Crisis Of Infinite Music Opinions (Megathread)

[Deathstroke]

My favorite record of theirs is Tango in the Night, because it all sounds great, and everybody's personality shines, Christine McVie's in particular.

But most of what I love about the band has to do with my love for the music of Stevie Nicks. Together, they crafted some of the most deeply affecting and exciting songs I have ever heard: Landslide, Sara, Storms, Sisters of the Moon, Beautiful Child, Gypsy, Seven Wonders...

My own personal favorites from Fleetwood Mac are definitely Rumours and Tango In The Night.

[Aubergine~!]

The Who

My favorite band, and imo the best rock band that has ever existed. The Beatles probably made better music, but damn if the Who didn't rock harder. And the Who > the Stones for me, though I can certainly see why others wouldn't agree. Who's Next is my favorite album, but their 60s hits were aural bliss. And what a rhythm section.

The Cure

Lots of crap, but some of their songs are just plain gorgeous. Robert Smith is a pretty good songwriter when he wants to be.

The White Stripes

One of the best bands around today, though as others have said, whether or not they leave a lasting impression is still up in the air. Fell in Love With a Girl and Seven Nation Army are stone cold classics though.

The Smiths

What emo bands wish they were, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sure, the image Morrissey has cultivated is a bit annoying, but the music is stellar. The Queen is Dead was the best album of it's decade.

The Velvet Underground

Massively enjoy their debut album, and I don't mind listening to the rest. Massive influence, of course, and pretty much everything before Yule took over is worth checking out, though some of the experimental stuff I avoid.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Don't get him. Great guitarist, good enough vocalist, but his music just doesn't hook me. I recognize that he was a great influence and all, but I just don't like his music that much.

The Clash

The definitive punk band, but they were also so much more than that. I really need to pick up London Calling.

The Arcade Fire

Meh, listened to them a bit, didn't really make much of an impression.

[Aubergine~!]

David Bowie

Brilliant. During his peak, the man produced some of the best music the planet has ever heard. Say what you will about his voice, but I still get chills whenever I hear 'Heroes'.

The Sex Pistols

Who cares about the manufactured image? The music is great, and that's all that should really matter, 30 years after these guys showed up.

Miles Davis

Not really that into jazz, as I have a very short attention span. One of these days I'll actually sit back and listen to a Miles Davis album.

Sonic Youth

Never really got them, though I may be listening to the wrong songs.

Weird Al Yankovic

Fun. Bit stupid sometimes, but his stuff's usually worth a few laughs. Nothing I'd ever buy, but I wouldn't change the channel/station if one of his songs came on.

Kenny G

I don't think I've ever listened to his music, but the jokes made at his expense have brought me a great deal of amusement, and so I can't help but not mind the guy.

Yoko Ono

I've heard her music has alot of shrieking in it?

[bfrank]

What do you think of...

Elvis Presley?

ugh......


David Bowie?

great taste in women......it's so not PC but i still love "China Girl"........



Miles Davis?

I listen to "bitches brew", daily.....He kind of inspired a generation of musicians.......



Willie Nelson?

Not a fan, but i kind of dig the sappines of "you are always on my mind".....he's a pot head, he can't be all bad........


Sonic Youth?

ugh.....


Weird Al Yankovic?

ugh......


Kenny G?

He's got a song with Toni Braxton that I like for Toni, and with Chante Moore, that I like for Chante.....other than that.....ugh.....



Yoko Ono?

ugh cubed........

[leonaozaki]

Elvis Presley?

I have mixed feelings about Elvis. On the one hand I understand that what he did wasn't all that different from what many, many black performers had done before him-- and done much, much better. On the other hand I can't deny the power of his voice. I own one of his greatest hits, the complete Sun sessions, the complete 50's box set, and his Christmas records-- and the last is probably my favorite. Go figure.

David Bowie?

One of my favorite performers/musicians...ever. I've loved Bowie since high school and my discovery of Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust, moving on in college to Aladdin Sane and Diamond Dogs, and discovering in grad school and very recently the Berlin trilogy and others. Perversely, his 90's output is some of my favorite Bowie work: Outside, Earthling, Hours and even Heathen. I've yet to hear a Bowie song that totally bored me (but I haven't listened to all of Let's Dance, Tonight and that other crap record he made in the 80's either). Even when he screws up he's interesting. I love Bowie.

The Sex Pistols?

Oh, I love these guys too. I hear all the knocks against them but when that guitar and Rotten's voice kick in I just don't care. I love Never Mind the Bollocks and The Filth and the Fury is a great film also.

Miles Davis?

I own several Davis records but I wished I own more. I love his stuff. I think-- heresy warning!-- I like his electric fusion stuff like In a Silent Way and Jack Johnson the best.

Hoagy Carmichael?

Ooops! I have some vague name recognition here but I can't say I'm aware of hearing anything he's written.

Willie Nelson?

Another one of the greats who I wish I knew more about. I have the Outlaws record and a collection of his early hits and they're all great. Just listen to "Gotta Get Drunk."

Sonic Youth?

Is Daydream Nation the greatest record of the 80's that isn't Murmur or Doolittle? Probably. It might even be better. How I love "Teenage Riot."

Weird Al Yankovic?

Funny in junior high and early high school. He's some sort of comedic genius but I haven't listened to him in ages.

Kenny G?

Are you kidding? Seriously?

Yoko Ono?

I don't buy that "broke up the Beatles" crap anymore but she has about a 50% hit rate with me. Every other song I hear of hers is unlistenable crap but the other stuff is pretty good.

rob

[leonaozaki]

The Who

I feel that I should like them more than I do. I own a few of their records but I just don't listen to them that often, partly because I find them to be a little self-indulgent and bombastic. The songs of theirs I like I really like though.

The Cure

Never went through a black eyeliner phase but I love the Cure. Pornography and Disentegration are great records.

The White Stripes

I like most of De Stijl and White Blood Cells. Get Behind Me Satan is great; Elephant is one of my favorite records ever.

The Smiths

I love their singles; The Queen is Dead rules; so I guess I like the Smiths.

The Velvet Underground

Never leave home without 'em. I love everything about the band.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Of course, he is a god, and I love Are You Experienced? and Axis:Bold as Love but listening to Electric Ladyland can be a slog at times.

The Clash

The Clash and London Calling are some of my favorite records ever, and they made great singles as well, of course. The original Clash never made a record not worth owning.

The Arcade Fire

I've only heard "Wake Up," but I liked it so I'm up for more.

rob

[leonaozaki]

Ash

I haven't heard anything by them but I have heard some of the solo stuff by one of their members, and I thought that was good.

Beck

Once upon a time I really liked "Loser." Now I can't stand that song but I do still like Odelay and Mutations (and about half of Midnite Vultures).

Collective Soul

Dolly Parton did their song better.

Dan Fogelberg

Who?

Fleetwood Mac

Rumors is absolutely a great album. I also love "The Chain," and some assorted singles. I wish they would go away now, though.

Garbage

I've never had the time to listen to an entire album, but what I've heard I've liked.

Hall and Oates

No, no, no.

Kenny Loggins

Okay, when I was ten, I loved "Footloose." Since then it's a fast movement away from Loggins.

Live

I liked "Pain Lies on the Riverside" but other than that they're nothing special.

Matthew Sweet

There was a phase in college when he was a minor god to me. I still love Girlfriend and parts of Altered Beast and 100% Fun though. But then I like power-pop.

Sting

Oddly enough, I like his solo career better than the Police. Weird, but there you have it.

They Might Be Giants

Their first four albums are dorktastic nerd-rock greatness. Their b-sides from that period are great as well. TMBG will always have a special place in my heart.

rob

[Buried Alien]

Yeah, it's finally happened. :)

I'm going to go with a variation of Howie's idea. You may start new opinion threads that are initially independent of this one, but we'll allow only one new one per week, and at that end of the week, it'll be merged into this megathread.

If more than one opinion thread appears during the weak, I will lock all but the earliest-posted one, and then unlock them in chronological order (weekly) after the earliest-posted one has joined the megathread.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Aubergine~!]

How do we decide who gets to make the new opinion thread though? Just curious.

[Buried Alien]

How do we decide who gets to make the new opinion thread though? Just curious.

First come, first serve. Now that the fad has died down a bit, I don't expect multiple people to simultaneously want to start a new one.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[howyadoin]

How do we decide who gets to make the new opinion thread though? Just curious.We boot each other in the nuts until everybody but one person is on the ground crying.

Winner gets to start the new thread.

[DonC]

We boot each other in the nuts until everybody but one person is on the ground crying.

Winner gets to start the new thread.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/Don3172/Smileys/plan.jpg

What happens if Jadie or Rally or Tina or one of the other lovely ladies of CBR wants an opinion?

[Rob H]

Alrighty. Let's hear your thoughts on...

1) Weezer

2) Pixies

3) Elliott Smith

4) B-52s

5) Secret Chiefs 3

6) Ween

[leonaozaki]

1) Weezer Great band. I own all of their records which I guess I mean 'em. "Dope Nose" and "Gone Fishing"

2) Pixies

The secret chiefs of the Earth. Like I've said before, Surfer Rosa and Doolittle were some of greated records of the pop/rock era.

3) Elliott Smith


Suspect I would like him but I've never heard any of his stuff.

4) B-52s

Very good. Their first record and Cosmic Thing are great. "Everybody had...matching towels!"

5) Secret Chiefs 3

Dunno.

6) Ween

Have only heard one Ween song but it was deniably great. So who knows? There may be room for exansion.

Rob

[Jonathan Bogart]

Aren't some of these repeats? Anyway:


1) Weezer
Okay power-pop band, if nothing less self-indulgent is around.


2) Pixies
My dirty secret: I've never listened to their albums, and only know a couple of songs. Indie guitar rock isn't where my head's been at for the past few years, though.


3) Elliott Smith
Never really listened to him either. Like Rob, I'm sure I'd like him if I tried him, but the 90s are really not where my ears are at right now.


4) B-52s
I'll never say no to any of their songs, but listening to a full album by them is a little much.


5) Secret Chiefs 3
Don't believe I've heard of them.


6) Ween
You know, there's a reason the Grateful Dead and They Might Be Giants are different bands....

[Reptisaurus!]

1) Weezer

You know that song "I know she's a lesbi-a-a-n/ Pink Triangle on her sleeve/ Let Me Know the Truth" or whatever?

Worst song ever. I sincerely mean this.

Other than that I guess they're a decent l'il pop band. I've liked their last few singles. Better than Matchbox 99 and that band that sings "This Love Has Taken Control of Me/Something Something/Too Many Times Before."


2) Pixies


Great, great, great singles. Mediocr-ish albums. But their Greatest Hits album is superb.

3) Elliott Smith

Know his voice, but not really familiar with his stuff. The three-or-four songs I've heard were too mopey for my taste, so I never investigated further.

4) B-52s


Elliott Smith in reverse. Too damn happy.

D'you know what band I did like? Belly. They sounded like this cheerful, catchy pop band but if you listen to their lyrics it's all violent death and mutilation.

5) Secret Chiefs 3

Dunno.

6) Ween

Maybe not something I'd wanna listen to ALL the time, but good fun when I do. When I worked in Alaska circa '99 we used to sit around the campfire and sing Ween songs. Good times.

[Ilash]

1) Weezer

Haven't heard them, I don't think.

2) Pixies

Their poppy stuff is pretty great but I tried one of their albums (Doolittle, I think) and just couldn't get into it. And yeah, they're the ones who pretty much invented that whole quite verses/ shouty choruses thing so that certainly doesn't earn them any points with me.

3) Elliott Smith

Some pretty good stuff but honestly, I don't get why he's as beloved as he is.

4) B-52s

Never heard them, I don't think.

5) Secret Chiefs 3

Who?

6) Ween

The greatest band since at least the nineties (EDIT: That I've heard). Really. Yeah, they're all silly and goofy and whatnot but, holy crap, do they know their way around a melody. Add that to a total lack of pretension, a ridiculous amount of (successful) diversity and impressive musicianship and you have one hell of a band. Who's better than them from the last two or so decades?

[stealthwise]

We boot each other in the nuts until everybody but one person is on the ground crying.

Winner gets to start the new thread.

I get to kick first!

[Aubergine~!]

1) Weezer

Say what you will about them, but 'Buddy Holly' is a great song. Think both self-titled albums are worth getting, if only for the great singles.

2) Pixies

Best band of the 80s (after the Replacements :D). Pioneered so much, and Doolittle is one of those albums I never get tired of listening to. Surfer Rosa isn't far behind.

4) B-52s

'Rock Lobster' is a nice little piece of insanity, and some of there other songs are decent, but I don't think I could listen to a full album of these guys. Fine in small doses.

6) Ween

I like most of what I've heard, but the voices get irritating after a while. Fun band though, very fun, and I get the feeling their live shows are great.

[david r]

More opinions! More opinions!

1) Kiss
2) Bon Jovi
3) The Association
4) Cinderella
5) Poison
6) Warrant
7) WASP

[Jessica Drew]

More opinions! More opinions!

1) Kiss
2) Bon Jovi
3) The Association
4) Cinderella
5) Poison
6) Warrant
7) WASP


"Which one of these is not like the other
Which one of these does not belong"

:D

[Slam_Bradley]

1) Kiss
2) Bon Jovi
3) The Association
4) Cinderella
5) Poison
6) Warrant
7) WASP


I try very hard not to think of any of them.

[Deathstroke]

1) Kiss

Like them on record, not much a purchaser of their albums though.


2) Bon Jovi

I like some songs, but don't own any material


3)The Association

Not one I'm into.


4) Cinderella

Not so much into most of their albums, but I LOVE the Heartbreak Station CD.


5) Poison

I can't help it, I like most of their material from the 80's heyday.


6) Warrant

I like some stuff from each of the first two albums, but that's about it.


7) WASP

I love this band!

[Jonathan Bogart]

1) Kiss
Unless you happened to be a kid in the 70s, they're the worst band in the world.


2) Bon Jovi
Decent singles band. I'm partial to their faux-working class vibe in the 80s.


3) The Association
We already spoke about the Association, earlier in the thread. My opinion hasn't changed. (I love 'em more than I should.)


4) Cinderella
For once, I agree with Deathstroke. Crappy band in general, but Heartbreak Station is a great rootsy album.


5) Poison
I have some affection for their hits. I'll always like twin-guitar harmonies. (Not that they're the Allman Brothers or anything.)


6) Warrant
Couldn't be less interested. (And didn't someone just ask about Warrant?


7) WASP
I'm not even sure I've heard them.

[Buried Alien]

OK. My turn to try my hand at this.

From the 60s:

1. Del Shannon

2. The Supremes

3. Roy Orbison

4. Buddy Holly

5. The Shirelles

6. Rick Nelson

And from the 70s and 80s

7. Don McLean

8. Wings

9. Blondie

10. The Romantics

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Rob H]

More opinions! More opinions!

1) Kiss
2) Bon Jovi

1) Love the best of. Wouldn't listen to much else.

2) :o I love Slippery When Wet, These Days and New Jersey

[Roland Taxt]

What d you think about the following?

1. At the Drive-In
2. Fugazi
3. Soundgarden
4. Bright Eyes
5. The Shins
6. Death Cab for Cutie
7. The Mars Volta
8. Mudhoney
9. Hot Water Music
10. Glassjaw
11. Audioslave
12. Kasabian
13. Tool
14. Angra
15. The Fall of Troy

[Rob H]

4. Buddy Holly

Haven't heard much but I love his look and sound. Would love to hear more.

5. The Shirelles

Only know and love a couple of their songs... Baby it's You and Soldier Boy. Awesome tunes.

7. Don McLean

If I hear American Pie one more time, I'm going to stab my eyes out.

[Slam_Bradley]

What d you think about the following?

1. At the Drive-In
2. Fugazi
3. Soundgarden
4. Bright Eyes
5. The Shins
6. Death Cab for Cutie
7. The Mars Volta
8. Mudhoney
9. Hot Water Music
10. Glassjaw
11. Audioslave
12. Kasabian
13. Tool
14. Angra
15. The Fall of Troy

I've heard of a sum total of three of them.

Considering I have no interest in listening to the three of which I've heard, I suspect I wouldn't care for the others.

