Moderately Confused by Jeff Stahler for August 30, 2023

Pandora’s box

For a song to qualify as an oldie, I expect it to be from the late 50s through to the early 70s. For a movie, anything 1930 — 1950.

I guess you will have to switch to a station that plays the moldies.

There is a station in Knoxville, TN that has an ad that states the call letters, then the exclamation “All 80s – and MORE!” I don’t get it.

I know the feeling. I get it every time I see the Lawrence Welk on the play list for my PBS tv station. Can’t bring myself to watch it.

I heard a 40-something person tell me they LOVED “oldies”. And proceeded to change the radio to an ’80s station! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo!!!!!!

It’s a perspective thing

I still like 50’s music……

Disco forever! Break out the bell bottoms and polyester leisure suits.

I began life with 30’s music of all kinds and liked it all until the 60s/70s. Definitely have heard little since the 80’s that bring that same feeling of really good music well played by truly good artists. But then the same can be said for several layers of entertainment – movies and tv included.

Some will say that’s just an old guy talking and I definitely am that. I also will argue that the difference over the decades is based on the kinds of music that is written and the kinds of training one takes to become a performer. To my old jazz ears, the beat has become the dominant force and the lyrics mostly consist of screaming and cursing. From what I hear from occasional forays into local radio, it seems just about anyone can do it, successful or not. If what I hear is the result of long musical study and training, then heaven help the neighbors wherever that occurred.

So, call me biased and past due, but, at my age, that’s a given.

I know. The music of the early ’90s taught me to love opera.

“Our mother calls us CHBM FM. Our friends call us BOOM 97.3, playing 70s, 80s, and 90s music.”

The 80’s was a transitional period between the really great music of the 60’s and 70’s to the mediocre music at best in the 90’s. There was a lot of good music in the 80’s but at the same time, ©RAP and C&W music were slowly but surely corrupting what had been the Top 40 pop/rock music that I grew up listening to. This had a profound effect on radio stations and led to the emergence of talk radio as a dominant format since the quality of music had become so dismal or downright garbage.

The ’90s means almost everything to modern music. Ludwig van Beethoven was just 20 years old!

That’s what I said when my station started playing 80s. Then I found a new station. Online.

I know…Right?!

Oldies? You mean, like, from last year?

At least you have an Oldies station

Radio? Wasn’t that an entertainment medium in the previous century?

I remember when AM Radio was where all the rock and roll was played. Now it’s all talk.

I was going to say at least they stopped playing stuff from the eighties

I listen to 60s on 6, 70s on 7, 80s 0n 8, Classic Rewind, Classic Vinyl on SiriusXM. On Apple Music it is 70s music! I was in my twenties and thirties during the 60s and 70s. That music is still the best.

Pre 21st Century, no good!

“I watched these shows in high school!! What do they mean, Classic TV?”

That was my reaction in the 1990s, when I was in my 30s. NIck At Nite, which had been carrying “old” black and white shows like Dennis the Menace, Mr. Ed and The Donna Reed Show, began showing programs from the 1970s.

I really felt old not long ago when music I grew up with was found labeled ‘Classic Rock’ by Amazon. I mean, it is shoegazer noise, still probably considered avant garde by many.

That is me (creeek). 60s, 70s, 80s music like, beyond that meh.