Crisis Of Infinite Music Opinions (Megathread) [Archive]

Jonathan Bogart

05-08-2007, 06:20 PM

1)Jethro Tull
Dull, pretentious, and corny. I can still enjoy them if I'm in the right frame of mind and I don't have to do it for too long.

2)Blur
The best pop band of the 1990s.

3)The Grateful Dead
One of the great neverending rabbit holes of rock & roll. I prefer to stay in the shallows, and enjoy their studio albums more than anything.

4)Steely Dan
I respect them, but without any enthusiasm.

5)Free
Boring cock-rock before boring cock-rock became a standard template. So vaguely interesting then.

6)Elvis Costello
One of the greatest musical minds of the past twenty-five years.

7)The Moody Blues
A quite good pop band; then Justin Hayward joined and they got insufferable.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival
A bit one-note, but it's a great note.

9)Echo and the Bunnymen
Early material is unimpeachable; after a while, though, they turn into a cross between George Harrison and U2.

10)10CC
Cheeky, enjoyable pop that goes on way too long.

11)JJ Cale
The man who wrote Eric Clapton's best songs. Otherwise pretty unremarkable.

12)Carole King
I like her songwriting work with Gerry Goffin better than her own records.

13)Badfinger
A good substitute for a Beatles jones, if for some reason you couldn't just listen to the Beatles.

14)Electric Light Orchestra
A bad substitute for a Beatles jones, if for some reason you couldn't just listen to the Beatles. (Except the early Roy Wood stuff. That's pretty keen.)

15)Sly and the Family Stone
One of the four or five greatest bands of all time.

16)Dire Straits
I used to really love them. I still think they've got several decent pop tunes, but I'm still listened-out from five or six years ago.

17)Ryan Adams
Never drank the Kool-Aid.

18)The Replacements
The best excuse for a traditional rock & roll group the 80s produced.

19)Nirvana
A great singles band. But I won't need to hear those singles again for another twenty years.

20)Bob Marley
He was a great songwriter, a decent guitarist, and a convincing soul singer, but occupies the unfortunate position of being the average rock fan's token reggae artist.

21)Yes
Listenable when Chris Squire's rocking out; not so, otherwise.

22)Radiohead
The greatest rock band of the past twenty-five years. Not that anyone's given them much competition. Edit: Geeze, did I say twenty-five? I meant ten.

23)Procol Harum
I tried to like them. I failed.

24)AC/DC
I enjoy four songs off of Back in Black. They're the ones you'd expect, too.

25)Coldplay
I loved "Yellow" when it was new. "Clocks" is a good pop song in that mopey 2000s kind of way. Otherwise, bleah.

26)Tom Waits
My favorite contemporary musical artist. And I hate that Beat shit.

27)The Only Ones
"Another Girl, Another Planet" is one of the great pop songs of the punk era. They couldn't keep it up.

28)Steppenwolf
Not a whole lot to them beyond the two oldies-radio staples, and those are so culturally ingrained as to be equivalent to "Happy Birthday" or something.

29)The Byrds
Only just missed being the America's Answer To The Beatles that they wanted to be. But they have three distinct eras of greatness: the Dylan Cover Band, the Psychedelic Folk Band, and the Country-Rock Pioneers. During those years, nobody could touch them in those categories.

30)The Guess Who
Aside from a handful of singles, I couldn't care less. Actually, I don't really care about those singles either.

DrewTheXenocide

05-08-2007, 06:27 PM

1)Jethro Tull

I only listen to 'em sparingly in the mornings sometimes, when the classic rock station I wake up to plays 'em. I like flutes. Not bad.

2)Blur

While I do love Gorillaz and have heard nothing but good things out of The Good the Bad and the Queen, I've never felt the urge to go out and listen to some Blur.

3)The Grateful Dead

Same deal with Jethro, only listen to 'em on the classic rock station. Not too bad, but nothing I've ever immediately fell in love with either.

6)Elvis Costello

He was on an episode of Frasier one time. That was pretty cool.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

My dad LOVES him some CCR. I, on the other hand, don't enjoy them as much, unless it's part of the montage in Remember the Titans.

19)Nirvana

Overrated. If Cobain was still alive, there's no way they would've reached the popularity they have now. Dave Grohl himself, on the other hand, is pretty awesome, both as a drummer and frontman.

21)Yes

They have a song in Guitar Hero, I believe, and they were mentioned in School of Rock. I know I've heard their stuff before, again classic rock station, but never astounded by any of their stuff.

22)Radiohead

Been meaning to get into them. Too lazy to, though.

24)AC/DC

While they do have some bitchin' songs, I was listening to Back in Black the other day, and realized that I couldn't tell some of the songs from another.

Ilash

05-08-2007, 06:33 PM

Dull, pretentious, and corny. I can still enjoy them if I'm in the right frame of mind and I don't have to do it for too long.

I'll actually post my opinions on these bands at some later point but I just have to respond to this with a simple question: Have you heard their 1969 album, Stand Up? I just can't imagine anyone calling them dull, pretentious or boring after hearing that blues-rock (more or less, they're a very difficult band to categorize) masterpiece. Seriously, even if you don't generally like them, you may well love this album with its well written songs, breathtakingly tight musicianship and an energy that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until its finished.

Indigo Al

05-08-2007, 06:58 PM

I'll comment on the ones I feel most strongly about.

2)Blur

Love them. The high point of the mid-90s Britpop phenomenon (I was probably more in love with Elastica, and seething with unreasonable hatred of Oasis)

3)The Grateful Dead

Now, just now, I have gotten over my immature, stupid, high schoolish punk hatred of them

4)Steely Dan

Brilliant and creative singles

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

They make me howl with rootsy feeling

9)Echo and the Bunny Men

Always good for stirring up yucky romantic feelings, or making me cry

12)Carole King

She f***ng rules! For all that it's hippy chick music, it's got an irresistable southern boogie power to it.

14)Electric Light Orchestra

They verily shimmer. I love 'em.

15)Sly and the Family Stone

Can't say much more than "I love 'em"

19)Nirvana

Nirvana is tangled up in way too much baggage. But I can't turn it off, and I have to howl along with their unplugged album

Chiasm

05-08-2007, 07:06 PM

1)Jethro Tull - Heard of them. Other than Aqualung can't say I've heard of anything by them.

2)Blur - They did the Whoo hoo song didn't they for which they should burn in hell.

3)The Grateful Dead - One of the most overrated bands in history

4)Steely Dan - I'm sure I've heard songs by them but I can't name what they are.

5)Free - Who? Never heard of them.

6)Elvis Costello - Veronica. It was a very cheese but cool moment when this song played in Veronica Mars. Can't say much else about him.

7)The Moody Blues - Love a few of their songs.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival - Not as overrated as Grateful Dead but close.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men - Heard of them. Can't say I've heard anything by them for sure.

10)10CC - Never heard of them.

11)JJ Cale - Never heard of them

12)Carole King - Love the song "Its too late." Not sure what else I might have heard of hers.

13)Badfinger - Another heard of them but not sure I've heard anything by them band.

14)Electric Light Orchestra - Vaguely remember not liking their songs when they played on MTV in the 80's.

15)Sly and the Family Stone - This is getting repetitive. Heard of them, haven't listened to them.

16)Dire Straits - One of the levels of hell is surely having "Money for Nothing" playing over and over and over.

17)Ryan Adams - Ugggh. I know I heard some songs by him a few years ago and was unimpressed.

18)The Replacements - Love a few songs. Hate a few songs.

19)Nirvana - Gods of Rock. Only reason I don't get depressed about Cobain's suicide is that I love Foo Fighters more and FF wouldn't have happened if Cobain had shot himself.

20)Bob Marley - Another level of hell artist.

21)Yes - Really like a few songs but most I find annoying.

22)Radiohead - Arguably my favorite band of all time.

23)Procol Harum - Never heard of them

24)AC/DC - Sort of like some songs but if you've heard one you've heard them all.

25)Coldplay - Poor mainstream imitation of Radiohead. But that still makes them better than most drek on the radio nowadays.

26)Tom Waits - Heard of him, haven't heard anything by him.

27)The Only Ones - Never heard of them.

28)Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride???? And some other song I'm thinking I should know. Don't hate the songs, don't like them.

29)The Byrds - Heard of them, not sure what I might have heard by them

30)The Guess Who - Is "These Eyes" by them. Thats about all I can think of. Okay song.

mattx110

05-08-2007, 09:12 PM

1)Jethro Tull
good fun band.
2)Blur
they have accents and the singer goes out of his way to sound bored while singing.
3)The Grateful Dead
best served with david grisman and under 10 minute songs.
4)Steely Dan
awesome. the one time there's a chance something good will be played in the elevator.
5)Free
paul kossof kicks ass.
6)Elvis Costello
great glasses. has a great wife too that plays some great music.
7)The Moody Blues
album credits are just awesome cross-section of every terrific musician in the last few decades. so is steely dan.
8)Creedence Clearwater Revival
real punks
9)Echo and the Bunny Men
fun and sylish.
10)10CC
no clue.
11)JJ Cale
aw c'mon, i can't say anything bad about jj. after midnight owns. seems likea polite man too.
12)Carole King
great husband. she can sing ok too.
13)Badfinger
not a fan
14)Electric Light Orchestra
Oooooooh. terrific. jeff lynne is my hero.
15)Sly and the Family Stone
fun stage show. too bad i never seen it.
16)Dire Straits
brother in arms-bestest albumest ever.
17)Ryan Adams
i don't know. i like him, but i feel odd about it. he's good and can get noisy, which is a good thing. hopefully he'll clear up this drony i'm so depressed coldhead crap.
18)The Replacements
i preferred the originals. of perhaps the new originals.
19)Nirvana
dave grohl is a good rocknroll drummer. my opinion ends there.
20)Bob Marley
peter tosh is awesome. so's bob. smart guy.
21)Yes
Yes
22)Radiohead
No
23)Procol Harum
maybe
24)AC/DC
great fun. but i keep hearing new rock bands saying that their sound is better because they play outof tune like angus.

wow is that dumb.
25)Coldplay
same as radiohead
26)Tom Waits
great set of pipes. friends with john hammond jr.:)
27)The Only Ones
don't know em. there's a clever joke there involving not hearing of the only ones but i can't think of it.
28)Steppenwolf
rockin'
29)The Byrds
fun when they're rockin out.
30)The Guess Who
not sure, i think i like them
__________________
wow, i'm the anti-chiasm. i think it's cause i have good taste...;) no offense meant, all in good fun.

Reptisaurus!

05-08-2007, 09:34 PM

The best pop band of the 1990s.

I'm kind of a fan, too.

I mean, they're no Pulp, or even close. But good at churning out catchy
pop songs with a bit of a brain. And they did a bunch of interviews talking about how much they like Pavement, forever endearing them to me.

Grateful Dead
One of the great neverending rabbit holes of rock & roll. I prefer to stay in the shallows, and enjoy their studio albums more than anything.

Dude, I can listen to Coltrane solo for an hour straight and be enraptured.

But I get bored... oh, about 8 seconds into yer average Grateful Deadian solo.

But actually a pretty good pop band. Really wrote some decent songs.

Although, in general, the world would be a much better place is soulless white dudes like J.G. would stop trying to cover blues songs.
Steely Dan
I respect them, but without any enthusiasm.

They avoid rocking like it was herpes. Not a fan. Although I kind of like any song about cows.
,quote]Elvis Costello
One of the greatest musical minds of the past twenty-five years.
[/quote]

Oh good. I completely disagree with you. The universe is functioning as it should.
Sly and the Family Stone
One of the four or five greatest bands of all time.

Although I can't bring myself to disagree with this.
Ryan Adams
Never drank the Kool-Aid.

Not all that familiar with him.

I know a bunch of girls who like him.

I don't trust girls.

Nirvana
A great singles band. But I won't need to hear those singles again for another twenty years.

*Sigh*

Yeah. In theory, I really like them. Dead Guy is just a hilarious lyricist. In practice, I grew up in America in the early nineties, and so I've heard all the Nirvana I need for three lifetimes.
Bob Marley
He was a great songwriter, a decent guitarist, and a convincing soul singer, but occupies the unfortunate position of being the average rock fan's token reggae artist.

It annoys the elitist in me how everyone I know owns his greatest hits album. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E. Although we could do worse as far as cultural touchstones go, I suppose. Actually made good albums, apart from his huge hit singles.
AC/DC
I enjoy four songs off of Back in Black. They're the ones you'd expect, too.

Pretty much where I am. (And "Big Balls" cracks me up.) Surprisingly good pop songs, though. I've heard slow acoustic covers of AC/DC songs, and they came out really well.

I loved "Yellow" when it was new. "Clocks" is a good pop song in that mopey 2000s kind of way. Otherwise, bleah.

I agree with the last word. Not so much the 21 before it.
Tom Waits
My favorite contemporary musical artist. And I hate that Beat shit.

I like the IDEA of Tom Waits more than his music, I think.

Well, except for the one song out of three that's just incredibly awesome.
Steppenwolf
Not a whole lot to them beyond the two oldies-radio staples, and those are so culturally ingrained as to be equivalent to "Happy Birthday" or something.

But Happy Birthday's a really good song. You ever heard a quintuple time punk cover?

Same thing here, kinda. I only know two songs but I really like them.

david r

05-08-2007, 09:51 PM

Steely Dan: Aja is a great album. "Hey Nineteen" is a great single. And their comeback 2000 "Two Against Nature" was a spirited return to form. I love their jazz-rock mixture, and they are unpredictable. Too bad they rested 20 years between albums.

Elvis Costello: Buy Spike.

Creedence Clearwater Revival: Absolutely essential rock band; their music holds up well now.

Carole King: Tapesty is a lovely album. She never lived up to it ever again.

Procol Harem: What did they really do except "A Whiter Shade of Pale"? Classic tune, though.

Ilash, you forgot my favorite forgotten band-- The Association. So many great songs, wonderful harmonies that Brian Wilson would have approved of. The Association never have gotten their fair-due.

Jessica Drew

05-08-2007, 10:08 PM

1)Jethro Tull - My second most hated band ever. When I was in college, my suitemates and I once had a terrible idea: each one of us gets control of the stereo for a week. Four of us used our week to play songs/albums/mixed tapes for a variety of artists; one, though, decided he'd deluge us with the sounds of only one band: Jethro Tull. Salvation ala mode and a cup of shit, I say.

2)Blur - Only heard one album and a couple of singles, but what I heard was great.

3)The Grateful Dead - I've so many former friends and acquaintances who worship at their feet that I just cannot make myself listen to them...unless it's the studio version of Ripple (which my wive loves, and which I like primarily because it was the final song in the final scene in the final episode of Freaks and Geeks). I like Los Lobos' version of Bertha, though.

4)Steely Dan - Most of their stuff--singles as well as albums--has just left me cold; I don't dig most of that lite-jazz/fusion they play (though they play it well). "Do It Again," though, has something sinister rolling through it. That song cuts deep.

5)Free - "All Right Now" is one of the best dance cock-rock songs ever cut. The rest of their stuff I've heard bores me.

6)Elvis Costello - Wow, he's had an incredible career. He's swaggered through post-punk, rock, neo-soul, pop, chamber pop, chamber music, and country with equal amounts of aplomb, pretentiousness, and precociousness. His music has been beautiful, biting, and--sometimes--boring. He's a fascinating artist, and he's grown quite adept at playing the guitar.

7)The Moody Blues - The early version have their charm, especially "Go Now;" the latter version is all treacle.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival - I think the greatest legend that Fogerty ever spun was that of his origin: there's no way, with his voice and (musical and vocal) phrasing, that he was ever NOT from the Deep South (much less from San Francisco). CCR is political swamp music en excelcias.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men - Never hopped my way.

10)10CC - Don't know much aside from their two hit singles, and of those, "I'm Not in Love" can be quite haunting if heard in the right frame of mind.

11)JJ Cale - decent songwriter; other than that, I don't know much.

12)Carole King - I've fond, nostalgiac memories of Tapestry, memories that are so, uh, woven into the patchwork in my musical noggin that I don't know if I can give an honest critique of that album. I'm not fond of the rest of her stuff, though.

13)Badfinger - A couple of (solidly-constructed and produced) hits does not a Beatles band make.

14)Electric Light Orchestra - And neither does an entire career of them.

15)Sly and the Family Stone - One of the few bands ever that were as great as they were important--and they were pretty damn great.

16)Dire Straits - I've listened to several albums, and they've just about all bored me. And why the hell have a song called "The Sultans of Swing" and not play jazz music behind it?

17)Ryan Adams - Great ear for acoustics and dynamics; no ear for melody.

18)The Replacements - I only discovered them after they'd (pretty much) disbanded. I like their rawer songs; some of their more pop-oriented ones sound a bit too precious to me. "Sadly Beautiful", though, is a fantastic love song.

19)Nirvana - Like JB, I can't listen to them too often (as I've heard them far too much); however, whenever I do, I'm still amazed by what I hear. They were the real deal.

20)Bob Marley - Same as Nirvana, I've heard him too much. Same as Nirvana, I'm still mightily impressed when I hear him (especially "No Woman, No Cry"--that record can still give me chills).

21)Yes- No

22)Radiohead - Don't listen to them much, but not because I've heard them too much; I'm more of a singles guy than an album guy these days, and I don't usually have the time to let Radiohead enrapture me. But when I do, they do. They're powerful, innovative, and Yorke's a damn fine songwriter when he wants to be.

23)Procol Harum - I can say no more than that my wife walked down the aisle to the organ music from "A Whiter Shade of Pale."

24)AC/DC - Goddammit, I just love these guys. I never tire of 'em. Every time Angus plays a riff, I hear Chuck Berry, and I like Chuck Berry.

25)Coldplay - See Yes.

26)Tom Waits - He's my hero.

27)The Only Ones - "Another Girl, Another Planet" is not only one of the best rock-and-roll records ever made, it also contains some of the best rock-and-roll drumming ever cemented to wax (or acetate).

28)Steppenwolf - Not for me.

29)The Byrds - For years, all I knew of them was their Dylan covers and their psychedelic stuff (much more fond of the former); then, several years ago, I discovered their country stuff, and I was mightily impressed--except that country music never sounded this sophisticated.

30)The Guess Who - American Woman and that's it, for all I care.

rick

05-08-2007, 10:13 PM

1)Jethro Tull

I have to say right off that Jethro Tull is easily one of my very favorite bands of the 70’s.

Thick as a Brick is easily one of the most enjoyable albums of the early 1970’s, with a great sound and some truly humorous lyrics, let alone one of the finest album covers of all time.

Which I know shouldn’t count, but the adventures of Gerald “Little Milton” Bostock are at least worth a mention.

Plus they wrote some really wonderful tunes. Maybe they aren’t in the very top tier of the greatest lyrics ever written but when I was 17 years old, Skating Away On The Thin Ice of a New Day, was the song that was getting me through the day.

Okay, that and the Talking Heads song, No Compassion, but I digress.

I have only seen them live once, but it was just an excellent show.

These guys are actually pretty good, and do deserve a better rep then they have.

2)Blur

Blur is a thoroughly enjoyable pop band, certainly one of the better in the last 20 years.

3)The Grateful Dead

Anyone who tries to judge the Dead based on their studio albums is making a serious mistake.

While several of the records are stone classics, the reality of the band was that they were simply one of the best live bands that ever picked up a guitar.

There have been numerous live Dead shows on the net, and in fact the band maintains an online Radio Station (http://www.gdlive.com/radio.asp), with some of those great tracks on them.

If you haven’t heard them live, it is really worth a listen.

4)Steely Dan

Thoroughly pleasant, Jazz/Rock fusion.

I like a whole bunch of their singles, but except for Aja none of their albums have really grabbed me.

5)Free

Never could stand these guys, even when I was a teenager.

6)Elvis Costello

I far prefer his earlier stuff with the Attractions, but that doesn’t mean that the man doesn’t still come up with some of the most interesting music year after year.

One of my favorite musicians ever.

7)The Moody Blues

I like the Moody Blues in most of their incarnations, but I can only really take them in small doses.

Still, Days of Future Past, Search for the Lost Chord and even the totally pop, Long Distance Voyager get play time on the turntable every once in awhile.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

I recognize the talent of John Fogerty, I really do, but honestly, I just have never been a fan.

His voice is just so annoying.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men

I saw them live once and it was a very good show, still I don’t think I have pulled one of their records out in years.

10)10CC

Well produced pretension.

11)JJ Cale

This guy is really good fun to see live.

I saw him at the Ogden in Denver about 25 years ago and he was just good fun.

A fine musician who never got the due I think he deserves.

12)Carole King

The quintessential woman songwriter of the early rock era.

She is just amazing and I bet that just about everybody my age probably has a copy of Tapestry in their old record pile.

13)Badfinger

Two good songs, the rest was a massive whinefest.

14)Electric Light Orchestra

Some enjoyable, but over produced pop music.

I like Jeff much more as a Wilbury.

15)Sly and the Family Stone

One of the greatest bands of all time.

What can be said about Sly Stone that so many others haven’t said before me and so much better.

They just don’t have a single song that I don’t love to listen to.

16)Dire Straits

I like Dire Straits as a decent enough pop/Rock band, but Knopfler only really hit his true potential once he went solo.

17)Ryan Adams

I like that one song, To Be Young (is to be sad, is to be high), but that’s really about it.

18)The Replacements

One of those classic bands that for some reason, I was just never able to get into at all.

19)Nirvana

I loved Nirvana.

They were the band that as far as I could tell brought real rock music back into the mainstream after a decade of hair bands.

20)Bob Marley

Oh sure he might be the mainstream reggae guy, but he was also a superior writer, singer and performer who is the rare example of the icon who completely deserves his reputation.

Along with Peter Tosh and Desmond Dekker, Marley brought Jah down to us all.

21)Yes

They were never anything special as far I was concerned.

22)Radiohead

Never really cared for them either

23)Procol Harum

Yet another example of the one song wonder.

They have a career from one song, but it propelled them to several albums.

24)AC/DC

I have never been a big metal head, but it’s just so hard not to like these guys.

Loud, brash, dirty and fun, these guys are exactly what a party band should be.

25)Coldplay

Decent enough, but yet again not my cup of tea.

26)Tom Waits

Since the passing of Miles Davis and Johnny Cash, Waits has become the greatest living American musician.

27)The Only Ones

Not a fan

28)Steppenwolf

I like one song.

And everyone else likes the same one song.

That’s about it.

29)The Byrds

They had a few good songs, but I thought they were a bit overrated.

30)The Guess Who

I actually seem to like quite a bit of their stuff, singles mostly from the radio, but I do like Undone and No Time quite a bit.

So I guess I’ll put them in the plus category.

I noticed that with this many, it’s not hard to run out of steam.

So I’m done for the night.

Jessica Drew

05-08-2007, 10:14 PM

Ilash, you forgot my favorite forgotten band-- The Association. So many great songs, wonderful harmonies that Brian Wilson would have approved of. The Association never have gotten their fair-due.

I only know one song by them, but it's a goodie: "Never My Love." That's just about as perfect a pop-music love song as there ever was.

Jonathan Bogart

05-08-2007, 10:18 PM

Oh good. I completely disagree with you. The universe is functioning as it should.
I did say musical minds, not musicians. That is, I like him as much, maybe more, for pointing me in the direction of good music as for actually making good music. And much of even his best work is better appreciated in theory than in application.

Jonathan Bogart

05-08-2007, 10:22 PM

I only know one song by them, but it's a goodie: "Never My Love." That's just about as perfect a pop-music love song as there ever was.
I'm sure you also know "Along Comes Mary," "Windy," and "Cherish," only you never realized they were all by the same band.

I spent a couple years deep in the Association discography for some reason, and they could be a really really great sunshine pop band. Or a really really average one; it all depends on the song.

Jonathan Bogart

05-08-2007, 10:24 PM

I'll actually post my opinions on these bands at some later point but I just have to respond to this with a simple question: Have you heard their 1969 album, Stand Up?
All I've heard is their bloated prog epics, and since that's what they're best known for, I'm pretty comfortable dismissing them.

(I'll listen to Stand Up. But the adjective blues-rock does not entice me.)

Jessica Drew

05-08-2007, 10:26 PM

I'm sure you also know "Along Comes Mary," "Windy," and "Cherish," only you never realized they were all by the same band.

You're right--I know those songs. And now that I've seen them written, I remember who they're by--and you're right again in your second presumption: when I hear "Never My Love," I don't think of that song coming from a band that sang "Along Comes Mary." Very astute, JB.

rick

05-08-2007, 10:35 PM

All I've heard is their bloated prog epics, and since that's what they're best known for, I'm pretty comfortable dismissing them.

(I'll listen to Stand Up. But the adjective blues-rock does not entice me.)

I’m sorry but Tull is far from bloated, in fact I would have to say just the opposite, since they were never a big fan of bringing in strings or orchestras or any of those other pop clichés, and normally were just a five piece band that never used a synthesizer. And while I admit that they were a little too fond of the “epic” they still managed to come up with some very decent sounding songs that I still enjoy today.

I know this is all personal taste of course, but still.

Jessica Drew

05-08-2007, 10:37 PM

I’m sorry but Tull is far from bloated, in fact I would have to say just the opposite, since they were never a big fan of bringing in strings or orchestras.....

How 'bout that flute, though?:evilsmile

Jonathan Bogart

05-08-2007, 10:46 PM

I know this is all personal taste of course, but still.
Sure, no offense implied.

But by bloated I was referring to running time. I generally get antsy when rock songs go longer than five minutes. (Plenty of exceptions, of course. But the three-minute single is still my gold standard.)

Adam C

05-08-2007, 10:57 PM

I'll just comment on a few for now.

1)Jethro Tull - None of their work has really stood out in my mind except "Aqualung." Maybe that says something about their material.

2)Blur - You know that idiotic "woo-hoo" song that accompanied the trailers for Starship Troopers? They wrote that.

And none of their work at all sounds anything like it.

Especially their Brit-Pop era work from 1993-1995 like "Girls and Boys" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJQFHZTiQbE) or Country House (as well as "Stereotypes" and "Oily Water"). Think a sarcastic Ray Davies meets New Wave (though the polish is replaced with bounce) and you have Brit Pop Blur. Sure Oasis won the sales, but Albarn and Coxon's brilliant, smart-ass pop wins out hands down over their Liam and Noel's smarmy rock classicism.

It's also pretty much defunct now, but Damon Albarn lives on his "side projects" Golliraz and the Good, the Bad, and the Queen. We are currently awaiting for the next side project which might involving musicians rising from the dead to participate in it.

3)The Grateful Dead - I just can't force myself to be interested in this band. Except for the twenty-five minute psych excursion that is "Dark Star" (whose low point is when Jerry Garcia actually opens his mouth in the middle of what is a neat psych instrumental) none of their work appeals to me.

7)The Moody Blues - The only thing I can remember about this band was that penned possibly some of the wussiest music I ever heard.

And not in the good Byrds way.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival - Great roots rock.

18)The Replacements - What John said. The 'Mats made great rock music.

19)Nirvana - Honestly, I tried to like this band, but the only things they did I think are worth listening to are "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and their covers of Leadbelly's "In the Pines" (titled by Nirvana "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?") and the Meatpuppets' "Lake of Fire" on MTV unplugged. As far as I am concerned I'm better off listening to their inspirations - like Husker Du and the Pixies - than the band itself.

24)AC/DC - THE stupid hard rock band. Basically Chuck Berry blown up into 70s hardrock with lyrics celebrating manhood and sex...so basically same subject as blues, but without the self-pity. And all of this was done with a very clear sense of humour, even though various members of the band lived up to their boasts (particularly their original singer, Bon Scott R.I.P.). "The Jack" is possibly one of the most hilarious songs I've ever heard.

Interesting thing though is while every seventies hard rock band was flashy and showy as hell AC/DC were very restrained despited the patent absurdity of their act. All the songs had a very clear sense of space and Angus Young's solos never really went into extravagant territory.

Plus if you don't like TNT (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AtYkJ_eyHU) you are a commie.

