Is music today sh*t?

[gravelclimber]

OK, this has been building up for a while but has finally come to a head.

On Friday I turned 33. Today I watched a 1982 Midnight Oil concert on ABC2. It made me realise what we no longer have.

I've come to the conclusion that I've seen next to no innovative music this decade, particularly from Australia. From the 50's onward (and probably before) musical styles were constantly reinvented by people who were willing to do something a little different. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, James Brown, The Ramones, The Dead Kennedys, Slayer, Joy Division, Public Enemy, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Leftfield, the Prodigy, Tool, DJ Shadow, Massive Attack from OS (and many many more). AC/DC, Midnight Oil to name but a few from here.

But for the last 6-7 years - virtually nothing that's exciting.

That's not to say there's no good stuff - there is. But I just don't see it as innovative or that original.

Am I just getting old or is there something more to this?

What's people views on the on where we're at musically (particularly in Australia)?

(I'm not including no-so-popular in the west stuff like world music - that's where it's at for me now)

[Rik]

There's plenty of good music out there, it's just a matter of finding it. Your mainstream exposure to music is always going to leave your ears feeling dirty, blame commercialisation and bastardisation for that. I do believe that in general things are becoming more conservative, hence noone is willing to take risks when they can fall back on something that's tried and true and call it "their own"... but that said there's still awesome new stuff coming out here and there, just a matter of finding it. As niche sounds are discovered and brought to the mainstream to be flogged out and run in to the ground you have to dig futher "underground" to find innovative stuff. It is out there though.

[Martin.au]

You had Midnight Oil, we have The Herd. :p

Personally, I think Aussie music is doing very well. There may be a lack of huge stadium acts (exception: wolfmother) but that's not an indication of stagnation in the industry. You want to hear some recent cross genres and innovative tunes, how about:
The Cat Empire
Dresden Dolls
The Others (Just for grip :D)
The Grates - i have to include them cause they're hilarious
The Living End
The Infadels
The Herd
Muse
John Butler Trio
Gotye

There's a lot of others. I suggest listening to JJJ for a while.

[mtbmamma]

Both my son and I love Panic! At the Disco and AFI but apparently they are becoming more mainstream, Offspring are good as are Evanescence, The Vines are a good Aussie Band as is Jet (but they aren't original they either sound like the beatles or with their new one AC/DC!!), Counting Crows,White Stripes, Eskimo Joe and of course Red Hot Chili Peppers but then I start to fall back into old ways, Nirvana, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix etc etc etc.:D

[NCR600]

There is heaps of good new music around.

In fact, I'd go so far to say that there has never been a better time to find good music than right now, what with the internets and all. There are so many good new bands around that have music available to download or purchase in CD form that 10 years ago would NEVER have been able to get their music heard on such a massive scale.

The law of diminishing returns comes into play with the innovation thing, but there are plenty of people out there doing interesting (if not totally original) stuff.

[Binaural]

I find I'm listening to quite a bit of Australian hip hop these days (Herd, Funkoars, TZU) and especially digging on the non-lyrical stuff like Pasobionic and Hermitude. A lot of the mainstream stuff I sometimes hear at work is gormless trash that sounds like it was written by a marketing department.

Speaking of which, going to see TZU again this Friday @ the Annandale. Anyone else going?

[gravelclimber]

There's a lot of others. I suggest listening to JJJ for a while.

JJJ has just got too boring to be bothered with any more.

I do agree that there is good music around now - but it's the same old same old. Innovation, if it exists, is happening in smaller and smaller steps. Nobody is making anything that stands out. There's no entirely new genres, like punk, metal, hip-hop, industrial etc. (except for EMO, of course ;))

Where's today's Frank Zappa? Jimi Hendrix? Jello Biafra?

[sammydog]

You had Midnight Oil, we have The Herd. :p

Personally, I think Aussie music is doing very well. There may be a lack of huge stadium acts (exception: wolfmother) but that's not an indication of stagnation in the industry.

Don't get me started on Wolfmother. The most non original, original band ever.

I must be getting old like gravelclimber, JJJ just bugs the hell out of me (not as much as other radio stations), and I can't remember the last time a new band excited me.

I'll put it down to old age.

Gravelclimber, do the kids today even know of the likes of Zappa????

[cressa]

I find I'm listening to quite a bit of Australian hip hop these days (Herd, Funkoars, TZU) and especially digging on the non-lyrical stuff like Pasobionic and Hermitude. A lot of the mainstream stuff I sometimes hear at work is gormless trash that sounds like it was written by a marketing department.

