Opus 80|A Musical Opus from the 1980s

I know, I know, I’m starting to sound like my parents when it comes to complaining about the state of modern music these days.  I mean, doesn’t every generation throw a hero up the pop charts, as my friend Paul Simon used to say?  But then again, doesn’t every generation have a bunch of parents ready to douse the current set of music artists, and burn them in effigy?  OK, that may be a little harsh, but there is a certain set of justice to it.  Lady Gaga, is one that at first I would have put into this category.  She seemed to care about nothing but here persona in the media, the internet, and television.   But, then I actually started liking some of her music and changed my mind.  Funny how that works.  All it needs is a good song hook in the chorus, and all of a sudden my viewpoint changes.  I guess the music from our formative years will always seem better, because of how we associate with some very defining moments in our growth.  Although, one good thing about getting older, is how I have a whole history of great songs to listen to, plus an occasional new one that sparks my interest.

Music from the eighties had a unique sound, that seems to be missing from so much of the music today. I know I sound like an old codger when I start writing stuff like that, but I do believe it’s true. At least the artists of the seventies and eighties seem to be trying to come up with a unique sound for their bands to distinguish them from the rest of the crowd. Where as today, the number of artists trying to do that seem far and few in between.

That’s not to say that there aren’t any, it just seems like so many all sound the same. All the hip hop dance floor stuff seems to be the music of choice by so many people today. When I think back to the eighties, I think about the unique sounds of bands like Journey (Steve Perrys voice), Abba, the Eagles, the Beach Boys (maybe a little pre-1980),Led Zeppelin, The Who and Queen. There are of course dozens of others. But the point is, has anyone in the current age of musicians really grabbed the torch and broken free from the mold.

Not too many I suspect, but maybe I’m being just a little too harsh on the current generation of musicians. I know there were plenty of derivative bands from the eighties, and plenty of one hit wonders, that were never able to make a go of it in the business either commercially or artistically. Which actually brings about another point I have to wonder about.

Music distribution has certainly changed this days for artists, with the world of the internet leveling the field somewhat. Really, if your band is good, then you should be able to get plenty of recognition by distributing your music online, and making use of musician friendly websites like MySpace to build up a group of followers. Decades ago, in the pre internet age, it was very risky for a band to try and be different. Cutting a record was expensive, as was the marketing and promotion that went along with it.

With the internet providing such a low cost entry barrier, and digital technology allowing just about anyone with a microphone to create a CD, you’d think there would be far more diversity in the music business today. Or perhaps, maybe there is. Maybe I’m just stuck in the eighties haven’t given the artists of today a chance. If you’ve found some great artists via the internet, I’d love to hear about it. Just leave some comments below, with links to your favorite current bands.