The majic of early 1970's rock and it's influence-

Lou...I must disagree.....most music from any era is mediocre...this is not a problem just with the rock era. I think that it is just as likely if not more so that people will know the Beatles as opposed to Sinatra and I will tell ya why..lol Do you remember who wrote Don Giovanni or who gave a particularly stellar performance of it in 1905? nuff sed

I think that music from that era is timeless & not just an
illusion of the baby boomers. Music from Carole King, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Traffic, Tull, Elton John, Al Green, Three Dog Night, Blood Sweat & Tears, Steve Miller (& Lord Save Me, Alice Cooper) & other prolific folks will be around decades from now--when Hootie & the Blowfish are just Trivial Pursuit questions. (No offense to Hootie... :) ).

Although this isn't a sociology forum, what I was trying to point out was that the development of rock, starting in the late 50's and peaking like a pyramid in the early 70's, had a huge impact on social change occuring during this era. I think that people in their late teens and early 20's, during this time, spoke with more of a group mindset than in any other time in American history-(excluding WWII). Genius come from turbulence and this time period had a lot of changes occuring at one time. I agree, some of the artists during this era are timeless. Their music will live on long past us. PS-- I've read that Mozart, as a person, was considered wild for his era.

I think that a lot of "genius" is set loose when there are no inhibitors. Booze and drugs makes for some interesting art - you cannot ignore this factor.

Yes, drugs and alcohol had a big influence as well. "Alice in Wonderland" was written while high on drugs. Absinthe was popular during the time of artists like Picasso, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Van Gogh. Drugs and genius sometimes go hand in hand.