Too Much

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There's just too much crap music. The shelves are stuffed with mountains of over-hyped rubbish which simply doesn't work and should never have been made. I could happily strip away the waste and reduce the last 40 years of popular music down to less than 20 artists who move me - The Beatles, The Buzzcocks, Joy Division, Kraftwerk, The Kinks, The Zombies, a Motown comp or two, some 70's reggae, The Who, The Ramones, Neu,Abba, Subway Sect, some Bowie, some Madonna.. Destroy everything else.

What else? The Beach Boys? F@ck no - only Good Vibrations is any good, I've had enough of Pet Sounds and the rest is soft-minded MOR gloop. What of Punk? The Pistols? Nah - gumby metal. The Smiths - had enough of them too, and Morrissey could never sing. Any post-punk? Scritti? The Pop Group? 23 Skidoo? No chance - all filling time before they get to work in advertising. Whole genres should be erased in one fell swoop- 'world music' (liberal tripe), metal (for 15 yr-old imbeciles), 'indie' (all varieties), free-jazz (unlistenable), industrial (tatooed smelly losers), prog, hip-hop, ambient, grunge, post-rock, goth...

Do I really need to hear Nevermind (quiet verse, loud chorus, quiet verse, loud chorus, solo, screaming, chorus.. blah) again? No. Primal Scream? - talentless frauds. The Avalanches - come on, it sounds like someone trying to tune a radio! The Rolling Stones - a couple of flashes of inspiration amidst 150 years of drug addled blues rip-offs and futile attempts to stay 'current' with disco, reggae, psych efforts. Who else? Happy Mondays - tuneless drug slobs. Underworld - just switch on the sequencers, put your feet up and roll a joint.

Why am I saying this? This is the important bit - SOMETIMES, maybe once a year, this is how I feel about music. Everything feels stale, and as you can see a whole series of petty predjudices rise up and squash the joy out of music in general, or an artist or genre in particular.I might be in a record shop staring at the racks, or I might be at home when I suddenly get this feeling. This morning I was picking out a couple of CDs to listen to at work and it hit me again. That was at 8.25 am. It's gone now, and I'm back to planning what to buy from Berwick Street tonight.

Does anyone else ever feel like this? Is it *useful*? To some extent I think it represents a sharpening of several true feelings that maybe I should acknowledge more honestly.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Those 20 artists you mention are all dreadful too, Dr. C. Otherwise - best ILM post in ages.

― Tanya, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i get this occasionally as well, but really really occasionally. i think this may be down to the fact that i don't actually have time to listen to the things i get very much. i've got a backlog of tapes people have done for me, i spent a load on cds yesterday, and i still haven't really listened properly to cds dating back to october. stupid really

― gareth, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I feel like this about ten times per year. Then I just grab Wild Gift, Sign Of The Times, No New York or Blue out and play that till it goes away.

― helenfordsdale, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

he likes the who but not the pistols = he perhaps needs his ears syringing?

― mark s, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

To be honest, those are pretty much 'genre-defining' artists, so you have a point (although I'd stick Manfred Mann between Kinks & Zombies)...& add some lovely French stuff...oh and St Etienne, hehe). Anyway, in general, I think the best way round this problem is - favourite bands excepted - to concentrate on songs rather than artists...the main drawback with this approach being that I now have a lot of CDs with only one decent track ;-)

― Jez, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nah Mark, I love the Pistols, except for the half-an-hour a year when the above-mentioned 'Black Dog' strikes me down.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do I really need to hear Nevermind again?
Whaddya mean, "again"? (cf. 'Best Music You Never Heard' thread)

I sort of understand what you're getting at. There are days when you stare at your CD collection and there's nothing you want to play. Or there are days when you're in a shop faced with racks of stuff you know nothing about and suddenly you think - "what's the point? it's all probably no better than what you've already got and rarely play". Fortunately, as you say, these bouts of sobreity rarely last long.

― Jeff W, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I wish they'd last longer. Then i'd be able to buy more clothes.