26)Tom Waits - What John said, though I'll warn you now. Tom Waits is frickin' weird. He started out doing a cute combo of barroom jazz, blues, and beatnik sensibilities in the seventies which led to some nice songs (including the gorgeous "Tom Trabert's Blues") but pretty much remained a cult act. Then he got married around 1980, released one last album in that vein. Got cleaned up. Got sober. Settled down.

And got really, really weird. Came out in '83 with an album called Swordfishtrombones. Sound now included scratchy guitar work inspired by Captain Beefheart (though not as atonal), outlandish vocal stylishs, oohm-pah rhythms, and heavy use of marimba which sounded like what you'd imagine a percussion section made out of bones would sound like. The next album Rain Dogs refined that and gave us stabs at balladry and country soul. One of the best albums of the 80s. Nay, best album of the past twenty-five years. And as time has gotten weird Waits has only gotten stranger, more outlandish, and paradoxically more popular. (I'm surprised at how easy it is to find his stuff outside of independent music stores and even in mall chains.)

29)The Byrds - Pretty much echoing what John said. "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Turn, Turn, Turn," "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better," and "Eight Miles High" are already stone classics of sixties rock and the Byrds essential listening for that era. Created the jangle pop sound.

30)The Guess Who - My countrymen seem to take great pride in this band.

My countrymen also seem to take great pride in Shania Twain and Ann Murray.

Ilash

05-09-2007, 01:31 AM

All I've heard is their bloated prog epics, and since that's what they're best known for, I'm pretty comfortable dismissing them.

(I'll listen to Stand Up. But the adjective blues-rock does not entice me.)

Just because they're known for their epics, doesn't necessarily mean that that's what they should be remembered for, if ya know what I mean. And yeah, Stand Up is sort of blues-rock but believe me, there's nothing generic or boring about it.

scratchie

05-09-2007, 07:14 AM

I'll actually post my opinions on these bands at some later point but I just have to respond to this with a simple question: Have you heard their 1969 album, Stand Up? I just can't imagine anyone calling them dull, pretentious or boring after hearing that blues-rock (more or less, they're a very difficult band to categorize) masterpiece. Seriously, even if you don't generally like them, you may well love this album with its well written songs, breathtakingly tight musicianship and an energy that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until its finished.Well said. This is the only Jethro Tull album I ever listen to any more, but I love, love, love it.

scratchie

05-09-2007, 08:00 AM

1)Jethro Tull
I second Ilash's comments on Stand Up. One of my favorite albums. In their early days, they were very much a creative, dynamic part of the "folk rock" movement that included Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span (although they rocked out a lot more) and they were combining hard rock with folk instruments years before Led Zeppelin III. The Aqualung album also has a number of all-time classics beyond the title song ("Cross-Eyed Mary", "Hymn 43", "Locomotive Breath") but as good as that album is, I've never bothered to burn my LP to CD because Stand Up scratches my itch every time I'm in the mood for Tull (hey, isn't that a song title?).

2)Blur
I couldn't name a single song by them.

3)The Grateful Dead
There is, sadly, nothing like a Grateful Dead concert. They could be the most brilliantly inspired musicians in the world one night, and be forgetting lyrics and stumbling through the chord changes like the worst bar band you ever saw on the next night (or the next song!). You either like them or you don't, and no amount of explaining will ever change that. It's nice to see some love for their studio albums in this thread (which are usually ignored by "real deadheads") but if you want to hear the real deal, you've got to seek out the live material. For official live albums, Live/Dead, Hundred Year Hall and Without a Net are probably their best, and cover their (arguably) three best musical phases.

4)Steely Dan
They have a couple of songs I like, but they all kind of sound the same, their lyrics aren't nearly as clever as they think they are, and Donald Fagan's oh-so-jaded attitude gets old pretty fast. Love that guitar solo on "Bodhisattva", though!

5)Free
The best thing I can say about them is that they're far, far better than Bad Company. "All Right Now" is a decent "crank up the radio and sing along" song but there are hundreds of better blues-rock bands out there.

6)Elvis Costello
An absolute genius. Not everything he's recorded is great, but it's always interesting, and he's always trying new things. Comparisons to Bob Dylan are not unwarranted but El has tried a much, much wider range of styles than Dylan ever has.

7)The Moody Blues
Cheesy as hell, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for them. They were one of the bands my Mom listened to a lot when I was growing up, and those albums have imprinted themselves in the warm, fuzzy part of my brain. Check out A Question of Balance if you're interested in getting beyond the radio hits.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival
A great band for what they were. As Jonathan says, somewhat of a one-note band, but they were damn good at it. They recorded too many classics to list, but I hear them on the radio enough that I never feel tempted to put them on at home.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men
I love "Do It Clean", am indifferent about the rest. One of the absolute worst live concerts I ever saw (in 1984).

10)10CC
They have a couple of songs that I enjoy when they come on the radio, but like CCR, I'm never tempted to listen to them otherwise.

11)JJ Cale
Love his version of "Pablo Picasso". What? Never mind.

12)Carole King
See 10CC and CCR.

13)Badfinger
See 10CC and CCR.

14)Electric Light Orchestra
Used to love these guys when I was 14. Have been getting by without them quite well since then.

15)Sly and the Family Stone
A great band, but one that I rarely listen to.

16)Dire Straits
The album Making Movies is, to me, one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded. Side one features three perfect songs ("Tunnel of Love", "Romeo & Juliet", "Skateaway") and side two is no slouch either. How they went from that to the tuneless, unmusical dogshit that is "Money For Nothing" within 4 or 5 years is a complete mystery to me.

17)Ryan Adams
Don't believe I've ever listened to him.

18)The Replacements
Another great band that I rarely listen to. I used to listen to their Let It Be album a lot, though. Saw them open for The dB's once (am I dating myself?) and they were great.

19)Nirvana
Good hard rock band. I haven't listened to them enough to discern the brilliance that everyone else seems to hear.

20)Bob Marley
As others have pointed out, he's the one reggae artist that rock fans like, and Legend is the one album they own. More's the pity, since his catalog is far longer, and deeper, than that greatest hits package would indicate. One of the greatest songwriters to come out of Jamaica (along with Dennis Brown and Bob Andy). Check out African Herbsman or Rasta Revolution if you want to hear the raw, stripped-down music that developed when the Wailers and producer Lee "Scratch" Perry were helping to invent the sound that would be called "roots reggae" in the 70s (before Marley and Chris Blackwell decided to try to appeal to rock audiences).

21)Yes
These guys have held up pretty well over the years, IMO. I used to listen to them a lot in high school and college, then not at all for 10-15 years, then started listening again, and found that I still liked most of it. The Yes Album is a great place to start; it features the seeds of their later style with a bit of a harder edge and without so much pomp and bloat.

22)Radiohead
As Jonathan said, one of the best bands of the last 10-15 years. I've seen them live twice, and they were absolutely stunning each time. It's still hard for me to believe that a band that's this quirky, with such a bizarre range of influences (Can, Tangerine Dream, etc) is as popular as they are.

23)Procol Harum
If you've heard their two hits, you've heard all you need to hear. This was another band my Mom listened to a lot, but this one definitely didn't stick the way the Moody Blues did.

24)AC/DC
Another band that I get quite enough of on the radio. I do like them, though (much more than most similar hard-rock bands) and their late-70s concert video is superb.

25)Coldplay
Pretty boring. Like a poor man's Radiohead, but without all the quirky influences. And creativity.

26)Tom Waits
Franks Wild Years is one of my all-time favorites. Like Tull's Stand Up, it usually scratches my itch when I'm in the mood for his music.

27)The Only Ones
Wrote and recorded one of the best pop songs ever. I have no idea what the rest of their repertoire sounds like.

28)Steppenwolf
I hear more than enough of them on the radio, which is kind of a pity, since their two hits are both pretty good, but hard to hear with fresh ears due to how much they're overplayed.

29)The Byrds
Another mostly-radio band for me. I did pick up Sweetheart of the Rodeo a couple of years ago but I haven't really warmed up to it, although I generally like country-rock.

30)The Guess Who
See Steppenwolf.

leonaozaki

05-09-2007, 10:24 AM

1)Jethro Tull

Never could get into the Tull. Occasionally I find myself singing along on the radio but that's about it. Silly and overblown.

2)Blur

Love these guys-- esp. Parklife and The Great Escape. I was actually living in Britiain during the whole "Britpop" explosion but I was a poor student so I missed it. Years later I have discovered Blur and am ready to declare Parklife one of the greatest pop albums ever.

3)The Grateful Dead

I know of lots of people who like them but I've never been able to get beyond Workingman's Dead and American Beauty which I have and do like an awful lot. I suppose I think they "noodle" more than they "improvise."

4)Steely Dan

As with Tull, I'll sing along on the radio but have never felt the need to buy any of their records.

5)Free

Hate, hate, hate "All Right Now."

6)Elvis Costello

One of the towering giants of my musical universe. I don't own all of his records, and I'd be a foolish man to deny that his later work hasn't fired me up like his earlier stuff, but I did love Brutal Youth and The Delivery Man... and even parts of All This Useless Beauty. Even if he is doing car commercials now I'll still pay attention to him.

7)The Moody Blues

Gah. "Important" sixties prog-rock at its worst. "Nights in White Satin" bores me to tears. No, no, no.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

I hardly ever listen to them anymore but there was a time when I listened them on a regular basis. I still have the first Chronicle album and most of it still holds up. If I had to choose I'd say "Green River" might be my favorite CCR song.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men

Now, here's a band that's on my list to find out more about. I've only ever heard "The Cutter" but I loved it so one of these days I'm going to buy their first few albums.

10)10CC

I've read so much about them over the years that I feel like I should like them but I've never even heard them.

11)JJ Cale

From what I have heard of his stuff, there are a few gems on his records (even if I'm sick of "Cocaine") but overall his laid-back style makes me want to drive into a ditch.

12)Carole King

I like the songs that get played on the radio but I would never buy an entire record. I give her extra points for providing the theme song to Gilmore Girls, though.

13)Badfinger

Wait, wasn't that a Soundgarden record? Sorry, bad joke. Never listened to them at all. Probably never will.

14)Electric Light Orchestra

"Don't Bring Me Down" is a great driving song. Other than that: who cares? Jeff Lynne has done much better work as a Wilbury and a producer of Tom Petty records.

15)Sly and the Family Stone

I like everything of theirs I've ever heard but sadly I don't own any of their records, which is bad. I'll probably change that in the near future. Isn't "Life" a great song?

16)Dire Straits

I liked them a lot when they were the band that did Making Movies. But "Money for Nothing" makes me cringe.

17)Ryan Adams

Naaaaah.

18)The Replacements

Okay, I'm going to get a little rock-snobby here. Anybody that doesn't own Let it Be, Tim and Pleased to Meet Me (at least!) doesn't know as much as they think they do about rock and roll. There. I've said it. The Mats are absolutely essential. And if you like the holy trilogy Sorry Ma Forgot To Take Out The Trash and Hootenanny are great records as well.

19)Nirvana

Sure, it's fun to bash on them now but those that do don't know or have forgotten how grim things were in the early 90's for those of us in high school who were still dependent on radio and MTV for new music. To us, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Nevermind were revelations. 16 years laters I don't listen to Nirvana very much but they were still a great band. Nevermind is a stone-cold classic and parts of the later records were great.

20)Bob Marley

Of course I love Bob Marley, but I think I love his early recordings at Studio One the best.

21)Yes

No, no, no. See the Moody Blues, above.

22)Radiohead

Of course, one of the greatest bands of the 90's and beyond. I love The Bends and OK Computer, although the latter sometimes really freaks me out. But I guess that's the point.

23)Procol Harum

Loved "Whiter Shade of Pale." Everything I've tried to listen to since then has been borderline unlistenable.

24)AC/DC

I own Back in Black and sing along to the rest on the radio. One of the greatest hard rock bands ever.

25)Coldplay

....zzzzzzz.....huh? Oh. "Yellow" was all right, but....zzzzz.....

26)Tom Waits

One of the greats, like Dylan, Costello, and Zevon for me. All of his phases from Small Change to Heartattack and Vine to Rain Dogs to Mule Variations interest and excite me. Of course his musical abilities are without peer but his lyrics are amazing too: "There's no Devil just God when he's drunk."

27)The Only Ones

I only know the one song. Ha ha!

28)Steppenwolf

Man how I used to love "Born to Be Wild." I like about half of "Magic Carpet Ride." For a great use of "Born to be Wild," though, check out Leningrad Cowboys Go America.

29)The Byrds

I like them more for the artists they influenced (Tom Petty, R.E.M., jangly college bands everywhere) than I do for their actual music. I can't listen to their Bob Dylan covers-- although Husker Du's verson of "Eight Miles High" is great. Although I do give them credit for letting Gram Parsons turn the Byrds into a country-rock outfit for Sweetheart of the Rodeo, a great album I do own.

30)The Guess Who

What? Did they do something besides "American Woman?" I hate that song anyway, so who cares?

rob

yayforyoga

05-09-2007, 03:25 PM

Jethro Tull: Like a few songs
Blur: Love them and miss them, does anyone remember the song "You're So Great"
The Grateful Dead: Can live without
Elvis Costello: Great hits!!! Alison and Watchin the Detectives. :)
Creedence Clearwater Revival: like a few songs
Dire Straits: like a few songs...when I say that I guess I mean I'm not a die hard fan but when I hear them from time to time I love it more than anything. They play perfect driving music.
Nirvana: Classic!!! Polly is my favorite song.
Bob Marley: Reminds me of College
Radiohead: One of my top five favorite bands of all time.
Coldplay: Good but sad.

Ilash

05-09-2007, 04:49 PM

Well, I guess it's about time I threw in my five cents worth.

1)Jethro Tull

Beyond a few songs on a compilation, I don't own anything of theirs beyond Thick as a Brick, an album that I like a lot. Aqualung and Stand Up are easily two of my favourie albums ever and coupled with the singles from that era, they cement Tull's position as, in my opinion, one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever. As for the pretention, at their best Ian Anderson's clownish sense of humour certainly deflates any pompousness they may otherwise have possesed.

2)Blur

Know them through a greatest hits and yes, I can certainly understand why some call them the best pop band of the 90s. They're not - Ween are but they are really, really good.

3)The Grateful Dead

They're responsible for two of my all time favourite songs Box of Rain and Ripple and I have and really like American Beauty and Workingman's Dead but I am reluctant about getting into their live stuff.

4)Steely Dan

Am I the only one here who really likes this band? I like their sound and their impressive pop-hook-making abilities do seem to be rather underrated.

5)Free

Much better than Bad Company but no, they're certainly not essential. Their best song is Fire and Water, incidentally, not All Right Now.

6)Elvis Costello

Genius. Also, really inconsistent. I love tons of his stuff while the rest interests me but I can't really say I like any of his albums all the way through. Though of course you need his albums because some of his best tracks are album cuts.

7)The Moody Blues

Hey, I quite like 'em. Horribly pompous at times but To Our Childrens' Children's Children is a really solid art-pop album and I personally LOVE Nights in White Satin, and the album it's on is pretty good if you ignore the lamer than lame poetry and string arrangements.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

Fantastic band but yes, very one note. Also, they do seem to be a band that you get most, if not all, of their best stuff on their two greatest hits albums - Chronicles but especially the exclusively South African Platinum I & 2 comps.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men

Asked about these guys because they do seem like a band I may well like and I watched High Fidelity the other day and Jack Black's character brings them up, which reminded me to find out more about them.

10)10CC

Really interesting art-pop band in the early days, with just enough hooks to keep me coming back. I have experienced them only through a greatest hits comp though. And yes, their later stuff ain't nearly as good as the stuff that came from the original, more arty, lineup.

11)JJ Cale

Only have one album of his but I will get more at some point. Really like him. Very laid back, yes but his songwriting is really good and he has a great rootsy sound.

12)Carole King

Only have Tapestry and I absolutely love it. Still deciding about whether to pursue the rest of her stuff.

13)Badfinger

Straight Up is a great album. The only other studio album of their's I own, Magic Christian Music is not. But yeah, it does seem that however derivative they may well be, they have enough good to great songs to justify their existence.

14)Electric Light Orchestra

New World Record and Eldorado are really good albums and Lynne is a good songwriter from what I've heard but their monotonous sound is very tiresome. Not essential stuff but they're pretty solid.

15)Sly and the Family Stone

Phenomenal band. Not in my top 5 or anything but clearly one of the greatest bands of all times.

16)Dire Straits

A few of their songs are great and the guitar playing is great but meh, I'm not much of a fan of them all in all.

17)Ryan Adams

Haven't heard his stuff, I was asking because I heard some good things about him from Uncut magazine. Seems like they're way off base as ever. Your replies have pretty much put me off checking him out. Oh well.

18)The Replacements

Need to hear more of them but their albums are either unavailable or ludicrously expensive in this country. But they do seem very promising and I am constantly on the lookout for them at the second hand CD stores that i frequent.

19)Nirvana

I HATE Nirvana. Not really through any fault of theirs (they have some damn good melodies to be honest) but they've become associated with two of the biggest modern musical cliches that drive me up the wall. Everytime I hear a band do the whole bloody quite verse/ screaming chorus thing I want to scream. It's just such a boring and obvious thing to do that it just drives me nuts. Second, they and Grunge in general somehow convinced the millions of their faceless followers who flood the airwaves that rock music has to be mopey, moany, angsty and horribly, naval gazingly earnest. Oh and Cobain's hero worshipon account of his suicide is horribly misjudged.

20)Bob Marley

Good. I actually don't own anything from him but yeah, he's responsible for a number of great songs.

21)Yes

Great bass playing and I like Roundabout but just yuck in general.

22)Radiohead

I went through a huge Radiohead phase but ya know what, I just can't take the whining. Tons of musical talent but as you can probably tell from my Nirvana rant, I am very turned off by the mopiness. And again, Ween are the best band of the last 15 years, not them.

23)Procol Harum

There's more to them than Whiter Shade of Pale! I'm not a huge fan but they do have a number of really good songs to their name. A Salty Dog is to my ears even better than Whiter Shade of Pale. And Robin Trower kicks ass.

24)AC/DC

One trick pony but they may well be the best no-nonsense, ass-kicking hard rock and roll band of all time. Now, if only they'd release a greatest hits album, which is all I think I really need from them.

25)Coldplay

Likem them quite a bit when I went through my Radiohead phase but if Radiohead's whininess turns me off, imagine what I feel about their less talented, less interesting spiritual cousins. Still, some good songs like Clocks, Yellow, Sparks and especially the Scientist do save them from any real hatred that I may have towards them.

26)Tom Waits

Need to hear more of his stuff but I am definitely coming around to him.

27)The Only Ones

Yup, I love THAT song like mad and I have heard one or two others by them that sound good. I'm just curious as to whether they are any good beyond a single or two.

28)Steppenwolf

Eh. Just listen to the two big hits. The rest if just flack.

29)The Byrds

Like 'em, respect 'em but don't love 'em.

30)The Guess Who

More to these guys than American Woman, that's for damned sure. Yeah, they're pretty much MOR 70s rock but Undone, These Eyes, No Sugar Tonight, No Time and Share the Land are all great songs and they're actually pretty solid overall.

Jonathan Bogart

05-09-2007, 05:19 PM

Beyond a few songs on a compilation, I don't own anything of theirs beyond Thick as a Brick, an album that I like a lot. Aqualung and Stand Up are easily two of my favourie albums ever and coupled with the singles from that era, they cement Tull's position as, in my opinion, one of the greatest rock and roll bands ever. As for the pretention, at their best Ian Anderson's clownish sense of humour certainly deflates any pompousness they may otherwise have possesed.
I listened to Stand Up. They really liked Cream and Fairport Convention. Still not a fan.

Asked about these guys because they do seem like a band I may well like and I watched High Fidelity the other day and Jack Black's character brings them up, which reminded me to find out more about them.
Get their Songs to Learn and Sing compilation. It's all I think you need, but if you really fall in love with the band, it still has essential non-album tracks.

Only have Tapestry and I absolutely love it. Still deciding about whether to pursue the rest of her stuff.
If you like Tapestry, you'll at least like her other 70s material.

Haven't heard his stuff, I was asking because I heard some good things about him from Uncut magazine. Seems like they're way off base as ever. Your replies have pretty much put me off checking him out. Oh well.
Actually, you might like one or two of his records. You wouldn't like all of them, though; no one does.

I went through a huge Radiohead phase but ya know what, I just can't take the whining. Tons of musical talent but as you can probably tell from my Nirvana rant, I am very turned off by the mopiness. And again, Ween are the best band of the last 15 years, not them.[/qote]
Man, I know you like Ween, but that's just ...

[QUOTE]More to these guys than American Woman, that's for damned sure. Yeah, they're pretty much MOR 70s rock but Undone, These Eyes, No Sugar Tonight, No Time and Share the Land are all great songs and they're actually pretty solid overall.
"These Eyes" is not a great song. It's a Three Dog Night song that escaped to Canada.

scratchie

05-09-2007, 07:49 PM

Elvis Costello: Great hits!!! Alison and Watchin the Detectives. :)He does have more than one album, you know!

scratchie

05-09-2007, 07:55 PM

3)The Grateful Dead

They're responsible for two of my all time favourite songs Box of Rain and Ripple and I have and really like American Beauty and Workingman's Dead but I am reluctant about getting into their live stuff.I know I said earlier that there's no point trying to convince someone that they should like the Dead, but I just wanted to mention the live album Without a Net one more time. It was recorded in 1990, when the endless noodle-fests were, for better or for worse, a thing of the past, and it might be a good introduction to their live material for someone who's turned off by the thought of a 30-minute version of "Turn On Your Love Light". As much as I, personally, love their old stuff, this is the sound of the group that I went to see 40-some-odd times, and while they may not have been as "far out" as they were in their youth, they still had a lot of juice on a good night, and 1990 was a time when, by most accounts, they were consistently playing better than they had in a long time.

david r

05-09-2007, 08:35 PM

4)Steely Dan

Am I the only one here who really likes this band? I like their sound and their impressive pop-hook-making abilities do seem to be rather underrated.

You're not alone. I've really gotten into their music, and Aja is fantastic. Their 2000 comeback CD is good too.

Their jazz-rock style works well still, and every album they did was different.

As for Creedence Clearwater Revival, I think the best thing that happened to them was their breakup in 1972. If they had lasted much longer, I feel their "Swamp rock" style would have faded out and they would have become a one-trick pony. They broke up at the top.

leonaozaki

05-09-2007, 08:51 PM

6)Elvis Costello

Genius. Also, really inconsistent. I love tons of his stuff while the rest interests me but I can't really say I like any of his albums all the way through. Though of course you need his albums because some of his best tracks are album cuts.

You don't like all of My Aim is True, This Year's Model or Armed Forces? I can understand not liking all of the songs on the albums that came after that --although I personally still rate Get Happy!!Trust, Imperial Bedroom, King of America,Blood and Chocolate, and Spike-- but I've never known any Elvis fan that didn't like of all the first three albums.

rob

Eliot Johnson

05-09-2007, 11:20 PM

1)Jethro Tull

hahahahahahaha so i'm still pretty sure this 'band' is an elaborate joke trying to make me think people actually like them. i'm not gonna fall for it guys, you can stop now.

pretty funny though.

2)Blur

generic pop. inoffensive for the most part but terribly dull

3)The Grateful Dead

they're important enough and good enough at what they do that i won't make fun of them. i could though.

every time one of their fans drags their fat dreadlocked ass into my record store and asks why don't we have any grateful dead bootlegs i say "because we don't want ppl like you in the store so gtfo"

4)Steely Dan

why would anyone choose to listen to this band when there are bands that are worth listening too? meh upon meh but i don't dislike them.

5)Free
haven't heard

6)Elvis Costello

guys' a lotta fun but he's made too many bad songs. lotta great ones though. good.

7)The Moody Blues

some of their stuff is ok, but there are a million bands that do what they did much better. at some point that started to suck, too. shouldn't have existed.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

best band so far.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men

I don't get this band, i think. unless "boring" is what they were going for. only heard ocean rain and crocodile.

10)10CC

haven't heard but that's a stupid name.

11)JJ Cale

more or less worthless as a performer, but there's a lot worst stuff to listen to.

12)Carole King

13)Badfinger

14)Electric Light Orchestra

bad, worse, terrible (The Move was so great, though!)

15)Sly and the Family Stone

absolutely the best. every record is essential. makes everything else on this list look silly.

16)Dire Straits

i'm pretty sure i have to be "adult alternative" to like this.

17)Ryan Adams

< most other musicians

18)The Replacements

i mean i guess if you want to listen to them you're not an idiot but then again you probably are

19)Nirvana

kurt cobain sure had amazing taste didn't he?

amazing concept for a band. too bad the music was average at best. they had a couple tunes for sure though

20)Bob Marley

overrated to be blunt about it. he was good though.

21)Yes

the wankiest wank that's ever wanked. absolutely soulless

22)Radiohead

that the same sessions produced kid a, amnesiac, and the amnesiac b-sides is really impressive. Most everything on those records and most all those b-sides are good to great. other than that they're monstrously overrated despite a good tune here or there.

23)Procol Harum

well uh, i think it's cool they played at UFO when they had a #1 hit, but even that song wasn't very good.

24)AC/DC

not worth listening too. mildly offensive

25)Coldplay

never released a decent song. very offensive.

26)Tom Waits

i think i'd like him more if he wasn't a clown. overall good though.

27)The Only Ones

28)Steppenwolf

footnotes at best and that's all the deserve

29)The Byrds

good band!

30)The Guess Who

not a good band!

Eliot Johnson

05-09-2007, 11:29 PM

i would not have posted in this thread if i had seen the the thread starter cited Ween as the best band of the last 15 years.

Fish Sauce

05-10-2007, 02:17 AM

Dire Straits
Quite like them, however couldn't see them being a big favourite. Their greatest hits are good enough for me, if you know what I mean - They have good songs but not a huge collection of ones that I would love. Sultans of Swing is always good, though.

Radiohead
Recently got OK Computer, and these guys are fast becoming a favourite band. The album is fantastic and gets better the more I listen to it, just trying to work out which one to buy next. As someone said before, definitely one of the best bands of the last ten years.

AC/DC
Used to like them a lot more than I do now. They're great on occasion, and I can always get into it if they happen to be on, but I don't often choose to listen to them over alternatives anymore. Back in Black and Highway to Hell are great albums, though.

Coldplay
I can listen to Coldplay on a rare occasion, however they don't seem to have songs that really stand out to me. They're good for a listen, but they'd never go on repeat. To be honest I'd probably listen to them when lying in bed. In My Place is nice.

Ilash

05-10-2007, 06:42 AM

You don't like all of My Aim is True, This Year's Model or Armed Forces? I can understand not liking all of the songs on the albums that came after that --although I personally still rate Get Happy!!Trust, Imperial Bedroom, King of America,Blood and Chocolate, and Spike-- but I've never known any Elvis fan that didn't like of all the first three albums.

rob

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.

Ilash

05-10-2007, 06:44 AM

i would not have posted in this thread if i had seen the the thread starter cited Ween as the best band of the last 15 years.

And I was just about to ask if you like any music? Ah well, that definitely counts in your favour.

EDIT: Er, wait, I misread what you said.

Seriously, what music DO you like?

Ilash

05-10-2007, 06:53 AM

I listened to Stand Up. They really liked Cream and Fairport Convention. Still not a fan.

I don't agree. I don't think they're much like Cream at all. I don't really think they sound like anyone else actually, that's part of why I like 'em.

Get their Songs to Learn and Sing compilation. It's all I think you need, but if you really fall in love with the band, it still has essential non-album tracks.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out.

Man, I know you like Ween, but that's just ...

What can I tell you, I haven't a heard a band that comes close to them yet. Radiohead included.

"These Eyes" is not a great song. It's a Three Dog Night song that escaped to Canada.

Ah well, hey, I like it. But then, I don't really mind Three Dog Night either.

scratchie

05-10-2007, 07:31 AM

hahahahahahaha so i'm still pretty sure this 'band' is an elaborate joke trying to make me think people actually like them.

why would anyone choose to listen to this band when there are bands that are worth listening too? meh upon meh but i don't dislike them.

haven't heard but that's a stupid name.

more or less worthless as a performer, but there's a lot worst stuff to listen to.

bad, worse, terrible (The Move was so great, though!)

i'm pretty sure i have to be "adult alternative" to like this.

