I read through a bunch of old top 40 lists on here and was surprised that so much of that old stuff wasn't much to my liking. So many people complain that the new music sucks, but a lot of the old stuff that I liked then doesn't withstand the test of time at all.

I think a lot of good music still gets made, but the problem is you have to search it out. If you just rely on the narrow radio formats you won't find too much great stuff because they rotate the same songs over and over and only break a few new tunes a week.

I like to hear melody in records and I like vocal harmonization and live instruments instead of computerized sounds and samples which are more expensive to put on records, but there are still records that have this stuff it just takes some searching.

One thing that is good now is that the record chains and the internet let you sample whole CDs so you can get a taste of what's good and not spend $$$ on a cd that has 2 singles you like and 12 songs you think are garbage.

I disagree, there's still some good stuff out, but for the most part, the MAINSTREAM sucks. Radio and video outlets play way too much hip hop music, as well as really bad pseudo-punk acts. There's been some artists in the past few years that I actually "got into" like John Mayer, Good Charlotte and Maroon 5, but 95% of the stuff that broke over to pop airplay in the past 3 years has been unmemorable to me

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
I disagree, there's still some good stuff out, but for the most part, the MAINSTREAM sucks. Radio and video outlets play way too much hip hop music, as well as really bad pseudo-punk acts. There's been some artists in the past few years that I actually "got into" like John Mayer, Good Charlotte and Maroon 5, but 95% of the stuff that broke over to pop airplay in the past 3 years has been unmemorable to me

That's why you need to not rely on the radio to find good stuff. The radio plays stuff they THINK people would like and people just drone on in herds thinking there are no other ways to find good records.

I was looking at the top 40 list from 1989, a year I remember well, and there were only 7 songs I considered decent and of those only 4 that were really good and none that rank among my all time faves. The radio is the last place to look to find good new music.

well, the first half of 1989 wasn't that impressive except for Madonna, Bon Jovi and Paula Abdul (guilty pleasure), but if you come across a chart from the second half of the year, I think it was MUCH better. Albums like Janet's Rhythm Nation 1814, Motley Crue's Dr. Feelgood, Aerosmith's Pump, Jody Watley's Larger Than Life, amongst others, as well as further hits from the Madonna, Paula and Bon Jovi albums.

Even then, the ONLY songs in the top 50 right now that I can say I actually like are Maroon 5's This Love and Blink 182's I Miss You, everything else in the top 50 right now I can't stand, so even the worst week in 1989 is better than the average week in 2004.

There's been so many great songs this past year that I loved but yet radio denied airplay yet while playing countless Ludacris songs. And all of them were released as singles, so it is radios fault they didn't take off, not "well, it was a good 'should've been a single'" case.

some songs released as singles in the past 12 months that I loved... yet didn't particularly score well on the charts, yet songs I hated took off

Love Profusion - Madonna
New Killer Star - David Bowie
Breathe - Melissa Etheridge
Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
Slow - Kylie Minogue
Musicology - Prince
Say You Will - Fleetwood Mac
Clarity - John Mayer
I Begin To Wonder - Dannii Minogue
I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace (okay, it stalled in the 50's, should've gone top 20)
Megalomaniac - Incubus (I hate Incubus, but loved this song, it did "okay", peaking in the 50's, but could've charted higher, as Drive went top 10 a few years ago)
I Want You - Janet
Stand - Jewel

none of these aforementioned songs cracked the top 50 (and I think only Kylie, Janet, Incubus and Three Days Grace even made the top 100), yet every last one of these songs I'd take over anything that's gone top 3 in the past 12 months on the singles chart, even tho I did like Milkshake by Kelis.

Originally posted by BuffySlayer79
[There's been so many great songs this past year that I loved but yet radio denied airplay yet while playing countless Ludacris songs. . [/B] omg: :rofl:

I enjoy music from all eras. There is a great deal of quality music out right now. It's just too bad nobody ever hears it on the radio.

I'm partail to the music I grew up with. Not saying that the quality is better than what is out now- but because it's nostalgic

Originally posted by diezman
I enjoy music from all eras. There is a great deal of quality music out right now. It's just too bad nobody ever hears it on the radio.

I'm partail to the music I grew up with. Not saying that the quality is better than what is out now- but because it's nostalgic

:yeahthat:

While I'm not all that big on today's music, I do agree that there is some good stuff out there. Just that, like you, I'm more inclined to listen to the music I grew up with.

I like the old music better than todays music.

Originally posted by mr roper
I like the old music better than todays music. Ditto

Originally posted by mr roper
I like the old music better than todays music.

me too

The main problem is that the mainstream has gotten SO BAD that there's very little out there I like. 9 out of 10 songs/albums I liked in the past year did not click with the mainstream. You can say "That's why you need to not rely on the radio to find good stuff.", but then, explain to me how I heard Dannii Minogue or David Bowie's last album, neither of them got any airplay at all. Don't make assumptions, I just want a time where I can turn the radio on and be able to listen to more than 2 songs in an hour span that I enjoy. 2004 is even shaping up to be worse than 2003 was, and I thought 2003 was bad... Will things EVER get better?

i'm under 25 and i like old music better than new music. i pretty much only listen to old/underground music now.

I don't like anything past the 80's.

Originally posted by ElvisDustyfan
I don't like anything past the 80's.

Ditto! :lol:

There are some decent bands out today buy I still prefer the older stuff.

I'm 28 and I have very little interest in much of the music that is being produced these days. The only new artists I really like are Norah Jones and Michelle Branch. The rest of the CD's that I've bought over the past year were by older artists like Aerosmith and Eric Clapton.