Rock fans can simultaneously be so accepting and supportive while writing scathing remarks about other genres. I personally don’t listen to Taylor Swift’s music at all but that she resonates with a huge audience is pretty telling of her success. Whether you like her or not, be respectful of her and her fans and if it doesn’t interest you, just don’t listen. No need to write “no, no no!” I’m really sorry the comments so far have been whiny, Amy. I assure you, not every rock fan is like this.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Marketing

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

PS Nothing to apologize for. Amy is a grown woman with lots of life experience.

@luciengrondin5802

Ай бұрын

"that she resonates with a huge audience is pretty telling of her success." So what's next, then? Justin Bieber?

@randall5073

Ай бұрын

@@phadrus Yes old people said the same thing about the Beatles.

@static825

Ай бұрын

Just because you sell a million records, doesn't mean you're good. IT just means you have a million idiots buying your music.

for the record, I consider myself as a metalhead. But! Last June, I believe it was, when there was a clip on my IG feed from her show where someone filmed outside the stadium. And there were thousands of people, which you rarely see nowadays, and it made me think I must've missed something. So I started with Midnights and went backwards. And I got it. But I didn't. By that I mean, me as a 35 year old male, is definitely not the target audience. That still didn't hinder me to understand the brilliance of her songs and Taylor as a person. So this is the first release I listened to at release date. Listening to new material is always fun and exciting. It just hits very different when it's brand new and you go in blind, you know? I now can listen to Taylor before listening to Melodic Death Metal or hard rock. You like what you like. I'm too old to gatekeep.

@danplantman62

Ай бұрын

I'm twice as old as you and I've followed her since she started and every album got bigger and better than the last.Im too old to care what anyone thinks about me being ,and yes I got to say it,I'm a Swifty !

@antidote7

Ай бұрын

Brilliance? lol

@jonathanhenderson9422

Ай бұрын

I'm about the same age. Also been primarily a rock/metal guy, but I've been into Taylor Swift since about the time of Reputation. I stopped being snobby about music a long time ago as I realized all it was doing was keeping me from appreciating some of the great popular music that was out there. Just because something's popular doesn't mean it's bad, and it certainly doesn't mean that all the artists out there lack talent. If it was easy writing music that appealed to millions of people then more people would do it and be successful at it. The fact that they don't despite so many trying to is telling of the talent it takes to succeed. Not many artists have ever had Swift's natural talent when it comes to hooks and melody. One that immediately comes to mind is McCartney, and that's good company to be in.

@antidote7

Ай бұрын

@@jonathanhenderson9422 i don't think everyone who doesn't like her is being snobby. I heard all the massive praise and really gave a listen to her. Not everything of course, but an entire concert, some random performances, songs etc. Comparing her to McCartney to me is ludicrous. There just isn't much going on. I believe 40 or 50 songs of hers are literally only two chord progressions. I'm not going to say she is horrid, but the mountain of praise she gets is far higher than the mediocre content she puts out. Some people are just pointing that out. I went through two of her earlier albums. There were maybe 6 chords used in their entirety, Saw her play a monotonous ten minute song on SNL also, it was boring as can be.

@antidote7

Ай бұрын

@@jonathanhenderson9422 your comment on people "trying" to get people to like their music and become "successful", whatever that means, shows a true lack of understanding of artistry and the business. A giant oversimplification. First off, many artists purposely do not try and write for an audience, they write purely for themselves, to expand within the art form, This immediately usually shrinks your audience, all while often creating incredible music. If you play instrumental music, you immediately fall into the bottom 1000th percentile of sales.Thats a rough path. Also, your look, age, a pretty white women in her case, that writes simplistic songs that in past eras would be listened to by teeny boppers almost exclusively, are aids in being so called successful.. There are so many aspects that create success, hype, money, luck, etc. Its complicated.

Taylor is always a storyteller first. Her musicality is always secondary. I’m a new fan after being apathetic for most of her career. What I’ve learned the deeper I’ve delved is that the deeper you look the more there is to see. As a simple example. “So Long London” is a direct reference to a previous song “London Boy” from a previous album. She will often link lyrics or even similar cord progressions to past work to indicate are part of the same story. She wrote a song called “Dear John” when she was 19 about a relationship she had with a man who was 32. She then revisited (metaphorically) that relationship in “Would’ve Should’ve Could’ve” when SHE was 32. So this is what keeps Swifties engaged is analyzing her songs and finding the links between them. Swift herself never says who her songs are about but she encourages this sort of linking/analyzing. Many of her songs resonate with people. She also gets lots of hate as you can see in your own comment section which then prompts a defensive and even more loyalty from her fans.

@youtube_username_

Ай бұрын

Thank you for the info. I listened to the first half of the song "Fortnight" and quit because I got bored (it did contain an earworm, though). What I noticed is that she enunciates her words so they can be heard and understood - so it makes a lot of sense that she is primarily a storyteller. A snippet I heard of an interview with her also had to do with her lyrics. Very interesting that she is so powerful. Maybe sometime I will find a song I like. Doubt it, unless she has a song where she pays more attention to musicality, instruments, composition and the like. For instance I think some of Lizzo's music sounds great, because she has a real band and they're good (but I have hated the lyrics I noticed). I am very much not in touch with whatever is going on in new music.

@yinoveryang4246

Ай бұрын

That's actually persuasive defence. Does she definitely write her own lyrics? Or get a few writers to take her ideas, and then form them into good lyrics? Because those lyrics are most definitely of a different order to most.

@whisper_dvm5157

Ай бұрын

@@yinoveryang4246 she writes all of her music. She will have some cowriters but they will be the first to say that she has the song nearly fleshed out and they just help shape and refine. She’s even wrote for other artists like Rihanna (This is what you came for), Sugarland (Babe), Little Big Town (Better Man) are the ones I know for certain.

I understand both sides of the comment divide. My $0.02? I don't mind that you're listening to Tay-Tay, but if you're gonna do a whole album reaction, for god's sake do Dark Side of the Moon.

