The Death of the Home Stereo System
- Thread starter mep
- Start date
I think you are showing your age and ignorance or both. There is PLENTY of great new modern music for young people to buy. Trouble is they have plenty of other entertainment competing for their time and money.
Charming. (Should I be countering with something equally personal and insulting..? No, calm... calm... Be respectful...)
I am 'of a certain age' but I am always on the lookout for new stuff (and I can prove it: just look at my contributions to the Exciting New Young Bands thread e.g. http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showt...ing-Everything&p=180641&viewfull=1#post180641. Can you give some examples of what you think constitute great new modern music?)
But I am still of the opinion that when I was a nipper, there was much more great music about and that you didn't need to seek it out: in the UK we had Top of the Pops a programme that almost everyone watched - or so it seemed. They're showing re-runs of it right now (week by week, chronologically, the whole programmes - how cool is that?), and we're currently at September 1978. There's much dross of course, but each week there's a couple of gems e.g. recently we've had Magazine, The Buzzcocks, Jam, Stranglers.
Now it's easy to say that music is subjective and you can't measure how good it is. True, but that's not the same as saying that all music from all periods is therefore equivalent and no better nor worse than it always has been. As in the article linked to at the top of this thread, young people have a take-it-or-leave-it attitude to music, while we don't. Why is that? My opinion is that, with or without all the other things that young people have to occupy their time these days, the music we were exposed to in our youth was so damn good that even if we'd had iPads and PS2s or whatever, we'd have put them down when TOTP came on. You can argue that we wouldn't, but either way the long term result would be the same: if you're not exposed to great music when you're young, you're not going to grow up producing great music.
Edit: as an aside, I think your reply to my earlier post (and Johnny 'me-too' Vinyl's post) is a prime example of where these threads go wrong. I didn't even state my opinion on the subject, but merely implied it, leaving it open as a question for someone else to agree with or state a different opinion. Your first reaction is that I am old and/or "ignorant". Maybe, but no need to say it. Just put your point (which should be easy for someone so young and knowledgeable) and I'll gladly agree with it, or oppose it and develop my argument further. That's how debate works. It's an enjoyable game without any necessity for there to be a winner or loser. Just so you know next time.
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Groucho - I erred in not making it clear that I was only in agreement with the second two sentences and NOT the first. You will note from my previous posts and time here, that I am not in the habit of insulting people or besmudging their character. Please accept my apology for this oversight.
Hi Groucho
Apologies. It was certainly not supposed to be a personal insult, however reading it back , it sounds like one, so my bad.
However your general comment on a lack of good new music I totally disagree with. Unfortunately these comments seem to be prevalent in audiophile forums. Good for you if you are trying. I am certainly no spring chicken and have been buying music for 30 years.
I actually find too much good music is available these days. There is so much different area's where you can listen to music in so many different genre's that there is not enough time in the day to listen.
Back in the 60's and 70's new release music was top of the news and looked upon with as much fanfare as the new iphone or Grand Theft Auto is nowdays. Music has to compete with many more and varied pastimes being on offer.
Some new music I have bought recently on vinyl is as follows - Mark Lanegan, Seefeel, Hookworms, Goldfrapp, Zola Jesus,Moon Duo, Bill Callahan, Folakzoid, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Nine Inch Nails, MS MR, Pet Shop Boys, Tosca, Wire, Lloyd Cole, Royksopp, Tricky, the Soft Moon, Vessel, John Grant, Bailterspace, Depeche Mode, Ed Sheeran, Atoms for Peace, Trentmolle, Sebadoh, Low.
BTW, Field Music sounds good - very British pop rock sounding. Try Travis, Lloyd Cole, Mumford & Son if you like that style.
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Check these guys out. They've been around for only a short time, have toured Europe and are now touring in Canada and he U.S. as well I believe. They just released their first album and is a prime example of young artists doing some wonderful things.
If you need something other than word of mouth, subscribe to Magnet magazine, or go to a SXSW or similar festival to see new acts (not necessarily young) that are doing good things.
Also, we all make this mistake sometimes; don't confuse your preference with what is "good".
Also, we all make this mistake sometimes; don't confuse your preference with what is "good".
Quality aside I believe that the type of music that is most popular right now makes high fidelity systems less important. Do you need a great system to listen to rap or EDM? Miley Cyrus? Probably not. Add in the loudness wars and you have today's reality. The same was true for early RnR. Do you need a great system to listen to the early Beatles? Louie Louie? Phil Spector?
I still think there are tons of great young bands, they just have limited popularity (with some exceptions).
I still think there are tons of great young bands, they just have limited popularity (with some exceptions).