< most other musicians

i mean i guess if you want to listen to them you're not an idiot but then again you probably are

the wankiest wank that's ever wanked. absolutely soulless

not worth listening too. mildly offensive

never released a decent song. very offensive.

i think i'd like him more if he wasn't a clown.

footnotes at best and that's all the deserve

not a good band!You're obviously way too cool for this board, if not this planet.

Jonathan Bogart

05-10-2007, 08:12 AM

i think i'd like him more if he wasn't a clown. overall good though.
Unless you mean it in the hip-hop sense (and in that case wtf dude), that's one of the reasons I like him: his over-the-top theatricality.

Jonathan Bogart

05-10-2007, 09:57 AM

Seriously, what music DO you like?

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showpost.php?p=2717683&postcount=17

Reptisaurus!

05-10-2007, 12:49 PM

19)Nirvana

I HATE Nirvana. Not really through any fault of theirs (they have some damn good melodies to be honest) but they've become associated with two of the biggest modern musical cliches that drive me up the wall. Everytime I hear a band do the whole bloody quite verse/ screaming chorus thing I want to scream. It's just such a boring and obvious thing to do that it just drives me nuts. Second, they and Grunge in general somehow convinced the millions of their faceless followers who flood the airwaves that rock music has to be mopey, moany, angsty and horribly, naval gazingly earnest. Oh and Cobain's hero worshipon account of his suicide is horribly misjudged.

Worth noting that Nirvana, themselves, were basically a comedy band. Granted the humor didn't get picked up on by most of their influences, but Nirvana themselves were slightly more earnest than Weird Al and slightly less than Ween.

Ilash

05-10-2007, 12:52 PM

Worth noting that Nirvana, themselves, were basically a comedy band. Granted the humor didn't get picked up on by most of their influences, but Nirvana themselves were slightly more earnest than Weird Al and slightly less than Ween.

Huh? Really? man, talking about subtle humour!

Reptisaurus!

05-10-2007, 01:21 PM

Huh? Really? man, talking about subtle humour!

Sometimes. I didn't get the joke in "Heart Shaped Box" till I saw Patti Smoth cover it live.

Conversely... You've never listened to "Nevermind" have ya? At least half the tunes there are blatantly comedic. The chorus to one song is "Just Because You're Paranoid/Don't Mean They're Not After You" repeated over and over. Not quite Sam Becket or nothin'.

Ilash

05-10-2007, 05:34 PM

http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showpost.php?p=2717683&postcount=17

Ah yeah, he's the guy who likes almost nothing but the more experimental artsy side of music. Fair enough.

Ilash

05-10-2007, 05:35 PM

Sometimes. I didn't get the joke in "Heart Shaped Box" till I saw Patti Smoth cover it live.

Conversely... You've never listened to "Nevermind" have ya? At least half the tunes there are blatantly comedic. The chorus to one song is "Just Because You're Paranoid/Don't Mean They're Not After You" repeated over and over. Not quite Sam Becket or nothin'.

Nope. I've been so turned off by the band that I haven't bothered to pick up Nevermind. Damn biases.

Deathstroke

05-10-2007, 05:49 PM

1)Jethro Tull

Good, but not really one I listen to beyond the radio cuts.

2)Blur

Don't listen to.

3)The Grateful Dead

Don't listen to.

4)Steely Dan

Radio tracks only.

5)Free

Paul Rodgers first brush with fame. I had a CD compilation of the band. Good stuff beyond All Right Now.

6)Elvis Costello

Don't Listen To.

7)The Moody Blues

Two songs I've ever really heard.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

I like them.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men

NO.

10)10CC

Don't listen to.

11)JJ Cale

Don't listen to.

12)Carole King

Don't listen to.

13)Badfinger

Don't Listen To.

14)Electric Light Orchestra

Radio tracks only.

15)Sly and the Family Stone

Don't listen to.

16)Dire Straits

Love the Brothers In Arms CD.

17)Ryan Adams

NO.

The Replacements

Don't listen to.

Nirvana

NO.

Bob Marley

Radio tracks only.

Yes

I like them, but most knowledge comes from the 90125 era.

Radiohead

NO.

Procol Harum

Don't listen to.

AC/DC

Love them.

25)Coldplay

NO. NO. NO.

26)Tom Waits

Want to listen to, but never have gotten around to it.

27)The Only Ones

Never heard of them.

28)Steppenwolf

Radio tracks only.

29)The Byrds

Don't really listen to.

30)The Guess Who

Radio tracks.

Ilash

05-10-2007, 06:03 PM

Rob Allen

05-10-2007, 07:21 PM

1)Jethro Tull
Good classic rock band. My brother was more into them than I was.

2)Blur
Never heard of them.

3)The Grateful Dead
My favorite music ever.

4)Steely Dan
Really like most of their stuff.

5)Free
Heard the name but have no idea what they sound like.

6)Elvis Costello
Interesting fellow who writes good music.

7)The Moody Blues
Originators of orchestral rock. I like a lot of their stuff.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival
Many classic songs but I always thought their drummer was really dull and unimaginitive. Replacing him with a jazz drummer would have been fun. Same goes for Fleetwood Mac, BTW.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men
Heard the name but have no idea what they sound like.

10)10CC
They were OK.

11)JJ Cale
Writes good songs.

12)Carole King
Also writes good songs and really connected to the zeitgeist for a while there.

13)Badfinger
OK pop band.

14)Electric Light Orchestra
Some good stuff, some not so good.

15)Sly and the Family Stone
Great fun.

16)Dire Straits
One of my favorites of the last twenty years.

17)Ryan Adams
Heard the name but would not recognize his music or his face.

18)The Replacements
Heard the name but have no idea if I've heard their music.

19)Nirvana
Only heard the one song. Not sure what the hoopla was about.

20)Bob Marley
Really interesting music. His singing sounds to me like he was trying to do jazz.

21)Yes
When I was in college, the serious stoners were all into Yes, Pink Floyd and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Part-time stoners were into the Moody Blues and Procol Harum. That's the Yes music I remember, and I liked it. 90125 was a different band with the same name.

22)Radiohead
Again, heard the name but unfamiliar with the music.

23)Procol Harum
Always liked them. I actually heard Conquistador first, before their better-known hits.

24)AC/DC
Was never impressed.

25)Coldplay
Heard the name, not the music.

26)Tom Waits
He's done some interesting songs, and there's a good one written about him - Waitin' for Waits, or something like that.

27)The Only Ones
Never heard of them.

28)Steppenwolf
Two classic-rock hits, and that's about all there was to them. One of the two hits is the source of the phrase "heavy metal".

29)The Byrds
I've liked almost everything I've heard from them, but have never been motivated to seek more.

30)The Guess Who
Good pop band for the times. Was interesting to hear the music the two major guys in the band made after the split - the Burton Cummings songs and the Bachman-Turner Overdrive songs didn't sound like they came from people who used to be in the same band.

Deathstroke

05-10-2007, 07:23 PM

Dude, did I just pick a bunch of people that you've never really listened to or what?

I guess so.

david r

05-10-2007, 09:14 PM

What are your thoughts on this new list of musical acts?

1) Deep Purple

2) Blue Oyster Cult

3) Rainbow

4) Foreigner

5) Journey

6) Madness

7) The Band

8) Motorhead

9) Faith No More

10)Men At Work

11) Styx

12) Genesis

13) Midnight Oil

14) Whitesnake

15) The Blues Brothers

Jonathan Bogart

05-10-2007, 10:14 PM

1) Deep Purple
A ploddinger version of Led Zeppelin. I like my hard rock lighter on its feet. "Smoke on the Water" still kicks ass, though.

2) Blue Oyster Cult
I've not heard anything by them that's nearly as good as "Don't Fear the Reaper," and even that isn't so hot after a couple hundred spins.

3) Rainbow
Not my bag.

4) Foreigner
Ew, gross.

5) Journey
Nice, you just upped the ew, gross stakes.

6) Madness
One of the greatest specifically British pop bands of all time, on a level with the Kinks, the Jam, and Blur. Oh, and their early baggy stuff is nice too.

7) The Band
One of the greatest bands in the world for the space of exactly two albums. Then they slowly fall apart.

8) Motorhead
Never been able to feel it.

9) Faith No More
The first version was 80s-indie-by-numbers; the Mike Patton version was infinitely cooler, but still pretty unspectacular.

10)Men At Work
I can never remember the difference between them and Men Without Hats. Nor do I care.

11) Styx
Now you're just getting the ew, gross all over the place.

12) Genesis
Quite the enjoyable little prog-rock combo until Peter Gabriel left. Then they turned to crap.

13) Midnight Oil
All I really know is "Beds Are Burning" (yawn) and that surf-rock instrumental (yay!).

14) Whitesnake
There's good hair metal, and there's bad hair metal. Whitesnake is the latter.

15) The Blues Brothers
Yes, because that's what was needed to validate the greatest soul music of all time: two fat white comedians oversinging it. In all sincerity, fuck them.

Ottmeister X

05-10-2007, 11:02 PM

As for comments regarding Radiohead being one of the best rock bands in the last decade or so . . . it's not like they have had a lot of competition.

I'm with the overrated group on them. A few great songs, but I don't hear the rest of it.

Adam C

05-10-2007, 11:18 PM

1) Deep Purple - "Smoke on the Water" kicks ass, but besides "Burn" I just could never get into these guys despite all that was said about their importance in seventies hard rock. Machine Head just bored me.

2) Blue Oyster Cult - One of the two bands that got me into music in the first place, mostly because Michael Moorcock worked with them. (Can you guess what the OTHER band is?) Rarely listen to their stuff now, but I still enjoy "ETI," "Burning Telepaths," etc.

(And no Jon I'm not going to start suddenly singing praises of Foreigner or Journey. Cheeseball seventies hard rock is still some ways from putrid 70s MOR.)

3) Rainbow - If only I had heard "Man on the Silver Mountain" when I was in high-school running my D&D campaign. Rainbow, early Dio, and BoC would have made a perfect soundtrack.

...but metal-loving best friend was all about Metallica, and Megadeth. Problem was I wasn't ready for Speed Metal at that point.

7) The Band - During the 100 Greatest Albums of the 70s list a writer a Pitchfork claimed that CCR's sound was so timeless, "they could have been Andrew Jackson's house band or funded by the Works Progress Administration." That's a pretty dodgy claim considering that CCR's sound was always clearly rooted in rock'n'roll and the electric guitar. Such a description could easily fit the Band's first two albums though who brought together rock with a melange of American roots music. (Yes it's like "World Music" isn't it? But what else are you going to call it at this hour?)

8) Motorhead - The AC/DC of speed metal in all the best ways possible.

10)Men At Work - Who?

14) Whitesnake - There was someone I was online with who early on put me in touch with a lot of good music like the Clash, Mission of Burma, the Replacements and Black Flag.

Looking back, I know the point at which our tastes began to diverge wildly was when he started touting Whitesnake...

15) The Blues Brothers - I enjoyed the movie for the perfectly madcap piece of nonsense that it was. That said I see little need for the band as an act, even if they enlisted Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn's help. The originals are still widely available, so what's the need for warmed-over covers by a pair of comedians?

Plus it gave us House of Blues. EEWWWWW!!!

Reptisaurus!

05-11-2007, 04:49 AM

1) Deep Purple

Smoke On the Water talks about a Frank Zappa gig. That's kinda cool.

...

I've never heard anything else by them.

2) Blue Oyster Cult

One of my favorites. Really smart guys, and BOC was half parody, half completely sincere. (And probably a thousand listens later Godzilla STILL cracks me up.)

3) Rainbow
[Quote]

Who?
[quote]
4) Foreigner

Saw 'em live. They drove a monster truck on stage and had a giant inflatable jukebox. Cheesy, but they were completely aware of how cheesy it was.

Can't hate 'em.

5) Journey

Cheesy, and they seem completely oblivious. Decently talented dudes in the overproduced way I find completely unlistenable.

6) Madness

Not all that familiar with 'em. I guess they're all right for white people.

7) The Band

Used to listen to them all the time when I was washing tour buses in Alaska, but not by choice.

I have no strong feeling either way about 'em, I guess.

8) Motorhead

"I used to think I liked metal. Now I think I just really, really, like Motorhead."

Me.

9) Faith No More

Big fan. Weirdly, I like there kind of punkishly incompetent (but completely non-generic JON) first album the best.

10)Men At Work

Land Down Under? Safety Dance?

They did one of those songs that show up on every "Best of the 80s" compilation.

11) Styx

Only no their radio stuff, not a fan. Except for Mr. Roboto, which I inexplicably love.

12) Genesis

Never as good as Peter Gabriel's solo stuff. Kinda sad what they turned into. The "I Can't Dance" video is really funny.

13) Midnight Oil

I had an ex-girlfriend who was way into them. Decent.

14) Whitesnake

"Here I Go Again" is a great song. DOn't know anything else from them.

15) The Blues Brothers

Geez, sensing some hostility here. Good movie. They seemed genuinely sincere and knowledgeable about the blues, and are much better than they had a right to be.

I mean, they're nothing I'd listen to on purpose. But I'm glad they exist.

Ilash

05-11-2007, 06:05 AM

1) Deep Purple

Good band. Mark II at their best, see Made in Japan, beat Zeppelin at their own game. I think their studio albums would be much improved if they had Zeppelin handling their production, which, as it stands, is dissapointingly flat. But every fan of the harder side of rock and roll needs Made in Japan in their collection.

2) Blue Oyster Cult

Eh. Okay enough heavy metal band but aside for Don't Fear the Reaper, I never listen to them.

3) Rainbow

Silly, stupid, inane fantasty garbage but some good guitar playing and they're actually quite fun besides themselves.

4) Foreigner

Yuck.

5) Journey

Yuck but in quite an unitentionally funny way. They're crap but I could get some guilty pleasure from listening to a song of theirs every once in a while.

6) Madness

Can't comment. I haven't heard anything of theirs.

7) The Band

I have their first three albums and love The Band and Stage Fright. As for Music from Big Pink, I like it but I haven't really been able to get into it as much as I would like. Strange, I know but there you go. And the Last Waltz kicks all sorts of ass. Fantastic band and by far the best in this list.

8) Motorhead

Haven't really heard much of but then, I'm not much of a metal fan at all.

9) Faith No More

No idea.

10)Men At Work

No idea.

11) Styx

Barf!

12) Genesis

Boring band. Even Gabriel-era Genesis, though it certainly has its moments, tends to bore me. Prog-rock's a tricky beast.

13) Midnight Oil

Haven't heard enough from them to rally comment. As you can see, my 80s knowledge is really limited.

14) Whitesnake

Crap.

15) The Blues Brothers

Awesome. Sure, you may as well listen to the originals but they are a good alternative and their backing band is genuinely impressive. Oh and their movie RULES.

leonaozaki

05-11-2007, 07:33 AM

1) Deep Purple

Why bother? Sure, "Smoke on the Water" is great but that's as far as it goes.

2) Blue Oyster Cult

Two things I love about BOC: a) "Don't Fear the Reaper," and b) they inspired a very funny skit on SNL with Will Farrel and Christopher Walken. Ha ha ha! Other than that, who cares?

3) Rainbow

What? Who?

4) Foreigner

No. Absolutely not. Gah.

5) Journey

Now, I would never own a Journey album, but they are kind of fun to sing along to on the radio, and Shannon Wheeler did a funny cartoon about that a while back, so....

6) Madness

Okay, I'm a white person, and I love Madness. Maybe not as much as the Specials, but I love Madness.

7) The Band

I have the first two albums-- which are just stone cold classics-- as well as many CD's of the Band backing up Dylan. I even have Robbie Robertson's solo albums. So I must like them. Great, great musicians; and when Robertson's on, he's a great songwriter.

8) Motorhead

I don't really know that much about them but I have this sense that if I ever listened to them I would like them.

9) Faith No More

I only own the one album that everybody owns, The Real Thing, but I love it anyway. Saw them live in 92 and they were excellent.

10)Men At Work

See, now, all of your mockery will not hide my love for "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under." (The Men Without Hats did the Safety Dance....) But that's all I can say.

11) Styx

Uh...no. Although SOUTH PARK did use "I'm Sailing Away" to make a few wicked jokes.

12) Genesis

This is a joke, right? Standard line: good with Peter Gabriel, crap with Phil Collins (although however horrible Collins is as a singer, he's a great drummer).

13) Midnight Oil

Love these guys. I admit the fire went out after Earth and Sun and Moon but from Place without a Postcard to Earth and Sun and Moon they made great records. They have a lot of stuff that's better, and more experimental, than "Beds are Burning."

14) Whitesnake

This is another joke, right? People will remember them as the band that had a hot model make love to a car in a video. They will forget everything else, and rightly so.

15) The Blues Brothers

I dunno. I loved the movie, but I can't see why anyone would listen to their music separate from the movie.

rob

Chiasm

05-11-2007, 08:45 AM

1) Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water right? May they rot in hell for all the times I had to play that in band in high school.

2) Blue Oyster Cult - Only know the reaper song.

3) Rainbow - Dio's old band isn't it? Don't know anything else by them.

4) Foreigner - I'll listen to their songs on the radio but have no urge to go and buy them.

5) Journey - 80's pop rock at its best and worst.

6) Madness - Dammit, now I'm going to have that one damn song in my head all day.

7) The Band - I'm clueless about them, not even sure if I've heard of them.

8) Motorhead - What I've heard I don't like.

9) Faith No More - Only familiar with the Mike Patton version. Like some of those songs a lot.

10)Men At Work - A Three Hit Wonder group?

11) Styx - Really like a couple of the Tommy Shaw sung songs.

12) Genesis - Definitely a band that plays eternally in hell

13) Midnight Oil - Only know the Beds are Burning song

14) Whitesnake The epitome of bad hair metal.

15) The Blues Brothers - Its been 20 years since I've seen the movie so I don't have a clue about the music.

scratchie

05-11-2007, 10:07 AM

1) Deep Purple
Radio hits. "Hush" and "Highway Star" are my favorites, but I hear them enough on the radio.

2) Blue Oyster Cult
Used to love these guys. Got into them via David Kraft's "Xenogenesis" story in The Defenders -- how geeky is that? Sadly, I sold most of their albums after I graduated college, so I have no way of knowing how much I'd like their pre-Reaper material these days. I'm probably not missing much.

3) Rainbow
Don't think I've ever heard a note.

4) Foreigner
I'll pass. Not bad musicians, but very by-the-numbers generic rock. Not as bad as Bad Company, though.

5) Journey
A little more adventurous -- they were trying to be a prog rock band in their early days -- but I'll still pass. Still not as bad as Bad Company.

6) Madness
"One Step Beyond" was probably the first ska song I ever heard, but once I got into it, I liked The Specials and The English Beat a lot better. Don't know any of their post-"Our House" material, when they got away from the ska sound. I once met a woman in England in 1994 who was absolutely aghast at the suggestion that Madness had ever played any music that was in any way associated with reggae or Jamaica.

7) The Band
I don't really listen to them anymore, but they're one of the all-time classics. They basically inspired the whole country-rock movement by playing rootsy music in the middle of the psychedelic era. Robbie Robertson is one of the few songwriters who can write something that really sounds like it's a hundred years old the day it's recorded (Shane MacGowan is another).

8) Motorhead
I love "Ace of Spades" to death (ha) but have never felt the urge to explore their catalog any more deeply than that.

9) Faith No More
I know I've heard these guys but they didn't leave much of an impression. "We Care A Lot", right? I will, however, claim my Music Geek Points for having seen Mike Patton "sing" with John Zorn's Naked City at one of the more memorable concerts of my life (featuring two of my guitar gods, Bill Frisell and Fred Frith).

10)Men At Work
Listened to them a lot when the album first came out (when I was in high school). Decent pop. Now I won't change the station if they come on the radio.

11) Styx
I used to own a couple of their albums when I was in junior high/high school (they got sold in the same purge as my BOC albums). While I realize that they are very much the epitome of "uncool" (beyond even Journey and Foreigner, probably), I still like some of their stuff (e.g. "Renegade"). They seemed to have a really good pop sense for how to put a song together, prior to the fiasco that was "Mr. Roboto" (was it the cocaine? Why did so many musicians forget how to write songs in the 80s??).

12) Genesis
I just love the Gabriel-era band to death, although, as with the Dead, I understand perfectly why most people find them boring. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway was one of the seminal albums of my youth.

13) Midnight Oil
Their definitive album is 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1. I recently put it on my Ipod and found that it's held up pretty well. "Only the Strong", "The Power and the Passion", "Outside World" and "Short Memory" are great political songs that should have found a much wider audience.

14) Whitesnake
Pass. I doubt I've ever heard a note of their music, but they're so blatantly ridiculous that I feel no guilt whatsoever about writing them off completely. I remember a great bit in some magazine article in the late 80s -- I don't even remember what it was about -- that featured side-by-side photos of Robert Plant and David Coverdale. The first was captioned "I come from the land of the ice and snow." The second was captioned "So do I!"

15) The Blues Brothers
I think Jonathan summed it up pretty well, but on the other hand, they certainly introduced me to a lot of great music and great musicians. I don't think we can blame Belushi and Ackroyd for the fact that their goofy cover band became successful, and I still love their version of "Rubber Biscuit".

Rusty Cage

05-11-2007, 11:39 AM

1) Deep Purple

This may annoy hardcore DP fans...I love Perfect Strangers (that's when I first listened to them except for the big hits) and The House of Blue Light, but that's about it as far as stuff I'd listen to today. Good band, but they don't compare to their early hard rock pairs Zeppelin and Sabbath.

2) Blue Oyster Cult

Good sound, but I really don't know their catalogue. I guess that says something in terms of how much they moved me.

3) Rainbow

Some decent songs, but their sound didn't do much for me. Boring.

4) Foreigner

Not a band I loved when they rocked, and then they went for the sappy songs...:eek:

5) Journey

Great formula and very good at what they do, but I could never listen to more than two songs without wanting to hear something else.

6) Madness

No opinion either way.

7) The Band

See Madness

8) Motorhead

LOVE Motorhead. They can get repetitive, but Lemmy writes good, clever, and even funny lyrics, and you have to love that voice. And of course there's the sound and power. Only Lemmy could write and sing the lyrics "I'm so bad baby I don't care" and you think "Fuck, yeah!". I'm not a great historian, but they may have been the first band to use that really "crunchy" guitar that spawned the speed/thrash sound.

9) Faith No More

Great, great band. Mike Patten is one of the really underrated vocalists of all-time and they had so much range. They could write the most abrasive, thrashy song, then come back with something smooth and full of melody. Angel Dust is one of my favorite records ever...probably should have included it in my top 10 on the other thread instead of Beck. Never pandered to the audience as a lot of fans disappeared after Epic, while so many other bands used the rock/rap formula (eventhough that was such a small part of FNM) and were more successful.

10)Men At Work

11) Styx

12) Genesis

I can see the talent, and why all three bands were popular, but not my thing.

13) Midnight Oil

Liked the vocal, but it wasn't music I could really listen to.

14) Whitesnake

Coverdale did some good things with John Sykes, but he left, and Slip of the Tongue (the big follow-up to the self-titled album) was awful. He even wrote some pretty crappy ballads with Sykes, but when they rocked they were good.

15) The Blues Brothers

Good movie, but not music I'd listen to.

mattx110

05-11-2007, 12:37 PM

What are your thoughts on this new list of musical acts?

1) Deep Purple
awesome
2) Blue Oyster Cult
not a big fan. nice steinberger guitar though.
3) Rainbow
how do i like deep purple and not love rainbow? i guess it's possible, but not likely.
4) Foreigner
kickass band, sappy hits. great drumming and guitarplaying involved.
5) Journey
kickass band, sappy hits. great drumming and guitarplaying involved.
6) Madness
no comment
7) The Band
sounds like a carnival band. aside from robbie, the whole band is a bunch of sweethearts. jim weider is great, who replaced robbie after he decided to end the band, and the rest of the band went along with it and got back together a week after the last waltz. and i've never confused robbie roberston's playing for slide guitar, and he had some nice roy buchanon/now called billy gibbons isms.
8) Motorhead
lemmy annoys me a little. but they're good. their hearts in the right place, which is half the battle for a rock band.
9) Faith No More
sounds depressing
10)Men At Work
terrific. actually works beter acoustic. colin hay is just terrific. if you read the lyrics, the songs aren't as silly as they come off. but they seemed to be having fun.
11) Styx
great band to go boating to.
12) Genesis
totally got better after that hack gabriel left.

kidding...

13) Midnight Oil
good band-name.
14) Whitesnake
i love white lion. whitesnake is ok, a bit silly.
15) The Blues Brothers
only an idiot would say no to steve cropper, donald dunne and matt "guitar" murphy.
"we don't need your stinkin fat white people"... oh look, white stax volt session guitarist steve cropper is in the band and he kicks ass... is he not allowed to play the music that he's been doing professionally since he could shave? and no soul singers are fat:rolleyes: and none of them had routines to get the audience laughing either...:D

and if you think comedians can't be musicians, go listen to steve martin on the banjo. really, i prefer his playing to his comedy, and while i'm not a fan of "we have 20 kids" movies, he's a funny man. and he's skinny.

if you don't understand why there's still live music in the age of records and CDs... i can't help you. clapton can't help you.

Reptisaurus!

05-11-2007, 04:39 PM

only an idiot would say no to steve cropper, donald dunne and matt "guitar" murphy.
"we don't need your stinkin fat white people"... oh look, white stax volt session guitarist steve cropper is in the band and he kicks ass... is he not allowed to play the music that he's been doing professionally since he could shave? and no soul singers are fat:rolleyes: and none of them had routines to get the audience laughing either...:D

and if you think comedians can't be musicians, go listen to steve martin on the banjo. really, i prefer his playing to his comedy, and while i'm not a fan of "we have 20 kids" movies, he's a funny man. and he's skinny.

if you don't understand why there's still live music in the age of records and CDs... i can't help you. clapton can't help you.

Nobody is arguing Steve Martin's banjo playing abilities.*

And I agree with you that the fat jokes were outta place. I'm a larger man m'self, but so was Solomon Burke.

But the Blues Brothers are actors playing musicians as characters. Nothing wrong with that, and rated as actors pretending to be musicians they're pretty damn good.

This does mean they're not good soul singers. The self-conscious awareness an actor needs to stay in character is pretty much the opposite of the let-it-all-hang-out-ability of a good soul singer.

But judged on what they're actually doing, they're really very good.

* This is my new catch phrase. I'm gonna try to use it at least once a day from here on out.

Jonathan Bogart

05-11-2007, 04:44 PM

And I agree with you that the fat jokes were outta place. I'm a larger man m'self, but so was Solomon Burke.
And so am I. Replace "fat" with "rich" and you'll get closer to what bothers me about them.

(I think Aykroyd and Belushi were comic geniuses, by the way. But the music they produced is all the worse for being a lot of people's only exposure to the peak of rhythm & blues.)

Rob Allen

05-11-2007, 05:59 PM

Forgot to mention - the Dead have released dozens of live shows on their own label. Look for the "Dick's Picks" series.

Valmore

05-11-2007, 06:49 PM

1)Jethro Tull

Decent enough classic rock.

2)Blur

I liked Song 2.

3)The Grateful Dead

Not a fan.

4)Steely Dan

Dull.

5)Free

No opinion.

6)Elvis Costello

A very good composer but he doesn't make very good singles, which hurts his commercial viability. Not automatically a bad thing.

7)The Moody Blues

An excellent British band.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

I enjoy hearing their tunes.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men

Who?

10)10CC

I think I've heard all of one song by them.

11)JJ Cale

Who?

12)Carole King

She's an excellent songwriter and a decent enough singer.

13)Badfinger

No opinion.

14)Electric Light Orchestra

No opinion.

15)Sly and the Family Stone

Not my genre.

16)Dire Straits

Decent music here.

17)Ryan Adams

Did you mean Bryan Adams?

The Replacements

No opinion.

