New Edition to the Whitt household. At 1.5 years old my daughter has found 2 new bands. The Beastie Boys - she only likes music from I'll communication and hello nasty. The best thing in the world might be watching her run around crazy when sabotage comes on.
The Ventures - this means there's hope for Frankie and Annette and Dick Dale.
(Well, except for the eventual Falcons fandom... :) )
I'll be honest I've had doubts about making her a uga and falcons fan. It comes down to finding a team that would be an acceptable replacement. I just think I'm going to have to bite the bullit and let her join the misery. I'll kick her out of the house if she becomes a celtics fan though; she pack up her little teddy bear and toddle on down the road.
Thanks to Antman my Cure collection has been doing the rounds. Such an underrated band!
Yeah, me too. I am a big fan of their darker records, including Disintegration. Seventeen Seconds is my favorite Cure album. And the remix take of "Never Enough"- not the main version but the Big Mix that closed out the band's Mixed Up compilation.. That tune is incredible.
Disintegration is one of my favourites too. Really enjoy Seventeen Seconds, as well as Wish and Head in Door too. Their last album was really solid, 4:13 Dream. They've still got it.
Head on The Door is a classic album, probably the last great one they did. I think they made great singles over the years but Disintegration and Wish felt like sputtering and the past twenty years have not felt like the Cure of the early 80's. Unlike U2 or Depeche Mode I did not like how they changed over the years.
A couple days ago I was in a grocery store and "Lullaby" started playing. Not a song I expected to hear while walking through a Winn Dixie.
I always felt like Disintegration was pretty much their peak, when everything they'd been doing previously came together in one package. Not saying it's their best or my favorite - I usually lean toward Seventeen Seconds - but it felt like after that they weren't sure where to go.
Wish was enjoyable, hated Wild Mood Swings, thought Bloodflowers was underrated and probably the closest they've come to their classic sound. Everything after that - I honestly couldn't name a single song from those albums, even though I own them and have listened to them multiple times.
Kiss Me x3 was a funny one for me. Initially I couldn't stand it. Since though it's grown to be one of my favourites.
Additionally I really enjoy their live albums Paris and Show. A band I've never seen live but are one of a few bands left on my to see list (along with Coldplay and should dreams come true and they join up for one last tour, Led Zep).
Mentioned my love of Seventeen Seconds, so naturally the three records that I think are their best are the "goth trilogy" of Seconds, Faith, & Pornography. The rest of their discography through Disintegration I still enjoy, even the poppier stuff- after that the quality dropped off quite a bit for me. Probably should give Bloodflowers another spin.
I did not like Wish at all and I can't stand the singles from that record- "Friday I'm in Love" drives me nuts. They got to the point where when they took their pop turns, it just became so lightweight to me that it turned me way off.
Kiss Me x3 was a funny one for me. Initially I couldn't stand it. Since though it's grown to be one of my favourites.
Additionally I really enjoy their live albums Paris and Show. A band I've never seen live but are one of a few bands left on my to see list (along with Coldplay and should dreams come true and they join up for one last tour, Led Zep).
I find that I react differently every time I listen to Kiss Me. As I look at the track listing on Wikipedia, I see that I can't even recall what half of those songs sound like. But the ones I do recall (Just Like Heaven, Why Can't I Be You?, How Beautiful You Are) are some of my favorites.
As much as I regret having never seen The Cure live, I'm also not sure I'd want to see them now. They seem so far gone from what I grew up with that I'd almost prefer not to spoil the memories.
Although, I used to say the same thing about Morrissey, but after seeing him last month for the first time in nearly 20 years, I found it to be the one of the best shows I've ever seen, and definitely the best I've seen from him.
Kiss Me x3 was a funny one for me. Initially I couldn't stand it. Since though it's grown to be one of my favourites.
Additionally I really enjoy their live albums Paris and Show. A band I've never seen live but are one of a few bands left on my to see list (along with Coldplay and should dreams come true and they join up for one last tour, Led Zep).
Although, I used to say the same thing about Morrissey, but after seeing him last month for the first time in nearly 20 years, I found it to be the one of the best shows I've ever seen, and definitely the best I've seen from him.
Nice. I'd like to see him too. Seen Johny Marr a couple times. While he plays a mean guitar, his singing leaves a lot to be desired.
Seeing Morrissey doing There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is something I'd love.
Morbid Side Bar - There Is A Light is the song I want played at my funeral.
I am loving the new Johnny Marr solo stuff. There are a couple new singles, and his first solo record is also incredible. I don't mind his singing.. Look, he's never gonna be Moz and he's not gonna try. It still works for me and IMO works for the material.
