"Bob Dylan says modern music is worthless"

Just look at that headline. That is the same headline I read yesterday on drudgereport.com. I was a bit taken a back because I really like Bob Dylan's music. I was surprised that someone of his caliber would be slagging modern music, especially considering there's so much good music in the world at the moment. One need not look far for quality music considering the availability of live shows and the possibility of making professional sounding albums on a laptop. I am glad I clicked the link and read the story because the headline is somewhat misleading. Upon reading the article it becomes clear that Dylan's real gruff is with the sound quality, not the performances. He states that his album sounds better played in the studio. From the article:

"You listen to these modern records, they're atrocious, they have sound all over them... There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like ... static."

I take an interest in this topic because, one, I think there's plenty of great music in the world. You'd have to live under a rock not to be hit with the stuff while simply walking down the street. Two, I have had a long time interest in high-end stereo equipment. One of the most fascinating aspects to the hobby, in my opinion, is that year after year technology closes the gap been the ultimate high-end of high-end gear and what I can actually afford. With surprisingly little knowledge of the industry great bargains can easily be found. Dylan has been an artist that has consistently supported high-resolution formats (with re-releases of his albums). My own theory of this is that because of Dylan's particular vocal style, it not clearly legible on, for example, cd's played on a car stereo or on an iPod through cheap headphones. I am aware that a large portion of the modern music we hear is compressed, which can mean any number of things; generally it's accepted that modern EQ's are completely whacked (instead of perfectly flat) and the extreme high and low frequencies are truncated. I guess what Dylan is saying is that if you aren't hearing the whole sonic performance - you're not hearing him either.

Live music will always rein supreme. Sitting outside, under the sky, listening to tunes will always be magical. But what if the artist dies, will those performances just be lost to history? Furthermore, I have found great attraction in the ability to hear a song in its utmost natural state on demand. There will always be a demend for the ability to hear the whole sonic picture in it's purest form and with it a demand for high performance equippment - even in the face of the popularity of the iPod - because such characteristics do not result from the education of the listener but from the same roots that make listening to live music so engrossing and magical. I hate change as much as the next person, but I have become adverse to all statements regarding the decline of civilization - even sonic civilizations - as we know it.