The 60s, 70s, and 80s were all filled with plenty of horrible pop, whether it's Gary Puckett, Melanie, or Milli Vanilli.
 
Of course, current country music has similar problems.  Check out this six way Nickelbacking of top country hits.
 

 
 
 
 

space_cowboy
Bit
Surely you cannot knock Lady Gaga and Metallica. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaVa78-03OQ

Actually, I'd never knock Ms. Gaga. She's a genuine talent. And she's got a way cuter butt than any of those geezers in Metallica.
 
Her music sucks rocks, though.

Bit - that was a mashup of metallica and gaga.  i thought it was funny

craigb

I used to despise kayne until I realize he was behind one of my atf albums....
 

jamesg1213
Brilliant 

James ,
Yes your words and contributions to the song are Brilliant
 

sharke

kennywtelejazz
 
 
            
 
                
 
Kenny
 

Uncanny, how do you have access to my hard drive?

James AKA sharke ,
I don't , maybe I should ...nah just kidding ..You and James , Man Wow  ,  what a team
 

Bajan Blue
Kenny
Excellent
Nigel
 

Nigel thanks ,
I was at the right place at the right time while I was having my morning cup of coffee I wish they all turned out that good ....
 
all the best,
 
Kenny

space_cowboy
Bit - that was a mashup of metallica and gaga.  i thought it was funny

Oh, I watched the video before commenting, so I got the joke.
 
OK, OK - I admit I only watched 30 seconds of it.
 
Now, here's the cutest Metallica cover short of having it performed by puppies and kittens...

 

bitflipper

space_cowboy
Bit - that was a mashup of metallica and gaga.  i thought it was funny

Oh, I watched the video before commenting, so I got the joke.
 
OK, OK - I admit I only watched 30 seconds of it.
 
Now, here's the cutest Metallica cover short of having it performed by puppies and kittens...

 

Here's the grown-up (dogs & cats?) version.  And you can actually understand the lyrics!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z67IqrmygZY
 

I saw the video that is in the opening post last week on another music forum ..
There was a strong temptation on my part to post it but I had forgotten where I had seen it ...
I consider that a good thing because I think that bitflipper is much better at posting and starting threads that have these type of videos and topics .
 
I was very surprised that 2 main song writers / producers were snagging the bulk of the new music market ..
Didn't know who these 2 guys were I suppose it all balances out since they don't know who the eff I am either
Except they got all the Bling ...and I got to scrimp just to buy a 29 dollar plug when it's on sale
 
My observations may be very much different than what some people think at this point ...
IMHO , Musicians and songwriters don't seem to take the chances they used to .Many of them could be playing it safe just to still be able to snag a piece of the musical Pie .
 
Much of the music I loved listening to when I was younger addressed and took on many of the social and personal issues the people of my social era were confronted with head on with out apology ...
Also many people in my age bracket were a little more inclined to use Music as an anthem and as a form of a personal social rebellion as to what was considered the stats quo ..
 
To stay true to the forums TOS I won't get into the subject matters of what some of that revolutionary music was about ..
 
History is in the process of repeating itself once again ..the main diff is The Music of Today Went into Hiding
 
I find it rather disconcerting that just like when I was younger there was a lot of social , personal and political issues in the forefront of just about everybody's day to day life ...
In all the years of my current life I find that what is happening today in the world and society is just as intense as it was back then when I was younger and I feel that today's  Artists are not even using what is happening socially as musical subject matter and material for today's generation of young people ...
 
Every body is playing it safe to a degree , possibly just to make the almighty buck ....
 
That fine , there is music for entertainment , and there is music for enlightenment 
 
I think that people today are missing out because the music bizz has had a lot of time to perfect and water down music and the bizz to the point where there is almost a guaranteed scientific  Pavlovian Conditioning  that takes place to the point where they can manipulate consumers on the many various levels and tiers of a persons Music and entertainment choices .
People are constantly being bombarded on so many social and personal levels that they are being brainwashed into liking things they absolutely can't stand . 
 
