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Post by nick193 on Jul 23, 2021 16:35:59 GMT
Apologies for the long post but I have had this on my mind for a while and hope that this forum could collectively help develop an answer to a question.
Recently, I found myself in the fortunate and rare position of having some free time on my hands. Having not visited a book shop in the past 12-14 months and refusing to buy from Amazon on principle, I decided to delve into some of my old favourites, amongst which is "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Hunter S. Thompson.
If you haven't read this book, read it.
I love this book for a number of reasons but when you strip the book back, see past the drug use, violence and chaos, the book perfectly summarises the end of an era. In 1971 the high ideals of the hippie zietgeist were "crashing hard against the walls of American reality".
The culture and music of the times are defined throughout the book through a series of choice pieces at pivotal moments. Bands like Jefferson Airplane, Three Dog Night and Bob Dylan get a mention along with Tom Jones and the Beatles.
In a way, the pandemic has forced a shift in perspective for me and many people I know.
Having reread this book, I see a reflection of our current times. The political climate, culture, environment as we knew it in the 90s, 00s and 10s are changing.
My question is, what is the current soundtrack? What songs epitomise the age that we are living through and the changing landscape?
I know this is a wild question but certainly something to mull over for the weekend.
As always, interested to hear thoughts, feelings, insights and lessons in history.
All the best, Nick
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 23, 2021 16:43:57 GMT
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Post by nick193 on Jul 23, 2021 16:52:35 GMT
Glad I am not the only one. Crass were a force to be reckoned with in their prime and the who have always been gold. Excellent choices.
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Post by Slinger on Jul 23, 2021 17:28:36 GMT
From a recent post I made about how the Left's protest songs have been apropriated by the Right: Springsteen's "Born In The USA," is a perfect example. Born down in a dead man's town And the first kick I took was when I hit the ground You end up like a dog that's been beat too much 'Til you spend half your life just to cover up CHORUS Born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. I was born in the U.S.A. Born in the U.S.A. Got in a little hometown jam So they put a rifle in my hand Sent me off to a foreign land To go and kill the yellow man CHORUS
Come back home to the refinery Hiring man says, " Son, if it was up to me" I go down to see the V.A. man He said, " Son, don't you understand?" Had a brother at Khe Sahn Fighting off the Viet Cong They're still there, he's all gone He had a little girl in Saigon I got a picture of him in her arms Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by the gas fires of the refinery I'm ten years burning down the road I've got nowhere to run and nowhere to go CHORUS REPEATSTrump stole that song, which many of us found hilarious. Even when somebody was brave enough to explain the lyrics to him it made no difference though, they just kept singing the chorus over and over. It actually started way back before Trump though, with Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, and Pat Buchanan. Springsteen requested they all stop playing his song, and beginning in the ‘90s, he started performing a dour, acoustic version at shows in order to more clearly convey its antiwar sentiment. He reiterated the ban when Trump started using it. He was one of many who hard run-ins with Trump, of which these are a few: apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ronald-reagan-hip-hop-and-rap-phil-collins-bruce-springsteen-394ddb622b30a718f1b4621a316a78c3
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 23, 2021 17:32:09 GMT
Goes to show how many people pay attention to the lyrics
Headline (Chorus) yes, detail no
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Post by MartinT on Jul 23, 2021 17:38:28 GMT
Goes to show how many people pay attention to the lyrics That'll be me. Not.
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Post by rfan8312 on Jul 23, 2021 18:03:14 GMT
I've had the impression that the 40's through the 80's each decade was so different right down to the way people dressed and wore their hair.
It always looked to me like the changing slowed then.
The 90's, 2000-10, 2010-20 all look the same only with constant minor iterations in our gadgets and entertainment.
As if reality went from being the external to something virtual. The physical world progress started slowing while the internal virtual world is exploding in growth every year.
Maybe one side of our current soundtrack could be LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem. A major radio hit a few years back along with their track 'Sexy And I Know It'.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jul 25, 2021 17:09:35 GMT
I have the opposite view on change
The pace of change is happening faster and faster
LMFAO sound much like a track from one on my many recent Kiss samplers Never thought I'd get into that !
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Post by Slinger on Jul 25, 2021 17:32:31 GMT
I think this one sort of fits.
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Post by Slinger on Jul 25, 2021 17:37:10 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Jul 25, 2021 17:40:41 GMT
We live in an age where there is more freely available information and disinformation than ever before.
Yet people seem to be as ill-informed as ever, possibly even more so. Those in power get away with more misdeeds than I can ever remember.
I do despair. Right now, I've no idea what the music of this age could be. I do my best to dismiss so much around me.
Perhaps you caught me at a bad time.
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Post by ChrisB on Jul 26, 2021 5:57:52 GMT
I think it's a shame that there's so little good music being made just now that most of the above mentioned tracks for the soundtrack of our times are from well before our times!
And on that note, I concur with Slinger's choice and would like to add the following pair:
Buffalo Springfield - 'For what it's worth'
A couple of the verses...
The Mothers of Invention - 'Trouble every day'
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Post by ajski2fly on Jul 26, 2021 15:31:25 GMT
I think this could be quite reflective of what is sadly happening across the world, in several veins, the Covid pandemic, continuing wasteful wars across the world, religious hatred of any kind, bigotry and racism, and finally global warming which in the end may see all the flowers return!
By Pete Seeger in 1955, who died on Jan 28, 2014. He was 94 years old. The last two verses were added in 1960 by Joe Hickerson, who made it a “circular” song, returning in the end to the flowers that were gone.
Where have all the flowers gone, long time passing? Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago? Where have all the flowers gone? Young girls have picked them everyone Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the young girls gone, long time passing? Where have all the young girls gone, long time ago? Where have all the young girls gone? Gone for husbands everyone Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the husbands gone, long time passing? Where have all the husbands gone, long time ago? Where have all the husbands gone? Gone for soldiers everyone Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the soldiers gone, long time passing? Where have all the soldiers gone, long time ago? Where have all the soldiers gone? Gone to graveyards, everyone Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?
Where have all the graveyards gone, long time passing? Where have all the graveyards gone, long time ago? Where have all the graveyards gone? Gone to flowers, everyone Oh, when will they ever learn? Oh, when will they ever learn?
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Post by nick193 on Jul 27, 2021 14:57:50 GMT
I think it's a shame that there's so little good music being made just now that most of the above mentioned tracks for the soundtrack of our times are from well before our times! And on that note, I concur with Slinger's choice and would like to add the following pair: Buffalo Springfield - 'For what it's worth' A couple of the verses... The Mothers of Invention - 'Trouble every day' Both solid song choices. Buffalo Springfield is always such a great track in my eyes.
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Post by Slinger on Jul 27, 2021 15:30:47 GMT
My Hometown Bruce Springsteen
I was eight years old And running with a dime in my hand To the bus stop to pick Up a paper for my old man I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick And steer as we drove through town He'd tousle my hair And say, "son, take a good look around"
This is your hometown x4
In '65 tension was running high At my high school There was a lot of fights Between the black and white There was nothing you could do Two cars at a light on a Saturday night In the back seat there was a gun Words were passed in a shotgun blast Troubled times had come
To my hometown x4
Now Main Street's whitewashed windows And vacant stores Seems like there ain't nobody Wants to come down here no more They're closing down the textile mill Across the railroad tracks Foreman says, "these jobs are going, boys And they ain't coming back."
To your hometown x4
Last night me and Kate we laid in bed Talking about getting out Packing up our bags, maybe heading south I'm thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now Last night I sat him up behind the wheel And said, "son, take a good look around
"This is your hometown."
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