Which kind of music do you prefer, British or American? They are probably the 2 biggest markets in music in the world, if you ask me, so I ask you to choose.

To be honest, I gravitate more towards British music because I just think they have better taste in music. I don't think America can compete with many of the UK acts. Beatles, Bowie, Roxy, T. Rex, Zeppelin, Clash, Joy Division, Gang of Four, Coldplay, Radiohead, Madness, The Jam, Depeche Mode, Jamiroquai, The Specials, The Smiths, The Cure, Tears For Fears, Adam Ant, Sex Pistols, etc. The list goes on. These are all great artists that hailed from England and took their music to the masses.

Now don't get me wrong, Most, if not all of popular music in the last century is derived from America, and many of great artists come from here. I also notice the irony of Britain being influenced by American music to create their own. But for some reason, the English get the one-upper because they just do it so well. But this is just my opinion.

So, which kind of music do you like:



American




or British?

I like them both.

But let's not forget the many of the British acts site American acts as their main influences...
Louis Armstrong
Duke Ellington
Miles Davis
Ella Fitzgerald
Mahalia Jackson
Frank Sinatra
Ray Charles
B.B. King
Willie Nelson
Hank Williams
Johnny Cash
Chet Atkins
Motown
Stax
Bob Dylan
The Beach Boys
Jimi Hendrix
Chuck Berry
Little Richard
The Supremes
Sly & The Family Stone
Stevie Wonder

So on and so forth.

tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...rmusic.htm

oh, i can't choose. i love a lot of british music, but being someone who lives in america, i get to see a lot more american acts in small venues before or as they're getting successful, which endears me to those artists all the more.

really, i don't think of the two as that separate anymore. bowie's british, but he's a new yorker now. madonna's american, but she's gotta have everything english these days. i think the lines have blurred since the days of the beatles and the english invasion.

American.

One word: MOTOWN

both are good

both have pluses and minuses

they now both share Madonna.

what more could one ask for

British music IS American music.












(unless it has bagpipes, or some such nonsense)


Don't kill me UK orgers. I'm joking. Sort of.
[Edited 7/18/05 18:53pm]

ehuffnsd said:

You can have her back. And that idiot one note talent husband of hers.

I think I got to go with the Brits.

Looking through my albums, most of my stuff is American. I hate the British music press and they put me off even sampling a lot of stuff. Well, actually I hate the music press in general, I'm just obviously more exposed to the British stuff.

Ellie said:

you're lucky, it's much worse here. I only read british music mags.

I don't think I have a preference one way or the other, but looking through my listed favorites in my profile it seems like most of my faves are from the USA. I think it's a specific era of music that I prefer more than anything.

theAudience said:

Interesting point. And Paul McCartney's said before that one of his biggest influences was Buddy Holly. In fact, I think he still owns the catalogue rights to his music.

RipHer2Shreds said:

Oh shit, most of my profile has American Artist on it. I guess I really like them better. http://www.prince.org/profile/lilgish

dorgish said:

You're a goddamn fucking liar is what you are!

RipHer2Shreds said:

ouch

you know, I was thinking the other day "I have more British artists in my collection than anything". Oh my god, TRIP HOP! doesn't every trip-hop artist come from Bristol I'm not saying one's better than the other, it just so happen that I have more British/UK artists.

theAudience said:

As always, I have to agree with TA Baby. I would have to say musically you can't have the UK music scene with US music scene b/c each influences each other throught time and genres.

British music has been stuck in a rut since the mid-90s.

I'd say that after the US and UK, you'd have to include Sweden, Canada, Australia and Ireland as breeding grounds for popular music.

VoicesCarry said:

Wasn't that based in Cleethorpes...?



Detroit, you say..? I learn something new every day

BinaryJustin said:

CANADA?!?!?!



GETTHEHELLOUTTAHERE!!!!

American.

I have more American acts in my catalog, my music library, even my idol is an American singer.

I like a lot of UK music, but the US just overwhelms my catalog.

anyone who knows me, knows that the majority of my faves are from the UK.


Last year may have been a turning point though. The majority of CDs I picked up last year were actually American artists. For the first time since I was 15 I'd guess. what's happening?

I like them both.
-> Prince, Smashing Pumpkins, Tom Waits, Neill Young (canada), Hawksley Workman (dito), Beck...
-> Blur, Pulp, Bowie, Radiohead, Moloko, Groove Armada, Beatles, Badly Drawn Boy, Amon Tobin...

But I also like 'Belgian music' (dEUS, Mauro, Soulwax, An Pierlé, Gabriel Rios, De La Vega ...)which is both very much influenced by both British and American music...

why even choose

The Spice Girls were the last real british invasion.

And I'm still wanting for the next.

[Edited 7/19/05 14:41pm]

isadora said:

I don't agree. Especially Gabriel Rios: he has his own sound, and I don't recognize any direct influences that I know of. Same for De La Vega. They both sound really fresh.
dEUS en Mauro, okay, there you have a point.

No one listens to a particular band/ artist just because of where they originate, but it has to be said that the majority of succesful (in both naff financial terms and artistic terms) are either from Britain or America.


As a Brit, I find more in British music to identify with, hence I prefer UK music on a personal level. For escapism, though, it is more likely to be USA music, as that involves a world I am not normally part of or aware of.



e.g. The Smiths were very much an English band, talking about life in the UK.
On the other hand, Appetite For Destruction (GnR) is one of my favourite albums, but I have never been a heroin addict living off the proceeds of my stripper girlfriends*, so to me that is a fantasy/ cartoon world. Both are important to me, but for very different reasons.










*worse luck

American.

Same with films too more or less.

rocknrolldave said:

dave,celion dione did so much for music