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Conference marvin::uk_music

Title:The UK Music Conference
Notice:Welcome (back) to UK_MUSIC on node MARVIN.
Moderator:RDGENG::CROOK
Created:Mon Mar 28 1988
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1381
Total number of notes:39269

39.0. "Nostalgia: it ain't what it used to be" by RDGENG::KEDMUNDS (but I haven't got an fm2r...) Mon Apr 18 1988 12:55

    	Is the general quality of popular music not as good today as
    the sixties, or am I just getting old?
    
    	Keith
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39.1Punk not funk!SUBURB::MCSHANEGAlas poor Yorik!!....I knew him wellMon Apr 18 1988 13:4033
                                                                       
    	Think you're right Keith, the music sceen has slowly declined
    	since the fall ? of the punk/new wave era.
    
    	Only once in a blue moon does a group come along now that's
    	worth listening to...U2 etc...
    
    	Electronic music making seems to have taken over from 'real'
    	music. If/When I listen to the top 40 I find the tunes/tracks
    	all similar with little variation on the dance/disco theme, very 
    	few *new* ideas seem to come along (has it all been done before ?). 
    
    	Occasionaly somthing grabs you're ear, but most of the time you 
    	find its a 60's/70's track that has been 're-done' the prime
    	example being Tiffanys' 'I thing we're alone now'.
    
    	What ever happened to John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett ?
                                 
    	
    
    
    
    
    	> or am I just getting old?  
    	
    	Yes. You must be getting old keith.
    
    
    	;-)
    
    Gary
        
39.2wheres me walkin' stickRDGENG::CLEVELANDMon Apr 18 1988 13:4510
    Funny you should say that. When I went home for Christmas I was
    talking to my little sister and said that all the stuff inthe charts
    was rubbish and her reply was - "What! Theres some really good stuff
    at the moment you must be getting old!"
    
    So it's not just you getting old Keith!
    
    (But still a lot older than I'm getting I'll bet!)
    
    Brian
39.3No secrets here...RDGENG::KEDMUNDSbut I haven't got an fm2r...Mon Apr 18 1988 14:175
    	To put your minds at rest, 6/3/59: 29 (just!).
    
    	K
    
    (Belated birthday cards / VAX(birthday)mail welcome!!)
39.4And don't say U2 or Springsteen ...HEART::WARDMon Apr 18 1988 22:523
    Question :- if the Sex Pistols were the major influence in the mid-70's
    and Joy Division were the major influence in the early 80's who
    is/was the major influence in the mid-80's .. ?
39.5RDGENG::KEDMUNDSbut I haven't got an fm2r...Mon Apr 18 1988 23:108
39.6?SUBURB::MCSHANEGAlas poor Yorik!!....I knew him wellTue Apr 19 1988 13:483
    Who was then Keith, the Eagles ?
    
    Gary
39.7STOPIT::IBLwhile you still can!Tue Apr 19 1988 14:5914
    
    Calling a band "the" major influence of anything is always a risky
    business, since it's very much a personal opinion, I feel.  Different
    journalists/artists/listeners say different things, and beauty is
    very much in the ear of the beholder, right folks?  The Sex Pistols
    were *a* major influence during the Punk era, certainly, if only
    because of the incredible hype surrounding their existence and demise,
    but I wouldn't go as far as claiming they were *the* major influence
    of the mid-70's.  Likewise Joy Division in the 80's.  
    
    Right, now all we need is somebody to answer the damn question! 8^)
                                                                    
    							Ian!
                                                            
39.8RDGENG::MACFADYENRoderick MacFadyenTue Apr 19 1988 19:597
>    Question :- if the Sex Pistols were the major influence in the mid-70's
>    and Joy Division were the major influence in the early 80's who
>    is/was the major influence in the mid-80's .. ?
    
    That's easy! Rick Astley of course.
    

39.9my views on RA's influence....SUBURB::DALLISONBut would *you* buy one?Tue Apr 19 1988 21:028
    re -1
    
    :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)
    :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)
    :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)  :-)
    
    KR
    -T
39.10set mode/nosarcasticRDGENG::KEDMUNDSbut I haven't got an fm2r...Tue Apr 19 1988 21:501
    	Anyone want to return to the subject of 0.?
39.11Mama Levi RulesVIVIAN::M_GANNONWed Apr 20 1988 12:4123
    Keith,
    
    Point 1 - You are getting old.
    
    Point 2 - I'm right there with you kid, getting old too!!!
    
    More and more I find myself buying fresh CD copies of albums I already
    have on vinyl instead of newly released stuff.
    
