Wishing For More (And Better) Music

[erik]

Linda discusses the need for more, and better, music, and being exposed to it early on in life, at the Monterey Conference Center (the video was filmed just this past Saturday, April 20th):

4onlinetv.com/linda-ronstadt-wishes-for-more-and-better-music-at-home/

[eddiejinnj]

thanks for posting this erik. she is very right about the quality of sound that people listen to on a general basis. I was first one to rate the piece. wish I could see the whole interview. thanks again erik. maybe, there will be more video if you look up the Monterey conference center and her name. eddiejinnj

[the Scribe]

Ashame they cut up the interview.

[Dianna]

thanks Erik. Funny because I have a nice little stereo and sound system too but I mostly listen to stuff from my computer.

[the Scribe]

I wonder what Linda was talking about from Neil Young? A way to improve sound or listening? If Linda thinks he has a good idea there must be something to it. I couldn't quite make out what she called it.

[Dianna]

I couldn't make out what she said either..
maybe something like this?

[erik]

Short Comment: YIPE!!!

In all good seriousness, if I were to ever meet Linda in person and talk with her for an hour or so, I would give her copies of Tift Merritt's and Caitlin Rose's recent CD releases to show her (if she hasn't already found out) just how much good music is out there, and, of course, all the wonderfully melodic chaos she has inspired in her lifetime (LOL).

[JasonKlose]

Apr 25, 2013 19:35:14 GMT -5 erik said:

Short Comment: YIPE!!!

In all good seriousness, if I were to ever meet Linda in person and talk with her for an hour or so, I would give her copies of Tift Merritt's and Caitlin Rose's recent CD releases to show her (if she hasn't already found out) just how much good music is out there, and, of course, all the wonderfully melodic chaos she has inspired in her lifetime (LOL).

You're right. There is still some good music out there.......if you look hard enough. But I think I understand what Linda is saying. The way we listen to music these days.......it's just not the same as it used to be. And she is right about how we delegate our music to professionals and not try and do our own music. I'm guilty of that myself. But not everyone has an outlet for creating their own music or they simply don't have the talent or gift for music (Linda of course has that gift). It's something very few people in this world have. Linda just happened to come at the right time and it all worked out for her.

[the Scribe]

I think she said "Hi Def."

Canadian rock legend Neil Young said this week that he was working with late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs on a new music format that would offer fans uncompromised studio quality sound in the form of digital music downloads.

In an interview at the All Things Digital D: Dive Into Media conference on Tuesday, Young spoke at length about the lack of quality in today's mainstream digital music formats, arguing that the "low-res world" of MP3s provide just 5% of the data present in the original studio recordings, paling in comparison to the quality of vinyl records back in the 70's.

"We live in the digital age, and we are -- unfortunately -- we only have 5% of the content we used to have in the mainstream," he said. "It's not that digital is bad or inferior. It's that the way that it is being used is not sufficient to transfer the depth of the art."

Super high-def music files that would deliver sound on par with 24/192 files -- the highest-res recorded music today -- present challenges, including an increase in download times to 30 minutes per track and the development of a player suitable to store and handle them.

"The technology exists," said Young. "The internet is fast enough to support it. […] And you could store like 30 albums at high-res in a small device that you could carry around in your pocket like an iPhone."

Asked whether he ever approached Jobs about the project, Young acknowledged that he had indeed spoken with the late Apple co-founder and that the two were "working on it" prior to his passing last year but admitted that "not much" has happened since Jobs passed.

"Steve Jobs was a pioneer of digital music," Young said. "His legacy is tremendous. But when he went home, he listened to vinyl. And you gotta believe that if he lived long enough, he would have eventually done what I'm trying to do."

[Deleted]

It is an all too true sobering fact.. this is the first generation that has developed worse audio technology than the previous ones...

[Dianna]

It's funny and like Linda said, we just accept the crappy sound and youtube videos coming from our laptops and like watching and listening. lol.. I've always had one of those big stereo's with dolby surround sound and huge speakers.. I got rid of the last one .. last year.. which produced a fantastic sound.. I downgraded to a very small unit which accomodates my ipod..on occassion I'd go to best buy to check out sounds and I've never heard a smaller unit like the one I have produce bigger sounds like the older models. I don't think they sell those anymore.

[sliderocker]

Apr 25, 2013 19:35:14 GMT -5 erik said:

Short Comment: YIPE!!!

In all good seriousness, if I were to ever meet Linda in person and talk with her for an hour or so, I would give her copies of Tift Merritt's and Caitlin Rose's recent CD releases to show her (if she hasn't already found out) just how much good music is out there, and, of course, all the wonderfully melodic chaos she has inspired in her lifetime (LOL).

