Timewaster's Guide Archive
Departments => Music => Topic started by: Faster Master St. Pastor on April 16, 2008, 06:14:46 AM
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Hey, so I've got a lot of music, but lately I've been wanting to find some new stuff, hence this thread. Basically suggest stuff that you think I might like for me to check out. I listen to a very wide range of stuff, from classical to metal and pretty much everything in between. Except most country and rap. Only suggest that if it's very good, I usually don't like most of it, though I do listen to some.
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I've recently become re-addicted to Clapton. But you probably already know him. If you only know a couple, or haven't really explored him, dear heavens rectify that immediately. Solo albums 461 Ocean Blvd and Backless. And if you've never heard it, even if you've gotten a passing familiarity with Slowhand and don't think you know more... dear heavens, listen to One More Car, One More Rider -- a live album that leaves me in shivers every time I hear it, especially "Sunshine of Your Love." More obscure stuff with Clapton that is very worth hearing includes his time with
Delaney and Bonnie and Friends (they cut one album with him, called On Tour with Eric Clapton, so its easy to identify). He also cut a couple albums with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers (right after parting witht he Yardbirds, and before Cream and Derek and the Dominos). It was with these two bands, that most people don't recognize, that he really enjoyed himself, and there's a lot of gems there. Very recommended.
My favorite band of all time anywhere ever is The Kinks. You've heard some of their songs even if you don't recognize the name. They had #1 hits in 1964 with "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night." They had another #1 in 1971 with "Lola." The Kinks evolved a lot, and they've covered a LOT of styles, releasing around 30 albums before they petered out in the 90s. With guitarist Dave Davies having a stroke early this decade, they probably won't release another. Their biggest albums, as such, are The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society (you may even recognize "Picture Book" since it was used for HP printer commercials for a while) -- not very rock, very nostalgia and local music influenced. Released in 1979ish, I think. (going by memory). I also recommend 1980's live album "One for he Road (not 1989's "The Road," though that one is decent). They were playing tiny venues then, and even if the songs they played had been recorded at a slow pace, they attack each track with every bit of energy they have. All Day and All of the Night, was on 45 at under 2:30. The OFTR version plays it twice as fast, but adds almost a minute and a half of extra rockerfaction for your pleasure. Ray Davies has an extreme gift for songwriting that is well acknowledged in the UK, so it would be worth your time to give a listen to compilation Kink Kronikles as well as To The Bone -- a collection of rerecordings, live takes, and new versions of their favorite, if not most popular, songs, as well as the last two songs the Kinks would record as a band.
I'm also going to push Rush on you, even if you've heard of them before. They've done a plethora of live stuff in the last decade, and live is where they shine. Listen to Different Stages, Rush in Rio, and R30. Different stages was their definitive live album right after their Test for Echo album. It includes a full disc of a 1979 concert that shows they were powerful even in their youth. Rush in Rio was recorded over two days in Rio de Janeiro and has been called by frontman Geddy Lee the best concerts they had ever given. The audience is clearly into it, as they sing along with EVERY track, even the iconic instrumental anthem "YYZ." R30 is from their 30th anniversary tour, and includes some real rarities: Rush never does covers, except an EP made up of covers of their favorite songs from before they made it big. Some of those tracks were played live on R30.
A strange virtuoso recommendation: Japanese-Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro stacks up well against even the best guitarist. He's heavily influenced by George Harrison, and even does a cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" he calls simply "Gently Weeps." Well worth checking out, and I know you can find some videos of him playing on YouTube.
In the Jazz department, I'm a big guitar fan, so I'm going to give you the names of my two favorite Jazz guitarists: Django Reinhardt -- old school, swing and post-swing player. Pretty much defined Jazz guitar. Check out ANYTHING he recorded. Also Mark Whitfield. My favorite of his is called "Ba-Lue Bolivar Ba-Lues-Are" on the album True Blue -- the whole album is worth listening too.
Futher on the note of guitarists, anything André Segovia recorded. He was *the* classical guitarist. He turned it from a folk instrument to an acceptable classical instrument. He transcribed and composed hundreds of pieces for the guitar and literally defined how the instrument should be played.
And it's not a Segovia Recording, but please please please listen to Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez." It is by far my favorite piece of classical music ever, and does feature a lead guitar part over some very impressive strings. Very evocative.
