Chapter 529 529 Times Change
"What is independent, what is alternative, what is business, what is mainstream... In fact, there is no correct answer, everything is relative, as if there is no evil, there can be no justice, no black There will be no white.
What is the line between independent film and commercial film? The size of the investment is still the priority of the idea; what is the boundary between independent music and commercial music? The amount of sales is still professional.
When rock was just born in the 1940s, this type of music itself was independent or alternative, but with the wave of ideas led by rock, after the hippies, rock officially became the mainstream, and the commercial success made rock a millionaire. The type of music that everyone can't put it down.
In the early 1990s, Nirvana and Pearl Jam were both regarded as typical representatives of alternative rock before their rise. Pearl Jam's debut album 'Ten' was unnoticed at the beginning of its release, and Nirvana also experienced During the four-year dormant period, their music was rejected by the public. In short, the mainstream commercial market did not accept it. However, with the rapid rise of the album 'Never Mind', the so-called 'alternative rock' has become more and more popular. Accurate name, grunge! While grunge is no longer "alternative", it has become the mainstream. Even if their style is out of tune with the mainstream music on the market, the commercial splendor has made "grunge" the so-called mainstream.
Now, what is alternative rock? Different from metal rock, grunge, glam rock, punk and other widely accepted rock types, they can be called alternative and independent. Radiohead is alternative rock, Goatskin is alternative rock, and Glory to Death is alternative rock.
The so-called independent and commercial, alternative and mainstream... This distinction itself is already market-oriented.
But the question is, do people treat Nirvana differently because they're alternative rock or grunge? No, because Nirvana's music is always so good, people really like it, and that's the most important thing. People should not be treated differently because of whether music is independent or commercial, alternative or mainstream, but should focus on the music itself and explore the value of music itself!
What really distinguishes independent from commercial, alternative from mainstream, should be the mind and soul of music itself. Just like a hippie who is out of tune with the whole society, it is the cultural spirit supported and guided by the whole small group of society. This is the real independence and alternative. From this perspective, in fact, Nirvana and Pearl Jam, even though their albums can sell millions or even tens of millions of copies, their music is still independent and alternative, and the ideas they convey through their music, This is the most profound existence.
The album of "Almost Famous" is like this. This band has the courage to break the mainstream orientation of the current market and unswervingly implement its own band style. This behavior itself is part of the spirit advocated by rock. One: Resist the society, stick to yourself, embrace freedom, and dare to change! If the band is considered to be "betraying rock" because of this spirit, then this is the real poison of rock's death.
When rock and roll abandons freedom and resistance, it is like a soldier abandoning his spear and faith, leaving only the shield in his hand, waiting for the surging army. Maybe Rock can still defend his position with his shield like a warrior, and can also keep his city brilliant, but without spears and faith, what are the warriors fighting for, and what motivation do they have to keep going? The mind has rotted, and there is no future. The end of rock and roll has just arrived.
So, not only should the act of honoring death not be condemned, but on the contrary, we should listen carefully, even if their music is disgusting, even if their thoughts are not worth mentioning, but we should open our hearts. Because, rock and roll is always rock and roll, even if you are dying, the spirit in your bones will always exist! "
This review report comes from "Q Magazine" on the other side of the Atlantic. This British magazine was founded in 1986. Although it has not been published for a long time, it has quickly become the most influential professional music magazine in the British Isles. Their professional and dedicated reporting attitude always resonates with listeners.
Regarding the discussion caused by the birth of Glory to the Dead, "Q Magazine" wrote a special magazine article to discuss it. In the opinion of "Q Magazine", this is not only a matter of Glory to Death, but also the progress of the entire era. The problem.
After being silent for more than ten years, rock did not rise again until the end of the 1980s, and it reached its first climax in 1991. A large number of excellent rock bands brought rock into people's attention again, with Nirvana, Pearl The meteoric rise of the Sauce, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and others brought this wave of rock revival to its peak in just two years.
However, the success of this group of bands has also pushed the technical requirements of rock to a new height. The musicians are obsessed with beating and refining their playing skills. Its status has reached an unparalleled height, and a large part of the great guitarists in the history of music came from this period.
