oyster@uwmacc.UUCP (Vicious Oyster) (11/04/85)
In article <2000@pyuxd.UUCP> rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) writes: > >> but I have my pet bands (XTC, Eno, Gabriel, Zappa, Prince, Pere Ubu, etc.). > [Todd Jones?] >And I'm sure a lot of ex-Yes freaks share many of those newer pet bands >in common (myself included). I often wonder what other progressive rock >mavens find to be their favorite bands today. (Some are still stuck in the >past, but more than a few have popped up here with some examples like those >you've mentioned.) I keep hearing Tears for Fears getting compared to Yes >by critics and DJs, and I think they share a lot of composing mentality >with Yes, but I wonder if ex-Yes freaks think the comparison is valid in >any way. > Well, you axed for it. As a confirmed ex-Yes freak, here's a rundown, which is off the top of my (tiny) head: Used to listen to a lot, pre-college days (ca. 1976): Yes, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep. Listened to a lot in college (1977-1980): Yes, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, Todd Rundgren, ELP, Johnny Winter, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Camel. Listen to a lot since college: King Crimson, XTC, Brand X, Warren Zevon, Beatles, Todd Rundgren, Johnny Winter, Peter Gabriel, various guitar albums like Fripp & Summers' two LPs. Of course, I still listen to the older stuff I like, but f'rinstance I generally only play 3 of my Genesis albums (Foxtrot, The Lamb..., and Nursery Cryme (sp?)), and not very often at that. As for the other things you mentioned, I don't really like Tears for Fears, and don't think they are much like Yes; and I really like 90125. Tormato and Drama were awful (opinion!). Since I also am intrigued by musical taste and how it changes, I wouldn't mind seeing more discussion on this topic (even by the people who have sworn off net.music for the infamous KB mailing list). - Joel Plutchak {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!oyster Can you say "opinion"? I *knew* you could!
soren@reed.UUCP (Soren Petersen) (11/07/85)
>In article <2000@pyuxd.UUCP> rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) writes: > > Used to listen to a lot, pre-college days (ca. 1976): > Yes, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep. > > Listened to a lot in college (1977-1980): > Yes, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, Todd Rundgren, ELP, Johnny Winter, > Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Camel. > > Listen to a lot since college: > King Crimson, XTC, Brand X, Warren Zevon, Beatles, Todd Rundgren, > Johnny Winter, Peter Gabriel, various guitar albums like Fripp & > Summers' two LPs. > > Since I also am intrigued by musical taste and how it changes, I wouldn't >mind seeing more discussion on this topic. > - Joel Plutchak > {allegra,ihnp4,seismo}!uwvax!uwmacc!oyster >Can you say "opinion"? I *knew* you could! Here, anyway, is my list. The Stone Age Beatles, Rolling Stones, ELO, Doors, "San Francisco bands"(Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messanger Service, etc.), Monkees. . . The Iron Age Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, The Who, Steely Dan. . . Recent All the new stuff, currently Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Smiths, Lloyd Cole & the Commotions, Husker Du, "Paisley Underground (Three O'Clock, Rain Parade, Green On Red, Bangles, etc.)" R.E.M., X, New Order,[I could keep this up all night]. . . As for change of taste, I started out listening only to the Beatles, then to people mentioned in books about the Beatles, the rest, as they say, is history. For a couple years in high school I got really into listening to stuff with headphones in rooms with just enough light to ponder the lyric sheet, but that got old after a while (especially because, even then, I still couldn't figure what the hell they were talking about). The sudden big change, came about when New Muzik (remember the Human League, and Soft Cell, and "Sweet Dreams", and. . .) and MTV hit the cover of Time and Newsweek and I realized that music could be coming out in the present and still be good. As for what I used to like, I hardly ever listen to any of the Progressive stuff I used to listen to except maybe the occasional Yes Album. I don't play the Beatles or the Doors much, but that's because I know them