The degeneration of modern music...

[Lord of The Curry 0]

Here's a solution for the people who don't like what's on today: don't fucking listen.

 

While I understand that you're pissed off that mainstream music is becoming shitty, guess what? Mainstream music has never been the best thing going. That's why it's mainstream. The level of appreciation, on all levels (social, musical, psychological, emotional) is much lower then any other genre.

 

I hate 50 Cent, Britney Spears, Good Charlotte and a number of other mainstream bands but I take hope in the fact that there are artists out there like The Roots or Interpol that I can listen to and know that it's something different but something good regardless.

 

Relax, kids. If disco didn't kill music, I don't think a little mainstream pop or rap will.

[1234-5678 0]

Example #4: Jay-Z "Me And My Girlfriend"

You, my friend, are nuts. That's one of the best singles of last year. It's got the Prince reference, for god's sake! Wonderful backing track, too.

In that post I was just pointing out how a lot of the pop hits are just cover songs, and how no one can come up with anything original. Jay-Z's "Me And My Girlfriend" ripped off 2Pac, and completely deballed what was an aggressive and outstanding song.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Here's a solution for the people who don't like what's on today: don't fucking listen.

I don't. All up, I'd say i've heard maybe only a handful of new songs this year because I straight out refuse to be around that shit. However, sometimes its unavoidable, for example when im out at clubs or out drinking with friends.

 

My argument was just that I fear for those in the key demographic. Being subjected to such trash (and I can distinguish between good music or not, regardless of age) can't be good for one's mentality.

 

UYI

[NoCalMike 0]

Britney got a star on the walk of fame. Wow, talk about insulting.

[Nighthawk 0]

Britney got a star on the walk of fame. Wow, talk about insulting.

To who? There's way worse things on that walk. One time I spent a whole day walking up and down it trying to find the 3 Stooges star, and some of that crap that gets a star, you wouldn't believe.

[Guest Doyo]

Um, mainstream music does not suck. The problem with it is this, as Gooddear said, you are too old for it. My mom thought alot of the mainstream music of the 80s and 90s suck when it was stuff like Guns and Rose, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Grangsta Rap, P-Funk Rap, Hair bands, Boy Bands, ect. ect. Some people are just too old to like the stuff greared towards younger people. Reason people said GnR sucked is because they were a hairband(true) and no different from the whitesnakes of that time. There is always good music out, it just not what you like. And the reason most of you don't like it is because you stuck to the music you grew up to, which is heavier metal, hair-bands, grundge/Alt. Rock music.

This is like saying that their age is the reason for people liking the original Halloween, Texas

Chain Saw Massacre or Star Wars movies better than the recent ones. The fact is very little

mainstream music that comes out today is original or has any substance to it. You have

exceptions like Radiohead, Outkast, Tool and some others, but not much. Even when

supposedly talented newer artists come out, such as Alicia Keys & Nora Jones, they have

one or two hits and then they seemingly fall off the planet. And then you got hyped bands

like the Ataris and Alien Ant Farm who couldn't get any major interest until they covered 80s

songs.

 

Who is today's equivalent of a Led Zeppelin, or a Beatles, or a Black Sabath? Creed?!?

Who is today's Marvin Gaye? Who is today's Bob Marley? Is it Sean Paul?!? Who is today's

Jimi Hendrix? The guitar player for Good Charlotte? Is today's Nirvana the Foo Fighters?

They are just about as popular as any band out today, but most of their biggest fans wouldn't

think of comparing them to Nirvana.

 

Take popular artists from any 5 year period in recent history and then see what 1999-2003

has to match up.

 

1983-1987 -------- 1999-2003

had ----------- had

Billy Joel, Elton John ------- umm Ben Folds (not even close)

Michael Jackson ------- Justin Timberlake (cheap imitation that won't even have 1/5 the hits)

Madonna ------- Britney Spears (odds of Britney having 30 hit songs?)

Guns N' Roses ------- err Nickelback (yeah right)

AC/DC ------- Godsmack (they don't have no Agnus)

Run DMC ------- Outkast (close matchup)

Janet Jackson ------- Beyonce (close again)

LL Cool J ------- Eminem (ok, modern music gets a point)

Prince ------- ??

R.E.M. ------- Everclear? (ha)

Journey ------- Good Charlotte (I'd like to see them play some of Neil Schon's solos)

Bon Jovi ------- Matchbox 20 (close, but let's see where Matchbox is 15 years from now)

Whitesnake ------- 3 Doors Down (these guys and most other new bands aren't capable

of writing a song as good as Whitesnake's "Crying In The Rain")

[Use Your Illusion 0]

Music peaked in the 70's, with the majority of successfull musicians becoming the most influential figures in music history.

 

It's gradually gone downhill ever since, really (with a few exceptions, of course)

 

UYI

[lomasmoney 0]

music was far better in the 70's in terms of both quality and talented artists. Personally, im not a fan of britney spears because of her vocal range and i admit that popular music does for the most part blow ass today. That thing about the generation gaps being greater is so true. I am 5 years older than my sister and I can't stand any of her music

[Guest El Satanico]

Generation Gaps or not...alot of the popular music just isn't very good now. Popular music didn't suddenly start sucking, but it's at a low point now.

