> I don't think that there is much diversity in music any more. In the
> fifties, there were exotica albums, western swing, hillbilly, be-bop,
> big band swing, pop vocals, r&b, rock & roll, blues, mambo, polka,
> and a gazillion blends between. Today there are a million subtle
> variations of "rock" music. Country music is no longer country music.
> Jazz is no longer jazz. The varieties of music have been blended into
> a fine mush.
As a long time collector of unclassifiable music, I have never had
more trouble trying to classify music than these past few years!
And I don't worry about it to organize my collection (I long ago gave
up and just went alphabetic) but have serious problems FINDING
things in stores since categorization is nearly impossible these days
and I just don't know where to look. Now if this isn't an indication of
the diversity of music out there I don't know what is!
> >The messages of the elder generations did not speak to the younger.
> That is just plain not true. Young people listen to what they are
> given. The reason they listen to bland, corporate rock music is
> because that is what the big record companies choose to force feed
> them. When a person gets a little older, if he retains interest in
> music, he learns to search out GOOD music, instead of just taking
> what he is given.
Yes and no. Young people are very open to influence but the
influences that get most exposure (ie. airplay) happen to be bland
corporate stuff. I have yet to not amaze anyone years younger than
me when I play them some of the things from my collection. In fact I
feel some responsibility to use the collection to educate people and
get this music out as it has no other ready outlet. Our radio show,
Space Bop is a great vehicle to do this.
Brian Karasick
Physical Planner
McGill University
Montreal, Canada
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 11:25:43 -0400
From: wlt4@mindspring.com
Subject: Re: Re: (exotica) What ruined music?
>but have serious problems FINDING things in stores since >categorization is nearly impossible these days and I just don't know >where to look. Now if this isn't an indication of
That's why I generally look through all the sections, esp in used record shops. Once found two Can albums in a folk section, Martin Denny in New Age, and for some reason Tzadik releases nearly always show up in rock.
LT
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Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 11:33:33 -0400
From: Brian Phillips <hagar@mindspring.net>
Subject: Re: (exotica) What ruined music?
All compelling arguments and ones which I don't disagree with, however, I
would still like to make mention of perspective. As the years roll on,
there always seems to be something deteriorating musically in someone's
eyes. Jazz was thought to be (and in some circles STILL is thought to be)
a lesser, base music and if you want to go back really far, Plato in "The
Republic" discusses certain chords and intervals that should not be
employed in music.
I wonder what future generations will be saying about the current
musics. "You mean there was NO ROBOT to program the sequencer?"
As Voltaire's Candide said, "We must cultivate our garden".
Dig?
Brian Phillips
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Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 11:34:39 EDT
From: LTepedino@aol.com
Subject: Re: (exotica) What ruined music?
The argument that the Beatles ruined music is ridiculous. In fact it the Beatles were one of the groups who helped to add diversity to the typical rock music of the period.
What the argument neglects to point out is that back in the '60s there was only one Billboard chart. Just take a look at the current issue and you will see many many charts for the various kinds of music that there are. Go into any record store or on-line music seller and you will see a far greater diversity of music today than ever before. (Why even in the grouping of just electronic music there are diverse splits such as drum n bass, downtempo, breakbeat, leftfield, house, techno and others that I am just now forgetting)
Star power ruining musical diversity is another false argument. Back in the '30s it was Bing Crosby who emerged as the first recording superstar and it is due to him in large part that records became so popular that actual record stores started up versus buying records at outlets like department stores. Star power has always led to more records being sold regardless of the recording artist being a single star or a group or band or even orchestra.
The argument regarding radio does have some merits as radio reflected more and more in the direction of the audience that was primairly buying records. So as the young audience in greater numbers than ever before started to displace the older audience who was buying less music, so radio followed this change in consumer tastes. However, if you move the dial around you can actually hear more diverse music what with more segmented programming and even album tracks which 20 or 30 years ago were taboo territory on radio that only played singles!
Ashley
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 11:09:02 -0500
From: "Robert Blahut, Jr." <robertb@asapnet.net>
Subject: (exotica) Re2: what ruined music
in part Stephen W. Worth wrote:
New technology has made it even easier to be a musician without
chops. Twiddle a knob and set up a sequencer loop and you can
release your own CD. It doesn't matter that you can't read music...
that you can't play any instruments... and that you have very little
idea of the musical forms that went before you... All you need to
do is make interesting noise.
i learned how to play and read music while i was very young. i meet people
who tell me that they are in a band. i ask them what they play and the
answer invariably is "oh i don't play an instrument, i play gear." i spent
a lot of time learning my chops on an acoustic guitar before i got an
electric, and then i spent a lot of time learning how to control distortion
and get the right amount of "overdrive" to achieve the sounds i wanted
BEFORE i got a delay pedal or a wah-wah pedal. it is not that i never used
these toys, it is that i could go and buy a "zoom" effects processor and
sound like a guitar (or keyboard, for that matter) god - - a guitar god
playing stock guitar sound #27. but i wanted what i play to sound genuine,
original and, most of all, sincere. i don't play in a band, i have very
little desire to do so. (although that may change, i know that my feelings
toward my artwork used to be about the same, and now i am trying like crazy
to find some way of putting it in front of an unsuspecting public.) the
thrust being that it is the music to me. there are, if you look, a lot
of people who will not accept what the "BIG GUYS" dictate is the "new sound
of today" (which for as long as i can remember has been crap) and will seek
out musicianship that is genuine, original and sincere. why else would
there be a tom waitts or a bob dylan ?
my 2 cents
robert
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> Some of it is tremendous and hits on a new level of pop
> excellence. Many of
> the songs sound like early 1968 pop ditties. The great Rita Lee
> does a bang
> up version of Caetano Veleso's "Baby". Her voice emotes
> beautifully in
> English, (I highly recommend her first solo album)
>
Thanks Chuck for mentioning this album! I did a search at CDDB and noticed a "Best of" CD too. That has a 1968 version of "Baby".
Heard them for the first time Friday on Kaci's show on Luxuria.
I've been talking to La Jane and she recommends OS MUTANTES, and LA COMEDIA.
But I'm thinking for a 1st disk with going for the "best of". Anybody know where I can find a bio on this group with descriptions of their output? Dusty Grooves descriptions of the albums gave me the impression that there style changed over time.
P.S. for those of you have been asking....real audio at WJUL is back on line....
Domenic Ciccone
"Martinis with Mancini" WJUL 91.5FM FridayÆs 6-9AM EST
http://www.geocities.com/martinimancini/
http://wjul.cs.uml.edu/misc/wjul/wjul.html (On Real Audio)
P.S.
You Can Get Free Email & Homepages @ http://www.buzzlink.com
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 18:08:56 -0400
From: alan zweig <azed@pathcom.com>
Subject: Re: (exotica) What ruined music?
At 11:33 AM 8/9/00 -0400, Brian Phillips wrote:
>
>All compelling arguments and ones which I don't disagree with, however, I
>would still like to make mention of perspective. As the years roll on,
>there always seems to be something deteriorating musically in someone's
>eyes. Jazz was thought to be (and in some circles STILL is thought to be)
>a lesser, base music and if you want to go back really far, Plato in "The
>Republic" discusses certain chords and intervals that should not be
>employed in music.
Do you always talk like this?
Nat
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 18:08:58 -0400
From: alan zweig <azed@pathcom.com>
Subject: Re: (exotica) What ruined music?
At 11:34 AM 8/9/00 EDT, LTepedino@aol.com wrote:
>
>The argument that the Beatles ruined music is ridiculous.
>
>Star power ruining musical diversity is another false argument.
I don't believe music has been ruined. Nor do I believe that there is less
musical diversity available in the general marketplace.
I do believe that "popular" music - as evidenced by the artists and
playlists of most radio stations in the middle of the dial - has become
profoundly more narrow and limited.
I don't think that's even arguable. The tunes you hear on popular radio
sound more like each other than they did back in the fifties and sixties
and even seventies.
(And what's up with all this "oldies" radio?)
It's stupid to blame the Beatles or other popular artists for the lack of
diversity but the phenomenon of the Beatles and Elvis and those huge
selling records DID have a major effect on everything in the "music
selling" business and this lack of diversity on popular radio is certainly
one of the results.
Just look at the phenomenon of Nirvana. After their success, there wasn't
actually LESS GOOD grunge music in the world. There was just MORE BAD
grunge. And you were more likely to hear the bad stuff on the radio than
the good stuff.
Everyone wanted to be Nirvana just like once upon a time, everyone wanted
to be the Beatles. EVEN if they weren't meant to be.
Some great music came out of musicians changing their focus and trying to
be the Beatles. That's how we got the Byrds.
But we also got lots of crap from musicians who might have made perfectly
pleasant music if they'd stuck to the music they knew and loved.
Having said all that, when I walk into one of these giant bookstores like
Chapters that have CD sections and LOTS of listening stations, I'm struck
by the diversity of stuff they're highlighting at the listening stations.
Unfortunately you couldn't find ANY of it on the radio except at the
extreme ends of the dial.
breathe out...
Nat
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2000 15:19:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: tikiman <taboorecords@yahoo.com>
Subject: (exotica) Towa of Bebel
> Just think about today
> you can buy a 4 CD set of orignal Antio Carlos Jobim
> CDs when back then you
> really had to search to find his stuff (and trying
> to find a copy of his
> original Brazilian records required a plane ticket
> to Brazil!)
>
> Ashley
and just think, today Bebel Gilberto's new release
"Tanto Tempo" transports me to Brasil with every
track... in heavy rotation at our grass shack. nice
revival of 60's bossa sound with subtle modern touches
mixed in by the likes of Thievery Corp.and others that
has me flying over Rio whenever it's on. first heard
her on Towa Tei's "Future Listening" and fell in love
then. I believe she is the daughter of Astrud and Jao
Gilberto, the first wave of Brazilian royalty. anyone
