Posted on 06/12/2009 12:28:41 PM PDT by a fool in paradise
"This history of American popular music culminates with the splintering of music culture by the Fab Four."
...Critiquing critics
"It is often said that history is written by the victors, but in the case of pop music, that is rarely true," Wald writes. "The victors tend to be out dancing, while the historians sit at their desks, assiduously chronicling music they cannot hear on mainstream radio." It's a valid conceit, yet it's hardly revolutionary. In fact, it was much more clearly articulated 30 years ago, when the sage philosopher David Lee Roth noted: "Rock critics like Elvis Costello because rock critics look like Elvis Costello." Besides, Roth probably had no quarrel with the Beatles. Unfortunately, the title of Wald's book is a thousand-pound gorilla hovering over every page of this "alternative" history of popular music.
The author of books on bluesman Robert Johnson and folkie Dave Van Ronk, Wald takes a mostly reasonable, if contrarian, approach to the nation's musical past. He highlights the push and pull, the market forces and popular trends and not-so-popular technological breakthroughs that forced pop music's evolution. Because the mythology of the rock era tends to suffocate all that came before it, Wald's backroads journey has real moments of enlightenment.
Can you dance to it?
Starting with ragtime, Wald recounts a nascent industry that was built around sheet music sales at a time when a piano was a common instrument in many homes. Eventually, ragtime gave way to jazz, swing and pop, along with advancements such as radio, records and jukeboxes, which musicians and the music business fought every step of the way (a reactionary behavior that still exists, given the music industry's reluctance now to embrace the digital marketplace)...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
For example, the Velvet Underground were already recording their debut album in 1966. They didn't see the "door opened" by Sgt. Pooper.
And while the Beatles' lifted the shriek from Little Richard, they also took from Gene Vincent and others. Chuck Berry had much more influence on the Beach Boys and Chuck took from country artists himself.
And it is flat out wrong to think that "Yesterday" paved the way for Simon and Garfunkel. Crawdaddy Magazine (which was focused initially on folk) paved the way for the folkies' acceptance of the Electric Bob Dylan Band.
I know a Doo-Wop Kareoke DJ who says the same thing. He doesn’t even have the Beatles in his catalog.
I had someone ask me to play something by the Beatles. NOT the song “Something”, no, “you know that good one...”.
I remember someone talking about the influence that “the Velvet Underground”’s first album had on rock music.
Someone else dismissed it saying “they only sold a few thousand copies”.
To which the person replied “Yes, but everyone who bought one started a band!”
Bowie had an acetate of the album before it came out and was already incorporating it into his live sets. It changed the course of his music.
And it certainly had an effect on the songwriting of “alternative” bands from the late 1970s-early 1980s. And subsquent bands were getting it second and third hand.
Subsequent bands were getting influenced by the Velvet Underground second and third hand BECAUSE EVERYONE WHO BOUGHT THAT ALBUM STARTED A BAND!!! ;)
In my opinion, anyone who likes the Beatles more that the Rolling Stones likes Pop better than Rock, and needs to get back in touch with the BLUES.
“Shake em on down”
“You got to move”
“Bring it on Home”
“You shook me”
“Baby please don’t go”
“Back door man”
“Stop Breaking down”
“Killing floor blues”
“Little Red Rooster”
Yoko Ono enjoys rare music honour (BBC News - Thursday, 11 June 2009 00:43 UK)
John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono has received a lifetime achievement honour at the Mojo magazine awards in London, the first music prize of her career.
I read this book. The title is intentionally misleading. He does not believe that the Beatles destoyed Rock and Roll. He compares the Beatles in their era with Paul Whiteman in his era, who historians say destroyed jazz. When in fact both bands moved music forward.
That’s just a piece. It’s a very good book and a good history of what music historians don’t always talk about.
so if I just like what u like we’ll all get along?
This Wald fella is smoking crack.
I agree that he has been historically overrated by rock critics. Elvis is a good musician of diverse interests, but no particular work really stands out. OTOH, almost anything his wife (Diana Krall) covers seems absolutely brilliant.
Yes, I did mean to stray off topic because I am enamored of Diana Krall.
The Beatles were freakin awesome
Haven’t read the book. Sound interesting. I must say that I LOVED the Beatles. I first became aware of music with Elvis, then the Beatles came along and blew me away. They got me to love music - because of my joy from their music, I just had to learn to play guitar, then later on, the piano. Yes, they were pop-rock, but they were a very, very, good pop-rock band. They had the good fortune to get hooked up with George Martin, whom I think is the real genius behind their sound and their growth as musicians.
I grew up in the sixties and early seventies. It would have been a much more dismal time if not for the wonderful music by so many great bands.
>.no particular work really stands out.
I saw him quite a bit in his early rocker days. Great Live shows...first few rocking albums.
As far as works standing out, IMO, King of America is a masterpiece.
But, tastes vary and you may not get the same results.
Um, may I like both of them if Hubby is a blues fiend? He's spending our heirs' inheritance on blues music starting in the 19th century, I think.
My condolences. Yes, you can like both bands equally.
Seems like “My daddy spent my inheritance on blues albums” would make a DAMN fine blues song! ;)
My, we go way back don’t we?! How did we end up here? LOL!
Would “uncle” work? Hmmm... My Uncle Died And All I Got Was Ten Cases of Blues CDs. You’re right, it has a certain something about it. Too bad Bukka White isn’t around to sing it, huh.
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