“Then tell us, explain, the purpose of, uh, sharing with us those lists of yours.”
Although I see no reason necessary to “explain”, it is easy to simply note what the author of the thread asked for: “Post up some old tunes for a Saturday night.”
Accordingly, I posted extracts from my lists that are “old tunes” that mostly came from the hippie period or the 60s and 70s. No ulterior motive. No competition for uniqueness, greatest of something, or trying to outdo someone for some arcane reason. They’re just some tunes that were popular enough to be remembered and collected. Like the man once said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
“What makes one valuable to others is uniqueness of one’s contribution, I think. Who needs to know my recipe for apple pie, or for mashed potatoes, which is already known to everyone. I’ll give you a recipe for mashed potatoes that includes bulgarian buttermilk and bacon chips. Not many know it.”
Hey dude, if youse don’ like them, youse welcome to ignore ‘em.
“Popular taste is Danielle Steel, Thomas Kinkade and Dan Brown, thank you very much, I’ll pass.”
By all means make yourself happy and be as stylish and uptight as you want to be. It’s a free world, right? I’m sure you won’t mind if those of us with more plebian tastes indulge in the popular pap you find so outre?
“As for Peter Frampton, his multi-million selling album “Frampton Comes Alive” was at one point on the lists of the worst rock albums ever.”
I always get a good laugh at that one. Peter Frampton and his album first came to my attention when a friend and co-worker, who also happened to be and ASCAP artist, recommended it to me. He invited me down as a guest to a studio recording session in West Hollywood one day. The crew and artists got to talking about the bands we liked, and they found it interesting how so many of us liked ELO, ELP, Pink Floyd, The [Guess} Who, and the Nitty Gritty Band for different reasons. Peter Frampton’s album had just been released, and they insisted I had to add it to the collection. I liked it then and today, so other opiions to the contrary are just so much noise so far as I’m concerned. music is supposed to be fun, and Peter Frampton’s album was playful and fun.
“Popular taste. What’s to brag about if you follow the crowd?”
“Brag”? Who said anything about bragging, except you? If there is anyone who wants to waste their time bragging, let them do it somewhere else and let the rest of us just listen to our music in peace and have some fun and nostalgic memories. Me follow the crowd? I thought the crowd was follwong me!
The most interesting things in arts, all arts, happen on the edges, come from the left field, and that's where I look, that's what I share with others, and that's what I hope others will share with me, because I'm always looking. So forgive me if I get annoyed and overreact seeing listings of mainstream. There is no there there. The kids on American Idol are imitators of mainstream artists, and how interesting is that? Who needs that? Christopher Columbus could have saved himself a lot of trouble, turned his ships around, back to the port, and reported to Queen Isabel that he discovered Portugal! The most popular car Honda Civic received unexpectedly negative reviews from Consumer Reports and other publications last year. It was disappointing, boring, lacking expected new features, or something like that. Yet, the public that follows what's popular and disdains critics, went out and bought it anyway. Peter Frampton was Honda Civic 2012.
The most popular beer, say, Bud Lite, isn't the best beer, is it? The most popular vodka, gin, whiskey? Want to hear something boring? Listen to Eric Clapton's new album. Hold your breath waiting for another Fleetwood Mac reunion coming later this year. Wanna hear something interesting? Here my list would be long, so I'll shorten it to a handful of band names: Filligar, Red Wanting Blue, Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers, and this band: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bODrsgHU4g
I hear David Bowie's new album is interesting. But then, Bowie always experimented a little, not always successfully, but he never sank into a comfortable rut like so many others. If you discovered something interesting that few know about, share it. Some want to hear it, are anxious to find it and will appreciate it, while others live happy letting everyone know, sometimes bragging, that they are part of the crowd, and let you know as if they were Columbus discovering America that "Peter Frampton Comes Alive" is "amazing", "awesome", "incredible", "great". Which are the same words they'll use telling you about Dan Brown's new tome after it sold 20 million copies.
Cheers.