@flavoredwallpaper

Ай бұрын

So, so, so many better albums to review in full than a collection of pop songs. A progressive rock album, particularly a concept album, would be perfect for someone like her who is classically trained. And yes, Dark Side would be a great album to listen to in full. Or even Animals. It's odd that all of the Pink Floyd pieces she had reviewed are the more commercial, less interesting ones. Something like Echoes or Shine On would be perfect for this channel.

@darcyperkins7041

Ай бұрын

​@@flavoredwallpaperYou do realize the world hasn't ended!? And that can still listen to DSOTM!? I.E., she can listen to both.

@helenespaulding7562

Ай бұрын

@@darcyperkins7041but, as far as I know, this is the first whole album reaction she’s EVER done in one sitting. ( The Wall has been dribbling out for over a year) The fact that it’s Swift and not even a concept album blows my mind. WHY?

@grahamokeefe9406

Ай бұрын

@@helenespaulding7562 Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.

@barbarad.3273

Ай бұрын

I guess you guys didn’t listen to her explanation on WHY she chose to do this project 😵‍💫

I love the idea of including full album reactions in your weekend series. There are a lot of great possibilities. It is unfortunately that you ran into copyright issues with this one, since there are a lot of significant albums in rock history that should not have an issue. The advantage of covering a full album over a weekend is that it will allow you to get exposed to several songs from a key artist, in the same way we used to. Doing full albums this way will help keep you from getting bogged down like the more in-depth Wall type ones which require a lot of your time, although key albums like the Wall do deserve more than one weekend of attention. The level of attention that you give to the Beatles and Queen albums makes a good compromise between spending over a year on the Wall and covering a single album over one weekend. But I also think doing entire albums over the course of a weekend or two is a good approach for a lot of albums. Of course it is a very subjective call as to which deserve more time and attention. When dealing with Taylor you are very much in the realm of celebrity culture on the highest level. This alone drives a lot of the album sales. I don't read or watch celebrity gossip news, but it is hard to avoid a lot of the Taylor stories since they show up everywhere. I think this Taylor album is a good one to do to provide a contrast between the celebrity pop world of today, with a lot of the rock you have been hearing from the last 7 decades. Taylor is a very smart business woman who has a very powerful connection with her fans. The first billionaire to make most of her fortune from music. She also won Time Magazine Person of the Year Award at the end of 2023. I think she deserves some respect, whether or not we personally like her music.

Been watching the channel for a while, love this idea. I will also admit I am a GenX Swiftie. Ready for the ride! ❤

@charleswagner2984

17 күн бұрын

Thanks to the movie, I'm a baby boomer Swifty. Tay is fabulous. The Eras Tour Is tied with Yes Symphonic Live as my favorite concert movie. As she matures, I hope she creates some outstanding progressive rock, as I believe she can do anything great.

I noticed that there is a significant difference to listen to songs made around the lyrics and singing and songs where music is just as important as the lyrics. Clearly here the voice and lyrics are what people listen to.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

That is my theory too.

@jonathanhenderson9422

Ай бұрын

Fundamentally, songwriting is the fusion of words and music, just as opera and musicals are the fusion of theater/drama and music. Composers for centuries have paid attention to how to most effectively set words to music, and if you read much analysis of composers like Handel, Purcell, Mozart, Schubert, and many others it's clear they put a lot of care and attention to how to write music to suit the lyrics. Swift is the same way, and despite her various genre experiments she's fundamentally a folk artist like Dylan where the lyrics come first and then the music is crafted to support them, and she's often quite clever in how she chooses genres or other stylistic elements to enhance her lyrics. I don't have a problem with music that's all about the music and in which the lyrics don't matter, but when you're listening to artists who do place importance on that fusion/marriage of the two, it's not fair to, well, not pay attention to both.

It’s funny because on this Taylor Swift album, although mostly the second album there’s actually a lot of very good if subtle classical orchestration from Bryce Dessner and the London contemporary orchestra

I think that it makes every sense for Amy to react to contemporary pop and rock music and if you're going to do that then you absolutely have to listen to some of today's biggest pop and rock music stars, which obviously has to include Taylor Swift, along with Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, the Weeknd, Bad Bunny, and a bunch of other artists I've never heard of or can't recall, than nearly anyone in their teens and 20's could instantly name. Swift is, in terms of popularity, success, record sales, output, talent, etc., effectively the Beatles of our era, or one of them at least, and deserves her due for that alone, whatever one thinks of her music, and understanding why she's so popular and successful might give some insight into why the Beatles were in their day, or Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Cure, U2 and Nirvana were in their day. These artists all had certain things in common whether or not one likes their music or even their music genres. Music reaction channels don't exist merely to react to what we want them to react to but also to what their reactors want to react to, and believe is worth reacting to, for various reasons. Btw none of this means that you have to like everything that they react to or reserve criticism of that which you don't like, so long as you do so in a civil and hopefully substantive manner. Reaction channels are are discussion, among other things.

As a Swiftie, thank you very very much for your reaction to this special album. I love hearing your commentary on other artists work, so getting to see you talk about one I love is a special treat. You are certainly proof that knowledge of the lore isn’t not necessarily a prerequisite for understanding and appreciating the varied elements of a Taylor Swift album. I will say that most of these songs are about moving from a many years relationship that felt like jail, and into a very short relationship that very much disappoints her, perhaps more than the end of the longer one. To be even more confusing, some of these songs are about both muses at once, or appear to be about only one, but the same sentiments could apply to either. Such is the nature of our tortured poet. Perhaps the best interpretation of this is that the songs came from a place of deep turmoil and chaos within her psyche, so the trauma of one relationship was easily conflated with another. She wrote all of these in a very short time, as an act of catharsis. I would very much like to see you react to the her second tortured poets album, as the production becomes more traditional instruments and does have more of voice in the music.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

She’s such a s huge marketing machine now, I wonder how that may have affected her music.

@dawnstrike

Ай бұрын

@@phadrus I can tell you that she’s extremely cognizant of her celebrity, and reflects on that in her work at length in places. As far as the direct impact of marketing or selling her music goes into the songwriting process, I doubt it’s at the forefront of thought. Her songwriting process is well documented, you can watch many videos on KZread of her piecing together songs. She’s bouncing lyrics and production ideas and melodies around, but I’ve never seen her stop and consider the market appeal of a song. I’m certain when assembling a track list she certainly has that discussion with the necessary people, but I don’t think it plays a role in song creation.

