Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Opera Nut · 07-18-2003, 09:26 PM

Gordon McLendon lived in Dallas. He owned KLIF radio in Dallas and KILT-AM (and later KILT-FM) in Houston. I once saw him on The Dating Game TV show, believe it or not, and he chose the woman who played a maid in the detergent commercials, Jane Withers.

In the early 60s these were what was then known as Top 40 format.

I was a small child then with my head in the radio. Part of my time was spent listening to classical, the other part listening to top 40.

Top 40 had 3 minute singles, Motown, Beatles, british invasion, one hit wonders, etc. They played Bill Cosby routines in the middle of the night (where I first heard about Fat Albert and Buck Buck Players).

They had a helluva lot of VARIETY in what they played.

Then in the late 60s early 70s we had Album Oriented Rock -- playing entire sides such as Cream, Deep Purple, Traffic, Blind Faith, etc. Inna Gadda Da Vida. We had concept albums like Preservation Act I & II, Tommy, Sgt Pepper, We're Only In it for the Money.

This also is when the pop music switched to FM for better fidelity and stereo. Now we have total consolidation and lack of community support with Clear Channel the giant conglomerate.

Gordon McLendon owned several stations but his power was nothing like Cheap Channel has now with consolidation of outlets.

IIRC, Top 40 was a vibrant art form with huge playlists and a huge variety. I remember hearing Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, James Brown, Aretha, Little Stevie Wonder, Buddy Holley, the Everly Brothers, a bit of Elvis, a bit of Zombies and even The Weavers doing On Top of Old Smokey (Pete Seeger's band).

Now I have to listen to Pacifica and I consdier myself damn lucky to live in one of the very few towns in the US with a Pacifica station. We also get the Beeb news and stuff from PRI. They are much better than the local NPR station.

What I think the poster is calling Top 40 nowadays is corporate creamed homogenized crapola. It doesn't have enough variety to be called Top 40 and is thoroughly programmed and restricted. Everything is canned and prefab.

KILT-FM was in the 70s, the premiere rock station in town. Then it sold out to shitkick or "New Country" which is nothing but 80s rock with some pedal steel guitar abuse and a singer with a clothespin on his nose so he sounds like he's got really bad adenoids.

[[[dodges rotten tomateos]]]]]

Opera Nut · 07-18-2003, 09:28 PM

BTW, I totally agree with Frank Zappa (one of my musical idols for being true to himself).

:notworthy :notworthy

Dweezil is a damn fine guitarist, beisdes being cute.

Odemus · 07-22-2003, 02:35 AM

Within rock n' roll, Dylan hands down. No one brought credibility to pop music as an art form like Dylan. The transition from lone travelling troubadour singing songs about social injustice to electrified psychedelic rock star singing songs of acute introspection and the human condition is in my not so humble opinion the most remarkable moment in rock n' roll. Lyrically no one stands next to the work of "Bringing It All Back Home", "Highway 61 Revisited", "Blond on Blond", and "John Wesley Harding".

Xeluan · 07-22-2003, 03:42 AM

W.C. Handy - he may not have invented the blues but he was at the forefront of bringing the blues to the notice of the world.

And music was never the same again.

RED DAVE · 07-22-2003, 09:04 AM

Scott Joplin
Louis Armstrong
Billie Holiday
Charlie Parker
Aretha Franklin
James Brown
Pete Seeger
Thomas Dorsey
John Coltrane
Miles Davis

RED DAVE

RED DAVE · 07-22-2003, 09:04 AM

Scott Joplin
Louis Armstrong
Billie Holiday
Charlie Parker
Aretha Franklin
James Brown
Pete Seeger
Thomas Dorsey
John Coltrane
Miles Davis

RED DAVE

RED DAVE · 07-22-2003, 09:04 AM

Scott Joplin
Louis Armstrong
Billie Holiday
Charlie Parker
Aretha Franklin
James Brown
Pete Seeger
Thomas Dorsey
John Coltrane
Miles Davis

RED DAVE

chanoc · 07-22-2003, 06:15 PM

Grateful Dead

Stan Getz

Willie Nelson

xorbie · 07-22-2003, 09:49 PM

Not that I love him... but why hasn't anyone mentioned Frank Sinatra (and if they have, sorry). The man was popular for REALLY long, although I am not sure he really revolutionized anything (I really don't know much about music....).

In terms of who I like, I think Hans Zimmer is really good (did the soundtracks to Gladiator and Pearl Harbor).

Opera Nut · 07-22-2003, 11:02 PM

I think Dylan is a great lyricist, but often times the definitive versions of his songs are done by other people. (Hendrix -- All Along the Watchtower).

Dylan songs tend to be more spoken than song, and are not terribly melodic in the first place. I know some people are nuts about Dylan versions of Dylan songs. Jakob sounds like his old man but he doesn't mumble.

[[[dodges rotten tomatoes]]]

John Lennon's answer to Dylan on a 12 string was "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" which is in Help!.

The other day on WorldCafe [Zeus bless for Pacifica] I heard somebody sorta raspy doing that song.

