Old School

[rah...@mail.com]

Can I open the possibility of widening the focus, please? Music is one of the oldest human traits, developed over many millenia, and the current fixation on particular sryles looks like it's reaching the end of the line. 

I was a classically trained vocalist (Sir Geraint Evans), and moved into production before being run off the ranch during the 1977 imposition of hip-hop and punk at the expense of concept rock. I'd been Queen's Host Stage Manager the Saturday Bohemian Rhapsody hit, and activly produced performances of many other well-known names of the period (ELO, Mud...). On returning to voice in retirement, I've done satisfactorily, working in folk, acappella, and moving to lead the Southbank Voicelab choir backing David Byrne's Moderator's gig promoting the work of the Nigerian composer William Onyeabor, was part of a performance which added a new dynamic in funk from many of the greats.

Given that punk has to all intents and purposes died, and hip-hop hasn't developed greatly in the last decade (drill having done for its general cred), we see a reversion to the past - Abba announcing new work today, The Sixteen producing a Concept album, the widespread development of ambient styles - which means it's possible for us oldies to reply, "as we were saying before we were so rudely interrupted by A&R..."

That dominance was part of the money-men has come to a crashing halt with the #metoo movement. The pull-out of the Reality TV dynamic (BGT, The Voice, etc), which left one artificially-created "winner" (Spice Girls, for example) and several dozen geeks can only be good news for the Indies, and if you are going to take anything from the past, now's the time to get out there and ask them, because the stars of old are fast cutting the strings binding them to this mortal existence.

Of course you won't do it exactly the same, but the recipe which kept 1970s rock a staple of music even now isn't quite as obvious as it seems. And that is, I think, a valid discussion we should be having.