Speaking of which, going to see TZU again this Friday @ the Annandale. Anyone else going?

I'm right there with you, OZ hip hop for me has seemeingly created it's own sound & attitude. It's certainly unique when compared to US and UK hip hop and rap.

Gorrilaz make some stuff that i would consider to be a new sound, however, by their very nature, that sound is usually only contained in 1 song, and every other song on the album is different again.

Graveclimber, i have a theory on the getting old thing... I think the music that we listen to in our naive teenage years is attached to so many young emotions that you create a bond that is more about an era in your life than the actual music itself. So as you grow older and more stable/mature/handsome(!), you look on music with much more experience and critiscm that it's very easy to say "it's all rubbish these days".

My parents said it of my music when I was growing up, there parents said it to them, and there parents owned a banjo a donkey and 3 balls of yarn for making trousers.

[t]

stop listening to the radio and jump on myspace.

first up a disclaimer: Out of principal as a web designer I hate myspace, it's like a second rate version of the internet according to 5 million stupid kids.

But... if you jump onto the my space of a band you like, they'll be playing music from bands they like, then you go to that band and see what they are playing and so on. It's a great way of finding the cream of any genre. I've found heaps of great music this way and a lot of my new favourites are from artists I'd never heard of.

As for nothing inovative, Aussie hip hop and jazz influenced world music is going in leaps and bounds.

Hilltop Hoods, Koolisim, Bliss n Eso, Cat Empire, Macromantics, Terra Firma are all pretty new sounds.

and check out JJJ's 'Like A Version' albums, I recon it's the best thing they've done since Merick and Rosso.

[Macr]

It comes in fits and starts. To me the dance music and hip hop are not me (Herd being the exception). The J's also go through phases and I think it is a bit of a low. Like everyone else there is good stuff turning up, like Gotye, Eskimo Joe for two Aussie bands, but their is a lot of stuff not even making much air time, even on the J's. Carus (Think John Butler/Xavier Rudd roots) for example does not get much air time at all. I must admit that I do like a lot of alder stuff, but also Industrial, some goth and classic stuff like Zep, Pink Floyd, the heads etc.

A good link that I found is Gnoosic (http://www.gnoosic.com). Here is the Blurb
Gnod's world of music...
Even if you don't know what you are looking for - gnod will find it.

Gnod is a self-adapting system that learns about the outer world by asking its visitors what they like and what they don't like. In this instance of gnod all is about music. Gnod is kind of a search engine for music you don't know about. It will ask you what music you like and then think about what you might like too. When I set gnod online its database was completely empty. Now it contains thousands of bands and quite some knowledge about who likes what. And gnod learns more every day. Enjoy :o)
Basically you type in 2 or 3 examples of music you like and it gives you something that is similar. To find something different, try selecting on the map. THe closer to the centre, the closer it is to the bands you typed in.

[johnny]

Gotye, as mentioned above. That is new, fresh, unique and innovative to me.

Whilst hip hop is nothing new, I think the current birthing of Australian hip hop (I mean real australian accented stuff) is also a small revolution doing good things.

Both Macromantics and Ground Components have also impressed me of late....which is good seeing as they team up together on their latest releases! Josh Pyke has really given Australian pop a shot of artistic integrity lately and Augie March also have a definate Australian character to them with a really nice sound IMO.

I'm interested to hear this new "The Good the BAd and the Queen" album with Damon Albarn (sp). Gnarls Barkely was a fantastic team up that created some pretty unique stuff.

I started listening to JJJ in 1984 as a way to get to some hip hop back in my bombing days when that stuff was still pretty fringe. IT certainly hasn't improved since, but it is the best aggregate (all aspects considered) radio station in Aust. (Syd) for my money. Sometimes I am forced to listen to MP3s or just turn it off though, it's the best out of a bad bunch I guess.

[Martin.au]

Don't get me started on Wolfmother. The most non original, original band ever.

I must be getting old like gravelclimber, JJJ just bugs the hell out of me (not as much as other radio stations), and I can't remember the last time a new band excited me.

I'll put it down to old age.

Gravelclimber, do the kids today even know of the likes of Zappa????

Yeah sorry my bad. I didn't mean to imply that Wolfmother was actually innovative.

[Macr]

stop listening to the radio and jump on myspace.

Try http://www.pandora.com/Just invent an address in the states. It is like a radio, but you say what you like and it plays similar style music, well that is what I have been told. I haven't tried it yet.

[looseunit]

JJJ has just got too boring to be bothered with any more.
very true at least in Adelaide we have 3D radio, folk music followed by metal. How cool is comunity radio

Where's today's Frank Zappa? Jimi Hendrix? Jello Biafra?

