I'm a boomer born in '57. And I'm in total agreement with your point, Mike. I do think today's music is rubish but that feeling belongs to me not to the world. Today's music is today's kids music, just as "classic rock" was my music when I was a kid. I do like and listen to other genres of music too. As you get older, you tend to broaden your tastes, you don't identify to only one style of music. When you're a kid, that's your identity, it's part of what makes you part of the gang, your peers. We all have our biases that inform what we like. We have to respect each other and accept that we all like different stuff.
I loved The Jam. They were the most important band in Britain and were the soundtrack to my youth. Paul Weller’s solo stuff has been hit or miss for me but his new album 66 is good. There is an amazing amount of great music out there. It’s not usually in the charts though. Only the other day I discovered Soft Launch who are shaping up to be very interesting. The Delines are fabulous, The Lemon Twigs are brilliant, A Girl Called Eddy’s 2 albums are a masterclass in songwriting. Some fella called Mike Enjo released a wonderful song called “Superman”!
All the 80s bands you mention were mainstream and associated with cultural/social movements. A huge factor IMO as to why the bands existed in the first place, they were generally easier to slot into a genre and cultivate a following more quickly. It extended into magazines, clubs, bespoke record shops and the TV programmes on which they appeared. Today, music in the main is divorced from all the above elements. And is rarely experienced in a group setting. Making it easily accessible and disposable of by the individual. I am lucky enough that one of my bands, an originals 60s Psych band, has the services of the current keyboard player of The Selector. Superb musician and top bloke! 🙂
HAI is the clue. Human Artistic Intelligence. Stick a few talented musicians in a room with a talented producer all with the same desire to create a great song and magic can happen. There's a million examples to prove it. Stick a DJ and a rapper in a room with the same loops, samples and drum machine as everybody else, restrict them to melodies of less than three notes because the singer can only rap, compress and limit it to hell and see what you get..... as a wise man once said, "it ain't rocket science"! 🙄
Being a part of the "Baby Boomer" generation that you spoke about, I must agree. A story I thought about was one evening, I was practicing, and my father yelled down the stairs, "...why don't you play, Far, Far, away!" To which I played, "Swanee River" in the style of Jimi Hendrix. My father was definitely not part of the generation who enjoyed music during the late 60's - early 70's, so he was not very appreciative! So yes, absolutely, culture had a large impact on what you enjoy!
I don't think people generally are making the point that no garbage music existed in days past, rather that popular music in particular has never had so few skillful artists and well produced "hits" as it were.
Geez Mike....just when I thought I had the whole music thing figured out you come along and mucker it all up! LOL. Great video. Born in 1959 I grew up to all the great music of the 60s and 70s and for me nothing can compare. I now have 4 grandkids who, when I play the Beatles, look at me like I just fell out of a tree. I think 'Don't you get it? This is the best band EVER! You have to love them!' Are you trying to tell me they don't have to love them just because I do? ......hardly seems right.....LOL. Thanks Mike. Stay well. :)
Fantastic Video. Love the passion. You know I love this side of you Mike! Thank you for the shout out, great conversation of recent times and friendship!! And not one mention of Mr B LOL
Thanks Jade. Your input was invaluable. Yup, those that know, will know. But in truth, there are many (including me), who hold, or have held these views.
Very insightful, and the personal perspective and willingness to accept other points of view is very refreshing. I've watched a slew of videos on this topic recently, which seems to be trending, and have just about reached saturation. I think one of the most interesting and relevant points you bring up is that music is contextual. Your experience of a song and your judgment of a song is a combination of your own background, your stage in life, the events surrounding the first encounter with that song, and all sorts of other stuff. Songs have no meaning without listeners, and what is a performance without an audience? So as soon as you start trying to separate the two, and talking about "objective" features of songs, that's fine, but that's a completely different ballgame, and you're leaving the world of music and art, and venturing into criticism and judgment. That's fine, but when it hinders the ability to appreciate and understand things that are different, novel, challenging, avant-garde, or when it feeds into the desire to be "right" and feel good about yourself, or to protect yourself from uncomfortable experiences, watch out!
I'm an "old guy" (55) and I think there is plenty of great music out there today to discover. Lots of of not so great music too. And stuff I don't like one bit, but is extremely popular. Love the B-boppa-lu-la clip. Let it be known the Beatles (my all time favorite) covered that tune! My older son (18) has discovered a lot of the music I loved as a kid, and still love - (The Smiths, Velvet Underground to name just two).