    I have even started listening to classical music, something I would
    have thought unimaginable a couple of years ago.
    
    In short there aren't the music makers of the calibre of the Led Z's, 
    The Stones, dare I say it The Beatles about at the moment.
    
    I therefore second the motion -
    
    	Nostalgia- it ain't wot it used to be !!!!
    
    Eem-Gee
    
    Saw you in Deathpark last week Keith, could you check the date on
    your birth certificate??????
39.12set mode/masochisticSTOPIT::IBLwhile you still can!Wed Apr 20 1988 12:448
    
    re: .10
    
    Er, well I would, Keith, really, but it was before my time, knoworrimeen?
        
    Go on, abuse me, I can take it.
    
    								Ian!
39.13Come Back Keith Moon,all is forgiven !!!EGAV01::DKEATINGNot all that shivers is coldWed Apr 20 1988 14:399
    I agree with .0 and .11,yes we are all getting older by the day
    (profound statement !!).I feel the excitement,the novelty,the
    spontaneity(sp) has long gone out of the music 'machine' but of
    course that's a sure sign of getting old....I won't buy a CD 'till
    I wear-out every one of my 500 or so vintage-vinyl....still havn't
    developed the 'ear' for Classical though...I think I'll wait 'till
    I hit 30 for that ;-)
    
    	'Back in the summer of '69 Oh Yeah.....'
39.14Disagreement might follow...RDGENG::MACFADYENRoderick MacFadyenWed Apr 20 1988 21:3910
.13>                    I feel the excitement,the novelty,the
.13>    spontaneity(sp) has long gone out of the music 'machine' 
    
    I don't agree, I think that that excitement has moved into
    hip-hop/house, but that music is intended for an audience that tends
    not to work for Digital... so everyone in this conference hates
    it. (Your spelling is OK.)
    
    Rod

39.15...and don't be rude...!RDGENG::KEDMUNDSbut I haven't got an fm2r...Wed Apr 20 1988 22:024
39.16Pick a questionHEART::WARDWed Apr 20 1988 22:477
    I agree with Rod but can yo really say that hip-hip and house is
    original and clever ?
    
    Also - have you noticed the latest fad - re-releasing late 70's
    dance hits - like Chic etc ?   Does this not prove (along with
    SAW and the USA gals) that (commercial at least) music is dying
    on it's feet ?
39.17alive and wellGYPSC::CHISHOLMDem Tambourines!Wed Apr 20 1988 23:0721
    
    	It all depends on your outlook I think, I personally listen
    	to only a few artists/LP's I bought say ten years ago, thinking
    	about it, I haven't listened to Mike Oldfield, Barclay James
    	Harvest, ELO, Eagles, Kraftwerk etc for years.
    
    	I think peoples taste changes through the years, I still
    	like and listen to new stuff, Beatfarmers, Hue and Cry, Cocteau
    	Twins, Lone Justice to name but a few. 5 years ago I was 'into'
    	a little 'Fusion', now half the CD's I buy are Jazz, all styles.
    	I've always enjoyed somew classical, but only have a few
    	recordings, because there is so much to choose from, and if I don't
    	want to fall behind with the new stuff I can't afford it.

    	Enough of the rambling, I love it when some of the old stuff
   	is played, but like a good mix.
    
    	Doug.
    
    	
    
39.18Alas ...OCTAVE::VIGNEAULTThe Central ScrutinizerThu Apr 21 1988 17:2437
    
    It seems to me that music these days in general lacks the sincerity
    that the earlier groups put into their music.  The general objectives
    today seem to be flash and technology.  I just finished reading
    an article about Steve Vai who referred to the fact that David Lee
    Roths newest album is a 72 track recording.  Earlier groups did
    the best they could do with a limited amount of tracks, and I feel
    the sound of the music was a lot more spontaneous and natural than
    some of the rigid music being produced today.
    
    The music in the mid sixties/early seventies was really different
    than its predecessors.  A lot of bands such as Jimi Hendrix Experience,
    the Doors, Cream and others broke new territory with the music they
    created.   There wasn't a lot of high tech equipment available to
    color and tailor your sound so these guys had to eke every nuance
    possible out of their instruments using the basics.  Punk music
    in my eyes grew out of the frustration with disco which became so
    popular during the mid/late seventies.  It had it's place, but 
    essentially I think it was a lot of inexperienced musicians who
    were playing only what they were capable of at the time.  
    
