After rereading the last few posts on country. I would submit maybe two of most outlaw of country singers (they must be submited together) Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe. If you are easily offended Coe isn't for you, but he did write two of the greatest country songs ever. "Take this Job and Shove It" and "You never even called me by my name" Neither can sing worth a damn.
On a personal note I am a big fan of Hank Williams Jr. and I really like Hank Williams III (he sounds and looks like his granddaddy). My favorite Hank Jr. song is Dinosaur
Hate Jr., but Three is okay. I've heard “Take This Job...” way too often to enjoy it anymore. I wasn't a huge fan of it to begin with to be honest. But I do still sing along with “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.” I don't like Coe, but I do enjoy Goodman and Prine.
You so need to play banjo in the booth and Heroes this yer.
I don't think my neighbors would appreciate it. Banjos are rather loud. (Plus, I'm a bit out of practice—loud and out of practice are not a good combination.)
Any thoughts on the new U2 album? It's a "meh" for me, much bigger fan of their older works. Are Bono and the boys still relevent in the music world or is their time up?
I've literally not listened to a new U2 album since the 1990s. And I don't dislike them or anything. I regularly bought their albums from Joshua Tree up through Zooropa. For some reason they simply fell off my radar. If it weren't for Apple commercials, I doubt I would even know what their music from the past five years even sounds like.
Like some other bands that come to mind, I think they were a lot more likable when they were up and coming, or even just achieving fame. Less so when they seem more like an industry than a band.
In honor of me manually downloading the U2 album in my iTunes I relistened to War (my favorite U2 album) but did not listen to the new one.
So for the past 2 months I've been jamming out to mostly oldies, disney tunes, and light rock from the 70's. It is amazing what you will listen to to keep a 7/8 month old entertained.
Here are my observations: Rumors is still a good album
I'm still not a fan of Hall & Oates, but my duaghter relaxes when they are on. I think she knows one of them has a mustache (she distrusts shaven men)
Spotify and Pandora are godsends.
The GoG soundtrack is also pretty great for her (though she's not a fan of the Bowie track, or guitar solos). Her brain exploded the first time she heard Hooked on a Feeling; it was amazing.
She and I both love The Coasters; her favorite song is the first half of Down in Mexico. She just starts smiling, crawling to daddy, and clapping when it comes on.
In honor of me manually downloading the U2 album in my iTunes I relistened to War (my favorite U2 album) but did not listen to the new one.
So for the past 2 months I've been jamming out to mostly oldies, disney tunes, and light rock from the 70's. It is amazing what you will listen to to keep a 7/8 month old entertained.
Here are my observations: Rumors is still a goodfreaking fantastic album
I'm still not a fan of Hall & Oates, but my duaghter relaxes when they are on. I think she knows one of them has a mustache (she distrusts shaven men)
Spotify and Pandora are godsends.
The GoG soundtrack is also pretty great for her (though she's not a fan of the Bowie track, or guitar solos). Her brain exploded the first time she heard Hooked on a Feeling; it was amazing.
She and I both love The Coasters; her favorite song is the first half of Down in Mexico. She just starts smiling, crawling to daddy, and clapping when it comes on.
Fixed that
I've not gone over to Spotify yet, but I do dig Pandora.
It sounds like your daughter is pretty awesome. When my middle one was little, I'd put the Beatles on when she was fussy. Love Me Do was her go-to song.
She too young to have real opinions on music (or anything right now), but she likes that kind of music. We listen to lots of music.
She really likes classical music with violins too, but that is bc her mama (my wife) plays a violin. The wierdest thing though is that up until recently the easiest way to calm her down when she got fussy in the car was Miranda Lambert. I'm not talking about her soft songs; the baby loved her rowdy music. Again I blame her mother bc she listened to Miranda Lambert all the time during the pregancy. Over July 4th week we took a long trip up to WV and Pittsburgh; when she was awake Miranda was on constantly. Gun Powder and Lead, Craxy Ex-Girlfriend, and Drytown were on repeat.
