandora and other online sources. The record company model is nearly dead. CDs are quietly but steadily going away.

Radio, concerts and, later MTV, used to be pretty much the the only places to listen to music. Now there are so many options. Who listens to the radio on purpose any more?

So it's easier to record and distribute music, but what about promotion? Back in the day, the record companies spent big money promoting artists. No matter how much buzz an artist gets on the internet, it's hard to really reach a mass audience. And when someone like the "United broke my guitar" guy gets a huge amount of press and airplay it still doesn't translate into big bucks for the artist.

There is too much competition for our leisure time. And people's attention spans are so short that everyone is on to the next thing right away.

Making music for a living has never been easy, but I think it's much harder now. There are fewer places to see live music today than ever before.

I think in the future there won't be huge musical acts like the Beatles, Stones, U2, Michael Jackson, etc. There won't be a way to reach a mass audience other than a short lived YouTube hit or American Idol, or whatever comes next. And nobody really takes those "artists" seriously, do they?

But there will continue to be more and more great music out there for those patient enough to seek it out.
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fillhixx
Posted 2009-09-23 10:40 PM (#397289 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4833

Location: Campbell River, British Columbia
Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Originally posted by fillhixx:
Then where are the classic tunes of the 60's reflecting the state of mind of the young apprentice? The middle management drone? Those girls in the 'secretarial pool'?
We've Got To Get Out of This Place - The Animals

Bus Rider - The Guess Who

Downtown - Petula Clark


Just a thought. ;)


P.S. Nice bit from Mr. Byrne. To tie him to one of the themes of this thread ... "The world was moving and she was right there with it and she was".
Your point Bobbo, and it continues from What\'s So Funny \'Bout Peace, Love, & Understanding
back to
Buddy Can You Spare a Dime?
and on into the past and carrying on into the future. As long as people have and will care.

Miles, had to go listen to Lily Alan. I've heard of but not listened. Kinda ballsy feminine pop. I like it. Like salty chocolate.
(now, now, not that)
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Jukebox Joe
Posted 2009-09-23 11:45 PM (#397290 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 381

Location: Miami
Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
Some additional factoids...
- Concept of "record company" is nearly completely dead (as Al mentioned) from the sense of they are only interested in producing the next pop hit. That's it.

- The days of record companies bringing bands into a studio to create music and record it are also almost completely gone. No one can afford it. They are looking for finished product.. or close enough where they can knock out an album in a couple of sessions. No more studio experimentation.

- On the other-hand... there are a gazillion home studios. Some of the most basic "consumer" gear for a few hundred bucks can turn out better master quality product than most pro gear of 70's and earlier.

- On the positive, unlike the 80's and earlier a band that has talent and can cobble together even the most basic recording can now reach an INTERNATIONAL audience at a click... for nearly no cost.

As others have mentioned... now is GREAT time for music, and there is great music out there... it's just not mostly what many of us like... but then again.. I seem to find plenty I like.
But I was gonna send you an MP3 of me singing one of my songs at home in the hopes that you would bring me into a studio to experiment and record all of my stuff.

Dammit.
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Joe Rotax
Posted 2009-09-24 4:22 AM (#397291 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 747

Originally posted by fillhixx:
....(respect for differing points of view is one of the great handicaps of North American society these days,IMNSHO.)
The Achilles’ heel or tragic flaw as it were.

Originally posted by fillhixx:
Then where are the classic tunes of the 60's reflecting the state of mind of the young apprentice? The middle management drone? Those girls in the 'secretarial pool'?
The Kinks dealt with that in the 60s and early 70s. Dead End Street plus the Muswell Hillbillies album and Preservation Act II etc.
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Gallerinski
Posted 2009-09-24 8:28 AM (#397292 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996

Location: Phoenix AZ
I dunno, maybe it's me but I seem to have no trouble finding great music these days. Back in the 70's I was only guided by FM radio and what I could find thumbing the bins at King Karol or Korvettes. Today I've got instant accessibility to the internet, itunes, Sirius, myspace, etc. Yes because there is SO much more music out there, in real numbers there is also lots of trash. But by the same logic, there is just TONS of grear music which is easily and instantly available. Some of my current favs are Jason Mraz, Colbie Callett, Lily Allen, David Grey and Lucy Kapansky.
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ProfessorBB
Posted 2009-09-24 8:43 AM (#397293 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music



Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881

Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains
No question that there's a significant volume of music readily available these days, some great, some not so great. There's a lot of talented people out there who now have a means of distributing their music. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of money to be made in doing so as it currently stands. Technology has outpaced the development of institutional standards and controls to protect copyrights and ensure that writers and artists receive their due. Its great if creating music is your avocation, but not so great if it is your vocation.
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Losov
Posted 2009-09-24 9:08 AM (#397294 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


Joined:
October 2008
Posts: 489

Originally posted by alpep:

seek out the good new music it is there you just have to dig a little harder.
Lifted from artist Q&A on Soundclick

How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?

"This is an evolving technology. As with all change, those who benefit from the way things are will resist the way things are becoming, but that's human nature. New technology or old, the cream will still rise to the top. With the internet one must wade through a lot of poor quality to find that cream, but once found it will not have been colored by someone else's opinion."
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nikon4004
Posted 2009-09-24 9:53 PM (#397295 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


Joined:
September 2008
Posts: 1281

Location: Ohio
There is some VERY goood music out there, an from people and places that you would't think of.

Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and his wife Candice are Blackmores's Night. Ther are both heavy into renaissance music and put their own spin on it.

Found them accidentaly for a version of Streets Of London( which they do very well)

Listen to this. The acoustic is fantastic. Ritchie is better than ever...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn4UacVtWpI&feature=related
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wilblee
Posted 2009-09-25 7:53 AM (#397296 - in reply to #397246)
Subject: Re: The relevance of todays music


Joined:
June 2005
Posts: 1320

Location: Round Rock, TX
I just don't buy the "It was better then and crap now" argument at all. Yeah MTV sucks, but as I remember it, I liked about one band in twenty on American Bandstand. I have a ton of music from the 60's and 70's that has stood the test of time very well, but I also have a lot of great music from the last 5 years and all the years in between - and all of it was produced in studios and released/distributed by record companies.

And you find it like you always did. A friend turns you on to it, or you hear it on that one cool radio station in town (or on the satellite) that doesn't play top-40 dreck (does anybody here remember how hideous most of the FM dial was in the early 70's? I do.)

if we'll drag our creakin' bones, backs and butts out of these comfortable chairs and lift up out tired old heads, we'll find some great new music - and we won't ever grow old and we won't ever die.

Now that I think about it, what we need is a thread listing our favorite artists of this century. After all we're all friends here, sorta...
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