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| Home > My Life > Rediscovering Three Icons of American Music |
| Rediscovering Three Icons of American Music | | Date Created: Nov 27, 2004, 03:36 PM |
If I were to say in a nutshell what kind of music is my favorite, I'd have to say Rock. But not the new, noisy, crazy Rock of the era I grew up in. I like Rock music of the previous era. The sounds of the sixties and early seventies. Before music became too loud. My favorite band, The Beatles, had covered pretty much every genre there was available at the time, so there was hardly a reason to explore other artists, since they seemed to have the musical gamut covered.
I'd always been interested in listening to the music that influenced them. The pop stars that came and went during their time. And the music that helped shape the Rock music we know of today. But I'd never been too keen on buying such a varied collection.
Thanks to iTunes, I can now explore many different styles of music at the touch of a button and at the cost of 99c per song, which is a good enough price for buying something by someone you many never have heard of.
I recently decided to use an iTunes certificate I received to collect some music by the voices that came before the Beatles, and helped inspire them. Indeed, they are the voices of the 40's, 50's, and 60's: Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Bob Dylan. Believe it or not, I have never owned a single album or song by any of them (though Dylan was part of the Traveling Wilbury's in the 1980's). And I have to say, I am very pleased with the purchase.
For Sinatra , I chose some standards. It's wonderful music to play in the background. Lights low. Makes you kind of feel like you're in an Italian Restaurant at times. He had his unique style of delivery. And he sang some pretty wonderful songs by Porter, Gerswhin, and others that I really liked. Frankie was one of the first music idols in America in the 1940's. Before I bought these songs, the only Sinatra I ever heard was in the barber shop I go to. I am looking forward to more. If any of you have suggestions of which songs to get, let me know.
For Dylan , I'm not much into the rebel music of the 1960's, other than the Fab Four's output, but I know that they, and in particular John Lennon, had an affinity for Bob Dylan's angst ridden poetry set to music. Though his voice might sound like an undeveloped whine, his songs can carry messages that were an embodiment of their time. "The Answer My Friend is Blowin' in the Wind" resonates today as much as it may have 40 years ago. Dylan has written an autobiography that has gotten rave reviews, so it helps to get a little background on him
And as for the King... I needed only to purchase the recent GOLD # 1 collection, which featured 30 of his number one hits. All of the best known Elvis is on there, and it's all quite good. I'd never really been into Presley's music. I remember being mildly curious after watching that Kurt Russell TV-Movie as a kid, and reading his biography way back then, but his music was really more for the time of my older siblings. I didn't really connect to it. Until now. Maybe because I'm getting older, too, this stuff is way better than anything out there right now, and I'm happy to rediscover it for the first time at an age when I can appreciate it. One thing I noticed about listening to Elvis, though, was that he sounded very lonely. I am used to rock records with backup singers who sing, too. Elvis was a one man show. And in his later years, he sounds very sad and somewhat displaced. Can you imagine being the biggest star ever, and not being happy with it? Anyway, this album was the biggest bargain of the three. 30 songs for 9.99 on iTunes. Well worth every last penny.
Anyway, any suggestions on songs by these artists, or others like them that you think I should explore are welcome! |
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