I grew up with Radio 2 on permanently in the background. My parents loved the daily ‘handover’ banter between Ken Bruce and the ever sprightly Jimmy Young at midday (Sir Jimmy was, of course, booted over twenty years’ ago to make way for the crazed vigilante cyclist Jeremy Vile). The Radio 2 playlist was an education in pop music for many of us. At the gym I use the management, in their wisdom, recently decided to ditch the best of the 70s/80s/90s soundtrack for a rap/R’n’B alternative. It was the young gym members who complained and had the golden oldies restored. Who’ll be listening to the current Top 20 in 40 years?The old Radio 2 was like the old Britain - a nicer, better place.
It really makes you wonder what goes on in staff meetings in these organisations; "...our audience figures are down by another 10% this week. We'll done everyone!"
As far as the definition of easy listening is concerned, I would suggest anything above 120bps is not easy listening.
I’m forced to listen to Radios 2 all day at work. I’ve noticed that the older more “smooth listening” songs tend to be the most popular with both the younger and older employees. Although this is based on how much enthusiastic singing, humming or whistling along I observe. The new and in the charts pop songs are often of such mediocre quality, that when they get played several times a day they become offensively annoying to almost everyone.
There's a general trend against Oranias of any sort. Right now, the regime will reluctantly let you e.g. live in a mostly white area, find Shakespeare's works in a bookshop, listen to some comfy song; but you'll probably have to accept the Pakistani family two doors down, the anti-white books prominently displayed in the window, the next song being Ed Sheeran.
There's also a trend away from structure and meaning, towards incoherence, a world that no longer makes human sense - so, the cosy 70s ambience gives way to a hodge podge, much as every town is now a meaningless mess of architectural styles (and peoples).
Have to admit the first time I listened to it I was more interested in his microphone and wondering how he managed to get such a great sound with no wind noise outdoors, but I gave it a few listens and it has grown on me. Rolling Stone magazine hate it.
I gave up on the radio when I gave up on the box, but I thought radio 2 sounded like radio 1 did in the early 80's. Then all the thump, thump, thump deep bass shizer and angry ethnics shouting and hollering appeared to capture radio 1. I found a station called The Arrow, which was owned by big media company, Bauer. It only operated the station to occupy the digital space. It was ad free, news free., no DJ and most importantly, free of ethnic detritus. Sadly it got taken off air. You did a video about why people are turning to classic FM a while back. Maybe worth a revisit?
There are endless essays and discussions among dissident circles detailing the way cinema was used to undermine the West, yet popular music seems to be looked upon as completely benign; especially the easy listening genres you mention. To my mind, popular music was the spearhead of the attack. It's power is its overwhelming effect upon the young mind on first exposure, and the permanence of the nostalgic preservation order that passing decades erects.
As with cinema, when singling out one song as subversive, it is easy to say "You're reading too much into that!" but I will. Supertramp's The Logical Song is not benign. Under the guise of appearing to be a defence of the "magical human experience" against "the mechanistic, logical, new world" this song reveals it's ideological (song - couldn't resist) intent in the lines,
"I said, watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical
A liberal, oh, fanatical, criminal"
It's a catchy tune. It's easy to hum or sing along to. It has gentle, persistent hooks galore. This is how its ideological message gets in, stays in, and tricks the listener into repeating the message until the message becomes the listeners own original thought.
Radio 2 was like the soft power musical version of Radio Free Europe. Now there's a great REM song.
That hypothetical interaction is dead on, so much so it raises my blood pressure even reading it. Therefore, Deconstruction should be used at every opportunity against the regime & it’s now sacred cows. Rub their fucking noses in their own shit.
As boring & predictable as playlists are, I think you should throw one together. That Nomad song you recommended a while back was gold. Morgoth’s Melodious Mixtape.
Growing up in London I always rejected 'normie' pop radio stations in favour of illegal pirate stations that seemed relatively independent subversive and uncommercialised. However, in retrospect, the message encouraged mindless hedonism / nihilism and the politics was always on the far-left. Controlled or allowed opposition maybe, as I'm sure authorities could have removed these stations at any time if they wanted.
Rick Beato on YouTube is a good reference as to why modern music is so shit. Found him whilst asking Google that very question one day after getting increasingly annoyed with the noises eminating from my workshop radio.