@AnjeannetteMarie

Ай бұрын

Great synopsis of what’s behind TTPD. I can’t imagine someone who isn’t familiar with Swift’s prior work entering at TTPD, it’s interesting to me.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

@@dawnstrike appreciate your perspective, of course those documentaries could themselves be good marketing to make the process look organic, so hard to know what is reality, thanks again.

Putting aside whether Taylor Swift is a "pop" artist or a "rock" artist, I think this is a great idea as long as the albumn was created as a whole, and not as just compilation of "singles". So many of the albums of rock such as the Wall, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band, and many others were created to be listened to as a whole. So I'm interested to hear what this brings to the conversation. I am not a "fan" of Taylor Swift, as I don't listen to her stuff, but I am an admirer of her for the wonderful person and song writer that she is.

If Amy said that it's the greatest album of all time, I'd be shocked! But criticizing for listening?😮 You people who don't like TS music have certainly heard it, otherwise how would you know you don't like it?

@richlisola1

Ай бұрын

She had some fun songs in the past but objectively, Swift ain’t nothin’ to write home about.

@Pjaypt

Ай бұрын

@@richlisola1 or send a voice mail! 😂

@richlisola1

Ай бұрын

@@Pjaypt -Or an email, or a text, or a tweet (or whatever they’re calling it these days. An “X?”)

This album sounds like a diary. Each entry is heartfelt, honest and unique to Taylor yet relatable but every page has the same floral print in the corner and sits in a pastel coloured book cover.

@Arlowe253

Ай бұрын

It's all aesthetic and zero substance. The songwriting feels like she fell asleep at the desk and cobbled together her half finished sleep deprived scribbles and threw them to the studio to doctor up a bit. Not awful or unlistenable, just remarkably unremarkable and undeserving of major praise. Forgettable is the word that sums the whole project up best.

Thank you for taking the time to do this reaction and truly listen. Clearly, there are some very strong, negative reactions to this album and Taylor Swift herself. Maybe you will find that you agree with these people when you’re done, but I appreciate that you are going in with an open mind. I spent years avoiding Taylor Swift and only recently found myself connecting to her work. I didn’t know what to expect from this album and found the whole experience overwhelming and jarring the first time. Now, I absolutely love it. I can accept that all these ‘experts’ and ‘people with taste’ find her music unremarkable, but I find it deeply personal and genuine and it helps me reflect on my own life.

There's a habit people who want to cultivate a sophisticated air can acquire where they'll discount anything popular as unrefined and trashy. These same people might ingest absolute garbage on the pretense it's high art, when the reason the majority of people don''t consume it isn't because they "don't get it" but because it's *in fact* terrible. I'm aware of this type of snobbery and it's bad. That said the state of modern popular music is about as low as it's ever been and I long for the days of disco or a hippy with an acoustic.

@beatiroide

Ай бұрын

👏🏻

@janhommer

Ай бұрын

I hope it's ok if I take this opportunity to bring to your attention the fact that I've been active as a singer-songwriter here on KZread for more than ten years now (a recent song actually being called "Taylor Swift" as a kind of intentional musical anti-statement) Given that I feel the exact same way about music as you do, there's a chance that's reflecring in my own in such a way that you might enjoy at least some of it 😉...

Just info : a-ha is a Norwegian new wave/synth-pop band. The trio, composed of lead vocalist Morten Harket, guitarist Paul Waaktaar-Savoy and keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, formed in 1982 and left Oslo, Norway for London in order to make a career in the music business.

I'm a 62yr old male, classic rock junkie, lifelong Beatles fan, etc. Found Taylor Swift 6 month ago after seeing her at a Chiefs game and deciding to give her music a quality listen. Sorry folks, but I LOVE THIS ALBUM. On the TTPD double album alone, there are a least a dozen songs that stir a strong emotion because of a connection to a past experience, or empathy for the story teller. As Amy describes, her story telling of deeply emotional experiences is what pulls you into her music. Her songs mostly resonate with young female listeners, but this time she touched a crusty old classic rocker. Well done. And, thanK you aIMee (Amy).😉

@NoFunNoHope

Ай бұрын

You're an obvious marketing account created May 2, 2024 Possibly (actually 100%, rereading) AI and not even a real person.

@randall5073

Ай бұрын

@@NoFunNoHope What a foolish thing to say, what's wrong with you?

@TimC-ps3re

Ай бұрын

@@NoFunNoHope Nope. I.m a real person. Just decided to stop lurking and start contributing

@NoFunNoHope

Ай бұрын

@@randall5073 It's clearly an AI generated message. I fool around with AI *alot* so maybe it's slightly easier for me to see the speech patterns but it should be painfully clear either way. Outside it being a 2 day old account who feels like they have an intimate rapport with Amy do you honestly think these are sentences written by a 65 year human and not a corporate astroturfing account: "On the TTPD double album alone, there are a least a dozen songs that stir a strong emotion because of a connection to a past experience, or empathy for the story teller." or this "As Amy describes, her story telling of deeply emotional experiences is what pulls you into her music. " or "Her songs mostly resonate with young female listeners," Or the fact I called them a fake comment and the 1st dispute i got was from you but not them? I wouldn't be surprised if AI did follow up but a human would almost certainly. It's absolutely delightful that *you're* calling *my* comment "foolish", i'm tickled.

@NoFunNoHope

Ай бұрын

@@TimC-ps3re "i.m" Totally not an astroturf account now, you got me, very convincing.

Back in the day of vinyl only releases, as we listened to it for the first time, we would also have the information written on the packaging. The lyrics, plus recording info, would usually be printed either on the back of the album cover or on a separate sheet that came inside the package. That way we had the option of following along on the page. Many people didn't bother trying to figure out the lyrics until later, believing that the first time should be a purely auditory experience.

