Bangalore is about to have one of it’s largest live concerts ever, courtesy of aging 1970s rockers Deep Purple.
Who are/were Deep Purple? For our readers who like to listen to music originally recorded in their lifetime, Deep Purple were part of the the holy Trinity that founded Heavy Metal, along with Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath.
Their biggest hit was probably “Smoke on the Water” which reached #4 on the Billboard charts in 1972, and which is “#426 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. If you’ve got a friend learning to play electric guitar, you’ve probably heard him or her attempt to play it, along with Stairway to Heaven.
It is commonly the first song learned by many beginner guitarists, it’s also noted for it’s extreme difficulty. However, it’s main recognisable riff is not difficult and consequently is constantly played by learners.
In fact, it’s so popular, that one famous guitar store in Denmark Street, London, used to sport a sign on the wall reading ‘If auditioning a guitar, please refrain from playing Smoke on the Water, as this is causing our staff mental torture’… [Link]
Events like this contribute to this peculiar retro-quality that parts of Indian culture have. I suppose it’s good that Indians still appreciate the retro given that they’re still receiving visits from bands whose biggest hits were over 30 years ago. Heck, Deep Purple first broke up in 1976.
Bangalore is the only Asian stop on the reconstituted band’s tour. The group will fly in from South America to play one night in India before flying on to Europe, so in some ways it’s a big deal.
But (and I’m wrinking my nose here) … don’t you think that India should be receiving more up to date acts now? I know that tickets are expensive for the average Indian, but Bangalore should have more than enough young employees of multinationals that they’re willing to pay something close to international prices for a ticket. Why is it that, despite India Rising and all that, that India attracts only 3rd string western bands on international tour? I’m sure I’m missing something.
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Some classic Deep Purple:
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And a more recent incarnation of the band playing Smoke on the Water:
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Oh, I forgot Wings “Band on the run“
I do not think there was British vs. USA thing in Western music in India. Sure, Indian subcontinent loves melanchonic – therefore, people like Eric Clapton do rather well.
But then MJ’s Thriller was big too.
sashi, not much depth there. Yes, but I will say this : they are also often quite readable ones. I have this persistent image of the footpath bookseller trying to preserve Quality in a crass, oh-so-commercial world đ
brown girl in the ring, 1. Boney M – The first song I ever heard was my handle… Are you sure you are not me in a parallel universe? I see your “Boney M” and Abba and raise you a “Sound of Music” and “My Fair Lady”.
Anyways, in the mid 90s (late teens) in India, people would constantly ask me what music I listened to and I had a sneaking suspicion if it was to verify my coolness. …. So I would always end it with the Doors or Santana or whatever else and my inquisitioners would heave a collective sigh of relief. They could actually talk to me. As a matter of coincidence, I went retro like two months back. I hadn’t heard very much by Pink Floyd. I kind of went back, modified my orkut profile and put that Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd back. So, thanks to that, I am now cool on both sides of the Pacific. They should have a coolness meter right next to your orkut favorite music list that tells you if your music taste is “cool enough” in different parts of the world.
And there was a big alt Brit wave in the 90s in India with Oasis, Garbage, Cranberries, Blur etc…
HELL YES! I’ve never been more thrilled to be a Malayalee. đ Though I must say, when I was last in India/Kerala (’89) the only track on my New Order/Smiths/Cure/DM/Pixies/Blondie/Talk Talk/Siouxsie mix tape that my cousins cared for was the random a-ha song I slipped in…they definitely didn’t love New Order. But they also listened to loads of Samantha Fox, so their rejection of my vaguely goth/alternative lifelines didn’t hurt too much.
Anna,
You aren’t into Grease? Impossible? The presence of two X chromosomes genetically predetermines that you will sing and dance to the Grease Medley (“Tell me more, tell me more”). It’s like men and The Godfather or hip-hop artist and Scarface, Bogey and Becall, Peanut Butter and Jelly,
If you tell me that you don’t go nuts when Brown Eyed Girl, Dancing Queen, How Soon is Now, or any song from Alanis Morissette’s first album then my unifying theory of women will be shot to hell.
Actually, I make it a point to exit the dance floor while directing the nastiest possible look at the person (who claims to be a DJ) who hit play on that specific CD. AFAIK, I am all girl.
