I was recently asked what the point of this was and what I hoped to gain from this. Good question! Firstly, lists are fun. They give us a way to celebrate and enjoy all that is contained and give us a reason to conversate and pontificate about them. That is the surface anyway.
Music is something that is deeper, personally and sociologicaly. It seperates us and brings us togather. Think about all of the clicks in high school. They all had a type or genre of music that defined them. Race, religion, socio-econimic, generational: all groups have their music, even different regions of the same country have different music that they identify with. Look at southern rock, country, Chicago blues, Mississppi-Delta blues, New Orleans blues/jazz. Now look at any of those subsections and you can divide them by time. The Chicago blues of the 50s isn't the same as the Chicago blues of today.
At the same time, the music seperates us into groups (or more acurately gives our groups an identity) also brings us together and breaks through those same barriers. It gives us a window into understanding, and relating to others. People like music for lots of different reasons, some things you are drawn to because of how it makes you feel, laugh, cry, get angry, whatever. Some things you like because they remind you of a time and place. Some things you hate for the same reason. All of this being said you can tell a lot about someone and even how compatible you are by the type of music they like. Elvis and Beatles fans get along like cat people and dog people. It really is kinda true. Not as true as say opera fans and gangsta rap fans, but true enough.
As our world ages, we become more and more homoginized. We move around and procreate all the while diluting our native blood lines. For better or worse, this is the direction of the world. It is also true for music. All the genres becaome more and more homoginized over time. Critics need to keeps coming up with more and more lables to try and convey a bands sound. This is not a bad thing, it is simply part of evolution. My point is that music, in some ways is a mirror through which to view and understand our world. By understanding and appreciating all types of music, you may be able to understand and appreciate different groups of people. Even to start to embrace our differences rather than be put off by them.
Our list has been critisized by many as being skewed to english speaking pop music. This is pretty true. It also is a pretty good reflection on the most popular music in the world. No matter, it is a really good place to start this exercise. You will find old, new, blues, jazz, pop, rock, metal, rap, hip-hop and even world music here. Not only will you find it, but you will find the best of it. The titles that difine the genre. So dig in and absorb. You certainly will not like everything on the first listen (remember when you first heard Dylan) it takes a few listens to develop an ear for something new. The end result is rewarding. You are not going to love everything, but you might find a lot of things that you like, that you never heard of or would have considered before. You should at least understand why someone would like it and by doing so, understand a little bit about them and be able to better relate to them.
Some of us use music to relax, some to excite, some to cause fear, some to laugh, to cry, to remember, to forget, to get in touch with our feelings, or to bury them. This is a celebration of all of it.
I do understand that it may not be easy to access all of this material. I have been working on it myself. The library is a great resource. Check several out near you, especailly the college ones. most will grant borrowing privilages for a small donation. You can also check online streaming services like rhapsody and itunes that give you access to a huge library for a small fee.
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