squiddyren said:

Hmmm. A really good point.

This is how I feel about today's mainstream music. I think most of it is crap but one thing that Im glad of and that is the independant music movement. There's so much interesting music out there. Im talking about the Bettye Lavettes, the Raul Midon's, the Van Hunt's, the Alice Smith's, etc. Also, I think the jazz scene is SO interesting at the moment. I think there are still good albums being made, you just have to look for them

You realize that you sound like an old fuddy duddy writing this, don't you? you are just the arrogant sort I was talking about, and you need to remember that your viewpoint is biased.

whatsgoingon said:

You realize, that what you are saying was also said about the music that you listened to, right?

squiddyren said:

TANKAEFC said:

OK, TANKAEFC, I'm 27 and I agree whole heartedly with what whatsgoinon said.
So am I disconnected as well or...what is it? this isnt to be argumentative but to see where you're coming from

Furthermore, I grew up in the "golden age" - record stores, vinyl, cassettes and 8-tracks, and all that, and yes, I was always a proponent of going out and searching for music for yourself. But you know what I also remember - I remember walking out with DUSTY HANDS and SNEEZING, because some of the records that I'd lay my hands on hadn't been touched by anyone before me in forever. You can't have an allergy attack from the songs played on an iPod. I think that folks like you are really just jealous that the situation has changed, and that someone else besides you is winning. If you were able to compete and win in the digital age, you wouldn't be saying a word!

whatsgoingon said:

TANKAEFC said:

Relax yourself and go listen to your T-pain and Alicia Keys.

TANKAEFC said:

It's not bad OVERALL (I can live without Soul-Hack Boy, A-Crap, Fartilicious and T-Drone) but the music industry is.

No, it's not. The more things change, the more they stay the same. This argument has and will always continue to come up with every generation that passes. Crappy music existed during the so-called "Golden Ages". It might just be the memories people associate WITH the music that makes it seem like it's so much better than what is being put out nowadays. Music isn't "real" just cuz it's "Indie","underground", or "made in 1982", and it isn't "crap", just cuz it's classified as "pop",or "mainstream" in some circles, and gets heavy rotation on TRL. It's all about personal taste, at the end of the day.

No, it's not. The more things change, the more they stay the same. This argument has and will always continue to come up with every generation that passes. Crappy music existed during the so-called "Golden Ages". It might just be the memories people associate WITH the music that makes it seem like it's so much better than what is being put out nowadays, and therefore, they appreciate it more. Music isn't "real" just cuz it's "Indie","underground", or "made in 1982", and it isn't "crap", just cuz it's classified as "pop",or "mainstream" in some circles, and gets heavy rotation on TRL. It's all about personal taste, at the end of the day.
[Edited 1/6/08 14:01pm]

scorp84 said:

You list R.Kelly, Justin Timberlake and Usher as your favorite artists. That means you don't have a say in anything related to music.
Sit yo ass down

Timmy84 said:

Yup, record labels suck ass.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

prettymansson said:

Exactly.I grew up in the 70s,hearing my parents' play stuff like Al Green,Aretha Franklin,EW&F,The Commodores,Natalie Cole,Ray Parker Jr, and Raydio,Gladys Knight and the Pips,Curtis Mayfield,etc.

After growing up with all that,I refuse to "settle" for the new crap like Beyonce and R.Kelly.I'd rather just live in the past,when it comes to music.

TonyVanDam said:

AGREED.The 70s was the most creative decade for music.Artists and bands were allowed to experiment and try new things.Concept albums were popular in the 70s.Also in the 70s,there was a big emphasis on live music,which is why almost everybody back then released a live album.

What was great about the 70s was,you could take any genre (jazz,R&B,soft rock,disco,funk,pop,hard rock) and there was great music to be found.That's certainly not the case with today's music.

no its not that bad.i liked all the pretensious b.s. alot of ppl here post about and i liked soulja boy! now what!

scorp84 said:

No one saying during the "golden age" all music was wonderful, but you did have a lot of wonderful groups and artists to choose from. I mean even the teeny boppers groups like the Osmonds and the J5 had more credibility than alot of these groups today. In another 20 years time I am sure your more likely to hear a J5 song than a 50 Cent song on radio( that if radio is still in existence in 20 yrs time).

R&B has it use to be no longer exist, what we have instead is the likes of Mary J. Blige (who I like) singing a kind of R&B with a rap in middle and its the same for almost, every half decent R&B act and then we get the same sound again and again, no individuality at all. Thats why the likes of Alicia Keys and John Legend get so much credit, these guys haven't got a thing on the likes of Stevie wonder or Aretha, but they have buck that trend and actually sing on their albums, without having to have some rapper that jumps into the middle of their songs to destroy them.