No, No, Yes, No. Wait– how on earth is HSiN part of this list?? And as far as Alanis is concerned, I HATED EVERY SONG which followed “You oughtta know”. HATED. So much so that I couldn’t even enjoy “YOK” anymore, b/c it was like a Trojan Horse filled with sonic shit. Owning “Jagged Little Pill” was a dump-worthy offense, yo.
All intelligent, intellectual girls love The Smiths. If they have a little sad streak to them, then they also like The Cure.
I just assumed that all girls love ABBA and Van Morrission, kind of like catnip and cats. You just can’t help it.
My dark secret….Milli Vanilli. I never would have made it through Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities without that tape (yep I’m dating myself I had that album on cassette) and for some reason that was the only way I was able to make it through those two damn books in high school.
Girl You Know it’s true..ggggg girl..Ooooh Oooooh Ooooh. I love you (run in place with knees up high in bicycle shorts).
…and then there was a BBC program called Rock Salad that i would listen to religiously. There was something about the trickle of rock music that came our way; it made whatever we listened to memorable.
And of course, you could hostel-dance drunk to DP, PF, DS, etc without any lyrics suggesting you should be dancing with a girl:-)
Then , I discovered THE COMMUNARDS …sigh
I wasn’t referring to you specfically either, but employing the general use of the word “you.” I am in no way attacking you or your hobbies and interests, but instead stating my distate for mainstream Hollywood, Bollywood, Lollywood, and everything in between. (Dollywood‘s still cool though.) I understand I should have been more specific in stating that distinction; I have however been very interested in learning more about Manoj Kumar and older Indian cinema. I also just purchased “filum” that looks fascinating, Ankur, at the recommendation of a particularly knowledgable cornershop clerk. I don’t want to be accused of tacitly defending Hollywood and Western pop culture either, it’s just as guilty of disseminating unconstructive stereotypes and serving to further its hegemon’s sphere of influence.
I also don’t find Bollywood or any form of pop culture to do be an effective conduit for connecting me to my “desi side”. In fact, I’m not even sure what that means: I pretty much feel like me all of the time. I do, however, have a burgeoning interest in my heritage and religion, and when I want to learn more, I go to the Gurdwara or talk to my elders. I find my interactions with them, as alien as they may seem to me and the way of life I’m used to living, to be much more fufilling, edifying, and meaningful than something like “Dhoom 2.” I want you to keep doing what makes you happy, I wanted only to add that not all 2nd genners get their rocks off the same way. I still stand by my earlier advice (to everyone, not you in particular), service to others can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
Whoops, that should read “A higher.” I must have been just that to make the typo. @=)
Just don’t expect them to eat when they get there:
When I said learn an instrument, I meant something real, not the saxophone.
Just kiddin’. @=)
Amitabh: Also, I did not and would never criticize bhangra: I love bhangra, I grew up on the stuff, and I will always be a fervid listener. Heck, when I’m not serving society by rocking, I even do bhangra remixes with my buddy Kush. (Check out that link for his stuff or drop me a line on my blog if you want to hear my stuff.) I distance myself from the hip-hop/thug aspect of bhangra (which wasn’t always there) and, as a 2nd genner, find myself relating more closely to the bands I listed and the adjuct rock culture than to what the vast majority of my desi peers relate to. That doesn’t mean I wholesale dismiss Bollywood and “Desi culture”, I’m just merely reminding the viewing audience that not everyone subscribes to those beliefs. I will agree with you on this: I’ve been really digging the stuff coming out of the UK and Scotland. (Tigerstyle + Bikram Singh = pure pwnage.) Have you heard the new KS Bhamrah? It’s quite good and I’d give it the Drrrty Poonjabi stamp of approval.
Chak dey phattey, yaaron.
Hey watch it, buddy… as long as there is the tenor saxophone, there will always be seduction.
But yeah, when I finally figured out it was damn near impossible to get a clear and explicit message out with an instrument with a mouthpiece, I picked up guitar. So there. Nyah.
Vivek, I finally devised a simple equation to quantify your sexiness: Indopuff + saxophone = seduction. In my case, the equation is “Happy trail that reaches to lower lip + piss-poor drumming capability = bottom of the barrel at shaadi.com.
