Was pop music always this bad?

lufties · 23-08-2014 03:03PM #1

Having tuned into 2fm for a few minutes, I listened to a bit of music on ruth and paddy, the music seems to be all the same, electronic type music, rubbish lyrics and some pitbull type lad rapping in parts. Compared to the 80's 90's and even noughties its awful shyte, drivel with a so called catchy tune so it sticks in your head.

RIP pop music

whirlpool · 23-08-2014 03:05PM

The early noughties were terrible!

A radio station in Canada announced last week that it's now only going to play 2 minutes of every song, as people's attention spans have dropped dramatically so there's no point, and they can fit more songs in. (Also something about the current standard of 3 or 4 minutes songs being an outdated standard that was originally demanded by radio stations in the 50s or something, and that not being relevant anymore.)

Shakespeare's Sister · 23-08-2014 03:10PM

No. And before the "No, you're just getting old" brigade start, it really wasn't. Just look at charts of the past, e.g. 1981: http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/top-100-1981.shtml

Now obviously there was some crap, but today there is far MORE crap.

I know music isn't just limited to the charts, but I miss when there would be good current pop songs on the radio.

I actually think the early 00s was an improved time for pop - with all that Timbaland/Neptunes stuff, which was great IMO.

Links234 · 23-08-2014 03:10PM

It's always been fairly crap, the thing about the 80's is that all the good stuff is what's remembered, while the bad stuff is forgotten.

Pwindedd · 23-08-2014 03:12PM

whirlpool wrote: »

The early noughties were terrible!

A radio station in Canada announced last week that it's now only going to play 2 minutes of every song, as people's attention spans have dropped dramatically so there's no point, and they can fit more songs in. (Also something about the current standard of 3 or 4 minutes songs being an outdated standard that was originally demanded by radio stations in the 50s or something, and that not being relevant anymore.)

Jingles...we're all going to end up listening to 30 second jingles...Demolition Man was scarily accurate and prohetic. Joy-joy feelings all over this land.

whirlpool · 23-08-2014 03:14PM

Shakespeare's Sister wrote: »

No. And before the "No, you're just getting old" brigade. It really wasn't. Just look at charts of the past, e.g. 1981: http://www.uk-charts.top-source.info/top-100-1981.shtml

Now obviously there was some crap, but today there is far MORE crap.

I know music isn't just limited to the charts, but I miss when there would be good current pop songs on the radio.

I actually think the early 00s was an improved time for pop - with all that Timbaland/Neptunes stuff, which was great IMO.

I agree with that. That stuff was the silver lining. There was an AWFUL lot of rubbish British pop music around at the time. If you can't remember it, there's a good reason. But as a teenager who used to watch MTV after school, and Saturday morning pop shows, trust me... looking back, it was awwwwwful.

The American pop was a lot better. (Although, a lot of that was produced by Swedish guys.)

Links234 · 23-08-2014 03:16PM

Pwindedd wrote: »

Jingles...we're all going to end up listening to 30 second jingles...Demolition Man was scarily accurate and prohetic. Joy-joy feelings all over this land.

Have a mellow day

Bang_Bang · 23-08-2014 03:18PM

Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman and co killed the actual music industry, hiring songwriters, getting nobody's to do what their told and making millions off it.

This started in the early eighties, there's no one around now that actually performs their own music. I have witnessed countless times, people signing to labels then their "music" suddenly changes.

Example would be John O' Callaghan, ( I like heavy metal and hard techno)

His music before he was signed up by PVD was savage, now it's like Tiesto, rubbish. I will admit he play's a good live gig until all the singing shíte tracks are played.

kneemos · 23-08-2014 03:20PM

lufties wrote: »

Having tuned into 2fm for a few minutes, I listened to a bit of music on ruth and paddy, the music seems to be all the same, electronic type music, rubbish lyrics and some pitbull type lad rapping in parts. Compared to the 80's 90's and even noughties its awful shyte, drivel with a so called catchy tune so it sticks in your head.

