How did the Magic Happen?

[Cygnus X1]

Well, folks, thank you. We won the best speaker award over two other excellent speakers. Toastmasters can be tough, especially in the later stages.
There is no such thing as audience participation, they just kind of sit and look at you while you give the speech. It can be a bit scary, even if you're a good "speaker".
So today, I gave this speech, needed a "visual", so I grabbed some LP's, no notes, and dove in. Some of the audience are in retirement age, and some are much younger. Nearly everyone said they enjoyed it, even if rock music wasn't their favorite. Like a good solo, it just flowed. I think it was because we discussed it here first, I didn't change my opinion much, or "steal" your comments. It's just the whole subject was well formed and debated in my own mind, I could just let it fly, and organize it as I went.
So, thanks, and you all share the blue ribbon.

[lerxstcat]

Well, this post is too late to help, but you won anyway so YOU RAWK!!!!

I think each of us has bands that made crucial impacts on us inour formative years. The late 60s and early 70s were a height of creativity, to be sure, but that creativity continued through cycles.

Today the record industry forces acts into its molds, and they don't get 3-4 albums to blossom; it's 1 and out if you don't have a hit. Trends are also channeled and diversity is not very welcome by the major labels.

On the other hand, bands can record professionally and self-promote via the Internet to a greater degree than ever before too. This is the wave of the future - basically to bypass the prefab record industry as it chokes on itself. It makes it harder to become a millionaire rockstar, but easier to exercise your own creativity.

I see lots of bands on Myspace with 100,000 friends or more. if 10% of them buy your CD directly from your band for $10 you'll probably make as much money as you would going gold with a standard label deal. I can imagine labels cherry-picking Myspace bands to try and reestablish cred.

But those bands are likely to be able to make a better deal, because they're not starving and living in a rehearsal space like aspiring 80s rockj bands were. They're working their day jobs and playing shows, building fanbases and they can hold out for a deal that's lucrative enough to make it worth quitting their day jobs - or turn it down and keep doing what they're doing.

The labels don't have the same power to squeeze and crush bands into line that they did 20 years ago. Only if you play their game do they have that power.

[Cygnus X1]

Here's the talley, 3 for 8 speeches.
Thanks, again. I'll probably just
bring in a guitar next time and talk
about it. 5 ribbons for 10 speeches
would rock!

[Outlander]

Just lookin' at the time frame I would say two things were a major contributor at this time. Marijuana and lycergic acid dithylamide (LSD) both led to discontent with politics and the war.If you look at a lot of the lyrics during this period you will find many references to drugs.

Remember the Hippie movement....Sex,Drugs and Rock and Roll. There's still a few of us lurkin' around. Hmmmm that might make an interesting poll. I bet there's quite a few on this board judging from the ages I've seen posted.

[Cygnus X1]

Outlander, I took that into account, and gave reference during the speech. My suggestion was that it was far more than that, the influence is there on record for all to see, but there were the other elements. In modern physchological language, there was an "enabling element". And drugs have been prevalent for a very long time in music. So it was something else.

[Robert Burns]

I agree...i remember riding in the family station wagon...1968'..and
"Fire" comes on! I was so excited, i almost jumped over the seat.
I had never heard anything even remotely like this before.
Seems "Magic" was the norm from 68' thru 73' I was lucky, i
was 14 in 68' I got to hear it all !