Is all modern music terrible? | Page 4 | Fab Forum | The Beatles Bible

It depends on how you define “music” and “terrible.” I think I said before, if it moves someone eliciting an emotional response, it qualifies as music to me (art in general for that matter).  I was watching a CNN show “The Sixties” and it made the point that in the 60s they started combining political activism with music.  I hesitate to agree that they were the first, sex and politics have been an integral part of art throughout history, often hidden in metaphor.  Woody Guthrie played a big part in disguising labor issues in song lyrics (or not disguising them!) 30 years earlier. Slave songs when combined with a basic blues progression (invention of jazz/ blues in the early 1900s) often had sex, drugs, and politics written into them.  In the 60s politcal satire made its way into mainstream music in a big way. 

As in every part of life, computers are taking over.  I think music is something that, being so universal, is always evolving, and easy to enjoy (even if it’s just Ringo tapping his fingers on his school desk).  I think the internet has and is speeding up the processes of genre-blending/creation and band formation.  I’ve mentioned virtual bands before, but I see this as a possible sea change in the musical realm.  While I prefer live or “live takes” (thus loving the BBC, Anthology, and PC Deluxe stuff), virtual bands will create entire new genres – and probably some great bands, as to some extent the “randomness” of band members meeting each other will be less when you can find a new bandmate on youtube.  Another type of music that I expect to become more popular are bands like Pomplamoose or single individuals (like Prince) that have each person playing multiple instruments on each track. From another viewpoint, this type of music parallels the desocialization of society that computers and overpopulation spawn.  Of course to me and many “purists”, live analog music will always be the best, if for nothing else than an occasional flaw.  I’m not a fan of technopop myself, and probably won’t be until they get a lot more accurate in electronically producing sound (like, including the harmonics that resonate inside a guitar body or horn so that the timbre’ is much more like the real thing).

There was a whole lot of mindless bubblegum pop in the 60s and 70s too.  I think our memory of music as it ages is tainted because time separates the wheat from the chaff and discards the chaff.  On oldies channels they generally stick to the good stuff, though nonsense that charted occasionally makes its way out.

As computers are changing everything at a rapid pace, I see nothing but good in the future of music.  There will be a lot more of it for public consumption, and a lot more amateur talent discovery. The whole virtual band thing intrigues me no end.  I see it as a way to distribute music cheaply, worldwide, and anonymously for those who don’t live in “free speech” countries.

Finally, let’s all remember that “the man” likes to hate on newer music than what he grew up on.  So those of us who grew up in the 70s tend to like, listen to, and think the music is good quality.  I’ve been glad to discover a group of serious music aficionados here, and lots of pointers to new music (some of which I like some I don’t).  I’ll get back on topic by suggesting this song: