Music was better Then

So i'm 23, and I have to say, I think music peaked from '65- '80. We just celebrated my Dad's 51st birthday with a couple of homebrews, and singing along to every single song on Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. I'm sorry, but except for Pearl Jam and Dave Matthews, what has music brought to the table since 1990?

Blistering Guitar solos from a guy named Steve Kimock!

I thought the 90s were full of good bands. Since then, not so much.

Good music is still being made just not played on most stations. You have to search for it like Indian Jones.

Ky kids had the radio on the other day (their station) and I continually pointed out to them how every single song that was being played was auto-tuned. They are 11 & 13 and they agreed and said that even they like my 80's music better!

There is good, bad, and horrible music made in each decade. The concept of one period being the best, or peak, is an illusion.

Agree, the bad of past decades simply doesn't get played anymore.

The Drive-By Truckers should restore your faith in music. F*ckin' rock music!

The Black Keys, The Mars Volta, Modest Mouse, theres plenty of good music, you just have to search for it

I am 24 and I approve of this post (although there are a handful of good bands since 1990).

I take the point that music had a certain peak '65 to '80, but I think '80 to about '95 also had some good offerings... just different than the '65 to '80 period. It's very down hill after about '95. That's about the time technology took over and record labels stopped taking "risks" (paying to develop artists).

Also 24. I definitely like 80s music, and 50s were pretty good as well. I was a band nerd (still am I guess as I dabble in guitar now) in High School and I can appreciate all kinds of music. I will say that for the most part though, one genre of music that has changed post 1995 is country. It is not the slow twangy music that it used to be. It is more Rock/Pop than what is considered Pop Music today. Also, Brad Paisley is one of the most amazing guitar players I have ever seen/heard

<apply flame retardent clothing>
I listen to a lot of hip-hop, and I'll agree that the golden-era for this genre was the late eigthies through the early nineties. Throughout the nineties we had some stars, i.e. nas, talib kweli etc but even they bought into the whole commercial thing. Lately? I enjoy nice female vocalists like Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, even Keyshia Cole and Jazmine Sullivan.

On that note, though, I prefer my Nina Simone, Billy Holliday (sp?) and Eta James from back in the day. So I guess I see where you're coming from. But I don't think that modern music is a complete flop, specially with local artists like some of those here in the Raleigh area doing work like they do.

edit:
<raise flame shield>

Well my 17yr old daughter like the stuff I listen to and it ranges from 50s to recent stuff.
Country, Blues, Classical and just about and iteration of rock. If you have an appreciation for music you'll find something just about anywhere.

I think we need to clarify here: music plate on most radio stations these days is not what it used to be. There is still a lot of good new music out there, you just have to search for it. The radio plays what the record companies want the masses to like. Mostly fundamentally boring, cookie cutter songs. Nothing too intricate, challenging, unique, or interesting to listen to.

But even then, rock and roll in the 50's was mostly built on the 12 bar blues chord progression, and was easy to play, and easy to listen/dance to. Perhaps popular music just bores me.

The exception is college radio stations, decent stuff on a lot of them.

o4_srt said:

I think we need to clarify here: music plate on most radio stations these days is not what it used to be. There is still a lot of good new music out there, you just have to search for it. The radio plays what the record companies want the masses to like. Mostly fundamentally boring, cookie cutter songs. Nothing too intricate, challenging, unique, or interesting to listen to...

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Definitely agree. I can't stand top 40 radio stations.

Top 40 Radio = BMC. This should explain things

Garth Brooks sent country music straight to hell. I hate pop country, I haven't listened to much country music on the radio in years now and the few times Ive heard it Ive rarely liked what I heard.

There is lot's of good new music out there. But it's not played on the radio.

I think some of the greatest music came out of the 90s.

Third Eye Blind
Spin Doctors
Counting Crows
Nirvana
Green Day (90s Green Day)

I blame the downfall on boy bands/britney spears. Music was good up until then...MTV actually played videos regularly up until then too.


