Was the 70's the best?

treeve

Major Contributor
OK - my question was to discover 'groups' with personal talent that could produce inventive and entertaining music. Now I am told that there aren't many other than solo performers, which as I say goes rather a long way to proving my point. Radio Head is drivel, and Arctic Monkeys scrape the bottom of the barrel, Primal Scream does not make that rating. James Blunt is a nice young guy, no question, but it is in the same vein as many ballad folk singers. Kylie has been incredibly strong and has 'reinvented herself' for survival and health, a remarkable performer with a clear idea of presentation. Madonna is nothing more than a cheap talentless thrill - I want music. As to progress, that generally is up; it takes skill and an inventive creative mind to ensure it remains in that direction
 

Halfhidden

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I think this is a matter of personal taste. The groups and solo artists that I mentioned have already proved their worth by becoming colossal.
What I think you are doing is comparing today's music with the past.
Now that's forgiveable if your preference is from a particular time or taste. There's loads of singles throughout every decade that I really can't stand.... But I wouldn't right off a decade because of a few terrible songs.
I think artists today do have talent. I think that they are a different animal than the past. But I recognise your dismissiveness of today's music as it had echoed through the decades.
Elvis Presley was almost banned... not because he was a terrible performer, because he dared to introduce culture at a time well before anyone was really ready for it... well that's what they thought. Then again in the 70's the Sex Pistols did just the same. At the time these artists were at the cutting edge of the music industry but a lot wouldn't accept their offerings because they preferred music of their time.

I mentioned that the 70's could well have been THE decade of music because of the incredible mix of music types and not because of group comparisons.... because to be fair there is no way anyone can compare Eric Clapton to Lady Ga Ga..... but if you stand back and look at Lady Ga Ga with the knowledge that her hit singles released on you tube were watched over 1 BILLION times, you'll understand that they are not so much different apart from the kind of music they create.... but they are both giants!
 

treeve

Major Contributor
Fair enough but you are confusing me with someone who is entrenched and wears cotton wool earmuffs. I have an eclectic choice from madrigals through to Hawkwind. I have a very wide choice, my only request is that it is music and does not offend my ear or intelligence. Compare new lamps with old, not me. Linkin Park for example Pow! There are other such powerful bands. For example, let's take another stance ...
Assuming you have met a visitor from Tharg, he asks about the music he should learn as it would help his research into Earth's social development for 2010, ignoring ANYTHING before 2000, because he has already covered that in the Tharg Uni. He has learned of the Google, but is unfamiliar with the names. What names? :)
 

Halfhidden

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Well my response to the intergalactic student would have to be learn about taste first... then learn of those artist that fit a particular kind of musical style, then take a look at the two music producing giants (Great Britain and America) and those that are successful in that particular style of music will be prominent.
I can't give you a single name or single group because it is down to a matter of taste.... You left me with the impression earlier that Robbie Williams would probably be dropped off your Christmas card list whereas I like his style of singing and the songs that he has given us....
 

symons55

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Staff member
This is a very difficult argument to come in on, I don't think it matters how long ago someone wrote their last hit, because it's down to personal choice as to what people like, and if people like a band/artist they will support them because of their talent. People tend to forget that there are many artists out there who may not have written anything for themselves but other have taken their music and made it their own, classics like Mcartney, Bee Gees, Taylor, Collins etc. etc. the list goes on. As I say I think a lot of it is down the the fans, I've been lucky enough to have been playing covers since 1970 and the main reason is that people still want to hear that music. One of the problems nowadays is that anyone without being able to play an instrument can, on a PC produce "music" put it on Y tube and be famous for a while. No one hones their craft anymore, so there is a lack of "music" we have Rap and many other forms of something that I don't understand, that people call music, but who lables it that? not the majority thats for sure.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
So, the report goes back to Tharg Uni that the music of the decade is so unimpressive that it has not even made an impact on Human memory. It is according to general reports that it only achieves success by its views on a mixed content website of You Tube, joking apart, probably my great favourite of this decade is Avril Lavigne, she has broken the moulds and created an entirely new music, with her expressive and limitless talent and energy. She controls a wide range of emotional depth and that vital component - music. :)
 