I also am a huge fan of the records from The The when Johnny Marr was a member of the band- particularly Dusk.
I also am a huge fan of the records from The The when Johnny Marr was a member of the band- particularly Dusk.
I've never been a huge fan of the Smiths, though I do like a number of their songs. Morrissey's voice just gets on my nerves. But I love The The. Dusk is an incredible record. Marr has been a really good fit with Modest Mouse too.
Kiss Me x3 was a funny one for me. Initially I couldn't stand it. Since though it's grown to be one of my favourites.
Additionally I really enjoy their live albums Paris and Show. A band I've never seen live but are one of a few bands left on my to see list (along with Coldplay and should dreams come true and they join up for one last tour, Led Zep).
Although, I used to say the same thing about Morrissey, but after seeing him last month for the first time in nearly 20 years, I found it to be the one of the best shows I've ever seen, and definitely the best I've seen from him.
Nice. I'd like to see him too. Seen Johny Marr a couple times. While he plays a mean guitar, his singing leaves a lot to be desired.
Seeing Morrissey doing There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is something I'd love.
Morbid Side Bar - There Is A Light is the song I want played at my funeral.
I was actually looking forward to that, as well as How Soon Is Now and Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me, all songs he'd been playing for the last decade. Sadly, it seems he's retired them once again.
I did get to hear Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before and The Queen Is Dead, though. Aside from those, Meat Is Murder was the only other Smiths song that night. There was a surprising amount of b-sides from his solo career.
I also am a huge fan of the records from The The when Johnny Marr was a member of the band- particularly Dusk.
I've never been a huge fan of the Smiths, though I do like a number of their songs. Morrissey's voice just gets on my nerves. But I love The The. Dusk is an incredible record. Marr has been a really good fit with Modest Mouse too.
The one time I saw Marr live was with Modest Mouse.
I've always been surprised that he didn't have more of a career post-Smiths. I know he's played with a number of bands, but I'd have thought that when Britpop was taking off in the mid '90s he would have rode that wave with a few solo albums. I feel like he's about a couple decades behind where he should be.
I thought he was great with The The (following his post-Smiths career is what actually clued me into that band), and Electronic wasn't bad either. I think he briefly played with Talking Heads and The Pretenders, as well, but it didn't stick.
I've always been surprised that he didn't have more of a career post-Smiths. I know he's played with a number of bands, but I'd have thought that when Britpop was taking off in the mid '90s he would have rode that wave with a few solo albums. I feel like he's about a couple decades behind where he should be.
I thought he was great with The The (following his post-Smiths career is what actually clued me into that band), and Electronic wasn't bad either. I think he briefly played with Talking Heads and The Pretenders, as well, but it didn't stick.
Those mid '90s projects he did were pretty big. I remember Dusk getting a LOT of airplay on WXRT and Q101 in Chicago, and Electronic was also a big deal- that record got plenty of radio play in the States during the height of the Britpop era.
I am a huge fan of Britpop and no question, the Smiths and Johnny's guitar playing were huge influences on that era. There's no Graham Coxon guitar wizardry without Johnny Marr.
I've always been surprised that he didn't have more of a career post-Smiths. I know he's played with a number of bands, but I'd have thought that when Britpop was taking off in the mid '90s he would have rode that wave with a few solo albums. I feel like he's about a couple decades behind where he should be.
I thought he was great with The The (following his post-Smiths career is what actually clued me into that band), and Electronic wasn't bad either. I think he briefly played with Talking Heads and The Pretenders, as well, but it didn't stick.
Those mid '90s projects he did were pretty big. I remember Dusk getting a LOT of airplay on WXRT and Q101 in Chicago, and Electronic was also a big deal- that record got plenty of radio play in the States during the height of the Britpop era.
I am a huge fan of Britpop and no question, the Smiths and Johnny's guitar playing were huge influences on that era. There's no Graham Coxon guitar wizardry without Johnny Marr.
They were big, but I always felt like he was hiding in the background with those projects, when he should have been staking out his own territory.
Maybe he preferred that, maybe he thought starting a new band with a new singer would lead to inevitable Smiths comparisons, who knows? I just expected him to do more than be a guitarist for hire. He had such a distinct sound, and was doing more producing towards the end of The Smiths, I felt it was a shame to see him be just another instrument in someone else's band.
I got to be part of an anthology series based on the music of the Smiths. We each took our favorite Smiths song and did our interpretation of it in comic book format. I wrote and drew "The Queen is Dead" (which remains my favorite tune by them) which appears in volume one.