I wonder what percentage of your audience listens to or knows much about Taylor Swift. The initial draw to your channel was to follow someone who has never hear a single song by The Beatles or Queen, or to watch you take in a Pink Floyd album. But I have really enjoyed and supported your expansion of the genres of music you have been listening to. Rock has a very wide umbrella - I believe that if ‘80s new wave or Leonard Cohen fits under it, so does this! Diversity is good. I started here because enjoy seeing you react to the kinds of music I know and love, but I also really enjoy when your take on something I am unfamiliar with, like an obscure metal band or Taylor Swift. Then, I feel like I’m going on the ride along with you, listening for the first time, learning and expanding my musical knowledge, even if I have a negative reaction - reacting in my own way and sharing in the experience in this communal forum.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Yeah, was here for the classic rock.

The Heath in London is Hampstead Heath. A beautiful natural park in north London with a hill overlooking the city.

Thank you for this, I think Taylor is great but there's a lot of older people mostly men who might give you grief.

I love the irony of the old Beatles fans reacting the same way to the Swifties as their parents reacted to Beatlemania, and yet, most of them don't see the hypocrisy.

@richardgale5369

Ай бұрын

This is silly... Beatles introduced musical elements into rock that up until that time were unheard, such as Indian tonalities aside from truly integrating orchestral riffs into electric instruments. You can't be accused of hypocrisy, but certainly of musical illiteracy.

@irenenaya7644

Ай бұрын

Pretty much done with listening to the whole video on Patreon and I haven't found one single original idea, not in lyrics, not in the music. Everything sounds just like a rehash of pop music from the past 30 years or so. The Beatles, even in the early days, were doing things that nobody else had done, and that's why they were the most influential band even up until these days. The popular phenomenon, the "Beatlemania" is similar, of course. But I don't think the people who criticize her here are criticizing the phenomenon, but the lack of creativity in the music.

@antidote7

Ай бұрын

The Beatles actually made a musical mark, Swift is regressive.

@jonathanhenderson9422

Ай бұрын

@@richardgale5369 Beatles didn't introduce Indian tonalities; Kinks had already done so. Better example would've been their various studio experiments and dabbling in stuff like avant-garde classical... but stuff like the latter isn't what made them so massively popular. At the end of the day The Beatles were popular for a very similar reason Swift is popular, and that's because they both wrote great, catchy songs. The Beatles were certainly more innovative and influenced more later musicians, but, again, that's not why they were so popular.

@jonathanhenderson9422

Ай бұрын

@@irenenaya7644 I doubt you (or most anyone in these comments) listen to enough pop music to have the slightest idea about what "pop music from the last 30 years or so" sounds like... as if pop has been static for 3(!!) decades!

Gosh, the closed minded comments, mostly from people who I confidently predict have never deep dived her music. Looking forward to the second half.

One thing to keep in mind about this comment section is that Taylor Swift is known for being decidedly anti-Trump. I hate to bring him up but that context matters as far as reactions to public figures goes today. There is NOTHING more divisive in American culture right now than being on one side or the other about him and you can bet there will be comments here from people who've never listened to this album.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

She also says she’s a Christian then has witchcraft in her live shows. Not sure you can believe anything now a days says.

@Io-Io-Io

Ай бұрын

Either Trump or RFKjr. I'ld prefer Kennedy

@coolgabe64

Ай бұрын

It doesn't matter what side she is on. Her "music" is just noise written by 154 people but she is the one with no shame to stand in front of the audience. American music is down in the drain. Almost everything is horrible. Including her.

@heartoftherose

Ай бұрын

Dismissing the critics of Taylor Swift as pro-Trump? That's a new one.

@altair8598

Ай бұрын

Are any popular rock musicians pro-Trump? Surely a minority if there are 🤔

In my head, before I clicked, I knew the intro was going to begin with "let me explain' lol

Well another lost weekend. Will listen to Dark Side of the Moon a few more times, while waiting for this channel to get to something interesting.

@Leonardo_Mantovani

Ай бұрын

Ok boomer

@M_19186

Ай бұрын

This is the most passive aggressive and midwit comment I've ever seen on KZread lol Dark Side of the Moon is the most entry level rock album ever 😂

@randall5073

Ай бұрын

I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan but I never want to hear Dark Side of the Moon or Comfortably Numb again.

I love the way you refer to an album as "a vinyl". In 70 years of listening to albums I've never ever heard them called that. How cute! 😁😁😎😎

I've listened to all of Taylor Swift albums, mostly as a bonding exercise with my sister who's a dedicated swiftie. I liked some things in the past but this album has left me cold and underwhelmed. I don't believe it will be worth your time.

You get this album and what the theme is as good as a Swifty!.

I love this album, particularly the lyrics. I'm 63 years old and have spent most of my adult life as a professional musician. I basically wrote off Taylor Swift's earlier albums as bubblegum country, teeny-bopper pop etc. because that's what it was. After all, she released her first record at 16. Since then she's improved steadily but surely. This latest album is lyrically brilliant and consistently musically interesting. I can't wait to see what she does next.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Are her earlier albums any good? I tried to listen to one of her classic albums and just felt bored. Guess it’s not my taste.

@TheNeonRabbit

Ай бұрын

@@phadrus They're fine for what they are, a pretty teenage girl with talent but no experience trying to find her way as a new artist. As I said it's not really anything I was or am interested in but it's a solid place for her to begin her journey. She came from country music where it's all about the story. Remember, even the Beatles started out as a boy band doing mostly covers.

@timpindar

Ай бұрын

Her two lockdown albums, Folklore and Evermore, are very good, especially Folklore. I’d put that album on a par with the great singer-songwriter albums of the early 1970s.

