tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post8177472999061023914..comments2024-03-27T23:06:03.736-05:00Comments on The Music Salon: Aesthetics of Rolling Stone Magazine, part IBryan Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-1690570291215854712011-10-05T14:54:03.165-05:002011-10-05T14:54:03.165-05:00That was this post: http://themusicsalon.blogspot....That was this post: http://themusicsalon.blogspot.com/2011/07/classical-music-top-ten-hits.html<br /><br />Yes, I actually did. I had forgotten. But that was a top ten 'classical' which, since it was me, included two Beatle albums...Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-63779257951735323372011-10-05T14:48:45.158-05:002011-10-05T14:48:45.158-05:00I seem to recall you did your own Top Ten a few mo...I seem to recall you did your own Top Ten a few months ago.RGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17404263429983838122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-39262926638464350302011-10-04T15:22:45.496-05:002011-10-04T15:22:45.496-05:00I'm sure with you on Leonard Cohen! I'm no...I'm sure with you on Leonard Cohen! I'm not actually trying to come up with my own top ten greatest pop albums, I'm just trying to get an idea of what Rolling Stone's criteria were.Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-92205441728486518072011-10-04T13:45:38.344-05:002011-10-04T13:45:38.344-05:00Of course sometimes I try to be provocative by goi...Of course sometimes I try to be provocative by going a little over the top... :-) <br /><br />Dylan and the Beatles should be at the top of any list of best-white-pop acts. I have absolutely no problem with that. (I am also enormously fond of Leonard Cohen, but to call that rock n roll would be a stretch, I guess.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-54441471834450080612011-10-04T13:19:21.791-05:002011-10-04T13:19:21.791-05:00As I said, I'm going to try to "reverse e...As I said, I'm going to try to "reverse engineer" the aesthetic behind this list. I think your comments will help. There is obviously a large sociological component here that I will note and then probably ignore! Yes, James Brown and B. B. King are huge figures. Not to mention Ray Charles and Little Richard, the latter of whom was a big influence on the Beatles. But I really don't see anything wrong with the Beatles and Dylan albums being included here. The reason why the Beatles' influence was less than it might have been is an interesting one, that will try and delve into later on... Another question is why isn't there an Elvis Presley album included?Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-60878824726711737222011-10-04T12:49:28.068-05:002011-10-04T12:49:28.068-05:00"Pet Sounds" 2nd best album of all time!..."Pet Sounds" 2nd best album of all time! Is this a joke or just a desperate effort to include a US band in the list?<br /><br />A larger question is, what is rock n roll? For RS magazine it is, "whatever white teenagers listened to in the period 1965-1995." But that's a sociological, not a musical, definition. Musically, this list is an embarrassment. Why not have a list entitled "Our favorite Beatles and Dylan albums along with a few pale imitations." But throwing in Marvin Gaye is insulting? Insulting to Marvin Gaye. Why is he there? Because his anti-Vietnam album "What's going on" resonated among white kids. He's not there for his music. Because if he were, then so would James Brown, a man who towers over everyone in that list and the only one to whom the label "genius" fits. And then BB King would be there, Ray Charles, not to mention Little Richards, all of whom had greater musical influence than the Stones or the Beatles (the latter's influence being in fact surprisingly thin).<br /><br />So this list seems a bit like a top-10 "Greatest Organ Works by Bavarian Catholic Hog Farmers."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com