This not only directly leads to many fans who can't even distinguish the difference between guitar and bass, they think that the guitar is the soul of the band, but they don't know that the importance of bass is the key position of the band; it also leads to a large number of follower bands, now It's not the 1960s and 1970s in the golden age of rock and roll. Gone are the days when a hundred flowers bloomed and competed for beauty. When the whole social mentality became impetuous, uneasy, and uneasy, many bands just wanted to rely on imitation. Nirvana came to achieve success and gain attention, which also made the entire rock music lack the motivation to update, leaving only the accumulation of shoddy production.
In fact, from this perspective, rock music must have a force to break this blockade, otherwise rock music will only gradually decline. All the new-generation bands go to the position of guitarist, and no one pays attention to the criticality of bass; all subsequent bands are just simple and inferior imitation of their predecessors, and they cannot create their own rock spirit at all - you must know the core meaning of rock. It's the spirit of it, and it won't be long before rock will really die, and then it will be wiped out by time. This is where the real scary is.
As "Q Magazine" insists, rock itself represents not being bound, yearning for freedom, and longing for independence. This is a trend of the times and an inevitable requirement for the development of rock. Therefore, from the second half of 1992, in fact, this kind of Bands that broke the stereotype of grunge began to emerge slowly. This trend can be felt personally in underground bands in the United States and Britain, and it is getting stronger and stronger.
The emergence of Glory to Death is under such a background. "Q Magazine" believes that Glory to Death is actually a member of the revolutionaries, but their actions are more bold, their confidence is more firm, their execution is more thorough, and they are long-term. The five-month road tour is a huge project. Even after deducting the more than one month stay in New York in the middle, Glory to Death has experienced a grand goal that an underground band and a rookie band cannot accomplish.
The reason why the album "Almost Famous" detonated such heated discussions, and even sparked a war of words between supporters and opponents on radio shows, is also the result of the right time and place. In addition to the above background, the band's ability to attract focus, especially when it was placed in the time period when "Schindler's List" was accumulating energy, magnified and exaggerated this change infinitely. This directly led to a variety of extreme reactions that immediately exploded.
But in the opinion of "Q Magazine", the act of glory to death itself is in line with the development of the times, not only should not be suppressed, on the contrary, it should be promoted, which will rejuvenate rock and roll. But on the other hand, "Q Magazine" also believes that they shouldn't keep touting the rock spirit because of the glory to death, but should focus on the band's music itself. Strength and talent are always the focus.
This Q Magazine review, which was officially released a week after the outbreak of the "Alternative Choice" and "Rotation" A Song of Ice and Fire battlefield, has also become the culmination of this period of neutrality, and is the first of its kind. The three views have risen strongly, and their momentum is not inferior to "alternative options" and "rotation".
Although "Q Magazine" is a British magazine, its influence in the United Kingdom is unparalleled, and slightly inferior in the United States, but in the professional field, "Q Magazine"'s professional image of rock and roll is also recognized in North America. Therefore, at this time, "Q Magazine" expressed its opinion like a third person bystanders, and quickly received a fierce reaction from the United States. It was like a ton of gasoline was directly smashed into a volcano, causing clouds and clouds to block the sun. The shocking explosion completely pushed the debate brought about by the album "Almost Famous" to the extreme.
Unlike the debate that originated from "Schindler's List", it has political interests, so things seem to be very lively and very difficult, but the solution is also a problem of dividing interests, from the protests of Jewish extremist groups to the whole thing. It only takes two weeks before and after the curtain ends; however, the intense discussion caused by the death of glory is not that complicated, it is just the pure support of loyal fans against chess music. This kind of debate can even rise to the level of belief, so the discussion will only become more and more The more intense it is, the more it will not end in a short period of time.
Professional music critics are divided into supporters, opponents and neutrals, and they debate endlessly, but they all ignore one point. No matter what the music is, it is ultimately left to the audience to make judgments. Whether the music is good or bad is up to the music critics. to judge; but whether music can survive or not, it is for the audience to judge.
The reason rock needs change is because it is losing its vitality and will sooner or later be eliminated by listeners; so how did listeners react to the "Almost Famous" album that represented change?