Redartz: Well, here is another post inspired by a flea market excursion. You might guess by now, correctly, that I haunt these things with some frequency. What can I say? It keeps me out of the pool halls (a good thing, as I'm a lousy pool player).
In this instance, the 'big find' wasn't a comic or collectible. It was a box full of compact discs; about 200 of them. Completely unsorted; this box was stuffed full, sitting on the floor of one particular booth, and marked for the whopping sum of 12 dollars. Most folks would pass over such a box; cds suffering in popularity from the availability of streaming services and the resurgence of vinyl. But not me; I took a brief look over the top of the stacks (one could realistically only access a couple dozen without emptying the box all over the floor). Yes, there was junk, but several discs of interest- enough interest to justify the purchase. 
The 'moral' of this tale is that it is still a pleasure today to discover good music. Maybe it's easier in today's world to explore different musical outlets. Back in the 70's and 80's, learning about new music meant having either a friend with a great lp collection or access to a record store with knowledgeable staff (and preferably a good imports section). In college we had a terrific used record store, called Second Time Around. They had a big selection of old and new lps, but the big attraction was that they kept receiving many of the hot new sounds from all around the world during those heady days of the Punk/New Wave era. Nobody else in our area could have introduced me to, for instance, Gruppo Sportivo. Every week, our little gang visited that store to see what was in (after a stop at the nearby comic shop, of course). And we rarely left empty handed.
So for our discussion: expanding your musical horizons. How did you do it 'back then'? How do you do it now? How important is it for you to 'stay current', and do you enjoy finding great music from the past that speaks to you now? What acts were you stoked upon first hearing? Go ahead, we're all listening...
11 comments:
I still like CDs and I have quite a few, although I probably have more "mixed CDs" than actual ones; I guess mixes are like the old school version of Shuffle. As a kid, it was all records and cassettes; never had an 8-track, though some of my friends did.
I'm not really up on newer music, though I sometimes run across a band that jumps out at me (the Struts, Pretty Reckless). I tend to go for rock music, but lately I've been getting back into older stuff, especially 70s rock. A lot of people think the 70s were a music wasteland, but there was some great music back then, and I like everything from the Eagles and Elton John, to X-Ray Spex and Van Halen. There are a few 70s acts (Fleetwood Mac, ELO, Steely Dan) that never grabbed me, but if I'm listening to a classic rock station I'm pretty much guaranteed to like 80 or 90% of the songs.
I use Feedly to bring together nearly every blog I follow (including this one). This includes the Ultimate Classic Rock website, which is mainly a news site for all things classic rock. Every month, they post a "what's new" post and I'll scroll through it. That's how I learn which legacy rock acts have new material coming out (Ozzy this month) or which band is releasing some sort of boxed set or anniversary edition. Because their definition of 'classic rock' is basically every band we grew up with, that's probably source #1 for that.
Famously (at least to me), I discovered The Struts via a Rolling Stone sponsored ad on Facebook. In the headline, they referenced "glam rock" and I was curious. That led me to Spotify, listening to that 2016 album around 10am at work one day. By lunch, I had bought the entire record. One word: glam.
I listen to NPR's All Songs Considered sometimes. They're always good for learning about new things. Going from there, the NPR Tiny Desk Concerts are always fun. IIRC, it was via them I learned Tower of Power had created a new CD back in 2018. The new singer is really good.
Staying with podcasts, I've got a few music ones I listen to. Decibel Geek Podcast showcases hard rock and heavy metal. It was their year-end 2017 show that helped me discover Frontiers Music, an outfit out of Italy specializing in rock, melodic rock, and metal. They had a sampler in Jan 2018 that directly led me to discover two new-to-me bands and buy their records: Perfect Plan and One Desire. Both bands wear their influences on their sleeve, and I dig'em both.
The I'm in Love With That Song podcast is one I discovered when the host was a guest on Pods and Sods talking Bowie. On the 1st and 15th of the month, he drops an episode in which he dissects a single song, breaking it down to learn what makes it tick. That's how I got onto Rush's Signals album last month via his episode on Subdivisions.
When it comes to country music, two things. One, my son and I listen to our local country radio to/from church on Sundays. That's how I discovered Midland (because they sound country). Also, Saturday nights, right after SNL, is the Texas Music Scene, focusing on roots rock, outlaw country, and Americana. It's a 30-min program that has about 3 performances. Enjoy the show and I take notes. A couple of weeks ago, I learned about a band called Mike and the Moonpies. They have an album that has the same early 70s/Glen Campbell vibe Springsteen did with Western Stars. Have heard a few tracks via YouTube and I'll be buying their album. Probably gonna do it via their website so they'll keep more money.
Oh, and then there is Dappered.com. It's a men's fashion blog/website, but every month, they have a Playlist section. It's pretty wide in terms of genres. The December one led me to discover Leon Brigdes is teaming up with new-to-me Houston band, Khruangbin, for a new EP this month, Texas Sun.
A co-worker is a massive music fan and we talk frequently. He's introduced me to lots of new things.
Then there is the family. My wife's favorite music station is Radio Paradise, streaming. Hosted by a husband/wife team out of California. Their tastes are very eclectic: You'll get Patty Griffin followed by Miles Davis followed by Depeche Mode that leads to Pink Floyd. Whenever we plays games, that's what we listen to. I'll take note of bands that sound good.
