|
Post by stopdead on May 4, 2015 22:36:26 GMT -5
Why do you think DD are so keen to work with younger talent? Its about the only chance they have to be recognized by anyone under 30. Those of us who are now 40+ knew the bands from the 60's in part because there wasn't the fragmentation that there is now. Also, in the 80's, bands like the Beatles had their heyday 20 years prior. In 2015 that equates to 1995, so it might be expected that kids today will have heard of Pearl Jam but not much before that. Duran Duran's heyday was 30 years ago (!), so we have to accept that very few under 30 know who they are or give a crap about them. Our kids don't count.
|
|
|
Post by derekduran on May 5, 2015 3:34:27 GMT -5
I've had this as well, I referenced Spandau Ballet's True once- I got blank looks- they'd never heard of it. When I was in my 20's I could have recgnised bands from the 70's- but I would have struggled to name any of acts my parents listened to in the late 50's/early 60's- outside the obvious
1985 was 30 years ago, so anyone under 20-ish it's ancient history now.
thing is working with young producers doesn't really work- Duran did it with RCM- flopped, and Madonna has spent the last decade doing this with endless rappers with diminishing returns- the actual fanbase hates it, and the kids aren't interested- look at Rebel Heart- it's got a long list of trendy prodcuers/rappers on it- and it's tanked everywhere.
U2 understood this and released SOI as a freebie on i-tunes, rather than deal with the poor sales question
|
|
|
Post by coolbarn on May 5, 2015 4:19:03 GMT -5
When I was young I thought it was weird seeing "old" rock acts releasing new material, or teaming up with the young guns of the day, and playing young music. If the Beatles had got back together, I'd still want them to sound like the Beatles and not the Beatles trying to sound like Culture Club. I'd have hated for the Rolling Stones to try and sound like Spandau Ballet.
Old bands stood out. If it was somebody cool like the Beatles or Rolling Stones, it would have been great having them around again and the music would have been appreciated and sold well. But they wouldn't have sold out and tried to imitate young bands, because they were not desperate and had an amazing legacy that they wouldn't want to tarnish. But if a not so well known act like the Turtles, the Troggs, or The Kingsmen had got back together to make a quick buck, and teamed up with a young, hot group of the 80s, then that would have looked desperate. We would have hated it, and our parents DEFINITELY would have hated it.
Who the hell are these 'Turtles'? And why are they playing with Duran Duran?
Seems like times haven't changed today. And they will NEVER change. Pop groups over the age of 30 look ancient to young kids who are used to worshipping people not much older than themselves. It is NEVER cool, the older you get, to try and act young and worth with young people and try to make young music.
It never will be cool. Madonna failed. Duran Duran failed. Nobody succeeded. Nobody will ever succeed, because it's human psychy at play. Pure and simple.
|
|
|
Post by stopdead on May 5, 2015 10:17:18 GMT -5
Yep. Best just to be yourselves and hope that it pleases the fans you still have. I don't think DD are trying to sound super current on this album but so long as they have a record label, there will be pressure to move units and make money. But they don't need kids to do that. Nile is older (63) than they are and despite his recent success it was all behind the scenes. Nobody under 30 hearing Get Lucky is likely to know or care that Nile is on the record. Mr. Hudson (36) is far from a household name nor is anyone else on the album except for maybe Mark Ronson who is no spring chicken at 39. John Fruciante's (45) previous band (RHCP) hasn't been relevant in at least a decade. I've never even heard of the other people and a quick search on iTunes suggests most everyone else hasn't either. My point is, this isn't another RCM...