Kush/brown girl in the ring, If you can remember some of the other popular artists/albums in India, can you please let me know? I have always known that my music taste amounts to nil, nothing, nada, but at least, I can help myself to some ear candy đ
Ahhh music, my favourite topic!! Such a nice change from the usual arranged-marriage/identity discussions đ
Anyway, like most here I was never a Bolly fan either. My mother preferred songs from the old films(which I can appreciate as well) but my parents mainly listened to carnatic music. My dad’s love for jazz and blues as well as my mother’s appreciation of the Beatles had a huge influence on my music tastes; by the age of 4 I was already listening to old soul tracks and The Beach Boys. Sadly the Beatles are the only ‘retro’ band I really love; my preference mostly extends to ’80s(The Smiths, The Cure, New Order, Joy Division), Britpop(ah, the memories of seeing Blur’s ‘Coffee & TV’ on the telly for the first time), various indie bands, as well as Tom Waits.
Anyway, this popularity of Pink Floyd and Bryan Adams has always puzzled me. It’s like the standard music for 30+ IIT grads to listen to đ I’ve heard though that nowadays Death Metal and Black Metal are hugely popular among the menfolk at college campuses across India, can I get a confirmation? đ Most desis around btw deride the music I listen to, especially Britpop. Apparently a love of the ’90s British bands is a sign of white-washing. I bet it’s just age-correlated haterade though. đ
And, btw, for the Pink Floyd fans, check out the documentary on the making of The Dark Side of the Moon on YouTube. Good stuff!
Meena, My mother preferred songs from the old films … but my parents mainly listened to carnatic music. My dad’s love for jazz and blues as well … I hear you. My dad likes Hindustani and old Hindi music and my mother likes Carnatic. I don’t listen to either very much, although I do like the songs from Hindi movies of the 50’s and 60’s. The big problem for me is that I find it difficult to find a CD to gift to either my Mom or Dad that they will love.
Interesting point. My Gujurati cousins NEVER EVER got into anything I listened to, and I have a pretty big range. The only American music I heard when we visited Ahmedabad in 94 was MJ. Is this Western-connected taste regional, or is my family just lame?
Nelly Furtado is performing in Mumbai sometime soon. Does that count?
DJDP, I have however been very interested in learning more about Manoj Kumar and older Indian cinema. I also just purchased “filum” that looks fascinating, Ankur, at the recommendation of a particularly knowledgable cornershop clerk. If you like Ankur, you might also like Manthan, also by Shyam Benegal. The site Manas at UCLA has some more recommendations.
Ennis
This is not an India specific phenomenon.
The majority of the top grossing acts anywhere in the world are your so called Ăâretro rockersĂâ If you look at the live performance industry, you will note that a disproportionate number of bands/performers from the 60s & the 70s pack arenas night after night.
Newer, contemporary, acts Ăâ whether modern rock, hip hop or any other genre Ăâ cannot hope to aspire to that kind of drawing power.
The list below lists the top grossing concert tours of 2005 (average ticket price in parentheses)
Almost 50 percent (9 out of 20; I couldnĂât bring myself to include Barry Manilow) are from the classic rock/pop era.
Who are some of the biggest concert draws in the US?
Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Who, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, CSNY, Kiss, Bob Seger, Santana, Allman Brothers Band, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, Moody Blues, Queen, Rush et al routinely pack concert venues across the land by the tens of thousands. Ticket prices on eBay/Craigslist range in the hundreds of dollars for most of these (if you havenĂât been obsessive enough to log onto to Ticketmaster at 9.59 AM on opening sale day)
Retro-rockers anyone?
Cream reunited for a few concerts earlier this year. The only tickets I could find were $3000 each. This, apart from the travel/stay to/at London/New York (they played respectively at Royal Albert and MSG)
Interestingly enough, the phenomenon of classic rock bands pulling in crowds by the tens of thousands is not something that is happening just today; they enjoyed similarly large (actually, much larger!) attendance back in the day. The prefix, ĂâclassicĂâ is, therefore, deserved.
The massive audience, the ticket prices, and the enduring appeal are all there for a reason.
When you plug into this music, you get what is quite often missing in todayĂâs market led formulations Ăâ real talent and real musicianship.
Deep Purple packs stadiums in India. So too do Jethro Tull, Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Elton John, Scorpions, Uriah Heep, Bruce Springsteen, Wishbone Ash, Police, Peter Gabriel and Mark Knopfler. So will Santana and U2 when they visit next year.
True taste is timeless. Indian crowds know a good thing when they see/hear it.