There's a second volume as well, but I'm not part of it. Still worth picking up, though.
I've always been surprised that he didn't have more of a career post-Smiths. I know he's played with a number of bands, but I'd have thought that when Britpop was taking off in the mid '90s he would have rode that wave with a few solo albums. I feel like he's about a couple decades behind where he should be.
I thought he was great with The The (following his post-Smiths career is what actually clued me into that band), and Electronic wasn't bad either. I think he briefly played with Talking Heads and The Pretenders, as well, but it didn't stick.
Those mid '90s projects he did were pretty big. I remember Dusk getting a LOT of airplay on WXRT and Q101 in Chicago, and Electronic was also a big deal- that record got plenty of radio play in the States during the height of the Britpop era.
I am a huge fan of Britpop and no question, the Smiths and Johnny's guitar playing were huge influences on that era. There's no Graham Coxon guitar wizardry without Johnny Marr.
They were big, but I always felt like he was hiding in the background with those projects, when he should have been staking out his own territory.
Maybe he preferred that, maybe he thought starting a new band with a new singer would lead to inevitable Smiths comparisons, who knows? I just expected him to do more than be a guitarist for hire. He had such a distinct sound, and was doing more producing towards the end of The Smiths, I felt it was a shame to see him be just another instrument in someone else's band.
Now that you mention it, I agree with the notion Marr's work product is missing something either in prestige or spotlight or ..... something. I was super excited to hear him on the Talking Heads singleNothing But Flowers back in 88 or 89. That is one of favorite Marr riffs regardless and I figured he would take off. Than the Getting Away With single underwhelmed despite the super group of New Order/Pet Shop Boys/Smiths creators. His Pretenders stuff was blah as most of their post 80's stuff. I heard him recently on Sound Opinion and love the frankness of the Smith's talk. I guess I too wish Marr went bigger or more or..... something but then I think it's insulting to the man because he is obviously happy and we should be as well.
Sort of related tangent: I love Electronic's Dark City but mostly for things I dont really associate with Marr's guitar work. I'm not a musician so the nuts and bolts stuff goes over my head but I'd rather hear alot more Electronic than any more New Order ever. Crystal is the very last thing they ever produced I can listen to but I go back to Dark City all the time.
BTW I love that we are talking about 30 to 20 year old stuff like it was yesterday. Massive thanks to all you guys!
I also am a huge fan of the records from The The when Johnny Marr was a member of the band- particularly Dusk.
I've never been a huge fan of the Smiths, though I do like a number of their songs. Morrissey's voice just gets on my nerves. But I love The The. Dusk is an incredible record. Marr has been a really good fit with Modest Mouse too.
The one time I saw Marr live was with Modest Mouse.
I've always been surprised that he didn't have more of a career post-Smiths. I know he's played with a number of bands, but I'd have thought that when Britpop was taking off in the mid '90s he would have rode that wave with a few solo albums. I feel like he's about a couple decades behind where he should be.
I thought he was great with The The (following his post-Smiths career is what actually clued me into that band), and Electronic wasn't bad either. I think he briefly played with Talking Heads and The Pretenders, as well, but it didn't stick.
Seen him play with The Cribs several times. Each time he and the rest of the band were class. One of my favourite little known bands actually.
Ignore the Ignorant is the album he played on. Very strong album throughout.
I've always been surprised that he didn't have more of a career post-Smiths. I know he's played with a number of bands, but I'd have thought that when Britpop was taking off in the mid '90s he would have rode that wave with a few solo albums. I feel like he's about a couple decades behind where he should be.
I thought he was great with The The (following his post-Smiths career is what actually clued me into that band), and Electronic wasn't bad either. I think he briefly played with Talking Heads and The Pretenders, as well, but it didn't stick.
Those mid '90s projects he did were pretty big. I remember Dusk getting a LOT of airplay on WXRT and Q101 in Chicago, and Electronic was also a big deal- that record got plenty of radio play in the States during the height of the Britpop era.
I am a huge fan of Britpop and no question, the Smiths and Johnny's guitar playing were huge influences on that era. There's no Graham Coxon guitar wizardry without Johnny Marr.
They were big, but I always felt like he was hiding in the background with those projects, when he should have been staking out his own territory.
Maybe he preferred that, maybe he thought starting a new band with a new singer would lead to inevitable Smiths comparisons, who knows? I just expected him to do more than be a guitarist for hire. He had such a distinct sound, and was doing more producing towards the end of The Smiths, I felt it was a shame to see him be just another instrument in someone else's band.
