People love to tell me that as if that is going to make me suddenly care. Guys, I’m a monkees fan. A KISS fan. “Did they write it?” isn’t what determines if I like something. It’s a matter of aesthetic. I don’t like hers. It’s because I’m old. It’s fine. I don’t need to. She doesn’t need me.
“Did they write it” dismisses an enormous amount of important music, it’s insane that anyone takes it seriously as a benchmark for quality. You’re tossing out so much great R&B, jazz, country, disco, reggae, bluegrass, and of course classical. But gives rock dudes permission to like Swift I guess.
I mean those people generally ARE ignoring those genres, right?
You’re not wrong! Although if you called them out on it, most would refuse to admit it and throw out a list of the obvious big names to prove their worldliness
Sinatra famously didn't write his biggest hits (and in fact hated several of them) but no one would question his vocal chops because of that, because crooners like him weren't graded on any sort of "did you write your own music?" litmus test. They were pop entertainers, first and foremost.
That was a completely different audience with different expectations
Oh absolutely, I was using him to demonstrate how much things had changed in terms of how we judge music (though apparently Sinatra early on was looked down because... teenage girls liked him, goddamn time really is a flat circle)
A good part of rock music is great covers as well. Led Zeppelin for example, a lot of early Stones, among many others. Like my favorite Deep Purple track, “Hush” is a cover. I like that more than their originals.
I was really hoping to love the Joe South original of Hush and it’s only ok. I Love the classic deep purple albums and some of the early too. I spent a long time trying to find my deep purple t today actually!
The first released version is by Billy Joe Royal. South wrote it but it was Royal who introduced it. And that one is good, the Hush chorus sounds a bit creepier. You have many covers that do that, Hendrix did that to Dylan, Cobain did it for Bowie. www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoJP...
As far as Taylor Swift goes. I've been a big fan for a while but... I dunno, I never felt the urge to convert others into Literally The Biggest Pop Star On The Planet. It's like "hey have you heard about this movie, Star Wars."
When I want to convert people to big bands I love, it’s because I don’t want people to rule them out due to stereotypes of what they are supposed to like. & sometimes it’s because hypothetically if I went to Crüe in a N95 I don’t want to feel like I’m gonna get jumped. Not that they’re worth seeing
anymore. There’s a reason there’s queer metal head Facebook groups for example
I always imagine Rob Halford being absolutely amazed at what he was getting away with. "Like I don't think I'm being very subtle here."
Yeah. He also has photos in a tom of Finland t with Andy Warhol. Really enjoyed his autobiography ebook. I wish he talked about vocal technique more but that’s it. Btw he loves Lady Gaga. Which I support since she’s the rare pop girly I like too.
I was obsessed with "The Fame," that's pretty much my sweet spot as far as dance-pop goes: you can feel the dirt underneath the painted fingernails, last night's mascara still in place.
Honestly as an actual Beatles fan, I think more people would appreciate the Beatles if they WEREN'T saddled with the cultural baggage of "The Greatest Band Ever(tm)"
That shift may have helped the younger gen get it again now
Yes! I've also seen more appreciation of their solo careers, like I remember treating that work as this distant thing with only a few hits, but there's some cool stuff in the four's discography on their own.
I know what you mean! I still don’t really get too into Beatles solo albums but I have recently gotten into Byrds solo music (beyond FBB which I was already crazy about & CSN which everyone knows & loves). Finding Byrds solo projects & spinoffs has been like discovering a dozen new byrds albums.
Turning every conversation into a conversation about The Byrds is one of my super powers….
Hey I don't mind! I only really know the Byrds as the "Wonder Years narration music", so it's cool to hear deeper lore on them www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pLI...
Soooooo I recently made a playlist of my favorite Byrds songs in release order for a friend. You are under no obligation etc etc. but if you wanted to just play a singular album I’d say Younger than Yesterday fantastic and covers a range of their styles.
One act from that time I've grown fond of is The Turtles, often derided as a one-hit wonder pop group but I actuaLly think some of their other songs are better than their big hit, Happy Together - there's some really strong arrangements and structure going on here www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP36...
Some fan projects take it a step further and try to mix together their various solo tracks into "new Beatles albums" (which funnily enough John suggested doing back in the '70s, when the idea of a reunion was not entirely out of the question yet)
And in particular I've seen George Harrison get way more love than he used to. He really came out swinging with his first (okay, third if you're a pedant) solo album, it's crazy how good it is www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKzv...
Is there anything in the Crosby solo catalog that holds its own against "If I Could Only Remember My Name." That album always felt like a product of a particular moment in time (like "Blows Against The Empire")
Correct. They are far more interesting when you approach them in the context of the era
I would argue that pop music lost something when we moved away from different acts covering the same song around the same time.
it sure didn't hurt Manu Dibango any
some more context (in the first two paragraphs)
I feel very lucky to have seen Mancuso DJ (unfortunately at one of the few club appearances, and not at the Loft), and also ended up interviewing him years later. A fascinating man!
There’s something to be said for keeping the singers and the songwriters separated. Efficient division of labour.
Totally. Generally I’d really rather not have to listen to pitchy vocals just because someone had an idea.