Back to more rock oriented stuff, but not forgetting Classical or world music roots, Peter Gabriel and early Genesis while he still played with them. Few, except perhaps David Bowie (also recommended if you haven't listened to him) are as consistantly as creative and original as Gabriel, both lyrically and musically. He is, quite frankly, brilliant. Don't get stuck with "So," which, while a good album, is all anyone knows and they get hung up on the pop ballad "In Your Eyes." If you want to hear a diverse blend, Shaking the Tree is a good compilation, and Secret World Live highlights his ability. Still Growing Up & Unwrapped also shows a broad range of his talents. From Genesis, the best albums ever were A Trick of the Tail, Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, and the live The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
Also check out Morphine if you're looking for stuff off the beaten path. No guitar, they instead use a Saxaphone. Wow, they were amazing. Their best, imo was "Cure for Pain" and the album by the same name. My favorite music quote of all time is "Is this what you had in mind when you called up to the angels for the six hundred sixty-sixth time?" is from their song "So Many Ways" on The Night -- also a primo album. Don't look for melodic tunes here, though. While they do have melody, they explore their instruments and are intellectual listening.
Last detailed recommendation: The Dresden Dolls play what they call "Brechtian punk cabaret." Piano, drums, and dark female vocals. It's like listening to a musical performance of Kafka. Everything is twisted and evocative. A lot of social thought, presented literarily and relentlessly assaulting you.
I know you said you don't listen to most rap, but I'm going to urge you to try MC 900 Ft Jesus anyway. Particularly "While the City Sleeps" and "If I Only Had a Brain." And, lyrically, "New Moon" Excellent vocal and rhythm stylizing with very clever lyrics. "New Moon" prooves he knows how to use words, with some of the most brilliant word images I've heard. The song is down right shiver producing.
And, because I don't have time to describe them all, a few broad categories with the recommended bands in them:
For 80s alternative (not the pop madonna stuff, but true alternative) make sure you listen to New Order, Joy Division, The Smiths, Love and Rockets (and related performers Peter Murphy and Bauhaus) and DEFINITELY Oingo Boingo. On that last one, you probably know "Dead Man's Party" and "Weird Science." But they also did the ballad "We Close Our Eyes" which still moves me every time I hear it. Their front man was none other than Danny Elfman -- the man who composed the music for Batman, The Simpsons, Spider-Man, and Nightmare Before Christmas, among a host of others. So you know there's talent there.
And lastly, my indie-pop recommendations. I don't know that I've categorized this right, and many of them have broken up, but this is the power chords and melody bands. Usually irreverant, often witty, and never dull. They are not virtuosos, but they are always wonderful to listen to. My favorite bands include: The Refreshments, Too Much Joy, Ambulance LTD, Dandy Warhols, Cowboy Mouth ("southern american rock and roll at it's finest), Eels, Fountains of Wayne, Placebo, Robbers on High Street, The Sugarcult.
And for ska, I don't listen to 3rd gen ska much. My favorites were the 2nd generation bands: The Specials, Hepcat, Bad Manners, and the Toasters. And, fusing with Punk, Skankin' Pickle and Rancid.
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Wow, I have heard almost none of that stuff. But I recommend, listed in no particular order:
St. Matthew's Passion - Bach
Requiem - Mozart
Turandot - Puccini
Cappriccio Espagnol - Rimsky-Korsakov
St. Paul's Suite - Holst
String Quartets - Philip Glass
Variation on a theme by Thomas Tallis - Ralph Vaughan Williams
Black Holes and Revelations - Muse
Swamp Ophelia - Indigo Girls
Motorcade of Generosity - Cake
Songs for Silverman - Ben Folds
Hotel - Moby
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When reading a thread like this you realize that you have probably heard only about 1% of music that is out there....
Here's what I recommend:
All That Remains- The Fall of Ideals
Chevelle- Vena Sera
Spineshank- Height of Callousness
Ill Nino- Confessions(i think)
Atreyu- The Curse
Muse- Black Holes and Revelations
Killswitch Engage- End of Heartache
As I Lay Dying- Anything
There is a whole lot more but I'm having a serious mental block at this moment in time....
Oh, and a new band I just recently heard the Flobots. It's a new kind of sound and I 've only heard a couple of their songs but what I have heard sounds pretty good.
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Wow, thanks a ton, that's going to keep my busy for a while. Not that I'm complaining in any way.
Any more suggestions?
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my problem with threads like this is that no one responds like I do.
I'm not interested in lists of songs. I want to know WHY I should listen to something. WHAT makes a song or a band or an album worth listening to? I have different reasons for listening to music than others, so I need something that makes me think "I could maybe get some enjoyment out of that."
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I'm too lazy to spend the time to explain why I like the things I do, so for me I have to choose between responding in brief or not at all. You might think it would be better for me not to respond at all, then, but I still want to share my opinions. It's laziness, I know, but I have yet to have something spur me to get over that laziness.
