5punk

I've just been mooching around in the increasingly popular Spotify, and looking at some of the biographies of the bands I'm listening too. I was mildly surprised to see how many of them are of British origin and as an extension to that, how much contemporary music is exported from this little island. Many of the most memorable 'greats' are British - Rolling Stones, Beatles, Oasis, Muse, Queen, Floyd to name but a few. Of course there are some outstanding performers from across the pond - Bob Marley, Elvis and dare I say it, Jackson.

There really don't seem to be that many from elsewhere in the world, even those that sing in English. ABBA spring to mind, but beyond that I'm at a loss. Conversely, in places as far flung as India, Japan, the Middle East and Indonesia they all listen to British music. Of course they listen to the local stuff as well (Egyptian contemporary music is guaranteed to make your ears bleed, for example) and yet we never hear that stuff here.

What is it about Brit music in particular that makes it so popular world wide? Why don't we like that damn foreign stuff?

Because we're damn fucking good™

friznit wrote:Oasis

How'd they get grouped with "great"? Whiny Brit pop music...'

Muse? I think they have a song on Rockband but can't quite remember.

To name a few more of the greats: The Who, Free/Bad Company, Led Zep, Cream/Clapton, Black Sabbath...sheesh you got alot of them...

The Brits ruled the 70's. We had our share though: Aerosmith, Boston, J.Geils, Styx, Kiss, ZZTop, Santana, Journey, The Eagles, Van Halen. But, you had the best of the best.

I dunno what it was but the British music seemed to have more to it. Like there was alot more effort put into each song. (or better drugs)

Btw: Bob Marley? I've heard the name all my life but I don't know any of his songs. And Jackson? He was just a pop singer, grabbed his crotch alot like it was stylish or something and liked kiddies a bit too much...

To be fair in recent times I'd say that America is churning out the quality stuff - us Brits seem to be navel gazing and wallowing in past glories.

Very little original music comes from the UK these days.

Roman Totale wrote:Very little original music comes from the UK these days.

Or maybe you're just getting old?

spoodie wrote: Or maybe you're just getting old?

That too!


Bloody kids.

I notice as I get older that at least some new music sounds like older music. Which I remember my Dad commenting on when I was younger and I obviously scoffed at this. There's probably only so many sounds within the current themes until something changes quite radically within the art of music.

MORDETH LESTOK wrote:

Muse? I think they have a song on Rockband but can't quite remember.

Btw: Bob Marley? I've heard the name all my life but I don't know any of his songs.

Muse had Knights of cydonia was on GH3, and they are a great band, one of the best shows I was ever too. As for Marley, reggae guy, No Woman No Cry, I shot the sheriff (Clapton covered this song), Get up stand up, Jammin.. you've had to have heard them.

And I think in the 60's-70's it's more of a quality over quantity. British music had the quality, we had quantity, of bands, and styles. Though I'm not too familiar with british music besides the bigger bands, so I could be wrong wrong wrong.

I think your observations are skewed because of the type of music you listen to. For Rock in all its forms, Britain definitely has churned out some of the best, but if you take rap/R&B or electronica, there are tons of bands from the USA, Scandinavia and other parts of the world that make better music than the UK artists in their genres.

I despise Rap and "R&B".

Creatively bankrupt genres the pair of them.

Roman Totale wrote:I despise Rap and "R&B".

Creatively bankrupt genres the pair of them.

Well not explicitly british, but you've got the scottish band Alestorm in the UK, and they make damn good pirate metal.

Roman Totale wrote:I despise Rap and "R&B".

Creatively bankrupt genres the pair of them.

I like some rap artists and I think some have genuine talent. More so in the past than current, but that may be my age. People like Ice Cube, NWA, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Dr. Dre, Eminem and if you take away some of his massive ego Keane West. Surely everyone likes Rapper's Delight?

Personally I despise metal. An opinion which is going to be contentious here I imagine. It just annoys me and I can't see much talent. Each to their own.

spoodie wrote:Personally I despise metal

That's because you're wrong.

spoodie wrote: I like some rap artists and I think some have genuine talent. More so in the past than current, but that may be my age. People like Ice Cube, NWA, Public Enemy, De La Soul, Dr. Dre, Eminem and if you take away some of his massive ego Keane West. Surely everyone likes Rapper's Delight?

Personally I despise metal. An opinion which is going to be contentious here I imagine. It just annoys me and I can't see much talent. Each to their own.

the problem i have with rap is 90% of it seems to be some massive wanker talking about how much money he has and the womens hes shagged, and then saying hes part of the ghetto, in his 30 million dollar mansion.....cunts but everynow and then one will pop up that actually has something to say and writes a few good songs that arent just a massive ego wank and this i rather enjoy

The only music whiter than metal is country and western. So it's racist as well as rubbish.

You don't have to like it but it still exists, and is very popular.

I do like the music genre arguments, they're always so much fun.

Personally, I'll listen to almost anything, as long as it's not shit, which I think is the problem with a great deal of modern music. Overly commercial, manufactured bands that churn out the same shit as everyone else.

Sure, there's occasional moments of talent, but they're rare.


I'll stick to my very specific music collection of absolutely fucking everything I hear and enjoy. (yes, there's a bias to 70s-80s hard rock, metal and punk)

Dr. kitteny berk wrote:I do like the music genre arguments, they're always so much fun.

You call that an argument! There's barely even a differing of opinion, despite my attempts at provocation.

It is fair to say that a lot music in any genre is some degree of tosh. Even back in the seminal days of rock I'm sure there was a lot of crap, but only the good stuff is remembered.

Absolutely, same way you picked out 5 rap artists out of however many thousand shit ones