Just a chime....or??

[westgrandboulevard]

Yes, right or wrong, free range would certainly seem the most natural method of husbandry.....

[144man]

..and the kitchen range is the most suitable for wifery. [[Is that sexist?)

[westgrandboulevard]

Not now that a husband or a wife can be either sex.....

[Jerry Oz]

"Wife" and "sex" used in the same sentence? Radical concept...

[westgrandboulevard]

Ah. Were you perhaps thinking of a life sentence, Jerry?

[Jerry Oz]

That is what I signed up for. I've been blessed that I found the right prison warden for it, although I won't tell her...

Actually, if she does not know, then I must not be a model prisoner.

[westgrandboulevard]

You must have been a very easy cell

[Jerry Oz]

Unlike most people, I figured out that happiness is more contingent on wanting what you have than having what you want. I should sue Mom and Dad for raising me with values that made me lose step with the way of the world.

[westgrandboulevard]

I like that old saying "Life isn't all you want, but it's all you have, so have it. Stick a geranium in your hat, and be happy'

[Jerry Oz]

I am going to adopt that old saying. I like that.

[144man]

There is now a theory that propensity to happiness is genetically-based.

[westgrandboulevard]

Or based on your faith, or hooch, depending on your interests.....

[Jerry Oz]

It seems their is a generation of young people these days who insist on being unhappy. I am so glad to be a Boomer.

[westgrandboulevard]

Agreed. We were encouraged to have respect for ourselves, and think for ourselves - not just about ourselves....

[Jerry Oz]

The irony is that if everybody is non-conformist, then doing what they all do to prove it is the text book example of conforming. SMH.

[144man]

When I was growing up, there was full employment, and everyone believed that the future was going to be better. The 60s was a remarkable decade to grow up in. You could pick and choose the degrees of your rebellion.

[Jerry Oz]

Or as I tell people, I grew up too late to be in the riots of the '60s and too soon to walk around with my underwear showing.

[moe]

Agreed. We were encouraged to have respect for ourselves, and think for ourselves - not just about ourselves....

I like this and I am proud to be a boomer!!!!

[westgrandboulevard]

We're growing older together. It's not our age, it's how we are for it, that matters

[Jerry Oz]

I listen to my music on my computer and realize that my taste generally encompasses any genre, any artist from 1930 to 1989. I listen to newer stuff but my music sadly falls into the category of "oldie but goodie". Sometime around 1990, I became my father, whom I remember listening to his oldies and wondered why he wasn't more hip.

[westgrandboulevard]

New releases in popular music have meant increasingly less to me over the last 15-20 years [[i.e. since the age of 43 or 48). Lately, what I hear seems to have no melody, or is oversung, and therefore lacks charm. So yes, I too now sound like my elders!

In direct contrast, my enjoyment of classical music has increased, as the largely lyric free melodies on Classic FM play in the background, and complement my own thoughts.

Throughout my changing tastes in music, I remain entranced as ever at how a tiny flower bud blossoms into a beautiful bloom......

[144man]

The new Pop Charts used to be a highlight of the week. Now I don't even bother to look at them.

[Jerry Oz]

Yah, we're all old. To be honest, I often ask myself if my nephews and nieces are really going to hear the songs I currently hear on the radio - urban, rock, or pop - in 20 years and immediately think to themselves: "Oh yeah... That was the jam back then!!" The only music that I hear that seems to have distinction anymore is [[gasp!) country, and I seldom listen to it.

[moe]

I try to stay current in the latest music from the girls at work [[who are MUCH younger than myself). One of them loves country and I'd rather listen to 50 polka hits before I listen to country!!!
Classical? Not for me.....BUT........anyone for Bocelli?

[Jerry Oz]

I'm not big on Bocelli. I'm not a patient enough listener to appreciate all of the good things that he does although his voice it truly one in a generation. I want drums and some bass guitar when I put the headphones on. With that said, when I put the radio on a country station in the car, I don't tend to turn it off until I get where I'm going. And I'm not sure if I'm a fan of classical music, but I'm a huuuuuuge John Williams fan. To me, he is probably the greatest living American composer [[sorry, Smokey...).

[westgrandboulevard]

Well moe, if you like Bocelli, then you like some opera, and so then you do like some classical music. Give me Leontyne Price over Maria Callas any day!

Here in UK, on Classic FM [[we listen to it at work - it suits our environment, it keeps us sane, and we get the news on the hour), they generally play the lighter classic pieces [[the beauty of which does creep up on us...), and also 'classic' film music - which would suit Jerry, as John Williams is heavily rotated. Yes, JW is indeed extraordinarily impressive, and I wouldn't argue with 'greatest'. He would certainly have been Sir John Williams well before now, had he been born here. I like our own John Barry, and many more....

