2. misc-audio
  3. 152490-527

Another Music Direct Catalog observation

I didn't want to hijack an existing thread about the current catalog's Joni cover so I started this one.

You know, I was thinking about this after I received my catalog and how burned out I was on "boomer music". I know as a Gen Xer, I've been saturated by Boomer culture since I came of age in the 80's, and my appreciation for these artists has waned in part because of their saturation in audiophile circles.

Yes, the MD catalog does pay lip service to contemporary artists, but its adherence to a musical paradigm that peaked 45 years ago or so is symptomatic of the undeniable waning of "hi-fi" as a hobby.
128x128simao
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
oregonpappa, it is not dead either. Check out Cecile Mclorin Salvant and Esperanza Spaulding. 
robertjerman you can find a great documentary on Kate on youtube. She is most definitely an original. Most singer/songwriters sing about their experiences (Joni Mitchell). Kate sings about what she imagines so she becomes a singing fetus in the womb or a Russian babushka or lost at sea. Most don't know this but Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd) discovered her.
He played a solo version of The Man With the Child in his Eyes for EMI and they put her under contract at the age of 16. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Wolf, yup quite a band. They were supposed to be the American Beatles but they self destructed. Omaha. I think only Michael Bloomfield flipped me out as much in the Paul Butterfield  Band and Electric Flag. Another self destruct story. 
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,868 posts
 

I saw Bloomfield (and the awesome Buddy Miles) in The Electric Flag in the Summer of ’68, at The Santa Clara County Folk-Rock Festival. Mark Naftalin was playing piano, Harvey Brooks bass, Nick Gravenites singing, and four sax players---two baritone, and two bass! The opening act was local band Fritz (Stevie Nicks’ and Lindsey Buckingham’s garage band), closers the doors.

Speaking of self-destruction, Skip Spence of The Grape was living in a half-way house in downtown San Jose after he was released from the nut house. He could be seen roaming the streets, bumming cigarettes. Damn LSD. He was the drummer on the first Airplane album.

winnardt
174 posts
 
mijostyn
I get that you were making the point that the Beach Boys used the wall of sound technique as well, but why in the world would you think I don't have Beach Boys discs since I admitted I'm very fond of that sound? Of course The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Dylan etc. (some of whom used the wall of sound and some didn't) of the 60's were phenomenal, I just think the creative element peaked somewhere in the early 70's and the wide range of what was acceptable to be a hit also peaked in the early 70's. With disco so prevalent later in the 70's (I actually like a few disco tunes, just not the genre) things changed and corporations took over and corporations decided who was going to be heard. And even though Elvis is thought of as a sexually charged performer, there was an even bigger shift to the sexuality of the performer being as important as the music with Prince and Madonna in the early 80's.
dsper
663 posts
 
I had a neighbor tell me that that no one was going to listen to two songs in a row from the same artist in his house, because he did not want anyone to be bored at his parties. That was 20 years ago. Now we have streaming and buying a song for 99 cents. I listened to albums when I thought they meant something before music videos hit TV. Hopefully the latest generation can find the time to do that.

Thanks for listening,

Dsper
More to discover