Nirvana

They were good but vastly overrated. Cobain was not the genius the Gen X set made him out to be. Overall, Dave Grohl's body of work is far superior to Nirvana's catalogue.

Bob Marley

Not into the genre.

Yes

No Aunt Slappy, Yes isn't at this concert.

Radiohead

They have some good songs, but they also have some very boring songs.

Procol Harum

Who?

AC/DC

No thanks.

25)Coldplay

A very overrated band. I hope their 15 minutes are over.

26)Tom Waits

No opinion.

27)The Only Ones

Who?

28)Steppenwolf

Just a couple songs.

29)The Byrds

One of the best, most influential classic rock bands of all time.

30)The Guess Who

Another excellent rock band.

Jonathan Bogart

05-11-2007, 07:00 PM

15)Sly and the Family Stone

Not my genre.
You're not into happiness?

david r

05-11-2007, 09:28 PM

Punchy

05-11-2007, 10:39 PM

I play with "Blue" Lou Marini all the time and he's a good friend of mine. Say what you want about Belushi and Akroyd but that band was f'ing fantastic. They're all talented musicians ("Duck" Dunn is an electric bass legend) who are masters of their craft who can groove their asses off.

Jessica Drew

05-12-2007, 12:34 AM

1) Deep Purple - "Smoke on the Water" makes up for a lot of sludgy, bad music; I like "Hush" and "Highway Star," but that's about it.

2) Blue Oyster Cult - I think that in their prime they were fantastic. Buck Dharma is a great guitar player, they could harmonize really well when they tried, Agents of Fortune is a great album (that displays an impressive range of rock subgenres), and most of their songs are either witty, deep, or at least attempts at either. Known back then as the thinking man's heavy metal band. AND, any band that contains the following line has to be given a further listen for those of you (JB) who don't them well: "Time everlasting/Time to play B-sides" (from "Burnin' for You")

3) Rainbow - eh, they're fun for a little while, but I can only take so much of their stuff.

4) Foreigner - I'm in the minority here, but nostalgia aside, I like Foreigner. Sure, some it's overblown, stadium rock bs, but Lou Gramm's got a great rock voice, the best voice of all the arena rockers. "Urgent" has the smokin' Junior Walker sax solo, and "I Want to Know What Love Is" is transcendent, backed by the New Jersey Mass Choir, and Jennifer Holliday belting out "Only love is real" like it's the only truth that matters--and at times it is.

5) Journey - When I was an adolescent, Journey was my favorite band (but, hey, what does a twelve-year-old know from true musical taste), and their music is so ingrained with growing up for me, I just can't be too critical. I still sing along with every song on Infinity, and on about four or five tracks from every album up until Escape, when keyboardist Cain started writing more material (material that I didn't like), and when Perry's voice started to strain.

6) Madness - I like "One Step Beyond" and "Our House," but I don't know anything else by them--I don't know much about ska.

7) The Band - After the first two albums, the music dips significantly, as Robertson's pretentiousness starts to outstrip his songwriting. Those first two albums--and The Basement Tapes album they made with Dylan--are significant pieces of work, containing some of the best music ever recorded. Helm's a fantastic singer, too.

8) Motorhead - Their songs aren't as catchy as those by AC/DC, but the band's just as fun. I've liked just about everything I've heard by them, and I've heard a good bit.

9) Faith No More - The Real Thing is half a great album, and their subsequent album was half a great album. They seemed to be onto something new and (almost) innovative for awhile, but just couldn't keep it up. Patton's a force, though.

10)Men At Work - Some silly songs, and some fantastic ones, too. Much more than the novelty act they appeared to be at first. "Overkill," performed acoustically by Haye, is astonishing, as it brings to light the depth in the original version.

11) Styx - Again, I can't hate too much (though I know I probably should) because much of my youth was spent singing their songs at night. AND--"Come Sail Away" was used to very poignant effect in the first episode of "Freaks and Geeks." If you ever see that episode, you might never be able to completely hate on Styx again.

12) Genesis - I could appreciate the Gabriel incarnation, but I just never catered to it. The subsequent incarnation was just fluff (though "That's All" has a nice little groove).

13) Midnight Oil - For a political band, they're more melodic than Rage Against the Machine, but nowhere near as funky as the Clash.

14) Whitesnake - I love hair metal, but I don't love Whitesnake.

15) The Blues Brothers - I understand the vitriol, but like someone said before, if you can get Duck Dunn, Al Jackson, and Steve Cropper to be your backing band, then--shit--why not sing the songs you love that these guys once made famous. You ever heard their version of McClinton's "B-Movie Box Car Blues"? It reduces the original to rubble--and, of course, not because of the singer. That band was incredible, and most of the records are, too--if can just forget about Belushi's (and especially) Ackroyd's schtick that--part of the time--seemed to make a mockery of the music. And that kind of shit is hard to forget, I know.

Jessica Drew

05-12-2007, 12:35 AM

An aside:I always thought it was weird at John Belushi's funeral, his partner Dan Aykroyd showed up driving a motorcycle, dressed as a cop with a babe on his back.

Aykroyd got out at one point and directed traffic. Was this Dan Aykroyd's weird tribute to his fallen comrade?

Yeah, I read about that. Surely he was hopped up on coke at the time. Most of the SNL crew were, then. (except--I think--for Murray).

bfrank

05-12-2007, 01:25 AM

I've not heard anything by them that's nearly as good as "Don't Fear the Reaper," and even that isn't so hot after a couple hundred spins.

[the stoned age] that song is for pussies[/the stoned age]

Reptisaurus!

05-12-2007, 06:20 AM

a lot of people's only exposure to the peak of rhythm & blues.)

That's pretty much my "pro" argument, actually.

(And exposure to the movie ALSO meant exposure to Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, and Cab Calloway. Rich white dudes, sure. But using their powers for good.

Deathstroke

05-12-2007, 06:33 AM

1) Deep Purple

Love them. I don't own everything, but I do want to remedy that.

2) Blue Oyster Cult

Okay, but mostly a radio band for me.

3) Rainbow

Fantastic band, especially the Ronnie James Dio era.

4) Foreigner

Pretty good stuff, but a radio band for me.

5) Journey

Love the Steve Perry years, hated the Steve Augieri years, Jeff Scott Soto reportedly doing great as new vocalist.

6) Madness

Only know "Our House".

7) The Band

Is not a band I listen to.

8) Motorhead

Awesome sound, kickass attitude, yet never really made me want to buy the albums.

9) Faith No More

Epic and Falling To Pieces only thing that ever interested me.

10)Men At Work

I don't come from the Land Down Under, but when these guys hit the pop charts, I was a fan.

11) Styx

Mr. Roboto rocks! And I still like them for much more than that.

12) Genesis

Most will say Blasphemy, but I love the Phil Collins stuff, not the Peter Gabriel material.

13) Midnight Oil

I liked the Blue Sky Mining CD that gave them the hit singles,but never went further with them.

14) Whitesnake

Awesome band, both the 70's rock version and the 80's metal version. David Coverdale has a superb voice.

15) The Blues Brothers

NO.

Valmore

05-12-2007, 08:12 AM

You're not into happiness?

Yes. I hate happiness! DOWN WITH IT!

Ilash

05-12-2007, 11:40 AM

(I think Aykroyd and Belushi were comic geniuses, by the way. But the music they produced is all the worse for being a lot of people's only exposure to the peak of rhythm & blues.)

But that's hardly their fault, surely? It's not their fault that others don't heed their advice to check out the originals (and that's pretty much exactly what they do in their movie, which is very much a tribute to black American music) so blaming them for this seems really unfair to me. From my own personal experience, the exact opposite happened after seeing the movie. I loved the music they were playing and the R&B legends who appeared in the movie certainly peaked my interest and I went on to check out more from them. I doubt that I'm the only one to have this experience.

rick

05-12-2007, 11:52 AM

Yes, because that's what was needed to validate the greatest soul music of all time: two fat white comedians oversinging it. In all sincerity, fuck them.

I'm not a huge fan of the boys themselves, but I disagree with you here anyway for a couple of reasons.

First off the boys didn't try to validate anything, what they did was to introduce an entire generation who had never even heard any of those R&B classics to some great music, and I know for sure that a whole bunch of people went on exploring on their own afterwards.

And this is a good thing.

Also, any band that has two thirds of Booker T & the MG's as members, plus truly awsome session men like Matt Murphey in it can't be all bad, no matter how much they rub you the wrong way.

mattx110

05-12-2007, 01:24 PM

if you're annoyed by belushi and akroyd. ignore them and enjoy the rest of em. if that doesn't work. i can understand how why you don't like em. but i do think it's a bit of acting uppity for the sake of it. try to ignore the shtick and enjoy the music. if that doesn't work, you've got a whole lotta albums to buy to get that quality of musician, and it's probably worth buying the records.

and punchy, that is awesome.
i guess the link is gone, but i went to your myspace page before. but now i'm starting to doubt reality, but if that was you, great stuff.

it had the kinda genre-bending that usually comes out the DC-maryland-virginia area.

howyadoin

05-13-2007, 08:09 PM

1)Jethro Tull

Don't do much for me. I find them kind of boring.

2)Blur

Irrelevant.

3)The Grateful Dead

A few good tunes and a shitload of boring ones.

4)Steely Dan

I really only know a handful of their songs, but the ones I have heard, I really like.

5)Free

I only know "All Right Now". Which is catchy enough, I guess, but nothing special.

6)Elvis Costello

Brilliant, but I wish he stll made albums that sounded like the first three.

7)The Moody Blues

Yawn.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival

Love CCR.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men

See "Steely Dan".

14)Electric Light Orchestra

A bit too slick, in my opinion. But they've still got some great songs.

15)Sly and the Family Stone

Way ahead of their time.

16)Dire Straits

"Sultans of Swing" alone would put them in my good books.

17)Ryan Adams

Bit of a cranky bitch, but his music's great.

18)The Replacements

Godlike. My old college radio show was called "Left of the Dial".

19)Nirvana

Rocked my world.

20)Bob Marley

Mere words cannot express...

21)Yes

No.

22)Radiohead

I like them, but I'm not crazy about them.

23)Procol Harum

I only know "A White Shade of Pale".

24)AC/DC

One of my all-time favourites. Some of the best drinking music ever made.

25)Coldplay

Interesting for a few minutes when they were fairly new.

26)Tom Waits

Genius.

28)Steppenwolf

I'm tempted to say "over-rated", but their big songs are pretty iconic, and deservely so, in my opinion.

29)The Byrds

Phenomenal band in every phase.

30)The Guess Who

Some pretty nice singles. I'd say "No Time" is essential.

howyadoin

05-13-2007, 08:13 PM

16)Dire Straits
The album Making Movies is, to me, one of the greatest rock albums ever recorded. Side one features three perfect songs ("Tunnel of Love", "Romeo & Juliet", "Skateaway") and side two is no slouch either.Gotta agree with all of that. Especially "Skateaway".

Alex

05-14-2007, 06:06 AM

1)Jethro Tull
the goddamn flute?
2)Blur
Damon needs to be reigned in at times.
3)The Grateful Dead
I like Phish...one is enough.
4)Steely Dan
Yknow, i really don't have an opinion on steely dan.

6)Elvis Costello
Always liked Costello, pick up his albums at garage sales all the time. And yet, i can't recall the names of any of them.
7)The Moody Blues
Not really my scene.
8)Creedence Clearwater Revival
A lot of their songs sound very similar, luckily, its a good song.
9)Echo and the Bunny Men
More of a "I appreciate them for exsisting" then a true love.

12)Carole King
Mom loves her.

15)Sly and the Family Stone
Heh heh
16)Dire Straits
I really don't think they get enough credit for how varied they were.
17)Ryan Adams
Never "got him". Lotta fuss over very little, in my opinion.

19)Nirvana
I liked early R.E.M., Pixies more, and i thought Alice in Chains did a much more adult version of the angst rock. Foo fighters i enjoy.
20)Bob Marley
He's good at times, i couldn't listen to a whole album

22)Radiohead
Favorite band. Hated Amnesiac, still think it should have been an extended b side album, and Eraser left me cold for the most part.

24)AC/DC
Can't listen to more then one song in a day, but i dig whatever song it is.
25)Coldplay
I was living in a dorm when they were still huge, Coldplay got me laid.

Alex

05-14-2007, 06:15 AM

Radiohead
Recently got OK Computer, and these guys are fast becoming a favourite band. The album is fantastic and gets better the more I listen to it, just trying to work out which one to buy next. As someone said before, definitely one of the best bands of the last ten years.

If you liked Exit Music, Climbing up the walls....
Better idea
Bends:Radioheads version of a pop album. Catchy tunes, pretty at times, rocks other times, nothing that's going to change your world, but a good album.
Kid A:Will shock you if you think Ok Computer is their standard. I'm a huge fan, and it took me many listens to really get that album.
Hail To The thief: Kid A +Ok Computer.

Valmore

05-14-2007, 07:44 PM

1) Deep Purple

Thanks to them, local cover bands will forever be heckled with chants to play "Smoke on the Water."

2) Blue Oyster Cult

Nah.

3) Rainbow

Rainbows crawl up your leg and bite you on the arse.

4) Foreigner

They had some radio-friendly hits that I wouldn't automatically turn off.

5) Journey

I actually enjoy hearing Journey. Sure, they were overproduced, but they were all very talented musicians.

6) Madness

Nothing.

7) The Band

No opinion.

8) Motorhead

No thanks.

9) Faith No More

No thanks.

10)Men At Work

I'm an 80's mark, so they're two hits are on my mp3 player.

11) Styx

They cost Dom Jigsaw his job so I hate them.

12) Genesis

I actually like Phil Collins' Genesis work.

13) Midnight Oil

The only song I know is "Beds Are Burning" and I thought it was okay.

14) Whitesnake

Not into 80's hair metal, however.

15) The Blues Brothers

Not really a band.

howyadoin

05-14-2007, 07:57 PM

6)Elvis Costello

A very good composer but he doesn't make very good singles, which hurts his commercial viability. Not automatically a bad thing.Never heard the first three albums, I take it?

Valmore

05-14-2007, 08:01 PM

Never heard the first three albums, I take it?

It's been a long time since I have, but as I recall, the albums were better taken as a whole, instead of picking out singles. I could be wrong, though.

Patriot07

05-14-2007, 08:45 PM

1) Deep Purple
Supprised to see all the Deep Purple hate. I'm actually a huge fan. Love all the instrumentation that they have (I.E the organ). Jon Lord is frickin' amazing and so is Richie Blackmore.

2) Blue Oyster Cult
Don't really know much by them besides Don't Fear the Reaper. I like that song though.

3) Rainbow
Great singer, great organ, and once again the ever amazing Richie Blackmore. Dunno much of their stuff though.

4) Foreigner
I hail from Rochester. I kinda have to like them, even though I don't really like them. They're treated like the second coming of Led Zeppelin up here.

5) Journey
I love Journey! Some of the greatest piano rock songs every recorded (Don't Stop Believing, Lights, Open Arms). Plus, Steve Perry has an amazing voice.

7) The Band
I love their hits, but can't say I know much else by them.

11) Styx
I like the occasional Styx song. Wouldn't call them a favorite though, but I won't turn them off when they come on the radio.

12) Genesis
Can't stand them

15) The Blues Brothers
I really hope Bogart understood one of the things he said: "comedians." They are comedians and it came out of a skit from SNL. I for one love The Blues Brothers. Not as a band (I'd never go out and buy an album), but the movie was great, because it was funny. Learn to take a joke, Bogart.

Jonathan Bogart

05-14-2007, 08:47 PM

15) The Blues Brothers
I really hope Bogart understood one of the things he said: "comedians." They are comedians and it came out of a skit from SNL. I for one love The Blues Brothers. Not as a band (I'd never go out and buy an album), but the movie was great, because it was funny. Learn to take a joke, Bogart.
This is the music board; I don't think it was out of line to address the music.

Patriot07

05-14-2007, 08:48 PM

It wasn't, but it seemed like you were taking it way more seriously than it was meant to.

Winona Ryder 2099

05-14-2007, 09:01 PM

on these bands you have to tell me YOU HAVE TO

1. antioch arrow

2. spanakorzo

3. navio forge

4. her space holiday

5. maximillian colby

6. june of 44

7. jucifer

8. ADULT.

9. vivica genaux

10. ultra dolphins

11. nation of ulysses

12. huggy bear

13. cap'n jazz

14. the pipettes

15. sweatpant boners

Jonathan Bogart

05-14-2007, 09:10 PM

8. ADULT.
They've been subject to the law of diminishing returns since their 2002 heyday.

14. the pipettes
Probably my favorite current band.

I don't think I've heard of the remainder ... if they're even real bands.

david r

05-14-2007, 09:38 PM

Opinions on these musical acts:

1) Heart

2) Traveling Wilburys

3) J. Geils Band

4) Cheap Trick

5) Supertramp

6) Bee Gees

7) N.W.A

8) Righteous Brothers

9) Bread

10) Cream

Reptisaurus!

05-14-2007, 10:00 PM

I've seen Jucifer and Huggy Bear.

Respectively: Really good... nah strike that... Fucking awesome live band, but the album I heard from 'em was kind of particularly terrible And I was having girlfriend issues and walked out of Huggy Bear, so I dunno.

Obviously I live the Pipettes, too. At least the two singles.

Other 12? No clue.

Edit, again: Although 3 for 15 is pretty good, considerin' that I'm getting old.

Jonathan Bogart

05-14-2007, 10:00 PM

1) Heart
A great second- or third-tier 70s rock band. Turned into unlistenable crap in the 80s.

2) Traveling Wilburys
Never really sat down and listened to them; I've been busy with their original careers.

3) J. Geils Band
Went from being one of the finest scrappy bar bands of the 70s to being one of the coolest American bands of the MTV era. I prefer their early material, but their overproduced hits have their charm too.

4) Cheap Trick
Terrific power-pop until they actually started to sell records; then they stumbled badly.

5) Supertramp
I have a sneaking affection for them because the first band I ever fell in love with as a nine-year-old in the 80s (a Christian band called Glad) was very much modeled on them. But they pretty much suck.

6) Bee Gees
One of the best pure-pop bands of the late 60s and early 70s; one of the worst disco bands of the late 70s.

7) N.W.A
The founding fathers of gangsta rap, still better than almost anything else recorded in the genre. Ice-T used to be a genius.

8) Righteous Brothers
One of the finest pop acts of the 60s, for the space of exactly three singles. (But everyone knows those singles by heart.)

9) Bread
Ugh. The reason 70s AM pop has a bad name.

10) Cream
One of the all-time great psychedelic/hard rock bands ... in the studio. Tedious blues-wankery, live.

Jessica Drew

05-14-2007, 11:24 PM

The founding fathers of gangsta rap, still better than almost anything else recorded in the genre. Ice-T used to be a genius.

Unless you mean something other than what I think you mean, then I think you mean Ice CUBE used to be a genius (as Ice-T wasn't in N.W.A.).

JoeK32880

05-14-2007, 11:30 PM

1) Heart
Sometimes I like them, sometimes just listening to Nancy Wilson's riffs make me ill. Depends on me mood. Quality work, though.

2) Traveling Wilburys
Unfortunately, since their albums have been out of print my whole record-buying lifetime I only know their singles, which are awesome.

3) J. Geils Band
Really good bluesy band, turned into a very respectable 80s pop band. I've done Love Stinks at karaoke. Centerfold is one of my favorites of all time.

4) Cheap Trick
Awesome Greatest Hits album. Applaud their contribution to the Colbert Report through its theme song.

5) Supertramp
Two of the bets albums ever, unfamiliar with the rest of their output.

6) Bee Gees
Decent Beatles rip-off turned disco icons. Not to damn them with faint praise, but my favorite disco band ever.

7) N.W.A
Don't know anything about them.

8) Righteous Brothers
Classics. Not familiar enough with them to say more.

9) Bread
Homer Simpson once claimed to be the drummer for Bread. Suck love balladeers, don't know much more.

10) Cream
One of the top ten, maybe top five, rock bands of all time.

Jonathan Bogart

05-15-2007, 12:15 AM

Unless you mean something other than what I think you mean, then I think you mean Ice CUBE used to be a genius (as Ice-T wasn't in N.W.A.).
Dammit. Ice-T did also use to be a genius, though.

Sanagi

05-15-2007, 12:24 AM

I like Supertramp, mainly because they're one of those rare bands that can't be pigeonholed, or even adequately explained at all, really. You could say that they mixed folk with prog-rock and jazz instrumentation, but that would give the wrong idea. In any case, they had some really good songs.

Jessica Drew

05-15-2007, 12:51 AM

Dammit. Ice-T did also use to be a genius, though.

True dat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jessica Drew

05-15-2007, 02:34 AM

1) Heart - Like most of their '70s material, and "Magic Man" used to scare me when I was a kid. The song still creeps me out. Their '80s stuff is chock full of polished turds. They have the dubious distinction of recording one of the worst records in the history of worst recordings: "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You."

2) Traveling Wilburys - Pleasant stuff with a few transcendant moments.

3) J. Geils Band - trashy fun

4) Cheap Trick - Once the best band of its era, and when they started to sink, they sank quickly.

5) Supertramp - Fun little ditties

6) Bee Gees - Unlike JB, I think (most of their) '70s disco stuff trumps their early '70s (and late '60s) pop/quasi-folk material. Barry Gibb is a top-notch songwriter either way.

7) N.W.A - I remember when they were new, and just about everybody I knew that listened to music had heard of them but not heard them. Radio wouldn't play 'em, and the music stores wouldn't sell 'em. They were hated ('round here) as much as any band I've ever seen (until the Dixie Chicks came along). Undeniably influential, hard-hitting, and provocative. They were rock and roll.

8) Righteous Brothers - I know three songs, and I can't stand to hear "Unchanined Melody" anymore, but I still have to play that goddamned song about every other wedding reception (about eight times a year). The other two are still great, though.

9) Bread - I know all the words to all their hits (both major and minor); I used to be a soft-rock geek. Their music has a powerful pull over me that I cannot justify.

10) Cream - Too sludgy a sound for me, and I like sludgy sounds.

Ilash

05-15-2007, 05:04 AM

Never heard of a single one of them.

Valmore

05-15-2007, 05:36 AM

1) Heart

They were much better in their earlier incarnation, though I didn't hate their 80's stuff.

2) Traveling Wilburys

That first album was phenominal, and possibly one of the greatest collections of musical talent to record together.

3) J. Geils Band

They had two 80's hits that were merely average.

4) Cheap Trick

What I've heard I like.

5) Supertramp

I've liked the few songs I've heard.

6) Bee Gees

I suppose they're the best example of disco-70's-pop but it doesn't mean i like it.

7) N.W.A

Not a fan of rap.

8) Righteous Brothers

They have some good songs that get waaaaaay overplayed.

9) Bread

No opinion.

10) Cream

Very good classic rock.

Fish Sauce

05-15-2007, 06:04 AM

Never heard of a single one of them.

Same here, sorry.

Slam_Bradley

05-15-2007, 07:48 AM

Same here, sorry.

I'll make it a trifecta.

twilight

05-15-2007, 09:19 AM

All I'm gonna say is whenever I hear the Wilbury's song where the clip is them on a train("end of the line"?) I will hum it all goddamn day.

twilight

05-15-2007, 09:20 AM

Until I got to The Pipettes I was convinced you'd made them all up.

After I got to The Pipettes I'm convinced you made all the rest up.

Patient Boy

05-15-2007, 09:22 AM

Big up for Nation of Ulysses because I have to show love for Dischord.

Heard of Cap'n Jazz, the Pipettes and Antioch Arrow, but never actually listened to them.

Reptisaurus!

05-15-2007, 10:45 AM

Big up for Nation of Ulysses because I have to show love for Dischord.

Heard of Cap'n Jazz, the Pipettes and Antioch Arrow, but never actually listened to them.

So between all of us we've heard of half of them.

So far three of these lists have been classic rock bands, one has been the most boring "alternative" rock imaginable and one is Indy bands that no-one has heard of.

Jonathan Bogart

05-15-2007, 12:39 PM

So far three of these lists have been classic rock bands, one has been the most boring "alternative" rock imaginable and one is Indy bands that no-one has heard of.
Fine. I'll do one.

Jonathan Bogart

05-15-2007, 12:45 PM

What do you think of...

Elvis Presley?

David Bowie?

The Sex Pistols?

Miles Davis?

Hoagy Carmichael?

Willie Nelson?

Sonic Youth?

Weird Al Yankovic?

Kenny G?

Yoko Ono?

Arguing is encouraged.

TinMan

05-15-2007, 01:00 PM

Never heard of a single one of them.

Me either... but "Sweatpant Boners" is an awesome frickin name!

FanboyStranger

05-15-2007, 01:35 PM

on these bands you have to tell me YOU HAVE TO

13. cap'n jazz

I moved to Chicago when these guys were around, saw them live twice, and honestly could not understand what all the fuss was about. They were an alright band, but not the second coming a lot of people seemed to think they were. When they broke up, you would have thought it was the end of the world or something. Then the singer formed Joan of Arc, and seems to have fallen off the map completely.

HomerJay

05-15-2007, 01:42 PM

Me either... but "Sweatpant Boners" is an awesome frickin name!
Agreed.
I intend to use it as a fantasy football team name this fall.

Adam C

05-15-2007, 02:10 PM

I'll come up with blurbs for the rest later, but for now I wanted to throw this out on the band I had something definitive to say about...

The Sex Pistols?

A great punk band that is more important for their influence and cultural impact rather than their musical acheivements. Sorely misunderstood from my perspective since people try to understand them under very narrow ideas of rockist authencity, whether to idolize or denigrate them.

Winona Ryder 2099

05-15-2007, 02:24 PM

I moved to Chicago when these guys were around, saw them live twice, and honestly could not understand what all the fuss was about. They were an alright band, but not the second coming a lot of people seemed to think they were. When they broke up, you would have thought it was the end of the world or something. Then the singer formed Joan of Arc, and seems to have fallen off the map completely.

They were pretty influential. They helped define, along with sunny day real estate and weezer's pinkerton, the later alternative rock style that would come to be known as "indy" or, perhaps erroneously, "emo."
Also, along with Joan Of Arc, members went on to form bands like The Promise Ring, American Football, and The Owls.

Also...

I kind of regretted making this topic as soon as I made it, but I couldn't figure out how to delete it. All of these bands exist and are all some of my favorite bands of all time (except for sweatpant boners, which i've never actually heard, but does actually exist) but aren't really the kind of music that most other people would have listened to. Makes me fell like a jerk-off name-dropper now.

Christopher Cross Is God

05-15-2007, 02:46 PM

10)Men At Work

See, now, all of your mockery will not hide my love for "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under." (The Men Without Hats did the Safety Dance....) But that's all I can say.

Correct, and they had more good songs than has been listed in this thread. Their best song, in my opinion, was "Still Life." It was quite different than their bigger hits.

Adam C

05-15-2007, 03:14 PM

Elvis Presley?

It's funny. For whatever his impact on music or culture at large Elvis is someone who holds almost no fascination for me. I have enjoyed what I heard of his music, but Elvis doesn't seem to exert the attractive pull he has on culture at large. As an icon he just leaves me cold. I could attribute it to my disinterest in celebrities in general, but I completely understand the attractions of Jimi Hendrix, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, David Bowie, etc. as icons. Not Elvis.

David Bowie?

One of my all time favourite musical artists and as excellent example of how good art and blatant fakery can go hand-in-hand. Malcolm McLaren goes on about Larry Parnes, but who wants to bet he was really watching Ziggy Stardust era Bowie toy with the media?

Miles Davis?

One of my first introductions to jazz music, a great band leader, and a very individual trumpet player. For some reason though I prefer Sketches of Spain over Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew.

Hoagy Carmichael?

From what I've heard he's a great songwriter, pianist, and a decent singer. But he's also one of those musical figures my experience is slight with so I cannot comment much more on his work or wider impact. (I only explored his stuff finding out about him as the influences of another musician...wanna guess who that was?)

Willie Nelson?

Funny, he's an artistic whose work I am only slightly familiar with. I find it interesting that he managed to expand his appeal to both long-haired hippies and middle American rednecks.

