Jump in the Pit, most of the groups you named I didn’t like. I’m not even a big Elvis fan. About the only songs I liked by him was In the Ghetto and Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog (Big Mama Thorton originally sung it and did it far far better than Elvis. Sadly, Elvis Pelvis got rich off his poorer rendition and Big Mama died penniless). Cyndi Lauper SUCKED! (IMO, of course) Blondie’s Rapture was great. The Police’s “Everything She Does is Magic” was OK, but I didn’t run out and buy it. Now Stacy Q’s Two of Hearts I did run out and buy, as I did Midnight Star’s “No Parking on the Dance Floor”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gomCkCbKHA4 Technotronic, Lionel Richie, and Diana Ross’ 80s songs, among others. However, I still say there is nothing like 70s music, esp with the Late Great Queen of Disco Donna Summer, Chic, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Commodores, Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Dazz Band, Queen of Soul Aretha, Tina, Thelma Houston, Minnie Ripperton, etc etc. It just feels and sounds different, as well as much better than most music since then, as well as more authentic. Elton John and Billy Joel I agree are good, but White Power bands… Well, as you see, I’m more of a Black Power person, who loved the late Don Cornealius’ Soul Train. It’s the SOOOOOOOOOUL TRAIN! My mother loved Otis Redding, esp his Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay song. She also liked many of the Black singers and even said they are the best singers, “due to their better voices”. So, I grew up hearing a lot of Black music, but I heard other music too. It’s just we always leaned towards the Black singers more than the White singers. Granted my mother had some unusual ways of expressing her music preferences, still does at the age 67.
I agree with you about Big Mama Thornton, but from there our tastes diverge. I hate Disco, and Fleetwood Mac morphed from a Blues band to a Pop band after Peter Green left. They recorded a few good songs after Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks joined, but most of their output was utterly forgettable. As for Aretha, she had a great voice but by the 1970s was pretty much washed up.
I agree with you about Big Mama Thornton, but from there our tastes diverge. I hate Disco, and Fleetwood Mac morphed from a Blues band to a Pop band after Peter Green left. They recorded a few good songs after Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks joined, but most of their output was utterly forgettable. As for Aretha, she had a great voice but by the 1970s was pretty much washed up.
I only like Fleetwood Mac’s work after Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks joined. I heard their prior works much later and I didn’t care for that.
Different tastes. The world would be boring if we all liked the same stuff.
Sure, but some tastes are more prevalent among the population than others. If they weren’t, then I couldn’t do my job as a designer and Seinfeld wouldn’t make millions doing comedy. So I repeat, it is that which most people consider (and will consider even a hundred years from now) “good art,” that we generally label as “good art.” It’s the same thing as judging what is moral or immoral, for example.
The 20th Century saw an unprecedented explosion of great music; from Jelly Roll Morton to Nirvana, there has never been so much excellent music written in another century, and there will probably never be so much great music in such a short time again. George’s comment is irrelevant. Popularity does not equal greatness.
Nirvana’s not great music.
It is!
Which just means ‘I love it’.
Stephen
Actually, there are a few Nirvana songs that I like.
Decent song you linked, Stephen. I’ll see you a Boy Band and raise you The Flyin’ A’s. These are friends of mine at an Austin restaurant. This is typical Austin music on a weeknight; one reason I love this town.
Decent song you linked, Stephen. I’ll see you a Boy Band and raise you The Flyin’ A’s. These are friends of mine at an Austin restaurant. This is typical Austin music on a weeknight; one reason I love this town.
My mother loved Otis Redding, esp his Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay song. She also liked many of the Black singers and even said they are the best singers, “due to their better voices”. So, I grew up hearing a lot of Black music, but I heard other music too. It’s just we always leaned towards the Black singers more than the White singers. Granted my mother had some unusual ways of expressing her music preferences, still does at the age 67.