Great poem. I've always believed that my wife and I don't own or control our kids. We are stewards. Let them grow and think for themselves, even though that can be detrimental to OUR well being. Prepare them for being able to handle the world on their own. Anyway, I may be only a year or two older than you, and I have to say I can't stand the music that you loved as you grew up. I fell in love with prog rock, then jazz, classical, and even opera. That's ok. We're all on a different journey. I was introduced to music at an early age that you may not have been. And visa versa. Like you said...Love what you love. I just appreciate that music is as important to you as it is to me.
Hi Mike I’m Ray and I hope you are well. Born 1960 and grew up in a house that played Brass Band, James Last and Classical music. I don’t like any of that now but I did then because that was the environment I was in. My tastes are very different to what is popular now and I don’t care. What I can’t abide is people playing their music so loud, because I don’t want to hear it!!!!! Then I think back to the bands I played Blues Rock in and we were loud. So very wise words from you as always.
Yup, agree with all that, '63 here so an actual .. got to add that my (now adult) kids do still like some of the music I played (luckily) but some developed a taste for "house" and their own era of music which to this day aren't my favorites :) Grand children too.. they'll have their own tastes and I'm not going to try to force my love for ELO/Supertramp etc on to them 🙂
Great vid Mike! Like Jade, I love our philosophical chats. I'm currently being ripped to pieces for my latest video daring to suggest that AI may offer some useful musical tools to work with. The resistance to change and embracing the future is scary! Music is the punctuation of our lives stories. A song can take you back to a place and time, so we cling to them as if our identities depend on it.
I think my lens is a kaleidoscope. I listen to all genres of music. I particularly hone my attention to the drums. Many of the beats translate well in multiple genres. For example my buddy was very excited about punk music and loved the fast drum beats. I pulled out one of my grandma's polka records to a song I knew had the same beat and tempo. He was blown away and confused. Anyways I appreciate it all.
Like what you like AND let other people like what they like. One person's music is another person's noise. Just because you don't like someone else's style of music does NOT mean they suck as a musician.
Thank You Mike - I too have been thinking about this as well for quite some time now. I have to admit I have always felt “Blessed” to grow up near S.F. in the late 60s to early 70s in what I think were the best days for music-music being played for the love of it! Finally a breakaway from the 50s to being creative and anything goes seemed to rule the scene at the time. I felt a part of it by giving it my full attention and encouragement and the others around me seemed to feel more like brothers and sisters than they do to me now. I guess I am trying to say …“family.”…For me that was my religion. I felt like the band could feel the love. (Not meant to sound sappy) I also felt like this was artistic license for them. to create more with original ideas! When Yes and Zeppelin and CSN and Janis and countless other world class bands are to town, I had an obligation to myself to go as it was a full sensory experience. OK, now I am rambling here. I think you get my point? For me, most the bands of today seem to be rehashing ideas thinking they are new. I will get to verse 2 now and be so bored I will skip to the next song. I miss the experimentation! This does not mean it has to be atonal just surprisingly interesting enough to take me along. Last thought: I stumbled upon listening to Traffics “Low Spark of High Heel Boys” (which I also saw live in SF just after it’s release.) I had not heard this in many many years but I was struck of how this simple 4 note riff could unfold into an entire musical journey that never got boring, it’s totally amazing really. I am not sure of it’s length but I think it’s over 7 minutes? Makes me get back to the point of - it’s not about production or tools or gear it’s about getting creative minds together and working out ideas so they are not boring but creative enough to make a mark in history. Thanks for reading! Michael Santa Rosa CA
Superb video Mike and very well said. My only concern today is that live music/bands has taken such an extreme back seat. That should be more than a wee bit of a big concern for everyone for many reasons. Off the back of musicians interacting and playing live we get the best melting pot possible of new ideas.
Music hasn't gotten worse, but there is a lot more of it being made because it's so easy and cheap to do. So naturally some music will definitely be worse. As for the most popular music of today being worse than the past, it's really just a matter of personal taste. I've come to accept that I'm old and will never relate to new popular music as much as I do to old popular music, and I'm fine with that. I won't tell you my favourite music is better, though (at least, not to your face).
