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BlueAngel

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Posts posted by BlueAngel

  1. First one: The Last Waltz (1978)

    Martin Scorsese's documentary of the Band's 1976 farewell performance featuring an all-star lineup of guest performers including Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Emmylou Harris, the Staple Singers etc. The concert is intercut with Scorsese's interviews with the members of the band. An excellent tribute to a great era in American/Canadian music.

  2. Taylor who?

    Just consider yourself fortunate. :D

    It just seems like there's more that people think are incredible songs. What bothers me is when I tell people that someone like Taylor Swift isn't a terribly talented guitarist and they tell me that's my opinion. It's maddening. Singer? Sure. Guitarist? No, she hasn't shown that to me. Yet somehow that's my opinion.

    And as far as old music vs. new music, I do realize that there is some great new music out there. I love some of the stuff that's out there. And in fact some of it is very popular. Bands like Wolfmother or Muse. Bands that still contain talented musicians and are popular. And there's still bands out there. Just seems like they're less glorified than they used to be.

    I agree many great artists go unacknowledged while those with a pretty face, a good publicist but limited musical ability become idolized, but I don't think that's anything new. Plenty of artists and their music have only been appreciated in hindsight and were often rejected or ignored in their own time. The converse is also true: artists have been celebrated for being the best thing since sliced bread, but years (or months, as often happens) later are looked on as unfashionable rubbish.

    'Tis unfair and frustrating certainly, but its still just someone's opinion.

  3. I don't know. It just seems to me that when Britney Spears is putting out songs that have the depth of a birdbath and is making millions upon millions of dollars for it, being glorified as an incredible musician, when musicianship has all but left the music that people listen to and instrumental proficiency is now boring to put in a song, I feel like something bad has happened. As if we've degenerated in some way. It used to be people could sit through a symphony. Now if the song isn't done in 2-5 minutes interest has been lost. If the song isn't catchy and quick no one cares.

    Has there ever really been a time since the beginning of rock and roll, when albums mattered more to the industry and the general public, excluding established fans of specific groups than the singles used to promote them? Did radio stations ever play the whole album or even a side when it was first released?

    The casual music listener is often simply not enough of a fan of either music in general or artists in particular look beyond mainstream artists to alternative ones or the singles to album tracks, they just want a few nice songs to listen to sometimes. I don't think this is a new or a worsening condition of people in general. For alot of people music just isn't their thing, they take what's given to them, not caring much either way.

    Also, this sounds like it getting close to the tired Old music vs. New music debate. There is plenty of music out there with as much excellent musicianship and emphasis on musical skill and innovation as there ever was 30-40 years ago, but, for better or worse, much of it sits just beyond the mainstream media's grasp.

    Now look, if the general public bought the first rate crap that we love, it would rapidly turn into third-rate crap by virtue of the inverse relationship between number of people who like something and the quality of that something. Maybe the people liking it is what makes it suck.

    Yeah I agree. I make a point of liking only bands I'm positive most of the people I know can't stand, its the only way I know they don't suck. :P

  4. The music industry has always been an industry like any other: it aims to expand and prosper. I don't think its fair to say it started out idealistic then became corrupted. There has always and will always be those who are in it for the money and those in it for the music (who I'm sure also don't mind getting a few checks now and again if only to pay the rent).

    As a business it needs to determine the kind of product likely to be most successful with the general public. Once they hit upon a winning trend who can blame them for repeating it and beating consumers over the head with it, like every other business does?

    Of course there are those in the upper part of the industry nowadays who care about the quality (as subjective as that really is) of the music product they sell, but probably most view it largely in terms of marketability and potential profit, not originality or merit.

    There are an increasing number of alternative ways to listen to and obtain great new music which are becoming a good-sized part of the music industry as whole. If however your viewing the industry only from a major label/mainstream perspective then it does look a little bleak unless of course your a fan of that music.

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