Elvis Costello recently said that people in the UK don't appreciate older musicians - do you agree?

Question

Is he right - is music in the UK only popular if it comes from young people? When was the last time a musician over 50 years old topped the charts?
Also bands like Led Zepplin and the Rolling Stones - if you listen to them a lot then how old were they when you first started to enjoy them and have you got their latest albums or just the ones they made when they were young?
Obviously this question only really applies to pop and rock music, as those are the genres Elvis Costello would have been referring to.

Answer 1

Yes, he was speaking of pop and rock music as genres only, in which case - he is right.

But it's a complex issue.

Despite record company rhetoric about "being discovered by a new generation of fans", let's face it - The Stones, The Eagles, even (to a large extent) Costello himself - make money largely from those who grew up alongside them. You might see a 20-something singing along to "Start Me Up" in a Stones crowd, but there will be a fair number of grey hairs around him!.

This is the crucial difference to distinguish - what the artist is now, and what the artist was once. It's possible, and not inconsistent, to say that I don't like older musicians but love what they did when they were younger.

Lou Reed's songs from 1969 - yes, please.

Lou Reed's songs from 1989 or 1999 - no thanks.

Rock is a young man's game ("why?" is another question and another issue. David Bowie can still fill big venues around the world, but he's trading in on a legend that was built largely before 1980 (his last great album, Scary Monsters, was released then.)

I'd ask Elvis in return - make an album as great as "Armed Forces" or "This Year's Model" again, then we'll talk.

Because then you'll be proving that you're still relevant, NOW, on your own merits.

I'll pay money to see you sing "Radio Radio", but I feel no connection to what you have created as an "older musician".

Answer 2

I doubt Elvis Costello was buying much 25 year old music when he was 18. Take a look in any music shop and there's an impressive amount of old stuff available and it's selling. Yes, teenagers and students are buying Frank Zappa, The Kinks, Gong, Soft Machine, Syd Barratt etc. As for topping the charts, does anyone really care about that sort of thing these days? The charts never have been a representation of what's best in music.

Answer 3

Heck I hope he is right. Can you imagine the charts dominated by 50 + codgers with an 18 yr old model on their arm?

The Stones, Beatles, Who, Stranglers, Elvis Costello, Elvis Frickin Presley all became famous because they were new and great and knocked the old codgers off their pedestal.

Here's to it keeping moving on!

Answer 4

bullshxt!

the singles charts are for kids, so sure theyre full of todays boybands and pop singers, but the albums charts are a lot different

neil young, eric clapton, van morrison and the eagles are all in the top 40 album chart in the uk as we speak

and i remember when i bought the stones' 40 licks they were in the chart for months.
costellos obviously just jealous cuz he doesnt have a big fanbase here.

i love all classic rock music ie stones, zepplin, hendrix, clapton, kinks,fleetwood mac,bowie. im 24, started really getting into the music when i was 17, heard wild horses and that was me, a fan for life of the stones

Answer 5

I agree.
The money makers are the young ones, and the money contributors are the teenagers / teenyboppers/ below 16 demographics.
The older members of society still love good music but are less willing to part with their money for musical entertainment.
Some charities have become more creative and they now market the good stuff under charitable causes such as good quality TV programming, aid for hurricane victims, earthquake victims, etc.
All this appeals better to the above 18 group who can now stop feeling guilty about buying an album.

Answer 6

I agree, but then Elvis Costello is a twunt. When I met him he was an absolute arzole of the highest order. It's front page news that he's never coming back? Good riddance, I say.

Answer 7

What tosh.

We may not spend money on them (my young wife spends lots on her fave bands) but that is because we have mastered the free Internet and no longer need to see the cover or read the words inside the cover to still love the music.

Ah the kids today, they'll be us tomorrow.

Answer 8

Sir Cliff regularly tops the charts

Answer 9

Led Zep, older than E. Costello, 50 million people try to buy tickets for reformed band concert.

Elvis, it's you they don't like.

Answer 10

elvis costello is just trying to generate interest in himself. maybe he feels a bit low and unloved and want us all to tell him how great he is. maybe he has got a single album or tour he is just trying to get publicity for