RIP pop music

2tm wouldn't be a good place to look in fairnes,literally any other station would have a better offering.
There's loads of fantastic music being made but sadly you need to go look for it.

pauliebdub · 23-08-2014 03:23PM

There has always been really bad mainstream pop music through the 70s 80s 90s etc, but I think in recent years it's gotten worse with a lot less choice. The same chart hits seem to be playing on the radio for ages, previously songs would not be played once they dropped out of the charts. Some of the Katy Perry, Rihanna stuff is beyond awful.

I also think musicians have run out of ideas, I've heard no exciting guitar rock or electronic music in the past few years.

wp_rathead · 23-08-2014 03:23PM

Pwindedd wrote: »

Jingles...we're all going to end up listening to 30 second jingles...Demolition Man was scarily accurate and prohetic. Joy-joy feelings all over this land.

lufties · 23-08-2014 03:24PM

Bang_Bang wrote: »

Simon Cowell, Pete Waterman and co killed the actual music industry, hiring songwriters, getting nobody's to do what their told and making millions off it.

This started in the early eighties, there's no one around now that actually performs their own music. I have witnessed countless times, people signing to labels then their "music" suddenly changes.

Example would be John O' Callaghan, ( I like heavy metal and hard techno)

His music before he was signed up by PVD was savage, now it's like Tiesto, rubbish. I will admit he play's a good live gig until all the singing shíte tracks are played.

Respect to those who didn't sell out namely true talent like sasha and digweed, nick warren etc.. Tiesto is a pure cheesemonger, no pun about his nationality intended.

Shakespeare's Sister · 23-08-2014 03:25PM

pauliebdub wrote: »

Some of the Katy Perry, Rihanna stuff is beyond awful.

I don't even think that's the worst - those gals, annoying as they are (they're REALLY RAUNCHY - we get it!) actually have some catchy, polished pop numbers IMO.

The Purveyor of Truth · 23-08-2014 03:26PM

Links234 wrote: »

It's always been fairly crap, the thing about the 80's is that all the good stuff is what's remembered, while the bad stuff is forgotten.

That's not true at all.

Take a look at any week's Top Ten on TOTP on YouTube and at least two or three of the songs will still be being played today. There is no way that in thirty years time you could say the same about today's charts. You'd be lucky now to get one song a month that will still be around in three or four decades time. Hozier's Take Me To Church is about the only song so far this year I think would qualify.

Look at the Electric Picnic line up this year - it's total and utter crap. You would struggle to name a band appearing at it that came up in the last five years, that will still be around in twenty to thirty years time.

Look at the line-up to Feile '92 in comparison:

cf.broadsheet.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/73.jpg

lufties · 23-08-2014 03:28PM

Shakespeare's Sister wrote: »

I don't even think that's the worst - those gals, annoying as they are (they're REALLY RAUNCHY - we get it!) actually have some catchy, polished pop numbers IMO.

Kesha is so bad its actually clever...White trash appeals to white trash.

Antar Bolaeisk · 23-08-2014 03:31PM

Links234 wrote: »

It's always been fairly crap, the thing about the 80's is that all the good stuff is what's remembered, while the bad stuff is forgotten.

It's the inverse temporal Doppler effect.

Bang_Bang · 23-08-2014 03:35PM

lufties wrote: »

Respect to those who didn't sell out namely true talent like sasha and digweed, nick warren etc.. Tiesto is a pure cheesemonger, no pun about his nationality intended.

This is exactly what JOC has turned into.

InTheTrees · 23-08-2014 03:40PM

Its always been 80% crap. Look back at the 70's and 80's and some of the crap is considered charming and retro now but it was actually crap at the time.

catallus · 23-08-2014 03:41PM

Modern pop music is the epitome of the art. The development of musical engineering protocols has given content-makers the tools to take the art to a new level of aural exploration. While it is natural that this new vista has been made possible by the work of past musicians, this shouldn't be used as an excuse to indulge in nostalgia.

While music is a matter of taste, the blanket dismissal of new music is blinkered thinking. The new blood coming on stream is at such a high standard, it is just curmudgeonly to say it is "bad".

There has always been tripe out there.

23-08-2014 03:45PM

Bang_Bang wrote: »

This is exactly what JOC has turned into.

