the height of music was the 60's......

[Twilight_guy]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*breath*HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

No. Mostly because this argument is based on the idea that we understand music through time, when really we only have a very small picture of the history of music. Lots of music history has been lost and thus its impossible to assess when music 'peaked' (if such a time exists) because we can only see the most recent part of music clearly. At best we ascertain a local peak and that's about it. Even then this relies on arbitrary notions of art and standards for musical evaluation. Personally, my opinion is that everyone is going to have a different opinion and all are equally valid so why are we arguing over this?

 

[Souplex]

Excuse me while I prove the OP wrong with a single image.

Spoiler: Bam

ahhh!....its blinding me

though that song (you know the one I'm talking about) reminds me of Mass Effect and Comander Shepard....

which reminds me of....*sob*...[small/]sorry![/small]

It's all right, don't let a bad ending taint a great everything else.
Perhaps this will cheer you up?

 

[Squilookle]

I always figured the 70's were the peak- the 60's had an explosion of new techniques in poular music, but it was the 70's that really explored the absolute limits of variety and expression and other wanky words of music. Not to mention in the 60's just about every second song was about love, the beach, or someone's love of the beach, whereas the 70s had lyrics about just about anything and everything.

I listen to it for a bit and I think "my god I feel like such a pretentious twat....and I KNOW somone out there would be listening to this and getting a great big *my music is better than yours* hard-on....uggghh"

Well that's your problem right there- you've got a ridiculous, generalised stereotypical mental image of what anyone that listens to older music is like. This may come as a shock, but most people listen to older music and enjoy it because of the actual music, and not what it says about them. You don't see people driving around town with Vivaldi or Buddy Holly blasting out of their cars, do you? Hell, the entire 80's is full of music people wouldn't advertise that they enjoy, but that doesn't make them personally like the music any less.

There are plenty of good reasons for not liking music, but if the only one you have for not liking older music is the fanbase you *imagine* it to have, then you're not really even trying.

 

[Imthatguy]

"Music peaked in [whateva], Genre A is gay Genre B is awesome"

STFU NOW!!!!!!!!! Music is intensely personal and mostly a matter of taste and therefor no empirical system can be devised to prove and state it's worth.

SO.....

SHUT
UP
MUSIC
CRITICS!

 

[lacktheknack]

Pah. Music peaked in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Who cares when POP was most diverse and interesting? There's all kinds of awesome and weird music available today that wasn't even DREAMED of back in the sixties. Electronic music was a sort of doomsday scenario to them, where artistic integrity and creativity was replaced with stone cold machine logic. As you can see, that's not what happened.

I mean, I have a library that covers The Fray to Skrillex to Bjork to Nicki Minaj to Aphex Twin to Ke$ha to Eskmo to Florence + The Machine to neoclassical stuff I've taken from my music courses. You won't find better variety in music than today.

As for loudness, again, see the sliding scale from neoclassical "sad piano" to the thrashiest stuff in metal. It's all there.

The 60s may have been the "peak" of Pop, but who cares about Pop?

 

[Loonyyy]

As Cracked itself has pointed out time and time again, our view of old music is tinted by them roses. We remember the good stuff and forget the bad. We remember Nirvana, and mostly forget Boy Bands. We remember classics, and standouts, and forget the tripe that surrounds them. Half of what we consider "Classics" or music that defined an era was not the most popular.

Stands to reason that when you try to compare a time in progress with the best of what has been, you'll come up short.

My favourite musics from the 80s and 90s, hardcore punk and grunge. I wouldn't then use that as an argument as to why everyone else's taste is wrong, because I'm not a troll (Cracked, trolling? Never happens).

 

[Squilookle]

As Cracked itself has pointed out time and time again, our view of old music is tinted by them roses. We remember the good stuff and forget the bad. We remember Nirvana, and mostly forget Boy Bands. We remember classics, and standouts, and forget the tripe that surrounds them. Half of what we consider "Classics" or music that defined an era was not the most popular.