― Tim, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Due to extreme skintitude last year, I ended up selling pretty much my entire CD collection (I became very friendly with the staff at the Greenwich record and tape exchange, to the point where they would greet me by name and say things like "That Jane Siberry lp you sold us last week was really great! Can you recommend some of her other stuff?"). Since then I go into record shops and can't recapture the urge to buy new music. I feel a bit like I did when, half way through collecting Panini 1979/80, the futility of it all struck me and I gave all my stickers away (including the highly desirable Hearts club badge metallic gold sticker). I can't say I really miss it - it's meant that I've started revisiting my old tape collection, which is charmingly random, and listening to the radio more (and listening to stations I wouldn't have done previously, ie Radio 3 Late Junction). Can you lose the desire to collect stuff, or is this a temporary respite?

― Edna Welthorpe, Mrs, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Personally, the revitalisation of my interest in music pretty well stems from the fact that - two months after my move - I'm still unpacking/sorting out records from decades ago, most of which I've not listened to properly in decades, replaying them and fainting in shock at their forgotten brilliance. Currently back to 1984 12-inch singles: TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION - Hazell Dean "Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)." Bloody hell but this is one of Waterman's finest, most extreme pieces of work - Linn drum footpads pounding upon the door of the "Blue Monday" shrine. It actually sounds like Basement Jaxx 15 years before the event (viz. tracks 7-9 of Rooty, i.e. the decent ones).

And, as the So Solid mix CD, just when you think there can't be any more masterpieces, you remember that there's always room for one more.

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

In an attempt to answer my own question, I feel that these moods do serve some purpose. Now that virtually everything and *allowed* in some way or other (prog, easy-listening, poodle-hair metal, even bloody truck driving songs!) and it's so easy to say things like "Waylon Jennings way cool!", to EVERYTHING, that criticism seems outdated and redundant sometimes. The music press rarely slags off anything these days. (Please note that I'm not advocating a return to a situation where certain genres or time periods are completely untouchable). So, maybe these moods shock me into questioning some of this, which is good.

On the other hand I don't want to lose the *wonder* in discovering something new and great (latest = Playgroup) or something old and great (latest = Lee Dorsey).

― Dr. C, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Blimey Dr C I was playing my rediscovered Lee Dorsey CD just last night and it got me dancing round my room, particularly "My Old Car".

Yeah it is useful to know why a given piece of music is bad, as well as why it is good.

― Tom, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Dunno what's wrong with me, but I have never felt that way ever.

― dave q, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

To answer the question - this is why I gave up ordering or filing my CDs. I had them in alphabetical order and the shelves just looked so familiar and I felt so unenthusiastic about them. Now they're all piled up any old way and I can grab any 10-15 CDs and in there will be *something* I'd forgotten I had, or that I'd promised myself I'd give another chance.

― Tom, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Actually, Tom's post jogged my memory. I felt like Dr C about a month ago. I looked at my Alexandrian Library of CDs on the wall, spent 20 minutes looking at them, then decided the only thing for it was going to the nearest record shop (Disque Records in Angel)and buying more. But once I got there, a fog of despair and pointlessness enveloped me, and I walked out without buying anything, a rare occurence. Then - idea! From that moment on, I put EVERY CD on random play. Now, even stuff I'd played the shit out of becomes a whole other record! Seriously, it works a treat, now I have at about 900 years to go before I get bored of the collection again. And that's only assuming I don't buy any more CDs ever, and that's highly unlikely.

― dave q, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Whoops, what I just described sounds impossible. What I mean is, every time I stick a CD on the player I put it on 'random play' mode.

― dave q, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I feel like this most of the time. Dr. C - your plan involves destroying Magazine. Are you sure you ever think that?

― N., Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah, random button = great invention. But yeah I felt this way about a month ago (indeed with the same trip to record-shop/leaving without purchase plot as Dave). Don't know, last few weeks I haven't bought anything and started to go through vinyl records again instead of the easy grab-a-cd route and that helped for some reason (it sort of started a chain-reaction of new connections). Now my days are packed with music again as if I pulled something that was stuck and an avalanche of great music came tumbling down.

― Omar, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I wish they'd last longer. Then i'd be able to buy more clothes.

Time for nudism.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I empathize, Dr. C. my own annual anti-music breakdown is embarassingly documented here. a bit more of a rockist angle than yours, but the same central dilemma I think.

It was as useful as leeches were to early medicine.