Huge topic, Mike! 😎👍 I have a rather strong opinion about this: if it is really a great song, one instantly recognises this within the first bar - sometimes even within the first few notes. If you need a "historic emotional connection" to a song to like it (like your former band members had), then this *can* be a valid reason to like a song, but it does not make it a great song. - Believe it or not: it was only recently that I heard Huey Lewis & The News "Stuck On You" for the first time. (!) I immediately recognised it as a great song. I researched it and: yes, it was their number one hit for several weeks in 1986. 🤷♂️ It's still fantastic song (at least in my humble opinion 😅).
Hey man, that's a really interesting perspective, and quite an experiential thing. I hear what your saying - if a song doesn't grab you right away, it's gonna be hard for it to win you over.
@@CreativeSauceKind of the opposite is Hall & Oates "You Make My Dreams (Come True)". It was not a mega success in 1981, but in the long tail, it sold millions of copies. And I think: this is a hit record from first to last note. 😎👍
"Steengoede Video" .... we would say in the Netherlands. Really good video! Knew (and liked) every band you mentioned and those ska-bands like selector and madness were hot here too. 'One step beyond' was number 1 in Holland in the 80s. The beat had their first single (mirror in the bathroom) being all digital, which was not done before back then. . That is a really good point, let all people have the music they love in whatever form. But, music is a craft and you want to make it exciting for people to hear, but you also want to as a musician be able to put your craft, the things you know and learned, in your music. . Why do people, through the years, keep complimenting if they hear that some thought has gone into it? I mean ; in Holland alone: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' : 20 years of being at the very top of the list, the top 2000. If you make music; make it the very best you can, so in 20 years time you still are enjoying the tracks you made back then. You made something that stood the test of time. . Loved the video, loved the rant :-) Thumbs up & subscribed.
I thought you were gen-x! Thanks for the video and insight. I was the youngest person in my band and the other guys were always suggesting songs and I didn't get them. But now I look back at those songs and reminds me of the band days and while I didn't like the songs then, I like them now.
Excellent as always Mike! I have a few years on you (I'm 71) so I come from the era of the "best music"! Ha ha!. I also believe that those of us who are long time experienced musicians and maybe even educated (music theory, etc.) tend to feel that we know everything! In any case, I have finally come to terms with receiving pleasure from friends, family, and fans when they actually remark about a band that I love and that they have come to love as well! I think triteness has also found its adoring listeners and I simply have to accept it and move on!! Again, great video Mike!
Nice take. Thanks for the Gibran. Along the same train of thought, I like to quote a particular...um...mantra, if you will, from "A Course In Miracles" which asks, "Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy?" Until it's absolutely essential for me to be right (which is rare), I choose happy.
Hi Mike, born in '58 here, firmly a baby boomer but never a boomer in the new parlance. I've tried to embrace new music as it came along throughout my life and, like you, it irks me when, usually my contemporaries, spout on about how music was better "in their day"!!! I've always had the opinion that music isn't good or bad, it's just music that you like and music that you don't. I know that some will say that there is "bad" music, and maybe on occasion they might have a point but even that is down to background. For example I, along with a mate, produced an album back in the '90s. I played the first track (one of my favourites as it happens) to a classically trained musician friend of mine and his first words were after listening was..." you can't do that " To his ear the chords and progressions broke his rules. It's one of the reasons I have my views about good and bad music. This is a great video by the way, I mean, I like this video a lot! 😊 Keep 'em coming
Great take Mike. I recently listened through the vinyl collection I inherited from my parents, and was reminded there is no shortage of atrocious (to my taste) music across the 20th century. However, I do think there was a sonic purple patch from roughly late 60s to mid 90s - after recording tech got really good, but before the Loudness Wars chopped off so much glorious peak energy.
In case you're not aware: Susan Rogers (Prince's engineer in the early 80s) wrote a book about this topic: "This Is What It Sounds Like". In it, she explores what dimensions of a song may resonate to different kind of people, and gives reasons why they like it or not. So there's actually some "science without numbers" behind all this. 😉
Not an influencer but I am a Tree-hugging, Boomer Doomer who likes a lot of music but some music doesn’t strum my chords. Just like any art, there is some photography and painting that I like and want to look at but others that I just scroll on by. No sense in trying to find the “best” or saying someone else’s favorites are “bad”. Putting someone else down does not raise me up. I am trying to get past the Doomer part where I see how badly we have mistreated nature and have a more positive attitude and trying to combine my photography and music to make some short musical slideshows about nature.
