Do YOU think the best years of music are behind us?

Citizen_Erased

I dont know about you but in my opinion the best years of music are behind us that things are on downhill slope. Perhaps its hard to be origional in a world where everything has already been down? Perhaps its us, we expect to much of new bands? Or mayby you think I'm completely wrong?

What do you think?

garthv

ummm no,listen to better music,simple

nesthead

no...... pretty stupid question.......

hope you guys have fun on your mod-less weekend *yawn*

LightofDarkness

No no.

Music, metal especially, is on a road to recovery. They're trying to rectify the mistakes of the 90s and return to form. Now plenty of newer bands, especially metal-core homos, are crap. But I've also heard alot of great new bands. Children of Bodom, Soilwork, Insomnium, 2 Ton Predator, Lost horizon,
Into Eternity MIGHT become good. Dragonforce are pretty cool. Disharmonia Mundi, Spiral Architect and a plethora of death and black metal bands who are doing interesting things.

cournioni

Good music is out there today... You just need to look for it.

Creature

Nope.

Just because you don't like any of the music of today doesn't mean its not good and there's always something different you haven't heard so keep looking.

I look at it from the perspective that the future will always bring change which means different and new styles of music.

gogul

It's difficult to tell what music will be there to greet us in the future. Just when you think music has hit an all time low with boy-bands, and you've really given up on life, bands like QOTSA, Nirvana, G n R coming along and make it all worth while.

Mr. CooL ICE

It doesn't matter what period of time we're in, i think the phrase "They don't make 'em like they used to" will always apply for nearly everything.

The best years are gone. Very few new and original bands are emerging, and the one band that I liked of recent, the darkness, were just a rehash of the 70s and 80s. I remember a thread somewhere (could have been a different forum) asking about peoples favourite albums from the 80s, 90s and 00s, and i had no problem putting stuff for the 80s, 90s wasnt bad, but could only think of 2 or 3 for the present.

The other day, i bought 3 megadeth and a judas priest CD, my previous purchases before that included deicide, megadeth, maiden, and sabbath, and since ive expanded my maiden, metallica, sabbath and megadeth collections, i listen to nothing else. Maybe its just down to personal taste, but i think that if you dig deep into your favourite modern bands' influences, youll just get addicted to listening to this music which, although has dated production, is extremely fresh and original.

seamus

Music constantly evolves. It means different things to different people. I would rate a lot of the music I listened to in the 90's, way above stuff in the 70's. People in the 1950's would rate their music way above that of the 1920's.

There are many people who would argue that once Classical music was no longer widely popular, music became crap.

You say that no bands are original that they're all based on the past - but that's the way the world works. Modern bands are based on 60s/70s/80s bands. Those bands are based on those that went before them. If you were using that as a definition of "original" you'd be hard-pressed to find any original music in the last few hundred years.

Civilian_Target

I voted yes, but meant to vote no.

Reckoning that all the good music is already out there is a sign that you're too old

Mr. CooL ICE

Not giving away my age (heres a clue, decipher my signature), ive grown up listening to radio, listening to what my family listens to, and listening to my own stuff. At the age I am now (did you figure it out yet?), i hate just about everything thats in the charts now, and only listen to my CDs, and the only stuff i can tolerate on the radio are those golden-oldy style programs which are only on at off-peak (?) hours.

Yes, music is always evolving, but nowadays, it has evolved from being an art form, created by musicians, into a money making machine, engineered by sales-hungry business people. And i dunno about ye, but i can hear that in practically all modern music. Even modern day metallica.

Serbian

I voted for yes and no because I could.

I don't think the best years of music are behind us. Kind of reminds me of a story where a patent office was closed down in America back in the 1890's because the guy who was managing it said that everything had been invented already.

Mr. CooL ICE

Okay, that kinda depends on how you take it. I was actually talking about modern day music as opposed to past (70s, 80s) music, whereas others were probably talking about music in the future.