Music is an odd subject for me, as I can honestly say that until a few months ago, I wasn’t listening to much of it. Kevin Smith tells a story about George Carlin – He asked George what kind of music he wanted to listen to in the car, and Carlin said: I don’t listen to music any more. It’s about this guy loves this girl and this girl loves this guy and they have problems… and fuck those people.
I felt the same way. I’d go see my favorite bands when they’d come to town, but just turning on the radio and listening to music or putting in a CD? Nah. I’d rather listen to a podcast or an interview while cleaning or working out or driving. But, about three months ago, I flipped over to the Underground Garage channel on Sirius while Stern was in commercial, and the morning DJ was talking about the recording session for a song. He then played “The Coolest Song In The World This Week” – song by The Strypes, and another song by the Ramones and so on…and I got hooked again. The DJ talked about the music and his love of it, they play songs that haven’t been run in the ground…and now that’s what I listen to on my way to work.
I’ve never been one of those “No good music was recorded after I left high school”, but it does feel that the ART of rock and pop music is in a bad patch. There’s no passion, just “we need an up-tempo love song for summer, get me a hot 19 year old to sing it” or “Let’s fake marital problems so that people will follow our tour on gossip pages”…but Michael Des Barres as a DJ made music matter to me again. I don’t know what the top 40 is any more, but I know I’m excited to hear the mix he will put together every morning.
I've also never been one of those types to complain about music made after my high school/college years, but it does seem like music's in a real slump these days. When I started using the Shazam app on my phone I found myself subscribed to some sort of weekly Top 10 list. Much of it looks very forgettable. It's not even so much that it's artists or music I don't care for - it's artists with one novelty hit that never do anything else. It's the Youtube-ization of pop music - lots of random, gimmicky songs that draw a crowd, then are forgotten by next year. Granted, there's always been some sort of aspect of that in pop music, but it's interesting that you can still find stations that play music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, even the 80s or 90s, but I'm not seeing much nostalgia for anything after that. At a certain point around the 2000s I feel like the pop charts lost that ability to represent an accurate snapshot of the culture at that time.
My wife's a teacher, and I helped her chaperone a high school dance last month. The DJ didn't play any current hits, just a rhythm heavy non-stop dance mix of club songs that these kids were likely hearing for the first, and only, time that night. No slow songs, no requests, nothing that would have any meaning beyond simply having a beat to dance to at that exact moment. The kids didn't seem to care what was playing. Music just seems more disposable these days.
"Music doesn't suck right now; YOU suck right now." - Henry Rollins
I went through a period of "Jesus does all music suck right now?" and realized it really doesn't, I just wasn't looking in the right spots. I was spoiled. I grew up an an era where the single download was unheard of. You bought a band's album...maybe for just that one song, but you bought it. Sure, you could cheap out and buy the 45 and maybe the b-side would be worth it, but for a few sheckels more you'd have the entire work.
But albums had identity. You don't speak about Led Zeppelin's single "Black Dog", you talk about Zeppelin Fucking Four! KISS Destroyer is the shittiest album in their catalog in terms of good songs but it's the most identifiable outside of Alive. Singles existed, sure, but a band didn't necessarily have to live and die by the 99-cent download.
Anymore, when I think about how music is so lame and blah blah blah, I remember the 90s in comics. Remember how much the 90s comics all sucked? We devote whole podcasts to it. But hey...there was The Maxx. There was Strangers in Paradise. There was Morrison's JLA run. There was a LOT of great stuff happening in the 90s comic scene.
In the same sense, right now I have Angels & Airwaves, which essentially is the band making the music I'd always wished I could create. I have Coheed & Cambria, a band that's a space epic that's a comic book! Could anything be *more* custom built for me? :) I have Keane, the strangest band on the planet because it takes a new album to get me to appreciate the genius of the last one. And it's genius, no mistake.
That's three relatively recent groups (in music terms they're probably already dinosaur acts but the fact that they're still around is pretty telling). The funny part about the U2 "controversy" is that nobody's pointing a gun to anyone's head and forcing them to download or listen to it. I plan to download my copy, but for now it's still sitting up there in the cloud, waiting.
I should clarify, I listen to and enjoy plenty of modern music. I doubt there's ever a time when all of a cultural genre "sucks". When I think back to the late '70s, I don't think disco and Debby Boone, I think The Ramones and The Clash, so there's always something good going on. I just feel like what we're told are the top pop songs of the day, what is ostensibly a reflection of what's popular among the culture, are both not terribly interesting, and not actually that popular.
I'm with @Torchsong on this one. But then, I haven't listened to Top 40 radio since I was in 9th grade, back in ’84-85. In fact, I would argue that this is the best time to find great music there has ever been. Bands that back in the day wouldn't have gotten onto a label because they couldn't be easily classified can go to YouTube and Patreon and any number of other distribution outlets. Whatever it is you're looking for, odds are there’s a band out there somewhere making it. Seek and ye shall find, my brethren!
"New" music for baby or Dad's Adventures in Babysitting
In my ongoing quest to find music that both a 9.5 month old and her dad can enjoy I've found some new music for both of us. Spotify and Pandora are still fantastic.
I've mentioned before she is a fan of 70's light rock, but now she "dances" and claps with music she really likes. Rumors - she likes most of that album.
Boston - Boston album - 3 of my favorite things happen during Foreplay/Longtime she giggles like crazy watching Daddy or pink bear play air guitar during the intro, she starts "dancing" when the intro ends and the guitar starts for the singing, and she claps during the singing (not to the beat but it's a start).
Beverly Hills - Weezer - now that she can clap she started liking songs with easily defined beats that are not too heavy. Cake - the band. I exiperimented and she liked most of what I played Fitz and the Tantrums - she "dances" to them The Jackson Five - she likes little Mike and "dancing" to his music
Of course she still loves almost anything that a woman sings. She still really enjoys violin and classical music; she listens to a lot of classical with Mama and grandmama (pretty much the only cds in her room).
She's out on U2, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Cash, all country sang by men and the GoG soundtrack.
"New" music for baby or Dad's Adventures in Babysitting
In my ongoing quest to find music that both a 9.5 month old and her dad can enjoy I've found some new music for both of us. Spotify and Pandora are still fantastic.
I've mentioned before she is a fan of 70's light rock, but now she "dances" and claps with music she really likes. Rumors - she likes most of that album.
Boston - Boston album - 3 of my favorite things happen during Foreplay/Longtime she giggles like crazy watching Daddy or pink bear play air guitar during the intro, she starts "dancing" when the intro ends and the guitar starts for the singing, and she claps during the singing (not to the beat but it's a start).
Beverly Hills - Weezer - now that she can clap she started liking songs with easily defined beats that are not too heavy. Cake - the band. I exiperimented and she liked most of what I played Fitz and the Tantrums - she "dances" to them The Jackson Five - she likes little Mike and "dancing" to his music
Of course she still loves almost anything that a woman sings. She still really enjoys violin and classical music; she listens to a lot of classical with Mama and grandmama (pretty much the only cds in her room).
She's out on U2, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Cash, all country sang by men and the GoG soundtrack.
Very cool. Sounds like you need to try some Queen and some Motown girl bands.
"New" music for baby or Dad's Adventures in Babysitting
In my ongoing quest to find music that both a 9.5 month old and her dad can enjoy I've found some new music for both of us. Spotify and Pandora are still fantastic.
I've mentioned before she is a fan of 70's light rock, but now she "dances" and claps with music she really likes. Rumors - she likes most of that album.
Boston - Boston album - 3 of my favorite things happen during Foreplay/Longtime she giggles like crazy watching Daddy or pink bear play air guitar during the intro, she starts "dancing" when the intro ends and the guitar starts for the singing, and she claps during the singing (not to the beat but it's a start).
Beverly Hills - Weezer - now that she can clap she started liking songs with easily defined beats that are not too heavy. Cake - the band. I exiperimented and she liked most of what I played Fitz and the Tantrums - she "dances" to them The Jackson Five - she likes little Mike and "dancing" to his music
Of course she still loves almost anything that a woman sings. She still really enjoys violin and classical music; she listens to a lot of classical with Mama and grandmama (pretty much the only cds in her room).
She's out on U2, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Cash, all country sang by men and the GoG soundtrack.
Give the kings of music a go. The Beatles. Couple styles of great music you can try there.
I've had more fun listening to music with her than I've had listening to music in a long time.
There is something pretty awesome about watching her scramble to my Nook when she hears something that she likes, or watching her shake her little bottom and bounce as she when she really likes something, or start clapping to a song after the claps are over because she doesn't know.
The best thing is it's not me trying to make a "cool" baby it's me finding music she can have fun with. I love it; if she loved kids music we'd be a Barney house. Btw I can't wait for her to get into that 2 years range when it becomes acceptable for me to jam out to Raffi and veggie tales (I'm not kidding).
Comments
Victoria by Eve 6 (or Situation Infatuation, can't decide which is better)
2) What band/artist have you recently "discovered" that you like?
Benjamin Francis Leftwich (which introduced me to the whole 'folk rock' scene. Such AMAZINGLY chill music)
3) What was the last CD (actual physical media) that you bought?
Robotique Majestique by Ghostland Observatory
4) What was the last mp3 (or single file audio track) that you bought/downloaded?
Guilty All the Same (Feat. RAKIM) by Linkin Park
5) What are you looking forward to - music-wise - in 2014?
Whatever new album Linkin Park plans on releasing. They're one of the only bands I STILL make a point to go PHYSICALLY buy the CD when it releases.
Like some other bands that come to mind, I think they were a lot more likable when they were up and coming, or even just achieving fame. Less so when they seem more like an industry than a band.
So for the past 2 months I've been jamming out to mostly oldies, disney tunes, and light rock from the 70's. It is amazing what you will listen to to keep a 7/8 month old entertained.
Here are my observations:
Rumors is still a good album
I'm still not a fan of Hall & Oates, but my duaghter relaxes when they are on. I think she knows one of them has a mustache (she distrusts shaven men)
Spotify and Pandora are godsends.
The GoG soundtrack is also pretty great for her (though she's not a fan of the Bowie track, or guitar solos). Her brain exploded the first time she heard Hooked on a Feeling; it was amazing.
She and I both love The Coasters; her favorite song is the first half of Down in Mexico. She just starts smiling, crawling to daddy, and clapping when it comes on.
I've been listening to it since it was released and have enjoyed it a lot. It's very Waylon Jennings.
I've not gone over to Spotify yet, but I do dig Pandora.
It sounds like your daughter is pretty awesome. When my middle one was little, I'd put the Beatles on when she was fussy. Love Me Do was her go-to song.
She really likes classical music with violins too, but that is bc her mama (my wife) plays a violin.
The wierdest thing though is that up until recently the easiest way to calm her down when she got fussy in the car was Miranda Lambert. I'm not talking about her soft songs; the baby loved her rowdy music. Again I blame her mother bc she listened to Miranda Lambert all the time during the pregancy.
Over July 4th week we took a long trip up to WV and Pittsburgh; when she was awake Miranda was on constantly. Gun Powder and Lead, Craxy Ex-Girlfriend, and Drytown were on repeat.
I felt the same way. I’d go see my favorite bands when they’d come to town, but just turning on the radio and listening to music or putting in a CD? Nah. I’d rather listen to a podcast or an interview while cleaning or working out or driving. But, about three months ago, I flipped over to the Underground Garage channel on Sirius while Stern was in commercial, and the morning DJ was talking about the recording session for a song. He then played “The Coolest Song In The World This Week” – song by The Strypes, and another song by the Ramones and so on…and I got hooked again. The DJ talked about the music and his love of it, they play songs that haven’t been run in the ground…and now that’s what I listen to on my way to work.
I’ve never been one of those “No good music was recorded after I left high school”, but it does feel that the ART of rock and pop music is in a bad patch. There’s no passion, just “we need an up-tempo love song for summer, get me a hot 19 year old to sing it” or “Let’s fake marital problems so that people will follow our tour on gossip pages”…but Michael Des Barres as a DJ made music matter to me again. I don’t know what the top 40 is any more, but I know I’m excited to hear the mix he will put together every morning.
My wife's a teacher, and I helped her chaperone a high school dance last month. The DJ didn't play any current hits, just a rhythm heavy non-stop dance mix of club songs that these kids were likely hearing for the first, and only, time that night. No slow songs, no requests, nothing that would have any meaning beyond simply having a beat to dance to at that exact moment. The kids didn't seem to care what was playing. Music just seems more disposable these days.
I went through a period of "Jesus does all music suck right now?" and realized it really doesn't, I just wasn't looking in the right spots. I was spoiled. I grew up an an era where the single download was unheard of. You bought a band's album...maybe for just that one song, but you bought it. Sure, you could cheap out and buy the 45 and maybe the b-side would be worth it, but for a few sheckels more you'd have the entire work.
But albums had identity. You don't speak about Led Zeppelin's single "Black Dog", you talk about Zeppelin Fucking Four! KISS Destroyer is the shittiest album in their catalog in terms of good songs but it's the most identifiable outside of Alive. Singles existed, sure, but a band didn't necessarily have to live and die by the 99-cent download.
Anymore, when I think about how music is so lame and blah blah blah, I remember the 90s in comics. Remember how much the 90s comics all sucked? We devote whole podcasts to it. But hey...there was The Maxx. There was Strangers in Paradise. There was Morrison's JLA run. There was a LOT of great stuff happening in the 90s comic scene.
In the same sense, right now I have Angels & Airwaves, which essentially is the band making the music I'd always wished I could create. I have Coheed & Cambria, a band that's a space epic that's a comic book! Could anything be *more* custom built for me? :) I have Keane, the strangest band on the planet because it takes a new album to get me to appreciate the genius of the last one. And it's genius, no mistake.
That's three relatively recent groups (in music terms they're probably already dinosaur acts but the fact that they're still around is pretty telling). The funny part about the U2 "controversy" is that nobody's pointing a gun to anyone's head and forcing them to download or listen to it. I plan to download my copy, but for now it's still sitting up there in the cloud, waiting.
/End stream of consciousness... :)
Lately I've been listening to Ambient Techno music, especially A band called Solar Fields. Good drawing music.
In my ongoing quest to find music that both a 9.5 month old and her dad can enjoy I've found some new music for both of us. Spotify and Pandora are still fantastic.
I've mentioned before she is a fan of 70's light rock, but now she "dances" and claps with music she really likes.
Rumors - she likes most of that album.
Boston - Boston album - 3 of my favorite things happen during Foreplay/Longtime she giggles like crazy watching Daddy or pink bear play air guitar during the intro, she starts "dancing" when the intro ends and the guitar starts for the singing, and she claps during the singing (not to the beat but it's a start).
Beverly Hills - Weezer - now that she can clap she started liking songs with easily defined beats that are not too heavy.
Cake - the band. I exiperimented and she liked most of what I played
Fitz and the Tantrums - she "dances" to them
The Jackson Five - she likes little Mike and "dancing" to his music
Of course she still loves almost anything that a woman sings. She still really enjoys violin and classical music; she listens to a lot of classical with Mama and grandmama (pretty much the only cds in her room).
She's out on U2, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Cash, all country sang by men and the GoG soundtrack.
Sarah Baralles?
The Ramones?
What I want to know is how did we get from Ronnie Spector to Ronnie Dio?
There is something pretty awesome about watching her scramble to my Nook when she hears something that she likes, or watching her shake her little bottom and bounce as she when she really likes something, or start clapping to a song after the claps are over because she doesn't know.
The best thing is it's not me trying to make a "cool" baby it's me finding music she can have fun with. I love it; if she loved kids music we'd be a Barney house. Btw I can't wait for her to get into that 2 years range when it becomes acceptable for me to jam out to Raffi and veggie tales (I'm not kidding).