If I had a penny for every time someone someone tried to prove modern music sucks by comparing the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody! I think there's always a hefty bit of rose-tinted glasses going on, with people often forgetting that there was a lot of pretty bad music released "back in the day". I've gotta admit, I've never really felt the need to objectively grade music. To me, it's such a subjective thing that it feels like an impossible task (and given how many people try and yet we still can't agree on what is objectively good, I don't think it's just me being lazy!). But yeah, in terms of discussing music (or anything in that matter), I try to come to it from the point of view of "what can I learn from this person's opinion". Trying to argue which opinions/tastes are right or wrong feels like such a pointless exercise, when we could instead focus on what we can potentially discover through others' opinions/tastes. Bit of a ramble, but yeah, there's a lot of crap music out there these days. Lot of great music too. There was a lot of great music back in the day, lot of crap music too! Great video, keep up the great work Mike!
Great topic - and very controversial. 😁 I think everyone has an opinion on this! I love all sorts of stuff - but I can't even name any songs from right now; which to me doesn't mean there is nothing worth listening to Today, just that I'm too bloody lazy to explore! I'm old enough to remember (and still listen to) music from the 70's onwards, and yes there was some amazing stuff; but there was also a lot of garbage IMHO. Funny thing though: some of the stuff I thought at the time was rubbish I now like... I totally agree that we should never try to impose our tastes on others; and as you say, why would you want to? And you're right that people do value your thoughts - that's probably because you are considerate, and know a lot about music. It's quite a responsibility...😁 Thanks Mike.
Technically, I'm a boomer... yeah. Nevertheless, I work with young people, and I think I understand what's going on. First, the phrase "it was better before", states the refusal to accept the fact that "before", the time I grew up in from child to adult, is a time I understood. "Now" is a time I find hard to understand, out of laziness or lack of energy. This now lacks reference for me. So it's a generational misunderstanding. Whatever the case, the future no longer belongs to the boomers. It's a fact, period. As far as music is concerned, it's simple: the world has become even more "standardized" in today's generations, because the Internet is a mass medium. A mass that has never been so large and gathered in the same places. But this is just a phase, I hope, because if you look hard enough, you'll see that there's an incredible number of bands, singers and musicians that really DO exist on the web. Mainstream is rubbish? Follow different streams. That's all.
Great point of view Very down to earth. I can actually relate to probably 90+% of your opinion. Keep up with your content. (btw don't forget Macarena) :)
That was a wonderful reflection on something that I think about quite a lot. I can only apologise for some of the truly awful UK novelty songs from the 80s!
Warning, smoking hot take (extra spicy): if it's easy to replicate to a similar standard without training, it's not art. On a related note: perhaps nothing in the world is quite as overrated, overvalued (and most definitely overrewarded) as relatability.
I guess I'm officially a Gen-X'er, and the 80s is totally my jam. One of my favourite books is "This is Your Brain on Music" written by Daniel Levitan, rocker guy AND neuroscientist. One of his points is that whatever music you fell in love with when you were 12, that's locked in for the rest of your life. You can like newer music, but you'll never love anything else quite the same way. And yeah, the quantifiable "goodness" of it probably doesn't matter to you. I'm really proud of my 80s "mixtapes" which have all the "best" songs from the 80s - not everything I heard on the radio, as I did reject quite a lot of it as the years went by (and I downloaded a ton of it via Napster).
I'm a boomer born in '57. And I'm in total agreement with your point, Mike. I do think today's music is rubish but that feeling belongs to me not to the world. Today's music is today's kids music, just as "classic rock" was my music when I was a kid. I do like and listen to other genres of music too. As you get older, you tend to broaden your tastes, you don't identify to only one style of music. When you're a kid, that's your identity, it's part of what makes you part of the gang, your peers. We all have our biases that inform what we like. We have to respect each other and accept that we all like different stuff.
I loved The Jam. They were the most important band in Britain and were the soundtrack to my youth. Paul Weller’s solo stuff has been hit or miss for me but his new album 66 is good. There is an amazing amount of great music out there. It’s not usually in the charts though. Only the other day I discovered Soft Launch who are shaping up to be very interesting. The Delines are fabulous, The Lemon Twigs are brilliant, A Girl Called Eddy’s 2 albums are a masterclass in songwriting. Some fella called Mike Enjo released a wonderful song called “Superman”!