[Ilash]

1. Del Shannon

Aside for Runnaway, I am not yet all that familiar with his work. Still that song alone says a lot about his talents.

2. The Supremes

They're the Supremes, what more really needs to be said? On the other hand, I actually prefer Motown's male vocal groups - The Temptations and the Impressions especially.

3. Roy Orbison

Definitely need to get some of his stuff but I've heard a fair amount of his songs and he is responsible some real classics. Plus I love his stuff with the Willbury's. Oh and who can forget that voice? One of the greats.

4. Buddy Holly

What can be said about this guy? One of the greatest songwriters of the 50s.

5. The Shirelles

Not as familiar with them as the Supremes. Like what I've heard and they're definitely another classic soul group who's work I definitely need to check out more of.

6. Rick Nelson

Only familiar with his song Lonesome Town because of Paul McCartney's cover of it. That's about.

7. Don McLean

Well, American Pie and Vincent are great songs but I've never been all that compelled to check out more of his stuff.

8. Wings

Aside for the fact that I don't really consider Wings to be much of a band (they could just as easily be called "Macca, Mrs Macca and sidekicks"), I'm a huge fan of most of Paul McCartney's 70s solo work, as I am of most of his work aside for some horrid gaffs in the 80s. Paul's solo work is marred by inconsistency and emotional shallowness but Macca's a musical genius and his work with Wings does nothing to betray that.

9. Blondie

Like what I've heard so far. I haven't heard much but they seem like a pretty damn good pop band and I will probably check out more of their stuff in the not too distant future.

10. The Romantics

The one or two songs of theirs that I've heard are killer and I really would like to check out moreof their stuff. Their music seems to be completely unavailable in this country though.

[Ilash]

More opinions! More opinions!

1) Kiss
2) Bon Jovi
3) The Association
4) Cinderella
5) Poison
6) Warrant
7) WASP

Honestly, I either dislike or am unfamiliar with every one of these bands.

[Rob H]

2. Fugazi

I've only heard a little but from what I have heard, they seem pretty rocking.

3. Soundgarden

Ugh! Shoot me! I can't stand Chris Cornell's voice.

5. The Shins

I lump them in with Belle and Sebastian. Great band but I've only heard a few of their highlights. I should listen to more.

11. Audioslave

See No. 3

13. Tool

I loved these guys but not so much anymore. I wouldn't say no to having em' on in the background but they wouldn't be my first choice.

[Buried Alien]

7. Don McLean

If I hear American Pie one more time, I'm going to stab my eyes out.

He does have other good songs, you know? "Vincent" is almost a well known as "American Pie," but he's also got songs like "If We Try" and "Empty Chairs."

Moreover, stabbing your *eyes* out isn't going to help you if the plan is to not have to listen to a song again. :)

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Buried Alien]

10. The Romantics

The one or two songs of theirs that I've heard are killer and I really would like to check out moreof their stuff. Their music seems to be completely unavailable in this country though.

If you send me a Private Message with a mailing address, perhaps I can do something about that.

Question: do you still have a working cassette player?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Rob H]

He does have other good songs, you know? "Vincent" is almost a well known as "American Pie," but he's also got songs like "If We Try" and "Empty Chairs."

Moreover, stabbing your *eyes* out isn't going to help you if the plan is to not have to listen to a song again. :)

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)But it'll distract me from the pain of listening. I used to enjoy this song but after the billionth play, it gets a little tiresome. Sucks to have no control of the radio at work. I'll keep an ear out for the others, cheers.

[Jonathan Bogart]

1. Del Shannon
Easily one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the early 60s, and singlehandedly gives the lie to the too-common notion that rock & roll slept between the time Elvis went into the army and the time the Beatles landed on American soil. His catalog is much, much deeper than "Runaway" -- I have a special fondness for his 1968 psychedelic-soul album The Further Adventures of Charles Westover.


2. The Supremes
Certainly the premier black pop group of the 1960s, and not incidentally one which did much towards establishing a sophisticated, idealistic role model for black women in American popular culture which was neither crudely sexualized nor a simplistic mammy stereotype. Their string of #1 hits has yet to be beaten for sheer beauty.


3. Roy Orbison
See Del Shannon, and add an unearthly vocal styling that could make angels weep. His 80s comeback was more of a victory lap than a true return to form, but if anyone deserved it, he did.


4. Buddy Holly
The king of 1950s pop. The genesis of the Beatles' sound. One of the foundational artists of rock & roll. One of the four or five greatest songwriters and producers in early rock. An immortal, in every sense of the word except (sadly) one.


5. The Shirelles
The first major girl group, the act that gave Brill Building pop a canonical place in American music. Not perhaps the greatest girl group ever (that'd be the Ronettes, by my reckoning, or the Shangri-La's, by a lot of other folks'), but being trailblazers counts for a lot.


6. Rick Nelson
I'm more familiar with his 70s comeback than with his original rock & roll hits, but he was certainly the best of the teen idols, and the conflict between what his fans wanted him to be and what he wanted to be is one of the great enduring legends of rock & roll history.


7. Don McLean
The least-defensible of the major singer/songwriters. Not that he doesn't have his charms (his melodies are frequently beautiful), but he's so po-faced that it's hard to really like him.


8. Wings
One of the greatest pop acts of the 1970s, up there with ABBA, Blondie, the Bee Gees, and Fleetwood Mac. And who cares if it's just a name for Paul McCartney And Friends? That breaks no rock & roll law.


9. Blondie
One of the greatest pop acts of the 1970s, up there with ABBA, the Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac, and Wings. Only smarter and hipper than any of them, because of their roots in New York's punk-rock scene, and because of the way they consciously mined pop history for shiny new sounds.


10. The Romantics
Your favorite new-wave band. Not one of my favorites, but perfectly respectable power-pop.

[Jonathan Bogart]

1. At the Drive-In
Not that familiar with them, but they strike me as the kind of band I'd like if I liked that kind of band.


2. Fugazi
Yawn.


3. Soundgarden
I enjoy "Black Hole Sun," but otherwise yawn.


4. Bright Eyes
One of the few modern acts I actively hate.


5. The Shins
Quite listenable, enjoyable guitar-pop. I never listen to them.


6. Death Cab for Cutie
Quite listenable, enjoyable guitar-pop. I never listen to them.


7. The Mars Volta
One of the best bands working today. I never listen to them.


8. Mudhoney
Yawn.


9. Hot Water Music
I haven't heard them.


10. Glassjaw
Yawn, with an extra side order of impatience.


11. Audioslave
Dull, dull, dull, by-the-numbers hard rock.


12. Kasabian
Dull, dull, dull, by-the-numbers British indie.


13. Tool
Okay version of Pink Floyd crossed with Metallica for junior high kids.


14. Angra
I haven't heard them.


15. The Fall of Troy
Yawn.

[Ilash]

One of the greatest pop acts of the 1970s, up there with ABBA, Blondie, the Bee Gees, and Fleetwood Mac. And who cares if it's just a name for Paul McCartney And Friends? That breaks no rock & roll law.


Wait, you like Wings? I honestly never would have guessed - even if you did include Jet in your best of the seventies list.


The least-defensible of the major singer/songwriters. Not that he doesn't have his charms (his melodies are frequently beautiful), but he's so po-faced that it's hard to really like him.

Bingo. That actually about sums up just what my problem is with the guy.

[Jessica Drew]

JB: Why do you actively hate Bright Eyes?

[Jonathan Bogart]

JB: Why do you actively hate Bright Eyes?
Mostly to bug my brother, who loves him. Also, he can't sing, can't write, and doesn't know how to structure a song. Which is kind of a problem when you're a singer/songwriter.

[mattx110]

Mostly to bug my brother, who loves him. Also, he can't sing, can't write, and doesn't know how to structure a song. Which is kind of a problem when you're a singer/songwriter.

:eek: :o i think i love you.
umm... heterosexually.

first i hated him just out of spite for cutesy asian chicks. then i heard his voice and saw how much of a drunk he was at his own shows.

i don't think i've heard enough songs to hear the lack of ability to structure songs.... but oh well.

and to comment randomly on some of the artists.

rick nelson is awesome, especially with james burton.
i love don mcclean for "vincent" one of the most beautiful songs ever written by a human.
the mars volta, i tried to like so much. but boring isn't fun.
roy orbison is great.
laurence juber is a great player, and wings is terrific.
and stabbing out your eyes to avoid sound is really really funny.

[Nightcrawler]

I breathe and bleed Moody Blues and AC/DC. They both have some great, great stuff, required listening for anyone into that type of rock.


And Creedence Clearwater Revival is amazing, too.

[Jessica Drew]

Mostly to bug my brother, who loves him. Also, he can't sing, can't write, and doesn't know how to structure a song. Which is kind of a problem when you're a singer/songwriter.


I completely understand the first reason, and it's entirely justified. He's not a good singer, either, but I'd disagree on his songwriting ability--unless you based that opinion on his last album of new stuff, and in that case, I'd agree with you entirely.

[Jessica Drew]

1) Kiss - Speaking as a child of the '70s (as Mike Watt once said), I can proudly say that KISS is the hottest band in the world--or were, rather, until Dynasty, and they still wrote strong songs, and have written a handful of quality rockers since. Yeah, I know the "take away the make-up" jazz--my brother hates the band, and never ceases to remind me, so I know all the arguments--but Simmons and Stanley know how to structure a song, and Stanley was once a great rock singer (which is not necessarily the same thing as a great singer), and their songs are like great superhero comic books--you get different songs revolving around recurring themes in fun, four-chord glory.

2) Bon Jovi - Reason #2 that if Bruce Springsteen never existed, someone would have come along to fill the same role--only without the artistry that the Boss brings to the game. Bon Jovi's good at writing pop songs, though.

3) The Association - I think I've discussed them before

4) Cinderella - Their early records are undderated. Kiefer was the second-best lyricist of the hair-metal subgenre, his ability to craft songs improved with each album, and when the band finally found the roll to go with their rock, the market crashed around them. It's a truly sad story to see this incredible type of artistic musical growth just completely squashed while the musicians were still alive. Seriously.

5) Poison - Worst musicians of any of the popular hair-metal bands, nowhere near as dangerous as their fans back then wanted to think they were, and their glam metal was as bubblegum as it got--but that gum tasted good for a little while. Never grew, either.

6) Warrant - I like "Cherry Pie" better than "Uncle Tom's Cabin" or "I Saw Red." To paraphrase (or terribly mutilate) the late film critic Pauline Kael, if it can't be art, might as well enjoy the trash that knows it's trash.

7) WASP - unless it's this kind of trash.

[Jonathan Bogart]

2) Bon Jovi - Reason #2 that if Bruce Springsteen never existed, someone would have come along to fill the same role--only without the artistry that the Boss brings to the game. Bon Jovi's good at writing pop songs, though.
Who's reason #1 -- John Mellencamp? Or Bob Seger in the Silver Bullet years?

[Buried Alien]

1. Del Shannon

Aside for Runnaway, I am not yet all that familiar with his work. Still that song alone says a lot about his talents.


He also had "Keep Searchin'," a song in the same vein as "Runaway" (even had a similar chord progression, I think...lots of minor chords, like the early British Invasion bands), except with an even darker lyrical theme. He also had "I Go To Pieces," which was a big hit for the British duo Peter and Gordon (famous for "A World Without Love," written by Paul McCartney) and also charted when Shannon recorded and released it himself the same year (1965). Finally, Shannon was the first American artist to record a Lennon/McCartney song...recording and releasing a cover of "From Me To You" a few months before the Beatles arrived in the U.S. (Shannon's version barely charted, though).

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jessica Drew]

Who's reason #1 -- John Mellencamp? Or Bob Seger in the Silver Bullet years?

Neither--both of those have--at different stages in their careers--the touch/stamp of a true artist.

I'm talking about John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band (Eddie and the Cruisers). Springsteen should have sued.

[Jessica Drew]

1. Del Shannon - In addition to the two hits mentioned, he also had a hit with the twee "Hats Off to Larry" and a minor hit with the paranoid and creepy "Stranger in Town," in which our narrator and his honey are on the run (detect a theme here?) from some nefarious character. Great record--the writing, the singing, the arrangement, and the playing are all top-notch.

2. The Supremes - Took me a long time to really appreciate them--my mom played their records, but my dad wasn't a fan. After my mom would leave the room/house, he'd take the album off the phonograph and put on an Aretha record, and tell me, "See: that's real singing, there. THAT's soul." I agreed. Now, though, I can appreciate the songwriting, the harmonies, the musicians, but some part of me just resists Diana Ross. I can't help it.

3. Roy Orbison - Not only is Orbison comparable to Shannon vocally, but also the two shared some lyrical themes and song choices. Orbison's best '60s songs ("Oh, Pretty Woman" notwithstanding) are operatic in reach, and paranoid in theme. Orbison's voice--lilting and haunting, intimate and gradiose, all at the same time--only amplifies the effects.

4. Buddy Holly - No Buddy, No Beatles (well, maybe--baby ;) )

5. The Shirelles - Good girl group, though much better was to come

6. Rick Nelson - A lot of his early stuff is fluff, but he's got a couple/three good ole' rock and roll songs. "Garden Party," though, is about as biting and trenchant an autobiographical folk song as was ever recorded.

7. Don McLean - Don't even like "Vincent."

8. Wings - In small doses, in small doses

9. Blondie - That's one weird band; how in the world they pulled off everything they did is beyond me. All those disparate subgenres they borrowed from, and to make it all stick together is something of note.

10. The Romantics - Charming, but ultimately inconsequential--except for that one song--and it's a really good song.

[leonaozaki]

OK. My turn to try my hand at this.

From the 60s:

4. Buddy Holly

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I'll come back to the rest later but how can Buddy Holly be considered a 60's performer when he died in 1959?

rob

[Deathstroke]

7) WASP - unless it's this kind of trash.


Them's fightin' words bub!:D

The Crimson Idol is an incredible album.

[mattx110]

wait? how is bon jovi at all bruce springsteen?

one is really pretty and was in a vampire movie.
the other is a political song-writer who also wrote that silly manfred mann song.

both from jersey,and they both do that "lemme tell you about this fictional dock-worker" thing...
so, yea i see what you mean. but i prefer bruce with his pete seger/woody guthrie flag out there. there's an extra level of rebel there. and little steven has the best radio show on radio.
if you ever hear, around 1999-2000 billy bragg toured with ian macglagan, and a slide player and a whole semi-large band, and danced around and gave short talks between songs. that's more the bruce springsteen i like. folk-singer with a good-sized rock band.

and budy holly played a strat, which nobody but him and a few other guys cared about till the 60s... other than that. idk.

[bfrank]

9. Blondie




fused with hip hop when it wasn't cool, and gave the world "Fab five Freddy", years before MTV let alone YO MTV raps......and debbie is still cooler than Britney, Christina, Jessica, et al........


They can do no wrong....or the man from mars will eat your car......at the bar.......

[Buried Alien]

I'll come back to the rest later but how can Buddy Holly be considered a 60's performer when he died in 1959?

rob

Well, if you want to get technical...

I seriously didn't want to type up another line of "the 50s" and stick Buddy Holly by his little lonesome in there, but his influence wasn't really felt until the 1960s. Holly's own time on the charts was relatively short, but he would continue to be influential far longer than many of his 50s rockabilly peers.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[leonaozaki]

1) Heart Had a few good singles in the 70's. Descended into overwrought AOR power-ballad territory in the 80's.

2) Traveling Wilburys These guys I really do like, which should be unsurprising. Volume 1 is clearly the superior effort but Volume 3 also has charms of its own.

3) J. Geils Band Everything I've heard by them I liked but I've only heard two or three songs.

4) Cheap Trick Ditto for #4

5) Supertramp I know the name but that's about it.

6) Bee Gees Oh sure they can write a catchy tune. But I would never ever buy a Bee Gees record and I kind of like disco.

7) N.W.A Easier to admire than actually like, at least from where I'm sitting. I like Public Enemy and Ice-T (among others) a lot more.

8) Righteous Brothers One of these days I'll get around to owning an actual record of theirs. Truly flawless pop without a lot of the sentimentality that makes pop irritating.

9) Bread No clue.

