Your 2010 Album of The Year

[GA-ME]

There are lots and lots of talented artists producing stellar quality CD's that the marketing/record company Juggernaut refuses to promote simply because they don't meet the image that sells. For instance, on January 28th I am going to a small 60 seat club to see one such artist, Clay Cook. Most on the forum probably have never heard of him before. He writes songs of superb quality, yet he isn't marketable according to the industry wisdom. So he is playing a 60 seat theatre in Easton, Maryland and similar size clubs like Club Passim in Cambridge Ma.  Now, because he cant get booked on Letterman or the CBS morning show, or something like these venues, and get national exposure, according to the premise being floated here it must be because of the quality of his work, right?

Wrong, Clay Cook has co-written these tunes :  No Such Thing, Comfortable, and Neon, with John Mayer and has earned Grammy's for his writing. He is currently a member of the Zach Brown Band and wrote or co-wrote their biggest hits including Toes, Chicken Fried, Whatever It Is, and more with the Zach Brown Band winning grammys' with that outfit. Now tell me, if a man with Grammy's for song writing, who has worked with John Mayer, been in Sean Mullens band, the Marshal Tucker Band, and is now a  full member of perhaps the biggest band in Country, at the moment, is reduced to 60 seat clubs when he tours solo, what chance does the average Joe/Josephine have to make it if he or she doesn't fit the mold? Talent and fame often go hand and hand but they are by no means correlated 100 percent. There is a lot o great music by fan-freaking-tastic folks that will never reach the mainstream. I think that says more about the music business than it does about those artists.

[BenF]

Well Friends I believe it is a matter of perspective please no barbs BUT I think the older we get the less open and narrow we tend to get.

Ben you are younger I would guess the yonger 20 percentile on the Forum thus most likely more open to "new".

Certainly am not judging saying one is better than the other BUT i certainly see myself getting  less open with each passing year. I think it's natural.

I apologise if my comments seem harsh, but I have made a big effort to try to learn about music instead of just listen. This has led me to make friends with some people who's work is noted above. There are others, I'm happy to list them!! It's not name dropping, because you won't have heard of them. The point is I have gleaned an understanding of the effort that goes into this work, and also the constant knockbacks they get, not from record labels or gig promoters, but the journalists and Internet reviewers that make or break a career. One of my new friends has achieved a wonderful year of success through a good write up in Acoustic magazine (UK version). I didn't note him above because I personally didn't think the record was outstanding. Just my opinion. I bought it, and listen to it often.

My point is that to basically say 'Ben is wrong, 2010 produced no good music' is simply superiority complex nonsense.  Certain forum members are experts.

Maybe the stuff I like is rubbish. I'm fine with that.

[BenF]

I'm not interested in points Walkerman. Not onebit. And for the record, your stance always sticks out on here as 'agree with me or be wrong'. I must be 'wronger' than most because of my younger age, which goes without saying.

New years resolution, don't get walked on by bullies.

[BenF]

I gave the example of Blue Rodeo....a band I had never heard of, yet I liked their music enough to inquire here about them.  For all I knew at the time, the odds were they were a new band, being as I hadn't heard of them.  MOF, back a few months, I asked about Government Mule in this forum...another band I heard played on the radio and liked.  Could have been a new band for all I knew.

So a journalist picked up on them and they got the big break of radio play. Criteria c I believe.

[GA-ME]

By the way, my vote for alblum of the year is Tin Umbrella, by Joe McGuiness. Sinners Blues alone is worth the price of admission. Yet, this CD has sold only a few hundred copies. There were hundreds of hours that went into writing, recording, and releasing the CD. Just because only me and a few hundred other folks have heard the material does nothing to diminsh how powerful some of the songs are.
Watch this video, and even if you dont like the genre, there is no way that song is crap. And, that is irrespective of how many copies this record has sold.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jETCR4BOu4

[Walkerman]

So a journalist picked up on them and they got the big break of radio play. Criteria c I believe.

Actually, it turns out these bands have been around for years....what's that got to do with any journalists?
Moreover, what's your age got to do with anything?
I have always commented with regards to my personal tastes...never said I was right and you were wrong.
However, I guess now I can add bully to the lists of names you've called me.

Oh yeah....ball's in your court...

[JOYCEfromNS]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jETCR4BOu4

[BenF]

Oh yeah....ball's in your court...

I rest my case.

Wait, I cant fight until I get someone to hold my blazer and school bag, ha ha.

[BenF]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jETCR4BOu4

that was awesome. It's you with hair!!!!!

(Seriously, you have a similar vocal style to him)

[Walkerman]

I rest my case.

Wait, I cant fight until I get someone to hold my blazer and school bag, ha ha.