All the 80s bands you mention were mainstream and associated with cultural/social movements. A huge factor IMO as to why the bands existed in the first place, they were generally easier to slot into a genre and cultivate a following more quickly. It extended into magazines, clubs, bespoke record shops and the TV programmes on which they appeared. Today, music in the main is divorced from all the above elements. And is rarely experienced in a group setting. Making it easily accessible and disposable of by the individual. I am lucky enough that one of my bands, an originals 60s Psych band, has the services of the current keyboard player of The Selector. Superb musician and top bloke! 🙂
HAI is the clue. Human Artistic Intelligence. Stick a few talented musicians in a room with a talented producer all with the same desire to create a great song and magic can happen. There's a million examples to prove it. Stick a DJ and a rapper in a room with the same loops, samples and drum machine as everybody else, restrict them to melodies of less than three notes because the singer can only rap, compress and limit it to hell and see what you get..... as a wise man once said, "it ain't rocket science"! 🙄
Being a part of the "Baby Boomer" generation that you spoke about, I must agree. A story I thought about was one evening, I was practicing, and my father yelled down the stairs, "...why don't you play, Far, Far, away!" To which I played, "Swanee River" in the style of Jimi Hendrix. My father was definitely not part of the generation who enjoyed music during the late 60's - early 70's, so he was not very appreciative! So yes, absolutely, culture had a large impact on what you enjoy!
If we only spent the time finding the good in it (because it's probably there) as opposed to dwelling on the bad of it.
I don't think people generally are making the point that no garbage music existed in days past, rather that popular music in particular has never had so few skillful artists and well produced "hits" as it were.
Geez Mike....just when I thought I had the whole music thing figured out you come along and mucker it all up! LOL. Great video. Born in 1959 I grew up to all the great music of the 60s and 70s and for me nothing can compare. I now have 4 grandkids who, when I play the Beatles, look at me like I just fell out of a tree. I think 'Don't you get it? This is the best band EVER! You have to love them!' Are you trying to tell me they don't have to love them just because I do? ......hardly seems right.....LOL. Thanks Mike. Stay well. :)
Fantastic Video. Love the passion. You know I love this side of you Mike! Thank you for the shout out, great conversation of recent times and friendship!! And not one mention of Mr B LOL
Thanks Jade. Your input was invaluable. Yup, those that know, will know. But in truth, there are many (including me), who hold, or have held these views.
My ears perked up when I heard @JadeStarr 😃
Very insightful, and the personal perspective and willingness to accept other points of view is very refreshing. I've watched a slew of videos on this topic recently, which seems to be trending, and have just about reached saturation. I think one of the most interesting and relevant points you bring up is that music is contextual. Your experience of a song and your judgment of a song is a combination of your own background, your stage in life, the events surrounding the first encounter with that song, and all sorts of other stuff. Songs have no meaning without listeners, and what is a performance without an audience? So as soon as you start trying to separate the two, and talking about "objective" features of songs, that's fine, but that's a completely different ballgame, and you're leaving the world of music and art, and venturing into criticism and judgment. That's fine, but when it hinders the ability to appreciate and understand things that are different, novel, challenging, avant-garde, or when it feeds into the desire to be "right" and feel good about yourself, or to protect yourself from uncomfortable experiences, watch out!
I'm an "old guy" (55) and I think there is plenty of great music out there today to discover. Lots of of not so great music too. And stuff I don't like one bit, but is extremely popular. Love the B-boppa-lu-la clip. Let it be known the Beatles (my all time favorite) covered that tune! My older son (18) has discovered a lot of the music I loved as a kid, and still love - (The Smiths, Velvet Underground to name just two).
Thanks for sharing your passion Mike. Very human and current. Love it!
Great poem. I've always believed that my wife and I don't own or control our kids. We are stewards. Let them grow and think for themselves, even though that can be detrimental to OUR well being. Prepare them for being able to handle the world on their own.
Anyway, I may be only a year or two older than you, and I have to say I can't stand the music that you loved as you grew up. I fell in love with prog rock, then jazz, classical, and even opera. That's ok. We're all on a different journey. I was introduced to music at an early age that you may not have been. And visa versa. Like you said...Love what you love. I just appreciate that music is as important to you as it is to me.
Hi Mike I’m Ray and I hope you are well. Born 1960 and grew up in a house that played Brass Band, James Last and Classical music. I don’t like any of that now but I did then because that was the environment I was in. My tastes are very different to what is popular now and I don’t care. What I can’t abide is people playing their music so loud, because I don’t want to hear it!!!!! Then I think back to the bands I played Blues Rock in and we were loud. So very wise words from you as always.
