Music.... Wow, why is it getting worse?

[prestonchipfryer]

This is my ongoing gripe.

It is a reflection of the whole of our societal changes over the last 50 years, caused by a conflation of causes.
A shift to the right politically, starting with Thatcher, reduced the rebellious tendencies of the young; they were encouraged to pursue money via business rather than indulge as so many had done in the analytical protesting of the 60s and 70s.

Money tended to become a 'God', individuality was defined by personal acquisition rather than expression, and record companies stopped investing extensively in the artists over the following decades. PWL evolved to make their 'corporate formulaic music', to quote Peter Waterman, "Its just something for the kids to have fun with". It certainly was for me not art. They were indeed 'so lucky, lucky, lucky'.

The equipment available now does everything for the (supposed0 writer, no real ability is required, no virtuoso singing or mastering of an instrument. Just get a computer and loop a load of sounds, correct any errors on the screen, and produce yet another vacuous pallid bit of crap. If you are female, make sure your teeth are perfect as are your boobs and arse, if exaggerated, and hope to get rich and famous with that.

The young are too worried about their future to be rebelliously complaining, look at the pressures to which they are subjected.
I have yet to hear on the media anything resembling profoundly moving art containing powerful statements, sung with a real feeling for the writing, and which exposes new truths about life.

King Crimson's Epitaph, Steve Miller's Return to Eden, anyone? The words of both fit the dire state of the world we have produced.

Really? Blaming Margaret Thatcher for the likes of Sheeran and people like Stormzy or rapper Dave

[dave2010]

On February 3rd, to be precise.

In memoriam

[struth]

[Pieoftheday]

After a day of listening to Viking Radio I've been exposed to the latest of the chart tracks as well as other previous chart stuff.

I have to say, it's not until you spend a day listening to such a station that you realise that music is suffering dramatically. The style of todays tracks are a simple rinse and repeat formula. You could do a carbon copy of most tracks and still come out with a track which would be worthy of airplay.

I don't mind change, I embrace it. But change which copies the same change is just boring. And it has no credible benefit to creativity. So, it makes me wonder where are we going? I thought by 2022 we would have done away with autotune and semi dubstep beat lines by now. But no... we are still there.

How do you find todays chart music?

Dont really listen to charts anymore but I dont think much has changed in the respect of age related opinions. 'What's this crap?' Yeah yeah grandad things have moved on..

[Enossification]

Maybe the answer to the question is because it can't get any better ?

How can you beat what we had ?

[Pieoftheday]

Maybe the answer to the question is because it can't get any better ?

How can you beat what we had ?

It's just different, I cant stant the Beatles....

[Pharos]

"Really? Blaming Margaret Thatcher for the likes of Sheeran and people like Stormzy or rapper Dave "

That seems a more than imprecise interpretation; I attributed some changes in youth culture to her during her 'reign'.

[Mikeandvan]

Indeed... What could we all have expected after the 90s... Ed Sheerean? Who would have thought that!

I do wish the older artists would voice concern and not jump on the band wagon with the old 'Ed is great' line. I was surprised even McCartney did that. He didn't need to suck up like that. He's got more talent in his little toe than Sheeran.

Nobody's controversial anymore.

Sheerans style is something that wound me up about the creative direction of most the dross on the radio. A lot were trying to sound like him and succeeding. You would be hard pressed to think it wasn't him. So filling the airwaves with the same kack seems pointless and/or just lazy. It's truly awful and it seems nobody has the guts to say.

I guess the main players in this shocking exposure to brain dead music are the radio stations and DJs too... Every song they play is 'Great'... Not once does a DJ express a collective or personal account to a track. But then, if they did, they would be an ex DJ. Its all so formalistic and hermetically sown up that even the hosts can't voice a controversial word.

I agree, the end of the 90s (with exception to the odd artist) rang the deathnell of pop. There were some crap in th 90s too like any other decade but nothing like today.





Sent from my 9001X using Tapatalk

Indeed, music was already repeating itself in the 90s with Brit pop, a genre I hated, apart from the odd band. Rock was dead by the early 80s, apart from the odd act like Nirvama, then dance music came along, and that was the new rock 'n' roll, and it was fantastic. Nothing can beat it now, music has been dead since the early 00s, even that supposedly rebellious genre 'grime' has been going for almost 20 years, punk was done and dusted within 5 years max!! It's not the kids fault, or is it? Technology drove the dance music revolution, as it did rock and roll, something needs to drive the next big wave in music, what and when it will be is anyone's guess. The 20th century was like a bullet train, seems we're back to steam. Not to worry though, just enjoy all the great music that's ever been recorded.

[Mikeandvan]

I don't agree with the Thatcher thing (is there anything she's not supposedly to blame for?), loads of good bands came out of the early 1980s because everyone was on the dole and life was hard, they had the time and the motivation to make good music. The 80s wasn't just SAW.


I take the opposite view - that Youngsters today have it too easy, that's why their music is bland and crap and their films are mostly childlike super hero rubbish.

Most of them signed on the dole so they could pursue their music, it was like they were state sponsored, they also benefitted from free education, and a pint was way cheaper then too, as was of course, rent. In fact one could argue, things were much easier then, for young folk anyway, perhaps not family men, who suffered from the loss of our manufacturing base, and subsequent recessions. Of course may be these days you don't need a studio to make a song/record?

[Pigmy Pony]

I don't agree with the Thatcher thing (is there anything she's not supposedly to blame for?), loads of good bands came out of the early 1980s because everyone was on the dole and life was hard, they had the time and the motivation to make good music. The 80s wasn't just SAW.


I take the opposite view - that Youngsters today have it too easy, that's why their music is bland and crap and their films are mostly childlike super hero rubbish.

I'm not sure the current crop of young people have it too easy, but certainly they did in their childhood ("helicopter parenting" where mum and dad got involved in everything they did, safety goggles in science class, lifts to school, not allowed matches, home made weapons discouraged, no proper discipline at school).

So now that they have grown up (sort of), and they've had to go into the big bad world, uncertain about everything, including their own gender, maybe "bland and crap" music is their comfort blanket. I've often seen young people going down the street with earphones in and been curious as to what they're listening to. I'd be tempted to stop them and ask, but fear the ensuing mockery might harm their delicate sensibilities.