Music That Matters: Classic Pop

“Music That Matters (Classic Pop)” (Includes 11 Video Notebooks at the End of the Manuscript)
What makes music have a lasting impact on your soul minutes, days, months, years and decades after you first experienced a particular group, song or album? Chances are you were experiencing something emotionally that connected you with a particular group, song or album and you still feel that connection. This could be music that never went beyond your radio in that moment, or has been collecting dust for many years on vinyl or CD, or even a cassette tape. It is possible you have that music, but no means to play it in the original form.

Most people have given their vinyl collections away or sold them as technology has changed. Cassette, 8-Track and even CDs have given way to newer forms of translating those recordings.

There are so many acts that are long gone, but have seen a resurgence of their material so many years later. These are what I call the “Underrated Pop” artists. Some of them are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, some of them are working in car dealerships, or teaching high school English in a small northeastern town.

These artists had their time and their place to shine as a relevant act. They continue to live on because that connection we all feel when we hear the song on an oldies station, or maybe on TV or a movie soundtrack. This eBook will focus on many artists who either had a few hits or had a lot of success at a certain point, but now remain underrated years later.

These are just two examples of bands who had short runs, but continue to impact other artists and fans nearly 50 years later.

I will discuss the impact of acts like The Left Banke, Merry-Go-Round, Byrds, Turtles, Standells, The Easybeats, The Equals, The Byrds, Mamas & Papas, Grateful Dead, Sly & The Family Stone and The Jefferson Airplane. Some of these were huge artists in their time and are still praised and followed. They deserve some space and they will get it here. I will also do several honorable mentions at the end in the Epilogue.