Musical Sell By Date

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Sell By Date I've been informed by a cow-worker that "All this modern music is crap. It's been crap since 1955. There hasn't been a decent singer since Sinatra and a decent arranger since Nelson Riddle. All the new music lacks 'Sizzle'; no 'Sizzle' at all."
Forgive him. This cow-worker is 70 years old.
This statement -- plus multiple statements from (grrrr) George Starostin (everything after 1975 is inadequate and derivative.) -- made me look at my own tastes.
I like alot of modern music but I prefer music made between 1975-1994. Shit. I have a "Golden Age" of my own! But my "Golden Age" starts right after Starostins ends, and his starts right after Ralph (the Sinatra fanatic) ends.
I'm not really wondering about whether we all have our own "Golden Age" or not (thats covered in the "Old" thread.). Nor am I concerned as to why "new" stuff sound derivative and "inadequate" to old ears. What bugs me is this:
Its not the "new stuff sounding derivative" thing that threw me off guard...its that the really old stuff sounds...um...incomplete. Unfinished. Unrefined. Prototypical. Schmaltzy.
If I wanted to be a cranky prick I could declare "All this old music is crap. It'll be crap until 1975. There won't be a truly interesting singer until Bowie and a decent use of Synths until Kraftwerk. All the old music lacks....lacks.... I dunno. 'Spunk'; no 'Spunk' at all."
But I'm not gonna say that.

― Lord Custos, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

To George I say "Feh! The Sixties were Waaayyy overrated." and to Ralph I'll say "Gimme a sturdy, trustworthy 4/4 beat, Some snarling bluesy gee-tar, some phat reggae-tinged bass and an acid-tinged goth chick singer, and I'll be happy."

― Lord Custos, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Do you really mean COW-worker. As in Cow-hand?

― Dr. C, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think it's Cow-irker.

― Dave225, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

hmmm, these are often the arguments that divide mailing lists etc. unlikely to here, obviously, but it's weird when people are very into a particular sound, but can't even acknowledge subsequent developments of that sound, let alone like them.

― michael, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Re: COW-worker. Thats not a typo. Its very intentional (if you re-read the whole shpiel, you'll see I did it twice.) It means a Co-worker that behaves in a rather dull-witted, bovine manner. Its another one of those Scott Adams things (like In-DUH-vidual.)

― Lord Custos, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I've said this before and it's probably not that interesting, so I'll say it again: Listening to older Arabic popular music has contributed to making me less patient with (English speaking) pop singers who can't singer. I also have very conservative taste in Arabic music, so that while I can enjoy the "New Sound" represented by Amr Diab in small doses, it really does sound inferior to the more classically-based things I have heard. These older Arabic singers do amazing things with their voice and phrasing. On the other hand, that hasn't translated into my becoming a fan of singers of an earlier generation in the English speaking world. (This isn't that surprising since the Arab approach to singing is quite a bit different from Frank Sinatra's.) I do think that in some ways the earlier pop music was better, even though I don't like it more. But newer pop music probably has strengths the eariler music lacked: for instance, I think it works with timbres in a more varied way than much of the older music. It's doing different things.

I was thinking just last night about the problem of comparing across different aesthetics. I listened for the nth time to Oum Kalthoum's "Robaiyat el Khayam" and later I put some X on, because I was thinking of loaning the CD to someone. I enjoyed both, but I have to make more allowances for X.

― DeRayMi, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

**Re: COW-worker. Thats not a typo. Its very intentional (if you re- read the whole shpiel, you'll see I did it twice.) It means a Co- worker that behaves in a rather dull-witted, bovine manner**

Ooh you're a wag, Lord C.

― Dr. C, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, that is a typo. It's cow-ORKER.

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i find that i am often ten or more years behind. I mean, I like a lot of current stuff, but stuff that I didn't like that much or at all in the late 80's sounds good to me now. In a few years i will start to like hip hop probably

― g, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Past, present and future collide in my mind/stereo.

― helenfordsdale, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Woody Allen said in a quote that he loves Jazz because it is the music of his youth and that everyone loves the music of their youth.

I suspect he's probably right which is why I love Basement Jaxx, eels and Manitoba.

― Billy Dods, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Actually, that is a typo. It's cow-ORKER.
Naw. That sounds like Robin Williams in space suit showing he has extra-special loving for both Elsie AND Bossy. Eeeuuuwww. Bovine Three Way.

― Lord Custos, Thursday, 14 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I used to think that this could never be attached to me as I like evry old genre it it's own way...then Limp Bizkit happened. I'd like to think this is just a momentary lapse in the evolution of youth culture.

When I grow up I'm going to Bovine University!

― Joe "PappaWheelie" Gonzalez, Friday, 15 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Moo-U?

― Lord Custos, Saturday, 16 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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