Sonic Youth?

A great band and probably the first act that followed Hendrix and VU to really explore what could be done with feedback.

Weird Al Yankovic?

I greatly enjoyed his stuff in elementary school.

Kenny G?

I suppose he is to jazz what Bread is rock.

Yoko Ono?

I know almost nothing of her work. Why is she so hated by Beatles' fans again?

Slam_Bradley

05-15-2007, 03:53 PM

Elvis Presley?

A decent singer and a spectacular performer. I can, however, think of dozens of people from the same time period that I prefer, including virtually the entire Sun stable. He simply isn't in the same league as Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins and any number of others.

David Bowie?

I'm really not much in to Rock & Roll past the 50s. He's just not my thing.

The Sex Pistols?

Very much not my thing.

Miles Davis?

Davis was at or near the fore-front of virtually every new movement in jazz from the time that Bop took over from Dixieland. He was simply an incredible influence and one of the greats at spotting and developing talent. And he had a very distinctive and recognizable tone in his trumpeting.

Probably my favorite performer.

Hoagy Carmichael?

One of the great American composers. He was also a darn fine piano player and a decent singer.

Willie Nelson?

Another incredible song-writer. On the strength of his song-writing in the early 60s alone (Crazy, Pretty Paper, Funny How Time Slips Away, Hello Walls) he's one of the greats. He's also an incredible performer in his own right, who has been able to weather a lot of changes in country music.

Although he hasn't quite hit the peaks that Johnny Cash or Merle Haggard did/have with his later albums, his last couple (particularly The Last Breed with Hagg and Ray Price) have been stronger than anything he's done since the early 80s.

Sonic Youth?

I know nothing about them.

Weird Al Yankovic?

He's occassionally good for a laugh, but I don't keep up with him or much of the music he parodies.

Kenny G?

There's a special place in Hell for Kenny G and the people who think he's jazz.

Yoko Ono?

John Lennon's wife. That's all I've got.

Ilash

05-15-2007, 03:57 PM

Elvis Presley?

I like him when he rocks but his balladeering has never particularly impressed me. He sort of strikes me as being a second-rate Sinatra (or a third-rate Sam Cooke) when he does so. Either way, while I appreciate his cultural importance, he will never be a favourite of mine.

David Bowie?

Great. Crap. Bland. Rocking. Innovative. Unlistenable. Which Bowie are we talking about? I do like a fair amount of his stuff but his voice is more often than not something of a turn off. Still, the dude is responsible for some AMAZING songs and he's never less than interesting.

The Sex Pistols?

Haven't heard their albums but I really like their singles. God Save the Queen especially. I don't take 'em too seriously, as I've mentioned before but for all of their overratedness, they're a perfectly decent band.

Miles Davis?

Only have Kind of Blue and though I still don't entirely "understand" jazz (something that I do hope to correct at some point), I can certainly appreciate the genius of this album.

Hoagy Carmichael?

No real idea but I have heard some of his stuff covered by Keith Richards and Norah Jones. Actually, it's one song - The Nearness of You - but I've liked both their versions. This sort of music is somethng that I am still quite ignorant about but it does seem like the sort of thing I may well like.

Willie Nelson?

Cool country stuff from what I've heard, which isn't a lot.

Sonic Youth?

Beats me.

Weird Al Yankovic?

Funny enough and he is pretty good at adapting to any style of music, which is pretty impressive. But, ya know, whatever.

Kenny G?

I don't know much about jazz but this guy never struck me as being any good really.

Yoko Ono?

Awful. I've only heard her stuff that she did with lennon and I just cannot stand her voice so even if her music is any good - and I've yet to be convinced that it is - it's just not something that I cannot get past. don't have a problem with her as a person though. She's treated Lennon's legacy with respect and only people who are completely ignorant about the Beatles' story can really blame her for their breakup.

Slam_Bradley

05-15-2007, 04:05 PM

With regard to Presley...it irritates the crap out of me that he gets a writing credit on a number of Otis Blackwell's songs.

Yes, I understand the politics of it. But it really grinds my gears.

twilight

05-15-2007, 05:31 PM

Elvis Presley?

I like what I've heard and I've been meaning to buy a greatest hits collection sometime.
Me and my friend enjoy singing Suspicious Minds.

David Bowie?

He's got an inconsistent catalogue but there's more hits than misses and I like that he's always trying to do new things.

The Sex Pistols?

I really like them actually,much more than I thought I would.
Suprisingly melodic.Holidays in The Sun is one of my favourite songs.

Miles Davis?

Ah,the folly of youth,heard the name but none of the music.
Any albums I should look at specifically?

Sonic Youth?

Great,great band.Daydream Nation is my desert island disc.
But like I've said before the excessive feedback can grate on my nerves.
I'm glad they seem to be keeping the more avant garde stuff off the major releases now.

Weird Al Yankovic?

He's funny.
I'd totally buy a Greatest Hits CD and listen to it about once a year.

mattx110

05-15-2007, 05:35 PM

Fine. I'll do one.

oh god... he didn't say that!

kidding.
you like some things i like.

Reptisaurus!

05-15-2007, 05:44 PM

Reptisaurus!

05-15-2007, 06:09 PM

Elvis Presley?

With regard to Presley...it irritates the crap out of me that he gets a writing credit on a number of Otis Blackwell's songs.

Yes, I understand the politics of it. But it really grinds my gears.

A-freaking-men!

Anyway; I think he was phenomenally scary talented. I also don't think he ever had a clear vision of what to do with his talent.

David Bowie?

Neat idea. His concept of what a performer could do was matched by only a handful of musicians. (P-Funk, Tom Waits.)

Still, his music very rarely does much for me. A lot of it sounds very funk-for-white-people.

The Sex Pistols?

I don't like punk bands from after punk died. In 1972. IGGGY! WOOOO!

Miles Davis?

Messed up genius, an' maybe given a little too much credit for creating what he was actually assimilating. (Kind of like the Beatles.)

Probably had the best tone of any jazz trumpeter, though. And made it OK not to play like Dizzy. (Which is good, because it's pretty much physically impossible for 99.9 % of trumpet players to do what Dizzy did.)

Hoagy Carmichael?

Is he the most important 20th century English-language songwriter? Huh. Gershwin's up there. Maybe the Beatles....

Yeah, Hoagy wins.

Willie Nelson?

Haven't listened to that much. But I strongly approve of him on principle.

Sonic Youth?
[quote]

Was my favorite rock band for a decade or so.

It's the combination of an honest enjoyment of melodic pop and a fierce desire to ignore all the rules about music (chords, rhythm) and re-invent music as cool-sounding white noise. Probably the most popular band ever to be that conceptually advanced and experimental.
[quote]
Weird Al Yankovic?

Still makes me laugh. "THe Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" is one of the funniest songs I've ever heard. The only time I won a "Pop Culture Wake-up Call" was the Weird Al quiz.

Kenny G?

Nothing I'd want to listen to, but certainly not a bad musician. I like his early stuff with Jeff Lorber.

Yoko Ono?

I'm actually more familiar with her conceptual pieces than her music.

And those... I'm not sure. There's a kinda combination of, like, Zen Silence and actively trying to fuck with people that I really like. But sommea it seems a little too cute.

FanboyStranger

05-15-2007, 06:16 PM

They were pretty influential. They helped define, along with sunny day real estate and weezer's pinkerton, the later alternative rock style that would come to be known as "indy" or, perhaps erroneously, "emo."
Also, along with Joan Of Arc, members went on to form bands like The Promise Ring, American Football, and The Owls.

Also...

I kind of regretted making this topic as soon as I made it, but I couldn't figure out how to delete it. All of these bands exist and are all some of my favorite bands of all time (except for sweatpant boners, which i've never actually heard, but does actually exist) but aren't really the kind of music that most other people would have listened to. Makes me fell like a jerk-off name-dropper now.

I actually own a Promise Ring CD and didn't make the connection. The only real 'emo' CD I can say that ever really loved was The Jealous Sound's Kill Them with Kindness, although there was a Get-Up Kids CD I remember listening to a lot back in the day. I just remember being thoroughly unimpressed with Cap'n Jazz, not so much because of their music, but because of the reverence that a lot of people had for them. They still get play on the college stations, and there's always some kind of elegy towards their greatness in the DJ introduction. On the other hand, I suppose I'm sort of the same way when I talk about Built to Spill, except regarding Ancient Melodies of the Future or Ted Leo.

You shouldn't feel like a jerk-off for bringing up the topic just because people aren't familiar with the bands. In an ideal world, the thread would lead people to discover these bands and then the discussion might start. That might not happen, but at least you gave it a shot. It's not like you were being obnoxious and posted something like "if you don't know these bands, you are loser."

FanboyStranger

05-15-2007, 06:25 PM

What do you think of...

Kenny G?

The Essential Soundtrack for going to the Dentist!

(The sound of the drill is almost a relief.)

mattx110

05-15-2007, 07:54 PM

They were pretty influential. They helped define, along with sunny day real estate and weezer's pinkerton, the later alternative rock style that would come to be known as "indy" or, perhaps erroneously, "emo."
Also, along with Joan Of Arc, members went on to form bands like The Promise Ring, American Football, and The Owls.

Also...

I kind of regretted making this topic as soon as I made it, but I couldn't figure out how to delete it. All of these bands exist and are all some of my favorite bands of all time (except for sweatpant boners, which i've never actually heard, but does actually exist) but aren't really the kind of music that most other people would have listened to. Makes me fell like a jerk-off name-dropper now.

trust me. it's not like your choices are so eruditic you could be mistaken for a name-dropper.
if you were like "well, yo-yo ma recommended i check out this album by etc."
that's name dropping.

i'm more considered the fact that you used "erroneously" and "emo" in the same sentence. that's pretty pompous for the level of music you're talking about...

you need hipper lingo to talk about indie music.
plus, if you like this stuff, you can use this as a jump-off reccomendation type thread. if you can't find a comic fan whose a fan of at least a few of the bands, then something wrong happened. we're an outskirts of society type people.
and doesn't it suck that indie has become a genre, and it only took like 3 years for it to all sound the same? even "alternative" lasted longer than that!

Winona Ryder 2099

05-15-2007, 08:10 PM

i'm more considered the fact that you used "erroneously" and "emo" in the same sentence. that's pretty pompous for the level of music you're talking about...

you need hipper lingo to talk about indie music.

how is it pompous? what level of music am i talking about? what the hell is "hipper lingo?"

and doesn't it suck that indie has become a genre, and it only took like 3 years for it to all sound the same? even "alternative" lasted longer than that!

so "indie" was invented as a genre in 2004 and now all of it sounds the same?

uhh... what the hell?

Valmore

05-15-2007, 08:21 PM

What do you think of...

Elvis Presley?

He was an excellent singer but I'm not really into it,

David Bowie?

Never did much for me. He should have collaborated with Queen more often, because "Under Pressure" is awesome.

The Sex Pistols?

It was more about the movement than the music, because their music was only okay.

Miles Davis?

The King of Cool.

Hoagy Carmichael?

No idea.

Willie Nelson?

Never before has someone been so famous for doing so little, other than smoking a lot of pot and looking like a redneck.

Sonic Youth?

Never got into them.

Weird Al Yankovic?

He's actually a decent songwriter, if you can get into humor songs laced with accordians. The older I get, the less I laugh, though he'll usually get me the first time around.

Kenny G?

While it must be said that the man has talent, it has to be noted that he wastes his talent on playing the most basic elevator music available.

Yoko Ono?

I think I'd rather hear someone grating their fingernails against a blackboard. Which says a lot as to how awful a singer Yoko Ono is.

Valmore

05-15-2007, 08:24 PM

I shall chime in with a "who the hell are those bands?" for teh win.

mattx110

05-15-2007, 08:44 PM

Elvis Presley?
a good kid who sang some good songs. i can see where you're coming from with him getting writer's credit on everything he played. but record companies used to invest long-term in musicians. that means they want a bigger piece of royalties down the line too.
David Bowie?
an ok kid who sang some ok songs. let's dance is good.
The Sex Pistols?
yuck
Miles Davis?
he hates steve miller! idolized/criticised louis armstrong.
Hoagy Carmichael?
up there with cole porter as far as songs staying awesome forever. played with louis armstrong
Willie Nelson?
did a great version of the hoagy carmichael classic georgia.
nice guitarplayer and nice singer
Sonic Youth?
adrian belew exists. why would i listen to sonic youth? it's not conceptually or musically advanced to suck on purpose.
Weird Al Yankovic?
funny man. but too many songs now already sound like parodies. his job is either too easy or too hard.
Kenny G?
as richard thompson says. "I agree with pat metheny". shouldn't've "played" with louis armstrong.
Yoko Ono?
can get pretty up there in shrillness. seems like a nice person too. that's a plus.

Winona Ryder 2099

05-15-2007, 08:47 PM

If you guys really want to know who these bands are, I can point you to wikipedia which can tell you more about them than i care.

1. antioch arrow - i love this band:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antioch_Arrow

2. spanakorzo - no wikipedia entry and little information available.

3. navio forge - no wikipedia entry, but review of only release: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/album.php?albumid=13287

4. her space holiday - this is pretty good, but i don't like the guy's voice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Space_Holiday

5. maximillian colby - i love this band: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximillian_Colby

6. june of 44 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_of_44

7. jucifer - http://www.jucifer.com/

8. ADULT. - i like the earlier stuff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult.

9. vivica genaux - she's an opera singer most famous for singing parts in baroque operas written for castrati. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivica_Genaux

10. ultra dolphins - this band sucks

11. nation of ulysses - i used to listen to this band all the time when i was younger. probably the coolest band ever. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_ulysses

12. huggy bear - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huggy_Bear

13. cap'n jazz - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap%27n_Jazz

14. the pipettes - this band annoys me, but they are really catchy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pipettes

15. sweatpant boners - i've never heard this band, but they exist and their name is awesome http://www.lollipop.com/disc62/bands/thesweatpantsboners/index.html

Indigo Al

05-15-2007, 09:23 PM

Sonic Youth?

They're my specialty.

Their descent into hippy jam-bandhood after Washing Machine left me cold, for a long while. I despise A Thousand Leaves, and all of Kim Gordon's retardations in it. NYC Ghosts and Flowers had a lovely track called Renegade Princess which was full of ferocious bite.

Murray Street really saved it for me - I love that album as a whole (but it's all tangled up in my 9/11 experience too).

Haven't spent enough time with Rather Ripped to decide one way or the other....

Yoko Ono?

Yeah, she's contemptible. But damned if she didn't do something with Yer Blues/Whole Lotta Yoko on the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus? What it was, I don't know, and I'm sure most are willing to laugh it off. Not me.

Sanagi

05-16-2007, 01:39 AM

One interesting thing about Weird Al is he crosses all genres and generation gaps. My niece played me his latest album, and in return I played an old one for her. And in the span of a couple hours we heard a wide variety of styles spanning twenty years, enjoying music copied from classics like Smells Like Teen Spirit and anti-classics like Hangin' Tough. He occupies the in-between areas of pop music, kind of like mashup albums.

Sanagi

05-16-2007, 01:57 AM

Everybody's got ten. Twelve. Somewhere in that area.

Meat Loaf

The Alan Parsons Project

The Mighty Sparrow

Talking Heads

Devo

Eric Whitacre

Moby

Tangerine Dream

Enya

Yes

Brian Eno

The Orb

Reptisaurus!

05-16-2007, 02:45 AM

Meat Loaf

I love Meat Loaf so much. Well, the old stuff. Back when he was cool. At his best he's the apex of ironic cheesiness, and he knows it, but he doesn't care and still just fuckin' gives it with no reservations.

We can all learn a lot from Mr. Loaf.

Think about it.

Everybody else

Not as good as Meatloaf. :D (Maybe more later.)

Oh, all right...

The Orb

I've got an ORB CD in with my CDs, I've never listened to it, and I couldn't figure out where it came from. It couldn't be THAT bad, though, or my Howlin' Wolf, Mingus and Man Man CDs would've ganged up and beat the crap out of it.

Ilash

05-16-2007, 06:30 AM

Meat Loaf

A big no thank you!

The Alan Parsons Project

Can't say that I've heard anything from them though I have heard of them before. Prog (they are prog, right?) isn't really my thing.

The Mighty Sparrow

Who? Like the name though.

Talking Heads

I should like these guys more than I do. I have a lot of respect for them and Byrne especially but their music doesn't really do much for me.

Devo

Speaking of music tha doesn't do much for me...

Eric Whitacre

No idea.

Moby

Eh. At best.

Tangerine Dream

Krautrock really isn't my thing. The whole anti-emotion movement that started with the Germans and was a pretty big part of quite a few New Wave bands is something that I am really not a fan of. I started a thread about it a while back too.

Enya

Nice voice but pretty boring.

Yes

I actually had these guys on my list. Some good moments but I can't say I'm a fan.

Brian Eno

Very, very talented guy. A genius even. I love the second half of Before and After science but I never have much desire to listen to him and to really get many more of his albums.

The Orb

Beats me.

Adam C

05-16-2007, 07:55 AM

The Mighty Sparrow

Who? Like the name though.

Renowned singer of Calypso and Soca. And in case you are wondering, Soca is an off shoot of Calypso that uses electric instruments (bass, guitar, keyboards).

Slam_Bradley

05-16-2007, 09:18 AM

Willie Nelson?

Never before has someone been so famous for doing so little, other than smoking a lot of pot and looking like a redneck.

Wow. This is just so wrong that it cannot pass without response.

As pointed out above, Willie Nelson is one of the great song-writers of the 20th century. This is the man who composed Crazy, Hello Walls, Funny How Time Slips Away, Angel Flying to Close to the Ground, Night Life, Pretty Paper, Night Life & Yesterday's Wine amongst others.

He was one of the early artists to break away from the Countrypolitan Nashville sound that had been causing the stagnation of country music for a decade. And while Outlaw Country wasn't all good, it certainly helped shake things up.

Nelson was one of the few country acts that consistently crossed over to the pop chart (albums and singles) through the 70s and early 80s.

More importantly from 1973 - 1978 he produced six solo albums all of which are certifiable classics and which stand up with any albums from the era. And I don't just mean country albums. Shotgun Willie, Phases & Stages, Red-Headed Stranger, The Troublemaker, To Lefty From Willie and Stardust are a legacy any artist would be proud of.

Jonathan Bogart

05-16-2007, 10:18 AM

Okay, my turn.

Elvis Presley?
Probably the dumbest genius of American music. Incredible talent, one of the best untutored singers in history, entirely unreflective.

David Bowie?
Tied with Neil Young and Lou Reed for the greatest rock artist of the 70s. Repeated himself a lot afterwards only because during the 70s he predicted the next thirty years of music.

The Sex Pistols?
I love "Anarchy in the UK." Otherwise I can easily do without them.

Miles Davis?
I'm a bigger fan of his fusion work, 1967 and on, than of his cool period. Still, maybe the second-greatest jazz icon, after Louis Armstrong.

Hoagy Carmichael?
Infused a laconic Midestern sensibility into classic American pop, which had previously been dominated by urban New Yorkers. (Sure, Cole Porter was from the Midwest, but he was also a Yale man and lived in Europe.) Brilliant composer, wonderfully listenable singer.

Willie Nelson?
Genius songwriter, pretty great performer. As Slam notes, has recorded a handful of unbeatable country albums.

Sonic Youth?
I like the idea of them more than actually listening to them, but still, they were the pinnacle of 80s alternative. (I don't want to hear it, R.E.M. and Pixies fans.)

Weird Al Yankovic?
Like Mad Magazine, you grow out of him after a while, but he's the funniest thing in the world for a few years there.

Kenny G?
He can probably play okay, but I can't stand that glossy, frictionless production.

Yoko Ono?
With Lennon's help, she recorded two of the finest indie-pop songs (in the Elliott Smith/Belle & Sebastian sense) ever in the late 60s. And a whole lot of caterwauling nonsense. Like John Zorn, she's someone it's easier to appreciate than love; still, she can be rewarding for those whose tastes include the more difficult edges of krautrock, free jazz, and post-punk.

elheffe

05-16-2007, 11:04 AM

and doesn't it suck that indie has become a genre, and it only took like 3 years for it to all sound the same? even "alternative" lasted longer than that!
I don't know what 'indie' you're listening to if you think it all sounds the same. I mean, Broken Social Scene doesn't sound anything like TV On The Radio. Menomena doesn't sound anything like Bishop Allen. Lucky Soul sounds nothing like The Capstan Shafts.

mattx110

05-16-2007, 03:07 PM

I don't know what 'indie' you're listening to if you think it all sounds the same. I mean, Broken Social Scene doesn't sound anything like TV On The Radio. Menomena doesn't sound anything like Bishop Allen. Lucky Soul sounds nothing like The Capstan Shafts.

eh, im just bitter that i like those silly buddy holly glasses, and i can't wear them.

Indigo Al

05-16-2007, 05:36 PM

The Sex Pistols?

They're like, SO whatever. Why did they even bother, when Avril Lavigne is with us?

DDM

05-16-2007, 05:40 PM

They're like, SO whatever. Why did they even bother, when Avril Lavigne is with us?

"Skater Boi" is so threatening, particularly when she sneers into the camera with all of her make-up on. It's like watching Bozo the clown with breasts & breakaway from the cartoonish buffoonery. All she needs to do now is cover "Rock N Roll High School."

mattx110

05-16-2007, 07:13 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jonathan Bogart
Hoagy Carmichael?

Infused a laconic Midestern sensibility into classic American pop, which had previously been dominated by urban New Yorkers. (Sure, Cole Porter was from the Midwest, but he was also a Yale man and lived in Europe.) Brilliant composer, wonderfully listenable singer.
Stephen Sondheim said Cole Porter's compositions sounded jewish:D
and pretty much any jazz standard in a minor key too.

and what's wrong with Avril? nice canadian yodeller who made some cash in pop music. she seems more polite than them british alcoholic by 14 screaming kids with their leather jackets and attitudes.

Sanagi

05-16-2007, 11:08 PM

Personally, I don't think Sparrow is in the same league as Kitchener.

I don't really like The Orb either... Too much sound effects, not enough music.

I have kind of a soft spot for Meat Loaf, and I like the male backing vocals, but there's not generally much musical depth to his stuff.

Sanagi

05-16-2007, 11:16 PM

Wow. This is just so wrong that it cannot pass without response.

As pointed out above, Willie Nelson is one of the great song-writers of the 20th century. This is the man who composed Crazy, Hello Walls, Funny How Time Slips Away, Angel Flying to Close to the Ground, Night Life, Pretty Paper, Night Life & Yesterday's Wine amongst others.

He was one of the early artists to break away from the Countrypolitan Nashville sound that had been causing the stagnation of country music for a decade. And while Outlaw Country wasn't all good, it certainly helped shake things up.

Nelson was one of the few country acts that consistently crossed over to the pop chart (albums and singles) through the 70s and early 80s.

More importantly from 1973 - 1978 he produced six solo albums all of which are certifiable classics and which stand up with any albums from the era. And I don't just mean country albums. Shotgun Willie, Phases & Stages, Red-Headed Stranger, The Troublemaker, To Lefty From Willie and Stardust are a legacy any artist would be proud of.
Willie Nelson's a good example of country music that isn't just a vehicle for a disingenuous cowboy image.

Jonathan Bogart

05-16-2007, 11:18 PM

Meat Loaf
Uh, no. Alice Cooper transposes hard rock and Broadway better.

The Alan Parsons Project
Haven't heard much, haven't been impressed by what I've heard.

The Mighty Sparrow
I'm having a hard time hearing past cutsey "ethnic" novelty songs to get much out of real calypso.

Talking Heads
Genius band. Paranoid white funk, electro-ethnomusicology, whatever, just awesome.

Devo
A little goes a long way. It's good, but I mean.

Eric Whitacre
Not familiar with the name. Googled, and sounds like someone I should check out. Thanks.

Moby
Good-to-great pop singles, very average techno, laughable ideologue.

Tangerine Dream
Haven't heard much, keep meaning to investigate further.

Enya
I hear all the Enya I ever want to hear when I watch my Lord of the Rings DVDs.

Yes
I forgot to mention last time that I like (or enjoy) the Trevor Horn remake.

Brian Eno
Maybe the most important figure in the transition from analog rock to electronic forms.

The Orb
They're okay. You're right about the samples.

Sanagi

05-16-2007, 11:53 PM

Not familiar with the name. Googled, and sounds like someone I should check out. Thanks.
Go to his myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/ericwhitacre) and listen to "Sleep." It's amazing.

Adam C

05-17-2007, 09:12 AM

Sonic Youth?
adrian belew exists. why would i listen to sonic youth?

Since Jon encouraged arguing I'll throw this one out: I don't know why you'd listen to Sonic Youth, but I know one reason why I'd listen to them when Adrian Belew exists. They only sound remotely similar to anything Adrian Belew does, and only on certain tracks (if you squint hard enough that is).

it's not conceptually or musically advanced to suck on purpose.

And here's another one: on the other hand incorporating the ideas of avante-garde composers like La Monte Young, Glenn Branca, and Rhys Chatham into rock music is.

rick

05-17-2007, 10:06 AM

Elvis Presley?

Pre-Army Elvis is some of the finest whiteboy RnR ever recorded, and certainly puts the man on the short list for best vocalist in the history of American music.

Post-Army Elvis quickly became a parody of everything that was good about the younger version.

I mean, come on “Rock a Hula Baby”?

David Bowie?

In the almost 40 years I have been listening to Bowie, I have loved some albums, hated some others, but never for a moment doubted his talent or dedication to innovation and style.

I’m a big fan.

The Sex Pistols?

I love, love, love, love, love, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols.

It is one of the greatest albums in music history without a single weak moment.

The combination of Lydon’s vocals and Jones’ guitar for me anyway, the very definition of Rock.

Miles Davis?

I have about 20 of Miles albums, but have a particular love for Bitches Brew and Sorcerer.

Hoagy Carmichael?

Like him, but not enough to own any of his albums.

Willie Nelson?

I only have a couple of Willie’s records, but I do like them and I do play them.

Besides he wrote for Patsy Cline and that alone is enough to make me admire the man.

Sonic Youth?

I was never a fan, but I have nothing against them either.

Weird Al Yankovic?

If nothing else, you really have to admire the mans longevity.

30 years of songs about bolongia is pretty amazing when you think about it.

Kenny G?

His greatest moment was when he molested Mister Garrison on South Park.

Yoko Ono?

A fine conceptional artist in her own right, but why Lennon thought she was a musician has never made any sense to me at all.

mattx110

05-17-2007, 11:08 AM

Since Jon encouraged arguing I'll throw this one out: I don't know why you'd listen to Sonic Youth, but I know one reason why I'd listen to them when Adrian Belew exists. They only sound remotely similar to anything Adrian Belew does, and only on certain tracks (if you squint hard enough that is).

And here's another one: on the other hand incorporating the ideas of avante-garde composers like La Monte Young, Glenn Branca, and Rhys Chatham into rock music is.

ok, anything sonic youth can do nels cline can do better?

there are more musical people who are into noise effects and weird tunings. i'm not a fan of people who throw out musical conventions and then don't understand why it's impossible to throw out musical conventions. from the interview i read it seems like they think they can. but they're still a rock band.

just the impression i got from them.
plus i saw them live once opening for someone and it was the most painful unmusical thing ever. if the rest of the audience bothered to come early enough for the opening act they might have walked out. it was a slow-filling venue. damn hippies.

Pepsigirl

05-17-2007, 09:03 PM

I've heard of a bunch of those, but I can't really say much because I don't really like them or listen to them all that much. However, I will say that Ultra Dolphins' name is so much more awesome than their music is.

berk

05-17-2007, 09:19 PM

Elvis Presley?
- very much a fan, especially of the earlier stuff; even the later material contains several gems. I can even watch the movies - I think of them as primitive, extended music videos, rather than regular feature films.

David Bowie?
- everything up to Scary Monsters is pretty much indispensible pop music. One of the best ever; don't know why he's never gotten back his ability to write good tunes, though. Last song I really loved from him is probably Absolute Beginners

The Sex Pistols?
- some of the most powerful music ever made; had a huge impact on me; perfectly appropriate that they never made more than one album.

