I recently read an article in the Washington Post(http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-07-19/opinions/40670313_1_beatlemania-maharishi-mahesh-yogi-ringo-starr) where the author laments the continuing popularity of The Beatles and say “they made more than music; they made history. But four decades later, it’s time to let them go.” There is also a quote from someone saying it is “incomprehensibly strange.” that kids would listen to 40 year old music. I will admit that, while I think The Beatles are a very good band, I am more of an Elvis guy. If I had to choose one, I would go with The King every time. I don’t, however, think it is strange for kids to listen to 40 year old music.
I think adults could learn a lesson from these kids. When I was a teenager, I was determined that I would never be the type of adult who refused to give music of the next generation a chance. I will admit that I had a rocky relationship with music in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, but now the relationship is strong again. Too many adults can’t say this. They refuse to listen to music that is not from their era and follow the lead of their parents before them with the “How can they listen to that crap?” mentality. I wonder, though, if they have ever really taken the time to listen to the “crap”.
I don’t care how old a song is, what genre a song is, or who sings the song. If it is good music it is good music. Why is it strange that we still listen to The Beatles? Is it good music? The author says yes(and so do I) so go for it. Listen as much as you want. Try the Stones, the Doors and Elvis while you are at it. And why is it strange that I like newer bands like Imagine Dragons or more obscure newer bands like Bowling For Soup and Patent Pending? Is it good music? I think so and that’s all that matters. I shouldn’t start listening to only the 80’s or easy listening or switch to country because I am old. Kids shouldn’t only listen to newer music because they are young. We should encourage them to add classics to the playlist.
I challenge everyone(or at least the 12 people who will read this) to really listen to music from a different generation or genre than the norm. You never know. You just might like it.
The World's Common Tater 
I have always made an attempt to find something about the music of every generation to latch onto, though I admit I had a HUGE dry spell with the sixties until I discovered early Genesis and John Lee Hooker’s Plays and Sings the Blues album from 1961 (that’s basically what got me listening to the blues in the first place).
>I will admit that i had a rocky relationship with music in the late 90′s/early 2000′s, but now the relationship is strong again.<
Funny–that was the last time I had a decent relationship with a pretty broad spectrum of commercial radio, maybe because a lot of what I did hear was filtered through NPR–the stuff Jandek was releasing at that time, Vertical Horizon, early Kid Rock (during the Joe C days), Heather Nova, the early days of Breaking Benjamin, and then filtering THAT through one of the best periods of noise so far (Lockweld, Radiosonde, Knurl, Aube, and Death Squad were all ascendant in 98-99, and that's just the tip of the iceberg), It was a great time to be a musical omnivore.
The music that's really got me interested that I guess I could consider "new" at this point is the stuff that's combining prog-metal and technical-death–I think it started when Steven Wilson and Mikael Akerfeldt started collaborating (I can never remember what Opeth album that was), but it's exploded over the past few years–Neurosis has seen a major resurgence in popularity, and newer bands like Allegaeon are releasing ridiculously good albums that wouldn't sound out of place being played next to either Opeth OR Porcupine Tree. Or Marillion or Tool, for that matter. Intronaut!
LikeLike
I think my problem with music during that time frame might have been a combination of first moving to new areas and struggling to find a good radio station, listening to more talk radio as I started driving more and needed something different to listen to and then having small children in the car.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on The World's Common Tater and commented:
A frien posted a vidoe of all the songs of the summer since 1958. I was familiar with the mist recent songs and the mid 90’s back but had a hole in the middle where I didn’t know the songs. It reminded me of some of my music posts like this one. I’m trying to not have another hole where I don’t know what new music is out there. I don’t want to tbe the old guy who won’t listen to new music. They always annoyed me when I was a kid.
LikeLike
I actually have really eclectic taste in music. I agree, good music is good music. The only music I don’t listen to is mysogenistic rap and heavy death metal. But otherwise, I’m an open book
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hear, hear (pun coincidental.) I was listening to 200-year-old classical music as a kid along with rock and jazz from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and still do (well, that same classical music is a damn sight older than that now) along with stuff from every decade since then – there are some kinds of music I don’t care for, but other than material with messages of hate or intolerance, that’s just my value-neutral ear. If anyone finds that “incomprehensibly strange”, the problem is with that person’s comprehender and not with my musical tastes. It always makes me laugh when I hear someone equate his or her own tastes with some objective standard of merit.
LikeLiked by 1 person