When an Artist’s Music Changes Over Time: Does it make you sad??

[4-earredwonder]

When I first heard Elton John's eponymous album, I was a pot smoking, acid dropping MP at military base Fort Riley, Kansas guarding prisoners in a stockade miles from Custer's infamous LAST STAND. Your Song was a constant earworm I couldn't get out of my head. And with so much great classic rock music being released, IMO, it stood out above the crowd. Bernie's lyrics and Elton's melodic tunes were something VERY special and I do believe, MOST ESPECIALLY in today's market, there would be ample room for an artist as refreshing as Mr. John.

When I listen to current music .... where are the melodies? They're hooks and rip offs of so many former artists. Of course there are the exceptions but IMO, Elton and Bernie were SPECIAL and even though the duo hasn't currently released anything resembling their former hits of the late 60's and 70's, their body of work remains stellar and still has extreme relevance.

So the voice is shot, the hair non existent [those wigs are shall we say foo foo], performance wise, Elton remains a genius and his music shall always have a place in my heart.

And unlike General Custer, Elton's mantra I'M STILL STANDING remains true to a life well lived and a constant reminder that the BITCH IS BACK because HE NEVER LEFT!

 

[paligap]

I may be an exception. My musical roots may be in the 60's and 70's but i have openly embraced such groups as Porcupine Tree, The Pineapple Thief, Riverside, etc. I was a little late coming to them but enjoy them much now. (snip)

I think most of us older people on this forum are much the same. Good music is good music, especially in surround.

 

[Sal1950]

Elton, he's a great performer but
Let us not forget the words for all those great albums were penned by Bernie Taupin

And then there are people like us. I can't think of anyone in my family or circle of close friends that has devoted as much time and money to music as I have, and I'd wager that most of the people here could say that as well.

Right on, as we used to say.
We are the extreme outliers.
We followed many generations of music, artists, and genre's for decades.
We followed the technologies from stereo to quad, to 5.1, to 7.1, to Atmos and more.
While the greatest number of our friends, etc; mainly listen to oldie stations that play music that was popular during their teens and twenty's.

 

[cbmmm3]

today's music contains no background singers, no saxophones, no pianos , no hammonds, and - obviously - no cowbell.

 

[4-earredwonder]

today's music contains no background singers, no saxophones, no pianos , no hammonds, and - obviously - no cowbell.

Time for a Caribbeanvacation, Ricky! ✈
You've been working too hard!

TAKE ME TO THE PILOT!

 

[Ranasakawa]

I have every Elton John album up to around the mid 1990s, his last 'consistent' album was Too Low For Zero, his last classic album was Blue Moves in my opinion. His voice is shot now as is Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. One Elton John album is virtually unlistenable 'Victim Of Love' god awful !
One artist that actually got better with age was Buddy Guy, his albums from the late 1990s up to now have actually improved with each issue. He is over 80 years old !

 

[GOS]

I have every Elton John album up to around the mid 1990s, his last 'consistent' album was Too Low For Zero, his last classic album was Blue Moves in my opinion. His voice is shot now as is Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull. One Elton John album is virtually unlistenable 'Victim Of Love' god awful !
One artist that actually got better with age was Buddy Guy, his albums from the late 1990s up to now have actually improved with each issue. He is over 80 years old !

I can totally agree with that. Buddy Guy is an icon, love they dude. I'm happy to report that I shared a beer and some chit chat at a small club in Chicago, only I didn't know it was him until he left and got on stage 30 minutes later.

 

[Ranasakawa]

I can totally agree with that. Buddy Guy is an icon, love they dude. I'm happy to report that I shared a beer and some chit chat at a small club in Chicago, only I didn't know it was him until he left and got on stage 30 minutes later.

I saw him 3 times here in Melbourne AU

 

[Cassetto]

Elton was such a monster artist in his day, and his songs bring me such joy...but as he grew older, his output grew out of touch and I didn't much like it.

Sad......

Elton is particularly frustrating in this way in that, as he got a bit older (and I gather not too long after he became legendary), he became obsessive about chart positions and the success of singles, which is (a) no way to create great works and (b) would likely make one compulsively discard imaginative ideas as “not commercially viable”.

His husband, filmmaker David Furnish, made a documentary in in the late 90’s (“Elton John: Tantrums & Tiaras”) in which 2 things stood out, one was this obsession with making hit records and obsessively watching the charts to gauge their position compared to other releases, and the other is that he listened to nearly everything that got press, buying multiple copies of discs for different residences and spending heaps of money each week on new releases. One would normally see an artist who obsessively listened to all kinds of music…popular, indie, likely most genres, to be artistically searching; but the way he comes off as an aging artist is more competitive…which is no way to create great new music…is he simply musically curious? Or is he constantly checking the competition and looking for trends and sea-changes in music to be sure to follow what the people are buying? To be honest, he lost me with “Rock Of The Westies”, but maybe I should revisit that one.

 

[atrocity]

To be honest, he lost me with “Rock Of The Westies”, but maybe I should revisit that one.

We're of a mind on that one. Every once in a while I have to play it just to make sure my taste hasn't finally caught up to it. I wasn't impressed with Blue Moves at the time either, but now I have no clue what I thought was wrong with it.

 

[marksk]

I remember in grade eight our teacher saying that when we grew older we wouldn't like the music that we were currently listening to. Well she was wrong. Now I find myself thinking the very same thing about the kids today and the music they listen to!

I feel the difference is that people today listen to what the record companies push as the next big thing. They don't give them time to grow and hone their skills. The cash doesn't come in and they're moving on to look for the next flash in the pan (or cash in the pocket). Because of this and the public's lack of an attention span, make artists done have the starting power.