Yup, agree with all that, '63 here so an actual .. got to add that my (now adult) kids do still like some of the music I played (luckily) but some developed a taste for "house" and their own era of music which to this day aren't my favorites :) Grand children too.. they'll have their own tastes and I'm not going to try to force my love for ELO/Supertramp etc on to them 🙂
You won't have to force em on me either - already love both!
Great vid Mike! Like Jade, I love our philosophical chats. I'm currently being ripped to pieces for my latest video daring to suggest that AI may offer some useful musical tools to work with. The resistance to change and embracing the future is scary! Music is the punctuation of our lives stories. A song can take you back to a place and time, so we cling to them as if our identities depend on it.
I think my lens is a kaleidoscope. I listen to all genres of music. I particularly hone my attention to the drums. Many of the beats translate well in multiple genres. For example my buddy was very excited about punk music and loved the fast drum beats. I pulled out one of my grandma's polka records to a song I knew had the same beat and tempo. He was blown away and confused. Anyways I appreciate it all.
Like what you like AND let other people like what they like. One person's music is another person's noise. Just because you don't like someone else's style of music does NOT mean they suck as a musician.
Thank You Mike -
I too have been thinking about this as well for quite some time now.
I have to admit I have always felt “Blessed” to grow up near S.F. in the late 60s to early 70s in what I think were the best days for music-music being played for the love of it! Finally a breakaway from the 50s to being creative and anything goes seemed to rule the scene at the time. I felt a part of it by giving it my full attention and encouragement and the others around me seemed to feel more like brothers and sisters than they do to me now.
I guess I am trying to say …“family.”…For me that was my religion. I felt like the band could feel the love. (Not meant to sound sappy) I also felt like this was artistic license for them. to create more with original ideas! When Yes and Zeppelin and CSN and Janis and countless other world class bands are to town, I had an obligation to myself to go as it was a full sensory experience. OK, now I am rambling here. I think you get my point?
For me, most the bands of today seem to be rehashing ideas thinking they are new. I will get to verse 2 now and be so bored I will skip to the next song. I miss the experimentation! This does not mean it has to be atonal just surprisingly interesting enough to take me along.
Last thought: I stumbled upon listening to Traffics
“Low Spark of High Heel Boys” (which I also saw live in SF just after it’s release.)
I had not heard this in many many years but I was struck of how this simple 4 note riff could unfold into an entire musical journey that never got boring, it’s totally amazing really. I am not sure of it’s length but I think it’s over 7 minutes? Makes me get back to the point of - it’s not about production or tools or gear it’s about getting creative minds together and working out ideas so they are not boring but creative enough to make a mark in history.
Thanks for reading! Michael Santa Rosa CA
Great video Mike! Love this channel!
Can't think of a modern novelty song? Just ask yourself this 9NE question. "What does the fox say?"
Superb video Mike and very well said. My only concern today is that live music/bands has taken such an extreme back seat. That should be more than a wee bit of a big concern for everyone for many reasons. Off the back of musicians interacting and playing live we get the best melting pot possible of new ideas.
This is a great message. What is concerning is how clearly some comments show your core message seems to have been missed - Darn Boomers 😔
Younger generations (1970-80) goes for sold out festivals with 80s bands, in EU and UK.😊
We love the stuff we can relate to.
Wise words as always. Thanks Mike.
Cheers Nick :)
Music hasn't gotten worse, but there is a lot more of it being made because it's so easy and cheap to do. So naturally some music will definitely be worse. As for the most popular music of today being worse than the past, it's really just a matter of personal taste. I've come to accept that I'm old and will never relate to new popular music as much as I do to old popular music, and I'm fine with that. I won't tell you my favourite music is better, though (at least, not to your face).
Lol, thanks for watching Lance :)
Huge topic, Mike! 😎👍 I have a rather strong opinion about this: if it is really a great song, one instantly recognises this within the first bar - sometimes even within the first few notes. If you need a "historic emotional connection" to a song to like it (like your former band members had), then this *can* be a valid reason to like a song, but it does not make it a great song. - Believe it or not: it was only recently that I heard Huey Lewis & The News "Stuck On You" for the first time. (!) I immediately recognised it as a great song. I researched it and: yes, it was their number one hit for several weeks in 1986. 🤷♂️ It's still fantastic song (at least in my humble opinion 😅).
Hey man, that's a really interesting perspective, and quite an experiential thing. I hear what your saying - if a song doesn't grab you right away, it's gonna be hard for it to win you over.