Miles Davis?
- I've only really checked out Kind of Blue and Birth of the Cool, neither of which has grabbed me, though I can listen to them; I intend to try some of the later stuff one of these days, Bitches Brew is the one that seems to be recommended most.

Hoagy Carmichael?
- Really like his stuff. Stardust is one of the greatest pop songs ever written. I like his lighter stuff, like the silly but enjoyable Huggin and Chalkin, and his more serious playing as well. He looked pretty cool, as well - one of Fleming's models for Bond's facial features!

Willie Nelson?
- great songwriter, but have never liked the sound of his voice.

Sonic Youth?
- probably the kind of thing I would like if I ever got around to giving them a chance, but I've never listened to them much, for no particular reason.

Weird Al Yankovic?
- can't understand why anyone has ever thought he was funny; must be an American thing. But no, he's been popular enough up here too. Just don't get it.

Kenny G?
- no interest at all.

Yoko Ono?
- haven't heard much, but I intend to explore her stuff one of these days. I really like Galaxy 500's cover of 'Listen the Snow is falling'.

berk

05-17-2007, 09:58 PM

1)Jethro Tull
- I like 'em. I think they work better as a straight rock band (e.g. Aqualung) than as prog-rockers (e.g. Passion Play), although I'm a prog-rock fan myself. They're folk-rock album, Songs From the Wood, is excellent as well. To sceptics, I'd recommend their early best of comp, "m.u." (whatever that was supposed to mean). The short edits from stuff like Passion Play work better as shorter tracks than they do as of extended album cuts.

2)Blur
- I think I heard something I liked from them, but can't recall any of their songs right now.

3)The Grateful Dead
- never cared for em much, but no hostile feelings. Theyir stuff is pretty inoffensive, and I can tap my toes to it, but it doesn't elicit any strong reaction from me either way.

4)Steely Dan
- like em less now than I did at the time. Find em a little bland now.

5)Free
- I like Catch a Train and All Right Now. Good stuff if you into this kind of music, which I was back then. I like the first two Bad Co albums as well.

6)Elvis Costello
- Great songwriter. Like everybody else, I love those first 3 albums. ANd he's written dome great stuff since then too, but I haven't followed his career closely. Still don't like his voice all that much, but it doesn't prevent me from enjoying his music.

7)The Moody Blues
- love 'em. Some of my favourite pop music ever. These guys wrote such beautiful tunes, and I loved their voices and harmonies. Hayward's guitar playing is very nice, too; he had some great riffs and knew just what and when to play, say at the end of a line of verse. To sceptics, I recommend not listening to the lyrics and forgetting about all the things that seem to turn people off - the goofy hippy mysticism and so on (none of which bothers me, nut I understand this is what makes them difficult for some people to listen to). Try 'Story in Your Eyes', or 'Lovely to See You', nice up-tempo numbers, and of course all those marvellous ballads. But I just love almost everything they did up to Long Distance Voyager, so my judgement is skewed.

8)Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Great bad. Love Foagrty's voice and songwriting. Don't their covers, like Heard It Through the Grapevine. Fogarty's first couple solo albums, the ones he did in the 70's, not the over-rated Centrefield, are must-listens if you're a fan.

9)Echo and the Bunny Men
- never listened to much

10)10CC
- love the best of Godley and Creme album. I'm M<andy, Fly Me, was a great little pop masterpiece. One of these days I'll try out some albums.

11)JJ Cale
good songwriter, but not really my thing; I like Clapton's cover of After Midnight.

12)Carole King
- respect her as a songwriter, but no great love for her solo material.

13)Badfinger
- another all-time personal fave; No Dice and Straight Up are must-listens, although as a fan I find lots of excellent material on all their albums. They wrote some beautiful songs. 'Baby Blue' or 'No Matter What' might be my favourite of the hits, but the two albums named above contain a lot of lesser-known gems.

14)Electric Light Orchestra
- love the three consecutive albums Eldorado, Face the Music, and New World Record, but then they slowly became the bland, over-slick hit-machine most people think of them as. But for a while there they really special.

15)Sly and the Family Stone
- love the Greatest Hits album so much that I've always meant to try out some albums, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Hard to pick one favourite, but maybe 'Everybody Is a Star', right now.

16)Dire Straits
- like em but they were so over-exposed in the early 80s. Still, some great stuff. And some very ordinary stuff too.

17)Ryan Adams
- don't know him.

18)The Replacements
- like em, but don't know their stuff very well.

19)Nirvana
- very one-note, but a pretty good note if you're in the mood for it. Cobain had a good rock-screamer voice.

20)Bob Marley
- like his stuff and huge respect for hs cultural impact, but don't feel the urge to own any cds.

21)Yes
- some of my favourite music. I find their peak-era stuff so moving and powerful I can't really descibe it. Love the colour, the pageantry, of their music, Anderson's unique voice, Howe's guitar playing, Squire's bass, all among my personal faves. Close to the Edge might be their masterpiece, but everything through the 70s is pure magic to me. Topographic Oceans is the only one I've never really gotten into, although I do like the first side a lot.

22)Radiohead
- like em a lot, in all their various stylisticc incarnations, even the first album.

23)Procol Harum
- big fan. I recommend A Salty Dog as their most perfect album, as I think someone else did as well. It displays how varied their sound really was. But all their albums are good. Exotic Birds and Fruit is another fave. Love Brooker's soulful voice. Brooker, Trower and Fisher all made some excellent solo albums as well.

24)AC/DC
- I really like their song, when I;m in the mood for it.

25)Coldplay
- I like em, but their material has a certain sameness to it that makes it hard to listen to more than a few songs at a time.

26)Tom Waits
only ever lheard Bone Machine, which I thought was pretty good. One of these days I'll try the mnore famous stuff.

27)The Only Ones
- don't know em

28)Steppenwolf
- like their best of pkg. They had a lot more good songs than just Born to Run and Magic Carpet Ride, the latter of which I don't even like much. For Ladies Only, for instance, or Everybody's Next One are good rock songs

29)The Byrds
- they're OK but I find them a little bland and spiritless; I like the idea of them more than I do their actual music.

30)The Guess Who
- some great tunes; I like Bachman's guitar and Cumming's voice; the Bachman era produced most of the best stuff, like Share the Land and so on, but the post-Bachman band had a few nice songs as well, like the anti-Bowie ballad, Glamour Boy.

howyadoin

05-17-2007, 09:58 PM

Jonathan Bogart

05-17-2007, 10:18 PM

How 'bout "American Trilogy"?
I like the Mickey Newbury version better.

rick

05-17-2007, 11:16 PM

Possibly. But his voice was freakin' mind-boggling in his later years.

How 'bout "American Trilogy"?

I truly believe that if Elvis had only managed outlive Col. Parker, he'd have ended up being the vocalist for the Traveling Wilburys.

I really do.

mattx110

05-18-2007, 12:21 AM

I truly believe that if Elvis had only managed outlive Col. Parker, he'd have ended up being the vocalist for the Traveling Wilburys.

I really do.

him and frank sinatra would have rallied to get people to look at more george harrison songs.

plus bob dylan has this fascination with cult figures, especially singers like elvis.
i don't know if i can go full with you, but i can see something happening there in an alternate universe.

Ilash

05-18-2007, 04:23 AM

6)Elvis Costello
- Great songwriter. Like everybody else, I love those first 3 albums. ANd he's written dome great stuff since then too, but I haven't followed his career closely. Still don't like his voice all that much, but it doesn't prevent me from enjoying his music.

Actually, yeah that is one thing I should have mentioned. His voice is something of a problem for me on a lot of his earlier stuff. He's actually someone who's singing has gotten significantly better with age.

Indigo Al

05-18-2007, 06:42 AM

ok, anything sonic youth can do nels cline can do better?

Any recommendations on Nels Cline?

twilight

05-18-2007, 06:58 AM

More opinions!More opinions!

The Who

The Cure

The White Stripes

The Smiths

The Velvet Underground

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Clash

The Arcade Fire

Joe Rice

05-18-2007, 07:13 AM

I haven't done these before . . .I know my taste is very . . .specific and not necessarily very good. But here goes, I'm bored.

The Who
Great band, even if they sometimes got self-indulgent. Inspired a lot of other bands I like. Closer to my sensibilities than the Beatles, though I respect both.

The Cure
Hatehatehatehate. Can see they are good at what they do. Understand why the wife (and every other little asian girl) loves them, but I hate them.

The White Stripes
On their way to becoming either nothing or something, if you catch my meaning. Talent, passion, but is there anything lasting here?

The Smiths
See the Cure, except moreso.

The Velvet Underground
Amazing band, influential, and often very difficult for me to listen to.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience
. . .Hendrix, to me, was a decent innovator but is far overrated (hate that word, sorry) as a guitarist. Some good songs but I have personal prejudice that won't let go.

The Clash
I've tried . . .I understand why they're a big deal. I just don't like it.

The Arcade Fire
I'm not sure if I've heard them.

Joe Rice

05-18-2007, 07:20 AM

Elvis Presley?
An amazing performer with great charisma who became too wealthy too fast. I wonder if get-rich-suddenly hip hop stars will share his fate of self-parody, or does culture dispose of artists too quickly now?

David Bowie?
Love some, am indifferent to some, but he's obviously good at this.

The Sex Pistols?
Very influential and their first album still sounds raw.

Miles Davis?
I hear he's great . . .and what I've heard agrees.

Hoagy Carmichael?
Know next to nothing.

Willie Nelson?
The American performer of the 20th century, maybe. Great songwriting, amazing musicianship . . .one of the all time greats.

Sonic Youth?
Not my thing.

Weird Al Yankovic?
Once my thing, but then I went through puberty. Glad he's still doing his thing though.

Kenny G?
Nope.

Yoko Ono?
An artist, yes. Music I want to listen to? Rarely. If ever.

Joe Rice

05-18-2007, 07:41 AM

twilight

05-18-2007, 07:50 AM

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Weezer

Wolfmother

Violent Femmes

Presidents of the United States of America

Fountains of Wayne

Europe

1) I liked the one song I heard.Jenny Lewis was in Sleater Kinney right?

2) I like the singles but probably not enough to buy an album.A greatest hits collection would pique my interest.

3) Boring.

4) Not very familiar with them but I do enjoy Blister In The Sun.Ironically I was going to go check them out at the Big Day Out festival earlier this year but I got really badly sunburnt and went home early :o

5) I do enjoy some every once in awhile.

6) Are these guys still a band?I thought it was that one song and then they vanished.

7) GOB's themesong is pretty cool in a "not cool at all" kinda way.

Rob on the Job

05-18-2007, 07:55 AM

John Lee Hooker was a blues icon.

Hank Williams Sr. was a country icon.

Hank "Bocephus" Jr. was a groundbreaker in progressive country, while Merle Haggard is Johnny Cash-cool.

The other guys, I really don't know.

Ilash

05-18-2007, 08:31 AM

The New Duncan Imperials

Never heard of them.

Hank Williams Sr.

Hank Williams Jr.

Hank Williams III

Didn't even know there were three of 'em. Still need to check at least one of them out.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

No clue.

Merle Haggard

Heard the name. That's about it.

Weezer

I like Power Pop so I'm definitely gonna have to check these guys out at some point.

Nashville Pussy

Heard of them. Haven't heard their music.

Wolfmother

Decent enough rock band. Better than most mainstream-ish bands but nothing I've heard really blows me away.

the Dillards

No clue.

Violent Femmes

From what I've heard, eh.

Presidents of the United States of America

Haven't heard them.

Fountains of Wayne

From what little I've heard, decent power pop.

John Lee Hooker

GREAT, GREAT, GREAT blues legend.

Willie Maxwell

No idea.

Europe

No thanks.

Shade

05-18-2007, 08:37 AM

Presidents of the United States of America

I like these guys because they dared to make grunge fun. Never took themselves to seriously and just had fun, even at their own expense. They made BIG sounding music for just three guys and really, made some silly songs that were fun to listen to.

Ilash

05-18-2007, 08:43 AM

The Who

Third greatest band of all time. Imagine how good they were be if they had another songwriter of Townshend's stature. I could write essays on these guys. Not that I'm going to.

The Cure

I quite like them but the whole mopey goth vibe does get a bit tiring. Pictures of You freaking rules though.

The White Stripes

Best modern mainstream rock and roll band? May well be.

The Smiths

Haven't heard them yet. Will get around to them soon enough I hope.

The Velvet Underground

While I admire how influential their use of feedback was, as well as their ground breaking lyrical content but the main reason I like them is for the hypnotic moods that their music usually produces. Their songs just FEEL like no one else's. I'm not as big a fan as many - not by a long shot - biut, yeah, they're certainly very good.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

No one plays the guitar like Jimi. No one! The other guys in the band form a great rythm section too. I love me some Hendrix when I'm in the right mood but I do have to be in the right mood. The songwriting itself is decent but its the soulfull performances that really make their material what it is.

The Clash

Great but I like them more for their non-punk stuff. London Calling is easily one of my favourite albums but they do seem to be a bit inconsistent overall. But hell, it's the Clash. They rule. Of course they do.

The Arcade Fire

I've heard one or two songs of theirs and they seem OK. Can't say much more than that.

Ilash

05-18-2007, 08:46 AM

The White Stripes
On their way to becoming either nothing or something, if you catch my meaning. Talent, passion, but is there anything lasting here?

That's actually a really insightful opinion of the band. I'm with you on this.

Shade

05-18-2007, 08:51 AM

The Who
Not my thing but I can see why they hold the iconic position they hold.

The Cure
Really incredibly hollow music yet seen as deeply emotional by many. Never understood that but they filled a void at the time they were popular. What emo tries to be.

The White Stripes
I get nothing from them. Totally seem like a fad with little substance behind it to me.

The Smiths
I like music the evokes emotion, even sadness and despair. That being said, Morrisey need medication or to go ahead and get it over with.

The Velvet Underground
Lyrically and musically challenging.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience
I'm with Joe. He was good but it was more the image than the actual substance.

The Clash
Really groundbreaking and open the doors to punk to become legit. Raw and unflinching in what they were and made it fun to be angry.

The Arcade Fire
From what I've heard....I have no desire to hear any more.

Adam C

05-18-2007, 08:51 AM

David Bowie?
- everything up to Scary Monsters is pretty much indispensible pop music. One of the best ever; don't know why he's never gotten back his ability to write good tunes, though. Last song I really loved from him is probably Absolute Beginners

Out of curiosity have you heard anything from his last two albums Heathen
and Reality? I'd say nothing else he definitely recovered his artistic viability with those. (For those who like 90s Bowie...well I'm not very familiar with that period so I can't comment.)

Jonathan Bogart

05-18-2007, 10:10 AM

The New Duncan Imperials
Don't know them.

Hank Williams Sr.
The most important figure in country music, and one of the greatest songwriters of all time.

Hank Williams Jr.
Pandering redneck fluff.

Hank Williams III
Smarter and better than the music he makes.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
Fairly dull. I like Rilo Kiley (her other band) better.

Merle Haggard
One of the most creative, eclectic, and enduring country singers ever. Ranks with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson as a songwriter and performer.

Weezer
Their first album was not-bad guitar pop, but they've been milking that cow to steadily diminishing returns ever since.

Nashville Pussy
A joke I don't think is funny.

Wolfmother
I, um, like the Avalanches remix of "Woman."

the Dillards
Great progressive-bluegrass band.

Violent Femmes
I'm not real into their particular corner of 80s indie, but they're respectable.

Presidents of the United States of America
A good 90s pop band, the alt-generation equivalent of the Turtles or something.

Fountains of Wayne
Gah. Power-pop by numbers. Way too popular for being as average as they are.

John Lee Hooker
Top four or five electric bluesmen. What he does with rhythm is amazing.

Willie Maxwell
I believe I've heard the name, but I can't place the music. He's blues, right?

Europe
80s blowhard-rock. Terrible.

Adam C

05-18-2007, 10:21 AM

Didn't even know there were three of 'em. Still need to check at least one of them out.

Check out Hank Williams Sr. He's one of the defining figures of country music and his work is utterly indispensable to American popular music as a whole.

I'm not as familiar with Hank III though. I've only heard about two of his songs, "Straight to Hell" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn5Ha3Ufh-M) which trades on the Williams' mythology of debauchery and sounds like traditional Honky Tonk played with the ragged energy of punk and "Country Heroes." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6B-X6EEiHE)

What I've heard of Hank Williams Jr. sounds a lot like polished southern rock, though with a more overt country edge. And dull.

(Speaking of which the "progressive country" tag that Berk applied really throws me for a loop. None of his stuff really seems to have the singer-songwriterly leanings that the tag connotes.)

Merle Haggard on the other hand is another great of country music. He's one of the finest exponents of the Bakersfield sound, one of its finest (and most consistent) songwriters, and a surprisingly versatile one. He can do everything from straight country like "Mama Tried" to string-driven ballads like "Silver Wings" and make it sound good.

I suppose I could tread over what everyone else says about John Lee Hooker, but as Bogart said, what he does with rhythm is amazing.

As for Weezer...well "Buddy Holly" sounded nice, but that's all I have to say about them. And I don't have anything to add about the rest.

(Okay, except for Europe who sound like every other mainstream 80s rock band I've heard.)

Jonathan Bogart

05-18-2007, 10:22 AM

The Who
They used to be my favorite band. Then I discovered there was music other than rock.

The Cure
At their peak, a solid post-punk pop band. Great atmospheric production, off-putting vocal tics, one of the worst fanbases in the world.

The White Stripes
Their singles are some of the peaks of this decade's music, but they're very much an unfinished story that could go either way at this point.

The Smiths
I do love those over-the-top self-consciously literary lyrics, but the shimmery guitar-pop is pretty lightweight. They're a great band for angsty adolescents or for people who appreciate camp.

The Velvet Underground
Their combination of rock & roll with avant-garde ideas is maybe the biggest single step forward any music has ever taken (outside of, like, J. S. Bach or Louis Armstrong). That said, I prefer their poppier side.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Great songs, but wearying albums. The older I get, the less important psychedelic production is.

The Clash
Just yesterday I listened to their entire discography. They're even better than their reputation. The Beatles of punk, unquestionably.

The Arcade Fire
In ten years they will be featured on a "Whatever Happened To...?" segment on VH1. They're very much a band of the hour.

Jonathan Bogart

05-18-2007, 10:25 AM

Out of curiosity have you heard anything from his last two albums Heathen
and Reality? I'd say nothing else he definitely recovered his artistic viability with those.
I have heard them, and I'd disagree.

Slam_Bradley

05-18-2007, 10:47 AM

The New Duncan Imperials

Never heard of them.

Hank Williams Sr.

Easily the most important country artist ever and one of the towering figures in American music. A brilliant song-writer, easily one of the best of the 20th century. Simply one of the most influential people in modern American music.

Hank Williams Jr.

Low talent living off his father's name.

Hank Williams III

Almost certainly can't fill his Grandpa's boots, but already eons beyond his dad. One of the more interesting country acts of the last decade.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Never heard of them.

Merle Haggard

It's probably nearly impossible for me to be objective about Hag. He vies with Johnny Cash as my favorite country performer and is easily in my all-time top five.

A tremendous performer, a very talented song-writer. Hag worked hard to use his popularity to make sure his influences (Lefty Frizzel, Jimmie Rogers, Bob Wills) weren't forgotten. Like Cash has had a rennaisance in the last decade and has produced some of his strongest albums in 30 years.

Always more of a singles performer, his songbook is a roadmap of country music.

Weezer

Not my cuppa.

Nashville Pussy

Never heard of them.

Wolfmother

Never heard of them.

the Dillards

I'm not as familiar with them as I should be. I big hole in my Bluegrass collection during the 60s and 70s (save for Flatt & Scruggs).

Violent Femmes

Not my cuppa.

Presidents of the United States of America

I think I remember a couple of their songs. Catchy pop, but not my cuppa. I think my wife liked them (we do not have similar tastes in music).

Fountains of Wayne

Never heard of them.

John Lee Hooker

One of the true blues greats. Underrated as a song-writer. Not as flashy a guitarist as some contemporaries, his palying was tremendously effective and skilled. I love Hooker. Easily in my top-ten blues artists and close to top-five.

Willie Maxwell

No idea.

Europe

If there were a God they'd have long since been forgotten.

Fish Sauce

05-18-2007, 11:52 AM

Heard a little of some of them, never heard of a lot. Heard Wolfmother's whole album though.

They're alright, but nothing spectacular. Their riffs are good for the first few times but they get old fairly quickly and there's nothing really there to back them up. I find I just can't listen to them a great deal as they start to feel the same fast. Don't mind them on occasion though.

Rob on the Job

05-18-2007, 12:02 PM

I see Hank Jr. is getting no love in this thread. I can understand those who despair of his stuff of the last 15 years or so, but in the late 1970s-early 1980s, he was pushing country in directions blazed only by Kinky Friedmann and the Texas Jewboys.

Waylon & Willie got all the press for being country outlaws, but Hank Jr. was the true radical among them.

How many other country stars would have been willing to record "OD'd in Denver" in 198)?

Slam_Bradley

05-18-2007, 12:57 PM

Waylon & Willie got all the press for being country outlaws, but Hank Jr. was the true radical among them.

That might have been because Waylon and Willie were both very talented. Hackery, even if it pushes boundaries, is still hackery.

Reptisaurus!

05-18-2007, 01:20 PM

mattx110

05-18-2007, 01:26 PM

The Who
awesome. y'know i started out clapton was my favorite. then pete townshend, then jimmy page and now jeff beck. and daltrey is alot less painful to listen to than robert plant can get.
The Cure
depressing, and eye make-up? come on!
The White Stripes
i don't know. the drummer is kinda inconsistent. guitarplayer is a bit... well, he plays a plastic guitar and doesn't seem to care about tuning and has some of the most painful solos to listen to...
needs a tele that can take the abuse, and to clean up the noise a bit so i can tell if he can play or not.

The Smiths
morrissey is fun. there's no way around that. there's no need to "love him or hate him", but just enjoy the band.
The Velvet Underground
where's the singing? i had a short talky singers period... also not a fan of warhol.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
umm... yes. that loverman curtis mayfield side needed to come out more, and please people, don't do drugs. quitting heroin and just taking sleeping pills and alcohol isn't good enough. and between the noise and antics, there was a genuine respect for american music, and fine music in there.
The Clash
mick jones is great. joe strummer knew who his forefathers were. which is really important if your going to sing about politicas and rights, and really any other songs too.
The Arcade Fire
not sure. i think i like them. they seem to be having fun.

i can't keep up with these threads!

and what the hell? there is no music other than rock! listen to dvorak, if that's not rock, well... it's the closest it can be while including violin a real piano and more than 3 chords. there's always a way to blur any genre lines and call anything anything.

Reptisaurus!

05-18-2007, 02:04 PM

ok, anything sonic youth can do nels cline can do better?

there are more musical people who are into noise effects and weird tunings. i'm not a fan of people who throw out musical conventions and then don't understand why it's impossible to throw out musical conventions.

Well, see, here's the thing.

It is ABSOLUTELY possible to throw out musical conventions. The Fluxux movement proved that. (An' keep in mind that our Western Musical conventions ain't all the musical conventions there is....)

At it's most basic level, any piece of art with a set definition that's intended to have a primarily audio effect is a piece of music, at least by Fluxus definitions.

Doesn't have to have chords. Doesn't have to have notes. Doesn't have to have rhythm.

In Yoko Ono's "Tape Piece" the entire score consists of instructions to a four man string quartet, including "Rub a screwdriver across the F Hole of your instrument" and "Place Tape on Your Instrument... And Rip It Off." No notes, no chords, no rhythm.

In probably the most famous Fluxus piece, John Cage's "4:33" a musician sitting at the piano and doesn't play for four and a half minutes. The set definition here is the time limit. Anything within the four minutes and thirty-three seconds that the piece runs is art, anything outside of it isn't. And the audio component is provided by chance - Basically any noise the audience makes is part of the piece.

Sonic Youth covered George Maciunas' "Piano Piece # 13 (Carpenter's Piece)" which consists of nailing all the keys of the piano down, one at a time. (They did a whole CD of Fluxus type works, some of their own creation some "covers." And, yeah, it was pretty unlistenable. Although the video to Carpenter's Piece was pretty cool. )

Obviously most of Sonic Youth's stuff isn't that extreme, but they're the only ROCK band I've ever heard who have such a complete understanding of how 20th century art has influenced/can be applied to music. They can use the tools of conventional pop music when it suits them, and completely ignore all the rules and try to make cool sounding noise when they feel like it.

I like 'em, of course. But I'm an anarchist in my soul and I get pissed whenever anyone thinks that art has to conform to any set of rules. Sonic Youth's stuff is really... freeing to me. Like they're saying "You can do stuff the regular way, but you don't HAVE to. And it can still sound pretty fuckin' cool."

mattx110

05-18-2007, 03:28 PM

Well, see, here's the thing.

It is ABSOLUTELY possible to throw out musical conventions. The Fluxux movement proved that. (An' keep in mind that our Western Musical conventions ain't all the musical conventions there is....)

At it's most basic level, any piece of art with a set definition that's intended to have a primarily audio effect is a piece of music, at least by Fluxus definitions.

Doesn't have to have chords. Doesn't have to have notes. Doesn't have to have rhythm.

In Yoko Ono's "Tape Piece" the entire score consists of instructions to a four man string quartet, including "Rub a screwdriver across the F Hole of your instrument" and "Place Tape on Your Instrument... And Rip It Off." No notes, no chords, no rhythm.

In probably the most famous Fluxus piece, John Cage's "4:33" a musician sitting at the piano and doesn't play for four and a half minutes. The set definition here is the time limit. Anything within the four minutes and thirty-three seconds that the piece runs is art, anything outside of it isn't. And the audio component is provided by chance - Basically any noise the audience makes is part of the piece.

Sonic Youth covered George Maciunas' "Piano Piece # 13 (Carpenter's Piece)" which consists of nailing all the keys of the piano down, one at a time. (They did a whole CD of Fluxus type works, some of their own creation some "covers." And, yeah, it was pretty unlistenable. Although the video to Carpenter's Piece was pretty cool. )

Obviously most of Sonic Youth's stuff isn't that extreme, but they're the only ROCK band I've ever heard who have such a complete understanding of how 20th century art has influenced/can be applied to music. They can use the tools of conventional pop music when it suits them, and completely ignore all the rules and try to make cool sounding noise when they feel like it.

I like 'em, of course. But I'm an anarchist in my soul and I get pissed whenever anyone thinks that art has to conform to any set of rules. Sonic Youth's stuff is really... freeing to me. Like they're saying "You can do stuff the regular way, but you don't HAVE to. And it can still sound pretty fuckin' cool."

musical conventions aren't just there to provide rules and limitations.
they are there so we can understand music and notate it so it can be enjoyed worldwide across history. theory is something that is discovered and used as a tool to create further music. it isn't something created just to limit musicians. beethoven kicked the hell out of the "rules" late in his life. we can still understand his music in terms of melody, harmony, meter etc.

i'm ideoogically an anarchist, and calling an anarchist someone against any set of rules is a simplification. i feel it's closely tied to the ability for any rational individual to make the right choice and exist safely within society without dictation of legal limitations. this is actually a different discussion, and i'm not really contradicting you here, theres more than one kind of anarchy (i'm a fan of the long eventual approah to utopia rather than just overthrowing governments because theres no way that can work without leading to more violence and coups, sorry communism). But as an analogy, the kantist universal laws of behavior relates to rules of music theory. they are created to understand right and wrong/music and noise rather than limit rights/creativity.