 

It doesn't affect me personally, because I don't listen to it more than I have to. However, I'd like to be able to hear a popular music radio station without cringing at 3/4s of the songs.

[1234-5678 0]

Early 90s were the last good time I can remember for music.

 

Rap: 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Biggie, Wu Tang Clan

 

Rock: GNR, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Nirvana

 

 

I think the late 60s, early 70s were the best time for Rock too. Doors, Who, Zeppelin, Hendrix, Floyd......Good god, I wish I was in my teens then. Good music and lots of unprotected sex. That must have been the life.

[spiny norman 0]

UYI, music peaked in the 70s? I have to absolutely disagree. Nothing will ever touch the 60s in terms of musical quality. Nothing.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

UYI, music peaked in the 70s? I have to absolutely disagree. Nothing will ever touch the 60s in terms of musical quality. Nothing.

Music has had the chance to become so much more complex and varied since the 1960's that I think you're really pigeonholing yourself to say that no era will ever touch it. What does the 60's have, really? Juggernaut-wise, you have pre-hard rock Who, the Beatles, early Pink Floyd and Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones...you know, what you actually have are a lot of bands that didn't even peak until the 1970's. You don't have punk yet, you barely even have the Stooges, you certainly don't have hip-hop, you have nothing electronic or synth-based (and I lean more towards Depeche Mode and Massive Attack here than, say, Tranceport DJ Ultra Ibiza Mix 13), and your rock is still all very straight-ahead and, with the exception of formative prog-giants and sheer nutballs like Beefheart, not a ton of experimentation. You have very little of the raw sounds you'd get from the Gang of Four, the Pixies, and Sonic Youth...

 

Basically, if 60's music is what you love, then yes, nothing will ever top it. I'll take 1956 to the present very gladly, though.

[spiny norman 0]

I just think it hasn't been touched yet and it is extremely unlikely that it will be again. The 70s are probably my least favourite decade of the last half of last century. But the folk scene, the stoner scene, the Motown scene. I love the diversity of a few of the decades (especially the 80s), but every now and then there's something that I just don't like. I can't think of any music scene in the 60s that I thought was just bad.

 

I am sure if somebody names them all they'll find it for me, but no, I would take the 60s over the 70s anyday (look at the 60s Stones versus 70s Stones, yowch!)

[NoCalMike 0]

Gangsta Rap & Grunge rock were the two last genres to provide anything new and fresh, and that only lasted a couple of years before both genres were exploited and saturated with a bunch of copycats.

 

Music will never be the same as long as it becomes more corporate. No one from the 50's had to worry about this when they hit 30 and it was the 70's. The corporatization is not a BRAND NEW phenomenom but it is much more prevelent in today's music scene, and it doesn't show any signs of slowing up. Bands & "artists" are not on the radio for the same reason that they used to be, and that is a fact. As long as the right image is placed over good quality bands/artists/music, then mainstream music as a whole, will continue to decline.

[WrestlingDeacon 0]

Here you go throatwobbler: Late sixties bubblegum. Highlighted by The Archies who weren't even a real fucking band. They were portrayed as being the damn cartoon characters.

[notJames 0]

...Music will never be the same as long as it becomes more corporate. No one from the 50's had to worry about this when they hit 30 and it was the 70's. The corporatization is not a BRAND NEW phenomenom but it is much more prevelent in today's music scene, and it doesn't show any signs of slowing up. Bands & "artists" are not on the radio for the same reason that they used to be, and that is a fact. As long as the right image is placed over good quality bands/artists/music, then mainstream music as a whole, will continue to decline.

That just about sums it up for me. It's pretty obvious the kind of ill effect that corporatization has on all forms of popular culture. Crappy music will always be here, no matter the year or decade or century, as long as there's a buck to be made.

 

That's why when it comes to music, I do the following:

 

1. ignore mainstream radio and "music television"

 

2. keep a ear open for good opening acts of bands I currently enjoy

 

3. maintain a healthy relationship with my current music library

 

The rest of the world can go piss up a rope.

[haVoc 0]

Pop music is way better right now then the late 80's/early 90's.

 

I'll take the Britney's, Christina's, Pink's, Justin's, Nsync's, Beyonce's(sp?) over Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, New Kids On The Block, MC Hammer, Paula Abdul, Criss Cross and O'Conner anyday.

 

Some of you didn't experience that shit.

[Guest Doyo]

but you also had Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Madonna, Whitney Houston, George

Michael, Janet Jackson, TLC, En Vogue. I'm not a big fan of any of them, but I'd take them over

the newer stuff.

