By MICHAEL R. MERCIER
West Springfield High School
The blasts of vintage guitars, thunderous drum solos and creative bass lines.
What makes music of earlier generations popular today?
People may have the urge to listen to music of several decades ago to emotionally relive their past.
Others may be curious to listen to certain past artists or a genre of music for the first time.
Music, such as the blues, can impart much about the culture of an era, including challenges and hardships endured.
Music helps people understand a time period and without it a valuable part of history would be lost.
How instruments are played, the skill of the musician and the appeal of the lyrics all factor into making good music.
A song can define a moment in history or a sound can evoke a special emotion.
A lot of today's popular music tends to sound the same with repetitive lyrics and dissonant background sounds.
However, go back 30 or more years to the start of rock bands like AC/DC, Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin.
Their success was built on real musicianship and they continue to inspire musicians of today.
Good bands evolve in what they produce. Their songs and sounds vary and thus appeal to audiences, young and old.
The Beatles are an example of a legendary group whose music has many young fans today.
The Republican music critic Kevin O'Hare confirmed for me what such musicians contribute to today's music.
"Everything builds upon everything else in music," said O'Hare who covers music for the Newhouse News Service that goes to 40 papers and seven million readers.
"The Beatles were influenced by Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Little Richard and other 1950s artists," he continued.
"The Rolling Stones were influenced by a lot of American blues artists. So acts like The Beatles and The Stones have in turn continued to pass their influence on to successive generations.
"So too has Bob Dylan, who really was one of the first artists to bring meaningful, deep lyrics into rock 'n' roll. So anytime you hear a band that's got a knack for melodies, you're hearing The Beatles' influence.
"When you hear guitars crashing into each other you're hearing one of the Rolling Stones' trademarks. And when you hear someone singing lyrics that tell a provocative story, a lot of that is thanks to Bob Dylan clearing the way for them. By the way, " O'Hare concluded, "Dylan was also one of the first people who proved that you don't necessarily have to have a "pretty" voice to convey a powerful message."
So, as I said at the start, good music and good bands never fade.
They continue to influence younger musicians and to find new audiences.