10) Cream I used to like these guys a lot more than I do now-- before I'd heard the original blues versions. But I'll still listen to "Badge," "White Room," "Sunshine of Your Love," and "I Feel Free."

[Buried Alien]

8) Righteous Brothers One of these days I'll get around to owning an actual record of theirs. Truly flawless pop without a lot of the sentimentality that makes pop irritating.

Actually, most of the Righteous Brothers' most popular material is infamously sentimental, but they did it so well that it doesn't really bother many people.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[leonaozaki]

Okay, you got me. I only own This Years Model (EDIT: from those first three albums), which I do actually more or less like all the way through. And I have heard quite a bit of those other two albums from the Girls, Girls, Girls compilation. Still have to pick 'em up at some point. I do think that if you hold up his best songs from the later years, they easily stands up to - perhaps even surpasses - most of his early work but however much the best stuff from All This Useless Beauty, King of America and Imperial Bedroom blow me away, I cannot listen to those albums from start to finish. Also, is Spike actually good? I always heard bad things about it.

You should really check out My Aim Is True and Armed Forces, if nothing else.

I shouldn't like Spike at all; filled with baroque pop constructions and songs cowritten by Macca. But most of the album works like crazy.

[leonaozaki]

(I've posted this as its own thread based on my understanding of the rules. If it's incorrectly placed move as desired.)

1) Joy Division

2) New Order

3) Depeche Mode

4) Tom Petty

5) Mojo Nixon

6) Lisa Germano

7) Liz Phair

8) The Yardbirds

9) Husker Du

10) Soul Asylum

11) Frank Zappa

12) The Meters

13) Billie Holliday

14) Professor Longhair

15) The Animals

16) Gram Parsons

17) John Prine

18) Lightnin' Hopkins

19) Iron Maiden

20) Camper Van Beethoven

21) Bjork

22) PJ Harvey

23) Gang of Four

24) The Decemberists

25) Franz Ferdinand

[Jonathan Bogart]

1) Joy Division
The greatest post-punk band. And post-punk is, in my world, a major musical genre.


2) New Order
A spotty dance-rock band. When they were on, they were on, but they couldn't really keep up.


3) Depeche Mode
Okay brooding electro-pop. Nothing special.


4) Tom Petty
I doubt I'll ever be a fan to the extent that I buy his albums, but I'll always sing along with his hits.


5) Mojo Nixon
No real interest.


6) Lisa Germano
I'm sure some day I'll dig into her discography, but not yet.


7) Liz Phair
One of those acts whose later work can actually bring down the perceived value of her earlier work. Never been a fan.


8) The Yardbirds
One of the top four or five British Invasion bands. Their mixture of hard-rocking proto-metal and Eastern modalities is one of the coolest sounds of 6s pop. Whether Clapton, Beck, or Page was on guitar, they always rocked.


9) Husker Du
Apparently, yn the 80s, there was a sort-of manufactured rivalry between the Du and the Replacements, as the two biggest Twin Cities alt-bands. While recognizing the silliness of such a forced choice, I'm still more of a 'Mats guy.


10) Soul Asylum
I only know their radio hits, which I enjoyed at the time but have no desire to revisit.


11) Frank Zappa
I like him better as a composer than as a lyricist (he's a better Varese than Rimbaud, as I've said before), but no understanding of the roots of underground rock is complete without the Mothers of Invention albums.


12) The Meters
One of the greatest funk bands of all time, and certainly the greatest New Orleans combo of the 60s and 70s.


13) Billie Holliday
One of the four or five greatest singers of the twentieth century. Not for her vocal quality, which could be iffy (but still magic, if you surrender to it), but for her interpretive ability, which was peerless.


14) Professor Longhair
Probably my favorite r&b pianist, the progenitor of New Orleans soul, and one of the key players who made the important shift from boogie-woogie to rock & roll. Also an endearing vocalist and a leader in the nascent funk of the 60s.


15) The Animals
Probably the best of the second tier of British Invasion bands, their greatest work had as much to do with keyboardist Alan Price as with vocalist Eric Burdon.


16) Gram Parsons
The father of country-rock, a great songwriter, a pretty good country singer, and the man who introduced hippie chick Emmylou Harris to country music: he's one of the greats.


17) John Prine
One of the smartest, meanest, and least prissy singer/songwriters of the 1970s.


18) Lightnin' Hopkins
One of the most versatile bluesmen of the 40s-70s, and always of the top rank no matter what form he was taking at the moment.


19) Iron Maiden
No real interest.


20) Camper Van Beethoven
No real interest.


21) Bjork
Probably the greatest and certainly the most idiosyncratic female artist of the past twenty years.


22) PJ Harvey
I've never been able to muster much enthusiasm; Patti Smith always seems to have done it better first.


23) Gang of Four
Oh, shit; maybe they're the greatest post-punk band. But in a completely different way from Joy Division. Certainly they're the only band that's ever made me want to dance to a critique of capitalism.


24) The Decemberists
One of the better bands working today; hard to say how their music will stack up in an historical sense.


25) Franz Ferdinand
A fun pop band. No more than that, but that's nothing to sneeze at, either.

[leonaozaki]

Kiss were an amusing spectacle on television, with the sound off.

Bon Jovi had pretensions of being Bruce during Bruce's epic hibernation years, but they also wanted to sell records to teenage girls. "Bad Medicine" is still a great song, however.

The Association is another one of those many groups whose work I should get into but simply haven't.

Cinderella Now this is going to sound crazy coming from someone who likes Dylan's voice, but I've hated the Cinderalla singer's voice since the first time I heard it.

Poison OK, I'll fess up: I owned two of their records in high school-- the debut, and the one after it, with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Those two records combined would have made a great EP: "Cry Tough," "Talk Dirty to Me," "I won't Forget You," "Nothin' but a Good Time," and "Your Mama Don't Dance."

But after that? Naaaah.

(wow, I've just wasted some squillion brain cells on Poison! Thank you, Internet!)

Warrant No, no, no. Actually, their first hit "Down Boys," as laughably incompetent as it was even by late 80's MTV standards, was so bad that I think it signalled to most people that hair-metal couldn't last much longer.

WASP They did a great cover of the Who's "The Real Me." Other than that, nuthin'.

[leonaozaki]

1. Del Shannon

Unfortunately like most people I only know two or three of his songs, and every year the Del Shannon collections get more expensive. But he's definitely on my list to check out after reading a couple of interesting articles on him in Mojo.

2. The Supremes

Not sure what else can be said about the Supremes that hasn't been said, but they're definitely one of the pinnacles of pop music.

3. Roy Orbison

His voice was so astounding he could steamroll lesser material; some of his best singing was done late in life, as a Wilbury.

4. Buddy Holly

Whatever decade he belongs to, Buddy Holly made such great music, and became such an archetype, that everything about him has become iconic and (as Jon said) immortal. Favorite Holly songs: Oh Boy and I'm Gonna Put my Foot Down.

5. The Shirelles

Of course they were one of the greatest girl groups of all time. I'm sure I've heard most of their songs, but wouldn't be able to say in most cases if it was the Shirelles or not.

6. Rick Nelson

Only know the one song from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. While that was a good song, I had absolutely no desire to rush out and buy more Nelson albums.


7. Don McLean No, no, no. No. I used to think, way back in the dim dead days of junior high and high school that the lyrics to "American Pie" and "Vincent" were so deeeeep and significant. Ooooh, man, was the Devil Mick Jagger? Van Morrison? Jim Morrison? No. I stopped caring after I heard Dylan for the first time, and I still don't care.

8. Wings

Contrary to common belief I don't have anything against Wings or Linda McCartney except for the fact that solo Paul could not write songs to bust his way out of a paper bag-- exceptions like "Band on the Run" and "Jet" aside, of course-- and Linda could not sing.

9. Blondie

What Jon said. I absolutely cannot get enough of them.

10. The Romantics

They were good at what they did, I suppose but their stuff never grabbed me at the time/place when stuff like this is supposed to grab you.

rob

[Reptisaurus!]

1) Joy Division


Really, really really don't like them. On a critical level I'd say they were pretty good at what they did. But I've got damn near zero tolerance for overwrought intellectual angst.


2) New Order


Better than Joy Division. Still not a fan.


3) Depeche Mode



I'm sooooo not the synthesizer guy. I guess they're alright.


4) Tom Petty


Not brilliant, but one of the most consistently solid rock musicians ever. There are very few Tom songs I don't like.

And Mary Jane's Last Dance *IS* brilliant.


5) Mojo Nixon


Enjoyably cranky comedy blues rock.
Good fun.


6) Lisa Germano


Really liked her about 8-10-12 years back. (Somewhere in there.) Kinda lost track since.


7) Liz Phair


Gag me with a barf. Sings in a near-monotone about sex to barely competently produced pop beats. Slightly more tolerable (and interesting) since she tried to pass herself off as a Britney style pop-tart. Which isn't enough to elevate her above "horrible" mind.



8) The Yardbirds


Haven't heard much but I've liked what I've heard. A bit outside of my area of interest.


9) Husker Du


Crap. Which one were they again?


10) Soul Asylum


I liked the stuff I heard on the radio in high school.


11) Frank Zappa


OBVIOUSLY I'm a huge fan. Everyone here woulda guessed that, right?


12) The Meters


Unbelievably tight. Great, great band.


13) Billie Holliday


Pretty much inarguably great.


14) Professor Longhair


I know "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" but I'm barely familiar with the rest of his stuff. Dunno enough to judge.


15) The Animals


Sometimes my favorite British Invasion band. I REALLY like the keyboard player. (What's his name?)


16) Gram Parsons


Barely familiar.


17) John Prine


Wrote "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore" which we sing at family Chistmas every year. Dunno much else about him.


18) Lightnin' Hopkins


One of my three or four favorite performers in any genre, and probably the greatest blues storyteller nah.. strike that... greatest musical storyteller workin' in the English language in the past hundred years.

I want a "What Would Lightnin' Do" bumper sticker.


19) Iron Maiden


Not all that familiar, but I've actually quite liked everything I've heard from them. Cheerfully over-the-top metal.


20) Camper Van Beethoven


Huge fan, moreso after they stopped bein' a joke-rock novelty. Key Lime Pie is one of my favorite rock albums, period.


21) Bjork


I'm glad she exists. Her music doesn't do much for me, though.


22) PJ Harvey


Huge, HUGE fan. Glad I saw her live before she stopped touring.

(Although it has to be said some of her lyrics are, well, kind of terrible. I never notice at first 'cause her delivery is so club-to-the-head perfect, but later on I'm all "The fish took her daughter? What the hell does that even mean?")


23) Gang of Four


Not even barely familiar.


24) The Decemberists


Generally dig their radio hits. A little too not-frayed-at-the-edges for my taste, maybe.


25) Franz Ferdinand

First heard of them on the music board here. Decided I didn't like them at all, until the radio kept playing their stuff over and over... Now I really like 'em.

[Adam C]

Apparently, yn the 80s, there was a sort-of manufactured rivalry between the Du and the Replacements, as the two biggest Twin Cities alt-bands. While recognizing the silliness of such a forced choice, I'm still more of a 'Mats guy.

I remember reading an article on the two bands in Magnet once. It had very little to say about there being a rivalry between them beyond Paul Westerberg saying that he wanted to see Husker Du fail...and be the second best band in the city.

(Paul Westerberg also said, "I've accepted the fact that I am the second best writer from Minnesota. That's the extent of my ego.")

[Jonathan Bogart]

Really, really really don't like them. On a critical level I'd say they were pretty good at what they did. But I've got damn near zero tolerance for overwrought intellectual angst.
Angst, sure; but like most musicians, they only played at being intellectuals. And the way I hear their music, it's the furthest thing from overwrought. In fact, it uses so many distancing strategies that it's hard for me to think of it as emotional at all. Which is another emotional category, of course -- and one I certainly relate to.

[Ilash]

8. Wings

Contrary to common belief I don't have anything against Wings or Linda McCartney except for the fact that solo Paul could not write songs to bust his way out of a paper bag-- exceptions like "Band on the Run" and "Jet" aside, of course-- and Linda could not sing.


Wait... what?

[leonaozaki]

Wait... what?

I fully realize that I am putting myself in the minority here by slagging on Wings, but there you go. I can just about make it through "Band on the Run" and that's about it.

To be fair, I moderately loathe to somewhat accept all other solo Beatles projects as well, excluding ALL THINGS MUST PASS.

rob

[leonaozaki]

Hank Williams Sr.

The font from which all blessings flow. My words cannot express how much I love Hank Williams's music. Dylan has a pretty good description in Chronicles as to what it felt like to hear Hank for the first time. One day, when I am rich (ha) I will buy the complete recordings 10-disc set.

Hank Williams Jr.

No. "Family Tradition" is fun but otherwise this guy is a redneck bubba clown (living in Nashville married to a Nashville native I get to poke fun at these guys).

Hank Williams III

He could be interesting if he moves away from the incarnation of his grandfather his record company wants to the punker he clearly wants to be.


Merle Haggard

Didn't always agree with his politics but there's no denying the power of his vocals or his lyrics. His duet with Willie on "Pancho and Lefty" is one of the most heartbreaking moments in 20th century pop music.

Weezer

Isn't this a repeat? I have all of their albums and love them. Easy enough.

Violent Femmes

One of the Amerindie punk bands that got me through junior high in Pimple Lake, Louisiania. Their first album remains a classic of those years.

John Lee Hooker

Who doesn't love the Hook? Crazy people, that's who.

Europe

Who likes these guys? Crazy people, or bored 12 year olds.

rob

[Jonathan Bogart]

I remember reading an article on the two bands in Magnet once. It had very little to say about there being a rivalry between them beyond Paul Westerberg saying that he wanted to see Husker Du fail...and be the second best band in the city.
I didn't mean between the bands, I meant between indie-music fans. According to some people immersed in the scene, you kind of had to choose one or the other.

[howyadoin]

Clapton... rocked.I think hell just froze over.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

(I've posted this as its own thread based on my understanding of the rules. If it's incorrectly placed move as desired.)

1) Joy Division

2) New Order

3) Depeche Mode

Not really a fan of these groups. Sorry...


4) Tom Petty

Tom Petty f-ckin rules. I grew up during the MTV era and his Don't Come Roung Here No More video was just brillant to watch. The whole Mad Hatter thing fit Tom and the video still makes me smile when I catch it.


5) Mojo Nixon

6) Lisa Germano

Not a fan sorry....


7) Liz Phair

I remember everyone was saying " SELL OUT " about her 1st hit radio commercial song. But as she explained she did it for her daughter so she can at least tell her she had 1 hit. Sometimes we rush to do this to fast . Phair deserved the success and she's a babe.


8) The Yardbirds

9) Husker Du

Not a fan.....


10) Soul Asylum

They had "Runaway Train" as a hit. Its a great song. I know Tommy Stinson plays with them on the latest album and does shows last year when he's not busy with G'n'R.


11) Frank Zappa

12) The Meters

13) Billie Holliday

14) Professor Longhair

Not a fan sorry....I know Zappa has a funny interview with the Monkees he does with Nesmith where the 2 mock each other. Zappa dresses up as Mike and Mike does Zappa as they interview each other. :)


15) The Animals

Saw them on a VH1 special. I have a few songs of theirs somewhere.


16) Gram Parsons

17) John Prine

18) Lightnin' Hopkins

Not a fan sorry.


19) Iron Maiden

Maiden still KICKS ASS. I became a Maiden fan with Brave New World in 2000. I have their last 2 studio albums and enjoy Bruce's vocals.



20) Camper Van Beethoven

21) Bjork

22) PJ Harvey

23) Gang of Four

24) The Decemberists

25) Franz Ferdinand


Not into anyone else here. Bjork is the chick who dresses like a swan isn't she ?

[Adam C]

I didn't mean between the bands, I meant between indie-music fans. According to some people immersed in the scene, you kind of had to choose one or the other.

Well there yo go. And that's what I get for not reading closely enough.