@@CreativeSauceKind of the opposite is Hall & Oates "You Make My Dreams (Come True)". It was not a mega success in 1981, but in the long tail, it sold millions of copies. And I think: this is a hit record from first to last note. 😎👍
“Be-Bop a Lula” is a great lyric.
Hehe...I can totally see Mike trying to explain The Jam and Sex Pistols to Suzi and getting "the look"
"Steengoede Video" .... we would say in the Netherlands.
Really good video!
Knew (and liked) every band you mentioned and those ska-bands like selector and madness
were hot here too. 'One step beyond' was number 1 in Holland in the 80s.
The beat had their first single (mirror in the bathroom) being all digital, which was not done before back then.
.
That is a really good point, let all people have the music they love in whatever form.
But, music is a craft and you want to make it exciting for people to hear, but you also want to
as a musician be able to put your craft, the things you know and learned, in your music.
.
Why do people, through the years, keep complimenting if they hear that some thought has gone into it?
I mean ; in Holland alone: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' : 20 years of being at the very top of the list, the top 2000.
If you make music; make it the very best you can, so in 20 years time you still are enjoying the tracks
you made back then. You made something that stood the test of time.
.
Loved the video, loved the rant :-)
Thumbs up & subscribed.
I thought you were gen-x! Thanks for the video and insight. I was the youngest person in my band and the other guys were always suggesting songs and I didn't get them. But now I look back at those songs and reminds me of the band days and while I didn't like the songs then, I like them now.
Thank you, Mike. Da doo doo doo Da dah dah dah is all i have to say to you. 😂
Lol. Now you got me singin! Cheers :)
Excellent as always Mike! I have a few years on you (I'm 71) so I come from the era of the "best music"! Ha ha!. I also believe that those of us who are long time experienced musicians and maybe even educated (music theory, etc.) tend to feel that we know everything! In any case, I have finally come to terms with receiving pleasure from friends, family, and fans when they actually remark about a band that I love and that they have come to love as well! I think triteness has also found its adoring listeners and I simply have to accept it and move on!! Again, great video Mike!
Nice take. Thanks for the Gibran. Along the same train of thought, I like to quote a particular...um...mantra, if you will, from "A Course In Miracles" which asks, "Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy?" Until it's absolutely essential for me to be right (which is rare), I choose happy.
Great video Mike. But I'm surprised you didn't mention your "local" band while you were growing up in the UK - Level 42.
Hi Mike, born in '58 here, firmly a baby boomer but never a boomer in the new parlance. I've tried to embrace new music as it came along throughout my life and, like you, it irks me when, usually my contemporaries, spout on about how music was better "in their day"!!! I've always had the opinion that music isn't good or bad, it's just music that you like and music that you don't.
I know that some will say that there is "bad" music, and maybe on occasion they might have a point but even that is down to background. For example I, along with a mate, produced an album back in the '90s. I played the first track (one of my favourites as it happens) to a classically trained musician friend of mine and his first words were after listening was..." you can't do that " To his ear the chords and progressions broke his rules.
It's one of the reasons I have my views about good and bad music.
This is a great video by the way, I mean, I like this video a lot! 😊
Keep 'em coming
Great take Mike. I recently listened through the vinyl collection I inherited from my parents, and was reminded there is no shortage of atrocious (to my taste) music across the 20th century. However, I do think there was a sonic purple patch from roughly late 60s to mid 90s - after recording tech got really good, but before the Loudness Wars chopped off so much glorious peak energy.
I'm with you 💯 🎶🤟! Love your channel Mike and wishing you well.
In case you're not aware: Susan Rogers (Prince's engineer in the early 80s) wrote a book about this topic: "This Is What It Sounds Like". In it, she explores what dimensions of a song may resonate to different kind of people, and gives reasons why they like it or not. So there's actually some "science without numbers" behind all this. 😉
Not an influencer but I am a Tree-hugging, Boomer Doomer who likes a lot of music but some music doesn’t strum my chords. Just like any art, there is some photography and painting that I like and want to look at but others that I just scroll on by. No sense in trying to find the “best” or saying someone else’s favorites are “bad”. Putting someone else down does not raise me up. I am trying to get past the Doomer part where I see how badly we have mistreated nature and have a more positive attitude and trying to combine my photography and music to make some short musical slideshows about nature.
There is rhythmic sound and there is music. Sometimes it is both. We are free to choose what we are listening to. And make.