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Ok, let me take a shot at this. Hopefully I can satiate SE a little bit.
Ah Via Musicom by Eric Johnson. If you like guitar in any way, shape, or form, you really need to listen to this album. Cliffs of Dover is, in essence, a very upbeat 4 minute guitar solo. Before my iTunes got wiped, its playcount was well over 100. I believe that CoD was the first instrumental song that was good enough to hold my interest for the full length of the song, because it goes up and down so often that, although there is a repetition to it, it never gets stale. Nothing Can Keep Me From You was the number 1 most played on my iTunes before it got wiped, and I believe that, at its peak, it was well over 150. When you are talking about Eric Johnson, it goes without saying that the guitar is the focal point of the song, and he does it so well. Again, he uses repetition, but he is so good at knowing when and how to switch things up that you don't get bored with it.
Our Lady Peace. Ok, first of all, when I talk about Our Lady Peace, I am mostly referring to all of their albums but Gravity and Healthy In Paranoid Times. That's not to say that these two albums don't have potential, as a matter of fact, one of the songs off Gravity is contender for my favorite Our Lady Peace song (Somewhere Out There). However, after their first four albums, Our Lady Peace drastically changed their music, so my description of why I like their music isn't why I like their later stuff. Ok, so, back to the beginning. I have to say that Our Lady Peace was an acquired taste for me. If you have that problem, I would suggest starting with Clumsy, which is a bit easier to get into than the rest, and start from there. Now, keeping all of that in mind, in my opinion, Our Lady Peace is one of the best bands to come out of the 90's. Their music reminds me of another personal favorite band, Toad the Wet Sprocket, in that it is so quirky, but it ends up working so very well once you get used to it. Raine Maida's voice hits ranges that I have never heard out of any other vocalist before. The song Clumsy is a great example of this, and that is one of the biggest reasons why it is the other contender for my favorite Our Lady Peace song (which, by the way, makes it a strong contender for my favorite song, period). I would go further into specific songs, but honestly, they are one of the bands where it would be faster to list the songs that aren't my favorite. So, if you have some time, take one of their cd's and listen to it. If you don't like it, listen to it a few times, until things start to click. When they do, it will be worth the trouble.
Toad the Wet Sprocket. Ok, again, a very quirky band. However, unlike Our Lady Peace, Toad was very accessible for me. Part of this is that they have such a large range of music. So much so, in fact, that when I first got into them, I recall listening to little else for the first two or three months. They have something for every occasion, and again, it would probably be shorter for me to list the songs that I don't like by them. When you are listening to Toad, no one part of their music really stands out as the source of its quality. Yes, their lyrics can be a bit eccentric, and I do enjoy that, but that isn't why I like them. I really like the fact that everything fits together so nicely that, although I do occasionally notice one part in particular that I like, I usually just end up liking the song as a whole. I mentioned that Toad has an incredible range, and that is true. However, I will amend that to say that especially if you are looking for music to relax to, you should give Toad a try.
Third Eye Blind- Third Eye Blind. Ok, so I have given a couple bands in general to try, I thought I would give a specific album this time, so I could comment on specific songs. Before I do that though, I should say that I could listen to this album from start to finish and never be bored with a song. True, I have favorite songs, but I wouldn't say that there is a weak link in this album. If you were ever near a radio during the 90's, you know at least two songs off of this album, i.e. Jumper and Semi-Charmed Life. I can understand if some people got sick of listening to these songs over and over on the radio. I, however, didn't. They are just so catchy that I can't bring myself to stop liking them. That is one of Third Eye Blind's biggest strengths. I can't think of a band that does catchy better. However, even disregarding catchy, if you are looking for upbeat music, Third Eye Blind does it well. The Background is a great example of this. It starts out soft and slow, and gradually builds, until, 3 minutes in, it hits a climax with a great guitar piece. Narcolepsy is another example of this progressive buildup that TEB carries so skillfully.
I could go on forever with this, but I think I am going to have to close it out with one more favorite, and come back later.
Counting Crows - August and Everything After. Ok, I picked one album, but that is definitely not to say that you should dismiss the rest. Far from it. But I think that this album characterizes Counting Crows very well. It starts off with Round Here. Round Here sets the tone as wistful, and a bit sad. This is something that Counting Crows does as well as anyone, and better than most. If you want some sad music, you can find it in songs like Round Here, Perfect Blue Buildings, and Raining in Baltimore to name a few. The best thing about Counting Crows though, is that they aren't exclusively depressing. They have stark contrasts. Rain King, and Murder of One are two of the most hopeful, looking-up songs that you are likely to find. It's that duality that really defines Counting Crows and makes their music so enjoyable to listen to.