@shacharh5470

Ай бұрын

@@phadrus I like a lot of songs on Speak Now, 1989, Folklore, Evermore and Midnights. Most of her music off other albums is very boring to me.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

@@shacharh5470 okay I’ll checkout some tracks, I’m curious why people like her

To react to several comments here: I agree with those who say she should be allowed to make up her own mind about certain music. That said, I'm also, frankly, glad there's a lot of people here who feel the same way about Swift's music as me; I don't hate it, you know, "just" think it's unbelievably overhyped by people who treat her like she's the new Bob Dylan or something (or let's rather say a better Lana Del Rey, whose music I LOVE, you know, so it's obviously neither resentments against female artists nor against newer music!). And I hope it's OK if I take this opportunity to humbly point out that I myself have been active as a singer-songwriter on KZread for more than ten years now (to, I must admit, frustratingly little to no resonance so far...), as which I've actually recently reacted to the phenomenon with a song actually called 'Taylor Swift", btw!) So, if you're interested in sad, but atmospheric (I hope) music (which can also get sarcastic to extremely silly at times, though!) that's a little different from today's standard pop, it would ve really cool if you would check it out; thanks a lot in advance! 🙂

@jonathanhenderson9422

Ай бұрын

As someone who's listened to every single note Bob Dylan ever wrote (including the dozens of bootlegs and alt. takes and false starts) multiple times and who's on my Mt. Rushmore of musical artists along with Mozart and Miles Davis (have never settled on the 4th)... I DO think Swift is as close to "the next Bob Dylan" as we're going to get. Do I think she's as good as Dylan? No, but she's also less than half his age right now and has many more years and albums to go. If she can age like fine wine as Dylan has done then who knows. I was quite disappointed with her last two albums though and really hope she gets out of this rut. FWIW, I've heard Lana Del Rey too and outside Norman Beeping Rockwell I'm not a huge fan. Problem is she's really beaten her signature aesthetic into the ground, an aesthetic that she practically stole from Mazzy Star/Hope Sandoval.

I would also suggest that you check out some newer stuff that is off the beaten path. One I would very much suggest is "Black Country, New Road" and their "Live at Bush Hall" performance. Of course more teen girls will listen to Taylor Swift in a day than will listen to BCNR in a year. But they really demonstrate that is still very creative, unique music being made by younger folks these days.

41 y/o female non-Swifty here but I love some of her songs over the years. I’ve been listening to the album all week trying to give it a fair chance and I TOTALLY agree with all of your points so far (halfway through). There is NOTHING musically interesting about this whole album. It is poetry set to mild background sounds. There are some lines I think are very special, like, “old habits die screaming” that are the only value I could take from many songs. The only ones I like, and I love them now, are Fortnight, But Daddy I Love Him, and Down Bad, because they are so catchy and relatively upbeat. The rest can go in the bin. The bus is indeed going nowhere. Some songs are just one ore two notes over and over and over… I’ve actually never heard such bland music, almost like she was going out of her way to water all of her talent down? I don’t get it. I found myself thinking through the whole anthology “she should just have released this as a book of poetry”. I also noted the pacing (when I was trying to sing it from the lyrics I realized how unusual it was, but this is typical of her) and was put off by all the cursing! Wow first time here but loved your commentary. For me lyrics are not enough without the music supporting them. My favorite moment where the music and lyrics actually work together is when she says “my wild boy with his wild joy!” Also maybe the only happy moment in the whole collection, but it is such a celebration and I love that moment. If you want beautiful poetry set to transcendent, complicated, brilliant music, I would recommend Dave Matthews Band! My all time favorite. Crush, #41, Lie In Our Graves, The Stone, etc.

@jonathanhenderson9422

Ай бұрын

Pretty big Taylor Swift fan (she's in my top 30) but I mostly agree with your criticism here. Fact is she's stuck a musical rut and needs to ditch Antonoff and get back some of the energy she used to have when she experimented with genres and styles depending on what she thought would fit the mood/tone of a song. The style she's adopted now is far too limited and limiting given her talents. One or two songs like these on an album could work as a change of pace, but when they're the only pace it gets incredibly boring/monotonous. I think she pulled if off on Folklore if only because she'd never done anything like it before, but now she's basically done the same thing for the past 4 albums with minor differneces.

I give Taylor major props for her ability to tap into the pop music zeitgeist. But a large part of her success is her ability to select many of the best pop music composers and producers to partner with. Swift is a very savvy business person who continues to chart an amazingly successful career. However, while she is an excellent live performer and a decent poet, one who is very good at tapping into tween, teen and young adult angst, she's not a particularly good musician or composer. And my personal peeve, her extensive use of autotune, affects me like nails on a blackboard. I won't be surprised if I'm accused of reacting to Tay-Tay's music in the same way my parents did to the Beatles back in the day. But there's a big difference between them 60 years ago and me today. My parents never intentionally listened to any 60s or 70s rock or soul music, while I search out new music and enjoy much of it - I'm currently in a Chappell Roan phase. But as for Taylor? I'm afraid I'm just not into her. Peace and Love

Taylor Swift is not rock n’ roll-But if ya need to get her kitsch out of your system, go forth. Brace yourself for the middling musicianship, cruel but clever lyrics, and overbearing narcissism. We love you Amy, you are unique in all the world-But in this case. Better you than we (us).

@kovie9162

Ай бұрын

Popular artists are always a mirror of their fans and map of contemporary culture and society.

@AnneSmith-lr7cp

Ай бұрын

How do you justify calling her a narcissist

@richlisola1

Ай бұрын

@@AnneSmith-lr7cp -I don’t justify true statements. They justify themselves.

@richlisola1

Ай бұрын

@@kovie9162 -I think to some degree you’re right. But it’s a two way street. In some sense they reflect their fans-But they also teach their fans behaviors and modes of thought through their music and example.

@jonathanhenderson9422

Ай бұрын

@@richlisola1 Nice try, but you have to justify that they're actually true, not just confidently assert that they are. I could say the same thing about you.

To call her songs 'consistent' is the greatest of compliments. And quite true: all diatonic songs (every album), all five note 'melodies' (every album), and all about the same subject matter. (But she curses more nowadays to prove she's older 😉)

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Yeah, I heard a song on Spotify recently during a Rick Beato review of the top 10 and was shocked at how same same the song sounded.

These are really excellent lyrics. I think that's the factor people are responding to, and what separates her. It's a pity that the music seems to made by people unaware that music itself can be anything more than a pleasant noise.