Loaded question: what if Linda's reaction wasn't what you expected? What if she didn't like Tift Merritt or Caitlin Rose? I think there is a lot of good music out there, including the music by Merritt and Rose, but I think that as one gets older, I think we become more and more selective about who we listen to. For whatever reason, I think an older generation doesn't listen as much to the younger generation. In the not too distant past, Linda has talked about going to operas or listening to classical music or listening to Sinatra or the Mexican-style of music she grew up with, and maybe listening to more current music only if it's a solo artist or group her kids are listening to. I think in order for someone to be lamenting about the lack of good music being out there, one actually has to listen to what's out there, but I get the impression that Linda doesn't listen to what's current. I may be wrong in that assumption. I would hope she is listening to what is out there and not just reacting to current music trends the way Sinatra (and other pre-rock singers) reacted to Elvis and rock and rollers in general in the 1950s.

Linda's comments though about the crappy sound from computers and youtube is spot on. I watch quite a few music videos on youtube but I prefer playing the music on my old stereo system, and playing it loudly. I love hearing all of the sound on a recording, especially the bass, and when it comes to bass, crappy computer sound and youtube can't cut it on delivering that. I'd be very curious to see what Neil Young comes up with or is thinking about, although I know he was not aa fan of compact discs. He preferred old vinyl albums to cds. I had a turntable and a cd player but preferred the cd player. I could crank up the volume on a cd and not have to worry about stereo rumbling causing the laser to jump, the way a needle would jump on a record because of the noticeable rumbling anytime the volume got too high. The only reason I kept a turntable was because I still had (and have) albums that have never been issued on cd, and likely will never be issued to cd or made available in the download format - which I'm still not crazy about. What comes after the download? And how many times can one be expected to buying the same music over and over because the technology changes because the old technology becomes obsolete?

[Dianna]

Apr 26, 2013 14:56:59 GMT -5 sliderocker said:

Apr 25, 2013 19:35:14 GMT -5 erik said:

Short Comment: YIPE!!!

In all good seriousness, if I were to ever meet Linda in person and talk with her for an hour or so, I would give her copies of Tift Merritt's and Caitlin Rose's recent CD releases to show her (if she hasn't already found out) just how much good music is out there, and, of course, all the wonderfully melodic chaos she has inspired in her lifetime (LOL).

Loaded question: what if Linda's reaction wasn't what you expected? What if she didn't like Tift Merritt or Caitlin Rose? I think there is a lot of good music out there, including the music by Merritt and Rose, but I think that as one gets older, I think we become more and more selective about who we listen to. For whatever reason, I think an older generation doesn't listen as much to the younger generation. In the not too distant past, Linda has talked about going to operas or listening to classical music or listening to Sinatra or the Mexican-style of music she grew up with, and maybe listening to more current music only if it's a solo artist or group her kids are listening to. I think in order for someone to be lamenting about the lack of good music being out there, one actually has to listen to what's out there, but I get the impression that Linda doesn't listen to what's current. I may be wrong in that assumption. I would hope she is listening to what is out there and not just reacting to current music trends the way Sinatra (and other pre-rock singers) reacted to Elvis and rock and rollers in general in the 1950s.

Linda's comments though about the crappy sound from computers and youtube is spot on. I watch quite a few music videos on youtube but I prefer playing the music on my old stereo system, and playing it loudly. I love hearing all of the sound on a recording, especially the bass, and when it comes to bass, crappy computer sound and youtube can't cut it on delivering that. I'd be very curious to see what Neil Young comes up with or is thinking about, although I know he was not aa fan of compact discs. He preferred old vinyl albums to cds. I had a turntable and a cd player but preferred the cd player. I could crank up the volume on a cd and not have to worry about stereo rumbling causing the laser to jump, the way a needle would jump on a record because of the noticeable rumbling anytime the volume got too high. The only reason I kept a turntable was because I still had (and have) albums that have never been issued on cd, and likely will never be issued to cd or made available in the download format - which I'm still not crazy about. What comes after the download? And how many times can one be expected to buying the same music over and over because the technology changes because the old technology becomes obsolete?

I think Emmy Lou would be a possible choice of introducing Linda to Tift Merrit.

[Deleted]

Emmy is a fan of Tift and they have played together, so yes, Emmy would be a natural

[erik]

Quote by sliderocker:

Loaded question: what if Linda's reaction wasn't what you expected? What if she didn't like Tift Merritt or Caitlin Rose? I think there is a lot of good music out there, including the music by Merritt and Rose, but I think that as one gets older, I think we become more and more selective about who we listen to. For whatever reason, I think an older generation doesn't listen as much to the younger generation. In the not too distant past, Linda has talked about going to operas or listening to classical music or listening to Sinatra or the Mexican-style of music she grew up with, and maybe listening to more current music only if it's a solo artist or group her kids are listening to. I think in order for someone to be lamenting about the lack of good music being out there, one actually has to listen to what's out there, but I get the impression that Linda doesn't listen to what's current. I may be wrong in that assumption. I would hope she is listening to what is out there and not just reacting to current music trends the way Sinatra (and other pre-rock singers) reacted to Elvis and rock and rollers in general in the 1950s.

