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In Reply to: RE: Reflecting on the recent Led Zepplin lawsuit... posted by Mr. Dick Hertz on July 06, 2016 at 07:39:44
Most music follows the form and harmonic structure of previous works. This has been true for many hundreds of years, going back to travelling minstrels and Gregorian chant. You can "read all about it" in Grout's "A History of Western Music". VERY RARELY does anyone write a game-changing piece. And then, its style is soon copied and establishes a new style.
Gabrieli, Vivaldi, Albinoni, Tartini, etc., all epitomized a baroque style which typically used several common modal scales, as well as composition structures and chord progressions. "Variations on a common style" might be fun to pursue as a doctoral program. Wait, Prokofiev already did that.
Fast forward...
There are about four main chord progressions in "the blues". Count 'em: FOUR. (Variations don't count!) Rock and roll - seriously?! - there's a reason why 90 percent of garage and bar bands are rock 'n roll, and it ain't "innovation".
"Coffee house folk music" all sounds the same to me. I'm surprised that they're not all suing each other. (Btw - James Taylor, please get some sinus anti-histamine.)
:)
Follow Ups:
I get it. Looking back or listening today to JT back then?. Sure yes, his voice has a nasal signature. You could pick apart every artist that way with their inflection or tone. OMG, Taylor Swift, Or any comparable pop-diva? Who exactly is the bar we are comparing to?
If you look at the lyrics, melodies and human connection, JT was an enormous part of the 70's evolution of what "good music" evolved to. Carole King, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, the Eagles, Jackson Browne etc etc were all paying close attention. I'm no JT apologist, but his delivery, timing and song structure were spot on. A great artist.
His fans think he's a great artist, but there are hundreds of singer/guitar players with that talent, and with better vocal sound. I frankly can't listen to him. As a trumpet player, it's like listening to a really good player with bad tone.
You mention Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, and Carole King. JT's got nuthin' over them!
:)
I'm not defending JT's tone or whether it's off putting, just pointing out that he was/is an innovator and master song craftsman that others followed. Those I mentioned and many I didn't, like Jackson Browne, Mumford and Sons, David Gray, all acknowledge his impact. I'm not heavy into JT, but he was part of the process for me to appreciate the genre. Paul Simon's voice isn't great, but he's another writer and voice that created american pop/folk music's legacy. SRV had a voice only a mother could love, but oh yeah, he did have that guitar :).
"SRV had a voice only a mother could love, but oh yeah, he did have that guitar :). "10-4 on the guitar! I don't remember about his voice. He tragically died just before I was turned on to him, and I don't have any of his albums, so all of what I know of him is what I've heard at friends homes and anecdotal anecdotes.
Eric Clapton is another story. I'm a huge fan. If you don't have it, you gotta get "One More Car, One More Rider" from 2001. The band is a who's-who of great rock musicians, including Steve Gadd on drums and Billy Preston on the Hammond organ. Eric has a new CD, the name of which escapes me. My wife bought it and put it on in the car, and wouldn't tell me who it was. I coulda swore it was a Black blues guy. It was EC!
Speaking of Black blues guitar... ya gotta find some music of my old friend Luther Allison. That guy could sing AND play. I think he died in Paris. (Edit: I just googled him, he died in Madison, WI. Huh.) We weren't like "good buds" - I only met him twice - but we got along and had a mental connection - we were on "the same page". Try to find his "Love Me Papa" album.
And then, there's Otis Redding, may he rest in peace. Talk about a guy who could SING! Whenever I'm in Madison, WI, his music comes into my head.
Anyway, they all have better voices than the unlistenable, but very talented, James Taylor. ;)
:)
Edits: 07/08/16 07/08/16
I'm a Madison, Wi. native. :) Luther is one of us, as I've seen him many times and recall his passing. I am a blues addict, so he's on my list of favorites.
There was a PBS tribute to SRV that really affected my wife and I, similar to the Townes Van Zandt tribute, featuring Steve Earl's Fort Worth Blues.
PBS had clips of SRV live concerts, with commentary from Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton, among others. Both commented that Stevie was their reference for talent on guitar, bar none. Eric said that Stevie didn't play the guitar, but channeled the music as if from up above. The guitar played Stevie, not the other way around-and that is how I saw him as well. Not sure I've ever seen a better tribute to an artist, nor one more deserving of that praise. Look SRV up on u-tube. He is on my short list of blues heroes. Luther is on the list as well. :) If you are in Madison, look me up!
Really? Check out Amos Lee, Greg Brown, Shawn Colvin, Lyle Lovett or countless other folk artists that have ridiculous talent and consistently produce seriously great music. Look up the Llewellyn Davis movie documentary on you-tube. Check out those young artists and their artistry and the studio that produced them. Incredible. That is what "high-end" music is all about. Crazy talent there. Seriously,beyond classical, folk music is the best genre to discover new artists and enjoy the music making craft. Jazz is my first love. Folk a close second.
Edits: 07/06/16
In Western Music? hmm......
J.S. Bach, Well Tempered Clavier
W.A. Mozart, Don Giovanni
LvB, Piano Sonata #8
LvB, Symphony #3
LvB, Symphony #9
LvB, String Quartets, Op 59
Richard Wagner, Tristan & Isolde
Arnold Schoenberg, Pierrot Lunaire
Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring
Duke Ellington, Black & Tan Fantasy
George Gershwin, Porgy & Bess
Chuck Berry, Johnnie B Goode
The Beatles, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
...and Sgt. Pepper. If there was no Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" it's not likely there would have been a Sgt. Pepper's.
There is no beer in food, but there is food in beer.
Would there have been a Pet Sounds without Rubber Soul? Great song writers pushing each others creativity - and we get great music to enjoy. Gotta love it!
Regards,
Steve
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