What “Idol” has done to the music industry

Our popular music industry is now at such a low-ebb that the major focus is on mainstream/crossover shows such as American Idol, leaving true original talent to only be marketed via independent music companies or by self promotion on the web.

The nature of these shows goes against any original ideas or artist development. Judges and therefore music producers are only looking for a short term quick buck, instantly marketable to masses, in a music style that in past decades was called “bubble gum” music.

Imagine serious heavy weight artists (before they were famous) going on to American idol…..

For Example:

Jimi Hendrix performing “Purple Haze”….

Randy (What’s up dog) Jackson would say…

“Dude, listen up. Ok man what are you doin’, dog? I don’t know, I don’t know. Pitchy! Pitchy! Pitchy! Lose the guitar. It wasn’t good for me man. I didn’t get it.”

Ellen (And my last hit single was?) Degeneres would say….

“Okay that was pretty good but maybe you should smile a little more. And I really think you should clean yourself up a little, sweetie. You know get a haircut, have a shave and sober up. The show was good though, I really like what you can do with your teeth.”

Cara (I can sing better than you) DioGuardi says…

“I have to agree with Randy the pitch was all over the place. What are you doing? I’m sorry but I see you more in a Jack Johnson vein. You should listen to him. And you don’t need that guitar…guitar solos are sooooo yesterday. But I like you; you seem like a nice guy.”

Simon (I am making so much money out of this show) Cowell says …

“I have to say that this was just self indulgent rubbish. I’m sorry it’s a fact. You are not a rock star my friend and shouldn’t act like one. Do you really think you can sing? Come on, you’re kidding yourself and wasting my time. This is nothing like what I want … I mean record producers today are looking for. You will never get anywhere and never be anything. People don’t want to hear music like that. I am sorry but that’s a fact. No one is interested in your music but I guess you’re not good enough to cover a song. Sorry.”

 As long as shows like this are our main source of popular music, good original music and artists with a fresh approach will never get the attention they deserve when the main criteria for success is sounding like someone else, looking good and being demographically acceptable on TV.

It seems talent is not an issue anymore, only how much money the record companies and television industry make from an artist. And let me tell you they are making an absolute fortune from American Idol.

Thank God we didn’t have American Idol in sixties, seventies or eighties then we may never have heard of people like Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Sammy Hagar, Phil Lynnott, Neil Young, Ted Nugent and other rock legends.

Could you imagine what the judges would say to Bob Dylan if he appeared on American Idol?

 Illy

The history of the guitar is longer than most people probably imagine it to be. The modern classical guitar is older than contemporary flat-top “steel string” guitars, but even it is a comparatively recent development. Unfortunately, the history and roots of the guitar are shady and very complicated. This isn’t surprising considering how many different types of guitars have been developed over the years, and the vast amount of instruments that are closely related to the guitar that have influenced its evolution.

The guitar traces its roots back to the ancient stringed instruments of India, Egypt, and Mesopotamia. Some of these instruments and their relatives eventually found their way to Europe. Important for the eventual development of the guitar were various foreign four-string instruments, which were present in Europe from at least the 3rd century. There are examples of written music for these four-string instrument which date back to 16th century Spain, while in contemporary Italy, a five-string instrument replaced the four-string one. These early guitars typically had no more than 8 frets, but this number increased over time.

By the 17th century, the six-string guitar was created, and quickly became the most popular model of the archaic guitar. Around 1850, the larger-bodied modern classical guitar was developed, which improved the sound quality of the guitar and quickly become the new standard. The classical guitars available in music stores today are still the same shape and size of this 19th century creation.

Flat-top “steel string” guitars were developed around 1900, and are today typically referred to as “acoustic guitars”. Soon after, arch-top guitars were created with the purpose of increasing the volume of the guitar. With the continued search for more volume, guitar pickups began to be developed. The first pickups date back to the 1920s, but pickups didn’t become very successful until the 1940s under the hands of Orville Gibson and Christian Fredrich Martin.

As amplification technology developed, the first solid-body guitar appeared. As to who was the first to invent the solid-body guitar, this is still a controversial and murky topic with no clear answer.

Rickenbacker Electro’s 1931 “Frying Pan” Hawaiian guitar is generally considered to be the first electric guitar put on the market. Other electric guitars from the 1930s include those made by companies such Gibson with their ES 150 model.

Fender introduced the Broadcaster (now known as the Telecaster) in 1949, and the Stratocaster in 1954, while Gibson introduced the Les Paul model in 1952. Another important development was the creation of the humbucking pickup in 1954, which the Les Paul model began to use beginning in 1957.

While many new companies and guitar models have emerged since the 1950s, there have been few innovations between then and now. The development of the electric guitar reached its epoch mid-century, and many of the classic models developed at this time are still highly regarded and valued today.

Any list such as this is subjective. I am not saying that these are the best guitarists of all time but most influential. Each guitarist on the list has had a massive influence in the way blues/rock guitar has evolved. And each one was a pioneer, daring to go where no one had before by experimenting and pushing the boundaries of popular music in their time.

 

1. Robert Johnson. Where it all began. His influence is astounding. He must be the Great Grandfather of modern blues/rock. Everyone on this list has been influenced directly or indirectly by this legend. How many versions of his great hit Crossroads have you heard?

 

 

 

2. Muddy Waters. Dubbed the Grandfather of Chicago blues, Waters has influenced some of the other greats on this list like Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and the Rolling Stones who actually derived their name from one of his songs.

 

 

 

3. Chuck Berry. Heavily influenced by Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters. Berry was arguably the father of 12 bar blues and boogey rock. His songs are still covered all over the world today.

 

 

 

4. Jimi Hendrix. Do I need to explain this one. Hendrix was the first to incorporate feedback into his solos in a positive way. He was also one of the first to experiment with guitar effects.

 

 

 

 

5. Jeff Beck. The man who has been a part of blues/rock forever. From his early days with the Yardbirds through to his current jazz fusion genre, Beck has influenced other guitar greats such as Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Even Rolling Stone magazine described him as “…one of the most influential guitarists in rock.” Check out what Jeff Beck is up to now on our forum page.

 

 

 

6. Robert Fripp. Fripp is one of the most innovative guitarists of all time. With his band King Crimson in his early career he pushed the limits of sound and music. Fripp also developed the art of cross picking and new standard tuning which he taught in his Guitar Craft serious of lectures.

 

 

 

7. Dave Gilmour. What can I say about Gilmour except he, like his band, Pink Floyd, are completely unique. Gilmour has influenced so many guitarists and bands through his feel and technical excellence.

 

 

 

8. Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen was extremely influential with his finger tapping and hammer on technique which became so popular in the early eighties. He is the pioneer in this field.

 

 

 

9. Jimmy Page.  I have said it before and I will say it again: Every guitarist that plays blues/rock solos today plays Jimmy Page licks.

 

 

 

 

10. Steve Vai. Vai would be the most influential guitarist of the modern era. His technical ability is incomparable. He has designed several guitars including his famous seven-stringer and a three neck model that he plays at his gigs. James “Munky” Shaffer of Korn, Mike Eizinger of Incubus and Tom Morello of Audioslave all cite Vai as a major inspiration.

 

 

There are of course other great guitarists and legends of rock but I can’t think of any that have had more influence then the ten above. If you can please add a comment and let me know.

- Axel