Is american music getting out of date?

[Heretic_Cata]

Progress is of course an ill-defined term, but here are some songs/bands I enjoy which I can't see existing pre 2000's


Every Time I Die:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EotznoKUm9Q

Four Year Strong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoqW5Rqq924

The Mars Volta:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z16-LoZRFVo

Animal Collective:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxvGHQHiY70&feature=channel

I tried to give a semi-wide range of sounds

Btw here is my view on the highlights of the evolution of rock music in the last 15 in america.
And i use the term "evolution" very lightly here.

1. The rise of nu metal and random combinations of metal, hardcore and rap.
2. The rise of emo.

Everytime i die falls into the first category.
Four Year Strong i haven't heard of before. It sounds like the old pop punk formula of green day.
Mars Volta yea i've heard they experiment with sound a lot. Props to them. Tho they are not to my liking.
Animal Collective yea, again experimental.

However i was looking more for examples of genres rather than bands. Of course there are some good american bands in the last years.

 

[raketooy]

Popular music is always out of date. Also, I am richer than the US per capita.

We should let the Norwegians decide until we get a poster from Luxembourg here.

 

[Shekwan]

I would also like to point out that most Euro musicians with talent only come into their own when they pretty much move their whole operation wholesale to the US.

What do you mean by ''come into their own''? Make more money?

 

[warpus]

Hi there OTers,

Let me twell you an anecdote so you can understand the question:

Today I was watching a TV program of videoclips and stuff with my sisters. When it was the turn of the "new hits" from the US, I could hear three songs. These were:

Black Eyed Peas - I gotta feeling
Kelly Rowland - When love takes over
Lady Gaga - (Some c**p whose title I've forgotten)

My first reaction to these "new hits" was like "OMFG! This is the kind of music I used to listen to 10 years ago!". My sisters agreed with me, and one of them said "You're right! It's so 1999!". And I think that any european here will agree with me when I say that Black Eyed Peas' I gotta feeling sounds exactly like eurodisco from the late 90's.

What do you think about that? Do you think that american music is getting out of date? I'm specially interested in the opinions of other europeans, since I think that the new "hits" from the States is just the same c**p we used to listen to here in Europe 10 years ago.

These "new hits" that you're talking about is top 40 stuff - top 40 stuff usually sucks ass.

It's trendy stuff - and trends come and go - so you are likely to see trends from the past re-surface.

In the U.S. popular music is like popular beer - it's all horrible horrible stuff that makes you throw up if you expose yourself to a bit too much of it.

The thing is that there is really really good American beer and really really good American music - but for some reason most of it is not exported, and all the rest of the world sees is the top-40 / bud light crap coming out of the U.S. , so we assume they don't know what they're doing. But they do! You just gotta ignore all the trendy stuff that comes out of that place and dig deeper

 

[Left]

just in case anyone forgets, i will post a quick reminder.

- The Beatles
- Led Zeppelin
- The Who
- The Rolling Stones
- Deep Purple
- The Animals
- The Kinks
- Pink Floyd
- Black Sabbath
- Iron Maiden

... and that is why Britain is the true home of rock.

and they're all bands rooted in American styles.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

and they're all bands rooted in American styles.

Someone once said: americans created rock, but the brits gave it class / perfected it.

 

[REDY]

I somewhat thought that that young Americans now listen rap and hip-hop. Thanks God that they rather took old euro bubble music style. Anyways, its still crap. I would rather listen Russian folk music than what you offer.

 

[warpus]

I somewhat thought that that young Americans now listen rap and hip-hop. Thanks God that they rather took old euro bubble music style. Anyways, its still crap. I would rather listen Russian folk music than what you offer.

Link to video.

 

[tycoonist]

and they're all bands rooted in American styles.

ahem. bs.

 

[Patroklos]

So these people are necessary causalities. I see. For the few to be rich a few billion must slave & die.

Reach the full range of their creative breadth. The Beatles are a good example of this. This shouldn't surprise people that this normally happens after initial monetary success, it takes time to fully reach potentiel and a band will usually get discovered before that happens.

 

[Traitorfish]

and they're all bands rooted in American styles.

And if you follow it back, the greater part of American music is a descendant of European, particularly Scottish and Irish folk music. That whole line of thinking is, it must be said, somewhat futile.

(Although, while we're here, I'd like to highlight the fact that Britain had a fairly strong tradition of jazz, blues, soul and rock before the above mentioned bands; they did not simply lift directly from American artists, but emerged from a co-existing, if junior, tradition.)

 

[Left]

ahem. bs.

No.
Heres the rolling stones debut album:
1. "Route 66" (Bobby Troup)
2. "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (Willie Dixon)
3. "Honest I Do" (Jimmy Reed)
4. "Mona (I Need You Baby)" (Ellas McDaniel)
5. "Now I've Got a Witness (Like Uncle Phil and Uncle Gene)" (Nanker Phelge)
6. "Little by Little" (Nanker Phelge/Phil Spector)
7. "I'm a King Bee" (James Moore)
8. "Carol" (Chuck Berry)
9. "Tell Me (You're Coming Back)" (Mick Jagger/Keith Richards)
10. "Can I Get a Witness" (Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland)
11. "You Can Make It If You Try" (Ted Jarrett)
12. "Walking the Dog" (Rufus Thomas)

Two originals plus 10 covers of American songs.

