Had an all-70's web radio playing while I worked yesterday, and it got me thinking about the evolution of popular music.
Call me biased, since of course the 70's is the decade in which I came of age, but I think it might be the best music decade in the modern era. Let me make the case.
Reason #1: Some of the greatest bands and artists made timeless classics.
Many of these are still around, and others are iconic. Just a short list:
Aerosmith, The Who, Elton John, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Eagles, Genesis, Boston, Nugent, Clapton, Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan. I probably forgot somebody important.
Reason #2: Music so good I personally haven't heard better since.
There were the bands and artists so well known that I listed above, but some of my favorites have never been duplicated.
My personal all-time favorites were Chicago, Harry Chapin, Jim Croce, and I, uh, had this crush on Olivia.
Reason #3: There was something for everyone.
From acid or metal to folk, there was a lot of great music for any taste. I was a great fan of Chapin's story songs. Others enjoyed Carly Simon and James Taylor (who by the way were married briefly back then).
We've gotta give Barry Manilow his due. I find it rather funny that nobody will admit to ever being a Manilow fan, but somebody had to be to explain his huge album sales and airplay. OK, I admit that I sort of liked Manilow. I listened to him when he came on the radio, saw him in concert once, and even did one of his songs as a solo in U. Singers.
Then there's disco. I think everybody who hates or makes fun of disco missed the point. Disco never tried to be about serious music. It was all about fun. And the girls were really into the disco dancing scene, which meant guys actually went out and learned the Hustle for the sole purpose of meeting them. Listen to the Bee Gees and Donna Summer and the Village People, and I think you'll hear that they're not about anything but having a good time.
Generally what I miss most about the music of the 70's in contrast to today's popular music is the spirit. In the 70's, music was about love and fun and hopefulness. Sure, lots of songs were kind of sappy by today's terms, but I don't have a problem with that. Today's music seems much more cynical and worldly and much less soulful. And in my humble opinion, it's hard to find an artist these days that can actually sing with range and pitch and tone. It seems like these days, good singers need not apply.
I think I'll listen to that 70's station some more. It takes me back, bringing some feelings and memories of people and events I haven't thought about in a long time.
4 comments:
There is an enormous wealth of good music available nowadays. Just because it doesn't sound exactly like music from the 70s doesn't take anything away from it's value.
In fact, there's a significant movement of bands that do sound like bands from the 70s. I personally find that sort of regressive non-creativity pointless, but it's out there.
I think your problem is that you listen to the radio and expect to hear something good on it. I, too, find it impossible to listen to the radio for any length of time, because the music is generally total crap (and I hate ads, but that's a different topic.)
For every icon of the 70s, there's a modern icon to match. In the category of singer-songwriters you have Sufjan Stevens, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Sam Beam of Iron and Wine, and Nick Thomas of The Spill Canvas, all of whom are writing brilliant, original music that contains tracks that I expect to consider classics when I'm your age. If you want to match up any of those modern geniuses against the Carpenters or Boston, please do. Point for point I think you'll find they stack up - musisicanship, singing, storytelling, and all. The style is different, but you can't give grades for artistic style.
As for "something for everyone", where can I even start? iTunes has in the neighborhood of 20 genres in its somewhat limited music store, and even within those genres the variety is so wide as to be an excess of choice. Slipknot sits next to Eric Clapton on the "Rock" page (my favorite example.)
Barry Manilow... Clay Aiken.
In SAT style, the 70s were to disco as today is to... that's right, hip-hop. No one takes lyrics about parties in the Holidy Inn and being in love with a stripper extremely seriously... it's just music to dance to.
80% of today's music is in some way about love. And if you want cheerfulness, please go find The Flaming Lips' latest album.
That last paragraph really sums up why you like 70s music so much better, though - it takes you back, brings back good memories. It's understandable. Everyone stops liking new music sooner or later. I'm hitting that point already... some of today's music generally mystifies me... not because it's bad, specifically, but because there's other stuff that's much better and gets ignored.
But don't bash on today's music unless you can bash authoritatively.
...And when did you ever listen to Pink Floyd?
Nick, do you disagree that a lot of the stuff played on the radio today is worldly, crass, cynical, and kind of soulless? Between the hip-hop, gangsta rappers and Britney Spears, I'd rather turn the radio off. Criminals and airhead blondes - no thanks.
Pink Floyd - funny you singled that out.
Oh, i totally agree that most of the stuff on the radio today is utter garbage. That's why it's on the radio - it's Lowest Common Denominator music. Whatever the largest number of people will put up with long enough to hear ads.
Crass is nothing new, nor is worldly, or cynical. I seem to remember your generation being the one that introduced america to casual drug use, and much of the music of the era is about some combination of drugs and war.
Crass sells TV ad spots, nothing more. MTV is not the soul of music - any true music fan can tell you that. And what you hear on the radio is sold out to commercial interests. Judging the music of today by what's pushed by corporate interests is like judging the women of the 50s by how they were portrayed in Wonder Bread ads.
It's totally fair to single Britney out. She, frankly, isn't that great an artist and her image is created by commercial interests. And, yeah, that's a large part of what's wrong with music today.
Singling out rap, however, is very unfair. It's true that there are quite a few rappers who promote a pretty negative lifestyle, but every generation has unique influences. You had Timothy Leary growing up (well, maybe he was a little early for you.) I have 50 Cent and Nelly. And, to be totally honest, these guys aren't about many of the things they rap about. To them, and to those who understand their message, they're telling a story about how things are, not how they'd like them to be.
I think that if you gave real, good modern music a chance, you'd think differently.
i think you'd like this:
http://erichidle.livejournal.com/
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