Why We Should Feel Sorry For Our Youth!

Now, I think it's true to say the vast majority of our listeners are of a certain age. And because of that age, we frown upon the youth of today with their seemingly endless bleating, complaining and generally telling us ALL THE TIME about how offended they are.

But we must also pity them, because they have been systematically robbed of the real joy to be found in music. Not only the joy of music, but in the relish of the whole musical journey and almost mystical experience in finding that one album that you've searched for for weeks!

Let's take a look at how the youth today have come to see no value in music (which is why our charts are full of, let's be honest, crap!).

1. Everything is digital. They have been systematically brainwashed into believeing that their phone is the centre of their universe. Digital basically equates to free, so if they have to pay more than 99p for a song they complain. Again. Why then should they want to pay £10 for a whole album? (of course, they fail to understand that they spend way more than a tenner downloading individual songs).

2. Everything is digital. Sorry, but even with the latest compression algotrithms, MP3 downloads lack body, so they never TRULY experience music (except at live gigs).

3. Everything is a commodity and seen as throw away when done. There is no intrinsic value perceived by the young in any content. Music simply isn't revered and musicians are simply people who give them content for next to nothing.

4. Everything is digital and a commodity. They simply do not understand physical media. And because they don't get to experience physical media in physical stores (records, books, comics, dvds, you name it, they don't get it) they don't feel connected to what they have (except for their phone; try to take their phone from them and maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnn you find out they do believe in something!). Therefore, they don't understand the value of anything, including music and everything that went into creating that music.

5. Everything is here now, want now, get now, don't like, move on. They have been TRAINED to have the attention span of Dorie. They can't listen to a whole album because they can't listen to anything over three minutes long!

6. The first five points all combine to rob them of truly experiencing the true magic of music. They don't understand the excitement of finding that album you've looked for in record shop after record shop, or chatting with friends as you all browse through the albums from A-Z, or the anticipation of deciding to take a punt on an album and getting it home for your first listen, or being wowed by the gatefold sleeve and artwork, or the fantastic CD book inserts explaining who wrote what and who played what on that album.

No, the youth of today shouldn't be mocked (well, okay, maybe a little bit); they should be pitied.

Just think, the following gatefold, double albums or concept albums simply could not be released today:

• War of the Worlds

• Rainbow Rising

• The Wall

• Operation Mindcrime

• anything by The Alan Parsons Project

• anything by ELOY, including the beautiful gatefold packaging and stunning music of 'Silent Cries & Mighty Echoes'

• Made in Japan

• Frampton Comes Alive

• Abraxas

• Bitches Brew

• and countless others

So, the next time you feel like you need to slap a young person and tell them to pull themselves together (ala Airplane), simply remind yourself that they will never know what music truly is.

And then slap them.*

*(this whole piece is of course to be seen as tongue in cheek, we are not advocating that you go slap anyone for real. You could however try to educate them about the true value of music and direct them to listen to Revolution Radio Online!)