Bands like YES, RUSH, BOSTON, and ELP were brilliant musicians, many of who attended Julliard, or the like. Much of today's musicians seem to have that garage band style. I wonder if these new bands are trying to take shortcuts. The bands of our day were educated fine musical machines. The quality of music today seems to have lost something... Maybe I am just getting old.
Oh, I don't know. The DIY ethic has been around for a long time. Check out older Neil Young/Buffalo Springfield, Van Morrison, etc. I'm also a huge Who fan, and I still love it every time I hear the mistakes that they left in the recordings. And I respect them more for having the balls to leave them in--although not everybody is good enough to be able to do that and get away with it (somewhat ironic, that).
While I really like Yes's music, their studio production is just a bit too surgically clean for my taste. But man could those dudes play.
There are still hot players around. I love'em; they're inspiring. What's really inspiring is that the Grandmothers are still touring Zappa Plays Zappa (members of the Mothers of Invention, with Dweezil Zappa leading). Now THERE is some insane musicianship and showmanship. For my birthday a couple of years ago my wife got us tickets to go see them, and she is NOT a Zappa fan. My head just about blew up when Terry Bozzio came out for a few songs, and even performed
The Black Page.
But I also love a lot of bands who aren't in that league musically, and don't have any intention of being. It's just a different ethic, a different take on the art. Bands like Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Silver Jews, Eric's Trip, etc often sound like they're on the edge of being able to keep it together, but for whatever reason, it just works. The songs and honesty have to be there in BIG quantities for that to work out, though. There are also lots of folks who aren't great musicians who, bluntly put, just suck.
I do know that this is not everybody's cup of tea, but I couldn't get by without it. Takes a little of everything to keep me going, and I love playlists which swing wildly across genres. Keeps me on my toes. I know a lot of people who really hate the advanced, schooled-sounding high-chops-content stuff like Rush, Yes, etc, because they essentially consider it to be boastful wankery. I disagree (although it is true there is a lot of self-indulgent wankery out there).
Torben