Any music created, can not exist separate from the overtone series, and can be understand in terms of rythm/meter. it's possible to write out a 4/4 piece in 3/4 (though it'd be a waste of time and make it more difficult than necessary to add all the accents). these are tools of understanding, not limitation.
the limitations come from the period in which the musician worked, and the movement they worked in. but any piece of music can be understood.

and letting the audience mumble amongst themselves and hoping they'll applaude after four and a half minutes is just lazy. it's more an experiment in human nature than a musical composition.
trying to break every musical convention is historically like taking an extreme position in an argument. the result is a stretched tonality, rather than the permanent end of tonality.
good thing there's room for everything. now we just need to get more people to go to concerts and more costefficient venues so places like the tonic closing down can be avoided.

and indigo, it's hard for me to make nels cline reccomendations. check his website, it has mp3 samples of lots of albums. and i didn't realize how massive his discography was. i got in through the wilco albums, so you might wanna start there, and then read about the albums and if acoustic stuff appeals to you, go for that, if you like really piercing interpretations of coltrane theres an album for you.
but starting in a rock context is a nice buffer.

mattx110

05-18-2007, 03:43 PM

The New Duncan Imperials
no idea
Hank Williams Sr.
awesome. but if you hear all the hype about how he was a mad rebel, when you finally listen you might be like "huh? he seems so nice..."
Hank Williams Jr.
the voice of the NFL. some good singing/yelling too.
Hank Williams III
unclassifiable when he's doing good.
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
the only of the omaha type people i can stand is rilo kiley. twins freak me out a bit though.
Merle Haggard
nice and gritty.
Weezer
i like them sometimes. a bit too plain for me to care about getting every album, or even more than one.
Nashville Pussy
kinda reverent for what their name suggests about them
Wolfmother
if you're gonna sound so much like zeppelin, why copy the robert plant vocals so much? a little less shrill.
the Dillards
not sure. i'd have to listen to them, but it sounds so familiar... are they on sugarhill? if so, probably at least pretty good.
Violent Femmes
haven't heard em in a while
Presidents of the United States of America
bill plays a mean sax. i think reagan mighta been in a musical early in his career.
Fountains of Wayne
um, ok.
John Lee Hooker
someone who you just want to listen to. and always played with a great band.
Willie Maxwell
i'd have to hear him to know who he is. and even then, i'd probably not be too sure.
Europe
could be worse.

Reptisaurus!

05-18-2007, 04:01 PM

musical conventions aren't just there to provide rules and limitations.

they are there so we can understand music and notate it so it can be enjoyed worldwide across history.

But in the age of tape recorders, much less needed. You can still record and play-back music that doesn't work within the framework of musical notation.

they are created to understand right and wrong/music and noise rather than limit rights/creativity.

What's wrong noise?

Any music created, can not exist separate from the overtone series, and can be understand in terms of rythm/meter. it's possible to write out a 4/4 piece in 3/4 (though it'd be a waste of time and make it more difficult than necessary to add all the accents). these are tools of understanding, not limitation.

I see them as both. There's music that can't be expressed with these tools, therefore the tools are limited. These are tools that'll serve until someone comes along with ideas strong enough that they can't be expressed with our current system of tools.

I mean, they're NEAT tools, don't get me wrong. But I enough faith in humanity t'think we'll eventually progress beyond them.

I think Fluxus was a start towards that.

but any piece of music can be understood.

Maybe. There's some stuff in even Mingus' repetoire I'd have the damndest trouble expressing in conventional notes and rhythms. (Mostly where he says "Everybody play what you want... And play loud!")

Ditto for later Coltrane stuff, where he was inspired by the music of nature and was actively trying to shake off the conventional way of lookin' at music.

And then there's Sonic Youth themselves... I don't think there's a language to diagram what they do when they're playing pure feedback. It has a rhythmic structure, but it's damn sure not chords and/or notes.

There COULD be a way to diagram it, mind. I betcha a dollar there WILL be in the future, either a variant of our conventional musical notation system or part of a new set of tools.

and letting the audience mumble amongst themselves and hoping they'll applaude after four and a half minutes is just lazy. it's more an experiment in human nature than a musical composition.

Oh no. It's an experiment in noise. You could do a similar piece of art that was about psychology, but that wasn't the point of this one. The bone of contention here is whether or not music has to follow your rules to be considered music...

I don't think it does. But I'm an art history major, (on and off) and visual artists started grasping that there ARE NO RULES a good number of decades ago. And it was artists as much as musicians who said "Hey... Music doesn't have to have any rules, either."

Personal Opinion: Music is, like, a byproduct of the spirit. It existed before written language. And all human attempts to codify it are gonna fall a little bit short.

And I'm not sayin' that learning rules and mastering craft is a bad thing. But it's not the only way to create noise with aesthetic value. (IE: Music)

trying to break every musical convention is historically like taking an extreme position in an argument. the result is a stretched tonality, rather than the permanent end of tonality.
good thing there's room for everything. now we just need to get more people to go to concerts and more costefficient venues so places like the tonic closing down can be avoided.

Um... what? No idea what you're saying here. You're jamming, like, three different metaphors into the same sentence 'an... dude! That's against the rules for proper writing!

(Not that you should be constrained by them, mind.)

But "there's room for everything" is kinda my point.

Armless Penguin

05-18-2007, 04:13 PM

1) I liked the one song I heard.Jenny Lewis was in Sleater Kinney right?

Rilo Kiley.

howyadoin

05-18-2007, 06:28 PM

More opinions!More opinions!

The Who

The Cure

The White Stripes

The Smiths

The Velvet Underground

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Clash

The Arcade Fire
Oh, this is an easy one. Hate the Smiths, love all the rest.

howyadoin

05-18-2007, 06:31 PM

What's wrong noise?Yoko Ono's singing.

berk

05-18-2007, 06:33 PM

Meat Loaf
- never been a fan; bombastic and annoying.

The Alan Parsons Project
- they had some very nice singles, but never listened to any albums; pretty nice, light, melodic pop music. 'Time' is probably my favourite.

The Mighty Sparrow
- haven't listened to anything.

Talking Heads
- not a huge fan. I respect them, but their music never really caught my ear, with one or two exceptions, e.g. Psychokiller

Devo
- again, nothing against them, but their sound never had a great impact on me.

Eric Whitacre
- not familiar with him

Moby
- I really like all the popular albums; some of my favourite music of the 90's or 2000's or whenever it was he was on the go.

Tangerine Dream
- I like them. Favourite albums: Phaedra and ther soundtrack to Sorceror, a movie I've never seen. I don't find their music emotionless at all.

Enya
- I like what I've heard, but haven't listened to any full albums.

Yes
- as I said elsewhere, one of my all-time top 3 or 4 bands. Their music is just so rich, so full of spine-tingling moments. Some of the most personally affecting music, of any genre, I've ever experienced.

Brian Eno
- another high-ranking member in my personal pantheon of artists. Everything he does, everything he says is of interest.

The Orb
- don't know them

howyadoin

05-18-2007, 06:33 PM

Ultra Dolphins' name is so much more awesome than their music is.Always bothers me when that happens. Some bands must blow all their creativity on the name and don't have any left afterwards.

Fish Sauce

05-18-2007, 06:35 PM

The Who - Great band. Only have two of their albums (Who's Next and My Generation), but I love them.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Have Are You Experinced? and Electric Ladyland and think they're both great. As someone said before, it's not even so much the music as the soul put in. The music is still great. I find I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy it properly, though.

The Arcade Fire - Not sure how big or small they'll end up, as was mentioned they may end up on a Where Are They Now? For me, now, they're awesome. Funeral is one of my favourite CDs at the moment. I love the way that they take a repeating riff for the length of the song and still make it interesting. Wake Up is a geat example of this.

I used the word great too much there. Oh well.

The rest I haven't heard enough of to properly say one way or the other.

berk

05-18-2007, 06:37 PM

Out of curiosity have you heard anything from his last two albums Heathen
and Reality? I'd say nothing else he definitely recovered his artistic viability with those. (For those who like 90s Bowie...well I'm not very familiar with that period so I can't comment.)I've heard Heathen ... it's certainly an improvement over his most of his 80's stuff, but the songs just aren't as strong as his earlier material. It isn' terrible - I can listen to it, and maybe it'll grow on me with time, but so far I wouldn't put it anywhere near the bulk of his 70's stuff.

Rob H

05-18-2007, 07:14 PM

The Who-
I listened to Tommy and a few others alot in high school but haven't bothered with them since. I still get a tingle when I listen to the Baba O'Riley into though.

The Cure-
Faith, Wish and Disintergration are great albums. Not a massive fan though.

The White Stripes-
I got bored with em' after White Blood Cells.

The Smiths-
Haven't heard enough to form an opinion.

The Velvet Underground-
Great band but only on every second day. I'd often need to be in a particular mood to enjoy their music.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience-
Love Jimi and like many guitarists, find him to be an awesome inspiration. That said, I don't listen to him as much anymore. His structured songs have grown tired but I could listen to him play an improvised solo till I'm rotting in my grave.

The Clash-
I love London Calling and The Clash but haven't listened to much else. I love their sound and look forward to hearing more.

The Arcade Fire-
Haven't heard enough to form an opinion.

mattx110

05-18-2007, 09:11 PM

But in the age of tape recorders, much less needed. You can still record and play-back music that doesn't work within the framework of musical notation.

What's wrong noise?

I see them as both. There's music that can't be expressed with these tools, therefore the tools are limited. These are tools that'll serve until someone comes along with ideas strong enough that they can't be expressed with our current system of tools.

I mean, they're NEAT tools, don't get me wrong. But I enough faith in humanity t'think we'll eventually progress beyond them.

I think Fluxus was a start towards that.

Maybe. There's some stuff in even Mingus' repetoire I'd have the damndest trouble expressing in conventional notes and rhythms. (Mostly where he says "Everybody play what you want... And play loud!")

Ditto for later Coltrane stuff, where he was inspired by the music of nature and was actively trying to shake off the conventional way of lookin' at music.

And then there's Sonic Youth themselves... I don't think there's a language to diagram what they do when they're playing pure feedback. It has a rhythmic structure, but it's damn sure not chords and/or notes.

There COULD be a way to diagram it, mind. I betcha a dollar there WILL be in the future, either a variant of our conventional musical notation system or part of a new set of tools.

Oh no. It's an experiment in noise. You could do a similar piece of art that was about psychology, but that wasn't the point of this one. The bone of contention here is whether or not music has to follow your rules to be considered music...

I don't think it does. But I'm an art history major, (on and off) and visual artists started grasping that there ARE NO RULES a good number of decades ago. And it was artists as much as musicians who said "Hey... Music doesn't have to have any rules, either."

Personal Opinion: Music is, like, a byproduct of the spirit. It existed before written language. And all human attempts to codify it are gonna fall a little bit short.

And I'm not sayin' that learning rules and mastering craft is a bad thing. But it's not the only way to create noise with aesthetic value. (IE: Music)

Um... what? No idea what you're saying here. You're jamming, like, three different metaphors into the same sentence 'an... dude! That's against the rules for proper writing!

(Not that you should be constrained by them, mind.)

But "there's room for everything" is kinda my point.

no matter how much explanation of timbre, and instrumentation is possible, there is a way to notate all music.

if someone writes "do whatever you want" as part of the score, you can listen to that and fill it in. in order to perfectly notate the rythm, you'd need to notate everything in at least 12/8, and probably have to make even more extreme subdivisions, so it's easier to use 4/4 or 3/4 or 6/8 and let people add their own subtlety.

and there are always "rules" (in quotes because that's not the best word for it they are more like... descriptions of the way sound interacts in music).

in art
the strongest works in modern art come from the people that understood compisition, and had drafting skills. this is my opinion, and of course there are art professors who will take anything student does as a wonderful work of art, or professors that will discourage any work they don't feel has indescribable qualities like passion.

jazz is a perfect example of "know the rules before you try to break them". someone that knows nothing of music theory can discover things that were discovered centuries ago and be amazed. someone who knows what he's doing is going to be the person that reaches the next level of development.

being "noisy" is also not the same thing as noise. using an odd tuning and being loud is still making notes and chords. just because the musician doesn't understand what he's doing, doesn't make it impossible to understand.
feedback is a note. harmonics are notes. everything with a consistent wavelength is a note and is notatable.
and i don't have any conclusive proof coltrane did anything but listen to and play music... maybe marry a terrific pianist... other than that. he didn't play anything he didn't actively work to understand.
i have trouble respecting rebels that don't understand the standard way of doing things.

edit: wanna help with my 20th century art history class? what are the major works from 1920-1945? :)

howyadoin

05-18-2007, 09:23 PM

The Jimi Hendrix Experience
umm... yes. that loverman curtis mayfield side needed to come out more, and please people, don't do drugs. quitting heroin and just taking sleeping pills and alcohol isn't good enough. and between the noise and antics, there was a genuine respect for american music, and fine music in there.Hendrix did heroin?

Where'd you get that from?

howyadoin

05-18-2007, 09:25 PM

and there are always "rules" (in quotes because that's not the best word for it they are more like... descriptions of the way sound interacts in music).So it's more like descriptive grammar than prescriptive grammar, then.

Yeah, I can work with that.

howyadoin

05-18-2007, 09:29 PM

Nashville PussyOne of the wildest live shows I've ever seen.

EuropeAbsolute shit. Worthless in every conceivable way.

Except maybe as an example of how to suck.

Slam_Bradley

05-18-2007, 09:57 PM

Anyone who doesn't like Hank Williams Jr can kiss my "a double s..."

"All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)" might be the best country song ever.

Total ignorance.

Hank and Hank III are great, too.

You simply cannot overestimate Hank I's importance.

But Jr, whether you like it or not, is easily the best of the three.

There are simply no words for how incredibly wrong this is.

Valmore

05-18-2007, 10:00 PM

Meat Loaf

Meh, never got into his music.

The Alan Parsons Project

"Eye in the Sky" is a decent enough song, but it's the only one I can think of by them.

The Mighty Sparrow

There's a band called this? It makes me think of a really bad poem about a sparrow a friend of mine wrote in college.

Talking Heads

Again, I can think of one song I like by them, but that's it.

Devo

No real opinion.

Eric Whitacre

No idea who this is.

Moby

I find most of his stuff rather dull.

Tangerine Dream

Cool name, no idea who they are, though.

Enya

It's relaxing enough to cure my insomnia!

Yes

Aunt Slappy, Yes isn't at this concert!

Brian Eno

I hear he's a genius, but I'd be hard-pressed to name any songs by him.

The Orb

Who?

Adam C

05-18-2007, 10:03 PM

But as an analogy, the kantist universal laws of behavior relates to rules of music theory. they are created to understand right and wrong/music and noise rather than limit rights/creativity.

You'll have to elaborate on this point because I'm not familiar with Kant's philosophy. In any case I think it is incorrect to compare music to political decision-making. In the realm of politics and related matters discarding the considerations of practicality and ethics produces disasterous consequences.

Which has bugger all to do with art.

So what is a wrong sound anyways? Because a host of avante-garde composers in the twentieth century (John Cage, Edgar Varese, Karlheinz Stockhausen, La Monte Young, to name a few) kicked the accepted rules of music to the curb and were not only eventually accepted as composers their ideas percolated into popular music and now we have electronic music as well as the various bastard off-spring of the Velvet Underground from punk to post-punk to indie. So producing "wrong" sounds helped to push forward the development of rock music.

In any case what conventions does Sonic Youth scrap that they shouldn't? The free-noise breakdowns in songs like "Silver Rocket" don't even appear on the majority of Daydream Nation and their work still maintains a strong sense of melody and harmony in their songs as well as song structure, if a stretched one. (Especially compared to the likes of Captain Beefheart and Throbbing Gristle.)

trying to break every musical convention is historically like taking an extreme position in an argument. the result is a stretched tonality, rather than the permanent end of tonality.

So what about tonality? The point of breaking convention in art is to explore your imagination where convention fails.

Valmore

05-18-2007, 10:05 PM

The Who

An excellent band.

The Cure

No thanks, except for that song about it being Friday and I'm in love.

The White Stripes

I haven't heard much of their stuff to judge.

The Smiths

Meh.

The Velvet Underground

They're very influential, but I can't get into their stuff. It seems like a lot of bands who cover VU songs do them better than the VU did.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Was that some tribute band or something?

The Clash

I haven't listened to enough Clash.

The Arcade Fire

I know not this band.

Valmore

05-18-2007, 10:13 PM

The New Duncan Imperials

Who?

Hank Williams Sr.

I dislike country. I know he's important to the genre but I dislike country.

Hank Williams Jr.

Has he done anything other than 500 variations of the Monday Night Football theme song?

Hank Williams III

There's a third?

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Who?

Merle Haggard

Who?

Weezer

Never understood the appeal behind them. They seem very average to me.

Nashville Pussy

Who?

Wolfmother

Who?

the Dillards

That's a department store here in Tallahassee.

Violent Femmes

I only know one song by them, but it is infectious.

Presidents of the United States of America

While I wouldn't mistake them for "good" I certainly found them "fun."

Fountains of Wayne

If you want to get on my playlist, having quirky songs helps. Fountains of Wayne has a lot of great quirky songs. I enjoy hearing them.

John Lee Hooker

Good at what he does, but not my cup of tea.

Willie Maxwell

No idea.

Europe

While "The Final Countdown" is a fun song, there isn't much else to say about them.

Floyd The Barber

05-18-2007, 10:14 PM

But keep in mind I don't necessarily like all of them.

The New Duncan Imperials

Hank Williams Sr.

Hank Williams Jr.

Hank Williams III

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Merle Haggard

Weezer

Nashville Pussy

Wolfmother

the Dillards

Violent Femmes

Presidents of the United States of America

Fountains of Wayne

John Lee Hooker

Willie Maxwell

Europe

I consider myself a pretty open-minded music lover. I lean towards the harder/faster stuff in my favorites (metal, industrial, etc.) but I have a love for some of just about everything. I will give you my honest opinion on the ones I have actually listened to.

Hank Sr. and Jr.- I'm not a huge country fan but I definitely can appreciate good "old-school" country. The Williams are some of THEE best country acts. Regardless of what you think of country, it's hard to ignore the true heart they put in their songs.

Weezer- A really fun band with some great really memorable songs. "Buddy Holly" pretty much sums up the tone of their music. Just really nice catchy quirky tunes too cool to be pop.

Wolfmother- I know this band gets a lot of flack from some but personally I really like them. In an era when a lot of bands have to be so either so extreme or sooo poppy, it's nice to hear a NEW band that has a CLASSIC rock style.

Violent Femmes- Respect, but I have to admit they were never one of my favorites. A lot of people consider them pioneers of punk though. I've never been a big punk fan, but they do have their mertits.

P.U.S.A.- Some songs are fun but don't expect much in the way of technical talent. P.U.S.A. is definitely one of those love them or hate them bands. There's not much in between.

Don't have much of anything but a fleeting knowledge of the others listed.
Hope this helps.

rick

05-18-2007, 10:16 PM

Meat Loaf

I’m personally not a big fan of the man’s collaborations with Jim Steinman, but you can’t deny that there is this dedicated core following that really love those over dramatic little ditties.

And of course there was his stand out walk-on as Eddie way back when.

Yeah, I guess the Loaf is okay by me, but I doubt I’d ever buy one of his albums.

The Alan Parsons Project

I do really like both Tales of Mystery & Imagination and I Robot, both albums are really pretty good. But other then that I’m really not impressed.

The Mighty Sparrow

Okay, but not my thing

Talking Heads

One of the greatest American rock bands of all time and easily the most important band of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

Devo

What’s not to love?

Beautiful World and Jocko Homo are two of my very favorite songs.

Eric Whitacre

Sorry, who?

Moby

He writes nice music for commercials and soundtracks.

Tangerine Dream

Hard to believe that they guy started out as CW McCall of Convoy fame.

I haven’t really listened to them in years, but I was a g fan back in the 80’s.

Enya

A couple of amazingly pleasant and amazingly overplayed songs.

You know which ones.

Yes

The only thing they ever recorded that I liked was their amazingly pop 80’s classic 90125.

Other then that, they sort of blow.

Even Wakeman

Brian Eno

We had this party once back in the late 80’s where we rented this video by Eno that we had to turn the TV onto it’s side when we watched it because the picture was designed to be watched that way.

And all there was on it was this girl brushing her hair for two hours while little pings of music happened every once in awhile.

What’s not to like?

The Orb

Fluffy Little Clouds, but that’s about it.

Did like that Madonna album he produced though.

It was the best thing she ever put out.

Valmore

05-18-2007, 10:25 PM

Hey, this is fun... and remember, this is for posterity so, be honest.

Ash

Beck

Collective Soul

Dan Fogelberg

Fleetwood Mac

Garbage

Hall and Oates

Kenny Loggins

Live

Matthew Sweet

Sting

They Might Be Giants

Jonathan Bogart

05-18-2007, 10:55 PM

Ash
I used to love one of their songs. "Goldfinger," I think. Otherwise, ordinary guitar rock.

Beck
I love the idea of Beck more than Beck himself. Scavenger-pop should totally be my thing, but his slacker mumble irritates me.

Collective Soul
They were one of my favorite bands in high school; I can still listen to their second album and enjoy it. One of the better guitar-pop bands of the 90s. (But so, so, po-faced.)

Dan Fogelberg
Gives singer/songwriters a bad name. And has terrible album cover art.

Fleetwood Mac
An okay blues-rock band, then a great little-heard rock/pop band, then a great overexposed rock/pop band. Rumours remains one of the best pop records of all time.

Garbage
The hits are okay. Nothing could make me sit through an album.

Hall and Oates
I have a sneaking suspicion that my contempt for these guys would diminish if I actually listened to them, so I haven't.

Kenny Loggins
Really, really average yacht rock.

Live
"Lightning Crashes" was inescapable in high school. Really, really average 90s rock.

Matthew Sweet
My main problem with power pop is that it all sounds the same. I'm sure I could love individual songs by him, but listening to a full album makes me want to claw my ears off.

Sting
Only bearable in the Police, and not much even there.

They Might Be Giants
Maybe 10% of their little pop experiments work out, but bless 'em for trying.

Indigo Al

05-18-2007, 11:11 PM

Beck

My favorite scientologist. And I'm sick of people who say Midnight Vultures was lame. That was him showing he was all about sex.

Fleetwood Mac

Excellent hitmakers

Garbage

The first album, you can listen through all the way. The rest, not really

Hall and Oates

I harbor a perverse love. "One on One" is a brilliant single

Live

An inexplicable grunge crush of mine. But check out Ed Kowalczyk singing "Indie Hair" in the The Heads "No Talking Just Head"

Sting

Satan-spawn.

They Might Be Giants

Unjustifiable dork-rock

Buried Alien

05-18-2007, 11:13 PM

You know, we just might need to have a Crisis and merge the Multiverse of "opinions" threads into one single megathread.

We'll call it the CRISIS OF INFINITE OPINIONS THREADS.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

mattx110

05-18-2007, 11:17 PM

Hendrix did heroin?

Where'd you get that from?

mighta just been lsd acid and the like.
but i did read that he was off the harder drugs and down to alcohol and sleeping pills by the time he died. which pretty much makes me feel worse about the whole thing.
it's hard to keep straight how much of what kind of drug people did back then. i'll flip through a biography or two and if i find heroin mentioned i'll reference it here, but i can't tell you with certainty what he did and didn't do.

Indigo Al

05-18-2007, 11:19 PM

The Cure

Yes, it's tough to listen to Robert Smith for more than 2 songs. But some of the singles are irresistable, synth-rich pretty confections.

The White Stripes

Elephant proves their artistry

The Velvet Underground

Just make sure you don't get stuck on The Velvet Underground & Nico, no matter how mindblowing. Heroin and Waiting for The Man are too obvious, a self-important college boy thing. White Light/White Heat will test your patience. But the self-titled third, and Loaded are fantastic and bluesy.

mattx110

05-18-2007, 11:30 PM

well, i like to try to find a relationship anywhere. and politics is an art. and attempting to find the best definition is 90% of arguments.

i listen to stockhausen and it's very patience trying, and atonal music will never be the dominant art music form unless some massive change happens. but it did bring more "outside" tones and sequences that thrived in jazz into classical music.

the "rules" of music notation are to make life easier.

the rules of western music in the context of "this is the classical period and this is how we compose music", i can understand the sentiment behind a bit of rebellion. those rules are methods of development, and become limiting after a few decades of being used. some guy said "what if we make a fugue, but with all 12 tones and no dominant tonality?" and some of those off-notes crept into tonal music, but the compromise has become more common than completely atonal music.

without the extreme, tonal composers might not have pushed so hard.

and kant basically said that any rational human given the time and information will always make the right choice, and these choices becoe universal laws that all humans can subscribe too. it can be extended as a sort of proof for both anarchy and fascism. i'm closer to the anarchy side.

Floyd The Barber

05-18-2007, 11:43 PM

Beck

My favorite scientologist. And I'm sick of people who say Midnight Vultures was lame. That was him showing he was all about sex.

I've been a Beck fan since Mellow Gold and shortly after I got "Stereopathetic Soulmanure". Anyone who doesn't undertand Midnight Vulture's just doesn't "get" Beck. I love Midnight Vultures. F&$K the critic wannabees.

howyadoin

05-18-2007, 11:44 PM

mighta just been lsd acid and the like.Pretty huge difference there.

i'll flip through a biography or two and if i find heroin mentioned i'll reference it here, but i can't tell you with certainty what he did and didn't do.I've read three so far, and I've never seen a reference to his doing smack.

howyadoin

05-19-2007, 12:01 AM

You know, we just might need to have a Crisis and merge the Multiverse of "opinions" threads into one single megathread.

We'll call it the CRISIS OF INFINITE OPINIONS THREADS.I kinda like this idea, just 'cause the arguments would get so convoluted and confusing.

mattx110

05-19-2007, 12:08 AM

i think keeping it to one a day would help...
or separating by time period?

.hall and oates is cool aside from the facial hair.

peter green and lindsey buckingham are awesome. fleetwood mac=cool
the rest i'm impartial or worse towards.

mattx110

05-19-2007, 12:13 AM

Pretty huge difference there.

I've read three so far, and I've never seen a reference to his doing smack.

with the amount of drugs he did do and the way it screwed up his body.
i don't see such a huge difference. if someone dies to narcotic substances and alcohol, i don't go "thank god he wasn't on heroin"

and the turning to theosophy was kinda weird, but lots of artsy types do that. he always seemed to have that "kid who just wants to play music" feeling about him (in retrospect) so i imagine some of that was put on to complete the character.

Shady Jack

05-19-2007, 12:14 AM

Taking this as overall. 1 to 10 scale, ? means never heard em.

Ash -?

Beck -3

Collective Soul -7

Dan Fogelberg -6

Fleetwood Mac -6

Garbage -8

Hall and Oates -6

Kenny Loggins -9 (Danger Zone!!!)

Live -9

Matthew Sweet -?

Sting -8

They Might Be Giants -?

Subject to change....like...tomorrow.

howyadoin

05-19-2007, 12:40 AM

with the amount of drugs he did do and the way it screwed up his body.
i don't see such a huge difference. if someone dies to narcotic substances and alcohol, i don't go "thank god he wasn't on heroin"What "screwed up his body"? He didn't die of a drug overdose, and he didn't die of alcoholism. He choked on his own vomit, and he wouldn't have if the paramedics hadn't been idiots.

berk

05-19-2007, 12:47 AM

The Who
- another favourite when I was growin up; but I've listened to their music so much I don't often get the urge to go back to it again. Still, I don't think any the less of their stuff.

The Cure
- I thought I liked them, but when a friend loaned a greatest hits cd I found it it a little boring; but maybe the songs I liked weren't on it; I never followed them enough to remember the titles, etc.

The White Stripes
- if they'd been around when I was in my 20's or maybe even 30's I'm sure they would have been one of my favourite acts; as it is, I do think they're one of the best at what they do right now; I'm just not as into what they do as I used to be.

The Smiths
- I mainly like the well-known songs. Great titles and lyrics, and the music often held its own. Morrisey's a knob and a poseur, but so are most artists. So are most people, definitely including all of us here as we pontificate about our tastes in music.

The Velvet Underground
- I can't say anything more than has been said better and earlier by much smarter people than me. But anyway, another band whose music had an enormous effect on me growing up.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- I'm going to steal a line from a musician-friend of mine, though no longer professional: I'd been listening to a lot of Hendrix at the time and I asked this guy his opinion, and he said he thought Hendrix had a real artist's instincts. IOW, he might not have been the greatest guitar player of all time - let's face it, in so far as the idea has any meaning at all, there's many a classical or jazz player with far superior ability and technique - but if you listen to his music, especially as he gained more and more control with each successive album, you can hear that he's basically just painting with sounds - excuse the outworn metaphor.

