|
Post by Huw on Jan 31, 2014 11:43:36 GMT -5
I feel I should make my love for Black Sabbath known, too. No idea how old I was but I remember being sat in the front room at home where Dad's record player is, playing with my toys. Dad puts a record on and within a minute of the first so my mind was blown wide open! He'd put on Black Sabbath IV and I know I immediately put my toys down and rocked out right there. They're a band, like the Clash with punk, that blew open a whole genre for it. They're still the greatest band of that type and I love their music dearly. Huw, What a great story! Can you imagine if your Dad had put on a Monty Python LP instead? You might now be a lumberjack! Bob, He did play a Peter Sellers album once, which I know made me laugh uncontrollably! I can't remember what the song was called, but it was basically an Irish guy in a pub getting increasingly drunk. He becomes pretty incoherent and starts a fight whilst the music gradually speeds up. It's much better than I make it sound, it's pretty hilarious.
|
|
|
Post by PaulWrites on Jan 31, 2014 13:30:07 GMT -5
These are my favourite albums, there all quite new by the standard so far it seems. It's been hard to narrow it down really, so a lot of honourable mentions. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle The pinnacle of Callahan’s career to date (when recorded) drawing on all the best facets of his previous solo work and time with his band Smog. This is one of, if not, my favourite albums ever. The height of his penmanship and compositions in my opinion (and I can say that in retrospect of his last few releases) a real gem here. There is no real centre piece track, each track is fantastic. Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank The Cradle Basically comes down to this or the previous album for my all-time favourite. This was a really nice lo fi debut from Sam Beam. A lot of slide and banjo over really simple intricate melodies with some of the finest lyrics and imagery I've heard. This along with the demos is a delight to listen to. Magnolia Electric Co. - Sojourner These four discs encompasses songs from breadth of Jason Molina’s run under various monikers Songs:Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co, the 5th disc had an awesome documentary on it too. But the rerecording’s of these songs gave them new life to me, a really all-encompassing journey through Molina’s excellent songs - hard to track down now but well worth it. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois Another of my favourite albums ever, the arrangements and instrumentation, the song writing - it’s somewhat of an acquired taste but it is a brilliant album. It was the second album in the now abandoned (and lofty) 50 states project along with 'Welcome to Michigan' - another great album that nearly made my list in place of Illinois. There was an outtakes album The Avalanche which followed Illinois which is also pretty great. The creative output of this guy is fantastic but Illinois really captured some magic. Carissa's Wierd - You Should Be at Home Here A really underrated band I was sad to see split up, but not before releasing two awesome albums but You Should be at Home Here was the first album of theirs I picked up, and I knew after a few listens this was something I was going to be playing for a long time. The band split though and all went their separate ways forming their own bands like Band of Horses, but none of these bands that formed in their wake will ever be as good as Carissa's Wierd! Serious contenders for my list where: J. Tillman - I Will Return Low - The Great Destroyer Chris Bathgate - A Cork Tale Wake Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ease Down the Road Songs: Ohia - The Lioness The Shins - Oh, Inverted World Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Like Bad News Air - Moon Safari Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow Grizzly Bear - VeckatimestPaul, Thanks for participating! I have to say that to date, you're our first respondent who brought me up completely empty! I've been sampling some of the artists on your list, and I love the vibe that I'm getting from most everything; that I'm sitting before master story-tellers in a little pub, just soaking it all in! Bill Callahan's "Rococo Zephyr" is something I'm going to want to hear more of! Great stuff! Thank you Bob that's really great to hear, I love recommending music to friends and acquaintances so to quote you again 'My work here is done'. Seriously though glad you gave Mr Callahan a listen, his album America which followed it is also pretty great - and there is a bunch of covers out there on various tribute albums from the same period as Sometimes I Wish... His latest album Dream River did not strike the same kind of chords with me but there is another album coming out in February which reworks every song into an expanded dub version. (New ground for Bill and for me!) Have Fun with God it's called. I am highly anticipating it having heard two tracks from it already, the dreamy dub vibes of the songs fit the arrangements so well etc that there is no doubt in my mind when he penned Dream River he had this expanded dub version in mind the whole time. He had worried for a bit there!
