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.
So who are your influences and favorites?
There's a rebroadcast ACL with Emmylou and Rodney starting RIGHT NOW on CMT.
I also saw her on television doing a prison concert with Johnny Cash and a couple of others. When she sang Desperado they panned the audience, and all these hardened criminals were sitting there bawling like babies. They weren't faking it, either. Just sitting there looking up with tears running down their cheeks, or staring at the ground, and you could see the drops fall from their eyes.
Yeah, can't believe I left Buddy Holly off the list, especially with him being a Texas boy. Anyway, as to Desparado, I'll vote for Linda, but the Eagles do a great version. BTW, in another Alzheimer's moment, I listed Al Hirt and meant Louis Armstrong. Little embarassing. When I was living in New Orleans, they both played the Quarter a lot, and I just mind-melded the names. Thanks for the info on Promised Land.
As to Jerry Jeff, well
Pack up all your dishes, make note of all good wishes,
Say goodbye to the landlord for me, those sons of bitches always bore me,
Throw out those LA papers, moldy box of vanilla wafers
Adios to all this concrete, gonna find me some dirt road back streets
Let me know how you like them
Did she do that Lowell George song titled "I'm Willing"?(Been from Tuscon to Tucamari...)? She really tears that thing up. It's on the Heart Like a Wheel album IIRC.
Who says there are no more father/son activities to be enjoyed anymore? See,they DO have something in common.
She did, she did. BTW, long as Chuck Berry is running through your head, don't forget this one:
Two, three count with nobody on
He hit a high fly into the stand
Rounding third he was headed for home
It was a brown eyed handsome man
That won the game; it was a brown eyed handsome man
and of course
They're really rockin Boston
In Pittsburgh, P. A.
Deep in the heart of Texas
And 'round the Frisco Bay
All over St. Louis
Way down in New Orleans
All the Cats wanna dance with
Sweet Little Sixteen
and one last one...
It was a teenage wedding, and the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre did truly love the madamoiselle
And now the young monsieur and madame have rung the chapel bell,
"C'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell
Emmy Lou does a great version of that last one, also
Hell yeah. "We'll put a boot in yer A$$, it's the American WAY!"
WHAT????? Where the heck did you hear THAT?
The music coming out now is for the kids who will buy the records. Country is for grown ups.I guess I just refuse to grow up. >:) Once you get used to it a lot of the new stuff (even Eminem) is very good, and I can't stomach hillbilly music.
-Eric
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.
The shame here is that that “idiot” wasn’t me.
Whoever that “idiot” was, he was exactly right and is definitely quite a rich man.
(Popular music has always sucked. Remember the 1910 Fruitgum Company? How about Captain and Tenille? Starland Vocal Band? Gerry & The Pacemakers?)
There’s tons of great musicians and bands out there. If you’re jonesing some great retro rock & roll, check out Everclear’s “Songs From an American Movie, Pt. 1” from last year. Great stuff.
No, but I have tapes of the PBS Series "Sessions at West 54th" of Phoebe Snow singing Poetry Man with Zapp Mamma, and Emmy Lou Harris performing with monster guitarist Daniel Lanois, who IIRC produced her Wrecking Ball album (and produces U2). *** BIG GRIN ***
I’ll go you one better there. I was in the studio audience for the Emmylou Harris/Daniel Lanois “Sessions at West 54th” show. (I was also in the West 54th audience for the David Byrne, Joe Jackson, Shawn Colvin, Richard Thompson, Fiona Apple, and Rickie Lee Jones shows.)
That show was an all-time great, though short-lived.
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