The Clash
- respect them, like what I've heard, but never loved their music the way I did some of the other stuff from around that time. But I've never listened to their most acclaimed albums all the way through - London Calling, etc, so I intend to try that one of these days.

The Arcade Fire
- I think they're pretty good. Haven't listened to them enough to have a strong opinion either way, but I'm encouraged by what I've heard. The hype turned me off for a long while, but now I've finally listened to their first album, I think it's pretty good, and I definitely intend to try to hear their new one.

mattx110

05-19-2007, 12:56 AM

What "screwed up his body"? He didn't die of a drug overdose, and he didn't die of alcoholism. He choked on his own vomit, and he wouldn't have if the paramedics hadn't been idiots.

he was in a perpetual state of taking uppers and downers to sleep and wake up. none of this medication was meant to be taken with alcohol.

in fact, not much of it was meant to be taken, period.
and not many people die of "choking on their own vomit" while their body is healthy and substance-free.

Sanagi

05-19-2007, 02:29 AM

Gotta agree with the crowd that I like Hendrix but I don't actually listen to him that often. Interesting, that... I guess I feel like he never got a chance to produce the work he was capable of.

The White Stripes are different, and deserve credit for that, but their music doesn't interest me that much.

Sanagi

05-19-2007, 02:40 AM

Tales of Mystery and Imagination was a great first album for the A.P.P. and I'd definitely say it was the band's peak.

Funny thing about Enya, I generally like her albums but dislike the most famous songs from those albums. Anywhere Is in particular is really irritating.

stealthwise

05-19-2007, 02:45 AM

The Loaf is awesome, from Bat out of Hell to Fight Club to the Tenacious D movie.

Sanagi

05-19-2007, 02:54 AM

Oh yeah, I forgot Meat Loaf was in Fight Club. I gotta respect him for being willing to play a bizarre role like that.

Heh, I just looked him up on wikipedia and it says: "This article is about the singer. For the meat dish, see meatloaf."

Deathstroke

05-19-2007, 07:06 AM

Hey, this is fun... and remember, this is for posterity so, be honest.

Collective Soul

Couple of good songs, but never paid much attention after that.

Fleetwood Mac

Love them.

Garbage

Shirley Manson is hot. Never got past that.

Hall and Oates

Love them.

Kenny Loggins

Some decent stuff, but I wouldn't say that I'm a huge fan.

Live

Couple of songs I liked but never really into them.

Sting

Liked early solo stuff. Not really into him now.

Adam C

05-19-2007, 07:33 AM

well, i like to try to find a relationship anywhere. and politics is an art. and attempting to find the best definition is 90% of arguments.

Politics is in art yes and I agree with your point on arguments, but you were comparing political decision-making to artistic decision-making. Neither can be considered comparable since politics involves real-world consequences if you break from rules like ethics. In art...well you might confuse most people, but otherwise there's nothing saying you have to follow any given rule. It's an expression of imagination more than anything else. This is also why I don't think taking the extremes in arguments analogy works. Yes (good) arguments are about finding the best definition. But that necessarily involves an exercise in concrete logic. Who says that a piece of art has to even involve logic?

i listen to stockhausen and it's very patience trying, and atonal music will never be the dominant art music form unless some massive change happens. but it did bring more "outside" tones and sequences that thrived in jazz into classical music.

And electronic music. Kraftwerk were fans and half of Can were his students. In any case I never argued that atonal music would be dominant and it's highly unlikely that it ever will be. My point was that the innovations of composers who broke most of the rules has pushed forth the development of popular music. I made that in the context of you arguing that the rules were in place for a reason and you could not break them.

Granted you haven't clearly argued this point either. Your argument has gone from saying that the rules are in place for a reason to it being okay to break the rules if you know what you are doing. And at the end of it I still don't quite understand your point. What is Sonic Youth doing that they shouldn't be doing in terms of tossing out musicla convention?

and kant basically said that any rational human given the time and information will always make the right choice, and these choices becoe universal laws that all humans can subscribe too. it can be extended as a sort of proof for both anarchy and fascism. i'm closer to the anarchy side.

I'll probably have to read more of his stuff, but on the face of things I can't say I agree. It assumes that humans eventually make the right choices, what about the drug addicts who never get clean? And what is a "right" choice as far as creative work goes anyways? (Besides not pandering to commercial trends.)

Adam C

05-19-2007, 07:36 AM

with the amount of drugs he did do and the way it screwed up his body.
i don't see such a huge difference. if someone dies to narcotic substances and alcohol, i don't go "thank god he wasn't on heroin"

You've completely dodged the question.

As for Hendrix doing heroin, I'll look the reference up later but I seem to recall Jimi Hendrix: Musician mentioning that sniffed some, though he never went into regular use or addiction. (In fact he was deathly afraid of needles, which may have deterred his use of it.)

Indigo Al

05-19-2007, 08:07 AM

Enya

The proof of her evil nature is right here (thanks to the post on YABS):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RIJr6SU7Vo

Ilash

05-19-2007, 10:12 AM

I've heard Heathen ... it's certainly an improvement over his most of his 80's stuff, but the songs just aren't as strong as his earlier material. It isn' terrible - I can listen to it, and maybe it'll grow on me with time, but so far I wouldn't put it anywhere near the bulk of his 70's stuff.

One thing about Heathen, it has what is possibly my favourite Bowie song, Everyone Says Hi.

rick

05-19-2007, 10:50 AM

Ash

Never cared one way or another

Beck

I really like Beck and actually have all of his albums.

But at the same time, I really need to be in the mood for Beck before I choose to play them.

Collective Soul

Never cared one way or another

Dan Fogelberg

My wife likes him, I think he’s schmaltzy.

Fleetwood Mac

In the Peter Green era they were a hell of a blues band.

During the Buckingham/Nicks era they became the greatest 70’s pop band of all time.

Neither were a bad thing

Garbage

Cute bad girl pop, but not much more to it then that.

Hall and Oates

I like Rich Girl and Lying Eyes but that’s about it

Kenny Loggins

Never liked him.

Live

Never cared one way or another

Matthew Sweet

Never cared one way or another

Sting

I heard that he used to play in some rock band, but honestly I find that hard to believe.

They Might Be Giants

These guys are dorks.

But really cool dorks.

GoGo Yubari

05-19-2007, 11:38 AM

I'm just gonna do They Might Be Giants because I have an opinion there that isn't just "I like this one song" or "they're okay I guess" (well, I like Beck, but not enough to really comment on him).

What I've noticed about They Might Be Giants is that on any given album of theirs I will hate 70% of what's on it, but conversely completely adore the other 30%. Take Apollo 18 for example; "I Palindrome I" is incredibly clever and fun to listen to, with some of my favorite lyrics of all time, "Dig My Grave" is fantastic and catchy, "Narrow Your Eyes" is one of my favorite break-up songs, and "Space Suit" is a pleasant little instrumental end a decent way to end the record.

Everything else? Can't listen to it, especially the "Fingertips" series, which reeks of "oh man, we're so quirky, just how much more quirky could we POSSIBLY GET? LET'S FIND OUT."

I'd kind of like to listen to their entire discography and create a list of every song of theirs that I actually like and make new records out of them. However, I imagine that would take entirely too long (meaning that this should become a project of mine after I graduate high school and have nothing better to do).

mattx110

05-19-2007, 01:48 PM

Politics is in art yes and I agree with your point on arguments, but you were comparing political decision-making to artistic decision-making. Neither can be considered comparable since politics involves real-world consequences if you break from rules like ethics. In art...well you might confuse most people, but otherwise there's nothing saying you have to follow any given rule. It's an expression of imagination more than anything else. This is also why I don't think taking the extremes in arguments analogy works. Yes (good) arguments are about finding the best definition. But that necessarily involves an exercise in concrete logic. Who says that a piece of art has to even involve logic?

And electronic music. Kraftwerk were fans and half of Can were his students. In any case I never argued that atonal music would be dominant and it's highly unlikely that it ever will be. My point was that the innovations of composers who broke most of the rules has pushed forth the development of popular music. I made that in the context of you arguing that the rules were in place for a reason and you could not break them.

Granted you haven't clearly argued this point either. Your argument has gone from saying that the rules are in place for a reason to it being okay to break the rules if you know what you are doing. And at the end of it I still don't quite understand your point. What is Sonic Youth doing that they shouldn't be doing in terms of tossing out musicla convention?

I'll probably have to read more of his stuff, but on the face of things I can't say I agree. It assumes that humans eventually make the right choices, what about the drug addicts who never get clean? And what is a "right" choice as far as creative work goes anyways? (Besides not pandering to commercial trends.)
the rules are there for a reason and it's possible to break them. because they aren't truly "rules". there are mathematical principles to arrange sound. to ignore this is to limit yourself creatively.

noise for 10 minutes still sounds like noise and gets pretty old. atonal music is not noise, and contains development according to rules. i've kept a consistent position, and i've attempted to clarify it as we go through the thread.
your argument is "i don't agree with you so you're not really arguing". i don't see how that help other than to make you feel like your logic is inescapable without actually having to prove it.

and completely atonal music led to composers being more willing to take chances and stretch the meaning of tonal music.
they went to the extreme, and created a positive effect on music when the next generation of tonal musicians heard what they were doing.

if you don't understand how that works, and how that can be related to taking an extreme position to reach a compromise... no argument will satisfy you in the history of arguments.

and every art-form has parallels. if you agree with my point, why try to find fault by taking the analogy into an ethical area which has no bearing on my point? and riots were started over music. music is purely entertainment to most people. but victor jara was killed for being a musician. stravinsky was the focus of large protests. bebop and the massive increase of strip clubs and bars in american cities lost a lot of musicians their livelihood. music is pretty serious. there's no such thing as a musical red button, but when gypsies were allowed to live in WW2 france because hitler liked music, or leo theremin and composers were sent to the gulag in soviet russia.
there are always consequences.

music is what survives generations. a political revolt can end the influence of a politician, but music will always hold power.

and when i say you can't "break the rules", and i explained this. but what i mean, is that you can't ignore reality. and you can't ignore soundwaves and the relationships between specific wavelengths. these are the only real rules that all music must adhere to. avant-garde music that understands harmony and melodic development will be more listenable than music by people who play atonally becuase they never worked hard enough to learn tonal music.
just cause the musician can't figure out the rythm doesn't mean it isn't there.

there are "rules" like not using parralel octaves or fifths sequentially. and there are rules like "this is the fundamental of the note and these are the harmonic overtones.

we montgomery ignored the hell out of the "rules". he still played by the rules.
stockhausen still had his piano tuned so there is evidence that he understood the rules in his work, yet he didn't break every "rule" of composition either.
you can't rebuild music from nothing. you can't restart music history because your music will suffer from not knowing what came before it.

rythm isn't dictated by people. it's a concept to understand music.

and if you think there's no logic in serial music and 12-tone music, then well... you're just plain wrong. even the most insanely atonal noisy musicians and composers use logic.

edit: we're not even truly opposing in this argument. for some reason you can agree with my arguments and still find me illogical...

mattx110

05-19-2007, 02:01 PM

You've completely dodged the question.

As for Hendrix doing heroin, I'll look the reference up later but I seem to recall Jimi Hendrix: Musician mentioning that sniffed some, though he never went into regular use or addiction. (In fact he was deathly afraid of needles, which may have deterred his use of it.)

yes... being asked "what screwed up his body?"
and answering "the consistent use of sleeping pills and uppers to control his sleep cycle while drinking alcohol" is dodging the question.

you should go apply for tony snow's job.

howyadoin

05-19-2007, 02:35 PM

yes... being asked "what screwed up his body?"
and answering "the consistent use of sleeping pills and uppers to control his sleep cycle while drinking alcohol" is dodging the question.

you should go apply for tony snow's job.So we've moved from Hendrix being a heroin addict to Hendrix taking too many sleeping pills? Are you saying those are equally serious, or have you shifted the goalposts here?

howyadoin

05-19-2007, 03:03 PM

A joke I don't think is funny.Just outta curiosity, where'd you ever get the idea that Nashville Pussy were joking?

Jonathan Bogart

05-19-2007, 03:30 PM

Just outta curiosity, where'd you ever get the idea that Nashville Pussy were joking?
I, uh, just meant the name.

Adam C

05-19-2007, 04:58 PM

the rules are there for a reason and it's possible to break them. because they aren't truly "rules". there are mathematical principles to arrange sound. to ignore this is to limit yourself creatively.

noise for 10 minutes still sounds like noise and gets pretty old. atonal music is not noise, and contains development according to rules. i've kept a consistent position, and i've attempted to clarify it as we go through the thread.
your argument is "i don't agree with you so you're not really arguing". i don't see how that help other than to make you feel like your logic is inescapable without actually having to prove it.

What I am trying to parse out here is where Sonic Youth goes wrong in playing around with that structure in their experiments in feedback. But I what I got were some statements on musical rules and tonality that don't clearly connect back to the discussion about the band. The only point that does is that supposedly do not understand the rules they break, but the rest is just nebulous.

Even with all this generalised discussion about atonality I'm still confused since Sonic Youth generally only flirt with in their studio work (granted I haven't heard their pre-Evol albums). So the point regarding Sonic Youth's work seems elusive to me since they usually never go completely atonal. (Though I heard that SY ep series seems to be an outlet for that and their other more avante-garde leanings.) In fact they still largely stick to the structure of the rock song with the attendant elements of harmony and melody involved. As such going on about the problems of atonality doesn't really clarify anything.

(Though I admit that I let myself be sidetracked into discussing my own thoughts on musical theory without clearly separating it from the Sonic Youth discussion.)

As for consistency you said that music has rules that cannot be broken, but then went on to say it was okay if you understood the rules in the first place. If that wasn't the point you were trying to make that's how it read to me. Based on your most recent post I guess you were talking about people who play atonal music because they don't know the rules. But that brings me back to my earlier problem with that point: Sonic Youth largely doesn't play atonal music. They play tonal music that uses dissonance or elements of atonality.

mattx110

05-19-2007, 09:10 PM

What I am trying to parse out here is where Sonic Youth goes wrong in playing around with that structure in their experiments in feedback. But I what I got were some statements on musical rules and tonality that don't clearly connect back to the discussion about the band. The only point that does is that supposedly do not understand the rules they break, but the rest is just nebulous.

Even with all this generalised discussion about atonality I'm still confused since Sonic Youth generally only flirt with in their studio work (granted I haven't heard their pre-Evol albums). So the point regarding Sonic Youth's work seems elusive to me since they usually never go completely atonal. (Though I heard that SY ep series seems to be an outlet for that and their other more avante-garde leanings.) In fact they still largely stick to the structure of the rock song with the attendant elements of harmony and melody involved. As such going on about the problems of atonality doesn't really clarify anything.

(Though I admit that I let myself be sidetracked into discussing my own thoughts on musical theory without clearly separating it from the Sonic Youth discussion.)

As for consistency you said that music has rules that cannot be broken, but then went on to say it was okay if you understood the rules in the first place. If that wasn't the point you were trying to make that's how it read to me. Based on your most recent post I guess you were talking about people who play atonal music because they don't know the rules. But that brings me back to my earlier problem with that point: Sonic Youth largely doesn't play atonal music. They play tonal music that uses dissonance or elements of atonality.

i made a distinction between the prescriptive rules of musical eras that atonal musicians rebelled against and the descriptive "rules" of music as a whole that are there to help us understand music and let someone in a different country 400 years after the composer died listen to and perform the works of that composer.

i'm trying to keep it clear , but because i clarified the way i defined rules and conventions and then tried to make a distinction between rules as limitations and rules as a descriptive tool, reading the posts can get tricky without making a chart. i used the quotes for "rules" to try to make the distinction easier to follow in the post you quotes.
Howyadoin got what i was trying to say.

when i saw sonic youth, i heard no distinguishable melody, and a lot of really bad playing. it was a few years ago, so maybe they were just in a foul mood at the time
and the discussion quickly moved past sonic youth.
you're trying to recreate the "rules" of the discussion so that somehow i'm avoiding the subject because my argument didn't line up with your retcon. even though you've said yourself that you were also discussing music rather than the specific band in question.

anyway,
any band that says "we threw out all the rules and conventions" is wrong and the proof is evident in the music. i've read a sonic youth interview where one of them basically said "i can't play most of the songs i've written because i lost the sheets of paper i wrote the tunings of the songs on".

this is the definition of letting limitations dictate your music. they're not breaking down limitations but creating new ones as a substitute for understanding harmony.

and david bowie is fun sometimes.
oddly enough, he gets better the more orchestration there is. all that flashy pop stuff jazz guys take flack for using works for his showtuny rock style.
and how do ya'll feel about rufus wainwright? he's got a bowie-type style of singing, and an off-kilter rock group backup too.

mattx110

05-19-2007, 09:41 PM

So we've moved from Hendrix being a heroin addict to Hendrix taking too many sleeping pills? Are you saying those are equally serious, or have you shifted the goalposts here?

already said that i might be mistake on the heroin thing. if you want a full written apology to the hendrix estate, ok.

and sleeping pills at the time were all narcotic (unlike today where we have Lunesta TM), and that wasn't all the drugs he took, and he drank with all of these substances.
if you think dying isn't a bad enough side-effect of taking drugs... i can't help you. and adam did mention that he did "sniff some".
and if you seriously want to contend that taking narcotic sleeping pills, lsd, acid and other narcotic stimulants with alcohol is less dangerous than heroin, may i remind you, there's only one level of "Dead". being killed by heroin doesn't make you deader.

i've already said i might be wrong about the heroin, and that was before someone came with a reference saying that he at least tried heroin, but if you really want to defend the merits of narcotics and alcohol i'm gonna have to ask you for the sake of their lives not to tell your children of your opinion on the matter.

and watch one interview and tell me that man didn't need rest and rehab.
please don't be so obssessed with getting to say "i told you so" to an admittedly uncertain statement that you defend mixing substances both legal and illegal.
and for the record, i was wrong, he's still dead, and it wasn't from thin mints and soda. please don't make light of substance abuse, especially when it leads to death.
you can blame it on the paramedics but they didn't give hendrix the chemicals to put in his body that induced vomit while in a state where voluntary movement was incapacitated.

and quoting me and ignoring the 80% of my statement you don't feel like reading doesn't make you right. i mentioned more than sleeping pills, which btw, even non-narcotic sleeping pills are used in suicides. so yea, taking enough sleeping pills is as bad as heroin. especially when you wash it all down with a beer and take stimulants when you wake up so you can stay awake.

if you have any unresolved issues with anything i've said, there's nothing i can possibly say to further make my point other than "Read my posts, i already answered your question" because chances are, i answered your question in a previous post, but it doesn't serve your argument to acknowledge that i did so.

K'Nort

05-20-2007, 07:22 AM

The New Duncan Imperials - Have not heard of them

Hank Williams Sr. - He's a legend. Always hard to know what to say beyond that. I tend to prefer his songs to his singing.

Hank Williams Jr. - I listened to him a lot when I was about 8-12. Because that's what my folks listened to and I didn't have my own radio. Also the more authentic country like Waylon and Willie. But acts like HWJ and Bobby Bare and Lacey J. Dalton seemed even then to border on novelty acts. Like Weird Al versions of country. The album I remember most clearly of HWJ's is The Pressure is On and those stories are really melodramatic. Easy to listen to and understand as a kid, but not much substance.

Hank Williams III - I've heard of him but that's it.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - I have and like their album Rabbit Fur Coat. It's very relaxing, but keeps your brain active, if that makes any sense.

Merle Haggard - Another one from growing up. One of the authentic ones. And Pancho and Lefty is one of the greatest songs ever.

Weezer - I always confuse them with Wilco. I've never owned albums by either, although most of my friends are fans. I assume they're talented. Part of the mellow alternative scene that isn't punky but I've never figured out what to call it on my ipod. But with Beck, for example.

Nashville Pussy - Heard of them but that's it. I don't even know what kind of music.

Wolfmother - Ditto, although I get the feeling they're in some line of alternative.

the Dillards - Never heard of them.

Violent Femmes - I love them. Got their debut album in 1984 and it has remained a favourite. They're just fun. And great energy. And a little edgy. For people who sometimes get angry and alienated but don't totally hate their lives and the entire world.

Presidents of the United States of America - Well they sort of took the Femmes thing and pushed the fun part into goofy. They're good upbeat background for parties, and still on my ipod, but I can't listen to an entire album at a time.

Fountains of Wayne - They fall into the Weezer/Wilco group for me of bands that a lot of my friends like and I've never gotten around to. From what I heard, they were too poppy or something for me.

John Lee Hooker - Going back to the total legend thing. I like the blues but I've never learned a lot about them. I have some albums and I enjoy them (especially the sountracks to the Scorcese documentary) but I can't say anything useful.

Willie Maxwell - No idea.

Europe - They did The Final Countdown right? Hair bands like that dominated the radio when I was in high school, but I avoided it all as much as possible. I remember a Soviet team using the song for pairs figure skating in the Calgary Olympics and thinking it an interesting, threatening choice. For the message of the song, not the crappy music.

Deathstroke

05-20-2007, 09:05 AM

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

I heard a song online that I liked a lot.

Nashville Pussy

Never really into them, but anyone brave enough to pull off the name has to be interesting at least.

Wolfmother

Presidents of the United States of America

Not a fan per se but have heard some decent things.

Europe

I'm sure I'll re-earn Joe's emnity but that doesn't matter, I like the band. Always have. EDIT: and apparently I'll be earning scorn from the Internet Pope, howyadoin, himself as well.

Adam C

05-20-2007, 12:08 PM

i've already said i might be wrong about the heroin, and that was before someone came with a reference saying that he at least tried heroin, but if you really want to defend the merits of narcotics and alcohol...

Howy never defended Hendrix's narcotic and alcohol use. He merely took issue with your earlier claims that he was a heroin addict as well as your statement that his death was due to the drugs "screwing up his body" -- which sounds as though he died from progressive damage of drug use on the human body. By choking on your own vomit, even from drugs and alcohol, is matter of circumstance and can happen to even perfectly healthy individuals if they have too much to drink one night.

And for someone who gets bent out of shape enough over people accusing him of dodging a question I really am amazed to the degree to which you've gone to toss around BS accusations of defending or making light of substance abuse.

Adam C

05-20-2007, 12:26 PM

Back to the topic

The Who - One of the all-time great sixties pop bands who cut a string of (mostly) infalliable singles and pioneered the way for hardrock and punk. Found fame with a dodgy experiment called Tommy and ended up releasing one of the great hard rock records of the seventies. Not as familiar with their career after that, but from what I heard the band fell prey to it's own bombast.

The Cure - I haven't listened to the Cure that much, but going back and listening to some of their songs I find I like the band much, much more as a pop band than goth-rock warlords. Then again songs like "Friday I'm In Love" and "Just Like Heaven" are as perfect songs as anything the Beatles or sixties Who cut.

The White Stripes - Great modern rock band whose work is simply superb. More than simply garage revivalists.

The Smiths - While Morrissey might be the most despised man in rock since Bono, I cannot hate the band that wrote "This Charming Man." And for what it's worth I think Johnny Marr's jangly guitar work is really neat.

The Velvet Underground - One of the most influential rock bands alongside the Beatles and the Stones. Wrote the play book for all sorts of punk, post-punk, indie, noise rock, etc. Granted I have a very strong personal fondness for this band as I rank "Heroin" alongside "Blank Generation" as one of the songs that turned me into a musical fanatic.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - I actually had a hard time getting into Hendrix until I sat down and listened to his albums. His overplayed radio singles were too frequent on Kazaa, but there's gems to be found on his albums that really got me to listen to his work like "1983...(A Merman Should Turn to Be)," "Third Stone From the Sun," "The Wind Cries Mary," "Up From the Skies," and "Axis: Bold as Love." Importance cannot be underestimated as he showed that the guitar can be everybit an expressive instrument as the saxophone and opened up the field to not only the usual hard rock and metal suspects, but players like Sonic Youth, J. Mascis, My Bloody Valentine, and Television. Also contributed substantially to funk's vocabulary.

The Clash - What can I say? Possibly the finest band (if you don't count Television) out of the class of '77. Started out as one of Britain's better punk bands and after the second album leaped into a series of bold stylistic experiments. Despite popular opinion I have a real respect for the boldness of Combat Rock. (And it's a good album to boot too.)

The Arcade Fire - I liked some of the singles I heard that were played on the radio, but I have never been substantially motivated to listen to this band.

(Ooh burn.)

Adam C

05-20-2007, 12:52 PM

when i saw sonic youth, i heard no distinguishable melody, and a lot of really bad playing. it was a few years ago, so maybe they were just in a foul mood at the time

There, that helps. See I've never seen Sonic Youth live myself, so my judgement of their work goes off what appears on their studio albums. From what I heard most of it is pretty melodic and even catchy. ("Teenage Riot" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOW4ZVahtB8) is basically a rock anthem...though this live version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsyuKKpHF0M) definitely features discernable melody, even if it is more ragged.) Hence why I was confused about the digressions into atonality because it doesn't match my experience with their work at all. (Especially when set against even more experimental bands like Captain Beefheart and Throbbing Gristle.)

(I'm told they're more experimental live, which might also account for it.)

you're trying to recreate the "rules" of the discussion so that somehow i'm avoiding the subject because my argument didn't line up with your retcon.

Not really, I got lost in the discussion on the broader issues of musical convention, but I didn't see anything that connected it back to the specific matter of SY's music. So I thought you were walking around the matter. I'm terribly sorry about that.

mattx110

05-20-2007, 01:00 PM

Howy never defended Hendrix's narcotic and alcohol use. He merely took issue with your earlier claims that he was a heroin addict as well as your statement that his death was due to the drugs "screwing up his body" -- which sounds as though he died from progressive damage of drug use on the human body. By choking on your own vomit, even from drugs and alcohol, is matter of circumstance and can happen to even perfectly healthy individuals if they have too much to drink one night.

And for someone who gets bent out of shape enough over people accusing him of dodging a question I really am amazed to the degree to which you've gone to toss around BS accusations of defending or making light of substance abuse.

the heroin issue was resolved a few posts ago.

and i used the wilder arguments to try to get you all to read my entire post and not try to cherry pick that one conditional statement you might not agree with and ignore the rest because it proves you wrong, or you're too quick on the draw to try to prove someone else wrong that you just don't notice. let me demonstrate, and i'm quoting here

me: "the consistent use of sleeping pills and uppers to control his sleep cycle while drinking alcohol"

howyadoin: "So we've moved from Hendrix being a heroin addict to Hendrix taking too many sleeping pills? Are you saying those are equally serious?"

notice how he neglects to finish reading my post before replying, and well, proper use of sleeping pills isn't as bad as heroin, so who is going to take the other side of that argument? too bad he's responding to an argument i didn't make by ignoring most of my post.
for my final answer.

me: "i'm saying the combination of narcotic substances, stimulants and alcohol is as serious as heroin, and the fact that hendrix died from use of these drugs is a testament to that. if you pay attention, i already clarified that i was mistaken about the heroin use, as there's only evidence hendrix tried heroin, and none that it was a regular part of his drug-taking."

friends? cause most of the arguments seem to be about miscommunication and misinterpretation anyway? and before, Adam i'm talking to you, you try to drag this out anyway after howyadoin has stopped arguing, i've said about 6 times i was wrong in implying hendrix took heroin regularly, i must have gotten him mistaken for another of my drug-filled idol guitarplayers. you can try making additional arguments so you can tell me i'm dodging the heroin question when i respond, but that doesn't change that fact that we resolved that multiple posts ago multiple times.

i was tempted to just put the quotes in there, but i felt like i should explain everything and mention that howyadoin is a standup guy, and the one major thing i disagreed with in him was probably a bi-product of his debating strategy and does not reflect his actual feelings on drug use. and because of adam c i'm actually responding to howyadoin twice as much which makes it seem like i've got more interest in keeping up an argument than i do. although, i'm not saying that to offend adam c, i'm not going to question anyone's right to argue, even if their argument is irrelevent.