|
|
|
Post by PaulWrites on Jan 31, 2014 13:40:32 GMT -5
These are my favourite albums, there all quite new by the standard so far it seems. It's been hard to narrow it down really, so a lot of honourable mentions. Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle The pinnacle of Callahan’s career to date (when recorded) drawing on all the best facets of his previous solo work and time with his band Smog. This is one of, if not, my favourite albums ever. The height of his penmanship and compositions in my opinion (and I can say that in retrospect of his last few releases) a real gem here. There is no real centre piece track, each track is fantastic. Iron & Wine - The Creek Drank The Cradle Basically comes down to this or the previous album for my all-time favourite. This was a really nice lo fi debut from Sam Beam. A lot of slide and banjo over really simple intricate melodies with some of the finest lyrics and imagery I've heard. This along with the demos is a delight to listen to. Magnolia Electric Co. - Sojourner These four discs encompasses songs from breadth of Jason Molina’s run under various monikers Songs:Ohia and Magnolia Electric Co, the 5th disc had an awesome documentary on it too. But the rerecording’s of these songs gave them new life to me, a really all-encompassing journey through Molina’s excellent songs - hard to track down now but well worth it. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois Another of my favourite albums ever, the arrangements and instrumentation, the song writing - it’s somewhat of an acquired taste but it is a brilliant album. It was the second album in the now abandoned (and lofty) 50 states project along with 'Welcome to Michigan' - another great album that nearly made my list in place of Illinois. There was an outtakes album The Avalanche which followed Illinois which is also pretty great. The creative output of this guy is fantastic but Illinois really captured some magic. Carissa's Wierd - You Should Be at Home Here A really underrated band I was sad to see split up, but not before releasing two awesome albums but You Should be at Home Here was the first album of theirs I picked up, and I knew after a few listens this was something I was going to be playing for a long time. The band split though and all went their separate ways forming their own bands like Band of Horses, but none of these bands that formed in their wake will ever be as good as Carissa's Wierd! Serious contenders for my list where: J. Tillman - I Will Return Low - The Great Destroyer Chris Bathgate - A Cork Tale Wake Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Ease Down the Road Songs: Ohia - The Lioness The Shins - Oh, Inverted World Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Like Bad News Air - Moon Safari Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow Grizzly Bear - VeckatimestReally like your list. The surviving members of Magnolia Electric Co. recently did a show down here in Durham that was fantastic and haunting. And The Creek Drank the Cradle and Illinois were both strong contenders for my list. Well done! Thanks johnson, such a shame about Jason Molina. I wish he had a little more recognition during his career. I followed him since the Songs:Ohia days and still cant really process the fact that hes gone. I bet that show was next level honestly, is that Durham NC? I have a really good buddy lives out there surprised he didn't pick up on it. I wouldn't mind hearing what other artists you like johnson, we should start a general music thread or something...
|
|
|
Post by Bob Reyer on Jan 31, 2014 14:10:19 GMT -5
Huw, What a great story! Can you imagine if your Dad had put on a Monty Python LP instead? You might now be a lumberjack! Bob, He did play a Peter Sellers album once, which I know made me laugh uncontrollably! I can't remember what the song was called, but it was basically an Irish guy in a pub getting increasingly drunk. He becomes pretty incoherent and starts a fight whilst the music gradually speeds up. It's much better than I make it sound, it's pretty hilarious. Peter Sellers was a genius! As great as the "Closeau" stuff, he was so much more!
|
|
|
Post by Bob Reyer on Jan 31, 2014 14:15:06 GMT -5
Paul, Thanks for participating! I have to say that to date, you're our first respondent who brought me up completely empty! I've been sampling some of the artists on your list, and I love the vibe that I'm getting from most everything; that I'm sitting before master story-tellers in a little pub, just soaking it all in! Bill Callahan's "Rococo Zephyr" is something I'm going to want to hear more of! Great stuff! Thank you Bob that's really great to hear, I love recommending music to friends and acquaintances so to quote you again 'My work here is done'. Seriously though glad you gave Mr Callahan a listen, his album America which followed it is also pretty great - and there is a bunch of covers out there on various tribute albums from the same period as Sometimes I Wish... His latest album Dream River did not strike the same kind of chords with me but there is another album coming out in February which reworks every song into an expanded dub version. (New ground for Bill and for me!) Have Fun with God it's called. I am highly anticipating it having heard two tracks from it already, the dreamy dub vibes of the songs fit the arrangements so well etc that there is no doubt in my mind when he penned Dream River he had this expanded dub version in mind the whole time. He had worried for a bit there! Paul, It's always fun trying new things! Thanks for bringing them to my attention!
|
|
|
Post by Huw on Jan 31, 2014 19:25:48 GMT -5
Bob, He did play a Peter Sellers album once, which I know made me laugh uncontrollably! I can't remember what the song was called, but it was basically an Irish guy in a pub getting increasingly drunk. He becomes pretty incoherent and starts a fight whilst the music gradually speeds up. It's much better than I make it sound, it's pretty hilarious. Peter Sellers was a genius! As great as the "Closeau" stuff, he was so much more! Bob, Have you ever listened to any of 'The Goon Show'? It was a radio sketch show back before TV took over with Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and others. It's hilarious, well worth checking out.
|
|
|
Post by Bob Reyer on Jan 31, 2014 20:03:20 GMT -5
Huw,
I do know about "The Goon Show", and have even heard a few bits, thanks to my friend the Arsenal rooter!