I dont think will we ever see a person like Frank Zappa again. Could you even imagine a recored lable trying to sign someone like Zappa now, or even getting radio airplay.

[looseunit]

I'm interested to hear this new "The Good the BAd and the Queen" album with Damon Albarn (sp). Gnarls Barkely was a fantastic team up that created some pretty unique stuff.

How could you forget Paul Simonon bass player of the Clash and to be produced by DJ dangermouse/Gnals Barkely. It will be very interesting ablum indeed, made by some of the most influential musicans of recent history.

[johnny]

How could you forget Paul Simonon bass player of the Clash and to be produced by DJ dangermouse/Gnals Barkely. It will be very interesting ablum indeed, made by some of the most influential musicans of recent history.Really? I didn't know that. I've just heard that one track, Hurculean, and was majorly impressed with it!

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

The music scene at the moment is shit hot!

There's an absolute wealth of talent out there and the boundaries are being pushed further and further all the time.

As far as innovative production goes you can't look past the likes of Dangermouse and as for bands you've got everything from The Arctic Monkey's take on 21st century apathy to The Dresden Dolls mad cabaret with a twist of punk to the Killers big anthemic indie rock. Not to mention mad bastards like Devandra Bernhart and Roots Manuva. Then you've got the likes of the Scissor Sisters throwing a bit of sleazy funk into the proceedings along with the ace jerky stylings of The Futureheads, Bloc Party and Maximo Park and the balls out female punk of Be Your Own Pet and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. Hell, I'll even throw the Hilltop Hoods into the mix as they've started to grow on me (so have genital warts but that's another story) Anyway, There's hundreds of ace new bands out there and it's really easy to find them all these days using that internet thingy. (It's a series of tubes apparently)

[Dozer]

I have oftn wondered if music will become too much of a repeat of what we've all heard and some may say it is happening. Surely one day there will be no room left to create something that doesn't sound like "that song from 5 years ago" type of thing.
I think that some of the music going around now (I only listen to Triple J because it is a music station, not commercial city) is of very high quality but it hasn't jumped out and smacked me in the face. I must say that over the last 4 years I've bought less music because it is starting to get a little slower in progression.....is that because I'm getting older and I'm more picky with my tunes? Who knows...........
I still buy all of the albums from my favorite bands and I listen to it everyday. I still go to shows to see my favorite bands but I don't go to festivals (Big Day Out, Splendour, Livid etc) anymore because I've seen what I want to see a hundred times. I'd much prefer to travel to see a great band on their own rather than see a band get rushed onto stage and play in a small timeframe.
I'm liking the Aussie stuff at the moment and I'm constantly digging back through my mountain of music to play some old favorites.
I think music taste changes as we get older and the new breed (teenagers etc) dictate the tempo of what music is sold and played on the air.

By the way, click my signature if you want real music.:D It has always been there and it always will.;)

[gravelclimber]

Just to clear one thing up - the idea behind the thread is not about being able to find music on the internets. I'm quite capable of doing that and download lots of utterly completely legal toones each week - mostly stuff I've never heard before. Generally, though, it ain't new or, if it is, it's just not that different.

It's certainly not all bad though. Last year I went to Womadelaide for the first time and I have to say, the quality of the music was more consistent than any Big Day Out I've ever been too (and that's most of them). The rest of the world seems to have more to offer than the US, Canada, UK, France, NZ and Australia - which probably isn't that surprising.

[NeBoS]

The 'good' music is still around, but the music on the radio has changed to pop crap that the masses love. Take MMM for example, which used to be a station that played metal and rock - nothing else. These days it plays so much crap, i dont even listen to the station.

[Cave Dweller]

Totally agree with you gravelclimber, but as has been said you need to push past the commercial side of things. Also, every generation says the same things about music, im sure your parents though ACDC were a load of garbage.

Point of fact, 99% of radio music is shit, i can't remember the last time i listened to it.

As has also been said, the music scene is thriving. In sydney pubs have pulled out the pokies and gone back to the music roots. Its alot better then it was 5 years ago.

But when you look back at all the great bands, most of them are not commercial orientated music, it is good quality music that pushed its way to the top by gathering a large fan base. Radio music is mostly aimed at old people, commuters and young girls that lust after justin timberlake, cause he is so dreamy..... Australian idol and similar music is garbage, and the *singers* come and go. Its all about making as much money as possible as quick as they can. There is no fostering of talent.

