So, what have you been listening to lately?

[Pilgrim]

Interesting point. I'd say that I really understand the lyrics in less than half of the music I've ever heard. I find it almost impossible to understand most lyrics in rock, and even the tiny bit of hip-hop I've heard has lyrics so fast that I can't possibly understand them. Even in the rock stuff that I like, I probably miss around half the lyrics. This has been the case since I really started listening to music around age 10.

The exception would be folk music. This week PBS had one of their fund-raising specials focused on folks music. Peter, Paul & Mary, the Kingston Trio, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, that kind of stuff.  Great music, and the emphasis is actually on HEARING the lyrics.

I listen mainly for melody and "hooks" that stick with me. That's probably why I dislike hip-hop, because there's usually little or no melody and the lyrics are machine-gunned so fast that I can't get them. When I see an interesting tune in this thread, 9 times out of 10 I have to look up the lyrics online to see what it said.  You would think that if the lyrics actually matter to the band, they'd make more of an effort to mix their music so you can understand them.

[westen44]

I think I can identify with much of what you've said here.  Except that it seems you have probably paid more attention to folk music than I have.  I might add something about the Beatles, though.  Even though I've been a fan for years, in my opinion they never were particularly good lyricists anyway.  So not listening much to their lyrics to me isn't really a big deal. 

[westen44]

But sometimes the lyrics do matter.  This song would be an example and almost like a primary source to a little of Southern rock's history. 

https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-epic-story-of-the-outlaws-and-why-southern-rock-still-matters

[Dave W]

[Highlander]

OMG... I've been listening to the band that shall not be named's latest release about rushing about... and enjoying it... I've even used spurtify to download their back-catalogue again to play through whilst driving round the Highlands...
Mind you, I've also gone through Aerosmith, Black Oak Arkansas, UFO and some other disreputables, using the same exploitive service...

[westen44]

Speaking of Carl Perkins...

[uwe]

Always a lovely, quirky tune, but here lifted to new heights by an Austrian-Georgian duo Adi & Joe ...

[Dave W]

Always a lovely, quirky tune, but here lifted to new heights by an Austrian-Georgian duo Adi & Joe ...

Back at you.

[Dave W]

Wilburys on my new old turntable this morning.

My old Onkyo turntable bit the dust, found a suitable replacement on Craigslist (a Sansui), and the seller turned out to be eb2 Jim. In a metro area of 3.6 million, what are the odds?

[uwe]

3/5 no longer with us, including the youngest one. 

[uwe]

Back at you.

Who says we can't get excited when there is a real showman on stage?

[uwe]

Seger in his prime.

[uwe]

And a surviving Wilbury with a humble light show ...

[uwe]

Black Blues matters. These guys are from Mali, Blues coming home so to say ...

[westen44]

OMG... I've been listening to the band that shall not be named's latest release about rushing about... and enjoying it... I've even used spurtify to download their back-catalogue again to play through whilst driving round the Highlands...
Mind you, I've also gone through Aerosmith, Black Oak Arkansas, UFO and some other disreputables, using the same exploitive service...

An eclectic mix, though.