So there.
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I actually don't mind either way, if you just tell me a song and an artist I'll listen too it, and if I don't like it I'll scrap it. On the other hand if you explore why I should listen to something it helps me find what I'm looking for, as well as finding new sounds or styles that I might never have run into before.
Either way if you have suggestions I'll take them.
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I'm too lazy to spend the time to explain why I like the things I do, so for me I have to choose between responding in brief or not at all. You might think it would be better for me not to respond at all, then, but I still want to share my opinions. It's laziness, I know, but I have yet to have something spur me to get over that laziness.
I would think that the reason for sharing your opinion is in order to share something you feel strongly about. If you talk about why you feel strongly about it, I may actually CARE why you feel strongly about it. If, on the other hand, you're not interested enough in it to tell me more about it, then my immediate conclusion is that I shouldn't care enough to look into it.
But then, this is Pastor's thread, and he says he'll try it anyway, so you still shared something with someone. I'm just giving my reasons for why people shouldn't be lazy. I expect that to be largely pushed aside.
@Archon: woah. Despite what I've posted above, it seems we have a good overlap in favorite bands. Toad is one of 6 or 7 bands that got their entire repertoire moved to my iPod without sifting through (Rush, TMBG, Too Much Joy, and the Kinks cover the other major artists in that category). Note probably not interesting to most people: Toad the Wet Sprocket was the last concert I saw before my mission: it would have been the Kinks but there's a long story that prevented that, leaving me still bitter over the event. However, the Toad concert was very good, even if I was one of the few there who could sing along with the Bob Marley "prelude" music (which confuzzles me now, it seems there should be a bigger crossover between Marley and Toad).
Eric Johnson is a good recommendation, though with virtuoso rock guitarists my first thought always is and always will be Joe Satriani. Surfing with the Alien is *the* art rock/shred guitar song, and so many of his songs are intensely moving. His vast array of styles and influences don't undermine his pop melodic sensibility, making him easy to listen to whether you like groove-based rock or high art rock.
OLP was an acquired taste for me too. But if you like Rush and/or Radiohead, OLP becomes an essential next step. I like their whole history, and like Rush, they do have the change that leaves some fans confused, others cluelessly indignant, and those actually paying attention interested. They have some tunes that really move me.
Give me some time and I'll share more music.
But as a parting note, I finally found the TDF album -- the "dance"/techno album that was made by none other than Eric Clapton (and Simon Climie of Climie Fisher). Really good guitar groove, though I think the back beat and rhythm sometimes fell short. But then-- we're comparing Eric Clapton with Simon Climie, really, who's going to win there?
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I feel almost hopelessly ignorant in comparison to the two of you. Not because I don't know why I love the music that I love, but because I don't seem to know as many of the bands that you do as I feel like I should. I am now going to have to go searching for them, especially OLP, because I am a fan of Rush, and SE said that was the "essential next step" and I would have to give them at least a listen to, to see what I am missing. I also agree whole-heartedly about Joe Satriani, so our tastes can't be too far separated.
As for some of my favorites:
Bob Marley: I love the rhythm, but I also love the message. Hope, love, peace, belief, joy, all in a place that doesn't really have that in abundance. Powerful and it lifts my spirits, even on my worst days.
Pink Floyd: If I am wanting to relax, I put on Division Bell. If I want to experience some other cathartic emotion, I can almost always find an album to listen to of theirs, they have many different feelings to their music. By extension, I am interested in David Gilmour's solo work. My mother in law, yes my mother in law, says that it is really good, and well worth checking out if you like some of the later Pink Floyd albums. Dark Side of the Moon, and Wish You Were Here are nostalgic favorites of mine, being favorites of my dad's.
Fleetwood Mac: They speak to me on a rather personal level. The interpersonal relationships of the band members only made the music better, in my opinion. But, of the three songwriters, Stevie Nicks is probably my favorite, and Christine Mcvie is my least favorite. Not because she can't write, but I find her songs to be more....how do I put this nicely....trite? Lacking much substance? I don't know specifically...but, I guess I always identified more with Stevie's, and even Lindsey's, writing and musical style. A little more rough, and guitar driven.
Current bands: I am an older soul than I should be, or so my mother loves to tell me, and there are only a few that I can name as favorites from the last ten or so years. But, I will try.
Nine Inch Nails: Hard, brutal, but always emotional, for me. I can relate to extreme emotions, and I love the roughness of the music, but the softness that peeks out from time to time. It is hard to find, but every now and then....well, you can tell this is a man that has deep, tortured feelings, or at least has had them. I identify with that.