As has been said, aussie hip hop has some real good groups. The herd, Astronomy Class, hilltops, koolism plus others (i have over 40 aussie cd's). You may not like hip hop but its becoming a huge movement, 99% of the arist's are independent and not signed to major record companies. I never used to like it either, you just need to know where to start. PM if your at all interested in this music.

Other then that i just hold out for albums from my fav bands from back in the day, latest tool album is a good example. But they are coming few and far between.

As for BDO, fuck, the line up is shit this year. Im glad i didn't waste my money, tool and the herd is all i want to see.

[I-AM-TEH-FASTEST-11]

wolfmother are like, the worst band ever... well after evanesance and P!ATD.. ok there's a long list of shitty bands... and somewhere near the top is all aussie hip hop haha... nah I don't mind all of it, but most of the crap we hear is pure shite.
I'm pretty down with Unpaid Debt, I reckon they are the best aussie band in a long time.. awesome live show.
speaking of live shows, NOFX is touring in feb... best news ever.. EVER.. this is better than the time the doctor told me my penis could be re-attatched and would actually be longer and fatter than before...



ok that never happened, but if it did, it would still be bettered by NOFX touring

[Cave Dweller]

... and somewhere near the top is all aussie hip hop haha... nah I don't mind all of it, but most of the crap we hear is pure shite.

For sure, some of it is crap, but mate, i could tell you of a few shit metal/rock/grunge aussie bands as well

Its the same with any genre, you have the good and the bad, its up to you to find out what the go is.

[mtb_slipknot_fan]

wolfmother are like, the worst band ever... well after evanesance and P!ATD..

Amen to that wolfmother and patd just plain piss me off. Besides patd is chick music guys shuldnt dig that style music......oh but i forgot, weve got a breed of EMOtional:p guys these days. And dont get me started on all of that rnb and rap shite:mad: i havent listened to the radio in so long its not funny. Why cant foxtel just put mtv2 on?? Itd be so awesome if they did, mtv and V are to into playing all of the mainstream shite:mad: these days.

The prodigy kick ass!!!

[Elbo]

There's still some good new music around, you just have to look harder now. We're not going to hear it on any radio station, as all most stations play is mainstream stuff, which is unfortunately turning into rap/dance/heavy beat type music. I understand that there is a fair bit of skill needed for rap and hip/hop, and I don't mind some hip/hop. But really, RnB, Rap, Techno and dance music is absolutely terrible.

I think the reason why there is not much innovative music around now is that singer, songwriters and bands are staying in the politically correct comfort zone, not pushing the boundaries and generally just writing songs about absolutely pointless things.

Take Bob Dylan for example, no one makes such a huge political statement anymore because they are afraid of losing the record deal, or offending someone.
Another example is David Bowie, pushing the boundaries in the actual music side of things. I think he was always a little bit before his time.
I think one of the most innovative bands, with their music and lyrics, would have to be Talking Heads. Beautiful bass lines by Tina Weymouth really complete the alternative style and meaningful lyrics.

Give me more Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Roy Orbison, Donovan, Deep Purple, Cream, Icehouse, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix and U2 anytime. Rather than most of this new crap.
I love old music.

[Dozer]

The prodigy kick ass!!!

Indeed............
I know a bloke who likes them and he has their logo's tattooed on him. He is a bloody legend too.;)

Wolfmother..........Before they released their album and they were playing live shows consisting of their singles it was good. Then they got a record deal (good on them by the way) and the music lost its early buzz. The album is okay but the early raw stuff was better.

[murrum]

Try http://www.pandora.com/Just invent an address in the states. It is like a radio, but you say what you like and it plays similar style music, well that is what I have been told. I haven't tried it yet.


Site is gold - use it all the time, though does chew bandwidth if you listen for a while. U dont need a States address either Have found some real gems of late. Two artists/band spring to mind:

Sufan Stevens - Swooping melodies, plenty of banjo and magic lyrics
Midlake - electrofolky style stuff...latest album: think fleetwood mac and the Cars with plenty of synth and turn of century amish lyrics!!! huh???

Music today is not shit. Your attitude is shit - just give the (analogue) radio a miss - and keep looking for new stuff - otherwise you will keep starting threads that make you sound like an old fart. This is the thin end of the wedge sunshine - as Randall Blair and the Wedded Bliss say - "Save your wingeing for the old folks home"

[MasterOfReality]

Yes, music today is crap.

I listen to hard rock, metal and progressive metal.

In terms of rock/metal, the best has already been done over 30 years ago with truly innovative bands like Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin/Deep Purple to a lesser extent.