You wonĂât find Indians hanging from the rafters when Goo Goo Dolls are in town. Those guys sure are fun and briefly engaging but eventually passĂ©. Bring on AC/DC, however, and youĂâll see a sea of humanity in Bangalore roaring enough to bring good olĂâ Bon back to life!
Re: Delirium tremens @ 146
I can always hope DT; I can always hope that when India becomes one of the top five or ten economies in size, right about the time I am ready to retire, Indian metros would perhaps get public libraries, not that I am not planning on amassing a decent sized personal library by then.
Re: Meena @ 164
As a 30- “the college whose name shall not be spoken” grad, I would definately stike my name (and others from my cohort) off Brayan Adams ‘s fan list; Pink Flyod yes, Adams no. His popularity in India, as someone has pointed out earlier, was driven largely by (and mirrored) the growth of the music channels on TV (MTV India and Channel V), and the narrow range of their musical programming – this was before they Bollywood-ized themselves, and wrecked even the limited western musical diffusion they were channeling into the Indian auditory experience. Oh! and also because desi musical tastes naturally lean towards sappy ballads.
Since heavy/death metal was nearly as popular as classic rock by the time I left college – fueled by cheap supplies of weed – I am sure it is still as pouplar on college campuses.
When you plug into this music, you get what is quite often missing in todayĂâs market led formulations Ăâ real talent and real musicianship.
Deep Purple packs stadiums in India. So too do Jethro Tull, Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Elton John, Scorpions, Uriah Heep, Bruce Springsteen, Wishbone Ash, Police, Peter Gabriel and Mark Knopfler. So will Santana and U2 when they visit next year.
True taste is timeless. Indian crowds know a good thing when they see/hear it. Word, dude. What Karmacola said. I have always liked Pink Floyd. I watched the Pink Floyd rockumentary on “Dark Side of the Moon” a couple of months back. A couple of weeks ago, I was playing Dark Side of the Moon on my way to a meditation class, and what do I see on one of the few white dudes at the class? An unapologetic “Dark Side of the Moon” T-Shirt.
As a 30- “the college whose name shall not be spoken” grad, I would definately stike my name (and others from my cohort) off Brayan Adams ‘s fan list; Pink Flyod yes, Adams no. I will second that.
And prolly throwing in a visit to the Bandra cousins đ
Gotta take issue with this — most of the really artistic music from the 70s to today was formed as a direct reaction to this so-called “arena rock”, which was often mass-produced to appeal to the broadest audience without challenging or truly engaging the listener. I don’t mean true artists like Dylan, Springsteen, or Pink Floyd here, but Rush? Journey? Even the (later) Stones? They were just nailing catchy hooks and creating accessible pablum to sell out as many seats as possible. Of COURSE they filled up stadiums. They were as comfortable and predictable as a pair of socks. But they never said anything challenging or did any musical experimentation. By the end of the 70s you had a whole genre of stadium rockers — bands like Boston, Asia, Foreigner, and GnR. It was just a profitable corporate formula. That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily bad, but lets not pretend there was some great cultural resonance there.
Punk, rap, and new wave were explicit reactions to this kind of broadly painted music. This was the start of music as a subculture (beyond just “black” music like blues, funk, and R&B and “white” music like country, post-Beatles rock, and folk), and its splintering into a thousand different itty-bitty genres. It’s that splintering that keeps most really artistic and innovative bands from selling out stadiums (although there is the occasional crossover — Gnarls Barkley seems headed for “arena” status). However, we now have these giant subcultural festivals like Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo that combine a bunch of bands and attract many more people than the old stadium rockers ever did.
Rush is >30 years old, so that’s retro? Sorry, Ennis, you have no idea of what you are talking about. Reminds me of that ignorant columnist in the WSJ who wrote about how a band like DP on the ash heap of forgotten music draws big crowds in backward Ukraine or Moldova! You seem to have no idea how popular the classic bands of the ’60s and ’70s are right here in the US! These 50-60 somethings play to sell out crowds in outdoor venues like Blossom Center. Why even a tribute band like The Musical Box that enacts the classic three Genesis albums; Foxtrot, Selling England…, and The lamb Lies Down… plays to packed halls. Because unlike the new boy/girl band types (U2 included – a watered down and listless Police wannabe) who are one song per album wonders, the classic bands earned their spurs playing for a living and can still belt out tune after tune tirelessly. The greats continue to play till they fade away. BB King, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, John Mayall, and scores of others, and their ‘present day’ legatees are doing pretty well thank you!