I like some country too, quite a few have a lot of soul to them IMO. Brenda Lee went from pop/rock to country, and I still find her voice stirring and moving. In that respect, to me that's soulful

[Jerry Oz]

It's funny. I remember being a high schooler and my clique - huge on R&B - battled with the rock and roll kids over what station the art room radio would be on. Finally, Mr. Gamble decided to alternate every day [[to nobody's true satisfaction). One of my best friends, Loren, was the only kid in class who like jazz, so every other time the R&B kids got "their" music, Loren whined until we had to listen to jazz on FM. I hated both jazz and rock.

Fast forward 33 years and I still love R&B, especially from that decade. But guess what? When "Love Stinks" or "[[Another Brick In) The Wall" comes on radio, I'm singing it and loving every verse. And my jazz collection is nearly as big as my R&B and soul music collection. Loren forced me to listen to "Westchester Lady" by Bob James late one Friday night and I was converted. I love music. To me, "soul music" is unfortunately assigned only to some urban music because, like WGB just stated, I hear soul in a lot of songs.

<Soliloquy ends>

[westgrandboulevard]

Yes.....soul music, to me, is any music which speaks directly to my heart.

[Jerry Oz]

And that, amigo, is what I seem to miss when I listen to a lot of contemporary music. I remember listening to all of the Motown songs as a child of the '60s. It was sunshine and good times and wonderment to me. Then, after reading a few of the books and seeing films based on those times and those artists, I listen to the music and I hear much greater depth than I recall. You hear the arguments. You hear the dysfunction. You hear the egos.

You start to hear the soul. I love studying the dynamics of musical collaborations and unfortunately, angst makes great music. Especially after you realize someone recorded a particular song with a broken heart and still made it a classic, as happened more times than people realize.

[westgrandboulevard]

I think each of us produces our best creative efforts when fuelled by feelings of excitement or sadness, but which also need to be carefully regulated and channelled, when applied to our particular chosen work.

The rest of our work or output then continues with that standard. but on a level plateau, until the next 'spike' of inspiration.

I think the 60s were a very creative era in pop music. I appreciated music which was marketed to me as 'soul' even if, many times, my own soul did not instinctively respond. It was only soul music if I felt it to be so, no matter the name used to present it to me.

'Soul' music [[including Motown which I felt was largely pop music, but soulfully interpreted, giving it a unique identity) was not the norm. I'd say the mass market was pop orientated, presented in the first instance to the young white record-buying market.

Over the decades, aspiring singers on TV talent shows all now seem to have adopted what they like to think is a soulful approach to their performances, which I suppose they feel makes it authentic and meaningful, and also with commercial appeal. To me, both males and female performers very often over-sing. They bellow and yell , they hold v-e-r-y l-o-n-g notes - the power singing is impressive to a point, but almost all of it seems a form of pastiche. Most times, I am not drawn towards these performances, and am left unmoved.

While it would be good to hear something new and say "Yes!!!", I am not disappointed. I stick with the favourites which have stuck with me for decades. They were good then and, despite their familiarity, just as good now.

[Jerry Oz]

Amen. Somewhere, 30 years from now, this same discussion will be taking place about how great the music was in the teens. Guess what? They'll be as right then about today's music as we are about yesterday's. For me, music is as much a snapshot of my life as photos. Memories of smells, colors, better [[or worse) days, and forgotten relationships are refreshed when I hear a song that I love. That's kind of what I love about the Word Association thread. So many songs that others liked that I liked as well. Many times, I didn't put an answer to a reply because somebody beat me to it with the same song that came to mind. And then, there are songs that I missed that I can still find on line and listen to [[or laugh at). It's a great time to be alive.

[westgrandboulevard]

We'd probably be amazed at how many records we could identify from hearing just the first few notes...

[Jerry Oz]

Hah! "Name That Tune"?

[westgrandboulevard]

As I become a little older, remembering a tune is one thing. Actually naming it, is another....

[moe]

Yes.....soul music, to me, is any music which speaks directly to my heart.

Well said, westgrand!!

[westgrandboulevard]

Thanks, moe. Now I come to think about it, I can't really talk about anything until I first have a feeling about it. A spontaneous interest is perhaps another way of describing it. Expect that goes for most if not all of us......

[Jerry Oz]

So, if music from the heart is soul music, you're saying you're a soul poster? That's a heady concept. As for me? I'm the Justin Bieber of posting, whatever the heck that may be...

[westgrandboulevard]

Justin Bieber - ?? I'd say you were way, way ahead of him. From observation, he certainly seems somewhat accomplished at pouting, if not posting....

[Jerry Oz]

I was just throwing a pop music reference out there. Speakin' of the Biebs, it turns out that his producer has him sing snippets of songs many times and takes the best take of each snippet, pastes it into the final composition, and blends it all down to sound like he sang it all the way through. On one hand, that is disturbing to use samples of a voice, but on the other hand, it's an ingenuous way to turn out flawless records.

