Lady gaga makes music history

[c0rd]

mrstickball said:

A good example would be Gwen Stefani of No Doubt.

During her tenure in No Doubt, she was a fantastic singer backed by a very talented group in Tony Kandal, Adrian Young and Tom Dumont. All 3 are great musicians in their own right.

They produced Tragic Kingdom and Return of Saturn - 2 of the best front-to-back albums ever created. TK was a certified Diamond seller - one of the best of the entire decade. It exuded ska-punk and new wave sensibilities.

Yet when they went to more processed music with Hey Baby, and Gwen's solo career I lost all respect for them. I think the merit of a group is a sum of the parts. Sure, the Patriots have Brady, but if it wasn't for their front line, Moss, or Belicheck, they wouldn't be who they are. Likewise, when No Dobut relied on catchy hooks designed for teens, I stopped caring for quite some time.

And that's the problem with the music industry. They forget that the most popular bands of all time were also some of the most talented, well-respected musicians of all time. Thriller was an album made by a man in his prime who not only wrote and sang the songs, but also composed some of the music too.

And that's why I hate Lady Gaga. If she went back to her roots - she would be more popular than flavor of the month. No major act really wins it on flavor of the month hooks, because they are a dime a dozen.

See, here's the problem. Tragic Kingdom was a huge success, sure. However, it was mainly because they brought their unique sound to the mainstream. Return of Saturn did not sell much at all - in fact, less than their "processed" album, Rock Steady.

If Lady Gaga "going back to her roots" meant simply playing on her Piano & singing (leo-j's link), she would not have become the phenomenon she has been, because it is that which is a dime a dozen. On the other hand, her album The Fame brought its own unique sound (whether it's processed or not). This is why she got so popular.

It's true - the album may not stand the test of time. It doesn't mean she'd be any more popular if she did it any other way, though. While longetivity is necessary to reach truly massive numbers, differentiating oneself (bringing a unique sound) is actually more important. Hell, go take a look at the best selling albums ever, and you'll see plenty of "crap" (Backstreet Boys' debut make it in the top 10 best selling albums ever).

Besides, some of these artists "selling out" are simply having fun with their music. I don't see a need to hate them, just simply stop listening to them. (... or yell at the people that actually listen / buy the music)

 

Well, anyways, grats to Lady Gaga (though the chart's history is only 4 years).