I spoke to a friend of mine that lives in England recently, and she said that 70s theme parties and clubs are booming over there and it ain't just for those in their late 30s and early 40s. She says peeps in their late teens and early 20s are getting into that music. Even a smart, 21 yr old knows that over the years music on the whole has gone backwards.

whatsgoingon said:

Its no suprice that the Europeans got their musical knowledge on the money.

And to answer this thread, good music is still around,,,,,the difference is; you need to SEARCH hard for it.

Its all subjective anyway. I like my Mary J and R.Kelly albums(before he lost his mind) along with Billie, Chaka, Larry Graham, Sly, Shuggie, Syreeta and Stevie. Whateva cleva! It doesn't mean I like bad music,,,,, I deal with my music with the old basic primitive method, if it rings something in my head and feel good, its good enough for me.

Harlepolis said:

I personally like Mary J Blige, her earlier work especially and I do like some of R.kelly work, again mainly his earlier work. And no one saying that everything put out today is terrible: There are some good artists out there still Jill Scott and India Irie come to mind but overall the choice of good music has become so limited. Jill Scott is never going to get the same coverage as Beyonce(although I don't think Beyonce is that bad) I know Image has always been important in showbiz, even beofore MTV came along, but never to the extent it is today and that has meant music has suffered.

And when we take the whole rap/hip hop movement the whole premise of that sound actually relies heavily on samples from old music; so if they ain't sampling Jame Browns "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" they are sampling Stevie Wonder and if they ain't sampling Stevie Wonder they are sampling the J5 and so forth. To me that kills originality and creativity when a genre is relying so heavily on old music.

whatsgoingon said:

Exactly.Yes,we had crap in the 70s but many of those songs are gems compared to the garbage that dominates the radio right now.Plus,in those days,the good music was mainstream....you didn't have to go "go underground" to find it.Stevie Wonder,Earth Wind and Fire,Roberta Flack,Carole King,Elton John,Al Green,Marvin Gaye,The Bee Gees,The Eagles,Steve Miller Band,Boz Scaggs.....that was the stuff that was dominating the charts.It wasn't hidden,buried,or hard to find.All you had to do was turn on your radio.I think it's safe to say that,these days,it is the CRAP music that dominates everything.

I prefer 70's and 80's and even the 90's over today's music, although I do like some songs here and there. The originality isn't there, it borrows from those decades and before a lot! I myself want to go to retro parties, but i don't have friends that are interested in it, they're all around my age, but are interested in 90's more than 80's. I feel funny calling that retro, cause I remember some of it as being the first music I'd heard.

TANKAEFC said:

well,I guess I'm an old fuddy duddy too,because I agree with everything that whatsgoingon said

whatsgoingon said:

So in short, there's no sense of individuality.

Back then, it was cool to be different than anybody else. Today you're DOOMED, just like Macy Gray's career.

I agree with what you're saying,,,,but I'm tired of looking for faults in today's music because if I'm going to, I won't stop counting 'em. I guess its pretty naive on my behalf to keep that up, but I'm just sick and tired of looking back and saying "We'll NEVER have artists as good as them", I pretty much like to believe that there'll be somebody who'll dominate the scene with a substance and character like Ray Charles in the 50s, James Brown in the 60's, Stevie Wonder in the 70's and Prince in the 80s.

I KNOW I'm naive to be having that type of mentality,,,,,but I can't help it.

novabrkr said:

A very good point,indeed I think it's a shame that people have to "go underground" just to find some good music to listen to.When I was a kid growing up in the 70s,good music was mainstream.

scorp84 said:

If only that were true.I wish that things hadn't changed so drastically.I wish that good music was still the norm,like it was back then.




No,it's not just the memories.Music really was better back then.Take any Stevie Wonder album from the 70s and compare it to a current R&B album.Case closed.


I always say that good music will last forever.That's why people are still listening to Motown.That's why Marvin Gayes' albums are still selling.It's hard to imagine people listening to and appreciating "My Humps" 25-30 years from now.Today's music is disposable and quickly discarded and forgotten.

I think if you like music from the past - great.

But why shit on today's music? It is what it is and if you don't like it, no one's forcing it on you.

Some people do like it and don't enjoy having to hide their true interests and likes for fear of being blasted by people who can't accept that thing called a generation gap.

I think if young people are open minded enough to join a prince forum in the first place, then we should get that respect back that we are showing towards music of the past.

Fairs fair right?

Harlepolis said:

Ok, which artist or group do you think dominated the 90s and what group or artist has dominated the new century so far? I personally think there has been no dominance that has actually stood out, which would test the tide of time. Certain artists have been more prominent than others, mainly due to their private lives, but very little to do with their art.
[Edited 1/7/08 3:44am]

whatsgoingon said:

Nobody

I'm not unrealistic, hence: "I pretty much like to believe " quote

I'm just saying there is hope. With the recent radical decline of sales,,,,I'm just hoping the dirt will be ditched.

Harlepolis said: