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Post by carllove on Aug 22, 2021 20:45:02 GMT
Saw them in a fairly small venue at first and then in increasing larger locations. U2 was the same way. It’s fun to see a band that you loved from the start be discovered by the masses. It does take away from the initial intimacy that you had at the beginning though. That phenomenon is so interesting. I agree with you: it's fun to evangelize your favorites and find a bigger audience receptive ... yet I do also get the "oh, but in the old days..." phenomenon.
Something strange about a certain type of hipster/elitist is they actually seem to dislike their favorites becoming popular! As if they were only good when nobody knew about them.
I always find myself a bit bewildered and saddened when a band I “ discover” fails to make it big. I just knew that Fools Face would make it big. Talented musicians who wrote well-crafted catchy hooked songs and had a big following in the Midwest in the mid 80’s. The bass player Jim Wirt and I hung out together every time they came to town. The last time I saw him, He came back to my apartment, and we talked into the night, and he told me about their plans to move to LA. The audience loved them and their musical style was very relevant at the time. I think they made a top 200 album list once or twice, but now they are home in the Midwest doing the occasional reunion show. The other band that perplexes me is Little Green Cars. Absolute Zero is one of the best albums I have ever listened to. I bought the vinyl, even though I no longer owned a record player. So much talent in one band. They were Irish, but toured the states regularly and even played at Lollapalooza. Similar vibe to Mumford and Sons, only better. Just never caught on and broke up. Last time I saw them was in a little club that seated maybe 150. Got great pics with the band. Then they broke up and disappeared.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 22, 2021 20:49:32 GMT
I know the feeling. Several bands from that time when a person cares so much about it--my 20s!--were to me so obviously superstars, I didn't get the lack of fame. Some were local bands, others were little indies I'd heard of. But either way, how in the world were they not bigger than [#1 trash of the moment]!?!?
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Post by carllove on Aug 22, 2021 21:04:01 GMT
Actually found this Fools Face video on You Tube. Makes me miss Jim and our late night talks so much … Oh to be 22 again!
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Post by jk on Aug 23, 2021 7:53:45 GMT
Actually found this Fools Face video on You Tube. Makes me miss Jim and our late night talks so much … Oh to be 22 again! Cool upbeat song there. And what an energetic keyboardist! Thanks for that, cl.
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Post by kds on Aug 23, 2021 12:24:53 GMT
S
Scorpions. I grew up on the Scorpions Mercury years, which is chock full of radio friendly metal. But, it wasn't until around 2008 that I took a look at their 70s material with Uli Jon Roth, specifically the album Taken By Force. This was their final album with Roth on guitar, before signing with Mercury, so it's not totally different from what they did from 1979-1993. IMO, it contains the Scorpions all time best song - We'll Burn the Sky.
Runner up is Mr. Billy Squier, who is probably the first known casual of MTV. But, before his ill advised Rock Me Tonite video, he was on a good run, especially with the 1981 album Don't Say No, which is near perfect save for that annoying drum sound that Mack likes to feature on his productions.
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Post by jk on Aug 23, 2021 12:44:13 GMT
Couple more Stones:
The Stone Roses, whose self-titled debut album has some fantastic timeless songs on it. This is "(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister":
And then there's Sly (Sylvester Stewart) & the Family Stone with what may be the perfect less-is-more song, "Everyday People":
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 23, 2021 12:56:07 GMT
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Artist: The Stranglers - I checked them out in 1977 when I read a review for Rattus Norvegicus that compared them to The Doors. I wasn't disappointed. Led by Hugh Cornwell (who left the band in 1991) on guitar, Jean-Jacques Burnel on bass, Dave Greenfield on keyboards, and Jet Black on drums, The Stranglers combined punk, new wave, and good old rock & roll. Cornwell (mostly) and Burnell shared the lead vocals. The Stranglers are still around today, though, sadly, Dave Greenfield passed away from COVID in 2020, and Jet Black at age 83 no longer tours with the band.
Songs: Hanging Around, Goodbye Toulouse, Down In The Sewer, No More Heroes, Nice 'n' Sleazy, Toiler On The Sea, Golden Brown, Always The Sun, Walk On By
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 23, 2021 13:03:22 GMT
I picked Squeeze the first time round. This time I'll start with the Shins, one of the better indie rock bands of the '00s. They were cursed by an actress in a movie saying "they'll change your life," which seems excessive ... but they were great for a little while: energetic, good lyrics sometimes, great melodies, very good range from the singer. I really liked their second album, 2003's Chutes Too Narrow. Here's "Fighting in a Sack" from that album.
Second choice? You can do worse than the Smothers Brothers. I used to play, and laugh at, Live at the Purple Onion when I was a kid. "They whistled the words, they just whistled the words ... the words were dirty."
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Post by jk on Aug 23, 2021 13:06:10 GMT
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Artist: The Stranglers - I checked them out in 1977 when I read a review for Rattus Norvegicus that compared them to The Doors. I wasn't disappointed. Led by Hugh Cornwell (who left the band in 1991) on guitar, Jean-Jacques Burnel on bass, Dave Greenfield on keyboards, and Jet Black on drums, The Stranglers combined punk, new wave, and good old rock & roll. Cornwell (mostly) and Burnell shared the lead vocals. The Stranglers are still around today, though, sadly, Dave Greenfield passed away from COVID in 2020, and Jet Black at age 83 no longer tours with the band.
Songs: Hanging Around, Goodbye Toulouse, Down In The Sewer, No More Heroes, Nice 'n' Sleazy, Toiler On The Sea, Golden Brown, Always The Sun, Walk On By
Yes indeed. Lovely album. Talking of The Doors, my favourite Stranglers track is the very-Doorsish "Walk On By" with some astonishing bass licks by the fascinating J-JB...
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Post by jk on Aug 24, 2021 9:30:02 GMT
Time for T, everyone...
First, a highly unsettling if riveting double CD by Techno Animal. The nightmarish cover of Re-Entry (1995) reflects the nightmarish music inside. Not for the fragile of constitution. This is "Demodex Invasion":
And second, for a little light relief, The Trashmen with their late 1963 US hit "Surfin' Bird":
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 25, 2021 12:00:40 GMT
T
Artist: A shout out to The Turtles! They had it going for four or five years in the mid/late 1960's. One of the greatest strings of AM radio classics by any group.
Songs: Happy Together, She's My Girl, You Baby, Can I Get To Know You Better, You Showed Me, She's Rather Be With Me, Love In The City, Eleanor, You Know What I Mean, Let Me Be, It Ain't Me Babe and many others.
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Post by kds on Aug 25, 2021 12:21:58 GMT
T
Thin Lizzy - I'll go with their Jailbreak album, one of a handful of great albums Phil and the boy-Os put out in the 1970s.
Second chance, one of the all time great supergroups Traveling Wilburys, and their amazing debut album
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 25, 2021 18:16:14 GMT
I've really fallen behind here, so hopefully a day-plus late T is OK. I chose the Traveling Wilburys the first time around.
Tom Waits is not for everyone, but he was for me from the very first time I heard him, which was in the very late '90s. The gruff voice and (from the 80s onward) junkyard instrumentation could fool somebody into thinking he's avant garde, but I think he's more a pre-rock tunesmith than anything else--that and a brilliant wit. Great lyricist, strong melody writer (despite the questionable voice to sing them), just fantastic. I prefer his 80s-00s output, but really loved his Blue Valentine from the late 70s, too, which included these favorites: one a standard from the musical West Side Story, and the other two seeming almost like outtakes from a more realistic version of the same musical...
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Post by jk on Aug 26, 2021 12:03:48 GMT
It's up to U, I suppose... U is for Underworld of "Born Slippy" fame. But this, for me, is their finest hour -- "And I Will Kiss" (a quote from The Tempest) was the thrilling peak of the opening ceremony at the London Olympics in whatever year they were held: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_I_Will_KissU is also for Phil Upchurch, whose combo first released the definitive version of the instrumental classic "You Can't Sit Down" in 1961:
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Post by kds on Aug 26, 2021 13:32:45 GMT
U
While they never achieved the acclaim or popularity of Sabbath, Zeppelin, or Purple, Uriah Heep belongs in the same conversion as those hard rock / metal pioneers. My favorite album is their second effort - Salisbury - which showcases their strengths for hard rock (Bird of Prey), ballads (Lady in Black), and epics (Title Track).
My second pick is another band that was more influential than popular - UFO. They had a great run of albums in the 1970s once they added Michael Schenker to the lineup, but I'll go with Lights Out.
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