My heart sank when I read what you’ll be listening to. But I was curious to hear what you’ll make of this. And - as always - your thoughts are interesting. But - as you say at one point - what’s the attraction? It all sounds kinda flat and lifeless to me. That kind of music stirs nothing inside me and I want music to leave me wondering what did just hit me. I want it to make me go and let it do it to me again. Like when I discovered Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Guns’N Roses, Queen or Jimi Hendrix, I could go on. All of these were EVENTS. This isn’t. It’s the draw-by-numbers kind of stuff that passes for pop music nowadays, there is nothing to keep me interested. And even the much lauded talent as lyricist… I don’t know… it’s all a bit… simple… naive. Springsteen or Dylan she ain’t. All in all a pretty sad affair. I like the idea of listening and analysing an entire album. Something like Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band would be great, or Dark Side of the Moon. Or King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King. Btw, I recommend Rick Beato’s video about why much of today’s music sucks. I’m with him. I think Swift is a case of what he describes.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Rick just did a video on the Spotify top 10 and there were two Swift titles, his reactions were really funny.

@zebrafactory2253

Ай бұрын

@@phadrus thanks, I’ll check it out.

@jonathanhenderson9422

Ай бұрын

@@phadrus His reactions were surprisingly ignorant; as if he's never heard of the concept of setting sad lyrics to happy music and the point of doing that?

As a swiftie gotta say that this album is the hardest to listen cause it's so lore-depended. But when you get the lyrics and the whole story behind it's really good. Especially The anthology. Anyway, love to see your blind reaction. I was confused too. :)

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

So the metrics are more interesting than the music? I wonder if that’s why I don’t get swift.

@highperformer5532

Ай бұрын

@@phadrus Lyrics are the most essential part of Taylor's music, and even more with TTPD. If you want to give her music a try it's better to start with her other albums (folklore, evermore, Red TV, 1989TV).

I find Taylor Swift to be an incredibly talented artist, she is so big she could do whatever she wants to do, unfortunately it's fairly standard pop music, in comparison The Beatles always pushed the envelope, probably too much to expect on my part

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Sure, but the Beatles franchise had a team of ghost writers and session musicians, so probably not a fair comparison given Swift supposedly writes everything herself.

@beautifulhand1011

25 күн бұрын

@@phadrus I have taken a long time looking into this the Beatles are not my favourite band but I cannot find any evidence of ghost writers, however there seem to be a lot of co writers for Taylor, that's no slight at all as most of the Beatles songs were co written with Lennon and McCartney

@phadrus

25 күн бұрын

@@beautifulhand1011 cool, there is a a lot of good investigative research on that side of the Beatles phenomena, just have to find the right stream. In any case your opinion is valid.

The Who made some double albums. 😉

@richardgale5369

Ай бұрын

another time that Dylan broke new ground by releasing the first rock double album Blonde on Blonde in mid-1966 and then followed very shortly thereafter by Frank Zappa's Freak Out which was probably the first truly "progressive" rock album and a song that went over 12 minutes.

Quite apart from objections to some language for its crudeness (which isn't my point), such words are often included to fit a metre. I agree with you - they can be artistically effective, but if they proliferate, it is simply lazy lyric writing. The same applies to unnecessary words like "just" which rarely has value, but is mostly used to pad out a phase.

As for the relatively little of her music that I've consciously listened to (as opposed to hearing it being played in the background which is unavoidable if you spend any time in stores, cafes, restaurants, etc.), I mostly like it, can't say that I'd put any of it on my playlists (if I had playlists), but it also seems a bit too self-referential, biographical, self-pitying and even angry to me, i.e. reactive rather than creative. But then so much pop and rock music is like that, so it may not mean anything. But given that she's in her mid 30's now, maybe time to let some of that go already?

I'm not a fan of Taylor Swift. I have nothing against her, I'm just not interested. So I'll be skipping this whole series. If you want to react to a great modern artist listen to Demi Lovato. She's known for pop rock, but she can sing any style. I suggest you listen to her last album "Holy Fvck", which is more hard rock. Another good choice if you want to do an all female heavy metal band is Kittie. This is a perfect time to jump in. They has been on hiatus for 13 years and just started releasing new matetial. The new songs they have out so far are "Eyes Wide Shut" and "We Are Shadows". Both are killer tracks. This year is also their 25th anniversary. The original band started and got their first album out when the members where all around 14 years old.

@richlisola1

Ай бұрын

My two cents-If Amy wants to listen to a truly skilled and imaginative young artist with vision, she ought to delve into Lorde. A woman David Bowie befriended before his death, and whose talent he greatly esteemed.

I wish that channel had adopted a chronological approach to learning about Rock'n roll.

@sharonsnail2954

Ай бұрын

I couldn't agree more. Given the unique lack of exposure Amy has had to rock music, I regard her haphazard approach a waste of what could have been a really worthwhile journey for her and us. Ho hum.

@daisy9664

Ай бұрын

That was the idea, they started the series History of Rock, did 2 songs by decade and never mentionned it again...

@luciengrondin5802

Ай бұрын

@@daisy9664 Two songs by decade sounds ridiculous.

@daisy9664

Ай бұрын

@@luciengrondin5802 It was supposed to be the first part of the series, and then deep dive into each decade cronologically. But as I said after that first part of the series it was never mentionned again, at least not to my knowledge..

She's one of those artists I just don't understand. Just nothing interesting there for me.

@americanpatriots4868

Ай бұрын

I agree. I don't understand the hype!

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

The power of marketing and social engineering

@kerryfoerster1767

Ай бұрын

Nope. The quality is there. As much quality as the very best of Dylan, Beatles, etc. You just aren’t hearing it. I hear it.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

@@kerryfoerster1767 that’s cool, do you mind giving me a few song titles to check out that are at that quality? I’m eager to learn more

@roslynnn1989

Ай бұрын

@@phadrusif you like songs with lyrical depth, these are my recommendations exile, my tears ricochet, this is me trying, mad woman, the lakes, champagne problems, ivy, evermore, right where you left me, the last time, all too well, the great war, the albatross, the prophecy

What a whiny comments by far. You'll expect some more open minded people here at least

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Like so open minded they let anything in?