so well. I don't listen to ELO at all (I only did in the first place because someone said they sound like the Beatles), however I do like the Monkees a lot, and one reason I like Paisley Underground groups is because they sound so much like what I used to listen to. . . It is interesting how tastes change. I appear to have gone full circle in a lot of ways, from listenning to nothing but pop, to being contemptuous of the very idea of commercialism, to my current respect for good pop well done which netpeople, as a rule, tend to dismiss overly quickly to their loss. I stopped being very interested in Progressive music largely because it didn't really mean much to me, personally. Vague obscurities about the human condition are all very well, but to me anyway, aren't as interesting as specific examples of human conditions which I can in some way relate to on a personal experience. "Girl Afraid"(the Smiths) a simple two-minute song about a failed pick-up packs more insight into humanity then all two records of *Tales Of Topographic Oceans.* There are, of course exceptions, *Aqualung* for example, but as a rule, most Progressive music is esoteric garbage, no matter how pure the motives of the people involve, while some of the most commercial stuff around (The Squeeze, for instance), is artistically and emotionally satisfying. In other words, don't knock them just because they want people to understand them. Have a Nice Day Soren Petersen
josh@mit-vax.UUCP (Joshua Marantz) (11/11/85)
[] I guess I might be called a progressive rock maven. I've been listening to Yes for about seven years now (boy is my stereo getting warm :-), and there's still no doubt they're my favorite group. In addition, I've been listening to all the others that should come as no surprise: King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Genesis, Rush, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, ELP, Beatles, and much much more. Most recently, I've listened to King Crimson more than any of the others (Can't seem to get the songs Easy Money (Larks Tongues in Aspic), Formentara Lady (Islands), or Indoor Games (Lizard) out of my head). This is at least in part due to the fact that Yes lyrics have a tendency to sort of ponder at life through rose colored glasses, or at least a fairly heavy diffusive filter, while KC tries to make the focus a bit sharper, often taking a more negative (and sometimes more accurate) view of life and the world around us. Someone in this newsgroup mentioned the following line a while back: "While Yes sits back and gazes at the world, King Crimson grabs it by the balls". Does anyone know where that came from? Anyway, my tastes are slowly broadening largely due to this newsgroup. Unfortunately, I haven't tried all that's been mentioned here, such as Joy Division, Roy Harper, Residents, Henry Cow, etc. I don't seem to have as much time to go record hunting anymore. Much of my listening is done from my car stereo while I commute, and I've been basically limited to the hundred-odd tapes I already have. I did get The Dreaming, and I like it a lot, alas not nearly as much as a certain fellow MITer, though probably more than my roommates appreciate. Unfortunately, the more recent mainstream stuff I've heard on BCN has not been that exciting. It never occurred to me that Tears for Fears was at all Yes-like, though their stuff is certainly catchy. Maybe I'll pick up the album. I don't really get the college stations too well where I live. My rock music record collection has been pretty stagnant lately. The most recent addition was Marillion's "Misplaced Childhood", which I like. I think someone already posted a review of it, but I will mention that I found the vocals to alternately sound like Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. The direction that I've been taking is to try to explore the jazz scene a bit more. Recently, I've seen a number of varied styles. Last weekend, I went down to NY and saw the Modern Jazz Quartet at the Blue Note, and I thought they were excellent, but it was hardly worth the ~$25 for one hour. I saw an excellent show at the Brattle last Wednsday (thanks, Doug, for tipping me off about it) -- Birdsongs of the Mesozoic opened for the Lounge Lizards. Last spring (I believe) I saw Birdsongs and gave them a mixed review. In retrospect, and after seeing them a second time, I like