http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005 by the authors Wed, 19 Feb 2003 20:06:32 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3657 I personally just can't believe that all these years after the fact people are still kvetching that "their" little genre went mainstream in the early 90s. 3657@blogcritics.org Wed, 19 Feb 2003 20:06:32 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3640 Green Day is a "real" punk band. Their playing is tighter, their lyrics are sharper, and their sound is much more melodic and inspiring than anything put out by Minor Threat, etc. As for The Clash they, along with X, Husker Du, and a few others, were an exception to the drudge churned out by the Pistols, etc. And as you'll recall, The Clash abandoned the punk sound for the funk and such on their later albums. Regarding current stuff being better because of superior technology, who cares? All rock music is based on electric guitars and other technological innovations. Technology allowed Nirvana to bury their melodies in the distortion, an effect that didn't and couldn't come out in their (otherwise great) concerts; listeners became hooked, so to speak, when the melodies slowly rose through repeated playing. As for the "alternative" label, most bands hate being called that. The name is a record industry/radio station invention. "modern" is less offensive, although still dopey. 3640@blogcritics.org Wed, 19 Feb 2003 13:49:35 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3639 I would admitt that the music that's on radio today is better produced and smother over all, but....I have 2 words for you Husker DU 3639@blogcritics.org Wed, 19 Feb 2003 13:25:06 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3637 I think Mike makes a good point about fashion and one I hadn't really thought through. But to claim that Green Day is better than real punk by bands like Minor Threat, the Circle Jerks, the Clash, etc. is crazy. Perhaps to some ears the music of the 90's sounds better than that of the 80's, but how much of that is a result of superior recording technology? And, I think you make a good point of bands on the radio being better, to some extent. But what irks me is their insistence that they're somehow alternative! How alternative is it to play stadiums full of teenyboppers, be all over emptyvee, on a major label, etc.? 3637@blogcritics.org Wed, 19 Feb 2003 12:45:44 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3633 I don't buy this argument for a second. That "body piercings," et al morphed into mainstream fashion is not surprising, since fashion is not and never has never been a way of sticking it to the Man. The alt.music of the 80s was innovative, but its commercially succesful descendant was in most respects vastly superior. Nirvana and Pearl Jam refined the sound and produced music that is still great today. Green Day and Rancid were much better than the muddled punk of the 80's. Best of all, alt liquidated 80s mainstream rock. Rock stations today sound better than they did in the 80s, and kids listen to rock actually played by bands their age. Korn is a huge improvement over Poison. Mudvayne is a huge improvement over Iron Maiden. Rock is not capable of changing the world. That idea is bogus. All we can ask of it is that it sound great and be relevant to our lives. Which it was in the Nineties. Thank you. And God Bless You. 3633@blogcritics.org Wed, 19 Feb 2003 11:57:07 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3619 you still have all your old Beat Happening tapes... 3619@blogcritics.org Wed, 19 Feb 2003 09:56:00 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3611 Good one, Eric! 3611@blogcritics.org Tue, 18 Feb 2003 18:29:22 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3609 Bill, two in one day is called "zeitgeist." 3609@blogcritics.org Tue, 18 Feb 2003 17:42:00 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3608 Gosh, two postings about the death of a musical form on the same day: all I can say is, "THEY'LL NEVER KILL POLKA MUSIC!" 3608@blogcritics.org Tue, 18 Feb 2003 17:31:23 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3606 Or you can do like I am doing, go through all of your old cassettes and figure out what the hell was on those mix tapes, and set up a free internet radio station and pick and choose. I only listen to the radio at work, because our LAN doesn't allow streaming audio, but at home I have found some great Web radio sites. 3606@blogcritics.org Tue, 18 Feb 2003 17:09:25 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/02/18/154534.php#comment-3604 Nothing for it; now "Alternative" had become the mainstream, You'll have to become a prog rock fan! 3604@blogcritics.org Tue, 18 Feb 2003 17:04:31 EST