Ad infinitum band4/10/2023 ![]() The “fun, not edification” theme is repeated in a review of a recent song by the Sylvers, a black disco group. It contains a classic statement of today’s Top 40 music: “The hit, ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,’ one of five Sayer collaborations, typifies the album’s spirit of goofy disco-pop which has as its goal fun, not edification.” Just as accurate, however, is the Rolling Stone review of that album. It’s as if the human race is a bunch of cattle that’s got to be given a beat to move to.” An accurate description. His latest album was produced by Richard Perry, who claims he abhors the disco sound: “It is one monotonous driving beat. 19).Īnother comeback performer is Leo Sayer. And now 1977 promises to be the hottest year in their entire 20 year career” ( Circus, January 31, 1977, p. “After half a decade in the phantom zone of worn-out pop groups, the Bee Gees have rebounded mightily in the last two years with a stunning string of five hit singles and two platinum albums strong on disco flavoring. The Bee Gees from England enjoyed a measure of popularity in the sixties but have made good use of the present trends: They call their music “electrified funk.” Other performers have been revitalized through disco music. Some white bands, such as Wild Cherry, have adapted themselves to it. The aim of this basically black-oriented sound is to create a mood and rhythm for dancing. Simple, repeated rhythm patterns and strong bass lines are complemented by easy guitar and/or keyboard riffs. What is the most popular music today? As a young girl on American Bandstand’s Rate-A-Record said, “the smooth disco sound is what everybody is listening to now.” The disco sound has its roots in rhythm and blues. The Kinks hit their peak in the mid-to late-sixties and have recently tried to make a comeback, but with little success. He has consistently stood up for an ethic, a standard of quality and a morality which is gradually falling by the wayside in an over mechanized world: ‘I’m a twentieth-century man but I don’t want to be here’ ” (p. Maybe that’s what Ray Davies is all about, what sets him apart from the few good lyricists in rock. In the same issue Gig interviewed Ray Davies, songwriter and lead singer of the Kinks: Can she who speaks the truth tear down the tower of Babel?” (January, 1977, p. “To make music as powerful as ‘Radio Ethiopia’ when the whole force of society is trying to push performers back into a mold, is a triumph of energy and will-power. ![]() But Patti wasn’t playing music then, and now her album’s intensity makes it an isolated product, looking for kindred spirits among the dead. It should have been released the same year as ‘Disraeli Gears’ and ‘Between the Buttons’. But it’s also demanding, and although I admire it enormously, I know I won’t listen to it much. ![]() “ ‘Radio Ethiopia’ is a strong album, an attempt to resurrect the half-dead corpse of rock and roll. The change away from this is mentioned in a review of “Radio Ethiopia,” an album by up-and-coming rock vocalist Patti Smith, in Gig magazine: They considered questions of self-worth and social awareness. The songs of the early seventies were songs about meaning and values. ![]() Dylan has shown the truth of the question asked by the Tower of Power in the song “What Is Hip?”: “You’re in a hip trip, maybe hipper than hip,/But what is hip? What’s hip today may become passé.” In 1972 Bob Dylan commented on the contemporary music scene: “The frenzied masses of screaming teen-agers are following the frenzied masses of screaming guitar players.” But even that would be considered outmoded in some circles today. Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Lennon, and others who sang about the sins of the military-industrialist complex have been replaced by large bands of look-alike, choreographed singers whose lyrics are of a night at the disco. The reflective concerts of the late sixties and early seventies are nearly gone. The music of today differs from that of 1970. And trendy it is the only thing greater than the speed with which the trends change is the pressure to embrace each one. Perhaps this accounts for the multi-billion-dollar music industry, whose success depends on how well it serves the trends and thoughts of the youth market. Music gives identity to those who fear they have none. It helps him escape into a trouble-free world of fantasy. In times of stress or depression during the troubled adolescent years, the radio often carries the message of hope for another day. Music carries social norms and values and is the source of emotional and spiritual inspiration. The words of this Billy Preston song reflect the attitude of many young people today. Everything I want to say through the music it gets through ya.” Music’s my life, and everyday I live it, and it’s a good life too. ![]()
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