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In reply to the discussion: Is the music of today worse than it was 20, 30, 40, or even 50 years ago? Or am I just old? [View all]dawg day
(7,947 posts)The 10 years between 1964 and 1974 were transformative-- every YEAR was transformative. Check out the difference between Meet the Beatles (1964 and totally wonderful) and Rubber Soul (1966 and epically advanced). Or between early Stones and Sticky Fingers. By 1967, Gracie Slick was singing White Rabbit, which sounded like nothing ever before... and Motown had the Four Tops doing Bernadette and Marvin Gaye and Tammie Terrell doing Ain't No Mountain-- and Smoky must have had 12 perfect songs that year.
Point is, 1964 was amazing. 1967 was exponential.
I'm not sure that progress-- which was truly a collaboration of genius across an ocean and a continent-- could be duplicated.
I was just hearing that Procol Harum song-- Whiter Shade of Pale-- 1967, and it's stunningly different-- lyrically and musically. And... this band was basically a 2-hit wonder (Conquistador is also stunning), maybe the 50th best band that year-- and this is really a wonderfully eerie song. From an unknown band.
It was probably easier to be great then because everything was so new. It's harder now. We're running out of notes. <G>
I don't know if young people today would resonate to this sort of song. My kids do, but they grew up hearing it.