Nickleback: Same reason, kind of. While Nine Inch Nails is a reminder to me of my early 20's, and I need reminders, they were a while ago, Nickleback goes back to my childhood. When my mother pushes my buttons, or I feel the need to vent some rage, and I do from time to time, I blast Nickleback and let it all out. The most useful during those times, for me, is Silver Side Up. Yes, I know....abused mother, deadbeat father, kid had it bad....mom had it worse...but you live it, you identify with it. It helps me. No real deep intellectual reason for any of the stuff that I love, for me it is emotion based.
There are others, and one of my favorite kind of out there artists is Leave's Eyes. They are labled as "symphonic metal", and I guess that is pretty apt. I have their Vinland Saga album on my iPod with my Pink Floyd as my bedtime list. If you haven't grown up with loud music at bedtime though, I wouldn't recommend them for that time of day. Loud music was always on in my dad's house, so it is something that is comforting to me.
That was a lot of information, and I am not sure how much of it was useful, but thank you for reading it, and I hope something in there was helpful. :)
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Emotional reasons for listening to a song are just as valid as any intellectual or logical reason. Perhaps even more valid.
Radiohead was a step I took because of Pink Floyd message board I was on a long time ago. Since Pink Floyd has been much less prolific in recent decades, one of the topics there was what else Floyd fans go to. Radiohead seemed to be mentioned a lot. It's weird, because I wouldn't by default compare Radiohead with Pink Floyd, but there's lots of crossover fandom. Weird.
Not that I'm the biggest fan of Floyd. I of course keep the classics on hand, Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, The Wall. And I loved The Division Bell and Momentary Lapse. But sometimes I wonder if maybe the only album of theirs I need is Pulse -- what with iconic performances of most of their best songs. Floyd has some introspection to their songs, which I always find interesting, but despite The Wall's conclusion, I don't see Roger Waters making any artistic progress. In a lot of ways I'm glad he parted ways so that they could move on to Momentary and Division.
Nickleback, on the other hand, has always eluded me. There's this woman who drives slugs into town and I've ridden with her a couple times. She must be 60, but she sings along with Nickleback as she drives. And... it irritates me. The immaturity of their thematic material? I dunno. There must be something I missed though, because so many people who have other opinions that I respect do like them. But maybe it's just another Robert Jordan scenario, and I just don't care for what other people see in them. Who knows. It's possible I'm just a stubborn jerk.
If you like symphonic metal, I assume you've heard Kamelot then? I was introduced to them because of their lyrical grounding in European myth (and to a much lesser extent, near eastern myth). They're hardly my favorite, but I've no reason to quarrel with them. They have a solid approach (not so glam poser as Europe was, but not the in your face attitude that made Metallica popular) so you might like them.
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I'm going to start with my most recent band discovery, Silversun Pickups. They're a very cool throwback to nineties grunge, kind of like listening to Smashing Pumpkins without that annoying Billy Corgan voice. They even have a female bassist. They don't yet have the range or depth of Smashing Pumpkins, mind you, but they're new, and they're on the right track, and find myself really digging them. Start with Lazy Eye, and then maybe Little Lover's So Polite.
Other than that, I'm kind of on a chick rock kick right now. Halfcocked was essentially a Boston garage band that managed to make one major label album before breaking up, but that one album (The Last Star) is well worth a listen. Sell Out is probably my favorite song, but I Lied is similarly awesome if you don't mind explicit lyrics. My other main chick rock recommendation is Flyleaf, which is kind of like Garbage, except that nobody's ever heard of them. If you like them, feel free to move on to Slunt, the Swear, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And of course no chick rock list would be complete without the Soviettes and the Donnas; the former is an excellent indy band, and the latter is kind of like a parallel universe where the Ramones are girls. And obviously I can't end this list without Joan Jett, so...Joan Jett.
Considering that I own every album they've ever recorded, I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention Rammstein. I don't know if you're into metal, but Rammstein is awesome. I'm also a Rob Zombie fan (try Living Dead Girl), but I have to say that Rammstein's cover of Spookshow Baby is far superior to the original. They're very dark and very peppy at the same time, because they throw a ton of energy and a bit of techno sensibility into their work. And the best thing is, if you don't speak German you have no idea what they're saying. That can be important with metal.
Another dark band I love is My Chemical Romance, which most people dismiss as emo but is actually quite excellent. If you like goth punk their earlier stuff is great, like Helena and I'm Not Okay, but I think their most accessible album is their most recent, Black Parade, because it drops most of the punk stuff in favor of rock. Even if you swear you hate goth and emo music, you will like The Sharpest Lives, and you will probably love This is How I Disappear. The entire album is fantastic, but start there and see where it takes you.