Now that you mention it, I agree with the notion Marr's work product is missing something either in prestige or spotlight or ..... something. I was super excited to hear him on the Talking Heads singleNothing But Flowers back in 88 or 89. That is one of favorite Marr riffs regardless and I figured he would take off. Than the Getting Away With single underwhelmed despite the super group of New Order/Pet Shop Boys/Smiths creators. His Pretenders stuff was blah as most of their post 80's stuff. I heard him recently on Sound Opinion and love the frankness of the Smith's talk. I guess I too wish Marr went bigger or more or..... something but then I think it's insulting to the man because he is obviously happy and we should be as well.
Sort of related tangent: I love Electronic's Dark City but mostly for things I dont really associate with Marr's guitar work. I'm not a musician so the nuts and bolts stuff goes over my head but I'd rather hear alot more Electronic than any more New Order ever. Crystal is the very last thing they ever produced I can listen to but I go back to Dark City all the time.
BTW I love that we are talking about 30 to 20 year old stuff like it was yesterday. Massive thanks to all you guys!
Yeah, it's like I said, maybe it's the way he wanted it. And I remember when he was working with Modest Mouse, in interviews he seemed thrilled to just be a part of someone's band. And he seemed perfectly happy to be playing with them on stage. He may simply have not wanted anything more. At least with Modest Mouse I could hear Marr in the music. Not always the case in other projects.
I remember around the time Electronic was enjoying success, and Morrissey had typically catty things to say about it. The problem was that at the time he was coming off a pretty abysmal album himself (Kill Uncle), so he didn't have much to back himself up. At that moment I would have taken Electronic's "Get The Message" over much of what he was doing that particular year.
VH1 Classic's 120 Minutes loves to play Electronic's "Disappointed", a song I was heretofore unfamiliar with. Now that we're talking about them, I have it stuck in my head once again.
It was amazing. Lots of colors, dancing and music. Philip Bailey (EW&F lead singer) is a native of Denver and he looked to be happy to be "home" and even got choked up during one song. For a bunch of old guys, Chicago could still play and move. Apparently, this was their fourth tour together like this. Verdine White (EW&F bass) was so much fun to watch. It was a lot of fun. So many good songs. I haven't seen that much brass since the last Five Iron Frenzy show before their temporary hiatus.
So I reread a bunch of the Fraction/Aja/Wu Hawkeye, and read the finale (#22) over the weekend.
Great easter egg in Hawkeye #21.. there's a scene where the action goes through one of the apartments in the building, and there's a poster on the wall clearly of Frank Zappa, and in the same panel a record is leaning against the bookshelf which is the Mothers' 2nd album Absolutely Free.
The whole FZ discussion is quite a can of worms to open, of course. I'm a huge fan and I dig much of his catalog, which is now up to 100 albums. He's pretty much his own genre or three.. and like him or not he was a giant musically, hugely influential, at his best a crucial satirist of 60s through 80s pop culture, and IMO the greatest rock guitar player that ever lived.
And that said, nobody puts out 100 records without a few missteps or outright bombs, and some of the posthumous material probably didn't need to see the light of day (though plenty of it is indeed great). Like with many great artists there are contradictions to be reckoned with when it comes to Zappa, often within the same song or album. That can be frustrating, or brilliant, depending on your mood or point of view. To me he was a true musical explorer who never stopped until the day he died.
Comments
At 1.5 years old my daughter has found 2 new bands.
The Beastie Boys - she only likes music from I'll communication and hello nasty. The best thing in the world might be watching her run around crazy when sabotage comes on.
The Ventures - this means there's hope for Frankie and Annette and Dick Dale.
(Well, except for the eventual Falcons fandom... :) )
I'll kick her out of the house if she becomes a celtics fan though; she pack up her little teddy bear and toddle on down the road.
I always felt like Disintegration was pretty much their peak, when everything they'd been doing previously came together in one package. Not saying it's their best or my favorite - I usually lean toward Seventeen Seconds - but it felt like after that they weren't sure where to go.
Wish was enjoyable, hated Wild Mood Swings, thought Bloodflowers was underrated and probably the closest they've come to their classic sound. Everything after that - I honestly couldn't name a single song from those albums, even though I own them and have listened to them multiple times.
Kiss Me x3 was a funny one for me. Initially I couldn't stand it. Since though it's grown to be one of my favourites.
Additionally I really enjoy their live albums Paris and Show. A band I've never seen live but are one of a few bands left on my to see list (along with Coldplay and should dreams come true and they join up for one last tour, Led Zep).
I hunted down the import before they had a U.S. label.
Love, love, love that record.