[mattx110]

1) Joy Division
ok
2) New Order
ok
3) Depeche Mode
ok
4) Tom Petty
cool sunglasses, nice hair, campbell is good
5) Mojo Nixon
no idea
6) Lisa Germano
less idea
7) Liz Phair
kinda annoying sometimes but seems like a nice person
8) The Yardbirds
you're a guitarplayer aren't you?
9) Husker Du
ok. too hip for me
10) Soul Asylum
don't like em
11) Frank Zappa
terrific. SGs are such light little instruments but he liked em.
12) The Meters
no better band ever.
13) Billie Holliday
nice singer
14) Professor Longhair
probably the most influential NO pianist to live for decades in poverty. might be the most influential irregardless
15) The Animals
fun group, folky enough.
16) Gram Parsons
makes the byrds go from 6 to 10.
17) John Prine
i like texas a lot. i really really do.
18) Lightnin' Hopkins
apparently, so do you...
19) Iron Maiden
i got two albums, not the one with the DR who cover. they probably have bigger comic collections than me.
20) Camper Van Beethoven
doesn't ring a bell.
21) Bjork
ok
22) PJ Harvey
aces
23) Gang of Four
dunno
24) The Decemberists
don't live up to their side of the bargain. that stephen colbert shredoff showed how weak the guitarist is.
25) Franz Ferdinand
kinda boring.


edit: and zappa was an intellectual without being annoying. he studied music, and history and all those smart things musicians should study. and somehow he didn't come out as a basic pop band with 4 chords to his name and a sad song in his heart.

[dazzler_slave]

1) Joy Division - Great band. Loved them when I was younger

2) New Order - an improvement on Joy Division. Temptation remains one of my favourite songs of all time

3) Depeche Mode - I like them. I always did, but recently I watched a concert DVD and they were amazing. I'd love to see them live.

4) Tom Petty - I've never really been into him. I like some of his singles, but none really enough to buy from iTunes

5) Mojo Nixon - no interest

6) Lisa Germano - I have one of her albums and I really liked it back when I was in highschool. I especially love her song "You Make Me Want To Wear Dresses"

7) Liz Phair - I was a bigger fan of her in highschool, with Whip-Smart and the album before that, but then I lost interest. Whip-Smart I still enjoy, but definitely as an example of a certain time in my life

8) The Yardbirds - I like them fine

9) Husker Du - no interest

10) Soul Asylum - I always really liked Runaway Train, but never really listened to anything else by them

11) Frank Zappa - no interest

12) The Meters - don't know them

13) Billie Holliday - I love her. Her music makes me swoon. It takes me away to someplace else. I could listen to her all day

14) Professor Longhair - don't know them

15) The Animals - again, I like them fine, but they don't really stand out

16) Gram Parsons - no interest

17) John Prine - good singer/songwriter. I like a lot of his stuff

18) Lightnin' Hopkins - don't know him

19) Iron Maiden - I freakin love Iron Maiden! I have all their albums and their new stuff is as good as their old. Great lyricists.

20) Camper Van Beethoven - no interest

21) Bjork - She's great. Inventive and creative. I have been a fan since the sugarcubes

22) PJ Harvey - I was a big fan of her but I haven't heard anything recent. I love how she could be harsh (Man Size), smooth (Down By The Water), vulnerable (C'Mon Billy) and over the top (Big Exit). She is one talented lady!

23) Gang of Four - no interest

24) The Decemberists - they are an interesting new group with a lot of potential. I am looking forward to seeing what they do next

25) Franz Ferdinand - They are a fun pop band. I enjoy their music a lot, but never really take them seriously (which is probably a good thing)

[Valmore]

3) Depeche Mode

No thanks, I prefer music.

4) Tom Petty

Tom Petty is one of the greatest rock musicians who ever lived.

10) Soul Asylum

I liked their stuff back when they were actually around.

13) Billie Holliday

Great voice.

19) Iron Maiden

Not into metal.

21) Bjork

I can't believe she actually gets work in the music industry. Her voice is awful and the music is completely dull.

25) Franz Ferdinand

I've only ever heard one song and thought it was merely okay.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

3) Depeche Mode

No thanks, I prefer music.

4) Tom Petty

Tom Petty is one of the greatest rock musicians who ever lived.

21) Bjork

I can't believe she actually gets work in the music industry. Her voice is awful and the music is completely dull.


Pure blasphemy on all 3 counts.

Here are my responses to the poll:

1) Joy Division - Fairly boring overall, although I appreciate their mark on music history. Only song I like by them is probably "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

2) New Order - A lot more appealing than Joy Division, and if you look at them they were essentially a pop version of JD. Although Bernard Sumner isn't the greatest vocal talent of that time, I liked his voice a lot more than Ian Curtis's......I probably liked "Technique" and "Substance" more than any other NO release. Of course, "Substance" was a collection of their singles, but hey.......And I thought their output became horrid with the albums released after "Technique", just didn't care for "Republic" or anything else after.

I do have to mention I don't mind some of the New Order spin-offs, such as Revenge (First full-length was pretty good), Electronic (Only their first album, and the "Disappointed" single), and Monaco (Well, I only liked "What Do You Want From Me", but it's definitely worth noting)......Revenge & Monaco were pretty much like a cross between Joy Division & New Order. Definitely darker than New Order, but more pop/light than Joy Division.

3) Depeche Mode - An excellent band who had their ups & downs. A shame that, much like New Order, they went downhill from 1991-up.....There are only 2 or 3 songs I like by them after the excellent "Violator" album was released.

I could mention all the Vince Clarke-driven DM spin-offs, but that's another story and very different from any Depeche Mode material after Clarke left the band.

4) Tom Petty - One of the most horrific musicians I've ever had the misfortune to endure listening to. His voice permeating the airwaves is the equivalent to a cheese grater rubbing against my anus in an odd, James Bond-inspired torture scene.

21) Bjork - Very talented & unique vocalist, although her music & vocals don't appeal to me in the slightest bit. But at least, unlike Tom Petty, there's actual talent coming out of her vocal chords.


25) Franz Ferdinand - Don't care much for them. There are 1 or 2 songs I can listen to, but I'd prefer not to.....I prefer listening to other bands from that general genre that appeal to me more, such as The Killers or The Bravery.

[Valmore]

Pure blasphemy on all 3 counts.

Here are my responses to the poll:

1) Joy Division - Fairly boring overall, although I appreciate their mark on music history. Only song I like by them is probably "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

2) New Order - A lot more appealing than Joy Division, and if you look at them they were essentially a pop version of JD. Although Bernard Sumner isn't the greatest vocal talent of that time, I liked his voice a lot more than Ian Curtis's......I probably liked "Technique" and "Substance" more than any other NO release. Of course, "Substance" was a collection of their singles, but hey.......And I thought their output became horrid with the albums released after "Technique", just didn't care for "Republic" or anything else after.

I do have to mention I don't mind some of the New Order spin-offs, such as Revenge (First full-length was pretty good), Electronic (Only their first album, and the "Disappointed" single), and Monaco (Well, I only liked "What Do You Want From Me", but it's definitely worth noting)......Revenge & Monaco were pretty much like a cross between Joy Division & New Order. Definitely darker than New Order, but more pop/light than Joy Division.

3) Depeche Mode - An excellent band who had their ups & downs. A shame that, much like New Order, they went downhill from 1991-up.....There are only 2 or 3 songs I like by them after the excellent "Violator" album was released.

I could mention all the Vince Clarke-driven DM spin-offs, but that's another story and very different from any Depeche Mode material after Clarke left the band.

4) Tom Petty - One of the most horrific musicians I've ever had the misfortune to endure listening to. His voice permeating the airwaves is the equivalent to a cheese grater rubbing against my anus in an odd, James Bond-inspired torture scene.

21) Bjork - Very talented & unique vocalist, although her music & vocals don't appeal to me in the slightest bit. But at least, unlike Tom Petty, there's actual talent coming out of her vocal chords.


25) Franz Ferdinand - Don't care much for them. There are 1 or 2 songs I can listen to, but I'd prefer not to.....I prefer listening to other bands from that general genre that appeal to me more, such as The Killers or The Bravery.

I'd take offense, except your username is Christopher Cross is God, which means you clearly have little to no taste in music. Especially since you think Bjork can sing.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Especially since you think Bjork can sing.
Bjork can sing, she just generally chooses not to.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

I'd take offense, except your username is Christopher Cross is God, which means you clearly have little to no taste in music. Especially since you think Bjork can sing.

So not only do you have horrid taste in music, but you lack intelligence as well.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

Bjork can sing, she just generally chooses not to.

Exactly.....What I find amusing is people claiming a certain vocalist can't sing, simply because these people don't like their music or style of vocals.

It's kind of like those people who claim Mariah Carey has a horrible voice/can't sing. I'm sorry, you can hate her style of vocals & music all you want, but to say she can't sing or has a horrible voice is inane.

Tom Petty, on the other hand? One of the worst vocalists this side of that guy from Crash Test Dummies, and for anyone to call him one of the greatest rock musicians that ever lived is an affront to the true greats in rock.

Petty can be respected for his writing, and perhaps his stability, but he's definitely not one of the greatest rock musicians who ever lived, lol.

[Deathstroke]

1) Joy Division

2) New Order

3) Depeche Mode

Not really into these bands.


4) Tom Petty

I really like most of what Tom Petty has recorded.


5) Mojo Nixon

6) Lisa Germano

Never really listened to either artist


7) Liz Phair

Not really a fan, but I did a review of her last album Somebody's Miracle. I liked it overall.


8) The Yardbirds

Never really listened to much beyond whatever hits the radio


9) Husker Du

10) Soul Asylum

11) Frank Zappa

12) The Meters

13) Billie Holliday

14) Professor Longhair

15) The Animals

16) Gram Parsons

17) John Prine

18) Lightnin' Hopkins

I have listened to some stuff from most but not enough to call myself a fan.


19) Iron Maiden

One of my all-time favorite bands, PERIOD!


20) Camper Van Beethoven

21) Bjork

22) PJ Harvey

23) Gang of Four

24) The Decemberists

25) Franz Ferdinand

Not a fan.

[Ilash]

Okay, not familiar with a lot of these guys but here are my thoughts on those know - at least enough to make a comment on.


3) Depeche Mode

Synth-pop at its most synthy. Not my cup of tea. Not by a long shot.

4) Tom Petty

I like him. Admittedly, I actually much prefer his stuff since teaming up with Jeff Lyne but he's one consistent dude. He does only occasionally reach true excellence and yes, these occasions do usually happen on his singles so I perfectly understand why one might only bother with his greatest hits collections even if he does have some gems buried in his albums that are just as good as his hits. Oh and everyone should own Wildflowers for it rules.

7) Liz Phair

Er, well, I like what she looks like. No clue about her music.

8) The Yardbirds

Good stuff. Their songwriting doesn't often scale the heights of some of their contemporaries but their musicianship is usually excellent. Besides, you can't say much bad about a band that launched the careers of Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck.

11) Frank Zappa

I only know his Strictly Commercial compilation so I can't say much about his more out there stuff but the stuff on that comp is of a uniformally high level. His lyrics are fun but the thing that stuck out most on those songs was the amazing level of musicianship on display both from Zappa himself and his backing band(s?).

12) The Meters

13) Billie Holliday

14) Professor Longhair

I've only heard enough from these three to say that they all do seem like artists I should check out more of because I have liked what I've heard.

15) The Animals

It's a pity they didn't have any decent songwriters in their band because I really do like their sound. Not one of the toppermost Brit Invasion bands but as a blues cover band, they're better than most.

16) Gram Parsons

A giant that I do need to hear more of. While I'm not a huge fan of the Flying Burrito Brothers (though I do like them), it's hard not to respect the hell out of what Parson and co. did for music.

18) Lightnin' Hopkins

Another blues great but I haven't heard enough from him to say too much more than that. What I've heard is great though.

19) Iron Maiden

I'm not much one for metal so I don't see me checking these guys out any time soon.

21) Bjork

I hate her music. Respect her as an artist but cannot stand listening to even a single song all the way through. It's just that listening to her makes me want to rip my ears off, which is not something that's easy to get past.

25) Franz Ferdinand

Only heard their singles and though they're hardly mind-blowing, they're bouncy, catchy and fun. Rock-solid pop music then, which ain't nothing to sneeze at.

[howyadoin]

So not only do you have horrid taste in music, but you lack intelligence as well.If liking Christopher Cross is a sign of intelligence, sign me up for a lobotomy.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

If liking Christopher Cross is a sign of intelligence, sign me up for a lobotomy.

I'm still looking for the perfect Christopher Cross picture for my avatar. Since you seem to be a big fan, please let me know where I can find one.

Anyway, one thing I was referring to is his lack of discerning the meaning of my nick......If it went above your head as well, you can make sure to sign up for the lobotomy! :D

[SUPERECWFAN1]

I like Cross's art on Captain Marvel and Firestorm. But I'll be honest about Bjork....jesus what the hell is she singing 90% of the time ?

[mattx110]

:D
I like Cross's art on Captain Marvel and Firestorm. But I'll be honest about Bjork....jesus what the hell is she singing 90% of the time ?

i don't know. i only listen 10% of the time.

[Buried Alien]

25) Franz Ferdinand
Only heard their singles and though they're hardly mind-blowing, they're bouncy, catchy and fun. Rock-solid pop music then, which ain't nothing to sneeze at.

They did an interesting live cover of the Beatles' "It Won't Be Long" that's viewable on Youtube.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jonathan Bogart]

I'm still looking for the perfect Christopher Cross picture for my avatar.
What's wrong with http://www.markgerber.com/images/music/christopher_cross.jpg?

[Valmore]

If liking Christopher Cross is a sign of intelligence, sign me up for a lobotomy.

I guess we'll be on the short bus together. But at least we'll be listening to Tom Petty.

[howyadoin]

I guess we'll be on the short bus together. But at least we'll be listening to Tom Petty.And not Bah-jork.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

I guess we'll be on the short bus together. But at least we'll be listening to Tom Petty.

My condolences.

[Christopher Cross Is God]

What's wrong with http://www.markgerber.com/images/music/christopher_cross.jpg?

Nah, what I'm wanting is a picture of him during his overweight glory years in the 80's.

[Jessica Drew]

1) Joy Division - Like the one song, but can only here it when I'm in the right mood, which isn't very often. Not a big fan.

2) New Order - Never catered much to electronica. Like many electronic artists, I can appreciate them, but I can't make myself like them.

3) Depeche Mode - See above, except I like them less because I had a friend in college who played their records too much. Still like "Personal Jesus," though.

4) Tom Petty - Still fighting the good fight; Damn the Torpedoes, Full Moon Fever, and Wildflowers are all very good albums, and all a bit different from one another in tone. I like Petty's singing, and I think he's finally captured that Bob Dylan/Roger McGuinn sound he's been trying to capture for thirty years.

5) Mojo Nixon - I know a handful of his songs, and they are what they are, but there are two lines from "Elvis Is Everywhere" that get me everytime: 1). "Elvis is in Joan Rivers, but he's trying to get out, & 2). "You know what's going on in that Bermuda Triangle? Elvis needs boats."

6) Lisa Germano - Don't know her solo work, though I've heard good things.

7) Liz Phair - Sings in her lower register too much, sings better now than she used to, though. She's got great pop-songwriting sensibilities, and a wonderfully-vulger lyric sensibility, but she seems artistically conflicted. Her song "Jealousy" (from Whip Smart) is one of the best paranoid-relationship songs I've ever heard.

8) The Yardbirds - Admire more than like

9) Husker Du - Never heard 'em. Back when they were receiving accolades, I couldn't find their stuff anywhere. When I got to the point to where I could, I'd forgotten. Now that I've gone digital (and legal), I'm back to the beginning. There stuff's not on iTunes.

10) Soul Asylum - Well, my wife loves 'em.

11) Frank Zappa - Seemed a bit too smarmy for my tastes, but after he testified during the PMRC hearings, I'll always be a fan of him personally.

12) The Meters - Funk & rhythm monsters. Love 'em.

13) Billie Holliday - She's great, just not necessarily my type of singer, though.

14) Professor Longhair - See The Meters.

15) The Animals - Good band, great singer, a few fantastic bluesy singles. Like 'em much better than the Yardbirds.

16) Gram Parsons - Admire more than like.

17) John Prine - I adore his music. Aside from Dylan, he's the best folk singer out there (and he's always been more folk than singer-songwriter--more like Woody than JT). He's much funnier than Dylan, yet he still writes about serious, topical issues. He's not pedantic, though. His songs are of the working class. One of the all-time greats. Probably never make the rock and roll of fame, either.