Also. 60s and 70s have the artists a chance to experiment and try new things. That's less likely to happen today.

Would Bob Dylan have made it on American idol? Would Randy Newman have won the voice?

 

[Ranasakawa]

I feel the difference is that people today listen to what the record companies push as the next big thing. They don't give them time to grow and hone their skills. The cash doesn't come in and they're moving on to look for the next flash in the pan (or cash in the pocket). Because of this and the public's lack of an attention span, make artists done have the starting power.

Also. 60s and 70s have the artists a chance to experiment and try new things. That's less likely to happen today.

Would Bob Dylan have made it on American idol? Would Randy Newman have won the voice?

Mate

The Voice in my opinion is a totally different ball park compared to the music we listen to and it is directed to a TV audience who look at music a different way. The TV advertising for The Voice here in Australia 'always' focus on a singer who can belt out a Whitney Houston song or as such and makes me cringe every time.

 

[TVB]

Doesn't make me sad at all. I like almost all EJ albums. Of course I do like some better than others but I certainly don't feel he is going downhill as far as his newer music is concerned. Think about it. How many songs has he constructed. A bunch, and I cant think of any that sound alike. This is an incredible accomplishment. I'm not crazy about the Pnau disc but I'm sure there are people out there who love it. Music is so subjective. There are some incredible songs on the "lockdown sessions" record, as good as anything Elton has ever been associated with. Ryan Adams has some albums I think are incredible but others are AWFUL as far as I'm concerned. Its not because he's no good anymore. Its because he is making a different type of music that appeals to a different audience. By the way, I really like the "Victim of Love" album! I'll tell you what does make me sad is watching a newer Indiana Jones or X files movie where Indiana, Mulder and Scully look really OLD!.

 

[mlrocker]

just art going through changes

 

[Quad Linda]

Likely, I've spent a few thousand $ on EJ records/concerts, I like nearly all of it. Well, perhaps not Victim of Love. Thought he might be on a downward spiral after that, but for me, 21 at 33, Jump Up, and Too Low proved him to be the special artist that he was and still is. 21 had Eagles, Bill Champlin, and others I'm complete on as guests. Liked the P'Nau, though it would be in the middle at best. Early on, I even enjoyed all those "budget remakes" on MFP (EMI's budget label), and guest appearances like Flames of Paradise by Jennifer Rush.

Just like EJ, me and lots of legacy artists, we're all getting older. Not better, perhaps not even worse, simply different. Just as the soundtrack has evolved, the artists themselves have evolved. No different than you and I. Sometimes our tastes, desires merge perfectly with the artist' vision, other times not as much

"...and I'm getting older, too..." - Stevie Nicks

 

[Bill B]

I've continued following this thread and thinking about the "sadness" part. I think fans feel more "sadness" than the artist themselves (assuming the artist continues to perform). For the fan it is a part of their life that has passed and that they can't get back. Something they love that has ended.
While I am sure the artist is well aware that their songs aren't being played on the radio or topping the charts, and realize they aren't performing in arenas anymore, they are still doing what they love and getting paid for it. The average Joe working a job they don't love for 40 years is much sadder.

 

[Old Quad Guy]

A great artist has to be allowed to change over time, otherwise they’re just writing the same songs over and over again.

We talk about certain records. But we would never have had The Beatles “White Album” had they just repeated Pepper and MMT.

 

[Mr. Afternoon]

I mean it depends. Is the music that the artist putting out now good? Then, no I'm not sad. Granted I'm more impartial because I'm a genre-hopping artist. But I think as long as the artist had some good songs and their potential was utilized for a good bit, then being sad doesn't make sense.

However if you waste talent by writing the most repetitive or ear-blistering music possible just to appeal to the masses then we have a problem.
Like I'm the one to talk about repetitive music...

 

[Marplot]

Great question and a challenge to answer without writing a novel.
I moved a lot between birth and 18 years of age. As a result, music for me is an intersection of my life and an artist's release. I have changed quite a bit along the way so don't hold it against a band when they do as well.

Take Steven Wilson. I really like To The Bone and was excited for The Future Bites. I do not like the release but I am not sad at the change in direction, even though I find it a mind-numbing experience to listen to. As an artist he is certainly welcome to follow his muse and and I am free to go along for the ride or not.

On the other hand you have Devin Townsend and Nick Cave. I never cared for The Birthday Party or Strapping Young Lads. I Dig Dig Dig Nick and the Bad Seeds and Devin's Empath has been in heavy rotation for me since it was released. In both cases artists changing brought them into my wheelhouse.

There are of course those that never change which is disappointing. I like AC/DC, but they have been trying to recreate Back in Black for 40 years now so I could care less if they release something new or not; I already know how it will sound.

 

[HiFiMan]

Gordon Lightfoot comes to mind when I think of artists whose voice has changed with time. I've been to a couple of his shows in recent years, and you wouldn't recognize him physically, or by his voice. To me, there is very little, if any, resemblance to his former self. Even after you know it's him, you can't really tell it's him. So that's the sad part. I really went out of total respect for the man. His music (and lyrics) gave me so much enjoyment and inspiration when I was young, I just had to see him in person. The happy part is that, after all he's been through, he's still doing what he loves to do! I'd love to be able to thank him in person for his contribution to my life, but he doesn't mingle with his fans. That's disappointing. Of course, I still listen to him on an almost daily basis.

One thing though, that really aggravates me; when you here a concert promo on the radio for a particular artist, group, whatever, they play sound bites of what they used to sound like 3 or 4 decades ago. So deceiving. That's marketing for you, I guess.