There was a definite downfall in the 90s, where there was an emergence of bands who couldnt play their instruments properly. That said, they could play a few chords here or there, but just as long as they could make a distorted guitar sound, it was okay. But solos as good as disappeared for quite a while. Sure enough, musicianship is coming back, with plenty of metalcore, scandinavian metal and all, knowing their modes, scales and chords very well, but theyre all trying to rehash stuff from the 80s and 70s, but with added aggression, therefore lacking the freshness required.

Sarky

LordChessington wrote:

Yes, music is always evolving, but nowadays, it has evolved from being an art form, created by musicians, into a money making machine, engineered by sales-hungry business people. And i dunno about ye, but i can hear that in practically all modern music. Even modern day metallica.

It just depends on where you look. I'd say that music is still as good as ever. It's just that there's an awful lot of commercial rubbish heaped on top of the real gems. You have to put a little effort in and dig through the crap to find some stunning modern music. And that goes for every genre, from "classical" to blues to metal to pop.

fragile

The best years of music are not behind us, we just happen to be living in the worst years of music, making it a lot harder to find the good stuff

Deadwing

LordChessington wrote:

Okay, that kinda depends on how you take it. I was actually talking about modern day music as opposed to past (70s, 80s) music, whereas others were probably talking about music in the future.

There was a definite downfall in the 90s, where there was an emergence of bands who couldnt play their instruments properly. That said, they could play a few chords here or there, but just as long as they could make a distorted guitar sound, it was okay. But solos as good as disappeared for quite a while. Sure enough, musicianship is coming back, with plenty of metalcore, scandinavian metal and all, knowing their modes, scales and chords very well, but theyre all trying to rehash stuff from the 80s and 70s, but with added aggression, therefore lacking the freshness required.

Just because an album doesnt have solos doesnt mean there isnt musicianship in the music. You can find more heart, and passion, in one ****ty cobain solo than you could in every metallica album since AJFA. The problem with solos is that sure, there may be technically excellent solos on the latest grindcore album from whoever, but they get overused, pretentious, and then you move into guitar wankery like malmsteen which is basically a disgusting display of style over substance.
While a bit of widdling never goes astray, fill your album with this bullsh!t and it just becomes boring.

Mr. CooL ICE

Deadwing wrote:

Just because an album doesnt have solos doesnt mean there isnt musicianship in the music. You can find more heart, and passion, in one ****ty cobain solo than you could in every metallica album since AJFA. The problem with solos is that sure, there may be technically excellent solos on the latest grindcore album from whoever, but they get overused, pretentious, and then you move into guitar wankery like malmsteen which is basically a disgusting display of style over substance.
While a bit of widdling never goes astray, fill your album with this bullsh!t and it just becomes boring.

Let me guess... Youre another "nirvana are everything" nutcase? Since AJFA? Look at the black album and listen to the solos for Enter Sandman, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters, My friend Of Misery, and tell me that theres more heart on one of those than any of cobains "im too high to come up with a solo that does nothing more than follow the vocal melody" solos. As for malmsteen and vai, i reckon 90% of their fanbase are guitar players, let alone musicians which i agree with you for being too wankish.
And for grindcore solos, they go for aggressive solos, which match the aggressive nature of the music, meaning they are non-melodic (sometimes accidentally melodic), and they are fast which matches the ectremes of the music. No point in putting a solo a-la Lynyrd Skynyrds Freebird on top of Napalm Death's wall of noise, although Carcass can do it well enough

Creature

LordChessington wrote:

There was a definite downfall in the 90s, where there was an emergence of bands who couldnt play their instruments properly. That said, they could play a few chords here or there, but just as long as they could make a distorted guitar sound, it was okay. But solos as good as disappeared for quite a while. Sure enough, musicianship is coming back, with plenty of metalcore, scandinavian metal and all, knowing their modes, scales and chords very well, but theyre all trying to rehash stuff from the 80s and 70s, but with added aggression, therefore lacking the freshness required.