Perhaps we should keep the engineering colleges out of this. I don’t think the poor engineers have all that much cultural power. If people don’t actually like the music they are listening to, they would eventually move on, and it is not like anybody is shoving the music down people’s throats (‘Let’s trim our tastes in accordance with the socialist lifestyle‘). I think there’s a bit of two factors going on – commercialism in the U.S. (Paris Hilton) and unusual market dynamics in a small market such as India which leads to overappreciation of some bands (MLTR) and underappreciation of many, many others.
So true. If I’m in the mood to connect to my desi side I listen mostly to old Hindi film songs, or read a book about Indian history. Most Bollywood is so Westernised nowadays it can hardly be called Indian, and to top it off the films are so raunchy that I even try to keep my parents away from them.
Engineering colleges in India usually have the biggest cultfests (cultural festivals). These fests are often culminated by a LiveWire (rock band competition) where almost every other Indian rock band was born – Parikrama, Agni, Indus Creed, Orange Street, Indian Ocean, Moksha..to name a few.
Here’s a wiki on Indian Rock scene http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rock
Sorry..here’s the clickable link đ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rock
Sure, there was commercial excess. But the excess came about precisely because at its root, there was genuine gold. The blues based old school rock format was a mother lode – mined tastefully by some, not so tastefully by others – that was true, that was good, that blew peopleĂâs minds. There is no arguing with that bedrock of great rock and roll that led to the lucre led corporate rock.
Selling out seats/albums? Now thatĂâs a crime isnĂât it?
Contrast that abomination with todayĂâs artists who record with a sole desire to get 100 bucks in royalties and a 500 copies initial pressing, right?
Who are we kidding?
In the ultimate analysis, the proof of the proverbial pudding is in the eating. Will people lay out their hard earned cash Ăâ for albums, for concert seats Ăâ for your product?
As classic rock has demonstrated over 50 years, money chases quality.
The Ăâexplicit reactionsĂâ of punk (rap was not a reaction to rock Ăâ arena or otherwise) are not a modern phenomenon. the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Ramones Ăâ all co-existed with the Stones, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
Wherefore, however, is punkĂâs legacy today? Just because someone, somewhere decides to have a ĂâreactionĂâ doesnĂât mean much.
Making said ĂâreactionĂâ an absorbing, fulfilling, long lasting magical, musical experience that continues to engage legions of fans generation after generation does. And no, a few thousand records sold to the self-absorbed, attitude-obsessed, be-different-from-the-mainstream-at-any-cost posers, doesnĂât count as musical success.
Where is the Led Zeppelin of today? Which band can you point to today that will surely be heard (and heard by the man on the street, not the elitist, ivory tower dwelling fringe) 50 years from now? Green Day selling out 50,000 seat venues in 2025?
Artistic integrity is a convenient shield when all you are armed with is an impotent musical tool.
Neal:
Your analysis is spot-on. The popularity of classic rock band such as PF, Led Zep, etc, has a lot to do with the fact that they can hearken back to an older time when musical tastes were more uniform. Springsteen, of course, came in later, and is something of an exception, though ‘Born in the USA’ (all those arena rock anthem) was clearly aimed to be a stadium-rock album, and he ‘went’ stadium with a vengeance after that(some would say he sold out). GNR, Europe, etc, of course, never had the same level of talent, but they knew how to hold a stadium. I don’t know much about ‘black’ music, but yes, there are lots of guys out there still doing good stuff in ‘white’ music too, but the music scene has splintered and its hard for any of these to sell out a stadium. In fact, there are some very good acts from the 70s and early 80s, who do not have the following to go stadium.
This is not to say these dudes(The Who, Led Zep,etc, and ugh, PF) were not great. They were splendid.
My best friend worked w/ Shammi Kapur when he had (has?) an animation studio. He loves the guy. You have to respect an uncle grandfather who picks up computers graphics (or any new skill) and gets deep.
AshaĂâs Dad. Did you just call me a girl? Worse, intelligent? I demand satisfaction.