Stands to reason that when you try to compare a time in progress with the best of what has been, you'll come up short.

My favourite musics from the 80s and 90s, hardcore punk and grunge. I wouldn't then use that as an argument as to why everyone else's taste is wrong, because I'm not a troll (Cracked, trolling? Never happens).

So how do you explain people's fondness for music that came out long before they were born, and their preference for it over a different era of music, -also- long before they were born? Nostalgia has very, very little to do with it, when talking about a whole era of music.

 

[vonmanstein]

I think not. Romantic era composition was far superior ~1815 - ~1900. Things went downhill from there. Rock is plebeian and sophomoric.

 

[chozo_hybrid]

Excuse me while I prove the OP wrong with a single image.

Spoiler: Bam

I bought that last year, found a copy at a local record store.

I love it, music, like anything has its different genres and different fans, my fav happens to be a lot of 70's and 80's music.

 

[lacktheknack]

I think not. Romantic era composition was far superior ~1815 - ~1900. Things went downhill from there. Rock is plebeian and sophomoric.

implying Romantic Era music was better than the technical superiority of the Baroque Period in the 1600s - 1700s

 

[Launcelot111]

Well that's your problem right there- you've got a ridiculous, generalised stereotypical mental image of what anyone that listens to older music is like. This may come as a shock, but most people listen to older music and enjoy it because of the actual music, and not what it says about them. You don't see people driving around town with Vivaldi or Buddy Holly blasting out of their cars, do you? Hell, the entire 80's is full of music people wouldn't advertise that they enjoy, but that doesn't make them personally like the music any less.

There are plenty of good reasons for not liking music, but if the only one you have for not liking older music is the fanbase you *imagine* it to have, then you're not really even trying.

That's the thing though, is that, while it is a bit of a stereotype, people of that era actually do go walking around crowing about how "their" music is the best and how it's all gone downhill since then. I've had people pat me on the knee and say they're sorry my music will never be as good as theirs. It may be a minority, but it's a very real minority. A number of those people end up in music journalism, and this absurd idea is propogated once again.

Anyway, the 60s were fairly creative, sure, but they covered a fairly narrow swath of music. The diversity of sound that's been created since then blows the 60s out of the water. I am of the opinion that many people who tout the 60s are either poorly versed in post-60s music or look at a narrow sample for their comparison, but even then there are the people who just prefer the 60s even with strong musical knowledge. Long story short, music is subjective. People who like the 60s are not right and those who don't are not wrong.

 

[Vault101]

snip

[spoiler/][/spoiler]


shepard?....SHEPARD NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! *sob*

So how do you explain people's fondness for music that came out long before they were born, and their preference for it over a different era of music, -also- long before they were born? Nostalgia has very, very little to do with it, when talking about a whole era of music.

I think its more the Idea that shallow crap didn't exist back then..people like nirvana even if its not nostalgic because they are good

I have a thing to 80's synths and 90's pop/dance..which I think may be due to some nostalga but also because I have a thing for that kind of sound (because of all kinds of factors I imagine) like watchign movies with 80's music in them or synthy soundtracks

shallow crap did exist..its just no one seeks it out or likes it because it was crap (or if they do its nostalga)

I always figured the 70's were the peak- the 60's had an explosion of new techniques in poular music, but it was the 70's that really explored the absolute limits of variety and expression and other wanky words of music. Not to mention in the 60's just about every second song was about love, the beach, or someone's love of the beach, whereas the 70s had lyrics about just about anything and everything.

I dont actually know much music from that era..I;d be curious to see some examples...to see if it really is as good as people say


[quote/]Well that's your problem right there- you've got a ridiculous, generalised stereotypical mental image of what anyone that listens to older music is like. This may come as a shock, but most people listen to older music and enjoy it because of the actual music, and not what it says about them. You don't see people driving around town with Vivaldi or Buddy Holly blasting out of their cars, do you? Hell, the entire 80's is full of music people wouldn't advertise that they enjoy, but that doesn't make them personally like the music any less.