You said no rap, but M.I.A. is so different she barely counts, so I'm going to recommend her anyway. A Sri Lankan refugee who grew up in the London ghetto, she has a delicious accent and a completely unique outlook that makes her work very different from any rap you've heard before. Most people have heard Galang, because it was in a car commercial a few years ago, but please also listen to Sunshowers and, my personal favorite, Bucky Done Gun. She has a new album that I'm unfortunately not familiar with called Kala, but expect me to be familiar with it very soon.
My final suggestion is simply to check out the mash-up community. The annual Best of Bootie collections are a great way to find some awesome stuff--once you've heard Beastie Boys crossed with Led Zeppelin you can never go back. I will particularly recommend Over the Confluence of Giants by DJ Earworm, which really pushes the boundaries of what we think of as a Mash-up; it breaks out of the "one song's vocal track played over another song's music track" pattern that so many Mash-ups fall into, and creates an all-new piece of art that transcends the genre.
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SE, I do like OLP I just didn't know their name. Awful, I know. But, I had only heard them on the radio on drives, and I don't pay attention to the disc jockeys when they talk, so I totally missed the name of the band. I also like Kamelot, thank you for the suggestion there. I am new to the symphonic metal genre, but it has been an interesting one for me. And as for Nickleback, I know what you mean about their music. I am not always in the mood for them, I need that rage to be there for me to identify fully and appreciate them fully. Odd, even as I write it it sounds odd, but it is what it is.
I think I like this thread. I have gotten some good finds here, that I just wouldn't have known to look for otherwise, so thank you for starting it Faster :) I hope some of the suggestions have helped you as well :)
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Dawncawley, if it's rage your looking for check out the band August Burns Red. They have an in your face sound driven by agressive vocals from the lead singer and the driving double-bass. Took me a little bit to get used to but now IMO it's really good.
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Thanks for the suggestion, my rage is usually family based so that would be why Nickleback applies there. I will try your suggestion, and if I don't like it, my husband probably will. He likes lots of stuff I don't. ::)
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hey! that's like my family! My wife likes... COUNTRY! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
A few more comments, if you want chick bands, The Murmurs. Blender is the album to have. Very tuneful, heavily inspired by folk and, among others, Jefferson Airplane. One of my favorite tunes of theirs is actually their cover of "H. R. Puffnstuff" on the Saturday Morning Cartoons Greatest Hits compilation (another great album, The Ramones cover the theme to Spider-Man -- the original cartoon theme -- Matthew Sweet does "Scooby Doo," Juliana Hatfield does Josie and the Pussycats, and a lot of others, it's a fine disc). Two girls, two guitars. And well, yeah, they're lesbians, and it comes out occassionally, as well as some language ("You Suck" and "Sucker Upper" have some predictably vulgar rhymes). But not all the songs, and all of them are catchy. I recommend Blender specifically because it has not so much of the profanity or lesbian tones.
I will endorse Fell's opinions, not because I've heard them all, but I have heard some, mostly on his recomendation. Fell and I do quite a bit of trading obscure songs and recommendations, and I, for one, am rarely dissatisfied with the effort put in.
In specific, his suggestion of RZ's "Living Dead Girl" reminds me of an mp3 I have of a duet with Van Morrison and Frank Zappa singing "Dead Girls of London" that I always am pleased to hear come up. Which further reminds me that there are very few people that the Irish Blues/fold/rock/funk/new age singer hasn't done a duet with. In one Bob Dylan cover I have he sang with U2, Bruce Springsteen, Chrissy Hynde, Sting and a half dozen others. MOrrison's early stuff is quite worth listening to. And not just the one you all know, "Brown Eyed Girl" -- which is the only one most know. His later stuff is much more new agey and less interesting, imo.
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See, I knew we weren't too far apart SE. I love Van Morrison as well :) And no, not just Brown eyed Girl, that isn't even on the album that is on my iPod. Moondance, and Into the Mystic are two of my favorites off of my iPod.
A couple more recommendations from me....
Led Zepplin: Always my dad's favorite band they hold a special place in my heart because of the fantasy of their music, and the reminder of my dad. They relax me :)
David Bowie: Kind of goes without saying. He is a master performer, and very much a master with the music. My husband mentioned that he didn't realize how complex Space Odyssey was until he listened to it with one channel on the stereo malfunctioning. Evidently, it isn't quite the same.
