lucifer_sam

Ummm...nope. European rock artists may have been influenced by European folk (The Stones and Led Zeppelin come to mind), but there weren't too many bluesmen living outside of the States prior to 1960. And no, they weren't influenced in the slightest by European folk. The blues were (forgive my generalization) entirely African in origin. The closest ancestor to the blues were old slave spirituals and call-and-response music; in short, the blues were African folk songs. Not European.

But I won't deny the influence of gospel. Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Mahalia Jackson and Jackie Wilson are excellent examples of gospel and soul artists, and they in part influenced motown artists of the '60s. But not much (or any of it) led to the creation of rock n' roll (though I will admit its influence upon current RnB artists is astounding).

If you want to bring classical music into the argument, it becomes a very, VERY different discussion. I was referring to an era and its influence on modern music. Classical eras spanned hundreds of years and were as diverse as music is today. I have neither the knowledge nor the willpower to argue about the many phases and genres of classical music. So cut the defensive bullshit. I wasn't attacking Europe or its contributions to modern music, so stop act like I put a fucking "insignificant" brand on it.

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boo boo

Classical musics influence on modern music is pretty understated, you don't just hear it in prog and metal but in some electronica as well, and early Jazz musicians learned some things from the great composers too.

I'm not much of a fan of pure blues, and I'd rather listen to Bartók than Robert Johnson.

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devindissell

Early blues pioneers like Johnson absolutely set the foundation for most variations of RnR in both the UK and US. For that, it has to be considered the most important movement in music in the West. Like sam said, if you want to bring classical into the discussion, you have to separate the discussion itself into the movements of the West and that of Europe. It simply goes back too far and is too diverse to really compare to what we would call modern music.

As for the greatest thing that has happened to music in terms of it reaching the ears of the world...hands down the Internet. No contest.

Outside of the actual music-making element...I believe there is much to be said of the advent of the Neilsen Soundscan system in the US and Canada in '91. It brought a completely different level of competition in music sales to the West and with that, sometimes compromised the quality of music being produced. Think about the explosion of early-'90s teen pop...is anybody really going to advocate for that style of music and similar types which have spawned from it as opposed to that leading up to that time?

ADELE

I don't agree with the internet.
It hasn't done anything yet has it?
or perhaps I am a dingbat

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mr dave

you have any idea how hard it was to find non-mainstream music before the late 90s? how about full discographies of non-mainstream music, and now in a convenient single download...

you're right in the sense that it hasn't actually physically changed music, as in creating a whole new style. but on the other hand it's been monumental in providing new music to people who would otherwise be entirely dependent on tv / radio / walmart to learn about new music.

i think the fact that the internet is still growing also makes it tougher to really consider the full impact it's having on music, culture and society.

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devindissell

Exactly right. It hasn't necessarily created its own genre, but it HAS transformed social means of attaining what is out there. Also, it gives anybody the hope of creating music and being heard because there is little to no more leg work involved. You just click some buttons and listen. Which I would classify as a cultural movement of sorts.

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