Hmmmmm...I guess you forgot that you started this whole thing by saying....

"....And for the umpteenth time Walkerman picks up his ball and smugly goes home....."

Ball's in your court, and I'm still here.....BTW, it's a game, not a fight.

[BenF]

Hmmmmm...I guess you forgot that you started this whole thing by saying....

"....And for the umpteenth time Walkerman picks up his ball and smugly goes home....."

Ball's in your court, and I'm still here.....BTW, it's a game, not a fight.

Cool, you win.

[GA-ME]

that was awesome. It's you with hair!!!!!

(Seriously, you have a similar vocal style to him)

Thanks for the compliment Ben. However, Joe has more song writing, singing, and guitar ability in one finger than I have with two of my minds and twenty fingers combined! He really is something else live asa well. He is the real deal. Someone who truly speaks the universal in his song writing and performing crafts. And yet and still, the CD has barely sold enough copies to pay for the recording, mixing, mastering, and the first bulk order of freshly pressed CD's. It is a shame. You can find the CD here:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/joemcguinness

Best 10 bucks you will spend this month.

[BenF]

I'll do that. Is it on iTunes? Much easier to buy that way on this silly island miles from anywhere. Postage from the US is frustratingly slow.

That song certainly made me want to hear more.

Edit. It is on iTunes. Now on my iPhone. Cheers for the suggestion.

[Queequeg]

Well Friends I believe it is a matter of perspective please no barbs BUT I think the older we get the less open and narrow we tend to get.

Ben you are younger I would guess the younger 20 percentile on the Forum thus most likely more open to "new".

Certainly am not judging saying one is better than the other BUT i certainly see myself getting  less open with each passing year. I think it's natural.

I know that this is true for me.
I listen to all kinds of stuff and I volunteer at a music venue in town so I hear it all, but I more-or-less imprinted on the music of my generation and I hear all music through this sort of auditory prism.
So I was only 1/2 kidding when I owned up to being an old fart. I'm not stuck on Dylan certainly, or Sgt Peppers for that matter, but those are a few of the standards or benchmarks by which I evaluate new music.
And by the way, this generation doesn't have a monopoly on bad music. There was plenty of schlock in the 60s and 70s.

[Walkerman]

QQ.....

"...So I was only 1/2 kidding when I owned up to being an old fart. I'm not stuck on Dylan certainly, or Sgt Peppers for that matter, but those are a few of the standards or benchmarks by which I evaluate new music...."

Does having high standards mean you are less open?  Or, does it simply mean thatyou have high standards.  When you say that there was a lot of crappy music in the 60's and 70's, weren't you comparing that "crappy" music to the same "good" music that you are comparing taday's music to?  I would assume that you were younger in the 60's and 70's, and hence....accoding to the prevailing thought here...much more open to new music...yet you could still discern good from crap.

[Queequeg]

QQ.....

"...So I was only 1/2 kidding when I owned up to being an old fart. I'm not stuck on Dylan certainly, or Sgt Peppers for that matter, but those are a few of the standards or benchmarks by which I evaluate new music...."

Does having high standards mean you are less open?  Or, does it simply mean thatyou have high standards.  When you say that there was a lot of crappy music in the 60's and 70's, weren't you comparing that "crappy" music to the same "good" music that you are comparing taday's music to?  I would assume that you were younger in the 60's and 70's, and hence....accoding to the prevailing thought here...much more open to new music...yet you could still discern good from crap.

Well, I'd like to think I have high standards but of course, others might disagree.
I was pointing out the importance of perspective.
When I evaluate music, I am predisposed to do it through this prism (sorry, not an ideal metaphor, but as close I can come). I grew up listening to guitar-driven bands and solo acts.
I'm acknowledging my rather subjective approach to listening that favors organic, analog-based instruments (not digital processors, drum machines) and musicians who honed their craft over time with an ear for melody and complexity.
Regarding your last statement, certainly I was more open to new musical ideas back then, and I'd also like to think I'm a bit more discerning today. I actually liked some stuff back when I was a teenager that today I would have to relegate to the rubbish heap.
So, I guess that's the trade off for me. I'm a better, more discriminating listener than before, but not as open-minded as I once was. For me, there's no penalty for this. Insofar as there is no shortage of great music out there, I'm at little risk of running out of things to listen to. I'm often confronted with music that, while I will acknowledge that the musician(s) seem to have the chops, the music fails to resonate with me. I shouldn't dismiss it as "bad". You know, some guy/gal singing about their first love can sound a little hackneyed to me, but nevertheless heartfelt to the performer and/or composer.