163 Shankar Add Kraftwerk to that list.
This is my most favorite SM post as can be judged from number of comments I left. Please allow me to show some love and respect to: Ennis: For creating this nerd heaven. DJ Drrrty: Dude. RS Journal. Thanks. That brings back fond memories. Your post made me dig up Green River and Mudhoney. Desi interview of Kim Thyil here. Brown Girl: Dombivali? ThatĂâs so hardcore. Add Metal and Cube. I take my pagdi off. Neal: YOU just got bookmarked.
You can say this about any genre of music. I used to spend a lot of time whining and moaning about the lack of good music until I had an epiphany that there has never been a better time to be a music fan. First, there’s lots of great music out there, even if it’s not getting radio/video play. It just takes a little more effort to find it, and when you have fora like this, it’s pretty easy. Second, we have access to just about any recording every made anywhere in the world. How great is that? I feel like hearing Bulgarian Gypsy music? Pop on the internet, do some searches, order a CD…DONE!!! Classic jazz, rock, independent, does not matter. I highly recommend that any music fan just spend 20 minutes browsing through CD Baby or Itunes and you will realize just how much fantastic independent music there is out there. If you are in a city, you can hear a lot of these acts live. It’s great. Never again will I seriously entertain thoughts of it being a bad time for music.
Sakshi, Neal
Ever wondered why the music scene ĂâspinteredĂâ?
Did the possibility cross your mind that there was no longer a talent big enough to keep the central audience huge?
What you see around you today, the ĂâspinteringĂâ as you put it, is a function of the lack of singular, enormous, talent. It is increasingly itty bitty artists reaching out to increasingly itty bitty audiences. The ĂâspinteringĂâ wasnĂât part of some grand artistic design brought about by the current day arbiters of good taste. It was inevitable once MTV made what you wear and how you look more important than the music and the talent.
No one had time anymore on grinding out chord after chord, day after brutal day to reach musical perfection. No one had to work the ChitlinĂâ circuit anymore, no more dues had to paid, no more pacts were needed at any more Crossroads, no more Journeymen.
Sure, you still have have interesting bands. Intriguing bands. But interesting/intriguing do not a musical legacy make.
What is being created today does not remain on the charts for more than a few months let alone a year. Pink FloydĂâs DSOTM was on Billboard for 25 (yes, you read that right, twenty five) years.
ThatĂâs something innit?
When you plug into this music, you get what is quite often missing in todayĂâs market led formulations Ăâ real talent and real musicianship. People who bitch about lack of good music, books, films are just not looking hard enough.
classic rock has demonstrated over 50 years, money chases quality. As did every Bruckheimer film?
Wherefore, however, is punkĂâs legacy today? In every watered-down jerkwad heavy / nu-metal top 40 album. Sorry, bad example. PunkĂâs legacy can be found in artists as diverse as Elliott Smith to Fugazi and everyone in between.
Where is the Led Zeppelin of today? It’s easy to miss them cause they sound nothing like Led Zep. BTW, early LZ were panned as Muddy Waters biters.
Green Day selling out 50,000 seat venues in 2025? Probably not. But we can be sure of getting the requisite daily dose of Stairway to heaven from radio (or its 2025 avatar). And a bunch of geezers saying, “That’s real music man”. P.S. The geezer comment refers to state of mind, in case someone wants to call this almost 40-something an ageist.
Neal, Karmacola
You guys also need to consider the shake that happened in the music industry about 10 years ago. Lots of consolidation, folding of smaller labels. The era of nurturing and promoting a rock band officially ended then. I’d argue if the industry hadn’t shifted to a purely short-term profit making business, you’d still get big arena rock/pop acts. The problem is record execs now operate on a business model based on selling a shitty Ashley Simpson record to a million 11 year olds. The internet and easy access to a multitude of bands, and simply the rise in the number of bands out there has made it harder as well. The signal to noise ratio is harder to get through…
to clarify, labels are no longer willing to nurture/stick by a band long enough for them to become big arena rock acts that have the staying power of the classic “catalog” bands like the Stones, the Who, etc. Indie labels are more likely to do that.
Karmacola,
Most rap fans today would not bat an eye at Pink Floyd. Most metalheads are not going to slip some Clapton in between their Mudvayne and Staind. Most country fans aren’t grooving on Heck, even you’ve left some pretty important musicians off your list of “great artists”: did James Brown, Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye lack that transcendent talent? They never sold out arenas (or at least, were not “arena rockers”), but I can’t imagine the history of modern music without them. Perhaps the issue is just that they didn’t make the kind of music you prefer (which is fine).
