Music that doesn't stand the test of time for you

[TMe]

I can no longer handle the whiny lyrics of '90's "alternative" bands. I just don't care about some guy losing his girlfriend to some edgy tweaker.

Me, me, me - me and my fee-lings, oh, I'm so hard done by. Waugh, waugh, waugh.

Speaking as a fan of Punk and Hardcore, I found the whole "happy happy joy joy" and "boy meets girl, boy goes to mall" faux punk of the 90's rather revolting at the time. Unlike Disco, it hasn't become cute in its old age.

 

[Push pull stroke]

Same here. If I liked it then, I like it now.

However there are some bands/artists that I may not have liked initially, but grew to like as I got older. Oddly, Led Zeppelin was one of those. I was aware of their first hits, but at age 12 wasn't really ready for them. It was a few more years before I appreciated them, and Bonham.

Likewise, there are bands/artists that I never liked, and still don't!

I have to admit, you’re probably pretty credible on this issue, given your unique position in the industry for so long

 

[JimmyM]

I used to love Rick Wakeman’s first two solo albums. Played them about 10 years ago and turned each off within minutes. Tons of respect for the guy but no thx unless he’s with Yes.

 

[GetAgrippa]

Well you have tens of millions of songs available so I think it often runs in cycles-it's not that you don't like certain songs it's just you've been listening to other stuff. Some songs will just pop up in my memory-like I started singing Uriah Heep songs in shower just recently. Reminded of Florida keys and my youth with a friend.

 

[Mr Farkle]

@PorkPieGuy You are the king of icebreakers! 👑👑 I hope you never run out of topic ideas.

 

[GretschedHive]

I can no longer handle the whiny lyrics of '90's "alternative" bands. I just don't care about some guy losing his girlfriend to some edgy tweaker.

I remember an interview with Aimee Mann about--I think--the second 'Til Tuesday album, and the interviewer asked why pretty much all the songs were about love. She said something like, "what else is there to write about? How tough life is for a rock star on tour?" With the caveat that I love some songs/albums dealing with exactly that topic, I thought she made a pretty good point. So, yeah, some guy losing his girlfriend? I may or may not like a given song that deals with that—in fact, if it's a 90's "alternative" band, I probably won't—but I think it's one of the best possible subjects for a rock song.

One of the few eras/genres/periods of music that I can't handle much of it late-mid-80s production. I very rarely care much about production. I can sometimes admire it, and sometimes it adds a ton to my enjoyment, but it's pretty low down on my list of what makes me like or not like a recoding. But very specifically I find the Genesis Invisible Touch album pretty much unlistenable. One of my absolute favorite bands of all-time—between Genesis, Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel, I not have virtually everything officially released, but at one point had dozens of bootlegs. But I cannot stand the sound of that damn record.

 

[SomeBadDrummer]

I'm going to go for it and say that Rush's 'Power Windows' has aged horribly. At least in terms of production.

Well I for one will not dispute that assertion. By production do you mean volume of albums produced or quality of the production of sound?

 

[SomeBadDrummer]

Well you have tens of millions of songs available so I think it often runs in cycles-it's not that you don't like certain songs it's just you've been listening to other stuff. Some songs will just pop up in my memory-like I started singing Uriah Heep songs in shower just recently. Reminded of Florida keys and my youth with a friend.

The Magicians Birthday is magical especially Sweet Lorraine

 

[Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX]

I'm going to go for it and say that Rush's 'Power Windows' has aged horribly. At least in terms of production.

funny cause I think that is Geddys best bass playing of all

I would add that I feel the same about Roll the Bones....

 

[Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX]

Me, me, me - me and my fee-lings, oh, I'm so hard done by. Waugh, waugh, waugh.

Speaking as a fan of Punk and Hardcore, I found the whole "happy happy joy joy" and "boy meets girl, boy goes to mall" faux punk of the 90's rather revolting at the time. Unlike Disco, it hasn't become cute in its old age.

yeah...I counted NONE of that as punk. Just because it is fast, and they have weird color hair doesn't mean it is punk

 

[Johnny2u2]

I was a kid in the 80s and in my 20's in the 1990s. While there are some high points in music during that time, there is an absolute ton of garbage as well. It's so disappointing to see so much music that doesn't stand the test of time with me. There are elements of it that I love, but it's heartbreaking to listen to some of it now.

I don't intend to this to be about bashing specific bands; it's more a reflection of a middle-aged musician's thinking.

I’m right there with you and am ashamed to admit I once owned a pair of parachute pants!
Back then I didn’t know of the genre titled heavy metal. When I was 14 I was offered a free ticket to a band called Rush! And I declined!! Ugh. I still cringe at the commercial crap from the 80”s

 

[Johnny2u2]

yeah...I counted NONE of that as punk. Just because it is fast, and they have weird color hair doesn't mean it is punk

 

[Johnny2u2]

Green Jello is the only punk I can listen to

 

[Bo Eder]

I hate to be that guy, but as much as I respect them, after I started my career I came to dislike The Police. I was Stewart’s biggest (littlest?) clone - I had his kit (this was a few years before everyone got into Weckls’ kit and mullet/balloon pants), and literally copied Copeland in a lot of bands. Then as I started to work, none of what he did translated into anything I could use on a show, or a wedding, or traditional jazz/rock cover tunes. Although I realized they were a force all by themselves, I was mad because none of that cloning stuff trickled down to me and what I needed to do to start working, so I wrongly hated them for my transgressions. But I’ve gotten over it as I got better at “me” now coming close to retirement age. But there were years I didn’t want to hear a Police song.