And Queen: I know, we all know Bohemian Rhapsody, but I like almost everything they have done. I love the way the music complements Freddy Mercury's voice, and I love the voice. Their songwriting is also very good, in my opinion, and very listenable, but I don't think that is a real word.... ;)
I think that is it for now :)
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Honestly the thing I like the most about these suggestions is that I know a quarter of them at best. Come from being a generation behind you guys, but it also means that I get to draw on a wealth of your information instead of just mucking around by myself.
To correct Fell though, I said that I don't listen to most rap, since I've never found good stuff on my own. I'm looking into what you suggested right now actually.
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old rock bands that don't get listened to enough: Boston. Only their first three albums, though (Boston, Don't Look Back, and Third Stage) just good, happy rock with some fast guitar. Boston was apparently unhappy with Don't Look Back, but, well,... everything after Third Stage was incredibly tedious and uninspired.
Just some random thoughts there.
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I'm looking into them now.
So far I've looked into the following and liked them:
The Dresden Dolls, kinda weird, but enjoyable.
Oingo Boingo, I didn't think I actually knew any of their stuff, but I was wrong.
Tears For Fears, I've been meaning, and then forgetting, to find out who did Shout for a while now, and now I finally know.
MIA, what do you know Fell, thanks to you I found rap I like, got anymore?
Love and Rockets was nice, but I didn't find anything that I really liked a lot, so any specific suggestions there?
That's all the ones I've looked into so far, but like I said, I'm still looking into things so please keep the suggestions coming.
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My favorite of Love and Rockets is the Earth Sun Moon album. In particular "No New Tale to Tell" (one of the first songs I learned for guitar, and it was the only song my band, Shriner Bar-B-Q ever actually practiced). If you liked them but didn't love them there's a couple other options to pursue. Peter Murphy, the vocalist, had a prolific solo career. The other band members formed Tones on Tail and then later Bauhaus. Bauhaus is a bit darker than L&R -- in the gothic sense. "Who Killed Mr. Midnight" is hardly a groove song, but it's haunting all the same. On the whole, this whole group of performers (L&R, PM, ToT, and Bauhaus) are more background stuff for me than attentive listening. I just get snapped into it every now and then and that's when I realize that they're actually quite good.
On that same track, I hope I didn't mention him before, Leonard Cohen. He's almost a lounge singer, if he weren't so messed up in the head. You think you've got him pegged as this dysfunctional, misanthropic cynic, but then he'll do the sweetest love song. "Everybody Knows" is the essential starting point. You'll fall in love with his voice (deep like Barry White), but then you'll hear another album where he's singing high tenor and you'll wonder what feats he's capable of. He never sings a capella, that I know of, but he's not one you listen to for the instruments. It's all his voice.
And on a completely different note, the best album I *ever* bought, Bob Dylan: the 30th Anniversary Concert. Bob only sings on maybe half a dozen songs of the 2 disc set, it's more of a tribute concert. George Harrison, Tom Petty, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Eddie Vetter, Ronnie Wood, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, the Clancy Brothers (yes, the Irish dudes), Eric Clapton and many more singing the songs of Bob Dylan. Pure love.
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If you're willing to try some more rap, FMP, try Stan by Eminem. It's very long if you get the full version, but it's very complex and well worth the effort to listen closely and understand what's going on. My respect for Eminem rose considerably with that song.
Beyond that I'm in a cover mood today, so here's a list of covers that I think are better than the originals:
Personal Jesus by Marilyn Manson. Creepy as heck, but easily the best version of the song. Listening to this you can really understand why Marilyn Manson became successful--yes he's a freak, but he's a very talented freak.
The Man Who Sold the World by Nirvana. I know it's heresy to suggest that anyone could outdo Bowie, but I absolutely love Nirvana's version of this song. Much more personal and sad than the original.
Our Lips Are Sealed by The Juliet Dagger. Sometimes I think every band in existence has covered this song at some point in their career (originally by the Go Gos, I believe), but indie chick band The Juliet Dagger is full of win. Lots of energy, very happy, it's a fantastic pop song.
Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm. Do I even have to mention this one? Take an okay pop song and have a talented punk band play it twice as fast--it's a winning formula every time. Watch the video for added fun, full of Michael Jackson video references and jokes.
Spookshow Baby by Rammstein. I mentioned this before, but I bet you didn't look it up. Silly, silly people.
Mad World by Gary Jules. Originally by Tears for Fears, this song has become the quintessential emo anthem thanks to Gary Jules slowing it down, cutting out most of the instruments, and not so much singing it as haunting it.
Hurt by Johnny Cash. Somehow this creepy goth song sounds even better when played by a dying country legend. It's awesome.
I'll add more as I think of them, and I'm sure SE has plenty of his own.