The Goons, particularly due to the surreal nature of their material, were obviously direct influences on the guys in Monty Python, who from all accounts were big fans!
(In the same vein, and also influential to the Pythons, was the American TV pioneer Ernie Kovacs, whose stunning use of sound and visuals within the medium have seldom been matched for their sheer inventiveness!)
|
|
|
Post by Blencs on Feb 5, 2014 5:42:28 GMT -5
In no particular order
#1 appetite for destruction. Guns n Roses at their very best. Vocals the like of I've never heard before or since. Truly awesome. #2 Freak n Roll, The Black Crowes live at the Fillmore. This band encapsulate everything I love about rock n roll jam bands. The pure musicality of the band just takes you on a journey and The Robinson brothers are just what rock stars should be, opinionated and individual for better or worse. #3 Ray Lamontagne, Trouble. This mans voice just speaks to my soul. You know what I mean? It just cures you of all ills for however long you listen. What more can I say. #4 The Della Grants, Cross-over Blues. Started learning guitar and my teacher loved the blues. I thought I hated the blues until every song I asked to learn were my favourite artists blues songs??!!!! What a douche, turns out I love the blues, just not 12 bar stuff. My teacher is now one of my best pals and his blues band have recorded a 5 song EP which has had rave reviews from American blues sites such as blues review and bluesmusicfan.com. I am biased but it is a great little EP which I love maybe because I know them but you have to support your buddies hey!! (I tell him it's crap though cus that's what real mates do!!!) #5 The Killers, Hot Fuss. Resisted the hype of this album but when I listened to it it blew me away as it was different to anything else at the time. It has stuck with me ever since. Honourable mentions, Bright eyes, I'm wide awake it's morning. Lyrics that just stop me dead and really have a message. Brilliant The Darkness, Permission to land. Still one of the most fun pure rock n roll albums ever. People like to take the piss out of this band as they are more like a tribute to an era of hair metal but I've seen them live and they are truly awesome. Just listen to the album as a piece of work with no baggage and I dare you not to be smiling at the end and pressing play for the second time!!!!
|
|
|
Post by Bob Reyer on Feb 5, 2014 9:56:02 GMT -5
In no particular order #1 appetite for destruction. Guns n Roses at their very best. Vocals the like of I've never heard before or since. Truly awesome. #2 Freak n Roll, The Black Crowes live at the Fillmore. This band encapsulate everything I love about rock n roll jam bands. The pure musicality of the band just takes you on a journey and The Robinson brothers are just what rock stars should be, opinionated and individual for better or worse. #3 Ray Lamontagne, Trouble. This mans voice just speaks to my soul. You know what I mean? It just cures you of all ills for however long you listen. What more can I say. #4 The Della Grants, Cross-over Blues. Started learning guitar and my teacher loved the blues. I thought I hated the blues until every song I asked to learn were my favourite artists blues songs??!!!! What a douche, turns out I love the blues, just not 12 bar stuff. My teacher is now one of my best pals and his blues band have recorded a 5 song EP which has had rave reviews from American blues sites such as blues review and bluesmusicfan.com. I am biased but it is a great little EP which I love maybe because I know them but you have to support your buddies hey!! (I tell him it's crap though cus that's what real mates do!!!) #5 The Killers, Hot Fuss. Resisted the hype of this album but when I listened to it it blew me away as it was different to anything else at the time. It has stuck with me ever since. Honourable mentions, Bright eyes, I'm wide awake it's morning. Lyrics that just stop me dead and really have a message. Brilliant The Darkness, Permission to land. Still one of the most fun pure rock n roll albums ever. People like to take the piss out of this band as they are more like a tribute to an era of hair metal but I've seen them live and they are truly awesome. Just listen to the album as a piece of work with no baggage and I dare you not to be smiling at the end and pressing play for the second time!!!! Craig, A sort of "New/Roots" list--I love it! You've hit on an essential truth: keep an open mind, and experiment with your taste range! Within those new things that you try, there will be stuff that absolutely speaks to you! As you saw from my initial list, it is focused more on R&B and Jazz, but it meanders around quite a bit, with a country pick, a couple of folk albums, some rock (some hybrid-ized such as the Isley Brothers and Pat Benatar pieces),and in the inclusion of the female rock group Vixen, a real "hair metal band"!
|
|
michaelk
Fearless Defender
So many comics, so little time.