[willfo]

 I'm caught in the middle on this one. There is way more music being released than ever befor due to the advent of cheap recording equipment and the self promotion available on the internet. Major labels are releasing less and less new music and concentrating on pushing artists that they have already profited from , or new artists that they sell who have a marketable image to the lowest common denominator-ie hot & sexy. They no longer take any kind of a chance on artist development - hit single , or off with their heads. I have also had a personal theory that our society has become so enamored with instant gratification that we only look at what is offered and then on to the next marketing campaign. I have no doubt that the resurgence of popularity in bands such as ac/dc is due to the fact that their t-shirts are now being sold at every major clothing store in the country now , or that 90% of Johnny Cash's comeback was due to the ,Walk The Line , movie. It doesn't take a genius to notice the coincidence in these things.
Music is also very hard to come by  with the death of the local independent record store as well. A kid walks into Hastings or Best Buy or Wal Mart  and has very few choices other than the current top 40 , or greatest hits packages. MTV , has also stopped being an outlet for kids to hear new music. I used to watch it late at night when I was younger and find out about a few bands worth while. Radio is now owned by a monopoly with no input from music loving DJ's , just playlists handed down from above by the highest bidder.
I myself have not listened to much new music this year. I am always working on my own music or digging for things that have been passed by. I also am to lazy to search for it on the internet , and have never downloaded anything in my life , besides there are way too many pictures of guitars to drool and dream over.
There is always good music out there it's just that these days you have to put considerable time and effort into finding it.
 

[Walkerman]

"...Music is also very hard to come by  with the death of the local independent record store as well. A kid walks into Hastings or Best Buy or Wal Mart  and has very few choices other than the current top 40 , or greatest hits packages. MTV , has also stopped being an outlet for kids to hear new music. I used to watch it late at night when I was younger and find out about a few bands worth while...."

I kind of think youtube and the internet have become the great equalizer.  Look at all of the links folks post here to new, and old, performers.  Didn't Jake Shimasomething...the uke player, become an actual recording artist because of exposure on youtube? I mean, when I was a kid, if you heard something you liked, you had very few ways of turning others on to it.  Nowadays, you just email them a link to youtube. Likewise, anyone with a computer can produce their own CDs and put them up for sale.  Music is evolving...just like everything else.  Sure, the music stores have gone the way of Blockbuster video.  But just like the video store has largely been supplanted by Netflix, so too has the music store been supplanted by Itunes and youtube.  It's just evolution.  I rather think that if the Beatles were in their teens now, and starting as a band of complete unknowns, they'd have no problem whatsoever making it to the big time.

[BenF]

I think the age thing is very relevant. Had I lived through the 60s I have no doubt I would also be biased towards music of that era. A lot on my CD collection comes from the 60s and early 70s, before I was born!

I guess my bias is somewhat different to the majority though, because at the age of about 30 I consciously turned off MTV and the radio, and started looking for music. Two things have been good this year. One is (don't shoot) facebook. I have friends there who are much more knowledgeable than I, and there are numerous of the '50 favourite albums' or '20 best artists on your iPod that you don't expect others to have heard of' notes, in which friends are 'tagged' and thus notified and asked to participate. If 10 knowledgeable friends are involved, then that could equate to 500 records to sift through.

The second has been spotify. Not sure if it is on the go over tge pond, but it is like a free radio like service. Listed to whatever, whenever, with infrequent commercial breaks. What is great is the 'similar or related artist' button, which has introduced me to many many artists in the last year. I listen at work a lot.  Most of my purchases in 2010 were through those two mediums.

Most of them I would not gave heard of any other way. To be honest, the whole thing came from reading the Acoustic Magazine article on Stuart Anthony, and a similarly timed 'friend request' from Alan Frew, a Scottish singer/songwriter, which he sent having stumbled on my YouTube page. The two were friends on facebook, so I cheekily sent a 'friend request' to Stuart, and have subsequently 'met' several more as a result, and will be playing in most of their company at the Nick Drake gathering in July.

That's my story. You may scoff, but 2010 was a real journey of musical discovery for me through good luck and coincidence starting a ball rolling. I can't wait to learn more from these folks in July when we get together for a weekend.

[BenF]

I kind of think youtube and the internet have become the great equalizer.  Look at all of the links folks post here to new, and old, performers.  Didn't Jake Shimasomething...the uke player, become an actual recording artist because of exposure on youtube? I mean, when I was a kid, if you heard something you liked, you had very few ways of turning others on to it.  Nowadays, you just email them a link to youtube.

I believe the same can be said of Andy McKee. Candyrat Records were one of tge first to latch onto the power of YouTube to promote their artists with 'official' videos.

PS excuse my lousy spelling, I am typing from an iPhone, and cannot review long posts. I know there are three typos in the previous post and it looks lazy.