I agree.

I have never been able to get into today's music, because it all gives me a headache.   Although many disagree, I just don't see any talent in today's artists.  Anyone can stand up, wave their arms around, yell out obscenities and rip off background music from old hits...

I stopped liking "current music" around the time that grunge came into the picture, and since then I have always listened to pre-grunge music, anywhere from the 50's to the early 90's.  The only exception would be "Believe" by Cher which was maybe late 99 or early 2000??  I like that one.  And Don't Speak by No Doubt is good too.

The only exception would be 'Believe' by Cher' So are you telling me, out of ALL the songs post-grunge that was the only one you liked?  :)
Yes, I think it's just not a case of music 'snobbism.' People who are geniunely interested in music for music/creativity's sake tend to kind of understand it a bit better. Nonetheless, we shouldn't completely turn a blind eye to pop music - there are the occaisional gems.


But seriously ADH13, I think you missed alot of good music in the 90s. In, say, 1995, I wouldn't have mind listening to Top 40 (heck, I only listened to pop music in 2000), so many classics.

So are you telling me, out of ALL the songs post-grunge that was the only one you liked?  :)
Yes, I think it's just not a case of music 'snobbism.' People who are geniunely interested in music for music/creativity's sake tend to kind of understand it a bit better. Nonetheless, we shouldn't completely turn a blind eye to pop music - there are the occaisional gems.


But seriously ADH13, I think you missed alot of good music in the 90s. In, say, 1995, I wouldn't have mind listening to Top 40 (heck, I only listened to pop music in 2000), so many classics.


I'm sure I did miss alot of good ones... but yes, I stopped listening to the current radio stations around the time of grunge...  I found "Believe" and "Don't Speak" by accident, when people played them enough on a jukebox in a bar, that I started to warm up to them...

This is my overview of what is happening:


1990-1993:  80's still hanging around, grunge, old-school, gangsta' rap.
1994-1997:  True '90s.  Post-grunge, Dance music, pop music started to kick in, country.
1998-2000:  2000's start kicking in, Europop, ghetto music, pop, country,progressive/alternative, girly-pop/boy bands, R&B and Hip-Hop, NuJazz in 1998.
2001-2004:  Teen pop, pop, hip-hop, many comebacks in music, CRAP!
2005:  Pop punk, R&B and Hip Hop, "minimalist pop (Mariah Carey, anybody), NuJazz, Europop, Dance  music, ghetto, etc.

What do you think?

I just listened to the Top 40 in the first time in ages, and it is the biggest piece of sh** I've ever heard. Have you heard that new Britney Spears song, 'Why don't you do something' or something like that. I'd rather have a jackhammer right next to my ear that hear that piece of utter garbage. Pop music today is truly dead, and like everything I truly believe the more commercialised and 'cheap' something gets, the quality degrades (okay, it may not be my theory, but still). It applies to everything - from Hollywood movies, to even food and clothes. Music today is so commercialised people kind of forget what music was for in the first place. Music is a very emotional, often personal (and also collective experience, ie. concerts) and when it becomes a commodity...it kind of detracts from the original purpose of music.

Modern songs are like plastic cutlery; cheap and disposable, whereas older songs are like...well you get the picture. Just wanted to have a little rant. I also welcome any opinions, etc.

Pop princesses...particularly Ms. Spears...have done more to degrade pop music than all the greedy record company execs. Oh wait, they are just puppets told what to do by the record company executives.



You are preaching to the converted here. And yes, I agree 99.9%

i can't even stand listening to those kinds of radio stations anymore....I always play my favorite station that plays everything from late 60's to early 90's...it totally ROCKS!


Erin :)

I just listened to the Top 40 in the first time in ages, and it is the biggest piece of sh** I've ever heard. Have you heard that new Britney Spears song, 'Why don't you do something' or something like that. I'd rather have a jackhammer right next to my ear that hear that piece of utter garbage. Pop music today is truly dead, and like everything I truly believe the more commercialised and 'cheap' something gets, the quality degrades (okay, it may not be my theory, but still). It applies to everything - from Hollywood movies, to even food and clothes. Music today is so commercialised people kind of forget what music was for in the first place. Music is a very emotional, often personal (and also collective experience, ie. concerts) and when it becomes a commodity...it kind of detracts from the original purpose of music.

Modern songs are like plastic cutlery; cheap and disposable, whereas older songs are like...well you get the picture. Just wanted to have a little rant. I also welcome any opinions, etc.

Pop princesses...particularly Ms. Spears...have done more to degrade pop music than all the greedy record company execs. Oh wait, they are just puppets told what to do by the record company executives.




Though I totally agree with you, what your saying is not entirely new. Older people have been dissing newer stuff for years. It's very human to hate anything outside of your "comfort zone". Then again, I think things are out of control now. Especially since Rock Bands are starting to look and sound like eachother and MTV is a godforsaken mess. Rap/Hip Hop though popular is like an ugly wound. If these ignorant people would just stop messing with it, it'll heal. I Love Hip/Hop but it's making me sick now a days.
Not to mention getting rid of these corporate S.O.B's who are running out and telling these artists " Oh we gotta reach a certain target market! Change your sound, change your look, be something different just make us money!"

I just listened to the Top 40 in the first time in ages, and it is the biggest piece of sh** I've ever heard. Have you heard that new Britney Spears song, 'Why don't you do something' or something like that. I'd rather have a jackhammer right next to my ear that hear that piece of utter garbage. Pop music today is truly dead, and like everything I truly believe the more commercialised and 'cheap' something gets, the quality degrades (okay, it may not be my theory, but still). It applies to everything - from Hollywood movies, to even food and clothes. Music today is so commercialised people kind of forget what music was for in the first place. Music is a very emotional, often personal (and also collective experience, ie. concerts) and when it becomes a commodity...it kind of detracts from the original purpose of music.

