One thing that is missing in modern music is the FEEL one gets from real instruments played, not just numerous synthesizers. The production values in all types of genres, from the “Love Unlimited Orchestra” to “Earth, Wind and Fire”, rock acts like BTO, Glam Rockers like Bowie, Pop-Rock like Elton John/Billy Joel, and even straight pop acts like the Captain and Tennille was so much more full and artful than the auto-tuned syntho-pop-tart stuff these days.
This is not to endorse the lyrical content of any of these acts.
And also that music had to be engineered in such a manner that it sounded good on AM radio.