When the Suits Took Over

[thebes]

They ruled the roost from the '40's through the early '60's. Sharkskinned predators that singed 'em up and milked them until their popularity waned. Then eagerly sent them off to oblivion. They dictated the tastes and told you what you could hear. The early rockers gave them a run for their money but you'd better go along or no air time. The '60's come along and all of a sudden the suits are chasing after the sound, the people making the music are calling the shots and the fans settle for nothing less. Mitch Miller has to suck it up and record Bob Dylan.

There was something in the air and it was more than the smell of a blunt.

Then the magic, the dreams gave way. The 80's came along.

The suits smelled chum in the water, they sharpened their nails, shined their shoes, shot their cuffs and proceeded to get to work. It was, and sadly still is, the "Me Decade", Get what you can get while the getting is hot. While nobody was paying attention they were seduced by the siren call of the corporate sound, what they liked to hear while chatting up the chippies and putting blow up their nose.

Some musicians went underground and held on, knowing a new day would come. For most it was go along and get along,. Limos, celebrity mags, nice houses in tony communities and squeeze out what ever you can until your day is done. If they felt a little guilty about the sellout they could look over their sholders and watch the '60's icons fall one by one to the avalance of greed.

Along the way they took our musical soul and ground it into the gutter. With broken hearts and broken dreams music became a background to our lives, an afterthought, bereft of passion.

IO's better now, some good new music coming out. The suits are confused, in flux, profits dropping but now on the rebound having been led back tot the promised land by the seudo cool like Steve Jobs (may he rot in hell).

Sow what got me started in on this rant?

Blondie, "AutomAmerican" but even the albums pretentions to irony fall apart with a good listen. Two real songs, a tragedy for a great singer and a very tight band. The rest of it? Bloodless corporate meanderings.

If I could I would walk among those failed musicians of that era, extending my hand in friendship I would say:

"It's Ok", I 'd say, "even at it's worst some of the magic still shown through. No need to atone, but when you get the chance let the next ones coming down the line sing loud, sing clear, just sing.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled Forum.

[Tarheel]

Ain't that the truth!

[J.4knee]

Twins left ya high and dry tonight didn't they?[]

[oldbuckster]

Then the magic, the dreams gave way. The 80's came along.

Enter the FACELESS BANDS of the 80's .............. the Hit-Makers, the Foriegners, Styx, Journey, hit after hit, you know the songs,you know the Band's name, but you know nothing of the people in the bands ........... Number 1 hits, record after record, hits, but no feelings, just make hit records, turn them out ............... The ME generation at it's finest ...... Sell the product .............. FACELESS indeed !!!!!!!!

[pauln]

"Then the magic, the dreams gave way. The 80's came along."

I don't view music as something to be consumed as it is produced in the fashion as are news stories, sports, TV, and movies. Music from the past that I like pleases me continuously and I feel no compulsion to keep up with "the music scene". The suits would have you believe that you are not hip if you don't keep current and enthusiastic of all the lastest offerings from the tone deaf kids that pass for musicians these days. They want you to keep buying the new music as if the old music had an expiration date and will go bad after a while. Thats good for the suits, but not for the art of music.

Quite honestly, I find that the modern music is horribly inferior. Most of it sounds like it is being produced by a predictable formula. I hear the same drum machine track, the same lame couple of progressions, the same alternating of soft and loud, the same overuse of the major scale for singing, the same stupid uninformed guitar playing, the same obligatory silence break at the climax, the same high school drama lyrics, the same adnoidal male and skweaky female vocal affectations, the same constrained, contrived, and artificially overly excited short song format centered around hooky riffs and words for the modern attention deficit consumer.

The classical music I like seems to have been made before about 1900, the end of the common practice period. The
jazz I like was done in the fifties and early sixties. The rest of what
I like comes from the records I collected in the decade from 1967-77. I
quit buying music then, as I felt they pretty much stopped making it at
that point. I'm sure there is still some great music out there being made, but it
is too hard to find among the ocean of shlock and slime that poses as
music these days.

On a technical note, it may only be a coincidence that, "The CDs came along. Then the magic, the dreams gave way."

[oldbuckster]

, "The CDs came along. Then the magic, the dreams gave way."