18) Lightnin' Hopkins - One of the great early blues guitarists. Love his stuff.

19) Iron Maiden - "Run to the Hills" is a fantastic single, metal or not. The rest I can take in doses. Used to be a bigger fan than I am now.

20) Camper Van Beethoven - All I know is their cover of "Pictures of Matchstick Men," which changed almost nothing from the original.

21) Bjork - Musically, she could be today's Yoko Ono, except she's a much better singer and songwriter. If I'm in the right mood, I can listen to her for hours at a time.

22) PJ Harvey - I think she's slackened as of late--or maybe just suffering through an artistic crisis--but for her best stuff (and there's a good bit of it) is as tough, powerful, and scathing as just about anything ever produced. Superb singer and good guitarist. Her "Down by the Water" (little fish, little fish, swimming in the water) is not just some pithy ditty; it's downright disturbing.

23) Gang of Four - I dig their stuff. I appreciate the earnestness with which they try to play funk.

24) The Decemberists - Take 'em or leave 'em.

25) Franz Ferdinand - Produced a nigh-handful of great pop singles.

[howyadoin]

I like Petty's singing, and I think he's finally captured that Bob Dylan/Roger McGuinn sound he's been trying to capture for thirty years.Have you heard the song he did with McGuinn, King of the Hill?

[Valmore]

My condolences.

Why? We'll be listening to some of the best rock made in the past 30 years.

You'll be listening to some girl who is more famous for wearing feathers than anything musical.

We're the ones offering condolences to you - if you haven't gone deaf already.

[Jonathan Bogart]

And, as always, the silent majority who enjoys both Petty and Bjork gets lost in the screaming match between the partisan extremes.

[leonaozaki]

And, as always, the silent majority who enjoys both Petty and Bjork gets lost in the screaming match between the partisan extremes.

My thoughts exactly. It's not all that hard to like both.

rob

[Valmore]

And, as always, the silent majority who enjoys both Petty and Bjork gets lost in the screaming match between the partisan extremes.


My thoughts exactly. It's not all that hard to like both.

rob

We'd invite you on the short bus, but we're afraid you'd try to turn off Tom Petty and put on Bjork.

[mattx110]

And, as always, the silent majority who enjoys both Petty and Bjork gets lost in the screaming match between the partisan extremes.

i heard bjork say tom petty smelled funny.

[howyadoin]

My thoughts exactly. It's not all that hard to like both.Never seen Dancer in the Dark, I take it?

[Jessica Drew]

Have you heard the song he did with McGuinn, King of the Hill?

If I have, I don't recall. Where can I find said song?

[Jessica Drew]

Never seen Dancer in the Dark, I take it?

Loved it. It made me weep tears of duck down.

[howyadoin]

If I have, I don't recall. Where can I find said song?It's from this album (http://www.amazon.ca/o/ASIN/B000002VHO/701-8787422-1269125?SubscriptionId=090R2AY9GS747TQM3K02).

[Jonathan Bogart]

Never seen Dancer in the Dark, I take it?
Yeah, some people's bullshit tolerance is higher than yours, howy. I too like Dancer.

[howyadoin]

Yeah, some people's bullshit tolerance is higher than yours, howy. I too like Dancer.I'm tempted to ask how, but I guess why would be a better question.

[Jonathan Bogart]

I'm tempted to ask how, but I guess why would be a better question.
I dunno; can you always say why you liked something? I'm not really a movie guy, but I thought this one tried some interesting things and pulled enough of them off. And I'm a sucker for musicals, regardless of pretension level.

[howyadoin]

I dunno; can you always say why you liked something? I'm not really a movie guy, but I thought this one tried some interesting things and pulled enough of them off. And I'm a sucker for musicals, regardless of pretension level.Fair enough. I've heard some truly ludicrous rationalizations about the movie, but yours is the first honest answer I've read so far.

[leonaozaki]

Never seen Dancer in the Dark, I take it?

Nope. Just listened to all of her records plus some of her stuff with the Sugarcubes. Plus I own almost everything Tom Petty's ever recorded (wasn't Highway Companion great?). I suppose I'm just nuts.

rob

[howyadoin]

wasn't Highway Companion great?Oh yeah, definitely. I really need to take it on an actual road trip at some point.


I suppose I'm just nuts.Well...

[Ilash]

... here comes ten more artists to comment on. For this round, solo artists only.

1) Rickie Lee Jones

2) Dr John

3) Joe Jackson

4) Joe Cocker

5) Nick Drake

6) Michael Jackson

7) Otis Redding

8) Patti Smith

9) Eddie Cochran

10) Fats Domino



and as a special bonus, the songwriting team of

11) Bacharach/ David

[leonaozaki]

1) Rickie Lee Jones

I absolutely love her first album but I never quite got into anything she did after that. But she gets lots of points just for her first album and "Chuck E's in Love."

2) Dr John

As a onetime resident of Nworlins I sort of have to love Dr. John. I think it's in the bylaws. Anyway, he's great. I have a couple of his records (including the one with his version of "Iko Iko" and, of course, "Right Place Wrong Time") and I love 'em. He also wins points for playing on Fess records. Even if his whole act is a put-on job, he's the real deal.

3) Joe Jackson

Another fave New Wave singer-songwriter. I would probably adore him for "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" alone, but I've got a 2-CD collection of his and it's all great.

4) Joe Cocker

No. I've never liked him and I've never understood his popularity. No.

5) Nick Drake

Now here's a guy that I've read a lot about and while I'm interested in him I've never owned any of his stuff or heard any of it. I probably should change that soon.

6) Michael Jackson

I used to own Thriller and even as a child I thought half of it was great (the singles) and half of it was crap (the Macca duets). I've heard a few songs off of Off the Wall and will probably buy that one day as a result. I think he's a very talented man who's squandered his talent pretty spectacularly.

7) Otis Redding

Dude, who doesn't love Otis? I have two of his records and his greatest hits and of course they're outstanding. He would be a god for "Try a Little Tenderness" alone.

8) Patti Smith

Honestly, I had never heard any Patti Smith until I watched the Hall of Fame induction ceremony earlier this year. Man, she blew me away! I have since tracked down some of her songs and I love them. One day I will buy Horses and take it from there.

9) Eddie Cochran

I dunno. I have his greatest hits but I've never got up the energy to listen to the whole thing. I suppose he's an important 50's rocker but I've never had much interest in him. Bonus points, I suppose, for writing "Summertime Blues" for the Who to cover. (I know he really didn't write it for the Who. Little joke.)

10) Fats Domino

I have one of his greatest hits and while I would by lying if I didn't say it starts to get a little repetitive after 25 songs the great stuff is excellent: "Blueberry Hill," "Walking to New Orleans," etc. Certainly a towering figure in early rock and roll.

and as a special bonus, the songwriting team of

11) Bacharach/ David

Yawn.

[Reptisaurus!]

I decided I NEED to do one of these. Gimme your thoughts on:

1) Lauryn Hill

2) Jean Grae

3) McCoy Tyner

4) Skunk Anansie

5) Screamin' Jay Hawkins

6) Gravediggaz

7) Ghostface Killah

8) Femi Kuti

9) Ziggy Marley

10) Daddy Yankee

11) John Trudell

12) DJ Spooky

13) People Under the Stairs

14) D.J. Jazzy Jeff

15) Kimya Dawson

16) King's X

17) Mary J. Blige

18) Louis Armstrong ('Specially the later, "What a Wonderful World" pop stuff.)

19) Elvin Jones

20) Boozoo Chavis

21) Handsome Boy Modeling School

22) Herbie Hancock

[berk]

1) Rickie Lee Jones

Her sound never really clicked with me but I can see she's talented.

2) Dr John

Haven't heard all that much but really like what I have heard. "Average Kind of Guy" probably my favourite.

3) Joe Jackson

I like those early albums, Look Sharp and I'm the Man.

4) Joe Cocker

Love the voice, but he frittered his talent away on crap material in the 80s. I'd like to hear more of the earlier stuff from the 60's and early-mid 70's.

5) Nick Drake

Haven't ever gotten into his stuff much; right now I'd say I'm not an admirer, but that could change in the future.

6) Michael Jackson

Like the Jackson 5 and his solo Off the Wall album and absolutely nothing he's done since.

7) Otis Redding

Totally deserving of his enormous reputation. One of the greats. Indispensible, really, for any fan of American pop music.

8) Patti Smith

Someone I should like but have never really listened too enough to have much of an opinion. One of these days I might check out her stuff, but for some reason i don't feel any great curiosity about it.

9) Eddie Cochran

Only know the one song, Summertime Blues, but that's a good one.

10) Fats Domino

One of my favourites from that era.

11) Bacharach/ David

One of the greatest songwriting teams of their era. The Bacharach box set, The Look of Love, is packed with gems, hardly a dud in the whole bunch, apart from the 80's material he did with Carol Sager or whatever her name was, all of which sucked.

[Jonathan Bogart]

1) Rickie Lee Jones
All I really know about her is that she was Tom Waits' girlfriend for a while before he found his muse Kathleen Brennan. The little I've listened to her makes me think of a low-rent Joni Mitchell.


2) Dr John
One of the greatest funk artists of the 1970s, one of the most outstanding New Orleans musicians ever. Few have done more to keep New Orleans music in the public consciousness, which he's able to do because he's white and therefore marketable.


3) Joe Jackson
Just below Elvis Costello (and well ahead of Graham Parker) in the pantheon of singer-songwriters who gained prominence during the punk era. His musical ambition has sometimes led him down weird adult-contemporary side streets, but for savagely literate, stripped-down rock & roll, few can touch him.


4) Joe Cocker
I don't mind the Mad Dogs and Englishmen era, because he's surrounded by some of the greatest musicians of the time, but after that he's just a parody of white guys trying to sound like black guys who were long out of fashion.


5) Nick Drake
If you're heavily into his brand of somber, melodic folk, he's probably the most essential artist this side of early Leonard Cohen. I can only take so much of it at a time, though.


6) Michael Jackson
He had two peaks: 1970 and 1979 ("ABC" and "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough"). And The Corporation and Quincy Jones were mostly responsible for them, anyway.


7) Otis Redding
Probably the greatest male soul singer ever, even more perfect for being flash-frozen at the peak of his powers -- and one of the most tragic losses of the 1960s.


8) Patti Smith
I like the idea of Patti Smith more than I like her music, which I wish was more abrasive and urgent -- more punk, in fact -- but she's clearly one of the godmothers of modern female rock & roll.


9) Eddie Cochran
One of the best of the early rock & rollers, he's much more than just the "Summertime Blues" guy. He continued to have hits into the 60s, after Elvis had joined the Army, Little Richard had found religion, Jerry Lee Lewis had married his cousin, and Buddy Holly had died, and is as much a contemporary of Del Shannon and Roy Orbison at his peak as of those earlier guys.


10) Fats Domino
The greatest New Orleans rock & roller, depending on how you define rock & roll. He was the first to bring the easygoing New Orleans r&b shuffle into the mainstream of American music, and for that alone he's one of the immortals.


11) Bacharach/ David
One of the greatest songwriting teams of the twentieth century, on a par with Lennon/McCartney, Gershwin/Gershwin, and Rodgers/Hart. And the recordings of their songs that were made when Bacharach was intimately involved with the production are some of the finest pop moments in history.

[mattx110]

i think it's time to have a thread where the starter gives 10 opinions and people have to say what band that represents for them. i woulda done it already, but i'm nervous about starting threads.

and i love dr. john, eddie cochran, otis, fats domino, and hey richard thompson was on a nick drake album, so he's ok by association.

[Ilash]

Oops, almost forgot to answer my own thread.

1) Rickie Lee Jones

I only have her first album but I really love it - it's pretty much the definition of COOL. Even the song titles are cool. Yes, the comparisons to Joni Mitchell are obvious and deserved but honestly, I think she holds her own. I dig the mix of styles she uses on the album too.

2) Dr John

Great. One the best white R&B artists ever. He has also managed to still be musically vital to this day, which is also a bonus.

3) Joe Jackson

Yup, again I agree that the comparisons to Elvis Costello are well deserved. I only own a greatest hits of his but all of the songs on it are pretty great, even if a few aren't all that memorable. Also, much like Ricki Lee Jones, he's a New Wave singer songwriter with his feet firmly planted in his roots.

4) Joe Cocker

I really like his early stuff. He was supported by fine backing musicians and he had a unique singing voice and he always added his own stamp to the stuff he was covering - even if he seldom bettered the originals. He's certainly gotten much worse as he has gone on with most of these positives having fallen away by this point.

5) Nick Drake

He makes music that is both quite beautiful but also quite boring. He has plenty going for him but I don't think he's the GREAT previously-forgotten genius that some like to make him out to be.

6) Michael Jackson

Some early singles aside, I really don't like his music. I think it was Jonathan Bogart who mentioned in an earlier thread that Prince and Michael Jackson went a long way to whiten black music - a move that strikes me as being ill-advised at best. I still respect Prince more than Michael Jackson, who never struck me as being all that great to start off with but started releasing some truly excrable stuff as time went on. "The King of Pop" my ass.

7) Otis Redding

OK. I put him here just for people to gush over. Honestly, is it even possible to have a soul and not adore the guy's music? Just want to make a special mention of the Booker T and the McGs (and the Bartones) who's musical accompaniment really helped to make Otis's music the thing of beauty that it is. For what it's worth though, I actually still prefer Sam Cooke slightly but hey, coming second to Sam Cooke is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

8) Patti Smith

Seems interesting. I actually haven't heard much by her.

9) Eddie Cochran

I have a greatest hits of his and I've come to this conclusion: his 50s "teenage hearthrob" quasi-ballad type songs are a bit rubbish but when he sticks to straight up rock and roll, he really ranks right up there with the best of the fifties rock and rollers. And however much I love Summrtime Blues, he's at his best on My Way, a song that was also covered by the Who (on their Odds and Sods comp) that has nothing to do with the more famous song of the same name but is just as good. Also, he wrote Twenty Flight Rock, the song that allegedly got Paul McCartney into the Beatles so he's got to earn some brownie points for that.

10) Fats Domino

From what I've heard, he does get a bit samey after a while but he does stand out from the crowd as a great, original rhythm and blues artist.

11) Bacharach/ David


Some of their music does come across as a bit schmultzy to these ears but on the whole they really are one of the finest songwriting duos of the 20th century with oodles of CLASSIC songs to their name.

[Jonathan Bogart]

That a Lady Sov quote in the title? Nice.


1) Lauryn Hill
The more time has passed since that year when she was the savior of hip-hop soul, the less impressive The Miseducation has seemed to me (and nothing she's done since touches it). The Fugees are still pretty cool, though.


2) Jean Grae
I think I've heard a song or two. Nothing stuck with me.


3) McCoy Tyner
He's on the list of piano men to check out, but I'm still buried in Bud Powell, Bill Evans, and (always) Thelonious Monk. As far as post-bop goes, my preference is the flat-out weirdness of Cecil Taylor.


4) Skunk Anansie
I used to like the one song, back when hard rock still spoke to me.


5) Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Love the dude, but he had a really limited range, at least on record.


6) Gravediggaz
I've heard nothing. I know nothing.


7) Ghostface Killah
I get the respect and all, but I've never been able to get into any Wu-Tang stuff.


8) Femi Kuti
Haven't heard; I'm too busy rockin' to his old man.


9) Ziggy Marley
Apart from the Arthur theme, see #8.


10) Daddy Yankee
The guy who made reggaeton blow up, right? I haven't heard any, though I'm curious.


11) John Trudell
Don't even know the name.


12) DJ Spooky
I don't listen to nearly enough turntablism, and I'm always suspicious of acid-jazz affiliations, but he's not as easy-listening as I'd feared.


13) People Under the Stairs
Never heard of 'em.


14) D.J. Jazzy Jeff
Hell, I don't even know the Fresh Prince stuff; by the time I started getting into hip-hop, pop-rap was long since past.


15) Kimya Dawson
She's an r&b artist, right? Or, no, wait, she's one of those black pop-rock chicks who never really coheres into a signature sound. Sorry, nothing.


