It's All Coming Back To Me Now - The Older The Better?

Madonna: When was she musically greater?

The Older The Better?

Aloha. Matt Bond here, taking over Vintage Thursday for the week as Jo sits back, relaxes and enjoys... well, whatever she wants. It's her free time. Yeah, you're stuck with me. Accept it. Embrace it. If it makes you feel any better, this week's topic was sorta kinda maybe born out of a conversation I had with Jo earlier today. It is a popular belief in many circles that older music (eg. music from the 60s, 70s and, to a lesser extent the 80s and 90s) is better than the music of today. You're not cool if you don't say the music of today sucks and attempt to explain how Bob Dylan, "just got it, man," despite countless hours attempting to decipher what he's rambling on about. Just tell us how many damn roads it takes for a man to walk down before you can call him a man? The wind tells me nothing! Uh... yeah. 

Anyway, take a look at the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time list. 326 songs that made their countdown are from the 60s or 70s and 77 are from the 80s and 90s. 26 are from the 2000s. Now, obviously the contributors to a highly respected publication like Rolling Stone are a bit older and also subjected to a ridiculous level of scrutiny by their readers, so it makes perfect sense that they would favour 'All Along The Watchtower' over 'Bad Romance.' We on the other hand say, "nay!" for we don't have no readers to scrutinize us. Ha! And also that 'All Along The Watchtower' vs 'Bad Romance' was just an example. No need to go cray-cray. Cray-cray means crazy for those music purists out there. At least I think that's what it means. Very soon we'll be tackling the wacky notion of old vs new in music and why we're stuck with the perpetual belief that what has come before is somehow better than what is out there today. 

Today though, I'll be looking at when I believe older definitely does mean better. Confused? Remember what I said about embracing 'it.' Figure out what 'it' is, embrace it and stay with me beautiful internet peruser. At some stage of your existence you would have heard the classic line, "I liked their old stuff better." Sometimes it's a friend unwilling to accept that a band they loved has become popular, somehow making their new material a pale imitation of who they used to be... even though it sounds exactly the same and is just as good as their old 'stuff.' Sometimes it's a sibling who liked The Black Keys before all of you jumped on the bandwagon and honestly isn't into 'Lonely Boy.' Hey Sam! Sometimes it's just true. Their old stuff was better and their new stuff is either average, inaccessible or, in the worst cases, horrendously bad. When does older really mean better? Let's find out...

I Prefer 1995 No Doubt 

to

2012 No Doubt

Get, get, get in line and settle down Stefani fans. You love 'Settle Down.' You're excited to get your hot little hands on a copy of Push and Shove next week. That's excellent and I hope you enjoy the album. Just do one thing after you've given it a listen. Dig out your dusty old copy of Tragic Kingdom and let me know, in all honesty, which album made you love music more. Somewhere along the way the band actually became what they were portraying in the music video for 'Don't Speak.' Just some guys standing in the background, not doing a whole lot while Super-pop-Gwen and some electronic beats bop along at the front. 

I Prefer 1993 Smashing Pumpkins 

to

2012 Smashing Pumpkins

But who doesn't?

I Prefer 80s, 90s, 2000 - 2005 Madonna

to

2008 - 2012 Madonna

Essentially the same talented shark of a woman doing the same incredible thing, just with a few extra years and a new outfit each time. I'd say it was 2008 with the release of Hard Candy when the world lost that excitement that is meant to come with a new Madonna release. Maybe 2005 Madge throwing on a leotard and shaking it like a Polaroid picture was the end of the road?  

      I Prefer 1994 Green Day

to

2012 Green Day

But who doesn't?

I Prefer 1973 Aerosmith

to

2012 Aerosmith

Come on, Steven. You had a comfortable gig going with American Idol. You got to mentor young talent, earn millions of dollars and keep yourself in the public consciousness. Something that seems to be really hard for your daughter to do. Your legacy was established and you could walk around knowing that Aerosmith really was once the greatest American rock band in the world. But no. No, you had to give it another go and make give me a whole heaps of cringe-worthy moments with the song and video for 'Legendary Child.' Girls on roller-skates that are younger than your daughter may be "cool" like you suggest, but not when there's a bunch of seventy year olds about to put a hip out flashing across the screen every ten seconds. Whatever, you've earned the right to do whatever you want. I still like your old stuff better though. Especially your classic 70s albums like Aerosmith and Get Your Wings. But especially 'Crazy' in 1993. "Say your leaving on the 7.30 train and that you're heading out to Hollywood." Now there's a song you I could listen to all day. I'll save my theory about how Steven Tyler is the first person ever to say 'cray' for another time.

I Prefer 2008 Lady Gaga

to

2011 Lady Gaga

But who doesn't? What? Too soon? Not vintage-y enough for ya?! Whatever... Jo will be back next week.