John is a nice fella, never mad on his music in fairness, fair play to him for doing well internationally, just wouldn't be my cup of tea....

I think as you grow up your music tastes just change frequently, back a few years ago you probably thought he was great, now that your a bit older your music taste has matured and you just don't find it interesting anymore...

It happens with all music, dance, hip hop, metal, everything....

Adamantium · 23-08-2014 03:48PM

I sometime laugh at the youtube comments and their lack of self awareness probably from people born in 1999..." I wish I was born in the 80's, 90's were still good and some of the 00's was just ok."

*Bangs head off of desk repeatedly*

catallus · 23-08-2014 03:50PM

How many times do you bang your head off the desk?

Bang_Bang · 23-08-2014 03:53PM

Shakespeare's Sister wrote: »

I don't even think that's the worst - those gals, annoying as they are (they're REALLY RAUNCHY - we get it!) actually have some catchy, polished pop numbers IMO.

I can't understand why they all use, pyramids and devil horns in all their videos? I thought they were supposed to be different artists?

Rough Sleeper · 23-08-2014 03:53PM

catallus wrote: »

Modern pop music is the epitome of the art. The development of musical engineering protocols has given content-makers the tools to take the art to a new level of aural exploration. While it is natural that this new vista has been made possible by the work of past musicians, this shouldn't be used as an excuse to indulge in nostalgia.

While music is a matter of taste, the blanket dismissal of new music is blinkered thinking. The new blood coming on stream is at such a high standard, it is just curmudgeonly to say it is "bad".

I'd agree that music now is probably more interesting than it's ever been, but pop music is a terrible ambassador for what's out there.

Pop music now seems to involve appropriating ideas from grassroots underground scenes (usually at least two years after said scenes were at their peak), wringing out any spark of creativity and shred of originality, and presenting a well-produced but bland product that's generic enough to appeal to tweens and young mothers. A polished turd.

catallus · 23-08-2014 03:56PM

Rough Sleeper wrote: »

A polished turd.

You see, it's this type of blase dismissal I'm talking about!

Have you ever tried to polish a turd? It's not easy work, let me tell you.

We should recognise the artists for their hard work.

InTheTrees · 23-08-2014 03:57PM

catallus wrote: »

The development of musical engineering protocols has given content-makers the tools to take the art to a new level of aural exploration.

Or... there has been so little change or development over the last thirty years that modern pop music has evolved into a highly engineered homogenous derivative dirge designed to extract as much revenue from each sucessive generation of teen listeners before they mature enough to realise they're being manipulated.

catallus · 23-08-2014 03:58PM

InTheTrees wrote: »

Or... there has been so little change or development over the last thirty years that modern pop music has evolved into a highly engineered homogenous derivative dirge designed to extract as much revenue from each sucessive generation of teen listeners before they mature enough to realise they're being manipulated.

I like Katy Perry.

That is my answer to that statement.

Baron Kurtz · 23-08-2014 03:59PM

What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, any-mohhhhrr...

Gbear · 23-08-2014 04:00PM

It feels a lot dumber and more shallow.

There was an honest stupidty about the horrible lyrics in rap music from the 80's and 90's. They might've played up acting like a scumbag but that's the background a lot of them came from. I'd imagine that it grew out of the same impulse that spawned blues music - social commentary and a rueful nod to the problems poor black people faced.

The glamourisation of all the ****ty things bled into pop music but purely for the sake of it - there was nothing grounding it in reality. It sold so it was shoehorned into everything.

It's a bit like how a completely straight-faced film that's utterly terrible can make great watching but all the Sci-Fi channel ****e that's created to be intentionally terrible (Sharknado or whatever) just completely misses the point and has no charm, comedic value or anything worthwhile in it at all.

catallus · 23-08-2014 04:00PM

Baron Kurtz wrote: »

What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no-mohhhhrr...

Get it right wudja?! :pac:

Rough Sleeper · 23-08-2014 04:01PM

catallus wrote: »

You see, it's this type of blase dismissal I'm talking about!

Have you ever tried to polish a turd? It's not easy work, let me tell you.

We should recognise the artists for their hard work.

u r a rusemaster m8

Was pop music always this bad?

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