Music

[JR8]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1keMYRam0o
Riff Raff - "Versace Python" (Freestyle)

If I had an alter-ego, this would exist in that place.

Coke, snakes, guns too (pretty please?) ...

[JR8]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bdfsYPp1Z4
The Stranglers - The Raven (Full Album)

Arguably my main formative band as a teenager, and this was arguably their final topping out as a band. They were punk, now with this album clearly new-wave, now light, too resolved.

They musically and compositionally grew up, and I think I and others lagged that, and pined for 'the Stranglers' that had been before that no longer existed, and wasn't coming back ...

[JR8]

The B-52s Give Me Back My man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv5Hj1MTW7o



.... much more to this than meets the eye, but it's late....

[Brah]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bdfsYPp1Z4
The Stranglers - The Raven (Full Album)

Arguably my main formative band as a teenager, and this was arguably their final topping out as a band. They were punk, now with this album clearly new-wave, now light, too resolved.

They musically and compositionally grew up, and I think I and others lagged that, and pined for 'the Stranglers' that had been before that no longer existed, and wasn't coming back ...

I have to wonder if the original fans of XTC felt the same way after their more punk-ish beginnings ended around Black Sea, to be followed by the arguably best English Settlement, which is where I came in with them.

Same for fans of the John Foxx/pre-Midge Ure-era Ultravox, to where I came in with them with Vienna, also arguably their best.

But I myself felt this way with my beloved Black Sabbath after Technical Ecstasy. and Pink Floyd after Animals.

[JR8]

I have to wonder if the original fans of XTC felt the same way after their more punk-ish beginnings ended around Black Sea, to be followed by the arguably best English Settlement, which is where I came in with them.

Same for fans of the John Foxx/pre-Midge Ure-era Ultravox, to where I came in with them with Vienna, also arguably their best.

But I myself felt this way with my beloved Black Sabbath after Technical Ecstasy. and Pink Floyd after Animals.

Some bands evolve, some seem to just keep on going the same.

The latter?
AC/DC, Motorhead
The former?
Stranglers, Pink Floyd.

Ultravox's Vienna. OMG. That self-indulgent dirge (IMHO) was #1 for weeks, I'd hope to never have to hear it ever again. I liked the earlier Ultravox prior to that.

I was too late to experience much Sabbath at the time (too young to appreciate stuff that heavy and 'bad-ass') , and wasn't in early enough to experience Floyd in their early days. But looking back now early Floyd was FAR FAR out.

A variant is the Stranglers who started as a punk band, evolved into New Wave. When the Lead gittar/vocals Hugh Cornwall progressively took the band to lighter and lighter stuff (I mean Golden Brown is so gentle it's verging on a lullaby!) he probably got forced out, and went solo. He got replaced by Baz Warne who arguably collectively helped haul the band back somewhere closer to their original sound.

Another approach to this was the English new wave band SpizzEnergi. They seemed to change their name on about an annual basis, so in my few years as a fan, they were also known as Spizzoil, and AthleticoSpizz80. [Apparently they later yet morphed in to the Spizzles and the Spizzenergi2, Spizz and Spizz Orbit... ]. It was all about not being type-cast, and with each name change they could re-invent themselves if and as they so wished.

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Spizz was noted for an annual name change policy which ceased when the Guinness Book of Records failed to recognise Spizz's claim that he has recorded and released the greatest number of recordings under different names. "Too Specialised" was the response of the then deputy editor, Shelagh Thomas, who nevertheless confessed to owning [their record] "Where's Captain Kirk?"
-------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spizzenergi

[rajagainstthemachine]

Going to spend the rest of today at work writing some documentation and listening to Progressive music like this

Andromeda - Swedish Prog rock band very similar to Dream Theater

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4_J8tekXTo

Whose songs are longer: Dream Theater or Phish?

I haven't heard Phish, but I assume they are a bit long as well? I have several friends who dislike DT because it puts them to sleep.
I am however an occasional listener, but I cannpt go through a whole DT album.

Worlds apart, Phish are /were the next Grateful Dead / jam band, DT were like the next Rush / Dregs / etc. but you know them.

I too struggle with a whole DT album and prefer them song by song, though they put on a great, long concert, saw them a few times and while a lot of it sounds alike, it's well-put together stuff.

I don't think Phish have long songs, not like Yes or some other Prog Rock epics, just that live they jam on songs for a long time. Of what I've heard of Phish I really only like Billy Breathes and I like that a lot; I have another, studio album (probably missing the point with them) but don't like it.

I have a lot of grateful dead on my playlist, i had a neighbour in the eighties who used to to listen to a ton of grateful dead and led zep on tapes, but I was five and he was in his twenties, later when I am now in my thirties I decided to check them out and I quite enjoy several of their songs. I have to check out Phish though.

[rajagainstthemachine]

Yeah I knew you wouldn't laugh, it was a self-deprecating comment, maybe I know the Star One still is borderline silly, but I still like it.