The reason I bring this up is because it's those flaws that make singers great and for modern "artists", they don't want the performance to have that [[wait for it...) soul that we were just talking about. My, how the times have changed. Can you imagine Louie Armstrong's greatest records if they used that production on him? Wilson Pickett? Good Lord, what would have happened to James Brown?

[westgrandboulevard]

In the business of simply selling records, using the computer is very efficient, but has a very sanitised effect on the final result. A very superficial 'show'.

In my mind, there's a huge difference between being a vocal artist and a seasoned stage artist.

No-one could really be considered a stage artist until they can repeatedly perform their entire act without too many mistakes, and turning any accidental slips which occur [[and some which are not so accidental!) into part of the act. All in the business of entertainment, of putting on a show - although that, of course, is always very much a matter of one personal opinion against another.

Interestingly, didn't I read that the finished track 'Touch me in the morning' is the sum of several different takes, spliced together? In the case of Diana Ross, that must surely have been a result of physical and/or emotional fatigue more than anything else, as she was well known to put on a great show well before that recording date.

Even as a singer's voice changes with the years, their entertainment value generally increases with experience. They should be celebrated for who they are right now, not simply for who they once were, as much will have been gained through the years. For anyone wanting to remain strictly back in the day, there are always recordings for reference.

[Jerry Oz]

I almost immediately change the channel when I see a singer with a headset jumping around and doing extremely physical activity and the level of their voice never wavers. I've seen Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and Jennifer Lopez perform moves that make P-90X look tame and they never once take a deep breath or miss a note. I want improv and imperfection in a performance. That's what makes the performance "live"; I can pay to see anybody lip sync. bit I'm not paying $150 just to see the original artist do it.

[westgrandboulevard]

Absolutely, otherwise why leave your home to see them.....

[Jerry Oz]

I haven't gone to a show in decades. I would probably get up and walk away from a front row seat if I heard words over the PA and didn't see the singer's lips move. Alas, I failed to keep up with modern times. I can only imagine kids see me the way I saw old folks back in the day who used to long for better times. Ah, screw 'em.

[westgrandboulevard]

I'm now of the frame of mind that, over decades, I've worked hard in an effort to keep things together, and to a certain standard.

I owe to myself to maintain that standard, wherever possible,, but there is always a little self-induced pressure in keeping to it!

All the advantages of being my 60s can only be fully appreciated while I'm actually in my 60s. No point I guess in wishing or pretending I'm younger, as I'll miss out on them, losing today while looking back to yesterday.

If I've accomplished some learning through the years, it's now for me to understand how others may feel - in particular, those who are significantly younger [[increasingly the larger majority...) - but, at the same time, understand and accept that many have no chance just yet of coming close to understanding me LOL.

It's much easier to look back down a line, then to look ahead to something as yet unexperienced.

That said, there is still sometimes a nagging feeling inside of being out there, all alone...just sometimes! That's where friendly faces, every single day, even complete strangers, come in very handy to keep up the spirits

[Jerry Oz]

To me, every day is a blessing. I used to look forward to things like weekends and holidays until I realized that looking too far ahead made me miss a lot of day-to-day things. I'd look back and it seemed like weeks or months passed without me taking the time to remember what I did as I looked forward. Then, the thought occurred to me that I could plan something for years and die the day before the big event came. What good did it do me to seek tomorrow but forsake today?

There's a parable in the Bible about a man who worked hard to provide for the future but died before he had the chance to enjoy the fruits of his labors. I live my life based off of that lesson. It's hard sometimes, but I encourage everybody to put all they have into appreciating what they have over what they want. You should still plan your future, just don't enjoy it before you get there.

[westgrandboulevard]

Yes, certainly, we do owe it to ourselves to try to be as happy as we can, even at those times when it isn't so easy.

It doesn't seem right whenever unhappy people unwittingly deter the very people who could offer them support, but who then keep a distance - although I suppose it is at times just a harsh fact of life. On several occasions, I've heard recently bereaved people say that they feel they are being avoided...unless, maybe, if someone is famous, then they may find themselves deluged with messages of support.

This wonderful thing called Life can be mighty strange.....

[arrr&bee]

Each generation is gonna say that thiers was the best[of course we know differently,hehe]the decades[50's-60's-70's]was it for most of us here and i'm glad to have witnessed those wonderful times,were they perfect of course not but compared to the perils of today they were heaven sent.

[westgrandboulevard]

Say yeah! And over the years our memories have greatly improved with age, and we do remember all those great, past times with absolutely total and unwavering accuracy......

[Jerry Oz]

Only with age do you realize the cliché to be true: That which doesn't kill us, makes us stronger. We all had hard times and broken hearts. If they were too much to bear, we'd withdraw and not forge relationships for fear of it happening again. Yet, here we all are with more fond recollections than bad and making new friends.

[westgrandboulevard]

And Jerry, despite what you say about your wife's cooking, it hasn't killed you, just made you stronger... LOL