 

Debbie Gibson wrote all of her own songs, not just the lyrics, she composed the music. She

starting writing songs at around age six and was a good piano player. She was the producer

for many of her songs and she has been in Broadway musicals. As she got older and tried to

get past her teeny-bopper image, radio and mtv wouldn't give her a chance. I never thought

I would be defending her, but the fact is she has more talent than Britney and the like.

[Nighthawk 0]

But should we really judge the end by the means? I don't really care if someone wrote their own songs, I just deal with the product. Elton John doesn't write his own songs, but no one questions his merit as an artist.

[Guest Doyo]

Elton co-writes all his songs with Bernie Taupin. I guess the actual songs would still be just

as good if he didn't co-write or play piano on them, but ultimately the more involved the person

is with the actual creation of the product, the more respect they should get. Debbie Gibson's

songs might not be that great, but at least the product came out of her, instead of from an

idea some record executives had.

[Nighthawk 0]

Respect yeah, but I usually try to seperate the artist from the art, if you know what I mean.

I know, for example, that the Monkees were completely fabricated (at least at the beginning), but I still enjoy listening to them as much as... say, The Lovin Spoonful. I won't compare them as artists, but I can compare their songs and say, yeah, it's all good.

[WrestlingDeacon 0]

And here is where I point out that the Monkees had turned into a real band that wrote and played most of thier own stuff by the third album and Mike Nesmith is one of the most underrated guitarists and songwriters of the late sixties. I highly recommend checking out both Headquaters and the Head soundtrack.

[spiny norman 0]

WD, I liked The Archies. Not as much as The Chipmunks, but still. I know, that's horrendously sad.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

And here is where I point out that the Monkees had turned into a real band that wrote and played most of thier own stuff by the third album and Mike Nesmith is one of the most underrated guitarists and songwriters of the late sixties. I highly recommend checking out both Headquaters and the Head soundtrack.

I'm a slave to 'Daydream Believer/Sleepy Jean', however I've no clue as to what era of their music that song comes from, as I've never been into anything related to the Monkee's other than that song.

 

Did they write that?

 

UYI

[spiny norman 0]

I'm pretty sure Neil Diamond wrote Daydream Believer. It is my personal favourite Monkees song too.

[NoCalMike 0]

No way today's pop is better then 80's pop. Just for saying that you should have yer head examined.

[AboveAverage484 0]

In the same vein as Jay-Z's "Me and My Girlfriend", does anybody else hate it when a rapper tries to do some kind of ballad-type rap? 50 Cent's "20 Questions", etc?

 

I haven't liked a rap CD since 2Pac's death (except DMX, but only his first CD was really any good). I know people say gangsta rap got played out, but dammit that was the best shit!

[Guest El Satanico]

Guess it depends on what you mean by ballad. If you mean a slower song, then no. If you mean an r&bish "love song", then yes usually.

 

However, I also dislike r&b from at least the last 10-15 years.

 

The downfall of gangsta rap was alot like the downfall of grunge, It was good for about 3 or 4 years, then it got shitty due to alot of groups latching on to the trend and watering it down.

[Dr. Tom 0]

1995 - Alanis Morrissette hits big with her whiny man-hate-o-rama that was Jagged Little Pill.

You're crazy. Jagged Little Pill is easily one of the best albums of the 1990s. There are only a few songs on there in the I-hate-men vein, while there's also a song about parents pushing their kids too hard ("Perfect"), a great song about the hypnotizing power of religion ("Forgiven"), and plenty of other good stuff. I'll admit to being a fan of acerbic writing (which is why I'm a John Lennon fan), and Alanis certainly does her share, but to say Jagged Little Pill is just a treatise on the evils of men is both shallow and wrong.

 

Anyway, I think American music peaked in the 1970s, and in particular 1976. That year, Aerosmith released Rocks and the Eagles released Hotel California, the two definitive albums of the decade. Since then, it's been all downhill. There have been a few bright spots along the way, but music is still on a decline from 1976.

[Slayer 0]

1995 - Alanis Morrissette hits big with her whiny man-hate-o-rama that was Jagged Little Pill. 

You're crazy. Jagged Little Pill is easily one of the best albums of the 1990s. There are only a few songs on there in the I-hate-men vein, while there's also a song about parents pushing their kids too hard ("Perfect"), a great song about the hypnotizing power of religion ("Forgiven"), and plenty of other good stuff. I'll admit to being a fan of acerbic writing (which is why I'm a John Lennon fan), and Alanis certainly does her share, but to say Jagged Little Pill is just a treatise on the evils of men is both shallow and wrong.

What were two of the biggest singles off of JLP? "All I Really Want" and "You Oughta Know"... yeah, those songs

 

And before you or anyone else goes into a "You have to look beyond the singles" type spiel, a single's premier job is to draw you into purchasing the CD. If I hate the single, why should I buy the CD? I'm not going to spend my money hunting for a possible "hidden gem" when I didn't like the main song they chose to represent the album (for whatever reason)

 

Even if she wasn't a shitty lyricist (See the classic Alanis lyric generator page), her over-the-top whiny whiny WHINY voice turns me off faster than a hoss lovefest