|
|
oakey
PAPER GOD
Posts: 2,600
|
Post by oakey on May 5, 2015 13:12:08 GMT -5
But they wouldn't have sold out and tried to imitate young bands, because they were not desperate and had an amazing legacy that they wouldn't want to tarnish. But if a not so well known act like the Turtles, the Troggs, or The Kingsmen had got back together to make a quick buck, and teamed up with a young, hot group of the 80s, then that would have looked desperate. We would have hated it, and our parents DEFINITELY would have hated it Well, The Kinks had a hit with Come Dancing in '83 (with a very 80s sound) and the Everly Brothers made a great - if shortlived - comeback with On the wings of a nightingale around that time as well (written by a Beatle no less). But that would indeed be the equivalent of Daft Punk or Blur having a hit or comeback album in 2015. Hell, even Coldplay formed in 1996, which is almost 20 years ago. Everybody knew the Beatles and the Stones in the 80's, but compared to the vast amount of music that has been made since the early seventies and the numerous bands and acts that have existed since then, the music that was around in the '60s was at a totally different level volumewise. Probably less than 1‰ of the pop/rock tunes that exist in 2015 predate 1965. There are many current acts that I have never heard of, and I am not only a Duran fan, I am still into pop culture and appreciate contemporary performers like Nicki Minaj or Rihanna. My young colleagues also do not believe me if I say I have never heard of group x or song y, because I do not listen to their radio stations ("How come you don't know that song, you here it everywhere", well it does not pop up into my iTunes by itself ) My brother in law is 30, and he has heard of Duran, as he is into James Bond: "they did the title song for that bond movie A view to a kill". I am pretty sure he doesn't know any other DD songs. Even many of my age-groups peers associate DD only with The Reflex and do not know they still make music. So yes, it's basically just us, the fans
|
|
|
Post by coolbarn on May 5, 2015 15:29:54 GMT -5
Well, The Kinks had a hit with Come Dancing in '83 (with a very 80s sound) and the Everly Brothers made a great - if shortlived - comeback with On the wings of a nightingale around that time as well (written by a Beatle no less). But that would indeed be the equivalent of Daft Punk or Blur having a hit or comeback album in 2015. Hell, even Coldplay formed in 1996, which is almost 20 years ago. For sure, I'm not saying that old acts can't have hits in a new decade to a new generation of fans. Not at all. I'm just saying that old acts can't attract young fans by hanging on the coat-tails of the latest hot act making music that young people listen to. They have to stay true to themselves and continue to make the great rock music that they were famous for in their heyday, not look like that embarrassing old uncle unsuccessfully trying to act hip and sing and dance along with the latest music at the weekend family reunion I had never heard that Kinks song before, but I see it charted well in the US and UK so plenty of people must have bought it. It seems to have a 'Madness' ska-type vibe to it in the verse so I guess you could say it has a quasi-early 80s sound, but that chorus is very catchy and rock enough, and not so far removed from the typical sound that the Kinks were known for. So yes Come Dancing was something new for an old band, but you wouldn't say that The Kinks had sold out at all. They were writing a song that, according to Wikipedia (so it must be right) was a "nostalgic look back at childhood memories of its writer: the Kinks' frontman Ray Davies, remembering his older sister going on dates to the local Palais dance hall where big bands would play. The lyrics tell how the Palais has been demolished and his sister now has her own daughters who are going on dates". The Kinks didn't team up with Madness to hang off their coat-tails, or hire Stock, Aitken, and Waterman to write them the perfect pop hit. They didn't wear Antony Price suits to copy our boys, or play the keytar to imitate Herby Hancock or Howard Jones. They simply wrote a catchy tune, on their own, and it sold well. But I guarantee you ask any diehard Kinks fan their favourite ten Kinks songs of all time, and Come Dancing won't get a look in. It probably would be lucky to even scrape into their top 50 favourite list. It was a good comeback for a great band, but it wasn't a defining moment for them. Similarly the Everly Brothers track you mention just sounded like the Everly Brothers. There were no gimmicks there, it was just a nice piece of music written by one of the greatest songwriters of all time (who also had a number of hits in the 80s writing catchy music without having to rely on using modern gimmicks). Great music, well-written music, well-performed music sells in any era. Gimmicks and fads have their 15 minutes of fame, but then sound dated the next day. And great rock acts in denial trying to appear young is just sad. So yes, it's basically just us, the fans I think you're right. My kids know all about Duran Duran, but I reckon if I told them to visit every one of their neighbourhood friends tomorrow and ask them if they had heard of Duran Duran, only the ones whose parents have great taste and have already introduced them to the band would even recognise the name, let alone being able to name any songs. And sadly that's not many families in these neck of the woods, and I daresay the world over
|
|
redmumba
PAPER GOD
Nonabuser of ellipsis
Posts: 3,536
|
Post by redmumba on May 5, 2015 17:11:06 GMT -5
What's even worse is when you go into a grocery store / supermarket and you start hearing all these tunes over the store sound system that were current and "fresh" when you were a teenager and think, "Wow, has it come to this?"
|
|
|
Post by coolbarn on May 5, 2015 17:18:41 GMT -5
I don't know Mumba me old mate - most of the songs that were fresh when I was a teenager I still love today, and would greatly prefer to hear them when I was shopping than any of the modern crud (hey wasn't that a Bowie song???)
|
|
errbt
PAPER GOD
"untalented guitarist"
Posts: 1,726
|
Post by errbt on May 5, 2015 17:29:29 GMT -5
Who the hell are these 'Turtles'? And why are they playing with Duran Duran? Actually, they did play with Duran Duran, or rather sing with them (backup vocals by "Flo and Eddie"/ Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan on Success)! But indeed they weren't trying to make "young" music; rather they were covering "old" music!
|
|
|
Post by coolbarn on May 5, 2015 23:01:10 GMT -5
Actually, they did play with Duran Duran, or rather sing with them (backup vocals by "Flo and Eddie"/ Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan on Success)! But indeed they weren't trying to make "young" music; rather they were covering "old" music! Cool, I had no idea. When picking three random 60s acts what are the chances of them having performed at any time with Duran Duran??? I just hit the jackpot baby! I wonder then if Duran were using reverse psychology and using old artists as an attempt to woo sales from wizened old rock fans? Could you imagine the tens of Turtles fans in 1995 who were saying "Bloody turtles, selling out and teaming up with a young band like Duran Duran just to sell records - disgraceful!"
|
|