Will Smith and family kicked in the gut while watching a train wreck!

While its not entirely bullshit, it should be noted that even during the 70s, bands like Queen were the exception rather than the rule.

^
Still, until the invention of autotune, one couldn't rely solely on a pretty face to have a music career. Someone like Mama Cass wouldn't have a career today, and by today's standard she would hardly stand out in a crowd at Walmart. Likewise, I doubt any one of the Pussycat Dolls (are they still a group?) would have made it past their demo prior to 1985.

Video did indeed kill the radio star.

That's what that song was fucking about.

It's an eerie comment that it was the first video on MTV.

While you're mostly right, Adele disagrees.

Yeah, and that chick that won X Factor or whatever the Brit American Idol was called.

But Cass Elliot was a great singer and her music was very popular. The group hit all the current music and variety shows.

One could say she might not have a big career NOW but she did quite well for her time.

Two words: Milli Vanilli. There have been rumors about any number of acts who were lipsyncing to performances by someone else. If you watch musicals made in the 50s and 60s, many of the actors were lipsyncing to someone else's singing, or their "performance" was made up of various snippets clipped from numerous recordings of them singing. Autotune made it easier for this to happen, but the idea didn't begin with the creation of it.

I can remember hearing stories of the tape breaking at Backstreet Boys concerts, and the "band" (since none of them played instruments) not realizing it and continuing to perform in the early 90s. Watch footage of Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Janet Jackson performing in concert. Yeah, all of them can sing, but at points in their shows, you'll see them do some kind of physical action, like jumping, which should make their voice falter. It doesn't. I don't care what kind of shape you're in, if you jump down several feet, the shock of impact is going to cause your voice to change momentarily.

I know from talking to people who worked on MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" tour, that the show was all on tape, save for when Hammer talked to the audience. When Tommy Shaw opened for Rush in '87-'88, at the concert I saw, there were times where Shaw's guitar was clearly not plugged in.

The Eagles (and other big name acts in the '70s) were a "pre-fab" band. In an interview in Rolling Stone back in the 90s, Don Henley recounts how a record exec took him around to various bars in L.A. to show him performers that the exec wanted to put together in a single band. Other bands were no doubt assembled the same way.

No doubt Autotune and other computer programs have enabled talentless people to have a career they otherwise would never have had, but such things didn't begin with Autotune.

I have also noticed performers jump around and have no effect on their vocals. yeah right.

And Tuckerfan is right about the musicals from the 50's and 60's. Mostly so that it would be a flawless performance on film.

There are many singers that don't do many live performances. they can't close to their recorded music on stage.

You have singers and you have performers. Many are not good at both.

Yep. Michael Jackson did that at his famous "Motown 25 performance" of Billie Jean. Anyone who knows the song can tell you that this is the recorded version and not in any way live.

[YT="Motown 25"]LZ8ce4Jdp-Y[/YT]

Even then, not every Queen song was like that. 80% of Body Language is just the title repeated over and over.

Prince has a song like that as well. I don't think anyone in their right mind would call Prince an untalented hack. (The man taught himself to be a recording engineer. I've been in recording studios, I know how complicated that shit is, I generally don't like Prince's music, but the man knows what the fuck he's doing like few other people in the business.)

Are you saying that video killed the radio star?

This is what you get for having me on ignore, snapperhead.

The problem with that picture of Wil Smith is that it wasn't actually taken during Cyrus's performance. Of course, it could just as easily have been taken during a screening of After Earth as he watched what was left of his star power go swirling down the crapper along with his idiot teen son's fledgling "career."

As for Cyrus, the reaction makes it seem as if a lot of folks would like to see her in a full-length burqua. Yup, the same folks lamenting how our culture turns sweet innocent little girls into sperm-craving sluts are the same folks who want to make sure we ban "sharia" law. Can't have it both ways guys.

just saw the Miley Cryus/Robin Thicke performance. I don't get what was so intensely bad about it. perfect for the seated crowd. And the pics that were taken are just one second snapshots. About as long as the crudeness lasted.

So to me its a big bullshit hype. My eyes did not go wide as Miley performed. From the stuff I have read, people make it seem like she was doing some kind of porn skit. Damn shame she has to deal with all the negative press.

Sorry but if that performance is the what people have chose to slam, I'm just shaking my head more at the detractors.

Led Zeppelin, ELO, Supertramp, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, Yes, The Who, Genesis, Rush, Bob Dylan... all displayed an understanding of music and the requisite vocabulary to write worthwhile lyrics.

Prescient even! Honestly I think that was the goal, video replacing radio. And it worked for a little bit, MTV was offering music not normally heard on the radio.

The truth is when MTV debuted there weren't a lot of music videos, and the ones that were available came mostly from British bands that weren't known in the US. Then came the era of more familiar bands trying out the new medium, and more often than not it was a train wreck. Video killed Billy Squier, Steve Miller, and many others.

Yet video was never up to the task of killing radio. Music is a welcome companion for most every situation. While watching people play music has quite a limited appeal. MTV, by all but abandoning music videos, agrees.

Questions of sanity aside Prince does indeed deserve his every accolade. We (including pocket mouse) once saw his purple badness in concert, great show, he sounded even better live.

Before Purple Rain, Prince played all instruments on his albums. The band was just for live performances. He plays everything except horns. I'm a big fan and have all the albums from his early years. One of the best in my book.

Are the ones remembered now, but every decade has its innumerable one hit wonders and flashes in the pan that are quickly forgotten. How likely do you think it is that someone who hit 39 on Billboard's Top 40 for one week, and then dropped like a stone, had any significant musical training?

Worse - Bicycle Race

http://youtu.be/k6Lb3kFwJRQ

Captain Kirk catches Miley Cyrus act on VMA

"While its not entirely bullshit, it should be noted that even during the 70s, bands like Queen were the exception rather than the rule."

Disagree. The 70's were saturated with talent in rock, soul, funk, country, pop, etc.

BTW Prince (though he didn't get started until VERY late in the 70's) is indeed a total musical package, and still going strong. He's on the Rolling Stones never grow old juice or something, so he'll be around and performing forever.

Also, check out this Youtube vid for you Nile Rodgers fans.
One of my favorite guitar players, explaining how he made some of the magic.
Fascinating look inside his musical mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF1d227_4ac