I did not like Wish at all and I can't stand the singles from that record- "Friday I'm in Love" drives me nuts. They got to the point where when they took their pop turns, it just became so lightweight to me that it turned me way off.
As much as I regret having never seen The Cure live, I'm also not sure I'd want to see them now. They seem so far gone from what I grew up with that I'd almost prefer not to spoil the memories.
Although, I used to say the same thing about Morrissey, but after seeing him last month for the first time in nearly 20 years, I found it to be the one of the best shows I've ever seen, and definitely the best I've seen from him.
Seeing Morrissey doing There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is something I'd love.
Morbid Side Bar - There Is A Light is the song I want played at my funeral.
I also am a huge fan of the records from The The when Johnny Marr was a member of the band- particularly Dusk.
Easy Money off the new album is a good tune.
I did get to hear Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before and The Queen Is Dead, though. Aside from those, Meat Is Murder was the only other Smiths song that night. There was a surprising amount of b-sides from his solo career.
I've always been surprised that he didn't have more of a career post-Smiths. I know he's played with a number of bands, but I'd have thought that when Britpop was taking off in the mid '90s he would have rode that wave with a few solo albums. I feel like he's about a couple decades behind where he should be.
I thought he was great with The The (following his post-Smiths career is what actually clued me into that band), and Electronic wasn't bad either. I think he briefly played with Talking Heads and The Pretenders, as well, but it didn't stick.
I am a huge fan of Britpop and no question, the Smiths and Johnny's guitar playing were huge influences on that era. There's no Graham Coxon guitar wizardry without Johnny Marr.
Maybe he preferred that, maybe he thought starting a new band with a new singer would lead to inevitable Smiths comparisons, who knows? I just expected him to do more than be a guitarist for hire. He had such a distinct sound, and was doing more producing towards the end of The Smiths, I felt it was a shame to see him be just another instrument in someone else's band.
I got to be part of an anthology series based on the music of the Smiths. We each took our favorite Smiths song and did our interpretation of it in comic book format. I wrote and drew "The Queen is Dead" (which remains my favorite tune by them) which appears in volume one.
There's a second volume as well, but I'm not part of it. Still worth picking up, though.
http://www.amazon.com/Unite-Take-Over-Volume-Inspired/dp/0983982813/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1XTD9WRWJ8YNMGWBE59S
Sort of related tangent: I love Electronic's Dark City but mostly for things I dont really associate with Marr's guitar work. I'm not a musician so the nuts and bolts stuff goes over my head but I'd rather hear alot more Electronic than any more New Order ever. Crystal is the very last thing they ever produced I can listen to but I go back to Dark City all the time.
BTW I love that we are talking about 30 to 20 year old stuff like it was yesterday. Massive thanks to all you guys!
Ignore the Ignorant is the album he played on. Very strong album throughout.
I remember around the time Electronic was enjoying success, and Morrissey had typically catty things to say about it. The problem was that at the time he was coming off a pretty abysmal album himself (Kill Uncle), so he didn't have much to back himself up. At that moment I would have taken Electronic's "Get The Message" over much of what he was doing that particular year.
VH1 Classic's 120 Minutes loves to play Electronic's "Disappointed", a song I was heretofore unfamiliar with. Now that we're talking about them, I have it stuck in my head once again.
In just about an hour we will be sitting just off the floor to the right of the stage and watching these two legendary bands.
If you survived the inevitable Black Jaws attack, how was the show?
Katie Musgrave's - Pageant Material
Right now my to favorite songs from it are Pageant Material and Family is Family.
It ain't that I don't care about world peace but I don't see how I can fix it in a swim suit on stage
Great easter egg in Hawkeye #21.. there's a scene where the action goes through one of the apartments in the building, and there's a poster on the wall clearly of Frank Zappa, and in the same panel a record is leaning against the bookshelf which is the Mothers' 2nd album Absolutely Free.
The whole FZ discussion is quite a can of worms to open, of course. I'm a huge fan and I dig much of his catalog, which is now up to 100 albums. He's pretty much his own genre or three.. and like him or not he was a giant musically, hugely influential, at his best a crucial satirist of 60s through 80s pop culture, and IMO the greatest rock guitar player that ever lived.
And that said, nobody puts out 100 records without a few missteps or outright bombs, and some of the posthumous material probably didn't need to see the light of day (though plenty of it is indeed great). Like with many great artists there are contradictions to be reckoned with when it comes to Zappa, often within the same song or album. That can be frustrating, or brilliant, depending on your mood or point of view. To me he was a true musical explorer who never stopped until the day he died.