them a lot more. They were actually a little sharper the first time around, but I think I appreciate them more now for some reason. The Lounge Lizards were awesome (I hate that word, but I think I'll leave it in anyway). They combined various blues, classical, and avante-garde influences with superb musicmanship and very tight seven-piece arrangements. I only wish both bands could have played longer (I saw the 7:30 show -- there was also a 10:00 show). Last night I saw Thurman Barker trio (or something like that) at Charlie's Tap in Cambridge. I mainly wanted to check out the club, and I'd never heard of the trio (actually there were four of them, but I'll not dwell on that). Anyway, I wasn't wild about them. The drummer had a real crisp sound, and the bassist was very good, but they didn't work together well. They reminded me at times of the more disjoint parts of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, but it just didn't work nearly as well. The four of them would meander around the sonic spectrum, each in his own key, each in his own rhythm, and there was nothing [for me] to grab onto. I'm sure everything they were doing was in reality more cohesive than I describe, but I just couldn't appreciate it. Occasionally they would all temporarily agree on some phrase or tempo, but like periodic waves of different frequency, they would diverge as quickly as they converged (am I from MIT or what :-). I caught Pat Moraz and Bill Bruford this time around last September at the Paradise. I had missed them last time (Fall '83 I believe) due to not being of drinking age. They were as good as I expected. In fact, I very much like every album Bruford has ever played on (that I know about). That includes the first two Yes albums, (the other three go without saying) as well as all that came out of his work with King Crimson, UK, his solo group, and Moraz. "Songs will be complicated, life will be consumated Then" Forever pretentiously yours, -Josh
rosen@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (Rob Rosen) (11/12/85)
The question of "musical evolution" intrigues me; here's my time line:
PRE-SCHOOL: Sesame Street Theme
...lack of interest until
JUNIOR HIGH: Ohio Players
FIRST HALF OF HIGH SCHOOL: Styx, Journey, Led Zeppelin
SECOND HALF OF HIGH SCHOOL: Old Genesis, Yes, Peter Gabriel, UK, some
Gentle Giant and King Crimson, FM, PFM, Camel
FIRST HALF OF COLLEGE: Rest of King Crimson and Gentle Giant, Bruford,
Goblin, Gong, Steve Hackett, Tangerine Dream, Dixie
Dregs, the Enid, Frank Zappa, Happy the Man, Steve
Hillage, etc
SECOND HALF OF COLLEGE: This Mortal Coil, Simple Minds, Husker Du,
Shriekback, Allan Holdsworth, Rachmaninoff,
Nico, Michael Hedges
PROJECTED INTERESTS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE: Sesame Street theme,
Ohio Players, Styx, Journey...
there must be a pattern here somewhere...
--
--Rob Rosen
...ucbvax!rosen
rosen@ucbvax.berkeley.edumfs@mhuxr.UUCP (Damballah Wedo) (11/14/85)
> Josh Marantz: > Last weekend, I went down to NY and saw the Modern Jazz Quartet at the > Blue Note, and I thought they were excellent, but it was hardly worth > the ~$25 for one hour. The Blue Note does tend to be a rip-off. Unfortunately, they are the only club that books BIG jazz acts like the MJQ (or Sarah Vaughan or Wayne Shorter) so if one wants to see people like that (and it IS much better in a club than in a concert hall) especially since they don't tour that often, one is stuck with the Blue Note. Not the best of situations. Also, try some other NYC clubs: the Vanguard, Sweet Basil, Fat Tuesdays, Mims, Bradley's, The Cookery, Mikell's, The West End (upper west side). They all book good acts, and are significantly cheaper than the Blue Note. > Last night I saw Thurman Barker trio (or something like that) at > Charlie's Tap in Cambridge. I mainly wanted to check out the club, > and I'd never heard of the trio (actually there were four of them, but > I'll not dwell on that). Anyway, I wasn't wild about them. The > drummer had a real crisp sound, and the bassist was very good, but > they didn't work together well. They reminded me at times of the more > disjoint parts of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, but it just didn't work > nearly as well. The four of them would meander around the sonic > spectrum, each in his own key, each in his own rhythm, and there was > nothing [for me] to grab onto. I'm sure everything they were doing > was in reality more cohesive than I describe, but I just couldn't > appreciate it. Occasionally they would all temporarily agree on some > phrase or tempo, but like periodic waves of different frequency, they > would diverge as quickly as they converged (am I from MIT or what :-). Pity the show was not so hot. Barker is a really good drummer. For a nice sample of his playing, see his work with Amina Claudine Myers: SALUTES BESSIE SMITH (Leo 1979) and THE CIRCLE OF TIME (Black Saint 1983) Enjoy. -- Marcel-Franck Simon ihnp4!