You might want to check out Arjen Lucassen's' regular' stuff with Ayreon,

Ayreon!! I think I had a friend recommend this to me I didn't get around to doing that and I think I will put this on my list to download

[rajagainstthemachine]

That Killswitch sounded pretty good.

One of the things in response to RITM for mindblowing-type solos was this at 6:00, the song after the 2 minute intro is pretty damn good, though by comparison sounds a bit old skool.
Shadow Gallery - Stiletto in the Sand / War for Sale
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ctj2u0vgGE

A better example, from 5:30
Symphony X - Accolade II
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kb8SVgbzgM
Must be good with so many guys attempting this solo on YT, watching them do it shows how off-the-wall and technically challenging it is.

I like Symphony X and Never heard of Shadow Gallery until now
I am listening to the Andromeda Strain
a bit cheesy vocals though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r71rwu1wgU

[JR8]

I have a lot of grateful dead on my playlist, i had a neighbour in the eighties who used to to listen to a ton of grateful dead and led zep on tapes, but I was five and he was in his twenties, later when I am now in my thirties I decided to check them out and I quite enjoy several of their songs. I have to check out Phish though.

I recall being aware of but not hearing the Grateful Dead back in the 70's. With their name, album sleeves etc of skeletons, skulls, and constant references to drugs, I'd built up in my mind an image of them being a really heavy/psychedelic band.

... so when I started to later get into heavy/psychedelic music in the early 80s I took the time to check them out, only to find that rather than being a hippy/stoner version of Black Sabbath, or similar, they're closer to Cliff Richard, er kinda doing a holiday special from some cutesy beach party... quite a shocker!



p.s. I actually, and this is hard for me to verbalise, find the overall proposition impenetrable, or perhaps rather offensive to sensibilities of mature and adult taste. Adult themes to such childish composition. Meanwhile, death-symbolism everywhere (their fans are called Deadheads right?) = Weird


--- The spice Girls achieved a lifetime (what, a year?) double the album sales of the Grateful Dead's entire career..... hnnnn

[nakatago]

p.s. I actually, and this is hard for me to verbalise, find the overall proposition impenetrable, or perhaps rather offensive to sensibilities of mature and adult taste. Adult themes to such childish composition. Meanwhile, death-symbolism everywhere (their fans are called Deadheads right?) = Weird

Well, in the 90's, there was a pop duo called Savage Garden and a boy band called Damage. When I found out what kind of music they performed, I was severely disappointed. Don't judge an album by its cover art.

[rajagainstthemachine]

I have a lot of grateful dead on my playlist, i had a neighbour in the eighties who used to to listen to a ton of grateful dead and led zep on tapes, but I was five and he was in his twenties, later when I am now in my thirties I decided to check them out and I quite enjoy several of their songs. I have to check out Phish though.

I recall being aware of but not hearing the Grateful Dead back in the 70's. With their name, album sleeves etc of skeletons, skulls, and constant references to drugs, I'd built up in my mind an image of them being a really heavy/psychedelic band.

... so when I started to later get into heavy/psychedelic music in the early 80s I took the time to check them out, only to find that rather than being a hippy/stoner version of Black Sabbath, or similar, they're closer to Cliff Richard, er kinda doing a holiday special from some cutesy beach party... quite a shocker!



p.s. I actually, and this is hard for me to verbalise, find the overall proposition impenetrable, or perhaps rather offensive to sensibilities of mature and adult taste. Adult themes to such childish composition. Meanwhile, death-symbolism everywhere (their fans are called Deadheads right?) = Weird


--- The spice Girls achieved a lifetime (what, a year?) double the album sales of the Grateful Dead's entire career..... hnnnn

I agree with you 100%, my first impressions were whoa!! this is badass,
and then they dish out songs which match a holiday scene in Brittos shack in Goa.

[JR8]

'Spinal Tap - Interview Good Morning America 3-30-92'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZtSQCbAQxU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uvV1XkiGoU
Spinal Tap - Live at the Royal Albert Hall - 7th July 1992.
Wind to about c13:30m

---

So you decide, Spinal Tap, Grateful Dead.... fact or fiction?

[JR8]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7yhi1c_q6s
Sevendust- Face To Face


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Bang on....

[Brah]

I Ultravox, to where I came in with them with Vienna, also arguably their best.

Ultravox's Vienna. OMG. That self-indulgent dirge (IMHO) was #1 for weeks, I'd hope to never have to hear it ever again. I liked the earlier Ultravox prior to that.

That is the one song on the album I could only listen to a few times. If that's all you heard, I can understand completely. And the albums that followed had a few listenable parts of songs, but their basic premise became unashamedly overindulgent to the point of comical. One of the "New Romantics" movement.

But the rest of Vienna is really good, especially Astradyne, which is an instrumental. And maybe because it's an instrumental..... Good clips of that live in recent years all over YT.

[nakatago]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7yhi1c_q6s
Sevendust- Face To Face


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Bang on....

Ever since I told you about this song....