There are notable exceptions like Sepultura, Megadeth, Queensryche etc.

Even the best progresive metal was written 10 years ago by Dreamtheater. There are other good prog metal bands out there, but simply not as good as DT in my opinion.

What do we have today? Wolfmother? They used to be ok until they went commerical. Now they sound like every other rock band that is trying to emulate their influences, albeit with over polished sound.

And dont even get me started on that new metal rubbish like Disturbed, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Hatebreed, Slipknot, and every other band that used to dominate Ozzfest. At least Sharon Osbourne had the brains to keep Sabbath as the headline act.

[ajay]

I dont we will ever see the likes of the classic bands like Floyd, Zep, Sabbath, Zappa (all though steve vai has kind of taken off where frank stopped, in a way) etc.

In the same way that we will probably never see a composer have anything on Mozart, Beethovan, Handel etc. These musicians were god-like in the way they could right music.

One person who does come close is Hans Zimmer (modern film score composer).

Society has changed and so has the music. There has been so much musical possibilities explored that the industry has been so divided. The mainstream has become narrow minded and the listeners who actually want substance in their music must look elsewhere. There is some seriously good music around. Although there is good Aussie hip hop and Indy rock, most of it utter shit or regurgitated drivel.

The quest for new and great music will always harder because as soon as something new has been explored, within 5 years its old and being coppied therefore its original flare has been lost.

However I have found some musicicians and bands that manage to keep pushing out rather than getting closed into there niche.

To name but a few,

-Boards of Canada.
-Shpongle
-Mike Patten
-Joe Zawinal
-Herbie Hancock
-John Mclaughlin
-Amon Tobin
-FSOL

etc etc etc, these guys are not really mainstream, but if you are wondering what is happening to music these days, check em out because they are on the fore front.

[Binaural]

As an interesting aside to this thread (which might be retitled "where have all the really outstanding bands gone?") I offer this from Wikipedia. Aplogies to those not interested in baseball, but it does make an interesting general point:


A point of interest to baseball followers is that hitting .400 was a special and rare feat in the early 20th century. It was accomplished only 13 times between 1900-1941 by 8 players, but has not occurred at all since 1941. Many people have expounded theories on why this is the case.

One theory of particular interest was proposed by biologist and baseball fan Stephen Jay Gould, in his book Full House: The Spread of Excellence From Plato to Darwin (published as Life's Grandeur: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin in the U.K.). According to Gould, the disappearance of the .400 batting average does not indicate a decline of baseball skill, but, quite the contrary - an improvement in skill. He suggests that instead of looking at the extreme values (the best and worst hitters), we should be looking at the statistical distribution of the batting average of all hitters. If we do this, Gould notes that the league average of batting averages has stayed constant over the last century (mostly due to rules being changed whenever this average started to change), but the variance has been on a continuous decrease, as all major league baseball players have become better and better. As a result of this decreasing variance, the best and worst batting averages came closer to the league average, and the best batting average dropped below .400.

Since a batter's batting average isn't determined just by the batter's individual skill (as is the case in, say, track and field records), but rather the batter's success against opposing players, the gap in skills of an at-bat narrowed. In the early 20th century, the variance of baseball player skills was still high, so when the top batters played, they had the opportunity to be opposed by both very good and by mediocre players, and as a result had an opportunity to achieve very high batting averages. As baseball became a more professional "industry", variance in player skill came down, and the best batter found himself opposed by consistently very good players, and as a result was not able to achieve as high a batting average as was possible a century earlier.


Basically, my feeling is that the standard of music in general has lifted over time. The outstanding musicians are still there, but their contemporaries are much closer than before, where it was still possible to be right out on a new wave by yourself. As a result there has definitely been a shift towards well-executed but bland fare, which is not great but still better than the standard not so long ago.

[Bodin]

I'm only a year behind gravelclimber in the age stakes, but my sentiment on this issue is similar. However, I can't remember the last time I did anything to support the local music scene (like go and see live music), so I'll resist the temptation to bag it. However, it's pretty clear that the major radio stations and things like the ARIA awards are not uncovering anything that resembles long term talent.

I'm still stuck in the early to mid 90s. Nirvana, Pearl Jam (pre-No Code), Faith No More, Metallica (is there a better metal album than "Master of Puppets"?), Foo Fighters & Jeff Buckley are still the majority of the CDs that I listen to in the car these days. And MTB Maniac is right on the money with Talking Heads and Bowie - also have some of their stuff in the car for when I get sick of screaming vocals...

