Friday, December 16, 2011

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!!!

12 Comments:

Blogger JustRex said...

Oh I listen to the old stuff all the time. But I don't think I really "hear" it. It just wafts through my mind and I wear a happy smile, remembering the good times. I refuse to critique it, though. It was good enough for my young untutored ears back then and that's good enough for now.

So, yahh yahh yahh... I'm not listening.....

6:41 AM  
Anonymous gearhead said...

Unlike anyone we know, Mrs. Gearhead & I have every single record that we ever purchaced going all the way back.
We do not have Springscream or Crapton. :-P
Sunday afternoons we try to sneak in a few card games before news comes on and we listen to records.
Last week was the GrassRoots. This week was Alan Parsons.
Alan Parsons is SOOOOOO GOOOOD!!!

8:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Could it be Mr. and Mrs. Gearhead are on to something with the original analog vinyl mix. More information, richer warmer blend ect. I think so.

2:33 PM  
Anonymous gearhead said...

Thank you anon, and add to that the finest turntable and cartridge ever made (3/4 gram linear tracking)
and kick ass McIntosh sound; OOOOH Yeah!!!
Sounding GOOOOOOD!
Hey! How about Barry Devorzon and Perry Bodkin Jr? There's some chill out music from the past.
Goggle them....

6:03 PM  
Blogger Donna. W said...

I like the 70's stuff, but the songs from the fifties when I was a teenager? AWFUL!

3:59 AM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Darev, that's the only way to plow through most of the crap out there, hear it, but don't listen to it.

Gearhead, at least you are off that BTO kick you were on. I have a lot of records as well. I used to have about 1500 and I sold half of the collection a few years ago. I'm thinking of selling the other half as well. I never listen to them.

Anon, true on the good sound, but I'm happy with a good set of ear buds, and oddly there aren't that many good ones out there. Most make things sound tinny or like muffled garbage.

Gearhead, sometimes more important is the room you are listening in. I find my truck has the best acoustics and sound system I've ever had.

Donna, I agree, though country music in the 50s was great and declined further every ten years after that.

5:51 AM  
Anonymous gearhead said...

Speaking of Canadian bands; what ever happened to Moosehead??

5:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Gearhead - I'm still here - lurking in the back round. Been under the weather for the last while - iron content problem with the blood. No iron = no energy. Sucks. Big time.

Moose

1:52 PM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Moose, Astoria Rust is a good source of iron...

2:15 PM  
Anonymous gearhead said...

Moose,
Are you taking anti-imflamatories, or inseds?
If so STOP!!
Mrs. Gearhead almost died from the low iron that that shit causes.
It is a chain reaction spiral, down hill.
As soon as she stopped taking inseds her health quickly resumed. Yes, her joint pain was bad but it WILL NOT GET BETTER IF YOU'RE DEAD!!
Talk to a specialist on blood issues about inseds.

10:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good plan Guy - I could use some rust.

Not on any meds Gearhead - don't know what an insed is. But the blood specialist is the next stop after results of scope into stomach. Had the scope up the other end - now there's fodder for a blog post Guy. You know everybody needs to have a colonoscopy after age 50...

Moose

1:55 PM  
Blogger The Guy Who Writes This said...

Moose, sounds like hypothalamic dysfunction to me.

Yep, I'm getting snaked next week. The last time I did it I swore I'd never do that again. Not looking forward to it at all.

5:18 AM  

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