16) King's X
I hear that if I were into metal, I'd probably like them.


17) Mary J. Blige
I'm more familiar with the name and the reputation than with any of the actual music. My tastes always skew either older or undergrounder.


18) Louis Armstrong ('Specially the later, "What a Wonderful World" pop stuff.)
Not only does the later, "What a Wonderful World" pop stuff not hold a candle to the original jaw-dropping 1920s Invention of Jazz, it doesn't even hold a candle to his 1930s and 40s pop schmaltz. That said, it's the best damn easy listening music the 1960s produced. I have a special fondness for his proto-disco cover of "Everybody's Talkin'."


19) Elvin Jones
I know the name, couldn't place the music.


20) Boozoo Chavis
Don't know the name, probably wouldn't like the music.


21) Handsome Boy Modeling School
I appreciate the desire to bring a sense of silly play back to hip-hop, but I don't think they quite pull it off.


22) Herbie Hancock
I adore pretty much everything I've heard, from the post-bop "compositional" phase to the electric-funk fusion phase to the hip-hop-inflected MTV phase. One of the giants of 20th century jazz, without a doubt.

[howyadoin]

I have a special fondness for his proto-disco cover of "Everybody's Talkin'."The Nilsson song?

[Jonathan Bogart]

The Nilsson song?
That's the one. It's a trip.

[Buried Alien]

I'll lead off on the opinions this week:

1. John Denver


2. Donovan


3. The Ronettes


4. Peter and Gordon


5. The Hollies


6. Three Dog Night


7. The Guess Who


8. The Bee Gees


9. The Jackson Five


10. Simon and Garfunkel



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Jonathan Bogart]

1. John Denver
I have a fondness for "Annie's Song," but otherwise I don't think much of him.


2. Donovan
One of the better psych-pop acts in late-60s England. Nowhere near as important as he thought he was, but that's true of practically everyone in the late '60s, especially in psych-pop.


3. The Ronettes
One of the greatest pop acts of all time. Phil Spector's production matched with the tragic-teenager voice of Veronica Bennett (nee Ronnie Spector) was one of the sublime pop experiences of the last century.


4. Peter and Gordon
Their Lennon/McCartney hit aside, they were quite the cheeky little pair of lads. Nothing to get too excited about, but pleasant bubblegum horndog pop.


5. The Hollies
Only their hits really matter, but those are some of the greatest songs of the British Invasion era. But once outside the land of Greatest Hits, they don't have a very deep catalogue, and ("Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" aside), they couldn't keep up with the times.


6. Three Dog Night
One of the more irritating pop bands of the late 60s, early 70s, mostly because I prefer the original versions of the songs they made into huge hits, the dumbass "Joy To The World" excepted.


7. The Guess Who
Didn't we do them already? Anyway, boring boogie-rock doesn't get any better just because it's Canadian.


8. The Bee Gees
Thought we did them too. Some very nice late-60s pop (their albums were better than their hits, though, especially the cloying, inescapable "To Love Somebody"), one good disco song, and that's all I care about them.


9. The Jackson Five
All I really know is "I Want You Back" and "ABC," but those are such perfect slices of late Motown pop that I want to dig deeper.


10. Simon and Garfunkel
I'll probably never like Paul Simon enough to care about his solo work, but they were a magical duo there for a few years. Their adolescent, collegiate sense of history and Life In General appeals to me pretty strongly.

[leonaozaki]

1. John Denver

"Annie's Song" is pretty good, and I don't think he's as bad as I used to, since my wife has nostalgic memories of him, but he's still pretty forgettable.


2. Donovan

I used to write him off as just another Dylan wannabe -- blame Don't Look Back for that-- but then I heard "Season of the Witch" on House and am, er, intriuged.

3. The Ronettes

Pure pop perfection.

4. Peter and Gordon

No idea.

5. The Hollies

I know who they are but I've never been interested enough to listen to them.

6. Three Dog Night

Pretty much what Jonathan said. I like "Joy to the World" an awful lot, but in every other case, I like the original versions of their hits better.

7. The Guess Who

No, no, no. Willfully stoooopid "hard" rock.

8. The Bee Gees

I'm man enough to admit that I really like "Staying Alive." Beyond that I don't know much about them.

9. The Jackson Five

I really like what I've heard. It's an open question as to whether I'll explore the Jacksons or Off the Wall first.

10. Simon and Garfunkel

Alternately annoying and engaging. For every song that I like -- such as "Emily's Song" or "Hazy Shade of Winter" there's one that annoys me. When they found the balance between their literary pretensions and pop sensibilities, they made great music. But too often their literary pretensions took over.

I will say that Paul Simon came up with one of the greatest Dylan parodies ever, though.

rob

[jesse_custer]

I'll do the last five because those are the ones I'm familiar with:


6. Three Dog Night

Good vocals but still kind of superficial overall. However, "Liar" is one hell of a song.


7. The Guess Who

Not that their styles are similar or anything, yet I've always asked why listen to The Guess Who when you can listen to The Who? But check out "Rain Dance," which is the only original song in The Guess Who's entire catalogue.


8. The Bee Gees

Talented singers. That's about it. Most of their songs are formulaic and/or annoying.


9. The Jackson Five

Hate them. Anything that sounds like I could hear it at church is automatically bad.


10. Simon and Garfunkel

Definitely the most talented out of the last five artists, they harmonize perfectly and have written great music and lyrics, with plenty of diverse song structures as to not follow in the footsteps of the numerous derivative and boring pop musicians.

[Adam C]

Not that their styles are similar or anything, yet I've always asked why listen to The Guess Who when you can listen to The Who?

Considering that the Guess Who service the need for less cerebral hard rock I figure the question should be rephrased as: "Why listen to the Guess Who when I can listen to T. Rex?"

[jesse_custer]

Yeah, I use the previous phrasing because they both have "Who" in their names. Just a simpleton, I know.

[Valmore]

1. John Denver - I find it ironic that the man who sang "Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas" was once arrested on a DUI on Christmas Eve. Other than that, his stuff is okay in doses.

2. Donovan - Never listened to him.

3. The Ronettes - Decent enough group, but nowhere near the level of other female vocal groups of the time.

4. Peter and Gordon - I got nuthin.

5. The Hollies - I love the Hollies. They did some awesome pop-rock music.

6. Three Dog Night - I've only heard a couple of songs by them, but they were decent songs.

7. The Guess Who - Good stuff there.

8. The Bee Gees - Funny thing about disco, the Bee Gees really aren't the definitive group for disco, because disco was predominantly ruled by African-Americans and females. At any rate, I dislike most disco anyway, the Bee Gees included.

9. The Jackson Five - A lot of talent.

10. Simon and Garfunkel - Clearly much better together than apart.

[Brad Barton]

1. John Denver: Rocky Mountain High is the only thing that comes to mind when I think of John Denver, and even then only because of Time-Life infomercials....so, I guess I'm not exactly a "fan".

2. Donovan: Never heard of him.

3. The Ronettes: heard of them but not familiar with their work.

4. Peter and Gordon: Same as "Donovan"

5. The Hollies: Same as "The Ronettes"

6. Three Dog Night: good band, lot of soul.

7. The Guess Who: Never cared much for these guys, they, along with the Rolling Stones, were a little overrated (IMO)

8. The Bee Gees: Excellent band. Right up there with Zeppelin and the Beatles for sheer songwriting talent.

9. The Jackson Five: Had a few good songs, but unfortunately they've all been completely overshadowed by Michael Jackson and his freakiness...

10. Simon and Garfunkel: Remind me of Wayne's World 2. ;)

[Ilash]

[
7. The Guess Who: Never cared much for these guys, they, along with the Rolling Stones, were a little overrated (IMO)

Wait, wait, wait, WAIT! Did you just draw a comparison between the Stones and the freakin' Guess Who?! Really?!

:confused:

[Ilash]

1. John Denver

I think "eh" basically covers it here. Some pleasant tunes delivered a blandly, as inoffensively and as nondescript as is humanly possible. Nothing unlistenable but really, really boring.


2. Donovan


I like Donovan but honestly, I own one of his albums and just about never listen to it.

3. The Ronettes

Definitely need to hear more of their stuff to really have an informed opinion about them but all signs do point to goodness.

4. Peter and Gordon

I've only heard the Macca-written hits and liked them. A bit Beatles-lite but enjoyable sixties pop.

5. The Hollies

I've heard an album or two of theirs and they do seem to be a singles compilation-only type band. But man, those singles are good. They are perhaps a bit too wimpy for their own good and they're only really good in a single style but seeing as how they came up with some of the best pop melodies of the sixties, there's only so much that I can really fault them.

6. Three Dog Night

I've heard a few of their singles and I like them. Solid, lightweight pop music, not much more, not much less.

7. The Guess Who

Yeah, I included them in my first poll and my opinion is the same: when not indulging in very middle of the road seventies hard rock, they actually managed to produce a few really good songs. I wouldn't discard them too quickly but I wouldn't overdo the praise either.

8. The Bee Gees

I think they've also been done. Not really my cuppa. Simple as that. They're not as bad as people say and they're certainly not without talent but they're just not a band that I would purposely put on to listen to.


9. The Jackson Five

Based on my fairly limited exposure to them, I've come to the conclusion that as a soul group they're a bit lacking in soul (honestly compare them to other soul vocal groups like the Tempts and the Impressions and see how much they pale in comparison) and as a pop band they just strike me as being really bland. Another "eh" then.

10. Simon and Garfunkel

Even though all their songs sound really, really similar they have managed to be incredibly inconsistent. I've never heard a truly awful S&G song but a huge portion of their catalog consists of unforgettable trifles that don't really make any impression at all. On the other hand, when they're good they're really great. Their best songs easily rank among the very best folk/ pop songs I've ever heard. It's just a pity you've got to get through so much chaff to get to the good stuff. Easy solution though, just pick up a good greatest hits album and you're basically covered - awful nice of them to make their best songs, their most popular.

[Brad Barton]

Wait, wait, wait, WAIT! Did you just draw a comparison between the Stones and the freakin' Guess Who?! Really?!

:confused:Well, I didn't compare their music, just the fact that, IMO, they're both overrated...

Just for clarification: "The Guess Who" and "The Who" are two different bands, right?

[Ilash]

Well, I didn't compare their music, just the fact that, IMO, they're both overrated...

I don't agree of course but I'm just surprised that you would equate the overratedness of a band that are generally at best considered a nice little rock and roll group with one of the true giants of rock and roll.


Just for clarification: "The Guess Who" and "The Who" are two different bands, right?

Er, yeah. I take it classic rock ain't really your thing.

Still, even if we don't have the same taste in music, your avatar alone puts you squarely in my good books. ;)

[TheLazy]

1. John Denver
Meh. Not much of a country fan, and this tripe isnt helping

2. Donovan
?

3. The Ronettes
??

4. Peter and Gordon
???

5. The Hollies
I may sound ignorant, but is this something to do with buddy holly?

6. Three Dog Night
Worst name ever

7. The Guess Who
The who?

8. The Bee Gees
Finally! Well these guys are okay.

9. The Jackson Five
These are one of them bands that it's cool to like even if your grandmother liked them.

10. Simon and Garfunkel
I love paul simon ( in a purely platonic way). He has a nice tribal pop thing going on, as a duo these two never did anything for me though.

:)

[Buried Alien]

1. John Denver

I think "eh" basically covers it here. Some pleasant tunes delivered a blandly, as inoffensively and as nondescript as is humanly possible. Nothing unlistenable but really, really boring.

Funny, that's how I describe James Taylor. :)




2. Donovan


I like Donovan but honestly, I own one of his albums and just about never listen to it.


His "greatest hits" is all you need.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Buried Alien]

1. John Denver
Meh. Not much of a country fan, and this tripe isnt helping


The probably tongue-in-cheek "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" notwithstanding, John Denver wasn't really a country act...at least not in the same sense that Hank Williams or Waylon Jennings was a country act (or for that matter, Garth Brooks or Kenny Chesney). Denver was kind of unique, but his musical allegiance is closer to the James Taylor/Jim Croce/Don McLean school of singer-songwriter (with an emphasis on the nature theme) rather than country and western music. You wouldn't hear too much John Denver on a country music station.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Brad Barton]

I don't agree of course but I'm just surprised that you would equate the overratedness of a band that are generally at best considered a nice little rock and roll group with one of the true giants of rock and roll. Okay, which one's the "little rock group", and which one's the "giant"? They both left rather sizeable imprints on music history, and if I had to say which band I thought was more "iconic" (which doesn't necessarily equate to talent) I'd have to say the Stones.


Er, yeah. I take it classic rock ain't really your thing.Harder classic rock is most definitely my thing. I'm extremely versed in Sabbath, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Hendrix and the Beatles (who aren't really that "hard", just extremely good.) But bands like the Who, the Stones, the Doors....not so much.


Still, even if we don't have the same taste in music, your avatar alone puts you squarely in my good books. ;)You know, you're the first person to comment on it...I was starting to think I was the only one "in the know" about the Dude on these boards...

[Ilash]

Okay, which one's the "little rock group", and which one's the "giant"? They both left rather sizeable imprints on music history, and if I had to say which band I thought was more "iconic" (which doesn't necessarily equate to talent) I'd have to say the Stones.

Sorry but as far as classic rock and roll bands go, the Stones are simply far bigger, far more important and yes, much much better than The Guess Who. The Rolling Stones are easily in the top tier of influential rock and roll bands whereas the Guess Who are simply one of the many bands that are influenced by them.


Harder classic rock is most definitely my thing. I'm extremely versed in Sabbath, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Hendrix and the Beatles (who aren't really that "hard", just extremely good.) But bands like the Who, the Stones, the Doors....not so much.

Well, as far as the Who go, have you heard any of their live stuff - especially Live at Leeds - because they're easily as hard rocking the first four bands you mentioned and significantly better than at least the first three, IMHO. I still stand by the belief that just about anything Zeppelin could do, the Who could do better.

Also, considering the bands you mentioned, I'm really surprised that you haven't given the Rolling Stones more of a shot. Just a friendly recommendation here but I really recommend picking up Sticky Fingers, which is the album that got me into the Stones and see what you think. Based on your musical background, it does seem like a good starting place and if you don't like that one then it's pretty much guaranteed that you wouldn't like the rest of their output, which is more varied than any of those bands you mentioned aside for the Beatles.


You know, you're the first person to comment on it...I was starting to think I was the only one "in the know" about the Dude on these boards...

That's insane! The Big Lebowski is one of the greatest AND coolest movies of all time. I seriously doubt that we're the only fans on this board.

[jessecuster3]

1. John Denver
For what he did he was great, and who didn't laugh when you first heard "mountain momma".

2. Donovan
I just rediscovered him after Season of the Witch was on an episode of House, that song could be played on the radio today and noone would realize its from 1966

6. Three Dog Night
How many would know this band if it weren't for The Big Chill.

8. The Bee Gees
The most successful of the disco era, that should say everything.

9. The Jackson Five
I loved their cartoon, so by default I must have loved their music.

10. Simon and Garfunkel
Paul Simon will always be a fantastic songwriter.

[Ilash]

2. Donovan
I just rediscovered him after Season of the Witch was on an episode of House, that song could be played on the radio today and noone would realize its from 1966


Not true. They would be able to tell that it's not from today what with it actually being interesting and well written and memorable.

[Adam C]

Okay, which one's the "little rock group", and which one's the "giant"? They both left rather sizeable imprints on music history...

Two songs that get played frequently on classic rock radio are a sizeable contribution to music history? As near as I can tell that's all the Guess Who have contributed since their albums aren't really remember as well as any of the other songs on them.

And it's certainly not comparable to the Stones, who, among other things, basically laid most of the foundations for hard rock, including the bands you mentioned.

[TheLazy]

Okay, which one's the "little rock group", and which one's the "giant"? They both left rather sizeable imprints on music history, and if I had to say which band I thought was more "iconic" (which doesn't necessarily equate to talent) I'd have to say the Stones.

Harder classic rock is most definitely my thing. I'm extremely versed in Sabbath, Deep Purple, Zeppelin, Hendrix and the Beatles (who aren't really that "hard", just extremely good.) But bands like the Who, the Stones, the Doors....not so much.

