No, I agree with you, Ken. I think the older players, frankly, did more interesting things with tunes, yet still manage to leave them identifiable tunes to be passed along. Newer bands or players on CD or in concert seem to thrive on making things more acceptable to a wider and, admittedly, more sophisticated listening audience, bucking the trends, and in doing so leave less to learn from at its root.
This doesn't apply to all younger players, BTW -- there are plenty that fit quite comfortably, to my mind, in with the geezers, and all of them are quite capable of playing as well or better, and it is these player who I feel keep the tradition moving. They learned from the old guys, they make their changes, we learn from them and the old guys, etc.
Yes, it's a shame that some of those "kitchen" tapes were recorded on shabby equipment in less-than-desirable acoustical settings (sadder still we don't have recording of those same guys in session, rather than sitting stiffly at their kitchen tables), but what they do have is still there to hear. Our growing inability to hear music without reverb and bothersome bodhrans, etc. is more damaging to the tradition than any number of musical innovations taking place. The musical innovations will either come and go with the trends, or stick around and become part of the noise. Not being able to hear the music without production is almost like going deaf.
Oh, and Eric, no -- those were not the Clapton tunes I was thinking of...
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Gordon on 2003-01-09 21:10 ]</font>
. I am also not afraid to put my name to the CD so I don't have any buttons to be pushed there. You're awfully ambiguous for a fellow Belfastian ( or Belfastard as some might say), are spades no longer spades up there, Bono? (I prefer Bono, Harry is'nt sitting well for me).