Just because some bands aren't as complex with their guitar playing as you'd like that doesn't mean they can't play their instruments properly and there are more components to a band than just guitar.


People have to get over this idea that because something isn't to their taste then there's something wrong with it. Also if you restrict music to a certain genre, like metal, then there's the problem.

Sarky wrote:

It just depends on where you look. I'd say that music is still as good as ever. It's just that there's an awful lot of commercial rubbish heaped on top of the real gems. You have to put a little effort in and dig through the crap to find some stunning modern music. And that goes for every genre, from "classical" to blues to metal to pop.

I agree completely.

bombidol

theres more to good music than the Prerequisite metal solo that every long hair wants. most of the time songs sound better without someone stroking their 6 stringed cock anyway.

Mr. CooL ICE

I never said songs without solos were crap and that solos are the heart of all types of music (after all, this is a rock/metal forum, so guitars are important here), I'm saying that a lot of emerging bands from the 90s only learned enough guitar so they could make some sounds, joined a band, and made lots of money, and undeservedly so.

Deadwing

LordChessington wrote:

I never said songs without solos were crap and that solos are the heart of all types of music (after all, this is a rock/metal forum, so guitars are important here), I'm saying that a lot of emerging bands from the 90s only learned enough guitar so they could make some sounds, joined a band, and made lots of money, and undeservedly so.

Yeah because all the bands like extreme and motley crue and warrant that were aorund then, they were the ones who deserved the money and the fame
:rolleyes:

Doctor J

There was more to the 80's than Extreme, Warrant and Motley Crue. For a start, Motley Crue and Warrant weren't good enough players to be able to do proper fret ****. Technical ability is nothing to be ashamed of nor look down your nose at. Anyone who dismisses music because it may have a long guitar solo is a pillock, pure and simple, someone more concerned with a concept of what good music should be, rather than someone who opens their mind and ears and listens to what the emotions the music (and guitar solo) is trying to convery. The vast majority of classical music is instrumental and features many solo instrument passages and parts where an instrument would perform a melodic lead. Is there anyone here ignorant enough to suggest Bach, Mozart or Beethoven were the fret **** of their day? Just because there are some guitarists who sacrifice art for the sake of showing off technique, it doesn't mean all technical guitarists are invovled in fret ****, but merely see excellent technique as a medium to expressing whatever emotion they wish to convey. A poor technique limits a musician, and restricts what they are capable of expressing. That's not a good thing. For me, someone who forsakes technique because they don't think being able to play is relevant is a hypocrite. I put it to anyone into punk, for example, your punk guitarists had to be able to attain some standard of playing to play punk, yes? They might play with greater speed than an acoustic balladeer would be capable of, they have a faster and more developed technique than the acoustic player. Does that mean the acoustic strummer is more honest an artist? Come on, get a grip. It's what you play and how you play it.

Great music is always being made somewhere. The difference these days you are far less likely to hear it on a radio or see it on a tv. Money talks. Whatever will ensure adverts are seen and heard by the greatest amount of people is what gets played on radio and tv. I would argue that the greatest music is whatever means the most to the individual. Different generations and individuals have different tastes. I love hearing new music and I don't think one band is better than the other because it's from a particular point in time. Great music is out there, you just have to find it.

Redleslie2

LordChessington wrote:

There was a definite downfall in the 90s, where there was an emergence of bands who couldnt play their instruments properly.

Blame Elvis and Little Richard and Dylan and The Beatles. They couldn't sing or play their instruments 'properly' either. Intuition and soul are inestimably more important than 'musicianship' (interminable widdly guitar solos or worse still, drum solos) when it comes to creating music.

You sound like my dad.