You know, you're the first person to comment on it...I was starting to think I was the only one "in the know" about the Dude on these boards...

Stop moaning before I piss on your rug.;)

:)

[Ilash]

Stop moaning before I piss on your rug.;)

:)

That rug really tied the room together, Dude!

[jessecuster3]

Not true. They would be able to tell that it's not from today what with it actually being interesting and well written and memorable.

Do you really want to play this game?

[Ilash]

Do you really want to play this game?

Not really but... come on.

[jessecuster3]

Not really but... come on.

All I was saying is that if you play it for someone today who has never heard of Donovan, they would absolutely think it is a new song. Its a compliment, not an insult.

[Dreadstar]

1. John Denver
Great songwriter. It may not be your cup of tea, especially if you immediately label it "country", but he had a boatload of talent. He has a measure of guarateed imortality, too. Good for him. The entire Rocky Mountain High album was pretty much a "must listen to" album in 1973. He became his own worst enemy though when he himself pigeon-holed his stuff into the "easy-listening" category a couple years later with the engineered hit pop-schmaltz Sunshine on my Shoulders. That's the kind of thing a carreer never recovers from.

2. Donovan
My cousin dated him during his psychedelic era. I always heard what a genius he was, how he was the next "Dylan" and all that. I always found his stuff to be a bit over-rated. The hype was a bit overblown. A few good songs and a bunch of totally unlistenable stuff often juxtaposed.

3. The Ronettes
A sound manufacturing success story. Hits and harmony calculated for the era. Brilliant. Would they have been as successful without Phil Specter? Probably not. But they might have made a bit more impact had they not taken a large (for the time) hiatus from music in the mid-60's. By the time they came back, the Beatles had moved into Sgt. Pepperland, and the Beach Boys had evolved, and a new sound of rock n roll was on the horizon. Girl group sounds were dead.

4. Peter and Gordon
Enh. I admit to their virtuosity in harmony, but they didn't do much for me back in the day. I wonder where they'd be if McCartney hadn't tossed them a song or two.

5. The Hollies
VERY instrumental to the British psychodelia movement. Though I really have trouble labeling them as such. To me they were a great group of rockers that I find myself cranking eagerly when they hit the airwaves. Well-aged music, indeed.


6. Three Dog Night
What a mixture of well-aged music and not-so-well aged music. I have a sacred place in my heart for these guys, though, for SEVERAL reasons. These guys (and Creedence and a couple others) were THE music that garage bands of my era emulated. I probably tried to fake every sing song these guys played at one time or another. It may not seem so today, but back then it seemed like there wasn't a SINGLE bad song on any of their albums. Plus, Never Been to Spain has GOT to be one of the great rock ballads.

7. The Guess Who
3 or 4 great songs, the rest was pretty so-what? I think the Bachman boys did the right thing to move on to BTO.

8. The Bee Gees
Love 'em or hate 'em, they've got a place in history locked up, simply for Saturday Night Fever. Forget all those hysterics, though, these guys were tight. They had the harmonies down, they had the exact right musical accompaniment, and their production values were always top-notch.


9. The Jackson Five
Much like the previous Bee Gees, you can't dismiss these guys simply because you didn't like their music or sound. Tight. Excellent musically, too. And they TOO had the state-of-the-art production values that only the MoTown of the day could provide.


10. Simon and Garfunkel
To be frank, these guys were never really my thing. But damned if you're going to hear me say anything bad about 'em.

[Dreadstar]

10. Simon and Garfunkel - Clearly much better together than apart.

Man, I can't disagree with that statement more. Paul Simon went on to several steps of greatness beyond.

[Ilash]

All I was saying is that if you play it for someone today who has never heard of Donovan, they would absolutely think it is a new song. Its a compliment, not an insult.

Oh I know. I was just turning it into an insult against most modern Top 40 music. I was stirring basically.

:D

[Ilash]

Man, I can't disagree with that statement more. Paul Simon went on to several steps of greatness beyond.

Going to have to disagree with you again today. To me, Paul Simon's stuff is way overrated and doesn't hold a candle to what he did with Art Garfunkel. I still don't get what the big deal is about Graceland. Frankly, I think his assimilation of World Music made his music more boring.

[Dreadstar]

To me, Paul Simon's stuff is way overrated and doesn't hold a candle to what he did with Art Garfunkel.

And to me, he hit his stride in about 1975-80. Post Garfunkel, pre-Graceland.

Diffrent strokes n all.

[jessecuster3]

And to me, he hit his stride in about 1975-80. Post Garfunkel, pre-Graceland.

Diffrent strokes n all.

Even Graceland is good. I think in time Simon will be regarded as one of the top 5 singer/songwriters ever.

[jesse_custer]

What do you think about the following musical artists:

1) ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

2) Eric Johnson

3) Grand Funk Railroad

4) The Carpenters

5) Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

6) Indigenous

7) Jeff Buckley

8) Pink Floyd

9) Aerosmith

[Paul McEnery]

I'll lead off on the opinions this week:

1. John Denver


2. Donovan


3. The Ronettes


4. Peter and Gordon


5. The Hollies


6. Three Dog Night


7. The Guess Who


8. The Bee Gees


9. The Jackson Five


10. Simon and Garfunkel



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

My brutal opinion is: who reads yesterday's newspaper?

I think Jackson Five have some juice in them right now, though.

[leonaozaki]

3) Grand Funk Railroad

4) The Carpenters

5) Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

No. The dangerously icky part of the 70's.


7) Jeff Buckley

Every critic I know loves this guy, but I owned Grace for years and only listened to it once. I probably should've listened to it more often.

8) Pink Floyd

Sure, they're a joke now, but in the late 60's and 70's they ruled. I haven't yet heard anything from the Syd or Waters era Floyd that I didn't like, and I love a lot of their stuff -- Wish You Were Here, Meddle, Ummagumma, Dark Side...yes, even The Wall.

9) Aerosmith

OK, I love Aerosmith too. Their last really satisfying album was probably Nine Lives but they still recorded a staggering amount of good music at various stages in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Yeah, they probably collapsed into self-parody around the time they did that ballad for one of those dumb summer movies about a comet hitting Earth but, c'mon: these are the guys that did "Mama Kin" and "Seasons of Wither" plus loads of other great songs. Excellent.

rob

[jesse_custer]

I thought Honkin' on Bobo, while relatively flawed, was Aerosmith's best album since Pump. Of course, you can't go wrong with Toys in the Attic or Rocks.

[Ilash]

1) ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead

No idea but I love their name.


2) Eric Johnson

No clue.


3) Grand Funk Railroad

Typical dumb seventies hard rock. Not without their moments perhaps but overall? Pass.


4) The Carpenters

Well Karen Carpenter (that is her name, right?) is a really good singer but this is seventies pop at its drippiest.


5) Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

Lucky Man is a cool song even if the lyrics are dumb and it does get a bit much towards the end. But these guys seem to be the progiest of the seventies prog bands and since I'm not much for prog-rock, I've generally avoided them.


6) Indigenous

No idea.


7) Jeff Buckley

A hell of a singer but I don't get the big deal. I've listened to Grace a few times and I still don't see what all the fuss is about. Still his version of Hallelujah is pretty damn great.


8) Pink Floyd

I have a few issues with them but I just cannot deny the quality of most of their music between Meddle and (not including) The Wall. Haven't heard enough of Barret's Floyd to really comment but from what I've heard I've liked but never really enough to buy the actual album(s).


9) Aerosmith

At best a third rate Stones/ Zeppelin rip off. They have some nice tunes in the seventies but nothing to really distinguish them. And their more recent stuff flat out stinks.

[leonaozaki]

I thought Honkin' on Bobo, while relatively flawed, was Aerosmith's best album since Pump. Of course, you can't go wrong with Toys in the Attic or Rocks.

The only cut I've heard from Honkin' on Bobo was "Baby Please Don't Go," and frankly, Lightnin' Hopkins owns that song, so I didn't see any reason to pick it up. I do like Toys in the Attic and Rocks, although these days if I need my Aerosmith fix I just listen to Pandora's Box or Big Ones.

Oh, and I was wrong in my above post. The last good Aerosmith record was Get a Grip, not Nine Lives.

rob

[Aubergine~!]

You know, we should do opinion threads but on albums instead of bands.

[twilight]

You know, we should do opinion threads but on albums instead of bands.

I was thinking about that just this morning.

[Adam C]

You know, we should do opinion threads but on albums instead of bands.

Reptisaurus! had actually floated the idea to me in PM that we should do some sort of audience participation review thread, though different from this one. Granted it never flew because we weren't sure how to pull it off.

[Aubergine~!]

Reptisaurus! had actually floated the idea to me in PM that we should do some sort of audience participation review thread, though different from this one. Granted it never flew because we weren't sure how to pull it off.

No need to make it too complicated though, just opinion threads on albums. Maybe one thread with all the Beatles albums to start?

[Buried Alien]

OK. It's been a while since we've taken this thread out for a spin:

1. The Zombies

2. Creedence Clearwater Revival

3. Electric Light Orchestra

4. Chad and Jeremy

5. Dusty Springfield

6. The Three Degrees

7. Stevie Wonder

8. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

9. Buck Owens

10. The Coasters

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Ilash]

1. The Zombies

They were only really good at so-called chamber-pop, which is a problem considering how often they tried out more bluesy, rock and roll stuff. Their chamber pop is very good though, even if it does get a bit dull after a while. Oddysey and Oracle isn't quite as good as people like to make out but songs like She's Not There, Time of the Season and Tell Her No are damn good.

2. Creedence Clearwater Revival

Already been mentioned, I think. One trick pony but man, what a trick.

3. Electric Light Orchestra

Again, haven't we already had these guys in this thread. Eldorado and New World Record are both very solid art-pop albums and I do think these guys are unfairly dismissed. They're not great but they have enough good moments to make at least a greatest hits worth your time.

4. Chad and Jeremy

The few songs I've heard from them are good, if wimpy sixties pop songs but I've never gotten the sense that I need much more than a few of their most well known songs.

5. Dusty Springfield

Probably one of the best white soul singers of them all. I really do need to get more stuff from her though.

6. The Three Degrees

No idea.

7. Stevie Wonder

A supremely talented guy but he's not really one of my favourite sould artists. Probably because I'm not overly fond of his voice. So yeah, more respect than love.


8. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

I only have CSN's first album, which is pretty decent but nothing on it comes close to Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. As for CSNY, well, the Neil Young-written songs I've heard of theirs are ace but they don't interest me all that much, to be honest. On the other hand, only charlatans don't like the song Ohio.

9. Buck Owens

Know the name, don't really know the music.

10. The Coasters

I haven't heard enough of theirs to really form an opinion on them.

[Brad Barton]

OK. It's been a while since we've taken this thread out for a spin:Sounds fun, BA, I'll comment on the ones I know (which looks to be less than half) might I request a more Rock-centric list next time?

2. Creedence Clearwater Revival- Great band. Fogerty was (and is) a master songwriter, and excels at making music that people remember.

7. Stevie Wonder- Very Talented guy. Though I know little of his work, what I do know I enjoy and admire.

aaaaaand thats about it, lol. I swear, outside of Rock/Metal/Blues, my musical I.Q. is pretty much nil.

[Aubergine~!]

1. The Zombies

Not as familiar with them as I should be. Great singles though, and I really need to get Oracle & Oddyssey, or whatever that album was called.

2. Creedence Clearwater Revival

Great great band. Fogerty is a fantastic songwriter, and some of their tunes are unforgettable classics. Like Ilash said, a bit of a one trick pony, but they're still highly enjoyable.

5. Dusty Springfield

Great voice.

7. Stevie Wonder

Superb songwriter, and while I don't really listen to his stuff much, his 70s stuff was beautiful. And you just have to respect and like the guy for some reason.

8. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young

Not my thing, but those are four good to great songwriters. They've probably got great stuff.

[leonaozaki]

1. The Zombies I've tried to listen to their stuff but I've never made it through even one of their songs.

2. Creedence Clearwater Revival Didn't we do this one already? As everyone else has said, they did one thing but they did it really well. I'll never need to own anything but their first greatest hits, but it really is great.

3. Electric Light Orchestra I'm fairly sure this is a repeat as well. I like "Don't Bring Me Down" and that's all I know.

4. Chad and Jeremy Who?

5. Dusty Springfield One of the great white soul singers of all time. Plus she sang with the Pet Shop Boys!

6. The Three Degrees Who?

7. Stevie Wonder One of the greatest musicians of the 70's.

8. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young One of the worst musical groups of the 60's that was supposed to be good. "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is great but other than that, I don't care. Now, Young by himself, of course, is one of my favorite musicians ever.

9. Buck Owens Dude, who doesn't love Buck Owens?

10. The Coasters Know the name, don't know their songs.

rob

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)[/QUOTE]

[Jonathan Bogart]

1. The Zombies
The second-greatest chamber-pop band of all time. (The greatest is the Left Banke.)


2. Creedence Clearwater Revival
The more I listen to their influences, the less I care about them.


3. Electric Light Orchestra
Yawn.


4. Chad and Jeremy
"A Summer Song" is a perennial; but their other singles, randy and laddish, deserve to be better known.


5. Dusty Springfield
The greatest female pop singer of the sixties, and perhaps of all time.


6. The Three Degrees
Indistinguishable from any other mid-tier soul-pop group.


7. Stevie Wonder
One of four or five true geniuses in pop history, at least up to the late 70s.


8. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
Way, way better than Crosby, Stills and Nash. Guess why.


9. Buck Owens
One of the all-time great party-music generators. Not as artistically significant as Merle Haggard (the other great Bakersfield act), but solid good-time electric country.


10. The Coasters
Their noveltyish hits ("Charlie Brown," "Yakety Yak") have done a lot of harm to the popular image of doo wop. They're pretty useless.

[Buried Alien]

Time to play again...

1. The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli)

2. Manfred Mann

3. Elton John

4. John Mayall

5. The Pretenders

6. Blondie

7. Wilson Pickett

8. Aretha Franklin

9. Hank Williams, Sr.

10. Henry Mancini

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[leonaozaki]

Has it been a week already? Hurm.

1. The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli)

I don't know very much about doo-wop, so I recognize the name but I couldn't tell you what they sung.

2. Manfred Mann

Boo, hiss. Responsible for sucking the life out of great songs by Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.

3. Elton John

Great singles artist; not so strong as a maker of albums. I really love a number of his songs and I own three of his greatest hits albums, which is about all that I need.

4. John Mayall

Never actually listened to the Bluesbreakers.

5. The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde can sing the roof off of the barn, and her band is great. Their debut album was excellent, Learning to Crawl even better. Their other albums have been uneven, but usually produced a few good singles.

6. Blondie

We've definitely done Blondie already. I've never heard a song by them that I didn't like. What a great sound.

7. Wilson Pickett

The Man. His version of "Stagger Lee" is righteous.

8. Aretha Franklin

There's something a little suspicious about people that don't love Aretha.

9. Hank Williams, Sr.

One of the most important artists of all time (not just country) and one of my favorites. I'd listen to him all day.

10. Henry Mancini
Know the name, don't know the songs.

[Ilash]

1. The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli)

From what I've heard, they're good but I haven't heard very much.

2. Manfred Mann

Eh. They have their moments but they're a pretty third-rate 60s pop band.

3. Elton John

Great in the early to mid-seventies. So much so that I own most of his albums from that period. After that, while he still had his moments, he became a sad parody of himself. Not as hard and as far a fall as Rod Stewart but very dissapointing nonetheless.

4. John Mayall

Yeesh, I almost read John Mayer, who's just horrible. Mayall is good from what I've heard but there are a lot of bluesmen that I'd rather get to before him.

5. The Pretenders

Haven't heard enough to say.

6. Blondie

Very good pop band. I wonder why I don't like them more?

7. Wilson Pickett

Awesome from what I've heard. Definitely one of the next classic soul guys that I've got to get more into.


8. Aretha Franklin

Aside for a bit too much screeching at times, Aretha Franklin is pretty damn amazing.

9. Hank Williams, Sr.

Need to hear more. I hear he's great but I haven't gotten around to him yet.

10. Henry Mancini

Never even heard of him.

