What was the line in THE BIG CHILL? "There is no music except the 60's" or some such. Seriously, I think my problem with anything too new is my personal I-Pod is full (not the one you put on your ears, but the one between them). Most of the YouTube offerings on this post don't do much for me. I can appreciate the artistic quality, the obvious talent, etc. I just don't connect with them. I think it is (as one poster alluded) the lack of dynamic range available with these speakers. I've been in venues such as theaters and clubs in which the sound system has turned me on to something I never heard before. Without that, I need my brain to fill in the gaps most of my current "systems" lack (e.g., car radio, boom box, etc.) With the oldies I implanted in my brain back in the 60s and early 70s, my brain fills in the holes in the dynamic range and it's like I'm in a concert when I watch a YouTube video on my computer with the cheap speakers. It's a true miracle as it happens.
Turns out this miracle is the basis of Cochlear implants. I read an article on them that talked about this phenomenon. With implants, you hear enough that, if your brain knows what to expect, it can fill in the rest. If your DW speaks to you, you know what she sounded like back when you could hear, so your brain works with the implant to help you "hear" her speak. A cartoon you've never watched may still sound like gibberish since you don't know what the voices of strange characters should sound like.
My guess is that kids (in my case, about age 5 to 25) soak up the music of their generation and at some point, that part of the brain which "records" music, stops doing so. From then on, the less familiar sounds rarely sound as good. Just a wild guess, but could be valid. It does seem to be a generality that people enjoy the music of their youth much more than newer music. It's not universal, of course as this thread attests.
A few years ago, my eldest was shocked that I knew who Lennie Kravits was. I had to explain to her that he "nailed" American Woman (originally by Guess Who - an all time favorite band) in an "over-driven" sort of way.
I'm sure the fact that my hearing isn't nearly what it used to be limits my enjoyment of newer offerings. Mentioned on another thread, I dread the day when "oldies" contain Rap. Hope I'll be dead by then.
Still, thanks to the OP for starting this thread. I've had a good time appreciating (if not internalizing) all the new offerings out there.
