Well said, David. You said it better than I did. I know what you mean about the bands of today being accused of selling out when they write something melodic. I really liked Savage Garden's last album "Affirmation", and sure enough, when I read the reviews for it, some people accused them of "selling out". I found it to be their best work.
Speaking of dance music that is catchy and joyous, I went to the "KC and the Sunshine Band" outdoor concert a couple of weeks back, at the Treasure Chest. He did such a great show and sounded incredible. The lighting effects and dancers on stage with him were excellent, too. I felt like I was transported back into the seventies. There were so many people there it was unbelievable. It was good to see lots of young people there, too.
I, too, was never interested in music that was too "hard" as a teenager either. It's interesting to think back to when I was younger and how I never got into something musically just because it was popular or because of peer pressure. Not that it was a conscious decision on my part, I just found it impossible to listen to or buy something I didn't like. So as a result I played my Pop, Disney, Jazz, soundtracks, etc, while most of my peers played Van Halen. LOL. But you are right - through the 70's, 80's, and even the 90's there were popular things that were melodic. Now, for the first time in my life, I'm pretty much out in the cold as far as anything on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. :-
Speaking of dance music that is catchy and joyous, I went to the "KC and the Sunshine Band" outdoor concert a couple of weeks back, at the Treasure Chest. He did such a great show and sounded incredible. The lighting effects and dancers on stage with him were excellent, too. I felt like I was transported back into the seventies. There were so many people there it was unbelievable. It was good to see lots of young people there, too.
I, too, was never interested in music that was too "hard" as a teenager either. It's interesting to think back to when I was younger and how I never got into something musically just because it was popular or because of peer pressure. Not that it was a conscious decision on my part, I just found it impossible to listen to or buy something I didn't like. So as a result I played my Pop, Disney, Jazz, soundtracks, etc, while most of my peers played Van Halen. LOL. But you are right - through the 70's, 80's, and even the 90's there were popular things that were melodic. Now, for the first time in my life, I'm pretty much out in the cold as far as anything on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. :-