I would fervently hope Linda's attitude towards current music is nowhere near as reactionary as Sinatra's was to the emergence of rock in the 1950s (which probably pricked his own ego more than that of his fans, who probably wouldn't have cared for Elvis anyway). I fear sometimes that my own reaction to it isn't as open-minded as it ought to be, but the Idol/X Factor/Voice cult of celebrity that has inspired either overheated, and overly image-conscious, divas, or anodyne icons like Taylor Swift has more than a little to do with it.

I guess I see in both Tift and Caitlin two artists whose sound is very contemporary but refreshingly so, because they also revere the sounds of the past and show that they still have relevance; and the fact that both have credited Linda as being a prime inspiration to their approaches kind of sealed the deal. Since Linda has championed and inspired so many great female artists in her time, I would hope she would see a lot in these two younger ladies that would make her feel more hopeful about the future of music.

[rick]

Apr 25, 2013 18:26:15 GMT -5 the Scribe said:

I wonder what Linda was talking about from Neil Young? A way to improve sound or listening? If Linda thinks he has a good idea there must be something to it. I couldn't quite make out what she called it.

RonstadtFan, I had posted something on the Music Forum about Neil Young and his desire for great sound under CSN&Y Live set --

www.ronstadt.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=music&action=display&thread=1233

There are some great quotes in there about how poor sound drives Neil Young crazy.
Again, Linda is so right.
I feel like I come off as an old fart on here wishing for the old days and how things used to be. But Linda surely believes that at least where sound is concerned we are developing a generation who does not know or seem to care about quality sound.

Erik, thank you for finding this.

[erik]

Quote by Rick:

I feel like I come off as an old fart on here wishing for the old days and how things used to be. But Linda surely believes that at least where sound is concerned we are developing a generation who does not know or seem to care about quality sound.

Erik, thank you for finding this.

Like a lot of these things on Linda that I find, I scanned Google to find this one.

In terms of the quality of sound, I think the current generation is more obsessed with sound quantity (and volume) than with quality. There has to be more and more of it, and at ever-increasing volume levels. It's all sensory overload, like so much of what technology has evolved (or is it devolved?) into. Now, maybe this has been an ongoing thing for decades, and we may only be catching onto it now (I distinctly remember watching the original STAR WARS in a movie theater when I was seven years old, and remember just how loud it was--and this was 1977). We just notice the downturn in sound quality as we get older, and notice the volume turned up even more (IMHO).

[sliderocker]

I would fervently hope Linda's attitude towards current music is nowhere near as reactionary as Sinatra's was to the emergence of rock in the 1950s (which probably pricked his own ego more than that of his fans, who probably wouldn't have cared for Elvis anyway). I fear sometimes that my own reaction to it isn't as open-minded as it ought to be, but the Idol/X Factor/Voice cult of celebrity that has inspired either overheated, and overly image-conscious, divas, or anodyne icons like Taylor Swift has more than a little to do with it.

I would hope that Linda's attitude towards current music isn't as reactionary as what Sinatra was, which I agree had to do more with ego than anything else. Sinatra had his audience who had grown up with him. He was 41 when Elvis made his breakthrough, and I'm not sure why he should've expected a younger crowd (especially teens) to be more interested in him or his music than in Elvis's music. His attitude was like a lot of his musical peers who all thought rock and roll was just a flash in the pan and that the kids would be back with their parents listening to some "good music," and not that rock and roll crap. In all fairness to Ol' Blue Eyes, he was smart enough to just move on and keep doing what he was doing, whereas many of his musical peers sulked and became has-beens in the process. They never stopped performing but their album sales never quite matched in the numbers that Elvis and other rockers were selling.

As for Linda, I would also hope that she's not displaying a certain kind of snobbishness or snootiness - if either of those is the right word - towards current music. If she can't relate to it, it's one thing but to put most of it down because she now prefers other musical genres, then she needs to reallize such criticism can only be valid if she has listened to any of it. Which she may well have done just that. But, I recall a lot of older adults in the 60s and 70s who likewise put down what was then the current pop-rock music and who never listened to the first song but who felt they were perfectly qualified to pass judgement on it.

I guess I see in both Tift and Caitlin two artists whose sound is very contemporary but refreshingly so, because they also revere the sounds of the past and show that they still have relevance; and the fact that both have credited Linda as being a prime inspiration to their approaches kind of sealed the deal. Since Linda has championed and inspired so many great female artists in her time, I would hope she would see a lot in these two younger ladies that would make her feel more hopeful about the future of music.

I've sort of wondered about Linda's dislike of current music, as to whether that dislike is all music in general or just rock music? We know she didn't much care for country music from a few years ago, calling it mall crawler music. But, I think she may not have cared much for country at all past a certain point in time when she was much, much younger. And her attitude towards rock might have been the same. I was just trying to recall any interview I saw on her from the 60s or 70s in which she talked about liking who was current then in rock, but no one comes to mind. Her dislikes could be decades old but that's not to say she disliked everything. Maybe she just liked a little here and there, and in that, she was no different I think, than the rest of us.

[the Scribe]

Thanks for the link Rick.

I haven't had a decent stereo in a generation or more and can barely remember what I am missing. I do remember how good Linda sounds in headphones on vinyl.