Modern songs are like plastic cutlery; cheap and disposable, whereas older songs are like...well you get the picture. Just wanted to have a little rant. I also welcome any opinions, etc.

Pop princesses...particularly Ms. Spears...have done more to degrade pop music than all the greedy record company execs. Oh wait, they are just puppets told what to do by the record company executives.




It's exactly the same as the UK charts. At the moment, they're busy re-releasing every Elvis number one, so he's got a few in the top 40. There are loads of new rock bands in there as well. Ciara's there too (i know 'goodies' was number one in the states for 7 weeks but it only lasted one week at the top here!). I think Britney's 'do somethin' (or do some-in' as she says it) is still in the chart - it peaked at number 6. The chart's crap at the moment, apart from the Stereophonic's 'Dakota' and the current number one '(Is This The Way To) Amarillo', but even that's starting to grate because what music channels and radio stations do is play the number one over and over and over. it's really annoying.
Number ones we've had here in the UK so far this year... Ciara, J-Lo, Elvis (3), Tony Christie, Nelly feat Tim McGraw, McFly, Stereophonics, U2 and others which I can't be bothered to mention. Oh, and Mario reached number 2 in our chart last week (I know that was a big number one over in the states as well)
You're right about the whole 'pop's going downhill' thing. Why can't we just have charts dominated by decent bands for a change?

It's very owrrying the direction in which music is going. I live in Australian and the Grammy Awards wasn't shown here until a couple of weeks back. I remember watching it and about the only good performance of the whole night was Alicia Keys and jamie Foxx doing Georgia(sp?) by Ray Charles. I liked it and I think if artists like Alicia keys keep doing what their doing, maybe good music will be saved. I think the best thing would be for alot of older, classic artists to bring out new album. Not rehashed greatest hits CD's, new material. I heard Stevie Wonder is making new music. Prince is always making new music and I love him for doing that. The only problem with Prince is that kids care too much about image and so when they see Prince they think he's a fruit and weird so they don't listen to him. I'm not saying Prince isn't a fruit and weird, but that shouldn't matter when it comes down to good music. His weirdness actaully makes him more appealing for me.
Hopefully, with the work of God, and continued support from his family, friends and fans, Michael Jackson will be vindicated later this year and his new music (which some I've allready heard through internet leaks) will be finally released. Alot of people will probably be thinking it's gonna be crap. Think "Off The Wall" but with songs that are destined to be as big as Billie Jean. This album has very funky songs, some beautiful soul stuff, Michael goes back to his roots. Stuff on this new album could've easily been done back in the 60's. 50's and 60's roots mixed with the advancment in recording and music production of today, makes one hell of a great album. It's also well done. The first couple of tracks sound like 50's and 60's songs and then the next few sound like 70's songs and then the rest sound sort of modern, but not really and there's a few African-folk-music on there too. The Jackson brothers do a cover of an old African-folk-song and it sounds great. You'll enjoy this new album. It's gonna bring a whole new level to today's music. I'm pretty sure that after the release of Michael Jackson's new album, there'll be no more "TODAY'S MUSIC SUCKS" threads.

I just listened to the Top 40 in the first time in ages, and it is the biggest piece of sh** I've ever heard. Have you heard that new Britney Spears song, 'Why don't you do something' or something like that. I'd rather have a jackhammer right next to my ear that hear that piece of utter garbage. Pop music today is truly dead, and like everything I truly believe the more commercialised and 'cheap' something gets, the quality degrades (okay, it may not be my theory, but still). It applies to everything - from Hollywood movies, to even food and clothes. Music today is so commercialised people kind of forget what music was for in the first place. Music is a very emotional, often personal (and also collective experience, ie. concerts) and when it becomes a commodity...it kind of detracts from the original purpose of music.

Modern songs are like plastic cutlery; cheap and disposable, whereas older songs are like...well you get the picture. Just wanted to have a little rant. I also welcome any opinions, etc.

Pop princesses...particularly Ms. Spears...have done more to degrade pop music than all the greedy record company execs. Oh wait, they are just puppets told what to do by the record company executives.


I wholeheartedly agree with you. I haven't even attempted to listen to a Top 40 station in ages (most of what I catch a glimpse of on MTV sounds like recycled hip-hop) but I occasionally listen to "modern rock" stations and I share the same sentiment. Everything is slowed way down, none of the music has any energy to it, and you never hear any songs anymore that have a good rock n' roll backbeat that either you can dance to or that makes you want to stomp on the gas.
    I think that the real culprit in this matter is Clear Channel Communications. In 1996 Congress passed a bill that deregulated the telecommunications industry. This did away with the restrictions that were in place limiting the number of radio and TV stations a corporatin could own in a single market. When this happened, Clear Channel immediately began buying out as many stations as they could and then changing their formats. Even in the relatively small city of Lincoln, NE (in which I lived at the time) there were still commercial "alternative" stations which played a lot of music that was popular at the time yet could still be considered to be outside the Top 40 mainstream. I don't want to start an 80's vs. 90's vs. 00's argument here, but I feel that the during the early to mid 90's there was a diversity and freedom and creativity in popular music that has since been driven off the airwaves and back into the underground.
    Just after Clear Channel began its rise to power, these "alternative" stations began disappearing almost immediately and not much longer after that was when all the N'Syncs and the Backstreet Boys and the Britneys began appearing and dominating the charts. The situation today is just as bad if not worse than it was in 1990, when the charts were dominated by such dreck as Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, Wilson Phillips, and Warrant, just to name a few. Then Nirvana came along and singlehandedly began a revolution in popular music.
    I don't think that'll ever happen again. The powers that be simply won't allow it.