I hate New Music: A Classic Rock Manifesto

[thumpbass1]

Has anyone else picked up and read this amusing rant, by Dave Thompson who has been a writer in the music journalism biz for years? I found a copy at the local library. I'm getting a kick out of it. He's not afraid to take on rock and roll's past glories and moments of idiocy over the years. He also laments the current state of music as most of us cranky old boomer geezers tend to do. I may not agree with him on some things such as all of the 80's sucking musically, but it's a funny read none the less. I also don't mind seeing some of my heroes get their nose pulled a bit, along with a corrective kick in the artistic pants. It's fun stuff indeed.

[Pilgrim]

I'm with you. Let's form a new special interest group: Cranky Old Boomer Geezers for Classic Rock! (COBGCR, which sounds a lot like a geezer clearing his throat to spit.)

[Barkless Dog]

I am the Anti Old Boomer Classic Rocker. I find music like a novel you read it once them move on. I can't listen to same band, style or genre of music 24/7, not to mention how much classic rock was ruined by my friends overplaying it to death to this day.


I grew up with Classic Rock and it's time to move on

[Pilgrim]

Ah! I got it! You get off your OWN lawn!

[thumpbass1]

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

I am the Anti Old Boomer Classic Rocker. I find music like a novel you read it once them move on. I can't listen to same band, style or genre of music 24/7, not to mention how much classic rock was ruined by my friends overplaying it to death to this day.


I grew up with Classic Rock and it's time to move on

I'm an admitted old geezer boomer, but I get weary of hearing the Clear Channel version of the music of my youth . I have my nostalgic fave artists of all time, and I'd probably go into shock if a classic rock station were to play 'Screaming Night Hog' by Steppenwolf instead of the ususal, very tired, rotation of Magic Carpet Ride or Born to Be Wild. I listen to a wide range of music including new stuff that appeals to me, yet I face the fact that I don't care for much of recent youth culture in terms of it's music, but hey that's normal! I'm an old fart now.

[tycobb73]

The "muisc id declining" argument is older than rock n roll. Everyoe has said it. I odn't buy it. Music evovlves.

[Barkless Dog]

Originally Posted by tycobb73

The "muisc id declining" argument is older than rock n roll. Everyoe has said it. I odn't buy it. Music evovlves.

Much like spelling & grammr

[southernrocker]

^ somebody needs to join the dyslexic club.

[thumpbass1]

So nobody else has picked up on the book yet?

[Pilgrim]

We ARE the book!

[thumpbass1]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

We ARE the book!

Right you are there.

[tycobb73]

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

Much like spelling & grammr

Excuse me for being legally blind and not able to see a computer screen very well.

[derekd]

As a boomer, I grew up with this stuff on the radio, saw these bands live in their prime, covered this material in bar bands for years during the late 80's to mid 90's, and have put up with it ever since on the classic rock stations. If I never hear Seger, Zep, AC/DC (how many times can you record the same album?), VH, et al, again, I would be just fine.

I seem to find relevent music around, no matter what the calendar year says. The only thing I would miss from the past is some of the good R&B and funk that seems to be missing, or in short supply today.

[two fingers]

Originally Posted by derekd

As a boomer, I grew up with this stuff on the radio, saw these bands live in their prime, covered this material in bar bands for years during the late 80's to mid 90's, and have put up with it ever since on the classic rock stations. If I never hear Seger, Zep, AC/DC (how many times can you record the same album?), VH, et al, again, I would be just fine.

I seem to find relevent music around, no matter what the calendar year says. The only thing I would miss from the past is some of the good R&B and funk that seems to be missing, or in short supply today.

Well said. I'm not a boomer but I absolutely agree. Once in a blue moon I don't mind hearing one of the songs from the "bar band hymnal" on the radio, but I try to surf for stuff you don't hear every day.




P.S. and off topic. I got the phrase "bar band hymnal" from a lead singer buddy of mine. It gets the crowd every time when you get ready to play Mustang Sally and before you start the singer says "Ladies and gentlemen, please turn to page 3 of your Bar Band Hymnal!" It makes for a good laugh. Feel free to steal it. I'm sure he did.

[P. Aaron]

What I think is missing is the regional quality that pop music used to have from artist to artist as they played on the radio.

On CKLW-AM in Detroit (in the 60's), I could hear in any given hour; Tommy James & The Shondells, Booket T & the MG's, any one of a number of Motown tunes, Credence Clearwater, Roger Miller, Aurthur Reed & Love, The Crazy World of Aurthur Brown, The Bar Kays, Bob Seeger, The MC5, Aretha Franklin, John Sebastian, Buffalo Springfield, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Petula Clark, the Beatles, the Stones, Paul Revere & the Raiders, on & on.

The irony: these days there are more radio stations than ever, all sounding regionally similar, but the styles of music are all segregated by station.

They all claim to be losing money.

[Pilgrim]

Interesting comment, P. Aaron. There WAS a "Detroit" sound, and there WAS a "Motown" sound, and there were other regional sounds.

But since Clear Channel and similar interests bought so many stations and started using satellite (now Internet) distribution to program them, many stations are kind of a giant kludge...all playing the top 50 to 100 of their niche, whether it's oldies, country or whatever.

[scootron]

Interesting points, all.

Our band has our set lists of songs we like to play, then set lists of the kind of songs we need to play to please the customer, usually the person who hired us.

Sometimes the call is for Classic Rock. What we attempt to do there, though, is to play the bands, but play songs that haven't been done to death by bar bands. It seems to be a good plan, because the comments tend to run "That's a great tune, I haven't heard it in forever" and "I've never heard a bar band play that before".

Then there are the dances...we have a dance coming up that is considered big for these parts...around 300 people. The people who are paying us (exactly what we asked for) has requested that we play a lot of "dance" music. The demographics will skew couples around 50, with some younger folks, too...very few over 60. Our 'show' set doesn't work for this, so we've been busy learning dance tunes, keeping in mind the goal that we'll play stuff people remember, but haven't been ground into dust by CR Radio. If we do get in a position to need a song that is done often, we try to add something new and different to it.

Example: We just picked up "Build Me Up Buttercup". Not a song we would normally consider playing, but for a dance, it should work superbly. "When a Man Loves a Woman", when sung by your female vocalist, picks up a new and interesting dynamic.

Anyway, you can look at our song list for the upcoming dance and see it two ways. Played wrong, it would be no fun for anyone. Played right, it should be a great party.

The upshot is that you can play classic rock or vintage pop (or whatever you want to call it) without it being boring. It just takes careful song selection and determined execution.

[steamthief]

Cranky Old Dying Geezers for Early Rock?

CODGER.

I like acronyms.

[thumpbass1]

Originally Posted by steamthief

Cranky Old Dying Geezers for Early Rock?

CODGER.

I like acronyms.

I love it!

[shadowtippy]

Originally Posted by southernrocker

^ somebody needs to join the dyslexic club.

I belong to "DAM"...Mothers Against Dyslexia.