Re: Grammys, music, and what it's come DOWN to...

[mwaters@wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

   Way back on Sun, 23 Feb 2003 20:52:41 -0500 "Bill O'Neill" wrote:
>> Watching Venessa Carlton. I could only ask myself one thing: What
>> would
>> SIMON say if she were on American Idol?  Oy.  The full string
>> section
>> behind her was amazing.  Too bad she didn't just keep quiet and let
>> us
>> hear them.  When I hear this on radio, it's evident just how much
>> debt
>> of gratitude we owe sound mixers and editors.  Nora Jones snuck onto
>> the
>> pop and AAA stage a few months ago and blew away the "wisdom" of
>> programmers with a "sound" that challenged the need to niche.  Aside
>> from her and young John Mayer, it can't be an easy time for
>> programmers.
>> Seems like there is a sheer dearth of currents that will take a
>> place in
>> the core.

     Maybe because I'm now a geezerlike 50-something, it took me this long
to respond :). But, I often see posted here negative comments about today's
pop music, especially, it seems, the women. IMO, it's about the same as
always -- a little of it's great, some of it's good, a lot of it is
forgetable.

    Take out a copy of a 1968 WRKO top-30 play list and look at the
clunkers. Sometimes these posts make me think that if we had the internet
in 1967, veteran radio people would have been on here badmouthing the
Rolling Stones, the Who, etc. How about Sonny and Cher? How about Gracie
Slick? How about Janis Joplin (hell -- didn't even comb her hair)? Etc.

    IMO, Ms. Carlton actually is a bright light. Carlos Santana seemed to
think her worthy. I thought their collaboration on that single was right up
there with the great top-40-stype/pop hit records of all time. Another
current punching bag is Avril Lavigne, but why? There's a lot more
substance to her music than, say Ms. Spears. I agree about Jones and Mayer,
too. But there's always a tension between personal taste and giving an
artist credit for being good, even if it's not your cup of tea.

   It's good for radio, too -- to the extent that the potential audience
still looks there to get what's new in music. Without that, radio is
hurting even worse than it is otherwise, because of all the alternative
ways of finding out about new music and listening to music, especially the
portable ones, that exist now.

   Now, if you want to start badmouthing, say Celine Dion, I'll be right
there. In fact, I'm starting a campaign to get the North American Free
Trade Agreement amended so that Canada no longer would be allowed to export
any of her music ... :)))