Ahhh ... Music and Politics Back In The Day
Andrew reports that he went to hear/see Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young last night at the big concert arena in Atlanta. He observes that the music was great, Neil Young is waaayy out there leftwingcrazy and Atlanta yuppies take themselves waaaay too seriously.
Now I know that Dad and Emma are the real musicians in the family. While I find music a pleasant accompaniment to life, they actually find it essential to life. Keeping this in mind, I am about to comment on music with absolutely no claim to any knowledge of the subject- just my own ramblings based on personal experience and opinion with no claim to any actual knowledge. After all, isn't that what the internets are for??
Not surprised that the music last night was great. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young still have such great harmony and their voices blend so beautifully that, as long as they sing together, their music is always good. Only when one or the other tries to stray from the safety of the herd does the truth come out... not one of the four can carry a tune in a bucket by himself. The group is a perfect example of the whole being the sum of it's parts.
The music is also good also because it reflects a political point of view, comments on the times, makes a political statement. It is 60s music and CSNY fans know those politics, expect that and love it! Neil Young, in particular, is such an outspoken song-writer that he sings his own politically charged compositions solo to get the point across. That takes guts considering his awful stuffed-nose caterwauling "singing style". Lots of musicians from the 60s were in the business not just to gain fame and fortune but because they had something to say. Music was the way they said it.
Back in the day when we rode around listening to the radio we got our political point of view from musicians not from radio talk show hosts. That is the tradition from which CSNY comes and their music is going to be political, folks.
The fact that Neil Young comes off as an extremist ties in exactly with what I posted yesterday. Everything is skewed so far rightward nowdays that what was considered pretty normal counter-culture, bit-left-of-center politics back in the day is now leftwingcrazy!
What were the Atlanta yuppie-types expecting? Why would they go to a CSNY concert and then boo or walk out when a political statement they didn't agree with was thrown their way? Didn't they expect 60s music? Do they think CSNY's most famous song, the anthem of student protest, Ohio, is just a recruitment promo for Kent State University?
It's 60s music!!
9 years ago
3 comments:
Wow, glad to see my phone call inspired a little political charge from you mom, your voice has gotten relatively quieter over the years politically, whereas, Dad's has inversely gotten louder.....Glad to hear your still in the mix of stirring up the debate a little....And yes, Neil Young is a nut, but man, can the four of them rock....
What is interesting to me is, those Atlanta yuppies who booed and/or walked out of the concert were middle aged boomers who would NEVER have walked out of a concert that featured policitcally charged songs. I'm guessing they have grown up, dropped in, and turned republican! It's really something when our president has an entire CD written protesting his policies and view. You GO Neil Young!
I'm glad I was raised by hippies. I love my lefty family! Yeah, what they all said!!! :-)
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