From the standpoint of being a Musician , a Songwriter ,or a Multi Talented Artist  it does appear on"the surface " that things have changed ...yet in reality that concept is a total line of bull $hit ...
 
In the days of the Old Order of the Music Bizz it was "pay to play "...the cards were on the table face up , every body could see that the cards were there on the table face up . Folks knew that a lot of gears needed to be greased along the way for every stage of music Creation and promotion ...
They just kept their mouth shut about it stayed in their own lane . The musicians and the team behind them  kept working at their Music and hoped for the day they were able to recoup some of the initial never ending up front out lay and go from the red into the  green ...
 
In today's The New Order of the Music Bizz .
It is every Man , Woman , and Child for themselves ...and sadly , it is still "pay to play " 
 
The sad part about it is most people don't realize it , or if they do they feel they are empowered with special powers and gifts and it's gonna be the other guy who is gonna pay to play not them ...
YEAH RIGHT .. that one is just like switching cabins on The Titanic and hoping for a different result
 
Folks this is the new form of the music bizz where people that now own home music studios can say that they are grateful for not having to do things as it was done in the old way of doing things ...
They pound their chests as they proclaim their artistic freedom and creativity while they bleed cash for every little step of progress they may encounter along the way
 
Now folks don't get me wrong the musicians of today do have a lot to be happy about as far as having the tools to create with and having what seems to be an unlimited amount of info available to help them learn their craft ..
I'm OK w all that ...but when you step back and look at the big picture things are truly not what they seem at all
 
At this point in time I think it would be better if I saved the points I would like to make about my previous comment for another time and posting ....
 
I won't even get into the current commercial end of things with popular music . I feel the video in the opening post addressed that one perfectly fine .
 
One of the main differences I have noticed between music from the past and the music from the present is in the older forms of music , the music was there to serve and provide a safe / or unsafe haven for peoples feelings and emotions to play out while capturing the essence VIA a song .
The newer stuff / music seems to be more geared up for creating more of a lets worship the celebrity or artist as they express themselves type of thing and vibe going on ....
It's like , Like golly gee wiz Beaver , I should be grateful that these new musical artists have allowed me to still live on the Planet Earth and breath the air  
 
all the best ,
 
Kenny
 
 

IMO, it's never been about music.  The music business is a munny business.  What we've seen happen is simply a refinement of the process to make more munny with less effort - just like everybody else.
 
Sure, there are obviously some super bands from days past that could afford to experiment.  To claim they're being true to their music instead of "selling out".  While they drive away in their Rolls.
 
Producing music for sale is no different than producing anything else for sale.  Over time you cut cost/reduce features to those that are most important for securing sales.  It's sad but true that those musically complex and sophisticated tunes will only be appreciated by other musicians that *understand* what is in the song.  Everybody else just wants a good beat to **** to.
 
Even the great bands/artists from yesteryear had to have stage shows, back stories, mystery and tons of advertising to sell their music.

I think you're spot on, Kenny. It's not just popular music, nor even solely entertainment for that matter. Everything's been dumbed down and generified so as to be as effortlessly consumed and inoffensive as possible. Mediocrity isn't foisted on the public; the public demands it.
 
My favorite Indian restaurant has taken all the spiciness out of their food so as to not put off Americans more attuned to french fries. TV news segments can be no longer than one minute in duration lest viewers' attention spans be challenged. Schools no longer require science and foreign languages for high school graduation (that stuff's for eggheads, and anyhow there's no money left over for lab equipment after we had to buy new football helmets to reduce the concussion epidemic).
 
Our national strategic priorities can now be fully elucidated on a baseball cap. Bob Dylan is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Ice Cube is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fidget Spinners are the must-have toy of 2017. Kitchen appliances and washing machines that used to last generations now have life spans of 5 years or less. Cars are made out of plastic (if that's a cost-saving measure, why does a new tail light cost $250?).