 

[Bo Eder]

Green Jello is the only punk I can listen to

Love their “Cereal Killer” album. But a lot of that record sounds too clean and the parts too tight to be considered “punk” for me. I think it was a songwriter who hired studio musicians to make the band.

 

[Al Strange]

I hate to be that guy, but as much as I respect them, after I started my career I came to dislike The Police. I was Stewart’s biggest (littlest?) clone - I had his kit (this was a few years before everyone got into Weckls’ kit and mullet/balloon pants), and literally copied Copeland in a lot of bands. Then as I started to work, none of what he did translated into anything I could use on a show, or a wedding, or traditional jazz/rock cover tunes. Although I realized they were a force all by themselves, I was mad because none of that cloning stuff trickled down to me and what I needed to do to start working, so I wrongly hated them for my transgressions. But I’ve gotten over it as I got better at “me” now coming close to retirement age. But there were years I didn’t want to hear a Police song.

Stewart’s an improv genius with an inimitable style. I agree that his approach doesn’t lend itself to others copping his licks and shoehorning them into wider musical contexts. Shame you don’t still enjoy The Police or feel your playing benefits from his influence (I think his creative approach rather than his technical chops still influence me to this day) but it’s all personal taste isn’t it? If his playing taught me anything it was to go my own way…and by the sound of it you’ve done exactly that…

 

[PorkPieGuy]

First, I want to commend everyone on this discussion! I was so afraid that this was going to turn into a band-bashing thread. I really didn't want it to go there, and it didn't!

I hate to be that guy, but as much as I respect them, after I started my career I came to dislike The Police.

Music is a funny thing! I swear I have a LONG list of bands that I should absolutely love, but I just don't for whatever reason.

Then, there is another list of bands that I shouldn't like, but I do.

 

[GetAgrippa]

Any KISS song shouldn't stand the test of time. LOL. No I'm kidding but I was never a fan-just me. Electric Light Orchestra is band I wanted to like-because some of songs I did-but I didn't buy a lot of their music. I loved Yes for eons but now I never listen to them. My fondness for southern rock ebbed-but I hear certain songs the tide rolls in and really dig them again. I remember flipping through new albums section at a music store about 73' and my eyes gazed on Dixie Chicken and Little Feat-I'd never heard of them. I think their first album after reforming band. Hot dang my roommates and I couldn't get enough of it-real funky. Finding new albums and music was so much fun-cool album covers-you could read the lyrics you could never understand lol. Fun times. Back then a status symbol was how good is your sound system and how big your album collection or nice tape deck-no one cared if you had a tv.

 

[s1212z]

Stewart’s an improv genius with an inimitable style. I agree that his approach doesn’t lend itself to others copping his licks and shoehorning them into wider musical contexts. Shame you don’t still enjoy The Police or feel your playing benefits from his influence (I think his creative approach rather than his technical chops still influence me to this day) but it’s all personal taste isn’t it? If his playing taught me anything it was to go my own way…and by the sound of it you’ve done exactly that…

Stewart is bit of an enigma...the 1st takes on the Police tracks captured the fresh magic of playfulness and focus, brilliant stuff of studio improv, still love it. But in the context of a improv interaction like in jazz or jam thing, ...he didn't like it and frankly, didn't play it well either. So it's either hyper-focus improv context for a song take, but the patient stuff improv setting with others seemed to bore him or would make fun of it. To each their own then

A quick personal story, for one of my friend's project he did an unusual arrangement of a jazz standard. I more or less had a preconceived notion how I was thinking the feel to match...played the take and he said "rock it out and fill the space...lets do the take now" of all things, not expected at all. Sure let's rock it out without any preconceived notion, and it worked on the 1st try. Listening back, holy crap I'm totally ripping off Stewart in my own way in both lick wise and my scramble to re-wire approach on the fly. 1st or 2nd takes are always where the best stuff is for sure if you can get it, you have a vibe and energy like not other, the listener hears that edge and fun....The Police tracks certainly did it in a special way. I've borrowed from Stewart on many things, totally translatable for me for creative contexts...find your forward momentum by any means necessary is what I think of, does not have to be conventional.

Music that doesn't stand the test of time?

To much to mention, mostly because it's been overplayed and music audiences has focused backwards way too much...living in the past of yester-year nostalgia. Gun N' Roses comes to mind as a good example that I used to love as a kid and now can't sit through a song anymore.

 

[mrthirsty]

As a 16 year old I absolutely wanted to be Luis!!!

On my first trip to the UK in the early 80's I remember this song was everywhere, must have heard it at least a 100 times. Also seemed to be the song choice of drunken sing alongs while consuming Tennents Lager.