Re: [ARSCLIST] Back-catalog (was Columbia Studio/Warehouse Fire)

[Steven Barr <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

...see end
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Roger and Allison Kulp" <thorenstd124@xxxxxxxxx>
> There has always been a great interest,in obscure material amoung younger
buyers of rock,and R&B,usually of records decades older than the buyer.In the
past this was due to compilation Lps,and CDs,such as the famous "Pebbles"
series.YouTube marks the next step in this evolution.There is a stunning number
of clips,up there,from the 60s,of bands,from all over the world,most of which
were unknown outside of thier countries of origin.YouTube is a new adventure all
the time,and it blows me away,just what is out there.
>   Two of the finest examples,by people,who even I was unaware of,were:
>   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ-LIVKlOG8
>   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf4CfG0FD5U
>   Even on those clips from the more famous acts,you see comments along the
lines of "Wow my dad's generation had the greatest music." (!)
>      I went to a record show last week,and the majority of the buyers looking
for old rock/R&B,and 50s classical Lps,were under 25,some as young as 10 years
old.CDs,and internet downloading,are viewed as ways to introduce onesself to the
music,while the vinyl itself,is something special,and permanent.
>      At this point in time,a lot of us really don't care what happens to what
used to be called the major labels,or the record companies,as a whole.We don't
need 'em anymore,screw them.Astute listeners,of all ages,realize,there is
little,if any,new music of merit out there.The web,will always be there as a
venue to listen to recordings,to see what they sound like.There are billions of
used CDs out there,There will be new vinyl,which will increasingly be sold on
the web,as boutique pieces,of limited quantities.I have bought a couple of such
records myself,including some from well-known major artists,sold off thier
websites.Dave Davies,of The Kinks,has been putting out private pressing
CDs,selling these the same way.The record label/store model,will die a natural
death,and there is no reason to keep it alive,by artificial means.
>
What this actually demonstrates is the lack of significant evolution
in the area of popular music over the last 40+ years! Young people
of 2006 enjoy pop music of 1966 because it isn't that different from
the music they hear to-day (only better!).

"Rap" music, and the other sub-genres it has inspired, basically
combines two VERY old influences...the rhythmic "spoken word"
style, which can be traced back, at the least, to performances
like "callin' the 'dozens'" (recorded in the late twenties, and
probably an "old standard" even then)...and the "funky" dance
beat used for musical accompaniment (a style perfected by
James Brown c.1962, but heard on blues records of the late
fifties...oddly enough, one can count or tap out the rhythm
of the tango over it!).

And "rock" started evolving from "rock'n'roll" in the late
fifties, when the earlier "shuffle" rhythm of bands like
Bill Haley's was replaced by a simpler straight-four rhythm.
Over the mid/late sixties, "rock" evolved further, thanks to
artists like Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Led Zeppelin and Black
Sabbath...then seemed to stay stuck at the same level more
or less (and is still there today, for the usually-middle-
aged audiences that still enjoy it!).

I suspect, in fact, that were it possible to get around the
inevitable prejudices, it might be possible for younger folks
to enjoy the lively and danceable rhythms of "traditional jazz"...?!

Steven C. Barr