Posted on 07/13/2002 4:55:42 PM PDT by Wondervixen
Why has music entertainment gone into the sewer the past 25 years and who is to blame?
Nobody seems to be able to tune in to a music program (short of Country Music Television) without seeing what today's young music executives strive to convince us is "popular music entertainment". In the words of ex-ELO Drummer Bev Bevan, these up and coming manufactured superstars are performing "Rubbish". I tend to agree with him and here's why.
Over the course of Rock & Roll history, it became a classic staple that was added to and subtracted from, but rarely deviated from...A lead guitar...A bass...Keyboards...A set of drums. Those who PLAYED them also sang and I don't think I need to tell you that it took considerable practice to do it well. Walking and chewing gum at the same time is the joke. Singing musicians are where the talent is!
Then, along came Michael Jackson. Sure, the Drifters, Spinners, Temptations, and many other Motown legends performed sans instruments and dazzled audiences with some very cool dance moves, but their vocals were the drawing card. The moves were the icing on the cake.
Then, Jackson splits from his family band and goes solo. The vocals were catchy but the dance moves took attention away from the sound. Youths were imitating the Moon Walk and the strutting around Michael would do (even the crotch grabbing). The shame here is that some idiot in the music industry saw this as the wave of the future because from Michael's moves came New Kids on the Block, NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Britney, Christina, and all the rest of the "Dancing Bears" who dominate music today.
It is no longer imperitave that you have musical talent, just that you're willing to wear the revealing clothes and DANCE, DANCE, DANCE. Voice mixers will straighten out the fact you can't carry a tune in a designer handbag.
Forced to "the reservation" of oldies summer tours are the real talents. Real BANDS like The Eagles, KISS, The Who, Cheap Trick, Doobie Brothers, Electric Light Orchestra, REO Speedwagon, and Styx are all but ignored by contemporary radio and only heard if you're lucky enough to have a good oldies station signal. Kids today have little appreciation for these talented icons of the bygone days of playing your own music. No, they cast their adoration upon the Dancing Bears who likely cannot play a radio.
Like the state of education in this country (ie; the "dumbing down" of our children), we have grown all too accustomed to accepting this laziness in music that now glorifies the least talented while the more talented get paid for hiding in the studio or standing in the dark of the stage providing the Bears the music to dance by.
Shame, shame, shame. At least Nashville and CMT still have it right.
Bluegrass, the answer is Bluegrass. whey Real musicians playing real instruments and playing it FAST!!!
Those guys rocked. Lol, Can you say that about bluegrass?
Here's a link from David Grishman's page. Other bluegrass bands, etc.
Well,it's at least in a three-way tie with Euro-Pop and Rap. MY description of jazz is "all technique,no tune",but probably the best description I ever heard was in the movie "The Commitments". They had been on stage playing something like a Percy Sledge song,and the trumphet player got "creative". When the set was over the lead singer asked him what the hell that was all about,and he replied,"I thought I would jazz it up a little". The singer's reply is a classic. He said "You know what jazz is don't you? It's musical mastrubation!"
Wouldn't that be the Chuck Berry great,"Promised Land",that goes "Hello operator,give me Norfolk,Virginian,Tidewater xx09. Tell the folks back home it's the promised land a-calling,and the poor boy's on the line."? One of THE greatest songs in rock and roll history! Forget all that Little Richard "I invented R&R" and Elvis,"the King of R&R" crap. The REAL inventors and kings of rock and roll were Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly.
Believe it or not,but I saw the Eagles in Norfolk,Va in the early 70's,and when they came back on stage to do their encore,they opened with "Promised Land". The place exploded! Man,they went back to the roots,and rocked the place out for the next hour! It was the first reserved seat concert I ever went to,and people were ripping the seats up to throw them against the wall to make room to dance.
Oh yeah,the Eagles opening act that night was Linda Rhondstat,and she closed out her encore with "Desperado". To this day I still haven't made up my mind who does it better,her or the Eagles.
And why would a 15 year old in 2002 want to listen to music that I listened to 30 years ago in 1972?
As my kids tell me, "Dad, you're so old school..., You need to listen to Lincoln Park."
Whoever they are....
Going to go see Lyle with Bonnie Raitt in a couple of weeks. Outdoor amphitheater, seats about 50' from stage center. I can't wait, should be a great show. I've seen them both, seperately, and together ought to be even better. First saw Bonnie in the mid-70's; man!, this aging thing sucks, but I guess it beats the alternative.
"Starr was a terrible drummer."Admit it, you know nothing about drums. Not just mho:
"I think he's vastly underrated." - Phil Collins
"He's everything to me. I still think of him musically every time I sit down and play drums. He's a very important guy . . ." - Jim Keltner
". . . his influence in rock drumming was as important and wide spread as Gene Krupa's had been in jazz." - Max Weinberg
"I consider him one of the greatest innovators of rock drumming and believe that he has been one of the greatest influences on rock drumming today." - Kenny Arnoff
"He had great style. I never saw anyone play the way he did." - Dino Danelli
"He played a hell of a back beat, Man, and that's where it's at." - D. J. Fontana
"I think he did a wonderful thing for drums because drummers would see him and think, 'Hey, he's part of it, too.'" - Alex Van Halen
"Literally hundreds of thousands of players - including some of the greatest drummers playing today - cite Ringo as their first motivating influence." - Editor of Modern Drummer magazine
"Ringo is right down the center, never overplays." - Paul McCartney
"Ringo could be the best rock ''n'' roll drummer -- or at least one of the best rock and roll drummers . . . Ringo's got the best back beat I've ever heard " - George Harrison
"Ringo's a damn good drummer. He was always a good drummer." - John Lennon
Truth is, they polled 88% on Mall Rats at the Gap who are spending allowance money Mommy & Daddy gave them.
How long would these dopes be around if they were TV execs & tried to heave all of the Olson Twins we could take on us 24 hours a day/365 a year?
That should be a real good show. Lovette has one of the best bands in the business,and his horn and string sections are as tight as it gets. I love his "mini-big band" sound and his voice,too. As for Raitt,she does some of the sweetest slide guitar work in the known universe. Seems like more people would understand that knowing when NOT to play is a important part of knowing HOW to play,doesn't it?
"Left my home in Norfolk Virginia,California on my mind...."
"Saw Maybelline in her Coupe de Ville..."
"in a country shack lived a boy named Johnny B.Goode...go,go,go Johnny go..."
"mah ding-a-ling,man ding-a-ling,ah want you to play with mah ding-a-ling..." (his only number 1 song. shocking,huh?)
"Riding along in my automobile...My baby beside me at the wheel..."
I remember a Gunnery Sergeant that Daddy was buddies with that played nothing but the old "cheatin' & drinkin' songs"...I'm kinda glad country eased more toward contemporary...LOL
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