Some things were better in the 70’s?

[Hemmo1969]

I have just had a look – online – at the NME music lists of previous year’s. Good stuff if you like lists.
Some things sprang out at me for 2019 & 1979.
I know 14/40 bands from 2019, but only 3 songs, and only 1 of those can I recall the tune of. The remainder I have never heard of.

40 year gap..

I know 37/40 bands from 1979, 34 songs I know well. Bizarrely I heard 2 of them tonight on 6 music.
17. The Pictures On The Wall - Echo & The Bunnymen
35. Where’s Bill Grundy Now - TV Personalities

I am not saying there’s no good music around today. I hear plenty, unfortunately not much of it for me, is 'a keeper'. And as to whether I will still be able to recall it immediately and hum or sing along in another 40 years? I doubt it very much!
Thinking about it? In another 40 years I will be in my 90’s!

In 1979 we had ‘Singles’, in 2019 we have ‘Songs’. We had music newspapers with journalists promoting music, now some online crud and bloggers promoting themselves.

So, were some things better in the 70’s?


1979 NME Singles

1. Eton Rifles - The Jam
2. Gangsters - The Specials
3. London Calling -The Clash
4. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
5. Strange Town - The Jam
6. Message In A Bottle - The Police
7. Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello
8. Spacer - Sheila B Devotion
9. Shake Your Body - The Jacksons
10. Memories - Public Image Ltd.
11. Death Disco - Public Image Ltd.
12. My Feet Keep Dancing - Chic
13. Rock Lobster - The B52's
14. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
15. Making Plans For Nigel - Xtc
16. Queen Of Hearts - Dave Edmunds
17. The Pictures On The Wall - Echo & The Bunnymen
18. Life During Wartime - Talking Heads
19. She's Beyond Good & Evil - The Pop Group
20. Boogie Wonderland - Earth Wind And Fire
21. Rowche Rumble - The Fall
22. Living On The Front Line - Eddie Grant
23. The Prince - Madness
24. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure
25. Touch - Lori & The Chameleons
26. Transmission - Joy Division
27. Get Over You - The Undertones
28. Memphis Tennessee - Silicone Teens
29. On My Radio - Selector
30. Pop Music - M
31. Girls Talk - Dave Edmunds
32. Heart Of Glass - Blondie
33. We Are Family - Sister Sledge
34. Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders
35. Where’s Bill Grundy Now - Tv Personalities
36. Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palms - Leighton Buzzards
37. Time Goes By So Slow - Distractions
38. Protection - Graham Parker
39. A Message To You Rudi - The Specials
40. Electricity - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark


]NME Top 50 songs of 2019

1. Mura Masa ft. slowthai - Deal Wiv It
2. Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
3. Georgia - About Work The Dancefloor
4. Lil Nas X - Old Town Road
5. Fontaines D.C. - Big
6. Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen
7. The 1975 - People
8. Girl In Red - dead girl in the pool
9. Little Simz - Boss
10. AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
11. Foals - In Degrees
12. Post Malone - Circles
13. Tyler - The Creator - Earfquake
14. Clairo - Bags
15. Daphni - Sizzling
16. Slipknot - Unsainted
17. Dua Lipa - Dont Start Now
18. Michael Kiwanuka - You Ain’t The Problem
19. Lana Del Rey - Love Song
20. The Chemical Brothers - Got To Keep On
21. FKA Twigs - Cellophane
22. King Princess - Hit The Back
23. Squid - Houseplants
24. Sunflower Bean - King Of The Dudes
25. Tierra Whack - Only Child
26. Beabadoobee - I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus
27. Lizzo - Juice
28. Solange - Binz
29. Normani - Motivation
30. Dave - Location
31. Mark Ronson ft. Lykke Li - Late Night Feelings
32. Haim - Summer Girl
33. Bring Me The Horizon - Nihilist Blues
34. Anderson .Paak - King James
35. DIIV - Blankenship
36. Metronomy - Salted Caramel Ice Cream
37. Rico Nasty ft. EarthGang - Big Titties
38. Rosalia - Millionària
39. Amyl And The Sniffers - Monsoon Rock
40. Stormzy - Vossi Bop
41. Coldplay - Orphans
42. Little Simz - Selfish
43. Tyler - The Creator - I Think
44. Charli XCX & Christine & The Queens - Gone
45. Kanye West - Follow God
46. Tame Impala - Patience
47. Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
48. Iggy Pop - James Bond
49. BTS ft. Halsey - Boy With Luv
50. Caroline Polachek - So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings

Here looking for the 20's

Doesn’t this just prove that your current exposure to music isn’t as good as it was in 1979?

[Classicrock]

Official charts company 2019 top singles. May be a bit more recognisable to some. (only 2018 up so will have to wait for the update).

[Lindsayt]

The average level of dynamic compression was much better in 1979 than 2019 too!

2019 = bland corporate pop delivered in bland over-compressed recordings. No wonder there's so little interest.

The sad thing is that things don't have to be this way. All it takes is for one record label to break ranks...

[karatestu]

The average level of dynamic compression was much better in 1979 than 2019 too!

2019 = bland corporate pop delivered in bland over-compressed recordings. No wonder there's so little interest.

The sad thing is that things don't have to be this way. All it takes is for one record label to break ranks...

[ArloFlynn]

I think Hemmo is right to a degree. But in 79 there were less outlets to hear a smaller playlist and today there are numerous outlets with more choice of music. So maybe that is why we are so familiar with 79 and a lot less so with 2019?.

[savvypaul]

When I was young and fresh, i liked young and fresh. I didn't like anything that I thought was too old. It was the same with music.

Now, a lot more of the older stuff appeals...

[ArloFlynn]

Ha! Yes of course. Agreed.

[Classicrock]

Official chart singles 2019. I actually recognise a few of these.



Album chart. Looks a bit more familiar.



Quite a few album artists were around in 1979 and before.

[terrybooth]

I think that the 79 chart needs to be put into some context. There's clearly and influence of punk and new wave in there which was a reaction against 'manufactured' and mediocre music of earlier in the decade. In other words, I don't think the 79 chart is really representative of the 70s. After all the decade started with albums outselling singles. The second half of the decade brought is 'FM' music (e.g. Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours'), earlier in the decade we had the flowering of prog rock (Genesis, Yes).

[Hemmo1969]

The other change to consider is the chart now includes a different remit of ‘effectors’ than in 79. After streaming was included in 2015 and digital downloads in 2005 the chart now captures a bigger audiences choice. Yes I appreciate the last two techs weren’t around then but maybe 1979 would be seen as a more concentrated micro chart, todays almost seams to be at a macro level?

Consider too that streaming for today’s youth (millennials) is so available and cheap (free in part) its really like us listening to the radio back in the day...... free music we wouldn’t normally buy but listened to it as in 3min a different track would be played.