Is there old music that isn't horrible?

[eddododo]

It's interesting to see this question asked, since the exact inverse of this discussion happens all the time. I'm noticing a fair amount of people reacting gruffly, considering how unlikely some of them are to have found the joy and meaning in a lot of contemporary music.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I was born in the early eighties and have to admit that I have the benefit of hearing music from all generations thanks to Napster, iTunes, and all the great digital music available.

When I listen to old music, everyone just seemed to copy the same redundant lyrics and played out chord progressions. No one did anything exciting or innovative outside of obscure and forgotten artists.

These days I find that music is a bit more exploratory. Probably because it has never been easier to make music. Music is a bit more raw, primal, and experimental. There are so many different sounds and styles. Much better than the days of the past where everything pretty well sounds all the same across the genres.

It reminds me a bit of how low budget production available on formats like YouTube and TikTok have made it possible to have clever video entertainment without just making another big wash of hard to follow CGI for the purpose of making the sequel.

That may be a bold statement but it all seems to be the same format.
Why did music lose its soul for so long?

Fear of new technology and instruments?
Poor education systems?
No access to tuners? Even a tuning fork?
Too much corporate control/management?
Too much dependence on drugs and alcohol?

In other words, why was music lifeless and without soul?

Do any of you know of any old music that stands out as actually good?

Please let me know.
Thanks

James.

PS: If you need a post script to explain your unfounded negative feelings, you probably don't need to post anything. Have a pleasant day.

James, I'm not real big on blanket statements, but to a point I hear what you are saying. Saying all old music is no good is something I can't get on board with. Some yes, all no.

Heaven knows, I was probably one of those guys playing the stuff you're not fond of, but if you go back and study the years before that era, you may gain a better appreciation of the art of the day you are questioning. You may still not like it much, and that's ok, but it might help you understand where we were coming from. Just keep in mind that all art does not speak to all people. So dig in and see what you can come up with. Best wishes.

 

[2cooltoolz]

I played french horn in college, I hate Sousa. Too many upbeats.

Trombone!

 

[E2942]

I never knew so many musicians were a bunch of music haters.

They only hate it, because it's not theirs. It's envy!
Meanwhile I'm dedicating my free time this week to getting all my old MP3 files sorted with the details inside them for being my last final collection that I will listen to until death.
Nothing prior to 2012.

 

[smeet]

Well, this was an unexpected rant!

 

[JuanB]

Ah yes, the classic contra post so characteristic of Talkbass! Although I'm sure other forums do this as well.

 

[tbz]

So are any of these sufficicently "not horrible": ….. the Doors, …

Rest of your list is awesome.

That band though? Pure hype. If they hadn't had that Oliver Stone movie in the 90s I doubt they'd be relevant, and their relevance for people too young to have seen that movie seems minimal.

Morrison was pretty unwell mentally for the majority of their time in the spotlight. Record company marketed the ravings of a guy with a very tentative grasp on reality as a genius.

I was fooled too for a long time. Was a fan. Don't hate the music, and still really enjoy a few songs.

But in this context they're not the best example of folks that could really play. They were flash over substance, main creator in the band had severe drug issues, and couldn't sing in tune.

 

[DrummerwStrings]

I was born in the early eighties and have to admit that I have the benefit of hearing music from all generations thanks to Napster, iTunes, and all the great digital music available.

When I listen to old music, everyone just seemed to copy the same redundant lyrics and played out chord progressions. No one did anything exciting or innovative outside of obscure and forgotten artists.

These days I find that music is a bit more exploratory. Probably because it has never been easier to make music. Music is a bit more raw, primal, and experimental. There are so many different sounds and styles. Much better than the days of the past where everything pretty well sounds all the same across the genres.

It reminds me a bit of how low budget production available on formats like YouTube and TikTok have made it possible to have clever video entertainment without just making another big wash of hard to follow CGI for the purpose of making the sequel.

That may be a bold statement but it all seems to be the same format.
Why did music lose its soul for so long?

Fear of new technology and instruments?
Poor education systems?
No access to tuners? Even a tuning fork?
Too much corporate control/management?
Too much dependence on drugs and alcohol?

In other words, why was music lifeless and without soul?

Do any of you know of any old music that stands out as actually good?

Please let me know.
Thanks

James.

PS: If you need a post script to explain your unfounded negative feelings, you probably don't need to post anything. Have a pleasant day.

What do you consider old music? What kind(s) of music?

 

[LBS-bass]

Is there some button "leave talkbass forever"? Because l keep coming back but only to see more and more ridiculously stupid threads everyday.

