Now That's NOT What I Call Music...

My six year old niece is visiting with us today and she brought her brand spankin' new copy of the latest "NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC" CD with her. When the kids sat down to eat lunch she handed me the CD and said "Unca Keef, can we jam?" ... so I threw it in the CD player, albeit unwillingly.

...the CD just ended and Ho-lee CRAP, that was awful. Throughout the playing time I kept having to resist the urge to imitate Butt-head and ask "What the HELL is this crap?" At the risk of sounding like someone's Mom, is this what passes for pop music nowadays? I am unfamiliar with a good three quarters of the lineup contained herein, but to me it sounds like just about anyone with a drum machine and a Casio keyboard can be a star nowadays... Geez. Just look at this track listing of terror:

1. The Black Eyed Peas – "Boom Boom Pow" (3:38)
   
2. Flo Rida – "Right Round" (3:24)
   
3. Lady Gaga – "Poker Face" (3:57)
   
4. Pitbull – "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" (3:01)
   
5. Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain – "Blame It" (4:21)
   
6. T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake – "Dead and Gone" (3:52)
   
7. Kid Cudi – "Day 'n' Nite" (3:40)
   
8. Soulja Boy Tell 'Em featuring Sammie – "Kiss Me Thru the Phone" (3:11)
   
9. Beyoncé – "Halo" (3:43)
   
10. Ne-Yo – "Mad" (4:10)
    
11. Pink – "Please Don't Leave Me" (3:49)
    
12. Ciara featuring Justin Timberlake – "Love Sex Magic" (3:39)
    
13. Britney Spears – "If U See Amy" (3:33)
    
14. Kelly Clarkson – "My Life Would Suck Without You" (3:31)
    
15. 3OH!3 – "Don't Trust Me" (3:12)
    
16. The Ting Tings – "That's Not My Name" (3:28)
    
17. The Fray – "You Found Me" (3:58)
    
18. Nickelback – "If Today Was Your Last Day" (4:05)
    
19. Lady Antebellum – "I Run to You" (4:13)
    
20. Charice – "Note to God" (3:59)
    

I tells ya, I was never so happy to hear a frickin Nickelback song towards the end of this torture session -- at least it had a guitar in it!!
It terrifies me to think that there are 30 other volumes just like this one!!

The pop music of today reminds me of the disco era. Faceless/interchangable singers putting heavily processed vocals over electronic drum-beats. It's no wonder record producers are becoming more popular these days. They're the ones doing all the work.

Quote :

1. Lady Antebellum – "I Run to You" (4:13)
   

That's the only tolerable song on that crapfest.

lol wow.... What a bunch of crap. I would have told the kid no go upload it onto your Ipod and put your headphones on or handed her one of my old antique discmans and said this is how we used to listen to music in the old days. Then I wouldve thrown a Maiden disc into my stereo and blasted it so I wouldnt have to hear the music coming from the discman. Am I cruel?? lol

I'd have to take your word for it, Spec. The only song I sorta recognize is "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eye Peas. I don't know why I know it, I just do for some reason.

geez...I have only heard the names of about 8 of the 20 artists on that thing, let alone the actual "music".

I love these compilations, they're like road signs listing what to avoid in pop music.

Phoenix Reign Drummer wrote:

lol wow.... What a bunch of crap. I would have told the kid no go upload it onto your Ipod and put your headphones on or handed her one of my old antique discmans and said this is how we used to listen to music in the old days. Then I wouldve thrown a Maiden disc into my stereo and blasted it so I wouldnt have to hear the music coming from the discman. Am I cruel?? lol

Hahaha, my inner a**hole was tempted to tell her "Hell no, we don't play this kinda crap in my house," but she's only six, and I didn't want to make her cry. She'd probably be telling a therapist about it 20 years from now and it would make it awkward during family gatherings.

I will say that some of her "dance moves" during the various songs made me laugh like hell. She was bouncin' all over the room, it was hilarious. Gotta love little kids and their complete and total lack of self-consciousness.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Flo Rida – "Right Round" (3:24)

That has to be the worst cover song I've ever heard. All the lyrics are changed to the point that it barely even qualifies as a cover, it's just a blatant ripoff. The only other song I know that doesn't suck is the Nickelback one, and even that isn't very good.

