I think almost everyone in the Atheosphere has now listed their "Top 20 Albums". Everyone but me. And I'm not going to be doing it here despite several tags. I've said about as much as I'm going to say in the comments at places like No More Hornets, Tales of an Ordinary Girl, The Apostates Chapel, etc.
One thing I did notice is that (I guess due to the age range in the Atheosphere) there were very few current artists listed. We do have a couple of younger members like Lynet over at Elliptica, but I don't think she has put up her list yet. I have to say that I think some current music is as good (from my twisted perspective) as the things we were listening to 10, 20, 30 and 40 years ago.
Here's someone you may be familiar with. I was not. When I saw this woman, the two things that came to mind for me were 1. Janis Joplin and 2. If I were back in my "clubbing days", I'd go see her!
The first clip is a regular music video and the second one from a concert. I think you'll really get the Joplin analogy from the second one. Her name is Amy Winehouse. And I like her.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Disturbing, Raw... Real
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14 comments:
Pound for pound, Janis Joplin would blow this woman off the stage, yes...that would be AFTER downing a bottle of Southern Comfort. Nevertheless, I do consider Amy Winehouse to be one of the better performers. The only characteristic they have in common is that their substance abuse is part of their art.
Jack White of the White Stripe is the best rock and roll producer today.
There is really no comparison to the music of the last 8 years to the music that came out from 1964-71. That is not an opinion but a fact.
Sillysighbean:
Pound for pound, Janis Joplin would blow this woman off the stage, yes...that would be AFTER downing a bottle of Southern Comfort.
There is some question in my mind about whether Ms. Joplin would, in fact, be capable of performing without downing a bottle of Southern Comfort.
;^)
@ Silly, I agree with you about the comparison of music of the two periods. Still, the very best of current music compares very favorably AND it's not "a fact"! It's still a very subjective experience. It's music... not genetics!
@ Brendan - I think, perhaps, we might wonder the same about Ms. Winehouse!
Evo..Thanks for posing the videos, I enjoyed watching them and for all the hard work you put into this blog, it is most appreciated. In regard to the subjective experience of music and my use of the word "fact", I mean fact as in a thing that is indisputably the case. For example: When comparing a group of five year olds with an opera performed by world class vocalists, it is a fact that the opera is better music. It is also a fact that the musical output (talking about the genre of rock), during the mid sixties cannot compare to the drivel that is assaulting our senses currently.
I'm glad some stations are broadcasting on the internet or through podcasts. There's absolutely no way I'd ever hear anything new and creative otherwise. If you're going to compare the music you could hear on your radio or at least what everyone was aware of 30-40 years ago to the same today, yeah, today is crap. Thanks to the fucking suits, you really have to work to find anything creative. Just like in every major medium, they've worked their magic to suck the creative souls out of everything, perpetually churning out the same, safe, derivative shit.
The rap artists have a bit of a clue. They all try to shake off the suits to produce themselves and start their own labels, but sadly it's not really for creative reasons, it's money reasons. They want the Benjamins and they sign new talent to exploit them like pimps. Still, the lesson to be learned from them is to shake the suits asap and produce on your own.
Radiohead took an interesting step a couple of months ago by putting their new album online for download for as much as you want to pay. Crazy. Later they offered an option for ordering the physical cd. Once again, the internet is the means for access and distribution.
With major corporations owning the labels, and the media outlets, it's next to impossible as a truly creative artist with a never before heard sound to get heard, which is in stark contrast to the way things were for the artists of the 60s and 70s. Truth be told, if most of those artists grew up now instead of then, they might never have be heard, as countless artists today aren't heard. Talent sadly isn't everything. THAT is the real fact.
btw, yes, I like Amy.
I never cared for Janis Joplin either.
Interesting thoughts Philly. The internet does provide a new way of doing things. If someone steps in and does it the right way, it could really take off.
The example you gave of Radiohead would have been such, if they had thought it out a little better. Unfortunately, you probably can't leave it to "good faith" and paying whatever you want. But you certainly could have done something like .50 cents a song or a buck fifty for the entire CD.
Ex, I wasn't a huge Janis fan, but she had a place. I still enjoy watching her do "Ball and Chain" from Monterey Pops. I think Amy is talented and she sings from her heart and not some bullshit. I like that.
I heard her on an NPR piece a few months back, but couldn't remember her name. I tried to recommend her to someone else, but was stumped by my 53 year old memory. So thanks for this.
I do like her, she has a unique sound and persona, but I frankly don't see any resemblance to Janis. The voices are quite different. Janis had that classic whiskey blues voice; Amy's is more deep and sultry, like a cabaret singer.
Yeah, I wasn't comparing the voice or the type of music. It's the style... the persona...
*clears her throat*
Maybe you just don't recognize the music, but...
9 of the albums I listed are from the last 5 years
7 are from the 90's
only 2 from the 80's
only 2 from the 70's
You won't find most of them on the radio.
OG - LOL! Hey, you're right... I'm an idiot! What do I know about music?
In my defense, I DID see an awful lot of music I DID recognize and it was mostly pre-90's.
Apologies...
I'm going to post a list later, maybe tomorrow. As you will see, most of them are from Myne Own Youf. I need to listen to discs for a long time before I consider them my favorites, and those older ones got a head start.
Bah, you're not an idiot. It's easy to assume that they're obscure older albums with the other recognizable stuff. I'm the queen of some obscure stuff.
OG - LOL! Hey, you're right... I'm not an idiot!
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