Posts: 41
|
Post by michaelk on Feb 5, 2014 16:36:56 GMT -5
1) Kind of Blue, Miles Davis Quintet 2) Lincoln, They Might be Giants 3) Under the Pink, Tori Amos 4) Lost Channels, Great Lake Swimmers 5) New York Tendaberry, Laura Nyro
Honorable mentions…really, there are so many great bands I like to listen to, but J.J. Johnson's 2 volume Birdland set is just wonderful, there's an Afro-Cuban Jazz fusion outfit called NOMO that I'm crazy about. I like old Jimmy Buffet albums, especially White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean; Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spector; Ghost of the Great Highway by Sun Kil Moon. I could go on and on.
|
|
|
Post by Bob Reyer on Feb 5, 2014 17:03:23 GMT -5
1) Kind of Blue, Miles Davis Quintet 2) Lincoln, They Might be Giants 3) Under the Pink, Tori Amos 4) Lost Channels, Great Lake Swimmers 5) New York Tendaberry, Laura Nyro Honorable mentions…really, there are so many great bands I like to listen to, but J.J. Johnson's 2 volume Birdland set is just wonderful, there's an Afro-Cuban Jazz fusion outfit called NOMO that I'm crazy about. I like old Jimmy Buffet albums, especially White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean; Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spector; Ghost of the Great Highway by Sun Kil Moon. I could go on and on. Michael, Just listening to Kind of Blue this morning! I was unfamiliar with Great Lake Swimmers, but after listening to a few tracks, particularly "Bodies and Minds" and "To Leave it Behind", I can understand their place with your other choices!
|
|
|
Post by wjohnson22 on Feb 5, 2014 22:44:43 GMT -5
1) Kind of Blue, Miles Davis Quintet 2) Lincoln, They Might be Giants 3) Under the Pink, Tori Amos 4) Lost Channels, Great Lake Swimmers 5) New York Tendaberry, Laura Nyro Honorable mentions…really, there are so many great bands I like to listen to, but J.J. Johnson's 2 volume Birdland set is just wonderful, there's an Afro-Cuban Jazz fusion outfit called NOMO that I'm crazy about. I like old Jimmy Buffet albums, especially White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean; Soviet Kitsch by Regina Spector; Ghost of the Great Highway by Sun Kil Moon. I could go on and on. Some excellent picks! I've listened to a few tracks by Sun Kil Moon and definitely want to check out more. With you mentioning Afro-Cuban Jazz, have you listened to the Buena Vista Social Club album? Big fan of that, and really enjoy Tori Amos as well. I keep coming back to Kind of Blue when I to get lost in music and take my mind off of stressful times.
|
|
|
Post by sammiecassell on Feb 8, 2014 21:35:41 GMT -5
5. Iron Madien-Powerslave close between this, Piece of Mind and Killers 4. Mötley Crüe-Shout at the Devil I know I know, not the most solid album ever but I AM a child of the '80s 3. Tesla-Mechanical Resonance the moated underrated band of ALL TIME 2. Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath. The album that started it all 1. Guns & Roses-Appetite for Destruction, shows how hard it is to top a great debut
HM: SLIPKNOT-SLIPKNOT Van Halen 1 Megadeath-Symphony Of Destuction
|
|
|
Post by Bob Reyer on Feb 9, 2014 12:51:41 GMT -5
5. Iron Madien-Powerslave close between this, Piece of Mind and Killers 4. Mötley Crüe-Shout at the Devil I know I know, not the most solid album ever but I AM a child of the '80s 3. Tesla-Mechanical Resonance the moated underrated band of ALL TIME 2. Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath. The album that started it all 1. Guns & Roses-Appetite for Destruction, shows how hard it is to top a great debut HM: SLIPKNOT-SLIPKNOT Van Halen 1 Megadeath-Symphony Of Destuction Sammie, That's a list with some crunch! From your introduction and tag line, I would have bet that you'd have had an album from this guy:
|
|
|
Post by sammiecassell on Feb 9, 2014 17:27:32 GMT -5
5. Iron Madien-Powerslave close between this, Piece of Mind and Killers 4. Mötley Crüe-Shout at the Devil I know I know, not the most solid album ever but I AM a child of the '80s 3. Tesla-Mechanical Resonance the moated underrated band of ALL TIME 2. Black Sabbath-Black Sabbath. The album that started it all 1. Guns & Roses-Appetite for Destruction, shows how hard it is to top a great debut HM: SLIPKNOT-SLIPKNOT Van Halen 1 Megadeath-Symphony Of Destuction Sammie, That's a list with some crunch! From your introduction and tag line, I would have bet that you'd have had an album from this guy: While I do know Mikahl Thor's stuff, I don't know that it would make anyone's top 5....well except for him, I've heard he came with quite an ego lol, I'm a total 80s guy but my taste has NOT softened over the years, it's actually gone the other way. HOWEVER a good song is a good song, my taste actually varies quite a bit. Love some blue grass (my VA roots), some show tunes (my wife's influence), and some newer stuff (shhhh don't tell the kids)
|
|