If I had a penny for every time someone someone tried to prove modern music sucks by comparing the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody!
I think there's always a hefty bit of rose-tinted glasses going on, with people often forgetting that there was a lot of pretty bad music released "back in the day".
I've gotta admit, I've never really felt the need to objectively grade music. To me, it's such a subjective thing that it feels like an impossible task (and given how many people try and yet we still can't agree on what is objectively good, I don't think it's just me being lazy!).
But yeah, in terms of discussing music (or anything in that matter), I try to come to it from the point of view of "what can I learn from this person's opinion". Trying to argue which opinions/tastes are right or wrong feels like such a pointless exercise, when we could instead focus on what we can potentially discover through others' opinions/tastes.
Bit of a ramble, but yeah, there's a lot of crap music out there these days. Lot of great music too. There was a lot of great music back in the day, lot of crap music too!
Great video, keep up the great work Mike!
Great topic - and very controversial. 😁 I think everyone has an opinion on this!
I love all sorts of stuff - but I can't even name any songs from right now; which to me doesn't mean there is nothing worth listening to Today, just that I'm too bloody lazy to explore! I'm old enough to remember (and still listen to) music from the 70's onwards, and yes there was some amazing stuff; but there was also a lot of garbage IMHO. Funny thing though: some of the stuff I thought at the time was rubbish I now like...
I totally agree that we should never try to impose our tastes on others; and as you say, why would you want to?
And you're right that people do value your thoughts - that's probably because you are considerate, and know a lot about music. It's quite a responsibility...😁
Thanks Mike.
Great analysis!!! Thank you!!!
The Stu.. stu...stu... stu... stu.. stu.. stu... stutter rap! 😁
Profound much?
...Well done sir🤘
Mike , if you want novelty song check out Ray Stevens almost any song other than Everything is Beautiful which was a huge hit and not novelty.
100% agree with you Mike great video!
Excellent!
Technically, I'm a boomer... yeah. Nevertheless, I work with young people, and I think I understand what's going on.
First, the phrase "it was better before", states the refusal to accept the fact that "before", the time I grew up in from child to adult, is a time I understood. "Now" is a time I find hard to understand, out of laziness or lack of energy. This now lacks reference for me.
So it's a generational misunderstanding. Whatever the case, the future no longer belongs to the boomers. It's a fact, period.
As far as music is concerned, it's simple: the world has become even more "standardized" in today's generations, because the Internet is a mass medium. A mass that has never been so large and gathered in the same places.
But this is just a phase, I hope, because if you look hard enough, you'll see that there's an incredible number of bands, singers and musicians that really DO exist on the web. Mainstream is rubbish? Follow different streams. That's all.
Great point of view Very down to earth. I can actually relate to probably 90+% of your opinion. Keep up with your content. (btw don't forget Macarena) :)
That was a wonderful reflection on something that I think about quite a lot. I can only apologise for some of the truly awful UK novelty songs from the 80s!
Lol. The truma is real! Thanks again for watching my friend :)
The biggest mistake baby boomers make is using the past tense too much! Good music can come from any era if you understand what music is.
Da da da by TRIO. I rest my case 🙂
The worst song of the 80's had to have been Alexei Sayle - "Didn't you kill my brother?" from 1986. To those who had forgotten: you're welcome 🤣
Mike, for example, in your music I hear mega feelings, I see you in it, how you are, how your wife is. Contemporary performers don't tell me anything.
Yep!
Hole in one
😂
Warning, smoking hot take (extra spicy): if it's easy to replicate to a similar standard without training, it's not art. On a related note: perhaps nothing in the world is quite as overrated, overvalued (and most definitely overrewarded) as relatability.
Tus Gafitas by Karol G
Well, some think Taylor Swift is the 8th best guitar player in the past two decades. She just strums an acoustic guitar, right?
I guess I'm officially a Gen-X'er, and the 80s is totally my jam. One of my favourite books is "This is Your Brain on Music" written by Daniel Levitan, rocker guy AND neuroscientist. One of his points is that whatever music you fell in love with when you were 12, that's locked in for the rest of your life. You can like newer music, but you'll never love anything else quite the same way. And yeah, the quantifiable "goodness" of it probably doesn't matter to you. I'm really proud of my 80s "mixtapes" which have all the "best" songs from the 80s - not everything I heard on the radio, as I did reject quite a lot of it as the years went by (and I downloaded a ton of it via Napster).