EDM and R&B are especially benefited by good systems. When the layer upon layer of synth pads and vocals are allowed to open up and project it can definitely be trance inducing. Pun intended. 
A good example is old Madge's song I'm Addicted from her album MDNA. Same goes for the oft noted release by Daft Punk (RAM). Lot's and lots of gems. Seems like only Gary, Lloyd, KeithR and Myself are into this sort of music here.
A good example is old Madge's song I'm Addicted from her album MDNA. Same goes for the oft noted release by Daft Punk (RAM). Lot's and lots of gems. Seems like only Gary, Lloyd, KeithR and Myself are into this sort of music here.
EDM and R&B are especially benefited by good systems. When the layer upon layer of synth pads and vocals are allowed to open up and project it can definitely be trance inducing. Pun intended.
A good example is old Madge's song I'm Addicted from her album MDNA. Same goes for the oft noted release by Daft Punk (RAM). Lot's and lots of gems. Seems like only Gary, Lloyd, KeithR and Myself are into this sort of music here.
Jack, you are certainly not the only ones.
If you like Madonna or Daft Punk, check out Trentmoller, Boards of Canada, Modselektor, Royskopp, The Knife, Air, M83, The XX, Massive Attack, Tricky to name a few synth based electronic music that sounds amazing on a good hifi system.
I reckon good music is good, whenever it was made. In the classical world, no one questions that the old stuff is great. But young people have an inbuilt resistance to liking the music their parents did, which is their loss, because if they went back through the years I think they'd find wonderful song after wonderful song. Random example: All the Young Dudes by Mott the Hoople. Can anyone name a current song that has a fraction of that song's qualities? (grandeur, melancholy, ambition, a bloody good tune).
I don't believe that it's simply a case of my being too old to appreciate Mumford and Sons or Vampire Weekend, I just think they're a colourless shadow of what went before. They play some of the same instruments as the pop stars of old, and go through the motions of playing notes and singing words in some sort of loosely connected fashion, but they have no ambition to pass 'the whistle test', never mind create something that will be remembered, played and talked about in 40 years time*. I'd like to think that they finish a gig, drink an orange juice and go home (no Jack Daniels, after-show party and groupies for these boys needless to say) and listen to great music from the past and think "How can I do something like that?". But I don't think they do.
*Nor did Mott the Hoople & Bowie I hear you say, but I'll bet they knew it was bloody good when they'd made it.
I don't believe that it's simply a case of my being too old to appreciate Mumford and Sons or Vampire Weekend, I just think they're a colourless shadow of what went before. They play some of the same instruments as the pop stars of old, and go through the motions of playing notes and singing words in some sort of loosely connected fashion, but they have no ambition to pass 'the whistle test', never mind create something that will be remembered, played and talked about in 40 years time*. I'd like to think that they finish a gig, drink an orange juice and go home (no Jack Daniels, after-show party and groupies for these boys needless to say) and listen to great music from the past and think "How can I do something like that?". But I don't think they do.
*Nor did Mott the Hoople & Bowie I hear you say, but I'll bet they knew it was bloody good when they'd made it.
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Jack, you are certainly not the only ones.
If you like Madonna or Daft Punk, check out Trentmoller, Boards of Canada, Modselektor, Royskopp, The Knife, Air, M83, The XX, Massive Attack, Tricky to name a few synth based electronic music that sounds amazing on a good hifi system.
Good to know! BTW thanks for the heads up on Modselektor and The XX. I haven't heard of them before. I shall check them out promptly!
You don't "need" a great system to the listen to the early Beatles, but you will benefit sonically from hearing the early Beatles over a great system.
I really think you've got it all wrong and have made up your mind that young musicians don't have the drive and ambition to create something that will last. Although I'm not including the "pop machine" that turns out drivel for the teeny-bopper crowd. There are many wonderful young musicians dedicated to their craft who are playing rock, jazz, blues in small clubs and touring while honing their craft. Will they ever create a body of work like a Bob Dylan, a Neil Young, a Mozart or Coltrane? Maybe, maybe not, and they certainly shouldn't be focused on doing so, but lets talk 20, 30, 40 years from and then you can judge. In the meantime enjoy them for what they bring to the table, because they are worth listening to.
See my comment about the 'pop machine". I agree completely. I wasn't referring to today's stars though. I was referring to bands/artists that work hard at their craft and take music very seriously. Unfortunately, many people dismiss them if they don't produce a hit. Does this mean they aren't talented? How many years did it take for The Beatles to have an impact if you go back to 1956 when Lennon formed The Quarry Men. Things don't happen overnight. Give them a chance.
I think there's a bit of a reversal going on. Now that artists need to rely on touring more and more for income, I think we will see an increase in musicianship. AT least for the non-lipsync-ers!
