Hard News by Russell Brown

Read Post

Hard News: One man’s Meat Puppets is another man’s Poison

965 Responses

First ←Older Page 1 15 16 17 18 19 39 Newer→ Last

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to Will de Cleene,

    Worst McCartney song:

    See, I like that song. It's light and a bit fluffy but doesn't offend (and the album it was lifted from is rather fine and, after a bit of a critical lashing at the time is now seen as rather groundbreaking in its own experimental way).

    There are, IMO, far, far worse in the catalogue:

    The Lennon=good/McCartney=bad backlash was partially a critical thing after the end of the band that kinda changed everything. He (and Yoko) were cast as villains by the music press and then, of course, he added fuel with a steady stream of pretty drecky singles.

    And then John got shot and canonised.

    Hell, large parts of Double Fantasy are more drecky than much of McCartney's post Beatles work.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • James Butler,

    I've been thinking too, and the thread ties in nicely to some other stuff I've been thinking about recently - such as why do I, and atheist of several year's standing, still go to church almost every month to sing a service? (Bear with me.) Because most music has a function, a time and place and context which enhance its meaning (and whose meaning, in return, it enhances); and bringing it out of context, so it can no longer serve that function, means losing part of that meaning. My flatmate is in his bedroom right now, (probably) surfing the internet while he listens to late-90's drum 'n' bass; he's not in a club in Birmingham in 1996, so no wonder it sounds a bit naff. Similarly none of the many settings of the Evening Service (Mag and Nunc) by C. V. Stanford are my favourite bits of choral music to sing; but in an Evensong service in a large Victorian church they make perfect sense. The Evensong service itself is a fantastic bit of poetry and pageantry, roughly contemporary with the King James Bible, and hearing it said and sung in context is worthwhile for anyone with an interest in British cultural history. In fact most of what has been said about "Music" in this thread is probably applicable to art in general.

    Sorry, what was I saying? What's the function of "Sound Chaser"? Fucked if I know. Showing off your HiFi to your Oxbridge classmates maybe.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2009 • 856 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to James Butler,

    I guess my problem with much prog is it never seems to. Those 3 minute singles just nailed Yes.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to James Butler,

    Showing off your HiFi to your Oxbridge classmates maybe.

    The reason of course we were plagued with Dire Straits. PolyGram did a deal with Philips and Sony to give away a free Brothers In Arms CD with every player bought for the first couple of years.

    And the deal was they bought them retail - thus they charted.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark, in reply to James Butler,

    See, I love hymns and I'm a nonbeliever. Even when I went to Marsden, an Anglican school where church/chapel was a part of every day life and where I became an atheist (not one anymore, but that's a different discussion), I wouldn't kneel to pray, but I always stood to sing. I mean what's not to love about this song?

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to Jackie Clark,

    See, I love hymns and I'm a nonbeliever.

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

  • philipmatthews,

    In the context of England in the early 1980s, this was a great version:

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2007 • 656 posts Report Reply

  • Hebe,

    Hell will play this, on repeat. Pompous.

    Heaven on the other hand will have Grace:

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown, in reply to Jackie Clark,

    See, I love hymns and I'm a nonbeliever.

    But you said you didn't like Christian music!

    But I expect you meant the sub-genre we know as "Christian rock", and I honestly can't say why almost none of it seems to be any good. Prefacing any genre with the world "Christian" just seems to not work out.

    On the other hand, I'll swoon for the Staples Singers.

    Speaking of which, Mavis Staples' collaboration with Jeff Tweedie from Wilco made a nonsense of the boundaries of genre:

    Jackie you do actually have to look at that one.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Hebe,

    I do like this

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    We have had a lot of rugby and national anthems in our house over the years. There is a whole genre of variable quality national anthems that we will hear later this year at the Olympics. (And maybe some stumbles like Borat's invention being played as the official Kazakhstan anthem at some international competition recently.)

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Scott Chris, in reply to Sacha,

    Amongst which audiences? I reckon Britney has more cred for a recent pop song.

    Ha. Good point. In relative terms, more cred with forty-something self-deluded wannabe aficionados like me. (Actually, I have more respect for Ms Spears talents than most)

    Auckland • Since Feb 2012 • 167 posts Report Reply

  • philipmatthews,

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2007 • 656 posts Report Reply

  • Hebe,

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    PolyGram did a deal with Philips and Sony to give away a free Brothers In Arms CD with every player bought for the first couple of years.

    Wait... I always thought that was a joke.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Hebe,

    Bad clubs and bad hair days in the eighties. Why does anyone want to live through that again?.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • philipmatthews,

    Still on the religious-themed songs that aren't completely hideous tangent:

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2007 • 656 posts Report Reply

  • Scott Chris, in reply to Danielle,

    I suppose I think your ‘that’s a conditioned response!’ argument isn’t that relevant here. It’s not as though all prog is being dismissed out of hand as worthless, for no reason. And hey, I *like* the fuckin’ Eagles, to Lebowski-ise the thread.

    Yeah maybe. Perhaps it’s simply a case of me wanting to post the Thompson cover and making up a specious premise to fit. My sub-conscious is a mystery to me at times. Oops, gotta make dinner.

    Auckland • Since Feb 2012 • 167 posts Report Reply

  • JacksonP,

    Since we're going gospel, I do like a bit of Gregorian too.

    And, speaking of heaven, there'll be dancing, right?

    PS For Tracymac, having been there myself.

    Track 1: Gothic Voices O Lerusalem - (Hildegard von Bingen)
    Track 2: Dead Can Dance - Frontier

    Auckland • Since Mar 2011 • 2450 posts Report Reply

  • Hebe, in reply to JacksonP,

    And, speaking of heaven, there'll be dancing, right?

    Bound to be; and it will an embarrassment-free zone too. There will be a large sound-proofed area for prog rock (with beanbags). And good food.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report Reply

  • James Butler, in reply to Simon Grigg,

    The reason of course we were plagued with Dire Straits.

    Related of course to the reasoning behind Days Of Future Passed - Deram wanted to show off their new recording tech for both classical and pop music, but couldn't be bothered springing for two different records to do it on. Which leaves us with juxtapositions like this:

    Auckland • Since Jan 2009 • 856 posts Report Reply

  • James Butler, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Prefacing any genre with the world "Christian" just seems to not work out.

    Except, like, Church music, right? Because that's often awesome.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2009 • 856 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to James Butler,

    no wonder it sounds a bit naff

    Jackie owes you one for that dig :)

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Hebe,

    Heaven on the other hand will have Grace

    love that track

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Grigg, in reply to 3410,

    Wait... I always thought that was a joke.

    Not at all. It was negotiated by Ed Bicknell, the DS manager in 1984, and it was DDD digitally recorded specifically for that purpose when the CD was heavily mass-marketed for the first time in 1985.

    He then got all grumpy and sued Phonogram a few years later for putting a 75% royalty deduction in place for 'New Technologies' i.e. CD, on the deal that he'd put together - and continuing to deduct it for years after the CD was the dominant format.

    Thus the artists were obliged to pay for the technology they were promoting.

    Those wacky record companies....

    Just another klong... • Since Nov 2006 • 3284 posts Report Reply

First ←Older Page 1 15 16 17 18 19 39 Newer→ Last

Post your response…

Please sign in using your Public Address credentials…

Login

You may also create an account or retrieve your password.