@Leonardo_Mantovani

Ай бұрын

Rock n roll is old and boring as it's modern fans lol 😂 Bunch of old boomers

@helenespaulding7562

Ай бұрын

@@Leonardo_Mantovanithen why in hell are you here? This is a channel chock full of boomers. This channel was set up originally for classic rock. What brought you here?

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

@@Leonardo_Mantovani well, you are entitled to your feelings (trolling or not)

@Leonardo_Mantovani

Ай бұрын

@@helenespaulding7562 I like the music but I'm really disappointed with it's fans. They're the opposite of what rock n' roll stood for. I thought rock fans were cool and not a bunch of old cry babies. Guess I was wrong and now I understand why this genre has lost its place in modern world.

It was the last refuge against rubbish

Obviously it's your channel and you do what you want and my opinion doesn't matter (it REALLY doesn't matter at all I'm not even a patron), but damn this was a shitty choice for a full album. If you wanted to go for a groundbreaking poppy mainstream album bigger than anything before (and since) you coulda done like Thriller or something. Oh well.

What a bunch of close minded old whiners we have here today. And I'm no spring chicken but I try my best to be open-minded and not live in the past.

@coolgabe64

Ай бұрын

Dude... Taylor is just bloody horrible... it doesn't matter what age you are in. It's just shit.... that's all.

@antidote7

Ай бұрын

I tried, I went out of my way to listen to Swift prior. There is nothing going on. Banal, and less than mediocre.

@randall5073

Ай бұрын

@@antidote7 I'm sure old people thought the Beatles were less than mediocre, but they were wrong.

@antidote7

Ай бұрын

@@randall5073 Maybe, but that's irrelevant. I'm not talking about the Beatles.

@randall5073

Ай бұрын

@@antidote7 It's not irrelevant, older people have always said things like you did about artists they don't understand.

Ok the other hand, I'd say to TS that if words are more important than the music itself, why don't you write a book, a script for a movie?

@stevenmeyer9674

Ай бұрын

One could also say the same thing about Dylan.

@richlisola1

Ай бұрын

@@stevenmeyer9674Dylan wrote great music, he just isn’t a great performer or singer. Swift is a clever lyricist but a cruel one-And she doesn’t reach for the genius that is Bob Dylan.

@Pjaypt

Ай бұрын

@@stevenmeyer9674 or of Leonard Cohen? I don't agree, I think he cared the same about the words and the music. The music for Dylan was not only a backstage for the words. Besides, Dylan's and Cohen's lyrics are much better, I'm my opinion (of course).

@stevenmeyer9674

Ай бұрын

​@@richlisola1 I was responding to a comment that I found a bit hypocritical , Obviously I am not comparing her lyrics to Dylan.

@evileep

Ай бұрын

@@richlisola1 Dylan has some great lyrics especially on his earlier work but he has a lot of songs that are not great, they're just ok.

I’m giving this a go out of respect for you but if you wanted to have the experience of listening to an entire album why wouldn’t you pick an album when they were created for that purpose? QUEEN II for example the band chose songs that related to each other with the listeners experiences in mind. So many of your videos come from that era from Pink Floyd, Beetles, QUEEN! I don’t have a problem with pop music although I’m from the 70s era - but I do find much of today’s music to be repetitive and have no desire to listen to an album of it. Probably not gonna make it through the whole video. My husband just said why are we wasting our lives listening to this. Will check out another one.

I’m giving this a go out of respect for you but if you wanted to have the experience of listening to an entire album why wouldn’t you pick an album when they were created to be listened to in their entirety? So many of your videos come from that era from Pink Floyd, Beetles, QUEEN! I don’t have a problem with pop music although I’m from the 70s era - but I do find much of today’s music to be repetitive and have no desire to listen to an album of it. Probably not gonna make it through the whole video.

I have never listened to a TS song, so I thought this might be an intro, but I guess copyright tthreats prevented you playing any of it. So, what you're saying is meaningless to me.

The entire album?! Wow, I guess Taylor Swift really is special.

Excellent idea as Swift is a once in a lifetime musical phenomenon akin to the Beatles for millennials and gen Z. I’m 64 and even though her music is not of my personal choice, but this was also true of older people during my generations musical revolution which produced many super bands we now consider iconic rock n roll. Nothing wrong with being a Swifty, she brings hope and inspiration to millions. Cheers to you! 🙏💜

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

There is no comparison to the writing teams behind the Beatles vs Swift in my mind. Beatles albums were mind numbingly ground breaking, diverse, sophisticated, and were released at a pace that defies understanding.

@richardgale5369

Ай бұрын

ridiculous... popularity aside, he contributes absolutely nothing to the evolution of rock with composition and arrangements. That cant be said for the Beatles. My daughter is GenZ and cant stand her... but she and her friends are returning to musical virtuosity listening to Nina Simone, the jazz greats like Miles, Armstrong, Brubeck, Charlie Parker... and then all of the great 60s and early 70s bands

@BobMaltbie

Ай бұрын

@@richardgale5369 What kind of art do you like, classic realism, abstract etc.? What kind of literature, fiction , nonfiction, biographies, comic books? Which philosopher catches your attention, you a Kant liker, how about existentialists like Fromm, or the more crazy romanticism of Nietzsche, and on and on. Although one could argue what we consider art is different than science, in the end its what Campbell talks about having a personal journey, based on a "hero" with a thousand faces, which elicits a catharsis. Not yours or mine cathartic moments, but apparently many many millions of others. And so again to each their own. Judge not. Peace out.

@BobMaltbie

Ай бұрын

@@phadrus Then why are you comparing them? Who is asking? For many Swift is their Beatles or whoever. And so who are we to say she is not? The Beatles songs exploded as well, and their creativity in the studio was daunting. I think Swift tells stories that kids like, indeed love. And that's all that counts.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

@@BobMaltbie fair enough point, my gut says the Beatles will be around long after Swift has been forgotten, but just my guess

Geez, imagine, an open minded approach to listening to unfamiliar music!

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

You just never want to be so open minded your brain falls out. Right?

@dalesnyder4831

Ай бұрын

If your head’s a little cracked, you might have to worry about some brains falling out!

