[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: good music bad music

In a message dated 5/11/00 3:49:14 PM Central Daylight Time, 
kelvinbailey at springmail_com writes:

<< Why is it that those who fancy themselves as some sort of music critic 
seem to have great problems with melodic music.  It seems that anything that 
is nice, sweet, musically well organized, positive, romantic, or whatever is 
suspect.  >>

  I think sometimes it's not so much the things above that are critisized 
(not always, you do have a legit beef) as much as when everything is all 
wrapped up in a sweet sacharine little lie. I'm thinking of a lot of CCM as a 
good example. It presents a world where "everythng is beautiful", nothing bad 
can get in, noone dies, get's sick, divorced, abused, etc. etc. Kind of like 
television commercials... Now I'm thinking The Osmonds, Barry Manilow, etc. 
There are artists who present the *nice and sweet* but also present the whole 
picture, the highs and lows, along with it, and present the positive as an 
ideal rather than a fact (which always comes off hollow and hypocritical IMO) 
who aren't panned by the critics all the time. ie: (to draw from the 70's) -- 
CSN, America,Cat Stevens.  There is also very melodic,  complex music that 
the same can be said for. 
   I do think it often is the tortured artist types that create some of the 
best music. It seems to go with the territory of creating music with PASSION 
in it. Himmelman, Heard, Vigilantes, etc. are often lyrically dark because 
they are injecting their songs with the pain and joy of the life they are 
living. They attempt to live on the edge of their experiences, putting 
themselves out on the front lines for their art. Musicians who write little 
happy jingles don't do that. Not that they I don't think feel any less but 
they don't put it into their art. They don't do like Joni Mitchell sings: 
"the best of my mind all goes down on the strings and the page." So critics 
have a proper beef if an artist isn't putting themselves fully into their 
music. I can get behind that.
   A nod of full agreement at your mention of the Rolling Stone rag. I've 
read it off and on since the mid-seventies and their critics seem to always 
have a problem with anything even slightly progessive (which is often 
romantic, musically melodic and complex) and anything not from the *bad boy* 
camp of musicians. They have always panned Yes for example but Iggy Pop is 
god.  They also said that *Wish You Were Here* was a piece of crap but it 
ended up being recognized as one of the best rock and roll albums of all 
time. Good music can rise above its critics! 
  
pax,
Kevin
---------------
Unsubscribe by going to http://www.actwin.com/MediaNation/OtR/