You can filter out subforums that you aren't interested in. I'd suggest off topic, band humor, and miscellaneous are good places to avoid if you are looking strictly for instruction/info and don't care about the humor and community aspect of a place like this.

Use this menu:

And select "Ignore New Posts." It will give you a list of subforums you can check off and you will never see them again.

 

[Marc61]

It's an interesting commentary as 99.999999% of music listeners say the opposite. Good and best are very relative words. Favorite is usually most appropriate. You favor music of today, that's fine, but I guarantee it was influenced by the music of yesterday

 

[GregC]

Ha! I know Desus was joking, he's a funny and knowledgeable guy who's done a bunch of good interviews of celebrities along with Kid Mero. The other two, I don't know.

 

[mdogs]

If nothing else, this thread points out once again how few people read nothing but the OP before they comment. Looking pretty foolish in doing so I might add.

 

[lunarpollen]

Just one example of good stuff per decade from the 1970s back to the 1930s...

 

[LBS-bass]

Ha! I know Desus was joking, he's a funny and knowledgeable guy who's done a bunch of good interviews along with Kid Mero. The other two, I don't know.

I am hoping they were all jokes, but I don't know

 

[dkelley]

Rest of your list is awesome.

That band though? Pure hype. If they hadn't had that Oliver Stone movie in the 90s I doubt they'd be relevant, and their relevance for people too young to have seen that movie seems minimal.

Morrison was pretty unwell mentally for the majority of their time in the spotlight. Record company marketed the ravings of a guy with a very tentative grasp on reality as a genius.

I was fooled too for a long time. Was a fan. Don't hate the music, and still really enjoy a few songs.

But in this context they're not the best example of folks that could really play. They were flash over substance, main creator in the band had severe drug issues, and couldn't sing in tune.

the doors, pure hype? intellectual... extremely good musicians (highly skilled/trained classical keyboardist, highly skilled/trained jazz background drummer and extremely inventive guitarist.... and heck jim morrison who was handsome, weird, and had a great voice for the first few years, was an extremely talented poet and lyricist.

I mean, hell.... they played and recorded classical light opera, they played blues, they played everything under the sun.... and invented many of the crossover genres that are now so dated sounding but at the time were entirely unique and fresh in the world

Hype? Not at all. They were a thinking musician's band.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

...I don't know how I could have made it more clear without labeling the thread "Parody Post: Is there any old music that isn't horrible"...

Tagging "ZOMG!..." at the front of mine has served as a nice middle-ground!

 

[alex1fly]

Ahahahahahahahahaha I'm here for this thread after seeing countless "all new music is crap" posts over the years

 

[SubHuman]

I was born in the early eighties and have to admit that I have the benefit of hearing music from all generations thanks to Napster, iTunes, and all the great digital music available.

When I listen to old music, everyone just seemed to copy the same redundant lyrics and played out chord progressions. No one did anything exciting or innovative outside of obscure and forgotten artists.

These days I find that music is a bit more exploratory. Probably because it has never been easier to make music. Music is a bit more raw, primal, and experimental. There are so many different sounds and styles. Much better than the days of the past where everything pretty well sounds all the same across the genres.

It reminds me a bit of how low budget production available on formats like YouTube and TikTok have made it possible to have clever video entertainment without just making another big wash of hard to follow CGI for the purpose of making the sequel.

That may be a bold statement but it all seems to be the same format.
Why did music lose its soul for so long?

Fear of new technology and instruments?
Poor education systems?
No access to tuners? Even a tuning fork?
Too much corporate control/management?
Too much dependence on drugs and alcohol?

In other words, why was music lifeless and without soul?

Do any of you know of any old music that stands out as actually good?

Please let me know.
Thanks

James.

PS: If you need a post script to explain your unfounded negative feelings, you probably don't need to post anything. Have a pleasant day.

My Mother-In Law-hated all music and if we went anywhere (even 4~5 hour long trips in the car!) the radio/tape/CD was never turned on. Those were some long trips.
OTOH My 2 year old loved any and all kinds of music...she bopped to whatever was played on anything.
From a Fisher price music toy up to my High-end stereo sound sound system...what ever was playing anywhere.
Somewhere in between those two extremes is good old music! Ha!

 

[digmeout]

This is just my opinion, but....to the tune of Rawhide: Trolling, Trolling, Trolling, !!

 

[GrapeBass]

IMHO, most of today's music seems to be just rehashed music from the past, except formulated and marketed. Yes, there's some innovative and original music but it's not the majority. The majority of music released today is created with formulas that the record companies 'authorize.' It's truly the music 'business,' fully marketed towards the masses.

There has always been bad music, past, present and certainly in the future.