Has there ever been a truly lean music period?

[Seagull27]

Oh dear ,was not intending to be sarky. I was feeling a tad embarrassed I raised a topic so soon after someone else had. Is there a blushing 'smiley'? This would have provided the correct context.

You mean like this?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The scene of today is a bit shit, to be honest. It's all wannabe rockers and wannabe punks.

I'm listening to Memory Tapes and Battles today, both very recent and both damn good. The Horrors was on my iPod earlier. The latter entered the charts at number 5, so it's a winner whether you use sales or critical aclaim as your barometer. These are just three off the top of my head from the past month or so. Oh, and none are wannabee rockers or punks.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

You mean like this?

f*** me, I'm making a right pigs ear of this thread. I'll start again....


Was there, okay. Apologies. Let's move on

 

[Buzzer]

I don't I just can't understand why so many millions of people pay money for that crap and how those artists can just carry on churning out the same songs rehashed and make a fortune and get all the publicity.

I don't know how old you are but it seems to me that has always been the way ever since the charts started. There's been tons of "forgotten" artists who have made the most exquisite music whilst some crappy radio-friendly bimbo takes all the limelight. And they've re-hashed the same songs whilst doing that.

I can't stand a lot of stuff in the charts at the moment but I'm going to put that down to the fact that it doesn't talk to me and isn't aimed at me. Music that youngsters listen to isn't really doing its job unless it offends us old 'uns.

I agree with whoever said earlier that it will seem barren at times if you have a narrow frame of reference but I can't honestly think of a time when there was just good music or bad music nor when there were boundaries being pushed and I think that's true today also.

 

[BHAFC_Pandapops]

I'm listening to Memory Tapes and Battles today, both very recent and both damn good. The Horrors was on my iPod earlier. The latter entered the charts at number 5, so it's a winner whether you use sales or critical aclaim as your barometer. These are just three off the top of my head from the past month or so. Oh, and none are wannabee rockers or punks.

i just generally dont like it. compared to the 90s, it's gone to shit. thanks to things like the X Factor and Glee..yick.

 

[Gwylan]

f*** me, I'm making a right pigs ear of this thread. I'll start again....


Was there, okay. Apologies. Let's move on

 

[big nuts]

After some great albums in 97 from radiohead, the verve, spiritualised and mercury rev. There seemed a pretty lean period until the White stripes, the strokes and the libs came along. In between we had to suffer the mediocrity of travis, starsailor and space.

 

[Mammoth]

Britpop was mostly shocking and Nu- Metal was worse.

So that's 94-2001 then...

 

[alan partridge]

last two posts kind of proving the narrow band of reference point from earlier (that's not a dig!)

 

[HovaGirl]

There was a thread about this a few months ago (I know cos I started it) about how the music scene between 1972 and 1976 was pretty dreadful. There were a few dissenters, including Buzzer, but I stand by my opinion. It covers the period from when I was 15 to 20 (ie the time most people really get into music) and I struggle to think of too many decent albums.

1972
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones
Harvest - Neil Young
Roxy Music - Roxy Music
Slade Alive! - Slade (saw them at The Suite - fantastic!)
Living in the Past - Jethro Tull
Never a Dull Moment - Rod Stewart

1973
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Quadrophenia - The Who
Goodbye Yellowbrick Road - Elton John
Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
Band on the Run - Paul McCartney and Wings
Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music
Queen - Queen
Goat's Head Soup - Rolling Stones
Mind Games - John Lennon
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player - Elton John
ELO2 - Electric Light Orchestra

1974
Country Life - Roxy Music
Walls and Bridges - John Lennon

1975
A Night at the Opera - Queen
Captain Fantastic - Elton John
Myths and Legends of King Arthur - Rick Wakeman

1976
Arrival - Abba
Oxygene - Jean-Michel Jarre
Blondie - Blondie

And they're just the ones I like. Others were also popular but there was such diversity in music by this time, that there was something for everyone. :guitar::guitar:

 

[Mammoth]

apols alan partidge, but I was spoonfed by the Melody Maker.

 

[New Carpet?]

