Songs of my youth: Golden oldies … or not
Having an 11-year-old daughter has rekindled my interest in the music I listened to at that age, what has come to be called "classic rock" (after having spent roughly the past 40 years or so listening to jazz).
The thought occurs that riding around in the Jeep with her with the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell playing might wean her away from the bubble-gum ditties of Taylor Swift, all of whose songs seem to sound like variations of the same three.
This re-immersion in the music of my youth also led to a discussion with a knowledgeable friend about who we thought was still worth listening to and who wasn't. During that discussion we quickly agreed on performers that might have produced some worthwhile songs here or there, maybe even a decent album or two, but clearly fit into the overrated category, including:
KISS. I still don't think these guys knew how to play their instruments. Their being honored last year by the Kennedy Center was even worse than Donald Trump slapping his name on it.
Black Sabbath. Turgid and every bit as bad as critics at the time said they were. That the motor-heads in high school loved them only confirms it.
Queen. Freddie Mercury's premature death and a popular film biopic led to an unjustified elevation in status. I........
