Week 21: 50 Albums That Changed Music

[BradH]

Big business is what ruined music over the past 20 years.

Well, then that means there were a series of sucky, derivitave albums along the way that changed the face of music, right? It can happen. My point was I just don't hear that much musical difference overnight between the Spiceheads and the teen dance-pop that came before, not that I'm closely attuned to it. And maybe that gets to Darius's point. But changing the face of music with one album would imply that album was radically different or took a wholly unique approach to what was currently in vogue and became influential. I don't see that in the terms used to defend this choice like "lessening of quality controls". Rather, it's one or two degrees of difference in style with mega-sales left to carry the argument about influence, followed by some progeny with a degree of difference in style with mega-sales as proof of the original influence, etc. Take away the marketing and the videos and the dance choreography and you've got more of the same dance-pop it's always been with no more than a tweak here or there. The difference is in the image and promotion and units sold, not the music. I've heard this same argument from people who love corporate 70's FM arena rock. When I claim there's not a dime's worth of difference between most of those bands they come back with descriptions of how different one mullet-headed guitarist's style is from another's. They're not getting the big picture and neither do most twelve-year olds who buy Britney Spears. Do they enjoy it? You bet. Puppy love is always real to the puppies. And, frankly, I don't have a problem with that like I did when I was an uptight teenage music freak. Get your groove on however you like, I say. But that doesn't mean what they're hearing is "new music" no matter if every kid on the planet buys it. It's new product, not new music.

[BradH]

Btw, Jay, I'm not implying your musical knowedge equates to that of a twelve year old or the average BTO Starwagon fan. I know what your argument is, I just don't buy the formula that says huge sales alone changes music itself.