Posted on 04/24/2015 7:16:06 PM PDT by Squawk 8888
For all of us, we have a musical sweet spot in our lives. It happens roughly between the ages of 14 and 24, from the time we enter high school to the time life begins to intrude with its demands of jobs, mortgages and families. During that period, almost nothing is more important to us than music. It not only becomes a personal obsession but something we use to proclaim our identity to the rest of the world.
But after about 24, we just don’t have the time (and often the interest) to indulge in our musical passions as much as we used to. Instead of spending hours seeking out what’s new and cool, we begin to fall back on the music of our youth for enjoyment, relaxation and comfort. New music just doesn’t do it for us anymore. We might even find ourselves saying “Music today isn’t anywhere as good as it used to be when I was young!” Then you go and yell at some kids on your lawn.
This is totally natural. Every generation has the biological right to believe that the music of their youth is the greatest music of all time. We also have a biological right (or at least a predilection) to have a musical mid-life crisis. The Guardian reports:
Some encouragement for all the 42-year-olds suddenly getting into Rihanna or Rudimental: at least your midlife crisis is less dangerous than buying an unsuitably-powerful motorbike.
Streaming music service Spotify has identified 42 as the age when many of its users rediscover the joys of current pop music, as part of research into how their tastes mature over time.
“During the teenage years, we embrace music at the top of the charts more than at any other time in our lives. As we grow older, our taste in music diverges sharply from the mainstream up to age 25, and a bit less sharply after that,” explained the company on its Insights blog.
“We’re starting to listen to ‘our’ music, not ‘the’ music. Music taste reaches maturity at age 35. Around age 42, music taste briefly curves back to the popular charts — a musical midlife crisis and attempt to harken back to our youth, perhaps?”
That's a little harsh, but not far off the mark. For me, I lost the faith in music when I learned of the existence of Antares Auto-Tune software and how it was used to "fix" vocal tracks. From that point (Spring 1997) I stopped listening to anything made thereafter because I could not trust the authenticity of the skill of the performer as opposed to the skill of the production engineer. My definition of art, is something that I can't do/learn to do for myself. I can't sing a lick, but with Auto-Tune, you'd thing I was the next Frank Sinatra. Even today, it is used in live performances to fix the vocals of washed up singers on the road.
So who is really is talented, and who has good staff? If record does not say that they didn't use Auto-Tune, then it's not worth entertaining as art.
Saw The Who once, Keith Moon still alive. Never caught the Stones though I realize I absorbed more of their stuff than I thought... Weird I always thought them “ dirty” but the Beatles and Who were “clean”
Bruce Cockburn was great until he went full-bore marxist. By the mid-1980s he was doing nothing but “protest” songs.
Lucky you. I saw them in '89. Their 1970 Isle of Wight concert is the single greatest concert video ever.
I like “if I had a Rocket Launcher” though.
Ya buddy, I was like 5 or so when I heard that. Has haunted me ever since...
42 is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. — Douglas Adams
Excellent!
I’ll call that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elnRbeNsNRk
and raise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWG3Vx0ADQY
I’ve always thought Audioslave could do a great cover of House of the rising sun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QU1nvuxaMA
I returned to my first love, classical music, after my broadcasting career ended at age 27.
Ya he “evolved”.
Searchers like Cockburn and say, Dylan seem to stumble on the Truth and search right on past it
And now for something completely different.
Unknown Hinson plays Voodoo Chile (He also does the voice of Earl on Squidbillies)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdSgFABwtiw
I liked "Level 42", Mark King is a fantastic bass player.
I always wondered what it would be like if the Moody Blues did The Mood Is Blue.
I liked it a lot less when I found out he filmed the video while touring Central America as a guest of the various terrorist groups operating there.
Now you’re eclipsing my limited perspective, been too long out of the main stream.
I was doing good to tape an I phone to a stick and do this last year.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PHepHK4-9bE
Jimmy and Stevie Vaughn playing Pipeline together on a double neck guitar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSjRggiSBrU
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.