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Is music today a bit shït?

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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,736 ✭✭✭Irish Guitarist


    Most of the music that has been in the charts during my lifetime has been dire. I'm 40.


  • Registered Users Posts: 985 ✭✭✭Atari Jaguar


    I always laugh when some idiot creates a thread like this.

    I always laugh when I hear what's considered "good" music comes on the radio.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,040 ✭✭✭Mister Vain


    Today's music is sh*te, grew up in early 90s*)(had to go up to sister in dublin for proper night out) jaysus lads had some club nights mansion house was rocking,!!! Henry's in cork was even better.... christ they were proper nights, now tis fair sh*te to go out and listen to the party heads now .....

    It's not just the music that has changed, the whole nightlife and club scene is completely different now. At some point, nightclub promoters became entranced with the idea of paying minor celebrities to make "public appearances" in nightclubs. More depressingly, it seems to be wildly successful. It basically seems like the death of nightlife. But as a touring scene, it's one that currently has more nationwide appeal than any music scene does.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,996 ✭✭✭Duck Soup


    Talk to any old farts and they'll tell you about the absolute centrality of music when we growing up. Not just that it was important - it still is to a lot of young people - but it was the absolute hub of youth culture. You talked about it, spent most of your money on it, were defined by what type of music you followed.

    There used to be 3 rock music papers: New Musical Express, Melody Maker and Sounds. If you didn't get down to the newsagents by 9am, all the copies of the NME would be gone. If you got there at 10am, Sounds would be sold out and there'd only be Melody Maker left. After 11am, they'd all be sold out. Sometimes I'd be outside the newsagents at 7am when it opened and I'd be one of 4 or 5 other obsessives.

    And a lot of people were in bands. You bought your Les Paul or Strat copy and scratched your records to buggery learning the songs by listening to the LPs.

    Music simply doesn't have that all-consuming primacy any more; there isn't the level of engagement and the talent pool is smaller. Young creative people are pursuing other avenues and it shows in popular music.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,459 ✭✭✭Anesthetize


    I always laugh when I hear what's considered "good" music comes on the radio.
    Your problem is that you are judging music by what is played on the radio, rather than actively browsing through music publications, websites and playlists looking for something that you do like.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    Saipanne wrote: »
    And before MTV?
    FM radio and college radio in the states. The big corporations swallowed them up. Pirate radio over here, politicians stamped them out and legit stations like bbc hired a lot of the djs.
    Things changed with the music video and mtv, changed again with the internet, napster, youtube and digital downloads.
    Who knows, all music might be free to download in the future and the artist will make money from live shows and online advertising or sponsorship.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,628 ✭✭✭darkdubh


    The charts now are dominated by either R & B,watered down hip hop or else very tame "indie" bands like Coldplay. I find it's the vocal style of a lot of these acts that I can't take. Everyone singing in this generic attempt at black American soul and all sounding exactly the same.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,040 ✭✭✭Mister Vain


    Also the Chipmunks seem to be making an appearance in a lot of modern music. That Major Lazer "Lean on" is a good example. "Wah wah... woh, wah wah woo... wah wah wah wah wah wah woh." There are plenty of other pop songs with that same sound. Justin Bieber has a few too.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,030 ✭✭✭Minderbinder


    I think the excuse that there is plenty of great music out there that is not getting noticed is ridiculous. The cream always rises to the top.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,459 ✭✭✭Anesthetize


    I think the excuse that there is plenty of great music out there that is not getting noticed is ridiculous. The cream always rises to the top.
    Can you give some examples?


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,763 ✭✭✭jimmytwotimes 2013


    There is some brilliant music out there. Just depends on your taste and knowing where to look. If anything services like spotify make it easier to find it than back in the day when you read an album review and bought a CD on the basis of that.

    Edit: the notion that the charts were once great might be wide of the mark too. People tend to remember a few songs from yesteryear but there was a top 40/100 then too which was full of tat. Not that I'd listen to chart music from then or now anyway.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,495 ✭✭✭✭Billy86


    Just took a glance out of interest, based on the UK since I doubt you'd be able to find the archives for Ireland.

    The top 20 this time 20 years ago:
    1: Spice Girls - 2 Become 1
    2: Toni Braxton - Unbreak My Heart
    3: Dunblane - Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    4: Robert Miles - One & One
    5: Madonna - Don't Cry For Me Argentina
    6: Prodigy - Breathe
    7: Boyzone - A Different Beat
    8: Mark Morrison - Horny
    9: Celine Dion - All By Myself
    10: Woolpackers - Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll
    11: Damage - Forever
    12: Beautiful South - Don't Marry Her
    13: East 17 - If You Ever
    14: Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There
    15: Whitney Houston - Step by Step
    16: 3T - I Need You
    17: Jamiroquai - Cosmic Girl
    18: Warren G - What's Love Got To Do With It
    19: Smurfs - A Christmas Wish
    20: Faithless - Salva Mea