The contents of John Lennon's jukebox

"In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett
"Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass
"The Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
"My Girl" by Otis Redding
"1-2-3" by Len Barry
"Hi-Heel Sneakers" by Tommy Tucker
"The Walk" by Jimmy McCracklin
"Gonna Send You Back to Georgia" by Timmy Shaw
"First I Look at the Purse" by The Contours
New Orleans" by Gary U.S. Bonds
"Watch Your Step" by Bobby Parker
"Daddy Rollin' Stone" by Derek Martin
"Short Fat Fannie" by Larry Williams
"Long Tall Sally" by Little Richard
"Money (That's What I Want)" by Barrett Strong
"Hey! Baby" by Bruce Channel
"Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan
"Daydream" by The Lovin' Spoonful
"Turquoise" by Donovan
"Slippin' and Slidin'" by Buddy Holly
"Be-Bop-A-Lula" by Gene Vincent
"No Particular Place to Go" by Chuck Berry
"Steppin' Out" by Paul Revere & the Raiders
"Do You Believe in Magic" by The Lovin' Spoonful
"Some Other Guy" by The Big Three*
"Twist and Shout" by The Isley Brothers
"She Said, Yeah" by Larry Williams
"Brown Eyed Handsome Man" by Buddy Holly
"Slippin' and Slidin'" by Little Richard
"Quarter to Three" by Gary U.S. Bonds
"Ooh! My Soul" by Little Richard
"Woman Love" by Gene Vincent
"Shop Around" by The Miracles
"Bring It on Home to Me" by The Animals
"If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody" by James Ray with the Hutch Davie Orchestra
"What's So Good About Goodbye" by The Miracles
"Bad Boy" by Larry Williams
"Agent Double-O Soul" by Edwin Starr
"I've Been Good to You" by The Miracles
Oh I Apologize" by Barrett Strong
"Who's Lovin' You" by The Miracles

All American with 3 exceptions.

Led Zeppelin ripped off American blues musicians regularly. Eric Clapton's greatest inclufences were American blues musicians. The Who Were also rooted in American country and R&B. Black Sabbath Started as a blues band.


And if you follow it back, the greater part of American music is a descendant of European, particularly Scottish and Irish folk music. That whole line of thinking is, it must be said, somewhat futile.

(Although, while we're here, I'd like to highlight the fact that Britain had a fairly strong tradition of jazz, blues, soul and rock before the above mentioned bands; they did not simply lift directly from American artists, but emerged from a co-existing, if junior, tradition.)

It is difficult to say what the greater part when blues styles have become so the fundamental of pretty much all American popular music and a lot of the delta blues developed directly form West African traditions with very little European influence.

 

[Traitorfish]

It is difficult to say what the greater part when blues styles have become so the fundamental of pretty much all American popular music and a lot of the delta blues developed directly form West African traditions with very little European influence.

Well, whatever the particulars, it only really goes to prove my point- everything began somewhere else. It's far more constructive to look at the output of particular musicians, scenes or movements, rather than trying to trace the musical ancestry of broad musical traditions.

 

[Earthling]

I like the sigs that say "(made up)% of Americans moved on to rap/emo music. If you still x, then " Overall, not a huge fan of popular music in general, and I really can't compare how, say, current hits stack up to songs from Europe now or a decade again.

 

[sophie]

just in case anyone forgets, i will post a quick reminder.

- The Beatles
- Led Zeppelin
- The Who
- The Rolling Stones
- Deep Purple
- The Animals
- The Kinks
- Pink Floyd
- Black Sabbath
- Iron Maiden

... and that is why Britain is the true home of rock.

*ahem*

-Grateful Dead
-Jefferson Airplane
-The Doors
-Jimi Hendrix
-Janis Joplin & Big Brother and the Holding Company
-Bob Dylan
-Tom Petty
-Elvis Presley
-Leon Russel
-B.B. King
-Stevie Ray Vaughan
-The Band
-Paul Simon
-Neil Young
-Buffalo Springfield
-CSN(Y)

I rest my case.

 

[azzaman333]

*ahem*

-Grateful Dead who?
-Jefferson Airplane who?
-The Doors
-Jimi Hendrix
-Janis Joplin & Big Brother and the Holding Company who?
-Bob Dylan who?
-Tom Petty who?
-Elvis Presley
-Leon Russel who?
-B.B. King who?
-Stevie Ray Vaughan who?
-The Band who?
-Paul Simon who?
-Neil Young who?
-Buffalo Springfield who?
-CSN(Y) who?

I rest my case.

I rest my case.

 

[Theige]

I think Theige wins the awarrd for most ignorant comment though:



I don't disagree that 90s Europop was crap, but the assumption that music that doesn't make it in the US is due to it being bad quality is laughable.

Pop music that fails at being Pop (popular) is without a doubt crap. A lot of the pop music that does become popular is crap

I rest my case.

If you don't know those musicians you know nothing about rock music, and i feel bad for you.

 

[azzaman333]

Pop music that fails at being Pop (popular) is without a doubt crap. A lot of the pop music that does become popular is crap



If you don't know those musicians you know nothing about rock music, and i feel bad for you.

Or that none of the artists mentioned are particularly popular or well known outside of the US. Probably because they suck

 

[REDY]

I know nearly all British mentioned (never heard about Kinks). I dont know nearly any American mentioned (isnt Neil Young folk musician and Canadian?)

 

[Grisu]

at people trying to crack the old Europe v US chestnut again. Ignoring the fact Europe isn't a country much?

I mean really, who gives a feck? Especially when it comes to music. Whats popular in the US and whats popular in Europe are usually pretty different. It doesn't make one better than the other, they're just different.

I don't disagree that 90s Europop was crap, but the assumption that music that doesn't make it in the US is due to it being bad quality is laughable.

indeed, just because some music 'doesn't make it' in the US doesn't mean it's not good, and just because it makes it in the US doesn't mean it's good either. Same goes for Europe, of course. A lot of good US music never makes it in Europe, while a lot of crap does...

@azzaman I would reallly look up some of those musicians....there's some damn good music in there