This isn’t an issue of a “lack singular talents” it’s an issue of a huge recorded music market, one that’s many magnitudes bigger than it was in the early 1970s. With a market that big, it’s nearly impossible for any one artist to dominate. If you don’t like folk music, it’s unlikely you would like ANY folkie, whether it’s the Mountain Goats, Dylan, or Woody Guthrie. If you don’t like pop-rock, listening to U2 isn’t going to do it for you any more than listening to My Chemical Romance. If you just want to dance, you sure as hell are not going to appreciate Pink Floyd. There isn’t this giant monolithic idea of “musical taste” out there — there are specific bands that appeal to specific tastes. This is not a fall from grace, it’s just an evolution of the market.
Finally, you’re completely ignoring the role of Baby Boomer nostalgia in your analysis. I have a feeling that accounts for $3000 Cream tickets more than the profound lyricism of “White Room”.
When you plug into this music, you get what is quite often missing in todayĂâs market led formulations Ăâ real talent and real musicianship.
People who bitch about lack of good music, books, films are just not looking hard enough.
Why would you do anything hard Ăâ look or otherwise Ăâ for something that is essentially a pleasure? Heh heh kidding
classic rock has demonstrated over 50 years, money chases quality.
As did every Bruckheimer film?
Bruckheimer films in the Top 100 movies of all time? No Classic rock albums in the Top 100 albums of all time? Yes Distinction.
Wherefore, however, is punkĂâs legacy today?
In every watered-down jerkwad heavy / nu-metal top 40 album. Sorry, bad example. PunkĂâs legacy can be found in artists as diverse as Elliott Smith to Fugazi and everyone in between.
Legacy found, check. Said legacy found laughable, check.
Where is the Led Zeppelin of today?
It’s easy to miss them cause they sound nothing like Led Zep. BTW, early LZ were panned as Muddy Waters biters. You didnĂât understand this now did you?
Green Day selling out 50,000 seat venues in 2025?
Probably not. But we can be sure of getting the requisite daily dose of Stairway to heaven from radio (or its 2025 avatar). And a bunch of geezers saying, “That’s real music man”. P.S. The geezer comment refers to state of mind, in case someone wants to call this almost 40-something an ageist.
Good to see you are sure you WILL be getting the daily dose of Stairway to Heaven. That’s always good, trust me
This is important too. I don’t think it’s possible to really pick out the classics until you’ve gained the perspective of a few years. People fade into and out of popularity. Sounds and methods gain and lose prominence. The singer-songwriter is back in style right now, which has led swarms of kids back to re-discover artists like Nick Drake and Vashti Bunyan and proclaim them classics. Early rock was basically just electric blues, but the old bluesmen who influenced it are nearly forgotten today, even though their influences live on in every rock song. In the 90s, the popularity of Nirvana led a whole new slew of fans back to bands like the Pixies and My Bloody Valentine. Hell, even Queen were not always given their full due as an influential rock group until the slew of Britpop followers in the 90s.
So who knows. Maybe in 20 years someone will come up with an awesome reinterpretation of a minor artist and proclaim them an “unrecognized master”, at which point their musical genius will be “obvious”. And we’ll all be sitting around saying “Man, music sucks today. We don’t have any great, classic bands like Wilco anymore.”
sashi:Indian metros would perhaps get public libraries
While nowhere close to their US counterparts, Indian metros do have public libraries. I’ve been to the ones in Bangalore. Also, you can find the Digital Library of India on the net.
Said legacy found laughable, check. I know subjective and all, but damn, Fugazi, E. Smith laughable? Might as well add Smiths, Beastie Boys, Nirvana and Radiohead to your laughable list.
Re: elitist poseurs. Bollywood composer Sajjad Hussain was revered by his peers like C Ramchandra, Naushad, Shankar Jaikishan etc. Yet he never had much of commercial success. This crap is universal.
Good to see you are sure you WILL be getting the daily dose of Stairway to Heaven. That’s always good, trust me. Yes it is. But my daily dose would have a lot more in the mix. And I will be arguing w/ ĂâWhere is the B.I.G. of todayĂâ lot.
sashi:Indian metros would perhaps get public libraries
Even really small towns have municipal libraries with newspapers, magazines, and books. Places like Delhi have huge public libraries that include British Council, Delhi Universities, IIT, JNU libraries.
