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I've been wanting to discuss this for a long time but it took awhile to form my thoughts on this. I have a part two to this that I will post in another thread after this discussion is over.

This is probably more for US and UK readers. I know we have people here from all around the world, which is great, but I am not sure how much they follow music from the US and UK, but your input is definitely appreciated.

So I was born in the 70s, grew up in a house where my Dad listened to classical music, and my mom listened to such bands as ABBA, Neil Diamond, Kenny Rogers, and so on. Nothing to brag about there, and I actually hated much of it. My first album purchase was Motely Crue's 'Too Fast For Love', and I pretty much listened to Metal, punk, and 80's Alternative throughout my teen years, before going through the whole grunge thing. Alternative rock followed which led to contemporary rock then to Psychadelic rock. Periods of Trance and Techno sprinkled in while in college. I love classic rock too and everything from The Doors to Pink Floyd to modern bands like Silversun Pickups, Chevelle, and Wolfmother.

But lately I have been generally disappointed with music. It feels very repetitive, hollow, and very over-produced.

So the last decade or so I have been branching out and exploring the music during different time periods. I have always been fans of individual bands from many decades, but didn't know much about the decades themselves or the other bands around them. I will admit that at first some of it can be hard to listen to. We become accustomed to how music and voices should sound, and its hard to appreciate how good some music is if your ears aren't really receptive of it. Actually I think it started back in college during the crazy days of Napster, when you could scroll though other people's music collections and find random stuff people had. One easy click and you had it.

But I have to give Wikipedia a lot of credit for expanding my knowledge and appreciation of music. The cool think about Wikipedia is the embedded links to other articles, so I might be reading about Led Zepplin and read that Jimmy Page was in a band called the Yardbirds, and I'll be like, 'who the heck were they?" and read up on them, then look them up on YouTube and be surprised to know that I have heard their songs before. And holy crap, the Zepplin song Dazed and Confused was a Yardbirds cover, which was a cover of a song by Jake Holmes?!?! And wait, Eric Clapton was in the Yardbirds too. I am not a huge Eric Clapton fan, but I love Cream, and I read up on them too, and eventually find my way to their final performance at the Royal Albert Hall, and I think, wow, how amazing it must have been to hear them live in their prime. Then I read up on how Cream really laid the groundwork for Led Zepplin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, who brought heavy metal into this world and influenced every metal band I listened to in the 80s, but they also had a big impact on southern rock legends Lynard Skynyrd who I have liked for years, and wait, the Allman Brothers? Who the heck were they? Well it turns out I have heard their songs for decades too, and I had no idea how big they were. And then I realize that many of the bands who I listened to in the 80s and 90s had their influences in the 70s, if not formed in the 70s. And what influenced the 70s? Well, the 60s. And the 60s? The 50s with the birth of Rock n' Roll. But wait, without the blues from the early 1900s, you wouldn't have Rock n' Roll at all. Actually, considering where Rock n' Roll was born, you have to also give credit to Bluegrass. Wait, what? And then Bluegrass also goes on to influence Country. I really don't like Country, but I do love Johnny Cash. Wait, Johnny Cash used to tour with Elvis? *brain explodes*

It doesn't take long for your mind to be blown, not necessarily about your favorite musicians or performers, but who influenced them and when.

I am a huge Cure fan. The Cure formed in the 70s. I also love rock, and AC-DC are in my top 3 bands of all time. They too, formed in the 70s. When I think of the 70s, I think of Disco, which for most of my life I hated. I start reading up on my favorite bands and go through who influenced them and it all really goes back to the 70s. That's not to say the 50s and 60s aren't important. The 50s was good, clean Rock n' Roll, whereas the 60s was a lot of pushing the envelope. Also the 60s were a transforming period in America. You can feel the emotion in the music, which is something that really lacks in music today. The 60s were an awesome time for music. But I am stunned with the variety of music that came out of the 70s.

Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, The Eagles, Journey, Queen, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, the Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash, ZZ Top, Barry Manilow, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, John Denver, Barbara Streisand, Donna Summer, Simon and Garfunkel, All of the Beatles doing their solo (and in my opinion their best) work, James Brown hit his peak in the 70s, without the Jackson 5 you never would have heard of Michael Jackson in the 80s, Commodores, Glen Campbell, Willie Nelson, Statler Brothers, Dolly Parton, David Bowie, U2, Blondie, just to name a few that I haven't already mentioned. And I know a lot of people want to gag listening to Disco, but if you really take the time to listen to the Bee Gees or KC and the Sunshine Band, not only will you hear some amazing talent, but the interesting thing that I find about Disco is not only do you know Disco when you hear it, but no other type of music conveys more of a free spirited, fun-loving music than Disco. And Disco in turn even went on to influence bands like Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Queen, and so on who were already established with their own sound. You just can't get away from it.

And there are many, many artists that I have left out above that deserve recognition too. Its amazing the talent that existed in that time period. I don't think there has been another decade like it. I think you also have to put yourself in that time period and imagine hearing those sounds for the first time, because a lot of them have been ripped by today's artists. I know some of it looks silly if you watch it, or even sounds it at times, but I think it was a very revolutionary time in music. I guess if you consider the 50s being the first, and the 60s being the experimental and rebellious period, the 70s was the expansion period. Music just explodes in so many directions that are still being expanded on today. And that is what I find missing in today's music. It feels so generic and hollow. Then again, what do we really have to write about these days? We really don't have the drama going on today like earlier decades had either, and therefore the music lacks the emotion. And what has really changed in music the last 20 years? We're still listening to rock, rap, pop, or country. Not much has changed.

If you feel the same way about contemporary music, I recommend picking out a random playlist on YouTube and giving it a go. Or at least reading up on who influenced your favorite bands. You might be surprised where you land.

I love a lot of 50's music, more so than 60's music. (And some artists like Cee Lo Green and Meghan Trainer are tapping that pool.) While I love most of the 70's bands you name, the eighties and nineties had their own great musical movements, like post-Jackson pop and rap. I also disagree that today's music is uniformly lifeless and terrible. There are plenty of great artists getting play on the radio (although plenty of bad ones, too). Overproduced? Yeah, that is pretty true, but that's an unavoidable product of technological progression and marketing.

It sounds to me like you enjoy a certain style or range of styles of music that have had their time in the sun, but haven't moved on with the musical tastes of later generations. Maybe it's that old chestnut about how music stopped being good after you graduated from college.

Well done for expressing all of that. You've put a lot of thought into it.

I agree with a lot of what you say, actually. Another way to look at it is to identify new "waves" of music -- Rock 'n' Roll, Prog Rock, Punk, Hip Hop, Rap, Electronica, and so on.

I personally feel that most popular music ran out of steam by the early 2000s, and there has been little significant advancement since then. For instance, I'm not clear that modern R'n'B is significantly different to a lot of stuff like Whitney Houston from the early 80s.

Where there are new styles like Electroswing and Nu Disco, they are rather derivative, more like a remix than a new movement (though see Caro Emerald and Caravan Palace for honourable exceptions.)

On the upside, there are heaps of earlier bands whose recordings are easily available. You've name-checked Cream and the Yardbirds, and there's all kinds of others -- The Kinks, for instance, As you've said, it's fascinating to go back and trace the connections and cross-fertilisation that went on.

All that being said, perhaps I have become middle-aged and boring over the years.

For another band that served as a stepping stone for loads of great british musicians you should check out John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Throughout its run it had Clapton, Jack Bruce, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Peter Green, Mick Taylor and many more.

KTG17 wrote:
This is probably more for US and UK readers. I know we have people here from all around the world, which is great, but I am not sure how much they follow music from the US and UK, but your input is definitely appreciated.

Here in Sweden we listen more to American and British popular music than Swedish music, especially the younger generations. Heck, Swedish singers seem to sing in English most of the time, and it's been popular since the days of ABBA. If Swedes listen to music from non-anglo-saxon countries, it's probably in English anyway, since it's an international trend.