I recall the year 2000 being a particularly dire time for music generally.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I recall the year 2000 being a particularly dire time for music generally.

There was some great dance stuff around at the turn of the century.

 

[Lincoln Imp]

I think it all went downhill a bit after Eddie Cochran.

 

[PFJ]

1972
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones
Harvest - Neil Young
Roxy Music - Roxy Music
Slade Alive! - Slade (saw them at The Suite - fantastic!)
Living in the Past - Jethro Tull
Never a Dull Moment - Rod Stewart

1973
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
Quadrophenia - The Who
Goodbye Yellowbrick Road - Elton John
Aladdin Sane - David Bowie
Band on the Run - Paul McCartney and Wings
Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
For Your Pleasure - Roxy Music
Queen - Queen
Goat's Head Soup - Rolling Stones
Mind Games - John Lennon
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player - Elton John
ELO2 - Electric Light Orchestra

1974
Country Life - Roxy Music
Walls and Bridges - John Lennon

1975
A Night at the Opera - Queen
Captain Fantastic - Elton John
Myths and Legends of King Arthur - Rick Wakeman

1976
Arrival - Abba
Oxygene - Jean-Michel Jarre
Blondie - Blondie

And they're just the ones I like. Others were also popular but there was such diversity in music by this time, that there was something for everyone. :guitar::guitar:

What a list !!! As I've always said the early to mid seventies had a rich vein . Got about 80% of those , not forgetting Alice Cooper , Led Zep , Black Sabbath , Deep Purple , Iggy Pop , New York Dolls from that period.
There are some crackers on your list . Goats Head Soup , A Night At The Opera and Ziggy Stadust .
It was about 1976 when I stopped listening to chart music/trendy music and found my musical destiny via the Sex Pistols , Clash and Motorhead . Following that route has never seen a lean spell . I look at 80's compilation albums and do not recognise it as the same decade of music I listened to.
It's all subjective of course.

 

[Biscuit]

In terms of the music industry I'd say no. While one genre shrinks another tends to grow - it's quite organic like that. In terms of individual taste however it changes all the time. If you're a fan of punk for example I'd say no was a pretty lean period whereas the in the 80's it was massive.

 

[Gwylan]

What a list !!! As I've always said the early to mid seventies had a rich vein . Got about 80% of those , not forgetting Alice Cooper , Led Zep , Black Sabbath , Deep Purple , Iggy Pop , New York Dolls from that period.
There are some crackers on your list . Goats Head Soup , A Night At The Opera and Ziggy Stadust .
It's all subjective of course.

Of course it is. I have four albums on HovaGirl's list and I wouldn't listen to most of the rest if they were offered me for nothing, but that's me.

I can only answer the question that was originally posed and I think the early to mid-70s were terrible for music but there'll be people who love it just as there'll be people who love music from the other eras that have been mentioned.

 

[chez]

I think everything since about 2002 has been pretty poor. Obviously there has been the odd good track but I certainly think it's been the worst era since the early 70's.

 

[The Large One]

I read an book citing pop 'experts' that the period of about 1960-62 was pretty lean - which I kind of agree with - with the new-fad 'rock & roll' expecting to die its infant death.

Buddy Holly had died, Elvis was drafted into the US army and then moved into mainstream movies, Jerry Lee Lewis was involved in scandal, The Beatles hadn't yet happened and the charts were laden with bubblegum hits from Tin Pan Alley and Denmark Street.

 

[KZNSeagull]

The short answer is no. It is just that in some periods you have to try a lot harder to find the decent stuff.
If you just listen to the charts, or your bog standard radio station, then other than the odd gem, you are going to listen to crap.
But is is all down to what you are exposed to.
Here, the musical tastes of the masses is appalling. The music shops are appalling. Ask for anything non mainstream and they will look at you as if you have farted. You cannot go and browse and try to find something interesting/different as you will not find it.
So, having been here for 8 years and been exposed to endless shit music, I could sit here and say that the last 8 years have been crap music wise, but I know that they haven't - I just have not been exposed to the good stuff.
Has anyone taken over from John Peel (ie someone who will play absolutely anything)?