One should not compare them to US, the difference in the wealth of the nation comes into play. Please, they are in different leagues.
Most rap fans today would not bat an eye at Pink Floyd. Most metalheads are not going to slip some Clapton in between their Mudvayne and Staind. Most country fans aren’t grooving on
My point exactly; you eat a burger when you could have steak.
Heck, even you’ve left some pretty important musicians off your list of “great artists”: did James Brown, Otis Redding, and Marvin Gaye lack that transcendent talent? They never sold out arenas (or at least, were not “arena rockers”), but I can’t imagine the history of modern music without them. Perhaps the issue is just that they didn’t make the kind of music you prefer (which is fine).
If I were to list the entire pantheon of blues, R&B and jazz greats, it would keep me going all year The discussion was about rock and rockers. Hence the list of rock acts
This isn’t an issue of a “lack singular talents” it’s an issue of a huge recorded music market, one that’s many magnitudes bigger than it was in the early 1970s. With a market that big, it’s nearly impossible for any one artist to dominate.
All the more reason for good talent to find a larger audience. If you have a good product, a bigger market is better news. Artists no longer dominate because they do not have what it takes to dominate. If you had someone today who could play guitar like Hendrix, trust me the market from Japan to Johannesburg would lap him up. If there were someone today who could write like Dylan, rest assured people would adore him worldwide. True talent has universal appeal. When you are not blessed with a musical gift for the ages, you find refuge in sophistry and effete explanations about market dynamics.
Finally, you’re completely ignoring the role of Baby Boomer nostalgia in your analysis. I have a feeling that accounts for $3000 Cream tickets more than the profound lyricism of “White Room”
The $3000 tickets were indeed obscene. But if one has that kind of cash, one could do worse than spend it on Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton – the best rock drummer, the best free form bassist and the most enduring rock guitar player the world has ever known
Imphal is probably the rock music capital of Bharat.
If you like Led Zep, check out Australia’s Wolfmother. Although purists will blanch because the lead singer’s voice is a teensy too much alike Robert Plant’s.
Those who claim that there aren’t any modern artists around akin to the greatness that was The Beatles or Floyd are simply myopic.
you eat a burger when you could have steak. Tastes are subjective. Time adds perspective. Helter Skelter was voted as the worst Beatles song when first released.
The discussion was about rock and rockers. Hence the list of rock acts. VU and Nick Drake weren’t exactly brushing off groupies on way to their billion selling world tours.
Kush/sashi, One should not compare them to US, the difference in the wealth of the nation comes into play. Please, they are in different leagues. True. I think that is sashi‘s overall point. I used to go pretty frequently to this public library in Chennai. Now that I think about it, the quality and selection of books there was quite poor. Does anybody know if the situation has improved?
A serious suggestion : Some of these public libraries would do well to use the books made available by the Gutenberg project : simply take multiple printouts of the classics of literature, bind them and make them available in hardcopy format. I think it would make a huge difference in terms of the selection.
Neale on December 5, 2006 02:30 PM Ă· Direct link
Imphal is probably the rock music capital of Bharat.
Somewhat true..though Shillong was the initial major catalyst of all things rock in the NorthEast of India.
ĂâGreat SocietyĂâ, fronted by Lou Majaw, was the grand panjandrum of the rock-reggae movement in those areas nearly three decades back.
The real capital in the pioneering sense, however, was Calcutta. Bands like ĂâGreat BearĂâ and ĂâHighĂâ in the 70s. Dilip Balakrishnan, Lew Hilt, Nondon Bagchi on guitar, bass and playing to a crowd already gorged senseless on all the glorious vinyl discarded/sold by the departing firang flower power children.
ĂâHighĂâ, however, could not achieve the success it deserved as Dilip succumbed to lung cancer while in his thirties.
Shodan, Thanks for the love. You familiar with Good old Dombivli?
I guess the reason this post has so many comments is that everyone thinks they have the best taste in music and whatever they listen to must be great/classic and all else is bunk.
Atleast it’s hard to get too personal. Battle on Mutineers.
“She looks like a sugar in the plum, plum plum!”
I just want to know where can i get the tickets for the deep purple show( is it planet M again? ).plz im from Bangladesh..the earlier the better for me. LONG LIVE ROCK’N’ROLL!!