...from The Yardbirds rewrite (as "Stroll On") on the 1967 soundtrack to Blow-Up...
...and the musical and stylistic differences between the two, on every level, are staggering; the records might have been conceived on different planets.
By contrast, 22(!) years separate the release of Madonna's 1989 hit "Express Yourself"...
...and Lady Gaga's 2011 rewrite (as "Born This Way")....
...and yet the differences between the two are essentially non-existent; for all intents, they're the same fricking record.
Discuss.
15 comments:
Madonna and Gaga may both be shamelessly derivative, but at least Madonna has the decency to steal from everybody.
Problem is, morons don't care.
Okay, excuse me while I go clean the coffee off of my computer monitor.
:-)
Gaga makes me feel like a bitter altakaka telling kids to get off my lawn.
Trey
Really, first thing in the morning you expect us to listen to Madonna AND Lady Gaga. What did we ever do to you? ;>
are you saying...?
That smart white people only steal from black music.
Not specifically, but you may be on to something...
:-)
I think what we're supposed to see illustrated here, is that popular music beginning with ragtime and straight up until the early 1970s actually used to turn over pretty regularly -- especially at the top. The more or less ended in 1977, when the leading exponents of disco, new wave and top 40 all met at a secret location in the Catskills, and agreed that from then on they'd all use the same frickin' beat -- forever.
Well, the larger point I was trying to make is that Gaga has added absolutely nothing to the musical gene pool.
Or, less charitably, that if she ever had an original idea it would die of loneliness.
Well, for inventiveness, the Yardbirds were in a class by themselves.
I always thought Madonna's sexuality was phony, but I think she learned from experience. Gaga has seen one too many issues of Penthouse. Madonna knows how to command the camera, too; Gaga is clueless.
And Madonna's songs are nowhere near as immature as Gaga's (which is saying something).
The problem with calling for shock, snark, outrage, etc. at the sheer (in every sense) lousiness of corporate pop product is that it comes up against one central fact, elementally true since the days of Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, our one defense against it all: I do not give a shit.
Honestly, i didn't even listen to the mp3s. I know Train kept a rollin, in all of its variations from Jonhhy Burnette to Motorhead... And i sure as hell don't need Madonna and/or Lady Gaga in my life right now.
What i do know is that there was a human element involved in those old versions of TKAR. Guys who rehearsed it over and over with guitars and drums, making sure their take on the classic rock and roll standard was just right. And they all reflected the style of the group performing. From rythm & blues, to rockabilly, all the way to heavy metal.
I don't know for a fact, but Gaga's version of the Madonna track was probably created by some nameless geeks in a studio on a computer. Eventually the vocal track being done like karaoke. With no band, and no real human element to speak of.
Madonna's song is also not a standard- At least Gaga's not performing Billie Holiday or Big Mama Thornton. As far as i know neither one of them ever recorded the classic Train kept a rollin. Now that would be just plain wrong.
Why are we wasting our time discussing this over and over? Who cares about Madonna or Gaga? This music wasn't meant for us. Today's pop charts haven't been meant for us for over 30 years.
Why aren't we discussing Lucinda and Buddy like Sal is over at his blog. That's our music.
Or even better, lets hear some more Weasels!!!!!
ROTP(lumber)
Yeah, and to get back to TKAR, I'm no Aerosmith fan, but ...
FREE MUSIC ALERT. Wait, given the recent discussion here, GOOD FREE MUSIC ALERT!
John Doe and Jill Sobule made a record together and there is a free tune, Under the Bridge, at theejohndoe.com. OK, you have to give them your email address, but it is Doe and Sobule!
Trey
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