The guys an ex- producer, musician and teacher, he takes you down the rabbit hole as to how we got here, but in essence today's music uses the same chord structures across most genres so together with pitch adjustment and things like auto tune you essentially zone out cos your ears have heard it before.
And to think this is the future, more demoralisation for the masses.
A very intelligent, thought out and well put together piece. Especially liked the analogy of music with other issues, the ‘‘Bryan Ferry is still on the list, nobody has harmed your precious Bryan Ferry!’’ segment was brilliant and funny, but oh so true. You stand out from the rest on your ability to tie the mundane and pedestrian aspects of life into the grander, wider world concept and politics.
I’m a Irish guy living in the states and whenever I pick up my mother in law I always have on the local classical radio station. She’s 23 years my senior and came of age in the early 90s. It took literal months of conditioning, and she’d never admit to actively putting it on, but I walked in on her doing the dishes listening to Debussy’s La Mer a few days ago.
Wonderful piece. But pray tell, Mr. Morgoth: Do you not like The Prodigy? Of course, they are most certainly not Easy Listening. On the other hand, as far as I can tell their heydays should have coincided with the time of your (impressionable ?) youth and perhaps elicit some nostalgia of the days of yore (though I´ll readily admit that Firestarter had been played too often even back in the day).
In America, even our "public" radio has these incredibly annoying donation commercials. They are hideous. The only music it plays is classical, though. And since they are the only channel that plays classical music, they have a pretty tight mandate although I'm sure they would love to play "classical" hip hop instead. Walmart has its own radio station now, replete with a rotating cast of DJs.
Great article. I get what you're saying even though I'm not really a radio guy personally, certainly not BBC radio. Nothing they do gets my attention. Possibly a spergy attitude, but hey ho.
I switched to Classic FM some years ago. I tried Radio 3, but they're either playing ethnic/female/retarded composers, or having an entire week dedicated to the Alice Springs Kazoo Whistle Orchestra or somesuch dross. As so many pieces are 10-15 minutes long, the adverts are gratifyingly sparse. As a bonus, the music is beautiful.
I grew up with Radio 2 on permanently in the background. My parents loved the daily ‘handover’ banter between Ken Bruce and the ever sprightly Jimmy Young at midday (Sir Jimmy was, of course, booted over twenty years’ ago to make way for the crazed vigilante cyclist Jeremy Vile). The Radio 2 playlist was an education in pop music for many of us. At the gym I use the management, in their wisdom, recently decided to ditch the best of the 70s/80s/90s soundtrack for a rap/R’n’B alternative. It was the young gym members who complained and had the golden oldies restored. Who’ll be listening to the current Top 20 in 40 years?The old Radio 2 was like the old Britain - a nicer, better place.
It really makes you wonder what goes on in staff meetings in these organisations; "...our audience figures are down by another 10% this week. We'll done everyone!"
As far as the definition of easy listening is concerned, I would suggest anything above 120bps is not easy listening.
I’m forced to listen to Radios 2 all day at work. I’ve noticed that the older more “smooth listening” songs tend to be the most popular with both the younger and older employees. Although this is based on how much enthusiastic singing, humming or whistling along I observe. The new and in the charts pop songs are often of such mediocre quality, that when they get played several times a day they become offensively annoying to almost everyone.
There's a general trend against Oranias of any sort. Right now, the regime will reluctantly let you e.g. live in a mostly white area, find Shakespeare's works in a bookshop, listen to some comfy song; but you'll probably have to accept the Pakistani family two doors down, the anti-white books prominently displayed in the window, the next song being Ed Sheeran.
There's also a trend away from structure and meaning, towards incoherence, a world that no longer makes human sense - so, the cosy 70s ambience gives way to a hodge podge, much as every town is now a meaningless mess of architectural styles (and peoples).
Talking of music, this tune bumped Taylor Swift off the top slot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqSA-SY5Hro
Oliver Anthony, Rich men North of Richmond
Have to admit the first time I listened to it I was more interested in his microphone and wondering how he managed to get such a great sound with no wind noise outdoors, but I gave it a few listens and it has grown on me. Rolling Stone magazine hate it.