    The top 20 this time 30 years ago:
    1: Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite
    2: The Housemartins - Caravan of Love
    3: Europe - The Final Countdown
    4: Madonna - Open Your Heart
    5: A-Ha - Cry Wolf
    6: Oran 'Juice' Jones - The Rain
    7: Erasure - Sometimes
    8: Alison Moyet - Is This Love?
    9: Gregory Abbott - Shake You Down
    10: Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer
    11: The Communards - So Cold the Night
    12: The Gap Band - Big Fun
    13: Berlin - Take My Breath Away (Top Gun)
    14: Genesis - Land of Confusion
    15. Status Quo - Dreamin'
    16: Dexy's Midnight Runners - Because of You
    17: Jaki Graham - Step Right Up
    18: Elkie Brooks - No More the Fool
    19: Debbie Harry - French Kissin' in the USA
    20: Nick Kamen - Each Time You Break My Heart

    The top 20 this time 40 years ago:
    1: Johnny Mathis - When a Child is Born
    2: Showaddywaddy - Under the Moon of Love
    3: Abba - Money, Money, Money
    4: Queen - Somebody to Love
    5: Mike Oldfield - Portsmouth
    6: Electric Lights Orchestra - Livin' Thing
    7: Yvonne Elliman = Love Me
    8: Tina Charles - Dr. Love
    9: Smokle - Living Next Door to Alice
    10: Chris Hill - Bionic Santa
    11: David Soul - Don't Give Up on Us
    12: Mud - Lean on Me
    13: Dana - Fairy Tale
    14: Kursaal Flyers - Little Does She Know
    15: Paul Nicholas - Grandma's Party
    16: Chicago - If You Leave Me Now
    17: Status Quo - Wild Side of Life
    18: Rod Stewart - Get Back
    19: 10CC - Things We Do For Love
    20: Billy Ocean - Stop Me (If You've Heard it All Before)


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,677 ✭✭✭buried


    Some absolutely brilliant music was released this year, for my ears anyways. All these albums were 10/10 for me, enjoyed the p!ss out of them I did. If I was relying on advert driven, mainstream corporate chart radio to introduce me to these works I'd have missed out on the enjoyment bigtime. That's the thing about this notion "All Today's music is $hit", that's like saying "All Today's TV dramas shows are $hit" when all your doing is watching two bad TV shows on two poor TV channels and ignoring everything else.
    Anyways here is what I did and still am enjoying. Somebody here mentioned they like modern movie soundtracks yesterday? They should check out that Heurco S LP, I'd say they'd really enjoy it.

    1991 - No More Dreams
    Andy Stott - Too Many Voices
    Demdike Stare - Wonderland
    Konx-om-Pax - Caramel
    Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
    Klara Lewis - Too
    Jessy Lanza - Oh No
    Swans - Glowing Man
    Kendrick Lamar - Untitled Unmastered
    Rashad Becker - Trad. Music of Notional Species Vol.2
    Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool
    Equiknoxx - Bird Sound Power
    Huerco S.- For those of you who have never (And also those who have)
    Death Grips - Bottomless Pit
    Aphex Twin - Cheetah EP

    "You have disgraced yourselves again" - W. B. Yeats



  • Registered Users Posts: 28,411 ✭✭✭✭AndrewJRenko


    darkdubh wrote: »
    The charts now are dominated by either R & B,watered down hip hop or else very tame "indie" bands like Coldplay. I find it's the vocal style of a lot of these acts that I can't take. Everyone singing in this generic attempt at black American soul and all sounding exactly the same.
    From some casual overhearing of what the kids are listening to, I think you're right about R&B dominating. There seems to be very little bubble-gum pop out there, the kind of crap that dominated the charts 20 years ago.

    I also notice that the kids don't seem to recognise or follow artists in the way that we used to. When I ask 'who's that', they generally don't know, and have to check Spotify to find out.


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,802 ✭✭✭✭suicide_circus


    I presume there is still just as much good music being produced and I've just become an old curmudgeon. You see, the kids these days, they listen to the rap music, which gives them the brain damage. With the hippin' and the hoppin' and the bippin' and the boppin', they don't know what the jazz is all about. Y'see, jazz is like Jello pudding... no, that's not it. Jazz is like Kodak film... no, that's not right neither. I've got it, jazz is like the new Coke - it'll be around forever.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,426 ✭✭✭maestroamado


    I always laugh when some idiot creates a thread like this.
    To start with i be one of these and being honest i am not informed now as the source of information i used not there to the same extent.
    I am hoping that someone on here will give me ideas of what good serious music is out there, one person earlier gave examples but for me music is just that and i find the attached video is a distraction and sometimes think it is the music is attached to the video.

