"These kids today... the clothes they wear... and their music: it's just noise! How can anyone stand Puff Daddy? Now, Steely Dan... that was music!" -- southernnorthcarolina, 2002.
"These kids today... the clothes they wear... and their music: it's just noise! How can anyone stand Steely Dan? Now, Ella Fitzgerald... that was music!" -- my parents, 1978.
"These kids today... the clothes they wear... and their music: it's just noise! How can anyone stand Ella Fitzgerald? Now, Benny Goodman... that was music!" -- my grandparents, 1954.
"These kids today... the clothes they wear... and their music: it's just noise! How can anyone stand Beethoven? Now, Bach... that was music!" -- my great, great, great, great, great grandparents, 1799.
I think I got to agree with that guy who said acid rock screwed up music back in '72.
My thoughts exactly as I scrolled through the thread. LOL
In some ways, I think music is becoming more challenging and interesting. The emergence of punk in the mid-seventies (whether you agreed with its politics or not), at about the time the writer states that things were beginning to fall apart, re-energized the scene, IMHO. It opened the way for indie bands, which helped re-establish the singer/songwriter. Remember that we had a movie soundtrack of old-timey music nab a bunch of grammys in 2002, including album of the year.