[Jonathan Bogart]

1. The Four Seasons (Frankie Valli)
One of the better American pop groups of the early 60s, totally left in the dust by the British invasion and the stepping-up of the game that the Beach Boys and the Byrds managed up to 1967.


2. Manfred Mann
I've got a sneaking fondness for them, from their early R&B hits ("Doo Wah Diddy") to their half-assed prog phase ("Blinded By The Light"), but they're not that great. Except for the B-sides of their 60s singles, which were funky, cool soul-jazz up there with Jimmy Smith and Cannonball Adderly.


3. Elton John
Too on-the-nose for me. Every year I try to see if I'm up to really liking Elton John yet, and every year I'm not. He's got a melodic facility that would be more interesting if Bernie Taupin's lyrics meant anything.


4. John Mayall
British blues is an oxymoron.


5. The Pretenders
The best American rock & roll group of the early 80s. Not that there was a lot of competition.


6. Blondie
The goddess of late-70s pop. And her band.


7. Wilson Pickett
One of the immortals of 60s soul, with Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, James Brown, and...


8. Aretha Franklin
The Queen of Soul Music. Sometimes the press releases don't lie.


9. Hank Williams, Sr.
As far as I'm concerned, there's only one Hank Williams. (Okay, his grandson's all right.) He is one of the five greatest American musicians of the twentieth century. (The others are Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Dylan.)


10. Henry Mancini
A Hollywood composer who came to prominence in the 50s and 60s with several jazz-inflected themes. He missed the boat on the real songwriting era (1920-1945), and came to define easy listening for a generation for whom Gershwin, Porter and Rodgers were a little too harmonically advanced.

[leonaozaki]

1) The Sisters of Mercy

2) Sugar

3) The Sugarcubes

4) Neko Case

5) Soul Asylum

6) Leadbelly

7) Screaming Trees

8) Mark Lanegan

9) Tangerine Dream

10) Faith no More

11) Nine Inch Nails

[Sanagi]

9) Tangerine Dream

Already did them.

I like Tangerine Dream, but even I'll admit that no one needs to own more than a handful of their albums. They are one of those bands that seems to release a new album periodically whether they have something interesting to put on it or not.

[Paul McEnery]

The list of apathy.

Except for Tangerine Dream, who were amazing in the beginning -- oh yes, I am talking about Electronic Meditation -- then kind of squirmily exciting for a few records, with exactly the same faint sense of nausea to the timbres I picked up on from Kraftwerk (and now find perfectly anodyne -- time wounds all heels), and then got a bit sappily up themselves, and then got to be pompous rock gods -- I had a great time at the Logos show -- and then...

Well, we've kind of done that and moved on, haven't we?

[Jonathan Bogart]

1) The Sisters of Mercy
My interest in them evaporated when I found out they were all men.


2) Sugar
I suppose looking them up would be against the rules? No idea.


3) The Sugarcubes
I'll say it: better than Björk.


4) Neko Case
Enjoyable for the space of a song or so.


5) Soul Asylum
The standard line is that they were a great little Minneapolis punk band and then a shitty big mainstream band. I've never heard the punk stuff, but I never hated the radio stuff.


6) Leadbelly
I'm conflicted. He didn't do much commercial recording until he was already a legend due to the Lomaxes, and it's arguable that commercial recording is the proper standard for American folk, because of America's capitalist essence. (Harry Smith thought so, anyway.) On the other hand, he wrote (or, more properly, transmitted) a whole lot of great songs, and had a great vocal style and sold his persona really well.


7) Screaming Trees
Never as interesting as reading about them made them sound.


8) Mark Lanegan
Even less interesting than that.


9) Tangerine Dream
When I want something to listen to as I fall asleep, I usually put on German space music from the 70s. This is actually a recommendation.


10) Faith no More
They're all right. I prefer Mr. Bungle.


11) Nine Inch Nails
Boo. Hiss.

[leonaozaki]

I suppose looking them up [Sugar] would be against the rules? No idea.



They're the band Bob Mould formed after Husker Du imploded (exploded?). They made one great album (COPPER BLUE), one great EP (BEASTER) and one pretty good album (FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING). I cannot recommend COPPER BLUE highly enough.



The standard line is that they [Soul Asylum] were a great little Minneapolis punk band and then a shitty big mainstream band. I've never heard the punk stuff, but I never hated the radio stuff.


I agree about the mainstream stuff, but if you're into that Twin Tone/Minneapolis punk scene, check out MADE TO BE BROKEN. I don't even know if it's still in print, but it is a great record.

[Sanagi]

One more thing I'll say for Tangerine Dream - when I'm in the absolute darkest, most cynical mood and totally sick of everything in the world, nothing else will do but TD's album Zeit. It's like the ambient music from hell's lobby, just 80 minutes of formless dissonance.

[Adam C]

I suppose looking them up would be against the rules? No idea.


What Rob said, but I'll also add, imagine if Bob Mould became poppier and janglier from his late Husker Du days. And that is a reccommendation.

[howyadoin]

What Rob said, but I'll also add, imagine if Bob Mould became poppier and janglier from his late Husker Du days. And that is a reccommendation.Anything would be better than the "writing" he does for professional wrestling.

[Adam C]

Anything would be better than the "writing" he does for professional wrestling.

He still does that?

Oh and I posted while forgetting to cite reccommended songs by Sugar: "Hoover Dam," "Man on the Moon" (nothing like the REM cut), and "If I Can't Change Your Mind" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGR5HOfKwfM).

[twilight]

I'm not sure if any of these have been done so far or not but here's another list:

Prince

Bruce Springsteen

De La Soul

Alice Cooper

The Jam

Interpol

R.E.M.

Public Enemy

Warren Zevon

Thin Lizzy

-Twi

[leonaozaki]

Prince

I really dug him in the 80's, when he was at his best. I still own Purple Rain. He really is a great musician and songwriter. I don't know if he's as great as he thinks is, but he is awesome.


Bruce Springsteen

He may not be as great as he (or Jon Landau, or Jann Wenner, or Spike-X) thinks he is either, but I can't deny he has had his moments-- many of them. I used to think he was a God, but now...he's made a bunch of excellent records, and I still love of a lot of his stuff, but he hasn't made a good record since 1987.


De La Soul

I dug one of their songs. Haven't really thought them since the early 90's.

Alice Cooper

I admit it. I dug "Poison" back in the 80's, when I was a dumb headbanger. No real interest otherwise.

The Jam

Hmm. I have...ambivalence...about the Jam. I own All Mod Cons and I love it. They made great singles. But I don't love them like I love the Clash or the Ramones, or even, God help me, the Pistols.

Interpol

I know I'm supposed to hate them for dry-humping Ian Curtis's bones, but I've heard two of their songs and I sort of like them okay.


R.E.M.

Yes, they're a joke now, but in the 80's they were the Amerindie band. OK, I loved the Replacements, the Pixies and Sonic Youth too, but c'mon: no can touch Murmur or Document or Green or Reckoning. Then, in the early 90's they seemed to get even better, with Out of Time and Automatic for the People. I will always love R.E.M.


Public Enemy

The most important, and best, rap act of the 80's and early 90's.

Warren Zevon

Right below Bob Dylan, in my opinion. And that's saying something. There are people who know Zevon and those who don't. I feel sorry for the latter group. He was The Man.

Thin Lizzy

I used to ignore them but I've heard some of their songs that weren't classic-rock radio staples and they're pretty damn good. So now I'm interested.


rob

[Jonathan Bogart]

Prince
Flawless genius in the 80s. After that the world kind of skipped past him, but a decade's worth of awesome is nothing to sneer at.


Bruce Springsteen
There are days when I don't think there's a better record than Born To Run. And there are days when his oversinging sounds like everything that's wrong with the world.


De La Soul
Maybe my favorite hip-hop group at the moment. I just started listening to 3 Feet High And Rising a lot.


Alice Cooper
Fine dumb hard rock in the 70s; no interest otherwise.


The Jam
I love their later amphetamine-soul music better than their early mod-punk, but they were always good.


Interpol
I think they're swell, if a touch unnecessary.


R.E.M.
Honestly, I've never cared enough to listen past the singles. But like I said above, a decade's worth of awesome is better than most manage.


Public Enemy
Consciousness-raising rarely intersects with pop's attention; when it does, it's something special. But after pop stops paying attention, it gets way less special.


Warren Zevon
One cool dude.


Thin Lizzy
I just tried to get into Thin Lizzy this week. Their generic hard-rock boogie defeated me. Even their signature sound, the dueling guitars, was swiped from the Allman Brothers. I still like "The Boys Are Back In Town," but I don't like it all that much.

[Sanagi]

Here's a random one: Boston. I had never bothered to distinguish them in my mind from the other place-name-bands of the world(Kansas, Asia, etc.) but I was at a friend's house and one of their albums was playing, and it was really good. It didn't quite grab me, somehow, but it was very polished, very strong in pretty much every way. I was impressed with the quality of it. It's probably something I would have been into five or ten years ago, when I was more into rock, if I had just looked past their name. So I'm curious what the other music boarders think.

[Buried Alien]

Time to spin the wheel again...

This week:

1. Roy Orbison


2. Neil Diamond


3. Louis Armstrong


4. Dionne Warwick


5. Bill Haley and the Comets


6. Badfinger


7. Linda Ronstadt


8. Glenn Campbell


9. Tina Turner


10. Sly and the Family Stone


Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Froggy]

Sly and the family stone YES! only one i can comment on sadly :(

[Jonathan Bogart]

Boston.
Cheese-rock at its finest. I like their first album a lot. But I think they did terrible things to the average production of rock & roll.

[Jonathan Bogart]

1. Roy Orbison
Great.


2. Neil Diamond
Not so great.


3. Louis Armstrong
Including him in this list is like throwing Superman into the Legion of Substitute Heroes.


4. Dionne Warwick
Great.


5. Bill Haley and the Comets
Not so great.


6. Badfinger
Not so great.


7. Linda Ronstadt
Not so great.


8. Glenn Campbell
Not so great.


9. Tina Turner
Great with Ike, not so great solo.


10. Sly and the Family Stone
Great.

[jesse_custer]

1. Roy Orbison

Probably the finest singer in rock and roll; well, maybe Howlin' Wolf is the finest. You have to respect the guy for his songwriting with Bill Dees. Those two eschewed the conventional verse-chorus-verse-chorus format for the most part. "Oh, Pretty Woman" is the rare pop single that, upon the first listen, waves to the listener from afar. You can't predict where it's going like so many other pop songs.


2. Neil Diamond

He disgusts me. His fans don't help. The fact that you have to be special kind of person to actually enjoy his music says a lot about his lack of artistic merit.


3. Louis Armstrong

Another incredible 20th century voice, both in terms of trumpet playing and singing. We just don't have guys like this anymore.


6. Badfinger

Their music is passable, and things never really move beyond that.

And to address an earlier comment about Public Enemy:


Consciousness-raising rarely intersects with pop's attention; when it does, it's something special. But after pop stops paying attention, it gets way less special.

Public Enemy didn't necessarily need pop to be something special. A lot of consciousness-raising often occurs many years after the attempt.

[Buried Alien]

Including him in this list is like throwing Superman into the Legion of Substitute Heroes.


Armstrong was great, no doubt about it, but frankly, I think you're giving him bonus points just for not being a creature of the rock era like the others on the list are.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Buried Alien]

He disgusts me. His fans don't help. The fact that you have to be special kind of person to actually enjoy his music says a lot about his lack of artistic merit.

I'm not "a special kind of person," but I find quite a few Diamond tunes enjoyable. His public persona is cheesy as hell, but that didn't make the music bad.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[leonaozaki]

Armstrong was great, no doubt about it, but frankly, I think you're giving him bonus points just for not being a creature of the rock era like the others on the list are.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Of all the artists you listed this time around the only one who even comes close to Armstrong is Orbison. The others have their merits, sure, but Armstrong towers above them all.

rob

[Reptisaurus!]

Armstrong was great, no doubt about it, but frankly, I think you're giving him bonus points just for not being a creature of the rock era like the others on the list are.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

I'm giving him points for being the single most important musician in American Popular Music ever. Even remove one of his major contributions - popuarlizing (maybe inventing?) the improvised solo and greatly increasing the harmonic depth that popular music could aspire too - he might still be the Big Dawg in 20th century pop. Between the two of 'em... Yeah. I can't think of anyone who can even start to compare.

[Adam C]

I personally enjoy a few of Diamond's songs from time to time, even if they are overwrought schmaltz sung by the walking avatar of kitsch.


I'm giving him points for being the single most important musician in American Popular Music ever. Even remove one of his major contributions - popuarlizing (maybe inventing?) the improvised solo and greatly increasing the harmonic depth that popular music could aspire too - he might still be the Big Dawg in 20th century pop. Between the two of 'em... Yeah. I can't think of anyone who can even start to compare.

Dude...the guy who invented dogs barking Christmas carols.

[Reptisaurus!]

Dude...the guy who invented dogs barking Christmas carols.

Ha! I didn't know that. We have pretty much inarguable proof right there.

[leonaozaki]

1. Roy Orbison

Gets many points for "Oh, Pretty Woman" alone. He definitely has one of the greatest voices in rock and roll. My favorite Orbison might be the first Traveling Wilburys album, though.

2. Neil Diamond

Seriously? Yikes. I do give him credit, however, for inspiring Saving Silverman. He's got a few songs that are ... okay... but I will never, ever, seek them out.

3. Louis Armstrong

What Jonathan said. One of the most important artists of the 20th century.

4. Dionne Warwick

I only really know "I Say a Little Prayer." I like it all right, but there's nothing urgent about it.


5. Bill Haley and the Comets

Eh. Clearly he was important but there's tons of other artists of that ilk and era I like more.

6. Badfinger

Eh.

7. Linda Ronstadt

Covered Warren Zevon songs badly. On the other hand, it probably gave him much-needed cash. She has a great voice, but it's rare that her songs really connect with me. They do every now and again, but that's about it.


8. Glenn Campbell

Besides "Rhinestone Cowboy?" Eh.

9. Tina Turner

Yes, of course, she was at her best when she was with Ike. But I still like Private Dancer an awful lot. After that, though, it's kind of dreadful.


10. Sly and the Family Stone

Now here's an act that I feel I should go buy more of their records. I love everything I've heard by them. "Life" is a particular favorite.

rob

[mattx110]

linda ronstadt is great.
glenn campbell is an incredible musician.
roy is cool too.

louis armstrong is okaaaaaaaaaaay, it's not like the world needed swing music anyway...;)

[howyadoin]

5. Bill Haley and the Comets

Eh. Clearly he was important but there's tons of other artists of that ilk and era I like more.Best thing about him was the guy who played lead guitar in his band.


7. Linda Ronstadt

Covered Warren Zevon songs badly.And Elvis Costello's, to boot.

[Ilash]

1. Roy Orbison

Great singer even if I do know him predominently from the Traveling Wilburys.

2. Neil Diamond

You know, he's not a worthless songwriter, it's just that his music is sickeningly corny that he becomes damn near impossible to listen to. Yuck, in short.

3. Louis Armstrong

I should probably listen to more of his stuff to give an informed opinion but even based on whatever little I've heard, I see no reason to disagree with all the praise.

4. Dionne Warwick

Have only heard a few songs. Good singer - not sure how much more than that.

5. Bill Haley and the Comets

Eh.

6. Badfinger

I like them actually. Sure, they're derivative as hell but they have some fine songs and their album Straight Up is genuinely worthwhile.

7. Linda Ronstadt

Know the name, don't think I know the music.

8. Glenn Campbell

Ditto.

9. Tina Turner

Not a fan. A bit too screechy for my taste and her solo stuff doesn't seem all that great on a songwriting level either.

10. Sly and the Family Stone

We've covered them already, I think but simply a great, great band.

[Buried Alien]

Best thing about him was the guy who played lead guitar in his band.

Don't forget the saxophonist, Rudy Pompeii.

I think that the guitarist for the Comets who played on "Rock Around the Clock" and other classic Comets tracks actually died around a year or two after the song was recorded. Hence, by the time rock 'n roll caught on, the Comets were already without the guitarist who played on their most famous song.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[howyadoin]

Don't forget the saxophonist, Rudy Pompeii.Oh yeah, good call.