    We had two brilliant informed people with rte John Kelly "the mystery train" (now lyric i know) before that there was Dave Fanning who did a few different night slots which names don't come to mind.
    Fanning then got morning radio slot as a "filler in" which i loved but obviously the heads at rte not like his style.
    Both of these guys also did tv work especially Kelly as i think Fanning was more to do with films on that stint.
    I like everyone have my own tastes but it was great to have a serious informed person to get update information.

    I still buy cds and at the moment have 3 in jumble dylan desire, costello bedroom and linda ronstadt not sure which name too lazy to look.

    rant over..


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,023 ✭✭✭testaccount123


    Lads, "the charts" and "the radio" stopped being relevant two decades ago.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,048 ✭✭✭Truckermal




  • Registered Users Posts: 12,840 ✭✭✭✭Rothko


    I think the excuse that there is plenty of great music out there that is not getting noticed is ridiculous. The cream always rises to the top.

    Simply not true.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,040 ✭✭✭Mister Vain


    Billy86 wrote: »
    The top 20 this time 20 years ago:
    1: Spice Girls - 2 Become 1
    2: Toni Braxton - Unbreak My Heart
    3: Dunblane - Knockin' on Heaven's Door
    4: Robert Miles - One & One
    5: Madonna - Don't Cry For Me Argentina
    6: Prodigy - Breathe
    7: Boyzone - A Different Beat
    8: Mark Morrison - Horny
    9: Celine Dion - All By Myself
    10: Woolpackers - Hillbilly Rock Hillbilly Roll
    11: Damage - Forever
    12: Beautiful South - Don't Marry Her
    13: East 17 - If You Ever
    14: Spice Girls - Say You'll Be There
    15: Whitney Houston - Step by Step
    16: 3T - I Need You
    17: Jamiroquai - Cosmic Girl
    18: Warren G - What's Love Got To Do With It
    19: Smurfs - A Christmas Wish
    20: Faithless - Salva Mea

    I can't believe Prodigy is 20 years old now. Jasus I feel old.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 23,495 ✭✭✭✭Billy86


    I can't believe Prodigy is 20 years old now. Jasus I feel old.

    Over 25 years old actually :p - I some of my earliest memories of MTV are Out of Space, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Killing in the Name of, oh maybe a bit more randomly and Stiltskin - Inside: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuTVKO0RScI


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,459 ✭✭✭Anesthetize


    I think the excuse that there is plenty of great music out there that is not getting noticed is ridiculous. The cream always rises to the top.
    Can you give some examples?
    I'm still waiting on this one.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,426 ✭✭✭maestroamado


    I think the excuse that there is plenty of great music out there that is not getting noticed is ridiculous. The cream always rises to the top.

    Well tell us where its at? i am looking and will buy if i like it...


  • Posts: 0 [Deleted User]


    Regards what the OP said in his opening post.....

    I was watching Jools Holland New Year Hootenannywhateveryoumacallit last night and it was absolutely dreadful. And for me Jools Holland along with maybe Other Voices have been the only source for hearing new, somewhat skilful music on the TV over the last maybe 10 years whether it be mainstream rock or alternative or folk. Now fair enough I left the room for a few minutes here and there so I missed small segments but when I'd come back there would be some crusty 60 or 70 year old, mutton dressed up as lamb, being interviewed or giving a rendition of some rubbish forgettable song using a very expensive guitar and a whole host of backing singers that added nothing to the experience except expense on the part of the show. For me it was diabolical and sad to see the biggest music show in Britain/Ireland could only organize a few washed up musicians or a few yes men that kiss Jools Hollands hole for the big new years event organized by the BBC.

    I watched it last year and it was pretty decent. James Bay singing Hold Back the River and Hozier Take Me to Church but that seems to be an exception to the rule. And as far as I've heard from listening to their music, they were only one off really strong songs from each artist.

    I really only started listening to music as a teenager in 1995 so I completely missed the excitement that came with the band Nirvana but I still remember being blown away by the music when I finally started listening to album after album of brilliant music and the culture around the band even after the band no longer existed. And there was also a sort of hysteria over bands like Blur and Oasis who, although now might not stand up as masters of the rock genre, still created great albums and music over a few years.

    And can you actually imagine a band these days or any musician creating an album like The Smashing Pumpkins "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness"? A double album of exceptional music. There isn't a bad or even an average song on it. The worst song on the album was the one that was the hit single "1979".

    There has been some exceptions the last few years. I think some of And So I Watch You from Afar's music is up there with the best music ever made. Exceptional guitar work and amazing sound, particularly some of their earlier stuff. But they are the exception in terms of bands that have generated even a handful of brilliant songs.

