lastdecember said:

MickyDolenz said:

A lot of people today forget that some people listen to music as entertainment. They don't care about "innovation" or fancy recording tricks. There's many early "yeah yeah yeah" Beatles fans that don't like their later records. It's magazines like Rolling Stone that made rock music "important" and that music is supposed to have some sort of deep meaning and sound. Pre-Beatles, the mainstream adult audience was listening to showtunes, crooner pop like Harry Belefonte & Johnny Mathis, and watching Lawrence Welk on TV. The teen idol singers weren't really much different than the adult pop. So it wasn't offensive to parents who bought the records. That's the reason rock n roll was shocking in the mid 1950's. R&B/blues wasn't as clean cut as the mainstream music, but they sold to a different audience in general.

Well thats thing too, i mean people sometimes slight the early 80's like 80-82 as the "down years" where nothing was happening in the mainstream, but to me artists like Air Supply were very important to the craft of writing a love song, that is an art form though many shrug it off as nothing important, and the reason they still sell records worldwide and tour, while others have long since lost their way.

I agree on the Beatle thing, but to me that always happens with MANIA prince had PURPLE RAIN and his shining time, and then by Sign O The Times, you had an artist who sold 10-20 million selling 1-3 million, he was growing but people wanted purple rain part 2, or just not to be challenged. Artists grow, while others tread water, The Beatles had that phase where everything released charted high, as the years went along, the "loveable" guys soon were these dangerous pot smokers, i think way too much is made of that period and DRUGS in that band, i dont think what they were doing was anymore than bands then and now, in fact i wouldnt be surprised if the Beatles did almost no drugs, that wasnt the reason for the growth. Some pot or LSD may make u have an idea but what u create on that drug is shit, and u cant function daily on it, so as much the mania was overrated their drug use and that being the SOLE reason for the later creation is nuts.

Don't we all want that Purple Rain 2 though?

I'd put money on the fact that, even though the industry is far different then it once was, if Prince came out with Purple Rain 2 tomorrow it'd be a smash!

lastdecember said:

Well thats thing too, i mean people sometimes slight the early 80's like 80-82 as the "down years" where nothing was happening in the mainstream, but to me artists like Air Supply were very important to the craft of writing a love song, that is an art form though many shrug it off as nothing important, and the reason they still sell records worldwide and tour, while others have long since lost their way.

It's like Diane Warren. Her songs became popular in the early 1980's. Diane still write songs for acts today, when many "hip & cool" songwriters have long faded into obscurity.