Monday, July 29, 2013

The Semi-Great Debate


Our Forgotten Hits Buddy (and Chicagoland Sports Broadcasting Hall-of-Fame Legend) Chet Coppock is at it again ... only this time he's debating good ol' rock and roll with Keegan Goudie, who edits an blog on Electronic Dance Music.

Both have agreed to share their debate with our Forgotten Hits readers.  Enjoy! 

Debating Four Decades of Music: Rock N’ Roll vs. EDM   

What happens when a 23-year-old and a 63-year-old debate music? It becomes a holy war. Then eventually, it becomes a column idea.  

In the left corner, we have American Emmy award-winning sports journalist Chet Coppock. He’s otherwise known as the ‘Godfather of Sports Talk Radio”. His expertise is Chicago sports, but his first love is a little thing he likes to call Rock N’ Roll. 

In the right corner, we have Keegan Goudie, editor  / co-founder of Major Onions and Rager Onions. One blog covers Chicago sports, and the other covers Electronic Dance Music.  

In order to seek some generational sanity, we decided to give each other a little music lesson. And what’s the first rule about music? It differs by taste. Or age.  

Coppock gave the first jab, and Keegan retorted. Enjoy the melodic debate, folks.  

-- 
From: Chet Coppock 
To: Keegan Goudie 
Subject: Just take those old records off the shelf.  

Keegan, listen up kid - you walked into the wrong arena, matched up against the wrong fighter. You're riding Green Day? I'll raise you Eric Clapton and Cream. You want to hustle Linkin Park? Hey pal, have you ever heard the electric thunder of Jimi Hendrix?

By the way, just what is a Breaking Benjamin or 30 seconds to Mars? Don't you get it, K-man? My generation is Rock N’ Roll. We are the dance floor. We are Wolfman Jack and American Bandstand. We are Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, the Beach Boys, the Beatles, the Yardbirds, Steely Dan, Janis Joplin, Motown, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, and the funky horns of the Memphis sound. For further education, check out Sam and Dave. 

So, let's weigh in. If you can match this three-banger, you win complimentary driving lessons from Justin Beiber. Or two seats in the 300-level to catch Lady Gaga at the United Center. 

Douse the house lights. Split the curtains. Here are my top three, knock down, in your face Rock N’ Roll songs of all time.  

3. Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry  
"If you were to give Rock 'n Roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry” - John Lennon 
Berry, the incomparable St. Louis Tiger, is simply the most imitated guitar player of all time. 
"Johnny B. Goode" will always be his signature piece – a lesson in hot licks combined with the greatest vocal of Chuck's career.  
https://soundcloud.com/metal-duro/chuck-berry-johnny-b-goode   

2. L.A. Woman - The Doors  
Sizzling keyboard work from Ray Manzarek compliments the explosive vocal of Jim Morrison, who takes us on his own subterranean tour of the underbelly of "La La land." 
Dig it:  "Mr. Mo-Jo Risin'….Mr. Mo-Jo Ris'n." Roll down the windows and drive at least 96 mph.
https://soundcloud.com/pradaofficialsoundcloud/the-doors-l-a-woman 

1. Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones  
Simply the greatest rock song of all time, ‘Gimme Shelter’ is in a class of its own. 
Drummer Charlie Watts rips the skins to pieces with stirring, gut-wrenching rhythm. Keith Richard’s guitar work (lead and rhythm) begins in blues fashion before erupting into an explosive musical frenzy. Who can forget "guest" vocalist Merry Clayton wailing, "Rape…murder…it's just a shot away…its just a shot away.” Mick Jagger was never better. 
The song signals the end of the 60's, the conclusion of the Flower Child era, peace and love, and an evolution from hallucinogens to Studio 54. The eventual move from "Turn on-Tune in" to Disco. https://soundcloud.com/colorviento/the-rolling-stones-gimme   

--  
From: Keegan Goudie 
To: Chet Coppock 
Subject: RE: Just take those old records off the shelf.   

Hey Chet, go ahead and leave those records on the shelf. 

Haven’t you heard of Soundcloud? 

I have all the respect in the world for the list of musical dinosaurs you mentioned. But come on Chet, you’ve got to stop living in the past. Welcome to the digital age. An age of music where tunes can be modified in a million different ways, and musicians can recreate other artist’s work in their own creative style. Artists like Skrillex, Sub Focus, and Sound Remedy have taken hits and made them bigger than the original with their masterful renditions. Welcome to the beauty of electronic music.  

Linkin Park? Green Day? I’m not in 7th grade anymore, dude. And if you think Rock N’ Roll was the dance floor, you’ve never been to a Pretty Lights concert. Chuck Berry, Rolling Stones, and The Doors? Can’t complain with that artillery. As a matter of fact, I learned a lot about Chuck Berry during my senior year of college - thanks to the barrage of PBS documentaries that my American History professor forced down our throats. Even as a youngster, all of those names (especially Jim Morrison) scream one word to me: legendary. 

But you know what else is legendary? These three tracks: and my favorite EDM songs of all time. 

3. Feel So CloseCalvin Harris  
You actually might even recognize this one. Please meet Calvin Harris – one of the most talented producers in the game. He’s not just the nerd behind the computer for this one either, as he was the singer, songwriter, and producer of this modern-day masterpiece. 
It’s so good that some of the biggest names in the game spun their own remix to it, like Nero, Benny Benassi, and of course - Dillon Francis. But you’ll meet him in a minute.   
https://soundcloud.com/wynnsocial/feel-so-close-radio-edit   

2. BonfireKnife Party  
You think you’ve heard a banger, and then you hear Knife Party. ‘Bonfire’ is the quintessential example of a reggae-dubstep anthem. While I won’t sit here and try to explain the overwhelming number of sub-genres in EDM, I’ll just tell you that Knife Party haunts the world of dance music. In a good way. 
And if you didn’t nod your head at all to this epic jam, I’ll pay for your new speakers.   
https://soundcloud.com/knifepartyinc/knife-party-bonfire    

1. I.D.G.A.F.O.S. 2.0Dillon Francis  
And last but not least, my equivalent to your Mick Jagger. 
Funk lives vicariously through Dillon Francis’ music, and that’s a fact. He’s a party-boy, a wild child, and one incredibly talented musician. He’s become the king of Moombahton – a genre that was non-existent five years ago. 
And in case you were wondering, ‘I.D.G.A.F.O.S.’ stands for one thing, and one thing only: 
I don’t give a fuck or shit.   
https://soundcloud.com/dillonfrancis/dillon-francis-idgafos-2-0    

And there you have it ... a debate for the (modern) ages.  (I'm not quite sure we'll sway anybody with this one but hey, we're happy to share!)  kk  

Chet Coppock further expounds on the glories of good old rock and roll here: 
While Keegan Goudie does his best to convince us of the values of Electronic Dance Music here:
Click here: Rager Onions   

(Hey, no bias or prejudice here ... but we ARE after all an oldies music publication aren't we???  Convince me that ANY act featured on Keegan's list will someday be doing a "50 and Counting" tour.  This music is "of the moment" with a limited appeal to a very select audience.  Vintage Rock and Roll was for EVERYBODY ... and it TOUCHED everybody in its own unique way.  Very few of us loved it all ... and that list includes yours truly ... but like it or loathe it, we HEARD it and developed our taste from there.)  kk