    People were certainly ready to accept it as an alternative to the
    plastic rigid structure of disco music.  Youth today really doesn't
    have anything to compare the music they listen to.  Us older folks
    grew up with rock & roll and can always look back to our influences.
    The music scene was an integral part of the rebellious attitudes
    of the sixties and a reflection of the society at the time.  Maybe
    that's why youth today finds it difficult to accept, the attitudes
    of society seem to have become much more conservative.  Anyway,
    yes we're getting old, and we'll probably be seeing "Write Your
    Own Rock Tune" recipe books at the book store along with other
    fabulous titles such as "How to Be a Rock Star", "Getting 1000
    Notes out of 100 Notes",  "What's a Tremolo" etc..
    
    Lv
    
    
39.19Totally AgreeOFFCLU::DKEATINGNot all that shivers is coldThu Apr 21 1988 19:073
    re .18
    
    Couldn't have said it better myself.
39.2080's top ten?SUBURB::SUMMERFIELDCLiving on a knife edgeThu Apr 21 1988 22:167
    Can anyone out there name 10 bands who came to prominence in the
    80's who would rank highly amongst the great bands of the 60's and
    70's.
    
    Balders (Age 23 whose record and CD collection contains less than 10
    commercial acts from the 80's.)
                       
39.21Type vs SpSUBURB::SUMMERFIELDCLiving on a knife edgeThu Apr 21 1988 22:184
    Re the Title, Nostalga? or Nostalgia 
    
    
    Balders :-)
39.22:-)RDGENG::KEDMUNDSbut I haven't got an fm2r...Thu Apr 21 1988 23:023
39.23Expand ...HEART::WARDThu Apr 21 1988 23:533
    Er - who are the great bands of the 60s and 70s (apart from The
    Beatles and The Rolling Stones) ?   [so as us 80's folk know
    what we're up against]
39.24Well, there's...SUBURB::SUMMERFIELDCLiving on a knife edgeFri Apr 22 1988 12:1122
    How about 	Jethro Tull,
    		Deep Purple,
    		Led Zep,
    		Genesis,
    		Cream,
    		Yes,
    		Jimi Hendrix Experience,
    		Doors,
    		ELP,
    		The Who
    
    	And these are just some of the bands, I haven't mentioned any
    solo artists. Some of these bands are stilling going, but the musical
    lethargy of the 80's has got to them. Genesis are now just the very
    competant Phil Collins Band, ELP can't manage to stay together and
    The Who were very poor the last time I saw them (BPI Awards).
    
    	Jethro Tull still manage to produce good albums without retreating
    into formula rock music, but Deep Purple now show how deeply :-)
    rooted they are in the 70's.
    
    Balders ( b. 24/5/65 )
39.25from the 80'sODIHAM::SMITH_SBack in the saddle again !!Fri Apr 22 1988 15:2520
    
    Here are a few,admittedly some are from the 70's but they probably
    enjoyed more success in the 80's than at any other time in their
    careers.
    
    		U2
    		Bruce Springsteen
    		Simple minds
    		ZZ Top
    		Eric Clapton
    		Tina Turner
    		Eurythmics
    		Dire Straits
    		Van Halen
    		Whitesnake
    
    Aerosmith,Iron Maiden,Michael Jackson,Madonna,Queen are others who
    have sold the odd record or two in the 80's.
    
    steve.
39.26MADONNA - A FEW??????????SUBURB::DALLISONRocksFri Apr 22 1988 18:001
    
39.27Meanwhile, back in the year 1 ..KERNEL::COHENKeep Music LiveFri Apr 22 1988 20:1631
    
    Look at last year - one of the top grossing rock (Live, that is)
    was the Grateful Dead - top ten album, great video and top ten single.
    The older lot are still around and have been helped by using all
    the new studio techniques that have come our way since the early
    seventies; that's how a lot of them have managed to keep up.
    
    Where's the new Police or U2 - can't see anything as big as they
    were on the horizon right now.
    
    The gap between people who follow the charts (generally younger)
    and the people who grew up with the 60s/70s progressive boom (well,
    that's what it was called years ago) is getting w-i-d-e-r all the
    time.  Where will it lead too?  Fleetwood Mac now have a top 5 single
    and are virtually doing a residancy at Wembley Aircraft Hangar!!!
    
    Also, music means memories and the older stuff is attached, for a
    lot of us, to people we knew, places we were at etc. all those years
    ago.
    
    There's a few more HM/HR acts in the single charts right now, so
    who knows ....
    
    I dunno; many of todays lot come and go very quickly - some have
    good cult followings, but they don't aspire to stadium rock stardom
    (is that a good thing?)
    