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

@@dalesnyder4831 lol

Taylor Swift’s two lockdown albums, Folklore and Evermore, are very good, especially Folklore. I’d put that album on a par with the great singer-songwriter albums of the early 1970s. I’m less impressed with this one.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Okay I will checkout Folklore then, thanks for the tip

She started as a country musician and that explains so much.

TS is an ex Nashville Pop singer who became a general Pop singer. She has a large following of people who are generally not rock fans, or blues fans, or jazz fans or classical music fans. As is common now for Pop music her formulaic songs are written by writing teams. Production uses computerized drums loops and auto-tuned vocals. She's got a good, but unremarkable, voice. Being a musician I find her extremely boring and her lyrics pathetically bland - but who cares what I think :) While many may wonder what Amy is doing wasting her time with this crap I do think it's worthwhile for a new student of contemporary music to spend time with the great, good, ordinary and boringly bland in popular music. TS fits the last category nicely :)

Of all the extraordinary albums that deserve a complete listening, why would you "torture" us with this? Okay, you reviewed The Wall, which I consider highly overrated and by no means Floyd's best effort, but it is at least an artistic conceptual idea that had great cultural value at the time and by a band that had a profound impact on the history of rock and future musicians. But after a dive into this rabbit hole, we're waiting for you to review The Monkeys, Tiny Tim, The Rutles and Bay City Rollers. I guess you will see "how it goes" after seeing how many views it gets.

"This entire piece of music is rather impactless" It sums up what I think of all her music. Nah, I'm not a hater, I don't care really about this artist, there's a whole bunch of them that have no impact anymore. I think back of what Karl had to say about the "crisis in music".

This is that part of a band's life where they want more mainstream appeal and start doing whatever is trendy now.

the opposite of Taylor Swift is Les Rallizes Dénudés

This is a worthy video and it's worthy of you to change the format of your video making to cover the entire album for this occasion because the commercial success of Taylor Swift is so staggering that she is societally relevant, regardless of what many of your channel subscribers may think of Taylor Swift's ?music? (and that includes me). My daughter, who's 25 is a big fan and I fail to see any redeemable quality in the product, not in the music, not in the lyrics, not in her marketing antics and, increasingly, not in the way she conducts her public life, at least as it's portrayed in the media. What I am so curious about is in what manners is this generational? What does my sheer rejection of this have in common with the disdain that my parent's felt with the advent of rock music and other contemporary music when it so greatly impacted their children's social lives. I feel that there are differences that can serve as a justification for why I now reject Taylor Swift's products but surely my parent's generation felt the same way, that they rejected rock music for more than just generational reasons. Thanks Amy and Vlad

TS is waste of time. Go to Amy Winehouse, last popular person making music.

@andymccabe6712

Ай бұрын

Hey... actually, a sensible comment...ish!! Amy Winehouse was a rare talent...

After listening to Swift, you need to listen to Diamanda Galas to heal yourself...

I think TS is a marketing genius and takes after her parents who's profession was marketing. I think that is what is needed to succeed in music today. So what is the attraction? Just look at her audience, the throngs of teenage girls just at the age where they have put away their Barbie dolls and are looking for the next thing. And there she is on stage gesturing and accessorizing between songs, just as they dreamed Barbie could be. The music, does it really matter?

@whisper_dvm5157

Ай бұрын

What a misogynistic take. Trash opinion

@frankylaseure2641

Ай бұрын

there was a time when people broke through without marketing, despite all the music industry doing what it's doing. There are still some, but it's rare. Praising an artist (who is supposted to create art, as the word art-ist says) for being a marketing genius ... The music, does it really matter ? Yes, it is if you call yourself a musician.

Ditch Part 2 Amy. Instead listen to someone that changed music, turning the electric guitar into a “lead” instrument, the late great Duane Eddy. R.I.P Duane. 😉

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

Yes, please stick to some classic rock or even progressive rock greats.

This'll be rich.........

Her voice sounds like torture to me, but I think it is logical to know what her "music"is all about.

Please Amy. Don't do it!

please no....

@richlisola1

Ай бұрын

If Amy needs to get this out of her system, let her. I think Amy’s about to collide with an iceberg sized ego fueled by pure narcissism in Swift.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

It’s her right to listen, just as it’s our right not to.

There is no Taylor Swift music in this video. That why it is great!

This might be her worst album so far lol (along with Reputation)

Tylor Swift is truly horrific music. Pleas no.

@stevenmeyer9674

Ай бұрын

Judging from your sign in handle, I think your issue is with her politics and not her music. Maybe someone like Kid Rock is more your style.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

I tried to listen to one of her albums and was bored to tears. It my thing. Sometime music is marketed very well too.

@evileep

Ай бұрын

She's a great artist so please yes.

@kerryfoerster1767

Ай бұрын

If you are bored listening to Taylor Swift, blame yourself, not Swift.

@phadrus

Ай бұрын

@@kerryfoerster1767 I don’t feel the need to blame anyone, just is what it is. Obviously she appeals to some people. That’s okay with me.

I love your show your the best !! Taylor Swift is just AWFUL...

A terrible choice. Taylor Swift's music is decidedly average and derivative. The only thing special about Taylor Swift is her marketing department.

@BobMaltbie

Ай бұрын

Yeah she’s so unpopular too. You must be a musical genius.😂 Got Art?

@rogerbanderson

Ай бұрын

That's right. We should discourage everyone from listening to her. Not your thing? It shouldn't be anyone else's either.

@akashvalsan6609

Ай бұрын

A republican hating Taylor Swift is no brainer.

@radman8321

Ай бұрын

@@akashvalsan6609 I'm not a republican. I'm not even an American 🙂 I don't hate her either. I just think her music is mediocre and her marketing is world class.

@Arlowe253

Ай бұрын

​@@akashvalsan6609her music is, as a matter of fact, middling and derivative, and her writing is nothing special.

Taylor isn't even trying anymore.

Sorry can't listen to this....

How do you pick the absolute worst songs by the worst performers having a horrible take on it? Absolute waste of time.

I like Taylor but this album was unbearable, definitely her worst

PLEASE STOP!!!!

Terrible 😢😮😮😮