Halfhidden

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I agree that taste has a lot to do with this but I disagree that using or embracing technology makes an artist in some way less. If an artist is truly talented then he or she would be able to produce amazing vibes with whatever instrumentation they had. If that was a laptop then so be it.
Music has been manufactured for many years now (thanks to commercial pressures) yet artists still create stunningly good music.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
@symons55 - You have hit this RIGHT on the head. This is largely a social question. Young people USED to get together and hone their craft. Now they fool around with electronics and software, no immediate spiritual creations are made and largely the music is nothing.
A group cannot be formed by email and text messages. The magic of meaningful lyrics is fractured.
 

Halfhidden

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A group cannot be formed by email and text messages
Spice Girls.... a mammoth group created for the purpose of a hit machine. Consistently hitting high in the charts with their singles and the group was manufactured.
 

symons55

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Staff member
There were many groups manufactured, the first arguably was The Monkees, collectivley they made good music but they had no longevity as most of the time these groups have very little input into the content of the music, and when it dies, where are they now, where as groups that honed their craft, touted it around pubs, clubs etc. and had a good grounding, even if they split up, but, due to the grounding usually surfaced again with like minded others and had successful life. Manufactured groups are unable to do this, and apart from reforming to play their old hits and make money are unable to progress. I think the only exception to this, and like it or not, are Take That and the writing genius of Gary Barlow, they continue to make new hits.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
#29; I cannot bring myself to type s i e g r ls; however I thought Girls Aloud had talent. There was one s i e g r ls that had talent, but not the successful ones. Success has little to do with talent, it is marketing and subtle lies .. 'King's New Clothes' Syndome, back to gullibility ... you mean you do not like Gerald Grungee, you one of the oh so not In Crowd.
 
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Halfhidden

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Not sure what you mean. The Spice girls split and most of them continued in the music industry. Victoria Beckham was the only Spice Girl not to get a number 1 hit after they split up. Geri Halliwell is a music making machine with many hits as a solo artist. Between them they are said to be worth £170 million. Not bad for a manufactured group eh!
 

treeve

Major Contributor
Melanie Chisholm was the talented one, the rest twopence covers it. As for Victoria, basically a mindless scrubber.
 

symons55

Moderator
Staff member
I think they only had a hit riding on the back of the band, the only one to continue in music and make a go of it is Mel C, I think you'll find the others couldn't make a life in music, Mel B is now into dancing (american come dancing) and presenting, Emma Bunting is into dJ and presenting, Geri Halliwell hasn't done anythin for a couple of years and Victoria can't do anything for herself. ::11:
 

Halfhidden

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Where there's muck, there's brass lad, aye
Huh!?? Well if they were as bad as you might think...then why where they consistently at the pinnacle of the music charts... If they were that bad surely a better group would have knocked them out? Nobody would have brought their records? I think we are right back where we started ......... Taste! And I think I've proved that manufactured or not a group or individual can dominate the music scene because they have talent.
 

Halfhidden

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Geri Halliwell hasn't done anythin for a couple of years
Nor did Madonna, Kylie, Robbie William's, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, White Snake, ACDC and so on.... are they write off's?
 

treeve

Major Contributor
Success has Nothing to do with talent as has been repeatedly shown on X Factor. 'King's New Clothes' Syndome, back to gullibility .. Listen to Exuma, top rate band .. bend your mind stuff.
 

treeve

Major Contributor
To return to thread, I still have not been shown any present day innovative talented performers; I know a handful and I have their CDs, but it is a miserable percentage of the 'Music Scene' that I would have imagined.
 

symons55

Moderator
Staff member
@hh they had lots of years behind their belts with a track record of hard work behind them, they wern't manufactured as the spice Girls were..
 
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