As for the 00s...maybe...

Interpol
Silversun Pickups
Taking Back Sunday
Foo Fighters
Jimmy Eat World
MGMT

Problem is that in the 00s, music became much too divisive. Everything was filtered strictly into specific categories, and the artists subsequently tried to live up to those stereotypical categories rather than make original music.

Wow... What a bunch of softies... [shields UP!]

No one's mentioned Metallica, Slipknot, Korn, NiN, Rob Zombie, the list goes on... On the more 'mellow' side of things, you have Gorillaz, Smashing Pumpkins, RHCP, Primus, and so many more...

What one person considers good music can be considered crap by another.

Personally, I don't bother with the radio, unless my iPod is on the fritz (I connect it to the stereo in the truck every time I drive)... I don't have a radio at home, and don't bother with internet based radio music 99.995% of the time.

For the record, I'm 40... So I've been around long enough to remember the good music of the past 3+ decades. I also know there was plenty of pure crap released in all of them.

i'm the youngest to post so far at 22, and i have to say it's more statistics than quality, as in, listening to 65-80s stuff, you're only going to hear what everyone has decided is best, the tried and true kind of stuff. you're filtering out the crap that was on the radio for a week before everyone realized it sucked.

the radio these days does suck, but i don't listen to it (apart from at work)
you can find good stuff, you just have to hunt it down (just like everyone else has said.) you'll be the filter for the next generation, that'll make them think that music was better from 95-2010s. (or worse....)
i'm all over the place, taste-wise, new and old, bluegrass, metal, swing, big band, hip-hop, calssic rock.

509inc said:

Good music is still being made just not played on most stations. You have to search for it like Indian Jones.

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Agreed (except I don't know who Indian Jones is?)

I'll go against the grain here and say that there is MORE great music being made now than ever before. You have to search it out, talk to your friends, listen to some alternative sources, go to concerts of bands you haven't heard of. There are so many more artists out there than we've seen in the past. many of the best don't even have a recording contract.

I love great music of all eras, but peaked? Hardly.

^Part of it is that we are living in the here and now, so our views are diluted. If music is considered an art...just look at how many great artists over the years were not respected until long after they were gone?

Oh, I forgot to mention I'm 22. I listened to some erykah badu et al on pandora today...it was magical.

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&#9835; These are the good old days &#9835;

^Didn't she cause some big thing cause she got naked? Ha.

RMitch said:

^Didn't she cause some big thing cause she got naked? Ha.

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I love Carly Simon. Don't know about the naked thing, but I'm willing to learn But the song was ruined when it was used in a ketchup commercial. Great, great song, back when lyrics and lyricism meant something.

I'm turning 40 this year and have to agree with Meaty. There's great music in all decades, you just don't hear the crappy stuff from the other decades like you do more recent stuff. You're only getting the cream from the past. There's tons of great stuff in all genres out now. You just have to pick and choose and find it.

I used to like Alternative radio, but nowadays "alternative" is what's mainsteam so WTF does the term "alternative" mean anymore? As soon as U2 won a Grammy for Best Alternative Act, you knew it was dead.

For me, alternative is still more for older bands (most not around anymore, or are not alternative anymore)... Groups/bands like Garbage, Siouxsi & the Banshees, Lush, etc... Sadly, most of the good ones are no longer making music...

Most music these days is complete garbage. I do agree there is some alright music coming out, but it is far and few between. 60's to the 90's had some great music. The past ten years haven't had any great music. If Lady Gaga keeps going strong then the next ten years may be just as bad.

I used to like Alternative radio, but nowadays "alternative" is what's mainsteam so WTF does the term "alternative" mean anymore? As soon as U2 won a Grammy for Best Alternative Act, you knew it was dead.

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The weird point for me was when Jethro Tull won a Grammy for Best Metal Album. That's the last time I watched the grammies.