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If it's covers we are discussing today then I have a few to add....
The first one is Holy Diver by Killswitch Engage. Originally done by the creator of the metal "devil horns" Dio, the redone version is way better because Howard, frontman of Killswitch, has fun with this 80's classic. The video is pretty funny as well.
Another good remake is Land of Confusion by Disturbed. Phil Collins version is pretty good but David Draimen of Disturbed adds a whole lot more anger to the original.
Here's another good one for ya, Boy's in the Hood by Dynamite Hack. Listening to gangster rap lyrics done in a soft non-threatening tone is just hillarious for some reason and catchy at that....
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I agree with almost all of those cover recommendations. That is odd....I almost never agree with anyone about that much music all at once :) I especially recommend the Holy Diver by Kill Switch Engaged cover, and the Hurt cover by Johnny Cash. I love NIN, but the pain is much more real to me in the Johnny Cash version. Excellent choices Fell and CM :)
I wouldn't count them as my favorites but, I also like Def Leppard, White Lion, and most other 80's hair bands. I know....awful of me, but I love them. And I am a fan of Depeche Mode....weird I know. And The Cure.
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It hardly needs to be mentioned, but "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix. Never has a song been so much more the cover artist's than it was the composer.
Also, "Hey Bulldog" by Toad the Wet Sprocket. More heretical than suggesting Nirvana did a better job than Bowie, but much more true. Toad gives the song an intensity that the original lacked.
And another heresy: Duran Duran playing "Femme Fatale." Yeah, yeah I know, Velvet Underground and such. But well, see, Duran Duran SINGS, while not one in Velvet Underground sang so much as approximated a semi-rhythmical chant.
and the following fall in the category of "worth listening to but not necessarily better than the original"
"Tangerine" by Big Head Todd and the Monsters. No one will supplant Robert Plant (*giggle*) but it's got a unique feel to it.
"Panic" by Puppini Sisters. They do USO style jazz (like the "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy") and yet they still covered a song by the Smiths. Oh yes.
Run DMC's "Walk This Way." Just because. Really.
Van Halen's performance of "Pretty Woman." Orbison made it sound like a fantasy daydream. Halen makes it sound like a sleeezy dream that comes true. Perfect.
The Ramones "Surfing Bird" Because the Ramones covering ANYTHING is full of win. Their album Acid Eaters is nothing but hippie music covers done three power-chord-Ramone style.
Rush also has a cover album, Feedback. If Blue Cheer hadn't done it, Rush reminds me once again why I not only resent but LOATHE a certain country cover of "Summertime Blues"
The Foo Fighters do a fascinating cover of Floyd's "Have a Cigar" on the M:I-2 soundtrack.
David Bowie does covers all the time. And if you aren't interested in hearing David Bowie interpret things, I don't know why I'm talking to you.He has a cover album, Pin Ups. He cover the Kinks, the Who, Pink Floyd and more. So lovely.
All this talk of Bowie compells me to share this picture:
(http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k147/Dark_Sword99/Ahug.jpg)
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Speaking of Foo Fighter covers, their version of Baker Street (available on the re-released version of The Color and the Shape) roxxors.
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I don't know why, but I've been in this crazy techo phase for the past week. Nothing but Daft Punk really, but I've tried to diverge and nothing worked.
What can TWGers suggest to get me off the Daft Punk road, but stay on that sort of tone and beat?
Also, their "Alive" album is a GREAT live album.
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Go to pandora.com, tell it to make a radio station based on Daft Punk, and then listen to your heart's content.
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Addendum to my previous post about covers, which I am embarrassed to have forgotten: Landslide by Smashing Pumpkins. Probably my favorite cover ever.
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Check out Boom Boom Satellites Gemm I think you may like them. I recomend the album "Full of Everlasting Pleasures"
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Speaking of covers, have you guys heard of Camp Freddy?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Freddy
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Then you must try Hammerfall's Cover Album(one of their best release)
Not simply becuase they are Swedish, but for their awesome instrumental display of beauty;)
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One more cover song that I thought was really well done was Shinedown's cover of "Simple Man." The lead singer for Shinedown can really belt it out. Not to mention the fact that Shinedown is awesome in their own right. Good solid rock.
Let's see, other bands...
There's a cello-driven band called Rasputina that I dig. Don't know exactly what it is about them, but I heard their song "New Zero" and got hooked. Later I found out that the song is about the songwriter's crush on the abominable snowman. :o
If you're into Electro Rock, there's a band called Ratatat that's pretty gnarly.
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I once checked a Hammerfall album out from the library. It was okay, but I wasn't terribly impressed.