The Worst Of the Best Of

No, this isn't going to be an annual review of the things I did and didn't like in the past year. It is more of a comment on just how bad the music was that we used to listen to and now accept it as classic gold.

OK, so I hear this commercial for the Fender sound system in the new VWs and they are playing Elton John's Rocket Man. I haven't heard the song for years and the commercial sound pretty cool. Next I track down a Best of Elton John and give it a good listen and find most songs some what clever, but over produced with sounds that are incongruous to the song and the feeling that is explored within. Here was the soundtrack or if you prefer, background noise of my generation in the 70's and 80's and most of it was really bad.

A few months ago the same thing happened with me and the Monkees. There were some interesting musical concepts and and the occasional interesting sound, but adding 45 years of perspective in the mix it was down-right awful.

You'd think I would have learned my lesson, but no, I had to go back and listen to Bruce Springsteen. There was very little in his collection that will stand up to time. He comes off as another grunting guy form Asbury Park, the Jersey Shore never changes. Maybe things would have been different had he been from Manasquan.

I could go on about the disappointments I've suffered whilst reacquainting myself with the music of my youth, but I will spare you. However dear reader, I do advise you not to revisit the music that you hold sacred. Let it play in your mind and dance with your youthful memories. If you try to pour that stuff through your older ears you will just ruin your memories and you will wonder if you lived in a fantasy world back then or lived a giant lie perpetuated by the radio stations we grew up with. Damn you Dan Ingrham and Cousin Brucie!!! Damn you to Hell!!!