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1971 - the miracle year for music

Pre-ignition in 1966 with Blonde on Blonde, Revolver and Pet Sounds.

With honourable mentions for Aftermath, Freak Out, Fresh Cream, and many others. Are You Experienced? surprisingly doesn't quite make it. Recorded in 1966.

Paul


And the initial trigger for all the 66/67 stuff was Dylan's Like A Rolling Stone. Its length and style broke the contraints of 3 minutes plus guitars/drums that was pretty much the norm until then. But most important were the lyrics. Pre LARS it was mainly boy/girl stuff. Afterwards, you could write about anything and everyone did.

I still distinctly remember the first time I heard LARS on its release in 65. It was utterly stunning, given the stuff we were used to then (even from the Beatles/Stones etc).

Malc
 
I can add my seventy-oners:

- John Cale & Terry Riley ‎– Church Of Anthrax
- Can – Tago Mago
- Faust – Faust
- Peter Hammill - Fool's Mate
- Jimi Hendrix ‎– Isle Of Wight
- Kraftwerk – Kraftwerk
- Joni Mitchell – Blue
- Yoko Ono – Fly
- The Rolling Stones ‎– Sticky Fingers
- Soft Machine – Fourth
- Van Der Graaf Generator ‎– Pawn Hearts

Great year indeed!

Cheers,

Willem
 
THE decade was '63 to '73 (ish), but I agree that '66/'67 changed things irrevocably; rather, it started the 'LP first' revolution, which I guess just got bigger and better to about '73/'74.

Electric folk (Fairport et al) fits into this fabulous half decade or so too, and I'm constantly surprised by the sheer dynamics/s.q. of these records when played on today's good record players.

Overall, it was a time of diverse and burgeoning musical talent that I can't remember being replicated.

You can add Simon & Garfunkle, The Byrds, Harrison, Deep Purple, Animals, Clapton, Allman Bros, Tom Petty.... (and I've only looked through a tenth of my albums).
 
There is one writer - maybe Barney Hoskyns - who has a theory that after Tomorrow Never Knows popular music stopped progressing linearly and started going round in a wide circle. It quite appeals to me.
 
There is one writer - maybe Barney Hoskyns - who has a theory that after Tomorrow Never Knows popular music stopped progressing linearly and started going round in a wide circle. It quite appeals to me.

I thought that happened when we moved from the phonograph to the gramophone?
 
There is one writer - maybe Barney Hoskyns - who has a theory that after Tomorrow Never Knows popular music stopped progressing linearly and started going round in a wide circle. It quite appeals to me.

Linearity is an oversimplification if you ask me. Wasn't Rap as big a quantum leap for modern music as the creation of rock n roll from blues and country
 
There is one writer - maybe Barney Hoskyns - who has a theory that after Tomorrow Never Knows popular music stopped progressing linearly and started going round in a wide circle. It quite appeals to me.

I don't know what makes more sense in that theory.

Music progressing linearly up to a point or music starting going round in a circle.

Brilliant.
 
Linearity is an oversimplification if you ask me. Wasn't Rap as big a quantum leap for modern music as the creation of rock n roll from blues and country

OR was what came from Electro with its machine only music influencing just as much? I have spoken before about the music that apparently comes out of nowhere. Almost but usually there are the clues earlier, Last Poets, reggae MCs etc. Did Rap become a thing when it moved from MCing over other peoples tracks? Or when the instrumental tracks became more abstract (albeit very derivative from itself)? My current pet theory is that genres die creatively when they become a thing i.e. once you can define them or people call themselves punks/hip-hoppers and call it a culture.

The joy of this is no music theory is 100%. As long as they are generally right they will have to do!
 
OR was what came from Electro with its machine only music influencing just as much? I have spoken before about the music that apparently comes out of nowhere. Almost but usually there are the clues earlier, Last Poets, reggae MCs etc. Did Rap become a thing when it moved from MCing over other peoples tracks? Or when the instrumental tracks became more abstract (albeit very derivative from itself)? My current pet theory is that genres die creatively when they become a thing i.e. once you can define them or people call themselves punks/hip-hoppers and call it a culture.

The joy of this is no music theory is 100%. As long as they are generally right they will have to do!

The thing that has altered entirely in recent years is the corporate and media narrative. Right through popular music history trends were spotted, developed and marketed by labels, magazines, radio stations etc, e.g. when rock 'n'roll, 60s beat, psych, heavy rock, glam, punk etc happened there were a lot of corporate types who controlled the manufacturing and media outlets and effectively decided what to push and what to overlook or cast aside. Thus 1967 was 'psychedelic', 1976-7 was 'punk' etc. Since the democratisation of media with social media, YouTube etc along with the massve financial hit the major labels have recieved due to downloads and streaming the idea of there being 'one youth thing' happening at any given time is now long gone. We seem to be living in an environment where every style and culture imaginable imaginable coexists, but few if any rise to the surface. In many ways the things that fit to an established genre are the least interesting things happening, e.g. the predictable landfill indie and archaic dad-rock that packs out the now extortionately priced corporate festival events like Glastonbury etc. They are a barometer of the over. It is an interesting if bewildering time.
 
Any guesses on what is to come, anyone?


Bloss

An interesting piece in The Guardian today:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...-beyonce-frank-ocean-laura-mvula-dawn-richard

It's not the favourite thing of many here but 2016 can be seen for R&B as of the same standard as 1971 for white rock. The end of year lists, for example, are pretty much dominated by it along with Bowie.

Some of the most creative music I've heard this year either from R&B or influenced by it .... or has been made by by artists over 50. I still like to hold onto the view that the best music is an expression of youth so R&B or its European counterparts like grime are probably a good indicator of what's next - either R&B or records by over 50s.

Kevin
 
Cookies for breakfast will be the answer, will be if he gets a second shot.

I can't imagine USA marine bands catching on in Romford though.


Bloss

I was surrounded by an American college marching band in London's Chinatown playing James Bond hits one. An amazing experience. There could be hope especially if we can get them playing Chas'n'Dave.
 
1991 was a great year for music. Better than 1971 in fact. Here are a few you missed.

Primal Scream - Screamadelica
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
Electronic - s/t
Carter USM - 30 Something
LFO - Frequencies
The KLF - White Room
Orbital - Orbital 1
St Etienne - Foxbase Alpha
808 State - Ex:el

Er...no....
 
THE decade was '63 to '73 (ish), but I agree that '66/'67 changed things irrevocably; rather, it started the 'LP first' revolution, which I guess just got bigger and better to about '73/'74.

Electric folk (Fairport et al) fits into this fabulous half decade or so too, and I'm constantly surprised by the sheer dynamics/s.q. of these records when played on today's good record players.

Overall, it was a time of diverse and burgeoning musical talent that I can't remember being replicated.

You can add Simon & Garfunkle, The Byrds, Harrison, Deep Purple, Animals, Clapton, Allman Bros, Tom Petty.... (and I've only looked through a tenth of my albums).

'Electric folk' yes, and I want Pentangle mentioned, not stuck in an 'et al.'
 


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