The Sex Pistols destroyed the monster that was hippy prog rock and Nirvana wiped out the poodle noodled Def Leppards of the cock rock world. Praise be.

cournioni

LordChessington wrote:

Look at the black album

:rolleyes:

ALLGOOD

Oh ya, they sure as ****e dont make metal like they used to, death metal Opeth/In Flames style is good but its all "i'm so depressed ****ed up waaaaaaaaaaaa what will save me" type of lyrics that dont really mean jack except in the gloom sense but jesus its been done to death 10 times over.

The Master of Puppets/Justice for all albums from Metallica are still by a country mile the best **** out there even though they were made in the 80's, there are other bands like Hallows eve, megadave, slayer, flotsam & jetsam, queensryche, ,RATM, some judas priest, etc who have threatened to pull of something along those lines, havnt, but still have done some v. good work.

And while were on this subject let me tell you why there is no good metal around today that isn't death metal. When Metallica released AJFA the probing nature of the lyrics towards society really put the wind up some of the powers that be either political or "other". Listen to "..and justice for all", "eye of the beholder", "shortest straw". Your not going to find anything as probing or intelligent anywhere else - but if anybody knows let me know

Anyway, some "politician" or CIA guy goes "well, our mass mind control things dont work on everybody and they are telling the people how **** really is thru metal music and we cant have that cause if they find out were screwed" and so what they do is (to make a long covert story short) blackmail Hetfield to go commercial and stop writing troublesome songs and so to cover this up they make every fcuking metal band go commercial.

I mean its no accident people who like good metal have to buy stuff thats 10 - 20 years old.

*takes breath then rocks to some 80's *****

cournioni

There are plenty of good bands out there nowadays...
Iced Earth
Sentenced
Children of Bodom
Fear Factory
The Haunted
Decapitated
Opeth
Soilwork

and so on are still releasing good albums. Maybe some of you just need to have a listen to them...

Even the last Machine Head album was good, possibly better than their older stuff. And if you're looking for some classic material, look no further than Down's last two releases. Quality.

Baggio

Well title says it all!
..Im kind of in the middle,,deffinatley the better known bands of today and the 90's are not as good as the bigger rock acts of 70#s 80's etc, but there are some out there, again you need to look for them,,,I suppose the fact that we HAVE to LOOK for them says it all...ME?..well again Rush are still here and their music just still does it all,,TULL also but when those bands are gone?..I dunno..seems there will be an awful vaccum left with no one of the same all round ability and intellect to be able to fill.
I'll vote yes...but hope that I MAY be wrong...but Ill take an awful lot of convincing!

ciao' amigos....Baggio..............

John

The good music is out there if you're willing to look for it. Good original music and good treading the well worn path music. If you restrict yourself to one or two genres of music you're going to run out of good music faster.

As regards solos, they either fit the music and sound good or they don't.

NotMe

ALLGOOD wrote:

Anyway, some "politician" or CIA guy goes "well, our mass mind control things dont work on everybody and they are telling the people how **** really is thru metal music and we cant have that cause if they find out were screwed" and so what they do is (to make a long covert story short) blackmail Hetfield to go commercial and stop writing troublesome songs and so to cover this up they make every fcuking metal band go commercial.

Hahahahahahaha....

grimloch

id have to say yes, i like death metal and black metal and im not getting the same feel with the newer stuff, maybe im not looking hard enough but thats my view

JC 2K3

Music is generally **** nowadays, it's all pop, rap and dance - well that's all that you hear of. I'm big into alternative/indie rock and there's no new creative alt rock bands(like Sonic Youth or Meat Puppets) that I've heard of recently, they may be out there and have a ****load more talent then your average miming pop-puppet but there's no chance for them to get a record deal....

Anyway the best band I've heard recently is Velvet Revolver, nothing on G 'n' R but good all the same...