Svengo wrote:

I love these compilations, they're like road signs listing what to avoid in pop music.

That's a good way of looking at them. I think I'll adopt that credo. "If it's on a That's What I Call Music comp, it must be bad"

Schbopo wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

Flo Rida – "Right Round" (3:24)

That has to be the worst cover song I've ever heard. All the lyrics are changed to the point that it barely even qualifies as a cover, it's just a blatant ripoff. The only other song I know that doesn't suck is the Nickelback one, and even that isn't very good.

Oh.. thats what song that is? I hate that song. I MEAN HATE THAT SONGS! I dont even like the original but this one is horrible. My gf likes it and every time it comes on the radio I turn the station and we get into a big fight cause I wont let her listen to it lol.

Schbopo wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

Flo Rida – "Right Round" (3:24)

That has to be the worst cover song I've ever heard. All the lyrics are changed to the point that it barely even qualifies as a cover, it's just a blatant ripoff. The only other song I know that doesn't suck is the Nickelback one, and even that isn't very good.

That's the best one of those strips you've used as a sig Shamu.

Fat Freddy wrote:

When the kids sat down to eat lunch she handed me the CD and said "Unca Keef, can we jam?" ...

... and you said, "NO! Now stfu and listen to Fates Warning!"?

I actually thought the Lady Gaga song was pretty catchy when I heard a couple of weeks back when I was stuck in traffic. Not something I'd put on willingly, but not terrible. That said, the other songs suck.

Garbage.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

The pop music of today reminds me of the disco era. Faceless/interchangable singers putting heavily processed vocals over electronic drum-beats. It's no wonder record producers are becoming more popular these days. They're the ones doing all the work.

I was just thinking how back in the early days of MTV I was subjected to then current pop bands like ABC, Flock of Seagulls, Haircut 100, etc., and of course my reaction was "what the hell is this crap?" ... but after hearing what passes for "Pop Music" nowadays I'm like "All is forgiven! Bring back 'Love Plus One' and 'I Ran'!" ... I didn't know how good we had it.

Fat Freddy wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

The pop music of today reminds me of the disco era. Faceless/interchangable singers putting heavily processed vocals over electronic drum-beats. It's no wonder record producers are becoming more popular these days. They're the ones doing all the work.

I was just thinking how back in the early days of MTV I was subjected to then current pop bands like ABC, Flock of Seagulls, Haircut 100, etc., and of course my reaction was "what the hell is this crap?" ... but after hearing what passes for "Pop Music" nowadays I'm like "All is forgiven! Bring back 'Love Plus One' and 'I Ran'!" ... I didn't know how good we had it.

Haha!

I hope I dont get to live long enough to have to experience the music of the generation after mine.

At least Kelly Clarkson is catchy - i thing she would be totally awesome if she went for a early style pat benetar sound - too bad the record company would never let her do that!

Lady GaGa and the Ting Tings are great.............maybe i'm showing my age. The rest though............

Here's a scary thought -- there are probably people out there whose entire "CD Collection" consists of nothing but a complete set of these NOW compilations. If that's the case I hope they never breed.

I would rather listen to cats being feed through a meat grinder, while still living.

Thankfully the "NOW" concept hasn't taken hold yet in any other genres besides top 40/pop music... imagine the possibilities though...

"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL BLACK METAL!"
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL SLUDGE!"
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL DOOM!"
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL HARDCORE!"

Etc., etc...

There's a classic rock one and I think a power ballads.

As a side note; Amazon gives me recommendations based on what I buy or say I like and they recommended Lady GaGa because I bought Chickenfoot. I gave about a ten second listen and was like, wth?

Where's the Now That's What I Call S***?

I might actually buy that so I'd know what to avoid on a blind buy.

These 'Now That's What I Call Music' series are one of the most successful comp sets in music history, incredible that the age of downloading that this series continues to sell in the millions.

I guess this is the current generation's version of those K-Tel records that used to sell so well during the 70's and early 80's.