I was amazed that anybody would have the A) Guts; and B) Talent to cover that song.

And it turned out to be Eddie Vedder [I don't keep up with him, he's a newer generation than me].

07-22-2003, 11:02 PM	#50
Opera Nut Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,671	Dylan, Jakob Dylan, and Lennon I think Dylan is a great lyricist, but often times the definitive versions of his songs are done by other people. (Hendrix -- All Along the Watchtower). Dylan songs tend to be more spoken than song, and are not terribly melodic in the first place. I know some people are nuts about Dylan versions of Dylan songs. Jakob sounds like his old man but he doesn't mumble. [[[dodges rotten tomatoes]]] John Lennon's answer to Dylan on a 12 string was "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" which is in Help!. The other day on WorldCafe [Zeus bless for Pacifica] I heard somebody sorta raspy doing that song. I was amazed that anybody would have the A) Guts; and B) Talent to cover that song. And it turned out to be Eddie Vedder [I don't keep up with him, he's a newer generation than me].

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07-18-2003, 09:26 PM	#41
Opera Nut Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,671	Gordon McLendon lived in Dallas. He owned KLIF radio in Dallas and KILT-AM (and later KILT-FM) in Houston. I once saw him on The Dating Game TV show, believe it or not, and he chose the woman who played a maid in the detergent commercials, Jane Withers. In the early 60s these were what was then known as Top 40 format. I was a small child then with my head in the radio. Part of my time was spent listening to classical, the other part listening to top 40. Top 40 had 3 minute singles, Motown, Beatles, british invasion, one hit wonders, etc. They played Bill Cosby routines in the middle of the night (where I first heard about Fat Albert and Buck Buck Players). They had a helluva lot of VARIETY in what they played. Then in the late 60s early 70s we had Album Oriented Rock -- playing entire sides such as Cream, Deep Purple, Traffic, Blind Faith, etc. Inna Gadda Da Vida. We had concept albums like Preservation Act I & II, Tommy, Sgt Pepper, We're Only In it for the Money. This also is when the pop music switched to FM for better fidelity and stereo. Now we have total consolidation and lack of community support with Clear Channel the giant conglomerate. Gordon McLendon owned several stations but his power was nothing like Cheap Channel has now with consolidation of outlets. IIRC, Top 40 was a vibrant art form with huge playlists and a huge variety. I remember hearing Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, James Brown, Aretha, Little Stevie Wonder, Buddy Holley, the Everly Brothers, a bit of Elvis, a bit of Zombies and even The Weavers doing On Top of Old Smokey (Pete Seeger's band). Now I have to listen to Pacifica and I consdier myself damn lucky to live in one of the very few towns in the US with a Pacifica station. We also get the Beeb news and stuff from PRI. They are much better than the local NPR station. What I think the poster is calling Top 40 nowadays is corporate creamed homogenized crapola. It doesn't have enough variety to be called Top 40 and is thoroughly programmed and restricted. Everything is canned and prefab. KILT-FM was in the 70s, the premiere rock station in town. Then it sold out to shitkick or "New Country" which is nothing but 80s rock with some pedal steel guitar abuse and a singer with a clothespin on his nose so he sounds like he's got really bad adenoids. [[[dodges rotten tomateos]]]]]

07-18-2003, 09:28 PM	#42
Opera Nut Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,671	BTW, I totally agree with Frank Zappa (one of my musical idols for being true to himself). :notworthy :notworthy Dweezil is a damn fine guitarist, beisdes being cute.

07-22-2003, 02:35 AM	#43
Odemus Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Easy Street Posts: 736	Within rock n' roll, Dylan hands down. No one brought credibility to pop music as an art form like Dylan. The transition from lone travelling troubadour singing songs about social injustice to electrified psychedelic rock star singing songs of acute introspection and the human condition is in my not so humble opinion the most remarkable moment in rock n' roll. Lyrically no one stands next to the work of "Bringing It All Back Home", "Highway 61 Revisited", "Blond on Blond", and "John Wesley Harding".

07-22-2003, 03:42 AM	#44
Xeluan Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Some Pub In East Gosford, Australia Posts: 831	W.C. Handy - he may not have invented the blues but he was at the forefront of bringing the blues to the notice of the world. And music was never the same again.

07-22-2003, 09:04 AM	#45
RED DAVE Banned Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: NYC Posts: 10,532	Scott Joplin Louis Armstrong Billie Holiday Charlie Parker Aretha Franklin James Brown Pete Seeger Thomas Dorsey John Coltrane Miles Davis RED DAVE

07-22-2003, 06:15 PM	#48
chanoc Banned Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Auke Bay, Alaska Posts: 422	Grateful Dead Stan Getz Willie Nelson

07-22-2003, 09:49 PM	#49
xorbie Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Champaign, IL or Boston, MA Posts: 6,360	Not that I love him... but why hasn't anyone mentioned Frank Sinatra (and if they have, sorry). The man was popular for REALLY long, although I am not sure he really revolutionized anything (I really don't know much about music....). In terms of who I like, I think Hans Zimmer is really good (did the soundtracks to Gladiator and Pearl Harbor).

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