An employee of mine got me all revved up about a band called "Cog" last week and let me borrow his CD. OMGWTF, the most uninspiring shite I've heard in a while. I almost had to sack him to pay for the time I'd wasted listening to it. If the CD was mine I would have just thrown it out the window.

Fact is, I'm honestly not looking for the most innovative, newest style of music out there. It's like others have said - I'd like to see artists taking a riskier path, particularly with their opinions. I'm interested in the energy. If the energy is good, then it can make a well-worn musical path sound new again and then we have some fun listening to it.

I'm sure there's good stuff out there in the pubs. I've just gotta get off my arse and go and find it. Venue suggestions (in Melbourne) most welcome.

[johnny]

Wolfmother are not a band to take seriously. They are a band that make fun rock and roll. Sure, they're a mix between Sabbath, Zepplin, Purple and a few others, but to look to deep into it is to miss the enjoyment and fun of what's basically a party/rock out band.

Stuff like wolfmother is like a Rose (that's "rose-ay" the chilled light red/white wine), not quite white, not quite red. Not really sophisticated and not to be analysed. Simply to be quaffed down at summer parties and BBQs in order to get pissed and laugh.

Y'all are too serious! [insert childish farting noise here]

[ajay]

I'm only a year behind gravelclimber in the age stakes, but my sentiment on this issue is similar. However, I can't remember the last time I did anything to support the local music scene (like go and see live music), so I'll resist the temptation to bag it. However, it's pretty clear that the major radio stations and things like the ARIA awards are not uncovering anything that resembles long term talent.

I'm still stuck in the early to mid 90s. Nirvana, Pearl Jam (pre-No Code), Faith No More, Metallica (is there a better metal album than "Master of Puppets"?), Foo Fighters & Jeff Buckley are still the majority of the CDs that I listen to in the car these days. And MTB Maniac is right on the money with Talking Heads and Bowie - also have some of their stuff in the car for when I get sick of screaming vocals...

An employee of mine got me all revved up about a band called "Cog" last week and let me borrow his CD. OMGWTF, the most uninspiring shite I've heard in a while. I almost had to sack him to pay for the time I'd wasted listening to it. If the CD was mine I would have just thrown it out the window.

Fact is, I'm honestly not looking for the most innovative, newest style of music out there. It's like others have said - I'd like to see artists taking a riskier path, particularly with their opinions. I'm interested in the energy. If the energy is good, then it can make a well-worn musical path sound new again and then we have some fun listening to it.

I'm sure there's good stuff out there in the pubs. I've just gotta get off my arse and go and find it. Venue suggestions (in Melbourne) most welcome.

Master of Puppets is eighties!

Venues eh?

Take a stroll down brunswick st on a friday/saturday night and just look around in the bars, most are free and offer possibly the most vast array of music styles in Melbourne.

Checkout "still thinking" at the Espy on Monday nights in the front bar, the night cat on Johnson street is a good gamble (always a quality act there), Corner Hotel in Richmond often has fantastic bands of all stlyes (usually a cover charge/ticket required though)

Above all, listen to PBS (106.7fm) for some inspiration!

[thecat]

Basically, my feeling is that the standard of music in general has lifted over time. The outstanding musicians are still there, but their contemporaries are much closer than before,

I think it there are two main factors

The first is to do with the fact that there is so much more choice now days.

Back in dads day you had a choice you either listened to The Beatles, the Stones or granddads polker album. So obviously the Beatles and Stones had an amazing effect on people.


The second factor I think is the fact that music now days is a lot of the time just entertainment.

Throughout the ages music has been a tool for communicating, especially to translate radical ideas. The christmas carol "Come all Ye faithful," was actually a call to arms for Scottist rebels.
You think of the protest songs of the 60s, Punk in the 70s, rock in the 80s and grunge in the 90s. They were all protesting the norm. They were also hard to find. In their early stages they didn't get radio air play so you had to go and find it. This all added to the attraction.

Music that makes you think and changes the way you view the world is always going to be more profound to you then music you listen to purely for entertainment.

The other side of the arguement for that of course is that we old farts have formed our opinions and are not so easily influenced any more so arn't going to relate to music the same as we did when we were teenagers.

[gravelclimber]

As an interesting aside to this thread (which might be retitled "where have all the really outstanding bands gone?")

pffftt....not as catchy is it? :D

[chriscross]

i belive that it was Aussie idol that killed it.
just a stupid theory but it could be possible that people have gotten so sucked into Aussie idol that they think the only way to become a famous musician is to win some goofy comp.....

[johnny]

^^^Yeah that's great.... next time, please keep your opinions to yourself if they do not relate to the thread topic.

