Histiography of popular music

Sometimes you stumble across something that you just need to shout about and tell the entire world about what you have found. So it is with The Pipettes, a British group with solid roots in pop. Check them out - for folks on the American side of the pond, a US release comes out at the tail end of August!

In case you missed the hyperlink to the group's site, here it is again. Check out the 'About' link on the group's site. It has some of the wisest comments about popular music I have read.

I particularly like the recognition that there is no single history of poular music, but multiple histories. The one given on the site matches my own view of music history more closely than the traditional Beatles-centric view. Don't get me wrong - the Beatles are a fine band. For me, though, 1964 is an endpoint rather than beginning.

The history I advocate begins July 31, 1927. A.P. Carter convinced his wife Sarah and sister-in-law Maybelle that they should all journey to Bristol, Tennesee and audition for a record producer seeking talent. And so modern country music was born.

Sure there is more to the story than that. A.P. had to get those songs from SOMEwhere. But stories have to start someplace.

The Carters lead (as I said) to country, which is an important component of early rock and rockabilly (think Sun studios), leading us (somehow) to the pop of the pre-Beatles 60's, including groups (Beach Boys, girl groups generally ...) that heavily influenced 4 lads from Liverpool.

So I guess the Beatles are in this story.

But really I am just using the history stuff so I have an excuse to mention The Pipettes. They are about a gajillion kinds of cool. Really fun stuff.

And everyone can use some fun. Especially when things get a little dark.

Not to sound ominous or anything, but (and I telegraphed this last post) the lights are going down around here again. It's gonna get dark for a while.

How dark? Stay tuned, but I can say ...

Very.