It's not afair to blame the CD for poor business decisions, corner-cutting, and a large lack of talent in the Recording Industry today. The inter-net and downloads have taken their toll ...... Greed is a word that comes to mind !!!!!!!!!!! ....... Over-priced is another !!!!!!!

[Groomlakearea51]

Sow what got me started in on this rant? Blondie,.....

And I really liked Debbie Harry (alot, but let's just not go there, ok!).... In a weak moment brought on by the total lack of self esteem (and net worth...) brought on by the sudden sharp drop of the dollar vs the German Deutschemark (which totally cramped my extensive extra-curricular activities...) I toyed with sending either her, or Kim Carnes a letter offering to marry one of them for a slight corporate fee and royalties for allowing their duly appointed suits to begin that inexorable process of exploiting me as the "insignificant other of a rock figure of some importance". So, in a fit of romantic adventure, I carefully crafted a nice short note, maybe about 45 pages or so, to Debbie (my first choice, and also because I forgot to make one for Kim...) and off through the Deutsche Post..... Sadly I never heard back (other than the usual demonic screed on some PR letterhead (the kind with the suit names on the left side with "Esq." next to their names...) until about two months later on some cheap "facsimile" letterhead signed by the head anal retentive suit about a restraining order if I did not: (a) cease and desist with the communique stuff, or ( prove that I made enough money to forego the usual pre-nup agreement that was coming into vogue at the time...) I was, however, with work, counseling and repeated trips to the local brewery, able to overcome my disappointment, nay!! my total loss of self worth and significant psychological damage from that unwarranted rejection!!

Anyhoo.. Just went ahead and just married my true love!!! Besides, she likes my speakers!!![]

[fenderbender]

Ohhh, when Deborah Harry made James Woods burn her with the cigarette in Videodrome...........that was exquisite .....OK, I'm reveling to much here [6][6][6]

[Daddy Dee]

What's happening now with the evolution of music sales, bands selling directly on the net, has to be driving the suits crazy.

good.

[Groomlakearea51]

(courtesy Pauln) Quite honestly, I find that the modern music is horribly inferior. Most of it sounds like it is being produced by a predictable formula. I hear the same drum machine track, the same lame couple of progressions, the same alternating of soft and loud, the same overuse of the major scale for singing, the same stupid uninformed guitar playing, the same obligatory silence break at the climax, the same high school drama lyrics, the same adnoidal male and skweaky female vocal affectations, the same constrained, contrived, and artificially overly excited short song format centered around hooky riffs and words for the modern attention deficit consumer.

Absolutely, and not only that, it generally sucks....[]

[skonopa]

Enter the FACELESS BANDS of the 80's .............. the Hit-Makers, the Foriegners, Styx, Journey, hit after hit, you know the songs,you know the Band's name, but you know nothing of the people in the bands ........... Number 1 hits, record after record, hits, but no feelings, just make hit records, turn them out ............... The ME generation at it's finest ...... Sell the product .............. FACELESS indeed !!!!!!!!

Hey now, watch it there bub!

I happen to be a pretty big fan of Styx, Foriegner, Journey, Asia (just picked up thier brand-new album, recorded with the original line-up just last night), and a few of those other so-called "faceless bands" of the 80's. Maybe the fact that I am 38 and have grown up through the 80's is a big part of it. I just never was a fan of the Stones, Credence Clearwater Rivival, and many others. Doesn't help that the local "classic rock" station pretty much played these guys into the dirt and now just so sick of hearing them over and over again.

However, I'll admit that in recent years the typical mainstream music has pretty much sucked. I guess that is why I pretty much now listen to underground independant power/progressive metal. And these guys are anything BUT "faceless". Hell, I am actually pretty good friends with a number of these bands and seen a good many of them in concert (how I love having a totally kick-@$$ metal club very nearby in the form of Jaxx!)

[oldbuckster]

Read any of the History of that period, and you'll find the term "FACELESS BANDS" used alot .......... those bands you listed, were all faceless bands of the time, Hit Machines, if you will, everyone knew the SONGS, but knew nothing of the Bands or it's members not like the more known bands of the 60's and 70's.Every one of those bands was formed to sell records in big numbers, and sell they all did, all came from other bands. To truly grasp what I'm writing, I guess you needed to live through it, to understand it ................ That's the great thing about Music, it's different things to different people, and there's something for everyone to listen to ................ One Last thing ............. MTV KILLED THE MUSIC, it didn't help it!!!!!!!