DJ Craig.Net
Searching For Great Music
DJ Craig.NetSearching For Great Music |
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949.362.3535 |
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 Hit Music Charts Don't Rank Quality |
Searching For Great Music What do all these songs have in common? Badge- Cream Good Times Bad Times- Led Zeppelin Street Fighting Man- Rolling Stones Foxey Lady- Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze- Jimi Hendrix Gloria- Them My Generation- The Who Cinnamon Girl- Neil Young Layla- Derek & The Dominos Truckin'- Grateful Dead Tiny Dancer- Elton John You Can't Always Get What You Want- Rolling Stones Dream On- Aerosmith Tequila Sunrise- Eagles Rebel Rebel- David Bowie Changes- David Bowie Moondance- Van Morrison Surrender- Cheap Trick Highway To Hell- AC/DC Life During Wartime- Talking Heads They are all great, Classic Rock anthems you say? Yes. But they all share another distinction. None of them were number one songs. In fact, only ONE of them made it into the top 10. Only TWO were Top 40 singles. And the only reason these two exceptions made it that far is because they were given a second chance. "Dream On" and "Layla" recharted, both going higher years after their initial release. Every one of these songs charted in the Top 100, which should have given them enough exposure to push them higher. So why were they initially so ignored and overlooked? In some cases, they may just have been ahead of their time. Jimi Hendrix was incredibly advanced as a guitarist but appreciation for his music didn't reach its peak until long after his death. Sadly, it's more likely a case of radio programmers, music industry moguls and the record buying public playing it safe. Staying with the status quo rather than risking embracing challenging new music. There is a price to be paid for this security. Much of the claptrap that does make it into the Top 40 and even the Top 10 turns out to be embarrassingly vapid in retrospect. The fate of most Top 40 songs is to quickly fade from view like a falling stars and ultimately end up as obscure trivia. The songs listed above are so well known only because they have stood the test of time. These dirges became classics by not because they made a huge impact when they were first released. But because of having been consistently and repeatedly played, long after other songs have become forgotten relics. For example, 1972 was a good year for music. Even so, "Day Dreaming" by Aretha Franklin, "How Do You Do" by Mouth & Macneal, "Scorpio" from Dennis Coffey and "Clean Up Woman" from Betty Wright were all in the Top 10. If you remember even one these songs you are to be congratulated for your Rain Man like memory. '72 was not an anomaly, other years reveal similar results. It stands to reason then, that there is great music out RIGHT NOW that is not getting its due, while other songs are getting all the attention. To find these future classics now you might need to look in places you haven't before considered. If you are ready to trade the "mainstream" for something a little more progressive, a bit of effort is required. Try scanning your radio dial for a local station that plays alternative music. In So Cal, Indie 103.1 fm and 94.9 fm are good places to start. You can also search on the internet and stream music right to your computer from both traditional radio stations and internet only stations across the country and the world. Check Apple's iTunes Music Store for new music releases every Tuesday. Join an internet message board or newsgroup for recommendations on independent and alternative bands. Ask your musically savvy friends what they are into. Get XM or Infinity satellite radio. There are more music resources at your disposal now than at any time in history. Only you can stop yourself from being musically shortchanged. Here are the (still hard to believe) actual Billboard chart results for the Classic Rock anthems listed above: Gloria- Them #71 1966 My Generation- The Who #74 1966 Purple Haze- Jimi Hendrix #65 1967 Street Fighting Man- Rolling Stones #48 1968 Foxey Lady- Jimi Hendrix #67 1968 Badge- Cream #60 1969 Good Times Bad Times- Led Zeppelin #80 1969 Foxey Lady- Jimi Hendryx #67 1968 Cinnamon Girl- Neil Young #55 1970 Layla- Derek & The Dominos #51 1971 (Charted again at #10 in 1972) Truckin'- Grateful Dead #64 1971 Tiny Dancer- Elton John #41 1972 You Can't Always Get What You Want- Rolling Stones #42 1973 Dream On- Aerosmith #59 1973 (Charted again at #6 in 1976) Tequila Sunrise- Eagles #64 1973 Rebel Rebel- David Bowie #64 1974 Changes- David Bowie #66 1972 (Also #41 1975) Moondance- Van Morrison #92 1977 Surrender- Cheap Trick #62 1978 Highway To Hell- AC/DC #47 1979 Life During Wartime- Talking Heads #80 1979  Other Articles From DJ Craig: The Disturbing Truth About Apple, iPods and iTunes Laguna Beach Weddings Are Hot 8 Things Your Disc Jockey Doesn't Want You To Know Simple Test For Hiring A DJ New Wave of Swing Reinvents Timeless Music Science Fiction Rock; The 70's Glam Era Coldplay "Chills" At The Anaheim Pond Ziggy Stardust Celebrates 59th Birthday When The Music Died- John Lennon 25 Years Later Rolling Stones Bang Into Orange County U2: How To Stay Vital Irony In Radioland: How The Legendary KROQ Went Wrong Did The Beatles Ruin Rock & Roll? Grammy's Best New Artist Award = Kiss Of Death "Big Mac" Radio Junk Food The Class Of '85- The Last Great Era Of Rock Why A Garter Toss? Live 8 Your 15 Minutes Are Up! NextWave- Back To The Future! Sex Pistols Snub Hall Of Fame To schedule an appointment with DJ Craig or inquire about date availability, please call 949.362.3535. DJ Craig.Net is an approved iTunes Affiliate with access to over two million songs.  Warning: The use of DJ Craig's sound and lighting may cause spontaneous partying! DJ Craig.Net is Music For Fun People! The contents of this page are proprietary and exclusive property of DJ Craig. Any unauthorized use or reproduction without express written consent is prohibited. Copyright © 2005, Creative / DJ Craig / djcraig.net All rights reserved. |