When pop was music
I had a little idea.
I have all this expensive broadcasting stuff lying around, and it seems just a waste to record myself waffling, when I can write just as easily.
One of my great loves in life is music. I tend to listen to classical stuff these days, but occasionally I’ll listen to a bit of pop.
But here I am going to sound my age – pop these days is rubbish [in the main]. Singers seem to be chosen for their ‘sex appeal’ rather than their talent. I am tired of blokes pointing to, or actually clutching their crotch. I’m tired of bimbos who prance around dressed as pre-pubescent schoolgirls or who wear next to nothing at all. They all sound the same anyway.
In the 60s and 70s, pop music went through a huge transition. To be successful, you had to have talent vocally and musically. You had to be able to compose good lyrics and harmonies. It didn’t matter a damn what you looked like. You had to be able to play an instrument, as there was no fancy electronics to get you out of a hole.
One of my arguments that this was the heyday of popular music is that so many of the songs are being re-released by modern ‘artists’.
So, back to my idea. I thought I would do a brief sample of music from the 60s and 70s for two reasons. One is to bring back some memories for those of us old enough to remember those days, and the other is to show the younger generations what real pop music should be.
Each sample will be quite short as for one thing I don’t want people screaming about copyright, and the other is that Ron or Dick will start screaming about how much space I’m taking up on the website. Sound files tend to be big!
What do you think?
Sounds like a good idea. Bring it on!
Oh dear, not Englebert Humperdink and Petula Clark . . . they’re best left alone. 70s I’m up for it: Sex Pistols, Ramones, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Buzzcocks . . rock on Grandad!
(Bugger! . . .gave my age away)
I could never stand EH [or Tom Jones] and I might give Pet Clark a miss too. We’ll see how it goes. I’m not venturing into the Punk era though – that’s when it all started to go down hill!!
I’m no auld fogey meself nor a spring chicken but when I was trying to make it as a musician in the early 90’s my influence was drawn heavily from the 60’s/ 70’s prog rock movement like, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, GONG and Caravan to name but a few. There’s just no-one breaking musical boundaries these days like those bands did back then. Go Grandad!
First one up 🙂
Oh now you’re starting to show your age! I like the Moody Blues.
B3N: Used to play Frank Zappa when I was a teen working at Kentucky Fried Chicken until the boss cottoned onto the lyrics for Billy The Mountain. *evil laughter*
Huge crowd of young wans at The Who (first hit 1964) gig at Marlay couple of weeks ago – you couldn’t really sample ‘Behind Blue Eyes’. Maybe ‘My Generation’? What about ‘The Doors’ ‘Light my fire,’ Procul Harum’s ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’, and Thunderclap Newman? Stay away from Pet Clark and Andy Williams and Nana Mouskouri! You could slip Cilla sing ‘Alfie’ in!!
What no Nancy Sinatra or Doris Day or The Four Freshmen?
Ian & Brianf – Much as I would like to turn this into a RequestCast [there’s a new one for the lexicon!], I reserve the right to blog about whoever I like!!
Though Ian is on the right track……….