Edition 3

...Music...


Finding Ourselves
Where has all the music gone?
By: John Lewis

A common refrain is heard among passionate fans of music; what happened? The 'what' being music, Rock n Roll in particular, and the 'happened' the strange course it has taken from its beginnings in the 1950's. Some say it can never be recaptured, that there is only so much you can do with a rock band format. Others blame advances in technology as well as over-saturation for the downfall of Rock music. And then there are those that blame the commercialized nature the music business has become for the staleness present.

So was all rock music groundbreaking during its golden years from 1955 to 1975? Certainly there was the early rock of Bo Diddley, nicknamed “The Originator” which he received after creating the basic driving beat that defined rock n roll. And then Chuck Berry who’s distinct playing style is a portal that all guitar players must pass through while learning the instrument. And finally Buddy Holly, arguably the musician that got it as far as pop-rock is concerned, inspired the Beatles with his heavy reliance on harmony and melodic hooks throughout his songs.

Throughout the coming decades these basic rhythms and harmonies would become staples of rock music. It’s why Nirvana‘s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” sounds very similar to Boston’s “More than a Feeling”. Rock music is filled with catchy guitar phrasings and licks that have been used over and over again that musicians just cannot pass up even though its been used ten times before.

With the 1960’s came the full realization of pop-rock music. The British Invasion headlined the event and American bands got brushed aside. England was worshipped and praised as the Mecca of rock music. Even Jimi Hendrix, an American, had to go there first to get his start. Everyone was happy because rock lived and live as we know would continue. But behind the façade of this invasion was a dark side: Gerry and the Pacemakers, Herman’s Hermits, The Searchers, the list goes on and on. British boy bands, who were talented, that cannot be denied; but chose to play to the pop sensibilities of the American and British public with dumbed down riffs and lyrics. America, jealous of the success of the Brits, responded with a dark side of its own: The Monkees. The original battle of the boy bands was on.

While I find these older manufactured pop bands far more listenable than The Backstreet Boys or Jonas Brothers, it was the beginning of commercializing music and making it marketable to the masses. And despite the seemingly golden time people had listening to music of the 60’s and attending the decade’s concerts there was a lot happening that just, plain, sucked. Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who explained, “Image was important, behavior was very important, the name was important, the music was a little important but it was more of how you were perceived than how you sounded.”

As music rolled on through the seventies and into the eighties a technological wave was sweeping studios and live musicians across the globe. The digital age was upon us and gone were the troubles that came with analog equipment. While this change went widely unnoticed by the majority of music fans, musicians noticed a big change in the way they sounded with the new digital equipment and the ease it brought to the recording process.

Technology continued to evolve throughout the nineties to where it is at today. Anyone can spend less than $1,000 on equipment, record their songs and put them on a Myspace. The positive side to this is anyone can do it, music is back in the hands of the people one way or another and its individuals calling the shots. Paradoxically, the negative side is also that anyone can do it. Unfinished music with terrible production quality fill music listeners ears, training many to not care a dime except that their friend down the road has an album out and is going to sell ten copies at the most.

A brief rundown of the changes occurring in music over the years doesn’t begin to do it proper justice. By pointing out the obvious changes we can begin to see what had a significant impact as well as what was gained or lost from it. The technology is becoming more refined, musicians are networking with one another in an effort to bypass the labels’ control and slowly but surely convince music fans they are being robbed by cheap entertainment and fads rather than a long lasting musical experience.