Good (great - depending on taste), solid bands & musicians from the last 5-10years or so: IMO

Silversun Pickups
Mumford & Sons
K'Naan
Vampire Weekend
Spoon
Enter The Haggis
Jack Johnson
G. Love and Special Sauce (from 90's but still making new stuff)
Dead Weather
White Stripes
Franz Ferdinand
Flobots

Next to None get Radio time. If you haven't heard of them, check them out.

weirdboy said:

The weird point for me was when Jethro Tull won a Grammy for Best Metal Album. That's the last time I watched the grammies.

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They beat out Metallica's "...And Justice for All", which IMO is their best and last great album...the Grammy's suck, but I digress....I forgot to mention...Pantera, The Whites Stripes, moe., Phish (late 80's), ...I'll be back with more

70s

the drugs were better then.

Hang Glider said:

70s

the drugs were better then.

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Lude's man, F*ckin Lude's....(hopefully someone will catch that reference)

Sea said:

I'll go against the grain here and say that there is MORE great music being made now than ever before. You have to search it out, talk to your friends, listen to some alternative sources, go to concerts of bands you haven't heard of. There are so many more artists out there than we've seen in the past. many of the best don't even have a recording contract.

I love great music of all eras, but peaked? Hardly.

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This. Granted, I live in a college town, with a bunch of college kids all trying to be as "unique" as possible by listening to bands no one has ever heard of. That said, there is more music out there now than I could possibly try to listen to. Browse Pitchfork's "Best New Music" list (but don't look at the reviews). Find a local college radio station and figure out what they're playing. Go to your local "indie" bar and find out who the bands are and who they listen to.

And don't tell me that Cee Lo Green doesn't have one of the most amazing male voices of the past decade. Or that his old bandmate, Danger Mouse, doesn't have one of the most amazing production styles of the last decade. Or even Kanye West (aka Mr. Ego), who just put out one of my favorite albums of the last year.

The vast majority of music I enjoy is from the 90's or earlier. There are a few good bands around nowadays but you wont find them on the radio. You just have to do some digging to find them.

Someone mentioned Mumford & Sons...if you're into folk rock or alternative bluegrass, you should check out Chris Thile. He's a fantastic mandolin player and I've recently become a fan of his band, The Punch Brothers.

Check eet out!

j1laskey said:

Lude's man, F*ckin Lude's....(hopefully someone will catch that reference)

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Naw man... Plutonium Nyborg... :rockin:

I went to the Univ. of Illinois in the early 90's and after a long absence went back one weekend when the Bears were playing their during the Soldier Field construction. I couldn't believe that the campus bars in 2002 were playing the exact same music they played when I was a student there -- lots of Pearl Jam and Nirvana, with an unhealthy dose of Snoop Dogg. It really did feel like music had stopped.

The funny thing about that trip, was that I can remember when I was in college, hanging out at those bars, I would see alumni there and always say something along the lines of, "these bars are the last place that I would want to be when I'm 30 years old. If my life hasn't progressed past the point of being in a place like this, then kick me in the nuts." So we go into one bar -- a bunch of 30 year old alums -- and the song playing is Dylan's "The Hurricane" as we are walking in. It's exactly like the scene in Dazed and Confused when Matthew McGonaguey -- the 23 year old hanging around high schoolers -- is walking through the pool hall, way too old to be there, with that song in the background.

I thought music was dead as well until I started listening to www.radiomilwaukee.org a couple of years ago. Rekindled my interest.

ChshreCat said:

As soon as U2 won a Grammy for Best Alternative Act, you knew it was dead.

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That was 1994 and it was the Grammy for Best Alternative Album (Zooropa... which wasn't a bad album IMO). The other nominees were Belly (Star), Nirvana (In Utero), REM (Automatic for the People), and Smashing Pumpkins (Siamese Dream).

So, I maybe it was a tough choice for the judges.