    'nough said
    
    David.
    
39.28Attitude problemRDGENG::MACFADYENRoderick MacFadyenWed Apr 27 1988 21:3421
.20>    Balders (Age 23 whose record and CD collection contains less than 10
.20>    commercial acts from the 80's.)

    Well, the crucial word there is "commercial" isn't it? I mean, when
    have the charts ever been a repository of good music? We may look back
    to a particular time when we think they were, but if you actually look
    at a chart listing from your favourite period, you'll see a lot of
    deservedly-forgotten names (the Rick Ghastlys of yesteryear).
    
    So I don't have too many records from commercial acts of the 80s
    either - but I've hardly bought a record in the 80s which hasn't
    been of the 80s. What this decade means to me musically is a change
    in attitude from the 70s. Punk swept away the mystique of getting
    into music, and showed that anyone could have a go; the influx of
    new people brought new ideas and widened the scope of pop music,
    made it more intelligent even. 
    
    But intelligence isn't commercial. Heavy metal posing continues
    unabated, and SAW rule the charts...
    
    Rod
39.2941 going on 22....ERIC::SALLITTLife gets teejus, don' it?Fri May 06 1988 19:5617
    Even tho' I'm an ageing rocker, I try to keep in touch with current
    music; my missus tells me I should grow up, but Des O'Connor and
    Tom Jones haven't taken over *yet*, I hope they never will. As part
    of my attempts to keep in touch I went a gig a year or two back
    by a local band called "Little Angels"; they did a lot of Stones'
    and Free numbers (did anyone mention Free as an influence in the
    60's?), and they were very accomplished, bags of virtuosity, and
    I was enjoying the gig until I remembered that when I was the age
    of the majority of the audience, I could've gone to see the originals
    the band were trying to live up to in a pub, or the local theatre,
    for peanuts.
    
    I feel sorry for the teens/early twenties today, there seems so
    little originality for them to aspire to.
    
    Dave
    
39.30What ya gonna do?HPSVAX::FLANAGANI need a miracle every daySat Jul 16 1988 03:1246
    I remember Aerosmith when they played a dance at the high school
    that I attended the following year, Perry had fast fingers and Tyler
    could screech. Just another band that got lucky, I never did see
    a great deal of talent there.  Then again I don't see much in the
    line of talent on the charts in the U.S. these daze either.  
    
    	I find that I end up buying the same albums over and over, you
    all know how it is when you move from place to place a lot, at least
    a few disappear each move.  I recently re-discovered an old friend,
    Blow By Blow, by Jeff Beck. I listened to that tape 6 or 8 times
    in the space of 5 or 6 daze.  
    
    	There are some musicians on the charts that probally have a
    good deal of talent, but they want to make the big $$$$ fast, so
    they end up going with the formula that will sell records to the
    sheep who buy things because they are new and get a lot of airplay.
    
    	As for the infuences of past days I'm surprised that no mention
    was made of Lou Reed, he surely had a big influence on a lot of
    the "punk" scene.  As Lou has been quoted as saying about himself
    "Not bad for a guy with a three note range"
    
    	I still like the bands that havent changed all that much, as
    somebody mentioned, The Grateful Dead have been the largest live
    draw for the last few years. Could that be due to the fact that
    they play approx. 200 shows a year not to mention the solo, or semi
    solo projects that they are each into ? 
    
    	There was mention of a few other musicians, Tina Turner got
    started in the 50's as much as i don't care for her style I did
    see her a few years ago and it was a good show.  The formula songs
    were just that, formulated, but a lot of the old stuff that she
    did that dates back to the daze of The Ike And Tina Revue was quite
    good.
    
    
    	I too long for the days when you picked up an album and had
    to play it to know what sound the band was into for that album.
    
    				Kevin
    
    
    Ps. have you listened to the Neil Young and the Bluenotes LP?
    
    
    
39.31KERNEL::COHENKeep Music LiveMon Jul 18 1988 14:4116
39.32RDGENG::KEDMUNDSBut I haven't got an fm2r...Thu Dec 08 1988 20:0412
    Relocated note (these damn noters who don't use "dir"!!)
    
                <<< HEART::DISK$TOOLS:[NOTES$LIBRARY]UK_MUSIC.NOTE;1 >>>
                          -< The UK Music Conference >-
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Note 288.0             Sixies: nostalga or really better?             No replies
RDGENG::KEDMUNDS "But I haven't got an fm2r..."       3 lines   8-DEC-1988 17:01
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    As it was mentioned in the John Lennon topic...
    
    Keith