Is american music getting out of date?

[Heretic_Cata]

I'm not sure what chart success has do with anything, to be honest. It's barely indicative of popularity, and certainly not of artistic influence. It's not even a particularly good indicator of mainstream musical tastes, given that a determined niche can and has pushed a relatively alternative band into the Top 40, at least.
All that the charts really tell you is what is in the charts, which isn't much good to anyone.

I think you are right HOWEVER ... What you said applies the most in today's world. I mean it's obvious RATM isn't the most popular christmas song - yet it topped the singles chart. Things were rather different back then i think - for examples in the 60s the charts were basicaly the popular music. There weren't big subcultures of music back then - i mean sure, there were Stooges fans and Velvet Underground fans or whatever but they could in no way dent the charts of what the majority liked. I think the same applies to most of the 70s.
But let's look at the rise of punk - if we look at the charts in the US back then we see punk just barely peeking through the mud - the subculture was not big enough. If we look at punk in the UK we see the youth subculture pushed back what was the usual "popular" music back then - punk itself becoming the "popular" music (more or less). My point is you can have 2 or more different sub-genres as the popular/charting music.

But anyway, like i said, that was back then. Things today are a bit stranger. Charts now are exactly how you said they are. Maybe today the charts are mostly determined by the preferences of the the 12-16 age group i'm not sure what the hell is happening today.



Gah too lazy to write more, maybe later.

 

[tycoonist]

- Guns N Roses
- Van Halen
- Bruce Springsteen
- Bon Jovi
- Metallica
- Styx
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- George Thorogood
- Motley Crue
- Megadeath
- R.E.M.
- ZZ Top
- Journey
- Quiet Riot
- REO Speedwagon

Guns n' roses - love 'em to bits. but they did only make one truly great album, much as i like select songs from their others (read: patience, november rain)
Van Halen - Not gonna argue about that one...
Bruce - Important and inspirational, but his music fast grows dull for me at least
Bon Jovi - I love glam as much as anyone, but they did take it a tad far. if it wasn't for crap like living on a prayer, always and bed of roses, i would respect them a lot more.
Metallica - Ride the lightning, Master of Puppets, ...And Justice for All are still and always will be epic and brilliant thrash albums, but unfortunately america truly turned them into a monster.
Styx - meh
Stevie ray vaughan - meh
George Thorogood - meh
Motley Crue - Home Sweet Home is brilliant, the rest? not so.
Megadeath - Never shook me in the same way as metallica or slayer.
R.E.M. - not a fan (and i know i'm in a minority)
ZZ Top - la grange... and?
Journey - Don't stop believing, Anyway you want it... anything i've missed?
Quiet Riot - meh
REO speedwagon - meh

and your second list totally undermines the first... it would have been better if you hadn't posted that one.

 

[Traitorfish]

I think you are right HOWEVER ... What you said applies the most in today's world. I mean it's obvious RATM isn't the most popular christmas song - yet it topped the singles chart. Things were rather different back then i think - for examples in the 60s the charts were basicaly the popular music. There weren't big subcultures of music back then - i mean sure, there were Stooges fans and Velvet Underground fans or whatever but they could in no way dent the charts of what the majority liked. I think the same applies to most of the 70s.
But let's look at the rise of punk - if we look at the charts in the US back then we see punk just barely peeking through the mud - the subculture was not big enough. If we look at punk in the UK we see the youth subculture pushed back what was the usual "popular" music back then - punk itself becoming the "popular" music (more or less). My point is you can have 2 or more different sub-genres as the popular/charting music.

But anyway, like i said, that was back then. Things today are a bit stranger. Charts now are exactly how you said they are. Maybe today the charts are mostly determined by the preferences of the the 12-16 age group i'm not sure what the hell is happening today.

I suppose that's true, but my basic objection to citing the charts is that they only really indicate popularity/time, rather than just popularity, and certainly not musical influence. Granted, it's probably a fairer measure in those days than it is today, but it's still a simplistic measure of notability. Contemporary popularity is no signifier of staying power.

 

[Hygro]

If European music is anything like the House Music I encountered in Russia, then no, I'd say European music is worse than American, and that's saying something.

It is 2010. All major european and american music styles, especially non-ethnic underground ones, are entirely international. So unless it was special russian house music, it was also american house music. I'm curious just want kind of music you actually heard--there's quite an array of styles.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

I think Heretic_Cata is an exception.

He probably knows more about American music than I do

A very very very rare exception around here.

I may know more about american music than you, but i definitely know more about british music than lots of people.

You probably do!

While I was curious about Eastern European knowledge, I also wanted to get in the Borat joke, though I don't know if anyone got it.