[fatass]

In some ways I agree, The music today isn't as "revolutionary" or have as much "meaning". But music itself is just as good, except for the mainstream stuff, mainstream from the 60's, 70's 80's such and such was good, whereas today you need to head off the beaten track to find the "good" music.

[ajay]

i belive that it was Aussie idol that killed it.
just a stupid theory but it could be possible that people have gotten so sucked into Aussie idol that they think the only way to become a famous musician is to win some goofy comp.....

I dont think so mate.

Its a talent quest for the untalented, the record sales, or lack there of, prove that. The artist seem to sell a few records, but dont really sustain it, generally.

no-one has really "made it" as an artist from Idol, they all have that "second rateness" hanging over their head...

[Macr]

Take Bob Dylan for example, no one makes such a huge political statement anymore because they are afraid of losing the record deal, or offending someone.

System of a down. RATM

I think one of the most innovative bands, with their music and lyrics, would have to be Talking Heads. Beautiful bass lines by Tina Weymouth really complete the alternative style and meaningful lyrics.

The heads is one of my favourites.

[gravelclimber]

Comparing the political statements of Bob Dylan and System of a Down should be a crime punishable by repeated testicle kicking. :p

[Macr]

They are still political statements aren't they? Whether they are as good as each other, that is up to the public.

[johnny]

They are still political statements aren't they? Whether they are as good as each other, that is up to the public.I agree.

Bruce Springsteen, U2, Greenday, John Butler, Bad Religion, Anti-Flag, NOFX, there are many out there with political messages.....dare I say it, the Dixie Chix!

[toodles]

RATM certainly don't hold back as far as political messages are concerned...

Both Wolfmother and The Darkness are not only unoriginal, they're some of the shittiest tunes i've heard in years...

TBH, I don't really listen to the radio anymore as it gives me an incredible urge to decapitate radio hosts. I mostly pick up new tunes from the clubs I frequent and my mates. They do a good job of filtering out the crap for me.

Has music gotten worse? Absolutely not. Have your tastes settled on a flavour they prefer? I think so. New music has the ability to be as complex as Mozart or as simple as it needs to be. Plus, no one is forcing you to live in this generation. Older music is still there and available for you. On one hand, if you say you want original music, then complain there's no one LIKE Zappa, Hendrix and co, then you've shot yourself in the foot.

Modern studios tend to smoothen vocals and melodies to create a fairly artificial atmosphere. This has some advantages, but on the other hand the rawness of singers like Cobain and Hetfield will never be conveyed properly.

[gravelclimber]

Has music gotten worse? Absolutely not. Have your tastes settled on a flavour they prefer? I think so. New music has the ability to be as complex as Mozart or as simple as it needs to be. Plus, no one is forcing you to live in this generation. Older music is still there and available for you. On one hand, if you say you want original music, then complain there's no one LIKE Zappa, Hendrix and co, then you've shot yourself in the foot.

Not true at all - just using old musicians as an example. What I like now is pretty different to what I liked when I was younger. So, personally, I don't think I'll ever just keep listening to the same stuff - always after tunes or styles I haven't heard before. It just that most of that stuff is from before 2000 and I'd previously missed it.

I'm not complaining there's no one like Zappa etc. either. I'm complaining that there is a lack of people who are as innovative in this era (2000+) as they were in theirs.

[johnny]

Joanna Newsom, System of a Down, White Stripes, Aphex Twin.

I think these guys are pretty revolutionary....well, maybe not so much the White Stripes, but they certainly aren't the norm!

[gravelclimber]

Aphex Twin

Shit yeah....electronica in the early to mid-90s was going off.

Aphex twin, FSOL, The Orb, DJ Shadow, Goldie to name but a few.

[johnny]

Was he around back then? Guess I was behind the times, I only heard of him when he did window licker.

But yes, The Orb (fluffly clouds) and FSOL (Papua New Guinea) were two of my all time early 90's hallucinogenic, brain frying favourites.

IMHO, the early 1990's are the best years for music that I've ever experienced. Good music, good fashion, good drugs, good clubs. Take me back there!

[skivi]

i think that the state of popular music today is a disgrace, video hits makes my ears bleed and my eyes gouge themselves out.


but wait there is a saving grace my dear friends.. truely a paradise of musical proportions .... PBS 106.7 fm if you live in melbourne, try RRR 102.7 FM as well.