I gave up on the radio when I gave up on the box, but I thought radio 2 sounded like radio 1 did in the early 80's. Then all the thump, thump, thump deep bass shizer and angry ethnics shouting and hollering appeared to capture radio 1. I found a station called The Arrow, which was owned by big media company, Bauer. It only operated the station to occupy the digital space. It was ad free, news free., no DJ and most importantly, free of ethnic detritus. Sadly it got taken off air. You did a video about why people are turning to classic FM a while back. Maybe worth a revisit?
There are endless essays and discussions among dissident circles detailing the way cinema was used to undermine the West, yet popular music seems to be looked upon as completely benign; especially the easy listening genres you mention. To my mind, popular music was the spearhead of the attack. It's power is its overwhelming effect upon the young mind on first exposure, and the permanence of the nostalgic preservation order that passing decades erects.
As with cinema, when singling out one song as subversive, it is easy to say "You're reading too much into that!" but I will. Supertramp's The Logical Song is not benign. Under the guise of appearing to be a defence of the "magical human experience" against "the mechanistic, logical, new world" this song reveals it's ideological (song - couldn't resist) intent in the lines,
"I said, watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical
A liberal, oh, fanatical, criminal"
It's a catchy tune. It's easy to hum or sing along to. It has gentle, persistent hooks galore. This is how its ideological message gets in, stays in, and tricks the listener into repeating the message until the message becomes the listeners own original thought.
Radio 2 was like the soft power musical version of Radio Free Europe. Now there's a great REM song.
That hypothetical interaction is dead on, so much so it raises my blood pressure even reading it. Therefore, Deconstruction should be used at every opportunity against the regime & it’s now sacred cows. Rub their fucking noses in their own shit.
As boring & predictable as playlists are, I think you should throw one together. That Nomad song you recommended a while back was gold. Morgoth’s Melodious Mixtape.
Growing up in London I always rejected 'normie' pop radio stations in favour of illegal pirate stations that seemed relatively independent subversive and uncommercialised. However, in retrospect, the message encouraged mindless hedonism / nihilism and the politics was always on the far-left. Controlled or allowed opposition maybe, as I'm sure authorities could have removed these stations at any time if they wanted.
Rick Beato on YouTube is a good reference as to why modern music is so shit. Found him whilst asking Google that very question one day after getting increasingly annoyed with the noises eminating from my workshop radio.
The guys an ex- producer, musician and teacher, he takes you down the rabbit hole as to how we got here, but in essence today's music uses the same chord structures across most genres so together with pitch adjustment and things like auto tune you essentially zone out cos your ears have heard it before.
And to think this is the future, more demoralisation for the masses.
A very intelligent, thought out and well put together piece. Especially liked the analogy of music with other issues, the ‘‘Bryan Ferry is still on the list, nobody has harmed your precious Bryan Ferry!’’ segment was brilliant and funny, but oh so true. You stand out from the rest on your ability to tie the mundane and pedestrian aspects of life into the grander, wider world concept and politics.
I’m a Irish guy living in the states and whenever I pick up my mother in law I always have on the local classical radio station. She’s 23 years my senior and came of age in the early 90s. It took literal months of conditioning, and she’d never admit to actively putting it on, but I walked in on her doing the dishes listening to Debussy’s La Mer a few days ago.
Wonderful piece. But pray tell, Mr. Morgoth: Do you not like The Prodigy? Of course, they are most certainly not Easy Listening. On the other hand, as far as I can tell their heydays should have coincided with the time of your (impressionable ?) youth and perhaps elicit some nostalgia of the days of yore (though I´ll readily admit that Firestarter had been played too often even back in the day).
In America, even our "public" radio has these incredibly annoying donation commercials. They are hideous. The only music it plays is classical, though. And since they are the only channel that plays classical music, they have a pretty tight mandate although I'm sure they would love to play "classical" hip hop instead. Walmart has its own radio station now, replete with a rotating cast of DJs.
Great article. I get what you're saying even though I'm not really a radio guy personally, certainly not BBC radio. Nothing they do gets my attention. Possibly a spergy attitude, but hey ho.
I switched to Classic FM some years ago. I tried Radio 3, but they're either playing ethnic/female/retarded composers, or having an entire week dedicated to the Alice Springs Kazoo Whistle Orchestra or somesuch dross. As so many pieces are 10-15 minutes long, the adverts are gratifyingly sparse. As a bonus, the music is beautiful.