::Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

[theDingle]

I can relate to teenagers today when they say that they can't figure out why no one else their age likes the Beatles.

When SPLHCB came out, I was gaga over it, but no one else in my classroom or my grade (admittedly a backwater redneck area, but mass media still got through) knew anything about it or even cared. 45s and top 40 radio was all they bothered listening to. Sometimes I couldn't believe the apathy, these dudes were missing the boat!

[Maestri09]

I can relate to teenagers today when they say that they can't figure out why no one else their age likes the Beatles.

The Beatles are "old"! They are like "your parent's music", maybe even grandparents, [yikes!]. It's understandable why teenagers, (in highschool and all--that jungle of consumer conformity) would not like the Beatles...probably just in principle more than anything.

I should mention though, in my first year at university especially, that trend of conformity actually went backwards! I remember people getting their hands on music that was completely different from their normal stuff. Used Beatle CD's were very popular--and 80's

[theDingle]

The Beatles are "old"! They are like "your parent's music", maybe even grandparents, [yikes!]. It's understandable why teenagers, (in highschool and all--that jungle of consumer conformity) would not like the Beatles...probably just in principle more than anything.

I should mention though, in my first year at university especially, that trend of conformity actually went backwards! I remember people getting their hands on music that was completely different from their normal stuff. Used Beatle CD's were very popular--and 80's

Well Maes, for a brief and shining decade or so there, with the "underground" FM radio format of the late 60s/early 70s, it was all about the music, and excellent music it was. Not so today.

Of course, the nature of fashion is to outmode the old with a certain amount of belittlement, because this will insure a following for the new. The general nature of fashion is also superficiality. Real quality is on a different level and it ignores the blows of fortune.

Call it grampy music if you want, but my Strat-bangin' teenager has a respectable CD collection of the cream of that era, including the Beatles, and no, I didn't push it on him at all. With him it's more that mere principle. I give him a pointer or two, but he's schooled himself into all of it right up to today's better stuff. If it sounds good, it IS good, hourglass or no hourglass. Ask megs!

---Aristotle Dingley-doo, lol

[dsnito]

Well, we had many styles of Pop/Rock music thru the years:
-50s - pure Rock´N´Roll pioneers like Elvis, Little Richard, Perkins, Berry, J.L.Lewis, Buddy Holly, etc;
-60s - THE BEATLES were the absolute Kings, followed by The R.Stones; Psychedelic singer/groups, guitar distortion, lisergic sound(Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Donovan, Pink Floyd, The Yardbirds etc.);
-70s - Pop/Rock blockbuster - Elton John; Heavy Metal/Hard Rock groups Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, The Faces, Thin Lizzy, Humble Pie, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, etc.); Progressive Rock represented by EL&P, Yes, Jethro Tull, Genesis(pre-Phil Collins era), Pink Floyd(post-Syd Barrett era), Soft Rock - Queen, David Bowie, Marc Bolan & T.Rex; Disco-Music(argh !) and Punk/New Wave(TheSex Pistols, The Clash, The Dead Kennedys, The Ramones, The Stooges);
-80s - brought the New Wave Rock from the late 70s with B-52s, Talking Heads, The Police, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Pretenders, Adam & The Ants, Duran Duran, Blondie among others... from the Heavy-Metal rock roots came the Thrash-Metal, Speed-Metal, Black-Metal, Dunno-What-Metal Rock ;
-90s - Rap/Hip Hop/House and DJ´s scratching sound began to raise; Mainstream Hard Rock with Guns´N´Roses, Skid Row, The Cult(they wanted to be the new Zep )Bon Jovi; mixed styles as Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers; Electronic/Techno music grew up in the past decade and got thru the 21st century.
But GOOD MUSIC is ALWAYS GOOD MUSIC, only the QUALITY counts...that´s why THE BEATLES plus other great artists like ELVIS, CHUCK BERRY, JIMI HENDRIX, ELTON JOHN, LED ZEPPELIN, PINK FLOYD, QUEEN always capture new followers and fans from the young generations...

[Maestri09]

Well Maes, for a brief and shining decade or so there, with the "underground" FM radio format of the late 60s/early 70s, it was all about the music, and excellent music it was. Not so today.

Of course, the nature of fashion is to outmode the old with a certain amount of belittlement, because this will insure a following for the new. The general nature of fashion is also superficiality. Real quality is on a different level and it ignores the blows of fortune.

Call it grampy music if you want, but my Strat-bangin' teenager has a respectable CD collection of the cream of that era, including the Beatles, and no, I didn't push it on him at all. With him it's more that mere principle. I give him a pointer or two, but he's schooled himself into all of it right up to today's better stuff. If it sounds good, it IS good, hourglass or no hourglass. Ask megs!

---Aristotle Dingley-doo, lol

I was actually going to touch on that point. ...but at the last minute I felt like saving it. The exceptions to that "rule" are, indeed, people who play music. In my experience, they have a vast repertoire of CDs of different music and styles, whether a "highschool teenager" or not. Admittably, for every ONE of these individuals there are dozens who can't even differentiate between the Beatles and the Monkees--or even care to. Sometimes, it makes me want to pull out my hair!

An analogy that could be fitting would be if I were to ask how many of the students at your school at that time were fans of Duke Ellington (since he was "the man" 20yrs before sgt pepper.) or the like.

[Steve-o]

I don't think it has anything to do with "playing" or not. I think it has to do with whether or not one is introduced to the stuff, and then likes it enough to build the collection. Take my 2 kids (22 & 25). BOTH have vast tastes in music produced today. One is very musically inclined..the other just didn't have it, or didn't want it. BOTH have huge CD collections....both have a bit of the 50's with early Elvis...both have many many 60's CD's--the good stuff. Same with some of the 70's & 80's. Where they differ is in the late 90's. One likes eminem, electronic musis and what I would call older grunge groups and the other likes the softer stuff. But BOTH love mostly the same type of music up until the late 90's. And alot of their friends are the exact same way. I think good music is good music and by me introducing them to said good music, it was then their choice to recognize it (or not), like it (or not) and continue with it (or not). I honestly don't feel that they are in a small minority, while I don't think they are the majority. Maybe somewhere in between.

[Ram1]

Great post, Steve-o. I wholeheartedly agree.

[Maestri09]

I was referring more to the average kid from 13-17yrs of age, and strictly of the Beatles (perhaps Elvis/Ray Charles) you know, acts categorized today as "oldies". They may have heard them, they may have a vast number of "essential" mp3's of them (or the Monkees, thinking it was the beatles), but are they outward fans and do they outwardly like them enough to step out from the highschool "production line"? In my opinion, I don't think so ...but it would be important to hear this from someone who currently is in highschool (which none of us are).

I remember blowing one week's pay (when I was like, 17) to get the 30th Anniversary White Album on the first day it came out. Unfortunately I also remember being the only one to promote this great event among my friends and peers, and the only one who actually GOT the CD (at least on the first day). And yes, some people were looking at me and saying "so"? "who cares"?

[Ram1]

but it would be important to hear this from someone who currently is in highschool (which none of us are).

That's not true. We have several younger fans here. Macca Fanna, Tug of War, a guy named Shai, and I believe Bianca and Arentu, just to name a few.

[Maestri09]

i meant none of us involved in this particular discussion