Then there's my eighteen year old son. His newfound love of classic rock and metal sends him down rabbit trails I don't go. It's him who brings a lot of the legacy rock stuff in. Just this week, I listened to Def Leppard's 2015 album. Three times in the first day! Really enjoy it. Heard The Scorpions' latest CD on Saturday. They are still making great music.
Well, I think that's about it. Probably forgetting something, but this is most of it.
Love this site and keep up the good work.
Mike W- yes, some denigrate the musical output of the 70's, but you're right. There is much of worth from that decade. Music to think to, music to dance to, music to rock to; music to just have fun with...
Scott D.- Thanks for the in depth comments, and for the info on those podcasts and websites! You've given me some new sources to check out. And that Radio Paradise station is another that I'll have to look into (listen into). That eclecticism you describe is right up this Bronze ager's alley.
And it's great to hear about your son; love to know that the next generations are still carrying the torch for good music.
Glad that you're enjoying the blog; and thanks for joining in!
On 1970s music, I used to sort of join in on the general derision of that decade's output (mainly associating it with disco), but now I almost bristle when anyone says it was a bad time for music. That decade was the heyday of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, among others, and also when prog rock (which I love) made its big splash, and when the fantastic prog-adjacent band Rush (RIP Neil Peart) appeared. It was when David Bowie produced arguably his best music, and speaking of Bowie, it was the also the era of glam rock (again, love it), as well as funk and punk - the names rhyme, but the styles sure don't. Heck, even the whole disco fad produced some good music if we're being honest. Personally, far from a wasteland, I think the 70s is one of the best decades for music.
Red, re: Groove Armada. Yes, they produced some cool stuff. One of their really great tracks is "At the River," which got a lot of radio airplay here in Croatia in the late 1990s.
As to your questions, 'back then' my musical tastes were initially influenced by whatever my older siblings were listening to, and later my horizons were expanded either by a) hearing stuff of the main AOR radio station I listened to as a preteen and then teen, b) one or two friends at school who had cool taste in music, and c) occasionally reading about something in Rolling Stone or some other music magazine. Currently, though, I don't really stay very current with new developments in music.
Back when I was first getting into music, in my teens, my main source of new bands and music was the BBC's Radio One which was aimed at teenagers and young adults.
The daytime shows concentrated on chart artists. After 7 in the evening, the balance would shift entirely towards New Wave and Indie stuff and then, between 10pm and midnight, John Peel would play all the uncompromising stuff that never had a hope of making the charts.
The breadth of music Radio One played back then was mind-boggling, everything from ABBA to The Dead Kennedys.
These days, I mostly discover music from YouTube. I have some familiarity with what's on the singles chart but not much. Chart music, currently, is too formulaic and processed to hold my interest for long.
Groove Armada were very well known in Britain, mostly because I See You Baby was used in a commercial and was very difficult to escape every time you turned on your TV. I think the hit version was a remix by Fatboy Slim whose remixes were virtually ubiquitous at one point.
I still enjoy finding good music of any kind. It was always neat to discover it when I was a teen. I was always open to hearing new music, especially in college. I started with rock, pop, and R&B of my era, then when John Lennon was killed, I rediscovered the Beatles (I would always listen to my uncle's collection of albums when I visited him), then Jimi Hendrix. In the mid 80's, I found a copy of the American Graffiti soundtrack in the cutout cassette bin and my whole world expanded into 50's/early 60's rock and soul. Cassettes were reasonably priced for a college student and I found a lot of great music for a little bit of money.....venturing into blues, jazz, and even reggae. I had a pretty broad palette of musical interests.....still do.
I hear a lot of music now on the internet and on Spotify, but I still enjoy CDs, too.....most of my iPod collection consists of tunes ripped from my CDs. I will still find the occasional new band that I like, but more often than not, their sound is usually strongly influenced by what I've listened to before, with maybe a new twist or two thrown in. There are still a lot of new bands that are making music that I probably would have enjoyed 30-40(!) years ago.
Ah, the memories!
I still remember walking into Peaches for the first time, almost overwhelmed by the amount of records and tapes. Seeing genres displayed en masse and discovering new bands, wow what a time.
At "the mall" a bit later there was Musicland or Harmony House where you could sample new sounds thru handy headphones scattered thru out.
I was/am a Rock fan so the local Rock stations is where I set my dial. Though a weekly dose of Dr. Demento was a must.
Lately I've been delving from Doo-Wop to Beach Music thru youtube.
Holy Smokes Bullwinkle! Talking about music...
I am cleaning house right now (sadly a divorce after 30 years of marriage) and was getting ready to drag my 1983 Klipsch Heresy II speakers to the Goodwill to give them away. I literally checked ebay an hour ago, just for ha ha's, and the stupid things are going for $699 a pair used!
W.t.h.... is that all about???
For musical entertainment my go-to is MeTV FM at 87.7 on the FM. Sadly it does not stream. It is a component of MeTV though which I think is nation wide in the USA?
ANyhow, they play 50s to 80s. But what's cool is that I am hearing all this 60s and 70s stuff you probably have not heard since then. You know... the 1 - 2 -3 hit wonders?
E.g., driving home today I heard Paul Revere's "Indian Nation" which was chased by Kenny Loggins' "Whenever I call you friend" which was followed up with some early 60s song I had never heard! I mean, that is variety! I've heard that Paul Revere song maybe twice since 1970? (I recall it b/c I had the 45 rpm, LOL!)
And when's the last time you heard the Loggins / Stevie Nicks one? Maybe 20 years for me!
So, I do applaud Red for buying the CDs to experiment but I can do this cruzin down the highway!!!
Great read, thankyou
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