John

Best albums from this year:
Fennesz - Venice
Einstuerzende Neubauten - Perpetuum Mobile
cLOUDDEAD - Ten
PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
Sunn O))) - White2
!!! - Louden Up Now
The Icarus Line - Penance Soirée
Sigur Rós - Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do
Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
Alexander Hacke - Sanctuary
Low - A Lifetime of Temporary Relief
Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld

JC 2K3

John2 wrote:

Best albums from this year:
Fennesz - Venice
Einstuerzende Neubauten - Perpetuum Mobile
cLOUDDEAD - Ten
PJ Harvey - Uh Huh Her
Sunn O))) - White2
!!! - Louden Up Now
The Icarus Line - Penance Soirée
Sigur Rós - Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do
Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
Alexander Hacke - Sanctuary
Low - A Lifetime of Temporary Relief
Ghost - Hypnotic Underworld

haven't heard any excpt for sonic nurse, shows how much publicity good music gets......

John

that's why the magic of the internet is here!

Mr. CooL ICE

John2 wrote:

The good music is out there if you're willing to look for it. Good original music and good treading the well worn path music.

Very true. I went looking for some good metal/hard rock, and found myself listening to bands from the 70s and 80s, cos that's what I found was best. And from what I can see, very few emerging bands manage to beat them. I kept an open mind, and I may have come out sounding like one of many people who fcuks Redleslie2's mother, but the old stuff, from what I can hear, sounds the freshest.

Maybe if I was born 20 years after I was, and if this was year 2024 (2004 + 20 years), we might all be having the same argument as we are right now. But from what I can see, I doubt I'd be listening to stuff from the 90s and 00s. Maybe I might have taken a different listening route and be into something like funk or jazz etc, but if i was listening to metal like I am now, there would be very few bands from that era in my CD (or whatever medium is used) collection.

And that's why I think the best years of music are behind us! Read it or weep.

Tusky

nesthead wrote:

no...... pretty stupid question.......

hope you guys have fun on your mod-less weekend *yawn*

I thought it was a good question...

Karl Hungus

In short, no...

But, at the same time, we are living in the age of the most downright shameless pop industry that has ever existed! Sure, manufactured bands have been around since the Monkees, and probably before, but nothing has ever been on the scale all the various pop idols of the world, and the Louis Walsh cocksucker brigade that systematically dominated music in Ireland.

But good, original music is definetly out there, and it's not hard to find, especially on the internet, you only have to take a peek, and find very interesting and original things.

Deadwing

John2 wrote:

e
Sigur Rós - Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do

SIGUR ROS HAD A NEW ALBUM AND I WASNT INFORMED?!!?!?!?!

John

It's an EP. It's very nice.

Foy

Its obvious that as we have such a small amount of
human history behind usthat the bests songs HAVE NOT BEEN MADE.

John

and from the evidence of what you've posted so far, the best people have not been made.

museslave

there is no right answer to the topic... good music is decided by individual opinion... i could say that the greatest album of all time is the divine comedy "fin de siecle", but 99% of people would say im an asshole and im speaking crap.
new genres of music will be created, rock will keep evolving: bands mixing genres (rage against the machine), and devolving: bands that have no interest in originality (the darkness)...

Mr. CooL ICE

museslave wrote:

there is no right answer to the topic...

That is true, but it's more fun arguing over something with no answer like this than arguing over what 2+2 is, cos the answer is 5 and nobody better argue with it :mad:

fragile

LordChessington wrote:

That is true, but it's more fun arguing over something with no answer like this than arguing over what 2+2 is, cos the answer is 5 and nobody better argue with it :mad:

This is true, but only for extremely large values of 2 of course

pork99

For your collective edification

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1300413,00.html

So, our beloved rock may well have drawn to a halt at the same point at which modern jazz arrived in the late 1960s: hamstrung by an exhausted vocabulary, largely cut off from the everyday, and content to chase its own tail. It might have had its guts excised by the multinational corporations on whom it depends. The wash-out that has so bedevilled British music, however, seems to me to have its roots in the inclusivist, well-behaved, cosseted place that the UK has largely become. Think about it this way: have you heard any good Swiss music recently?

I tend to agree