{mhuxr, hl3b5b}!mfs " Tu es le boeuf sale', dont mon coeur est la couenne l'acassan au sirop qui coule dans mas garganne "
jeff@dciem.UUCP (Jeff Richardson) (11/15/85)
In article <2000@pyuxd.UUCP> rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) writes: > >> but I have my pet bands (XTC, Eno, Gabriel, Zappa, Prince, Pere Ubu, etc.). > [Todd Jones?] >And I'm sure a lot of ex-Yes freaks share many of those newer pet bands >in common (myself included). I often wonder what other progressive rock >mavens find to be their favorite bands today. (Some are still stuck in the >past, but more than a few have popped up here with some examples like those >you've mentioned.) I keep hearing Tears for Fears getting compared to Yes >by critics and DJs, and I think they share a lot of composing mentality >with Yes, but I wonder if ex-Yes freaks think the comparison is valid in >any way. Well, I was a little reluctant to post this because I could see this group getting flooded with dozens of messages like this, but it hasn't happened yet, and I know I'm interested in what the musical tastes of the people in this group are and were, so I assume I'm not the only one who feels that way. Anyway, here's a list of what my favourite groups from each decade were then, not in order of preference: FIFTIES: none (I was only around for two months in the 50's, and to this day I still haven't developed a liking for any 50's music; in fact, with all the 50's nostalgia stuff that I was exposed to in my teens, I grew to hate the music rather than like it.) SIXTIES: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel (As a young child with no older brothers and sisters I wasn't exposed to much hit music. However, I somehow heard a lot of music by the above groups, though it was mostly just the hits, and I liked pretty well all of it. Later, I developed an appreciation for some other 60's groups, but The Beatles are still the only one that ranks up there with my favourite 70's and 80's groups.) SEVENTIES: Extremely Great, I thought everything they did was excellent: David Bowie, Genesis, Elton John, Mike Oldfield, Pink Floyd, Queen, Supertramp, Yes Great, but not as consistent as the above: Camel, Emerson Lake & Palmer, FM, King Crimson, Klaatu, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Roxy Music, Strawbs, Tangerine Dream, Triumvirat Somewhere in between the above two categories: Rush (would have been in the top category if not for their first three albums), The Alan Parsons Project (they were consistent, but not as great as the groups in the top category) (My taste in 70's music has changed a bit since then, but not very much, and I still think that most of this music is as great as I thought it was then. However, while I used to be able to listen to progressive rock pretty well any time, I now find that I have to be in the right mood, whereas I can listen to my favourite 80's music pretty well any time.) EIGHTIES: Extremely Great (as defined above): The Cure, Peter Gabriel, Mike Oldfield, Tears For Fears, U2 Great but not as consistent as the above: Big Country, Kate Bush (no flames please Doug, I still don't like her first two albums very much), The Clash, Dire Straits, Thomas Dolby, Echo & The Bunnymen, King Crimson, Martha And The Muffins/M+M, The Police, Simple Minds, Soft Cell, The Spoons, Talking Heads Consistent and Great, but not quite as great as the above: ABC, Adrian Belew, China Crisis, Kissing The Pink, New Order, Yaz(oo) Extremely Great so far, but hasn't done enough yet to put them in the top category: Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Jane Siberry, The The -- Jeff Richardson, DCIEM, Toronto (416) 635-2073 {linus,ihnp4,uw-beaver,floyd}!utcsri!dciem!jeff {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!dciem!jeff