rpk@mit-vax.UUCP (12/13/83)
Journey, Loverboy, etc: Yuck -- good thing MTV rendering these bozos obsolete ! (Not that I'm a big Kajagoogoo or Men Without Hats fan, but it's justice neverthless.) Genesis: 68-69 Really interesting, but not very original 60s pop. The guitarist (Anthony Phillips) was very good. 70-75 More gothic, stranger, complex, and sometimes stuffy. Best: Nursery Crime, Foxtrot, Lamb Lies Down. 76-81 Yuck ! Phil Collins is just not as bizzarre or comfortable with the `progressive' image. Wimpy, directionless, bad, BORING. 82- Now merely a progressive pop band, I think they occasionally come out with interesting songs some of which are definitely more emotionally intense than anything they've ever done before (Momma especially), sometimes just as progressive in the nu sense (Who Dunnit, abacab, Keep It Dark), definitely leaner and cleaner. The last two studio albums have a great drum sound, too. Rush: Too bombastic most of the time. Also, some people don't like their objectivist stance. However, the last two albums saw some Police influence. They are all very good players and Geddy Lee's voice has improved (read: de-shrilled) dramatically. Check it `Subdivisions,' a very concise anti-conformity song. Last I heard, they were trying to get Steve Lillywhite (PGabriel, U2, XTC, Big Country, Joan Armatrading) to produce the next album, but he refused. Too bad. Oh, by the way, Peter Gabriel did appear on one Cat Stevens' early albums, playing flute. -- ``Bob'' Robert P. Krajewski ARPA: RpK@MC MIT Local: RpK@OZ UUCP: ...!genradbo!mit-eddie!mitvax!rpk