― fritz, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ND - Magazine would make the cut, of course. The Small Faces would get in too. And the Human League. Possibly the VU post-Cale. That's around 20. Plenty!

Tom's method of random filing definitely works. I'm not sure that I could go for full-time random play though.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So you think that music sucks except for 20 artist. Boo hoo. I can narrow it down to, like 20 songs. Music sucks. Ever ture listener comes to this reality. Its like when you first realize that your going to die someday and you cant do anything about it. So what can you do about it? Well...how about get off your lazy ass and make your own music!!!! I'm tired of people complaining about music. Have you ever tired to do what they do? Probally not. These people give you hours and hours of free music (if there on the the radio, or napster), and you think they owe you? I'm tired of people saying, "its just three chords"...you probaly don't know what a chord really is! oh, man that felt good to get that off my cheast! I'm sorry, I guess i'm just taking my agrassion for professional music critics out on you guys...

― lochrian x, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Music sucks.

Tanya now has someone to fall in love with.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

you probaly don't know what a chord really is

Too bad you're talking about Dr.C who probably has the most wank- chops of us all. And he can prove it too, meet him at the crossroads at dawn and don't forget to bring your six-strings, maaaaaan.

[Dr.C in panic-mode: "You tosser! Now where's me Johnny Marr for Beginners book. Without I can't defend the honour of ILM!"]

― Omar, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have nothing much to add, but yes, I feel like this fairly regularly too. I thought I was fairly close to feeling like that right now, but then a few things came along to remind me that I can still feel fairly passionate about music, esp. new music.

― Sean Carruthers, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yeah well in theory i feel like that ALL THE TIME (I *heart* free jazz tho) - but i dunno, actually i listen to music & enjoy it or at least find it interesting on some level also ALL THE TIME.

― duane, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

**Too bad you're talking about Dr.C who probably has the most wank- chops of us all**

Kind words, Omar. But only true if "wank-chops" = "can operate fuzz- box without cigarette falling out of mouth". ;)

Don't confuse "has been in many noisy bands" ( or "has-been in many noisy bands" ha-ha!) with "can play" ! I reckon Dave Q is the chops- meister round these parts, btw. Mind you I recently heard some Pinefox music and he's a dab hand with a minor chord. Hope you don't mind me saying so, PF.

Also damn you lochrian x, I was planning to run off into the sunset with Tanya myself!

― Dr. C, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Great thread Dr.C. I must agree Joy Division would absolutely have to be included in those twenty artists. I am feeling more and more that pop/rock music in general is a boring and repetitive event. 99% of it is crap. And even most of the pop/rock/indie I liked first did not age well. The Pixies and Dinosaur Jr come to mind. I used to listen to jazz a lot before and probably I am getting back into it. Having Giant Sand as my current favourite band shows that my taste is moving out of the pop/rock genre I guess.
The random play idea together with Tom's chaotic CD order idea could nevertheless be a way to breathe some oxygene into my CD collection. A hundred CD changer with random play of CDs and tracks would be nice. Coupled with a quiz of artist, album and maybe track it could be fun. Probably I would not know half of the artists of the CDs I own.

― alex in mainhattan, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm back to normal now.

― Dr. C, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What you bought, then? Spill on that other thread if you prefer.

― Jeff W, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Zombie Heaven. Oh lord this is great stuff! TWO writers (Rod Argent and Chris White) in one band whose gifts for harmony, arrangement and melody EASILY outstrip Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney or anyone else... Really - no exaggeration. And to think that lots of this stuff either stayed in the can or crawled out after the band had broken up. And Colin Blunstone - what a beautiful voice. And he didn't even sing lead on lots of tracks! Perhaps the most interesting thing is that at their peak, they inhabited a space which was totally unique to them. (Like all the greatest groups). A space where 60's brit-pop, a home- counties take on sunshine pop, R+B, Soul and Freakbeat intersect. I'm going to get lost in this for a VERY long time.

― Dr. C, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

zombies? is that like robot wars? science fiction and that? no bet you its old hippy shit grandad crap. probably done before electricity had to press a gas pedal to make guitar move.

― XStatic Peace, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

this will be you year, dr. c.

anybody ever hear the colin blunstone solo stuff, immediately post- zombies? I'm pretty curious about it.

― fritz, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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