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Witness

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WeLoveYou

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mikeeder
Simple, music itself had basically peaked. This is all personal very subjective taste, but I say the peak of music started slowly in the late forties to early fifties, was there by 1955-6, and lasted through the early seventies-say 1971-72. I think the seventies had a lot good to great music but things slowly got more and more indulgent and "marketed" with disco and artists now taking themselves too seriously messing up a lot of things. By the eighties, music, again this is to my ears, was past it's prime.

The last records I could put in my top 500 let alone 100 came out 1980-81.For example, the last Stones record I really return to is Tattoo You, I dislike the tour of 1981-82, but the album is good...maybe because most of it is older. Though I saw them once so I could say I saw them, I "just say no" to the Vegas Stones live. However on vinyl I am a little more open. For example I think a few things on Wondering Spirit or Keith's solo records are OK. A couple scattered group recordings are too, but I can't get "into" them deeply like I can the best 1963-78 stuff. I just never play more then a few times because I would rather track down boots of old music or footage I still don't have. None of this is to piss of anybody, just I have roughly twenty artists I am pretty hard core about so I only focus on the periods I really enjoy.

To sum me up listening wise, I am now 39 and just enjoy so much of what went on during roughly the first 25 years of rock and roll. Years I missed, but have studied avidly since the age of 5. There's a handful of things that are OK since then, but nothing I "love".

The eighties simply marks when what I consider the best artists began to run out of ideas, or had already died. Even more strongly, the basic quality of sound just began to go backwards through the lie that is digital. All of this is subjective as hell, but it's just like rock and roll electric blues, country, folk, even gospel, were evolving, evolving, evolving, then suddenly took a right turn and got stupid. No offense to any new music lovers, I can dig that people have done solid roots music since then that is sincere, but it isn't new or fresh. I just happen to dig a certain era and time.

I feel exactly the same - everything you wrote could be about me. We're roughly the same age and I remember the 80s music just passing me by when I was in my teenage years. Luckily my parents had some great records by the 60s Stones, Hendrix, Joplin etc, so I listened to that and I was hooked. The Beatles followed. Totally not my era and yet this is what I gravitated towards.

I am old enough to remember a time when the Beatles had not released Love Me Do. Still I disagree about those peak dates. They seem to neglect the treasures, which are to be found among post-punk bands. And my impression is that the quoted posts do not acknowledge "the third wave" of rock, that punk signalled. Recently, there was a thread that brought attention to all times great albums, which a site apparently registered votes for. Among the first 100 albums, I saw albums, that I myself have bought and loved, of a newer date than 1980, from the Pixies (DOOLITTLE) and Slowdive (SOUVLAKI) or immensely liked My Bloody Valentine (LOVELESS). Apart from those lists, there are careers of Joy Division/ New Order, Birthday Party / Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Sonic Youth that are central to me (even if I far from have completed my listening to all of their product earlier, but which is my most promising aim to do). Besides, I don't feel opposition as such to synth bands, although it is not my prime music; why mention Duran Duran and not instead Human League, which I accidentally listen to something from tonight?

[But then I am also one to consider the two last ( maybe, latest) albums of the Rolling Stones to border on the semi-great, while I see the more forward-looking UNDERCOVER, not TATTOO YOU, as the last GREAT Stones album (so far?).]

Much later edit: "date" instead of misprint "fate".

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mikeeder
Well Witness we simply have somewhat different tastes, or at least my tastes don't extend to that era or period. Sure naturally I respect some you mention far more than the obvious cheese pop of some of the top 40 of the era, it's still not a time period or style I care for or about.

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