There are plenty of good reasons for not liking music, but if the only one you have for not liking older music is the fanbase you *imagine* it to have, then you're not really even trying.[/quote]

its an odd illigical thing

fact is I *geniunly* don;t like classic rock alot of the time, and its jsut this attidude that was..."around" I guess when I was younger....people would listen to stuff like gun's n roses and metalica as if ti was the greatest music ever..and I just kind of accepted that untill I grew my own taste

and now I fucking hate gun'n'roses

my point is stuff like that while not "bad" is still just "ok" mainstream nostalga fodder...not that special in my eyes (subjective of coarse..but I hope I'm making sense)

That's the thing though, is that, while it is a bit of a stereotype, people of that era actually do go walking around crowing about how "their" music is the best and how it's all gone downhill since then. I've had people pat me on the knee and say they're sorry my music will never be as good as theirs. .

I swear to god I hear a "I feel sorry for kids thease days who grow up with x" you know what man? SHUT.....THE...FUCK...UP pleeeeeeeeaaaaase

I dont even care if they are objectivly right but GOD is it so annoying

 

[o_O]

This is stupid. I counter with <a href=http://www.cracked.com/article_18983_5-complaints-about-modern-life-that-are-statistically-b.s._p2.html>another Cracked article. Check #1.

The thing about music is that the good shit endures. The *truly* good shit. That's why classic rock is awesome (and YOU ARE WRONG), but tons of new crap sucks. The vietnam era has been filtered through the lens of time. In 20 years, this era will be filtered.

So come back and tell us your tastes aren't crap then, when your bands are vindicated. Or not, because no one knows who the hell they are.

 

[Vault101]

So come back and tell us your tastes aren't crap then, when your bands are vindicated. Or not, because no one knows who the hell they are.

thats the thing though...some great stuff never egts widly known..and thats ok

I liek what I like in the end

 

[vonmanstein]

I think not. Romantic era composition was far superior ~1815 - ~1900. Things went downhill from there. Rock is plebeian and sophomoric.

implying Romantic Era music was better than the technical superiority of the Baroque Period in the 1600s - 1700s

Baroque was far more repetitive and significantly less passionate.

 

[o_O]

Alas, Caravan Palace. I doubt they'll ever be well known. And yet, their sound is incredible.

So yes, there's some of that. But my point is mainly in, "It only *appears* that all music today is terrible." Give it time. There's still plenty of good music being made, and this is coming from a classic rock junkie.

 

[Vault101]

. A number of those people end up in music journalism, and this absurd idea is propogated once again.

also forgot to mention

I would have thourght anyone who manages to get into music journalism at least *knows* that other genres exist and/or have their merits...

to me it seems the peopele who are more "into" music also tend to be a little more open minded

...............well....somtimes

 

[lacktheknack]

I think not. Romantic era composition was far superior ~1815 - ~1900. Things went downhill from there. Rock is plebeian and sophomoric.

implying Romantic Era music was better than the technical superiority of the Baroque Period in the 1600s - 1700s

Baroque was far more repetitive and significantly less passionate.

Clearly, you've never heard me play Baroque.

Back then, it's true, you could only do so much on a harpsichord. However, playing it today, it can be as passionate as you'd like.

I'm not sure if I'm joking or not...

 

[Vault101]

Alas, Caravan Palace. I doubt they'll ever be well known. And yet, their sound is incredible.
.

hey...theyre pretty good XD.....

also 1million veiws on youtube is far from "really" obscure...stuff doesnt always have to be insanly popular

 

[SlaveNumber23]

There is no defining point where music 'peaked' as this point is completely dependable on who you are asking the question. There is no such thing as having a bad taste in music, if you like the music you are listening to then that is all that matters, you are never going to be the only one who does either.

Personally I strongly dislike all the dubstep, rap and pop music that seems so popular these days but I have a very strong passion for metal. Even if the musical talent of some of the mainstream artists today is questionable there are plenty of talented musicians around at all times in history.