    Whats the problem these days? Well I was in the Sound Shop in Drogheda buying a new guitar a few months ago and the guy running the store told me that you couldn't give a bass guitar away. No bass guitars being sold then probably a sign that kids are just not as into learning to play instruments. They have a lot of other competing interests like computer games. Also kids seem to get a lot more opportunities these days and their happiness is catered for a lot more. Is teenage angst what it was? There doesn't seem to be that chip on the shoulder that a lot of the best bands like Nirvana and Metallica had. Anyone else look at bands these days and think they're a bit too nice and happy also with functional lives. All good presumably for them and their happiness but where are the bands or musicians like the Beetles or Nirvana off their trollies on drugs and drink. I mean like the last song I heard a band write where they were off their trollies on drugs was "Radio/Video" by System of a Down. So I recommend more teenage angst and lots and lots of unhappiness and drug taking.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,677 ✭✭✭buried


    I can't believe Prodigy is 20 years old now. Jasus I feel old.

    Were, are you still a fan of 'The Prodigy'?

    "You have disgraced yourselves again" - W. B. Yeats



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,040 ✭✭✭Mister Vain


    buried wrote: »
    Were, are you still a fan of 'The Prodigy'?

    Not really. I listened to them during my raving days but I always preferred Culture Beat.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 39,022 ✭✭✭✭Permabear


    This post has been deleted.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,677 ✭✭✭buried


    Not really. I listened to them during my raving days but I always preferred Culture Beat.

    Liam Howlett was a genius back in the day. How he created 'Voodoo People', absolute magic. And it is genius, very hard to make sample based electronic funk. Loads of artists still do it today too to the same degree. 'RP BOO' is one of those artists, you should check him out.

    "You have disgraced yourselves again" - W. B. Yeats



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,097 ✭✭✭Herb Powell


    Duck Soup wrote: »
    Talk to any old farts and they'll tell you about the absolute centrality of music when we growing up. Not just that it was important - it still is to a lot of young people - but it was the absolute hub of youth culture. You talked about it, spent most of your money on it, were defined by what type of music you followed.

    There used to be 3 rock music papers: New Musical Express, Melody Maker and Sounds. If you didn't get down to the newsagents by 9am, all the copies of the NME would be gone. If you got there at 10am, Sounds would be sold out and there'd only be Melody Maker left. After 11am, they'd all be sold out. Sometimes I'd be outside the newsagents at 7am when it opened and I'd be one of 4 or 5 other obsessives.

    And a lot of people were in bands. You bought your Les Paul or Strat copy and scratched your records to buggery learning the songs by listening to the LPs.

    Music simply doesn't have that all-consuming primacy any more; there isn't the level of engagement and the talent pool is smaller. Young creative people are pursuing other avenues and it shows in popular music.


    You think this isn't happening any more?

    All I see in this thread is old people who've simply moved on with their lives and are out of touch. Nothing wrong with that, but it simply means the understanding of how things are is outdated.

    I reckon no one posting in this thread is hanging out with the young people who are creating music today. They're there, working away, whether anyone notices or not.

    I might as well add, nostalgia is an absolute poison.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 20,769 ✭✭✭✭FixdePitchmark


    Regards what the OP said in his opening post.....

    .

    Great post unedumacated.

    Was just thinking about the likes of Ok Computer - like it was a serious amount of time to get into that album for some . Well for me.

    Now it has about 3 or 4 of my favourite songs ever - and was listening to it last year thinking - technically this was what, 20 years ahead of its time , sounds , layers etc.

    Like first song off the bat



    You first hear song and is he talking about a car crash ? - then you can't understand what he is saying - then you listen and listen - then you can't even look up lyrics - then you try find lyrics inside a crazy sleeve of art work that you have never seen.


    Then song 2, Paranoid Android - what the hell is this.

    You nearly get the impression that Yorke knew the technological age and time of image and computers and TV was changing reality - he was so right.

    We almost need an Ok Computer now.

    But there is a massive aspect of attention span - there are so many quick fixes now - be it phone , internet , a forum - and we are all part of that generation , we are on an internet forum sharing views that are not important.

    I think we are underestimating that amount of time people spend in front of technology.

    If anyone tries to actually learn an instrument - then actually get good at it - in fact get good at anything , the time you need to spend at it is incredible

    The like of Thom Yorke and Liam Howlet and Billy Corgan (Some just mentioned) - their music was their life, their instagram , their Facebook , their whatsapp - they would have had to be basically nerds in a room doing it again and again and again - the famous 10,000 hours. It is very very hard and takes time to be that good.

    That is why despite his daft young audience, I know he is not in same league as above, I like to see the likes of Ed Sheeran , who clearly is a very very dedicated musician and has put hours and hours into his craft. Good for these kids to see , Jesus to play even that well and make a song like that actually takes serious effort.

    So not sure things are going to change - it definelety has to be a good tune and I'd also be self critical and say we all have changed and are very easliy looking for quick entertaining fixes.

    I'm not sure OK Computer would get the time off me these days.

    Tom was right.


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