Most of what I personally listen to is from the 80's and 90's, but I also listen a fair bit to Renaissance and Baroque music. I really dislike most 40's-50's music, and today's music mostly leaves me unenthused. Then again, I think that would've been the case for what was broadcast on radio and topping the charts during earlier decades too, it's just that when you can choose from decades and even centuries of quality music, why would you limit yourself to what's popular right now. If you broaden your perspective you have a better chance of finding something that truly resonates with you.

 Cream Tea wrote:

KTG17 wrote:
This is probably more for US and UK readers. I know we have people here from all around the world, which is great, but I am not sure how much they follow music from the US and UK, but your input is definitely appreciated.

Here in Sweden we listen more to American and British popular music than Swedish music, especially the younger generations. Heck, Swedish singers seem to sing in English most of the time, and it's been popular since the days of ABBA. If Swedes listen to music from non-anglo-saxon countries, it's probably in English anyway, since it's an international trend.

Yup, same in the Netherlands. English music has been the standard since long before I was even born. Most Dutch music sucks (with some notable exceptions) Even in Russia, people listen а lot to English and American music nowadays. Lots of people even try to sing in English, despite the heavy accent we Russians are cursed with.

A lot of my friends, and me as well, are of the opinion that music was the best in the 70's and that since the 90's/2000's most music has become worse and uninspired. So it is not just something that has to do with the nostalgia of old people who remember the music of their youth. Young people nowadays also think this. In fact, so many people think this I think it can almost be called a universal truth. Though I do like the variety in musical genres we have nowadays.

 BobtheInquisitor wrote:
It sounds to me like you enjoy a certain style or range of styles of music that have had their time in the sun, but haven't moved on with the musical tastes of later generations. Maybe it's that old chestnut about how music stopped being good after you graduated from college.

Well, I wouldn't say that. I am open to new bands. actually I crave them, and that is part of the disappointment. The problem is the preferred category I am interested in is rock, and that can include a wide-variety of types of rock, but its typically around alternative rock, and more recently psychedelic rock. I discovered that through Pandora with such bands as The Black Angels, Wooden Shjips, Black Market Karma, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spacemen 3, and a whole host of others. They really kicked the door down on my music selection, and it was a fun ride, but I feel like its starting to wear out on me.

I don't want to sound like there aren't more recent good bands out there. . . Muse is awesome. And I mentioned Silversun Pickups, Chevelle, and Wolfmother above. Also love The Black Keys. There are bands that are able to put together a nice selection of music for me to listen to over time (aside from a one-hit wonder), but I just think its very few in number, and at that, I don't feel like much of what I am listening to is revolutionary. I mean, without Smashing Pumpkins, who I also loved, there would be no Silversun Pickups. Without Sonic Youth (who were in my top 3 bands for many years), there would be no Smashing Pumpkins. Actually, without Sonic Youth, there wouldn't be many alternative rock bands as we know them, as they have been very influential (even if not as popularly known) in the industry.

That being said, since I despise rap and pop, I may not notice all that is going on there, but while I recognize the talent in some of the performers, I don't see them leaving a legacy like their earlier cohorts.

Also, and as part of my second thought on music, is the difference between US music, and the UK, even within the same genre. . .

I think many people would say its the same except for the accents, but I would argue they have some real subtle differences. The biggest one is that I think music from the UK tends to be a lot more refined, and its very difficult to improve in a cover, where American tends to be less refined, more raw and emotional. Part of what makes the UK cousins great is that the music and vocals are crisp and near perfect, where Americans typically jam to the point where its good enough call it a day (and not to say they aren't producing great music in their own right). The American 'cool' image factor is partly not giving a sh!t, whereas even in most of the world, the more highly refined it is the better (even in Asia for example with K-Pop and so on).

Currently, I'm having too much fun exploring back catalogues to enjoy new music.

Recently picked up a 'Best Of' of The Damned. And it's a cracker.

As a rock fan, I find it incredibly difficult to seek out new bands and sounds, because 'the mainstream'* are so determined to utterly ignore it, whilst embracing droning rap music and god awful, diabetes inducing sugary pop pap.

*I hate that phrase. I just can't think of a better term at the moment.