Ladies, you'll probably remember your mothers saying "you can't change a man." Talk about the truth. It's hard to change a person. We are individual creatures of our own design with a specific world view, unique to only ourselves. Still, groups of people - such as sports teams or musicians - often share the same attitudes and behaviors. We've seen this with many a rock band...one member becomes a drug addict... and then suddenly everyone is off the wagon. Then, one person gets clean...and everyone is in rehab. While changing a person isn't good, altering a behavior or habit is something totally different. I believe you can always improve yourself...and that surely applies to the musicians we love.
A lot of Glam musicians have some
very bad habits. I don't care about the personal habits -- I do, however, care about the ones that interfere with music making. Today we'll talk about my cherished Aerosmith. Yes Aerosmith were drug addicts but they got clean and good for them. That is none of my business. My complaint? I wish Aerosmith would stop using outside writers every time the band needs a new tune.
A lot of bands use outside writers these days - and it doesn't really seem to matter the level of fame, although older bands seem to use more help. Some of this could be complacency, or apathy, or lack of creativity. I've often wondered if bands - the rare ones that enjoy prolific careers like Aerosmith - are actually plagued by their success. Think about it: a band is young and hungry - both literally and creatively. It's either write a good song and get a record deal...or starve. Play or die basically. Very few will make it - and even less will make it big. So, these are rare bands. The chosen few humans pulled together by rare instances to create harmony out of a very dissonant world. When you are young and hungry, you do what you gotta do. You scratch your way out of a bad situation. Desperate times often mean for great writing. When you're middle aged and filthy rich...there isn't much scratching left. Perhaps this is why bands like Aerosmith use the outside writers.
Here's the irony: those outside writers are often very famous and also exceptionally wealthy. They don't know how to scratch either! Also, how can they tell a band's unique story...when not an official member?! Without the history and chemistry, the end result if often obviously forced. Very rarely does this equal a good album.
Perhaps I'm prejudiced: I have no issue with pop artists using songs written by others. That form of music seems destined for writing help. When it comes to rock, Glam or Metal...I think it must be band members or bust. Agree?