PBS is what gets me out of bed in the morning. its melbournes home of underepresented music.

check out the web site for live streaming if your not in melbourne
http://www.pbsfm.org.au/

Welcome to PBS 106.7 FM
Melbourne, Australia

For 25 years, PBS-FM has been a beacon of independent, freeform, passionate, real and unpretentious radio. PBS is a champion of specialist and under-represented music and is proudly non-corporate, anti-fashion and wanker-free.

PBS announcers are music-loving folks who volunteer their energy, musical knowledge and vast record collections to prepare in-depth, specialist, music-freak programs. From our humble inner-city studios, with a small core of staff and an army of dedicated volunteers, we broadcast 24 hours a day to the wider metropolitan area of Melbourne and beyond, and stream live to the world here on the web.

Every PBS announcer has total and utter autonomy over what they play. Their programs are a reflection of their own evolving musical tastes, enthusiasms and discoveries - a musical journey which is shared with you, the music-loving listener.

It is our hope that PBS is a joyous, adventurous and educational experience that turns you on to music that's eternally cool, and provides a real alternative to manufactured notions of what's "hip" in the increasingly corporate musical mainstream.

PBS 106.7FM doesnt play hits... we make hits. Tune in and you will no doubt here tracks long before they are played on commercial stations. Underground will live forever!



-nicky

[naz]

FUCK EMO. (insert picture of razor blade)

im determined to make that shirt.

anywho radio is a waste of time (bar FBI)

swinging for:
minimal
deep house
electro
tech house

(am really gettin over tha "bang gang dance" theres no need to give a name to the way you dance when your runnin around chewing gum, holding a bottle of water trying to chew your bottom lip off)

[Anthonaut]

I really dont understand why people are bagging Wolfmother so much. Yes I have heard it all about recycled riffs and copying influences blah blah blah. So what? Their music is a lot better than most of the other shit music out there today. I'd rather listen to a "Led Zep copy" as they are called than some crap nelly furtado song or something.

If you want to pay out bad music, turn on your radio and tune into your local Austereo station.
Dont pay out a band that sounds very similar to once a very great band Led Zeppelin.

[freeriding_freak]

i kind of agree graveclimber, bands like the rolling stones, queen, the beatles and songs like i was only 19 and so on had millions of people line the streets to just get a glance at them, women would assult policemen to just touch the band, these were the bands who would stop a country. Today theres none of that anymore, its just a concert here there, world tour now and than but nothing to spectacular. i wouldnt say there r no good bands 2day, dont get me wrong me favourite bands are from recent times but nothing can be better than the classics

Will.

[ajay]

I really dont understand why people are bagging Wolfmother so much. Yes I have heard it all about recycled riffs and copying influences blah blah blah. So what? Their music is a lot better than most of the other shit music out there today. I'd rather listen to a "Led Zep copy" as they are called than some crap nelly furtado song or something.

If you want to pay out bad music, turn on your radio and tune into your local Austereo station.
Dont pay out a band that sounds very similar to once a very great band Led Zeppelin.

pfft, do you even know why Zep were so good? cos they playing some super innovative rocknroll, not some regurgitated muck. They drew on there influences and created an incredible sound. Wolfmother, as Johnny touched on, are just a cheap party rock band, with nothing whatsoever to add to the development of music.

To say Wolfmother is similar to Zep is a travesty.

The fact that they both play rock is purely coincidental.

[NCR600]

FUCK EMO. (insert picture of razor blade)

im determined to make that shirt.



Close.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e368/NCR600/Gs222.gif




Isn't there already a band called 'fuckemos' or something like that?

[NCR600]

[QUOTE=ajay;798645]pfft, do you even know why Zep were so good? cos they playing some super innovative rocknroll, not some regurgitated muck. They drew on there influences and created an incredible sound. QUOTE]


If by innovative you mean uncredited covers of classic blues songs, re hashed 50's riffs, and some of the most self indulgent jams ever, then you are correct.

Led Zep are EVERY BIT as guilty as Wolfmother of being 'inspired' by other musicians. IMO it's a fair comparison.

[johnny]

[QUOTE=ajay;798645]pfft, do you even know why Zep were so good? cos they playing some super innovative rocknroll, not some regurgitated muck. They drew on there influences and created an incredible sound. QUOTE]


If by innovative you mean uncredited covers of classic blues songs, re hashed 50's riffs, and some of the most self indulgent jams ever, then you are correct.

Led Zep are EVERY BIT as guilty as Wolfmother of being 'inspired' by other musicians. IMO it's a fair comparison.It's a big call to say that any modern musician hasn't been influenced by any one playing before them. As far as I remember all blues music can be traced to northern African desert nomadic traditional music that eventually made it to the US via the slave trade. It's all a continuum from somewhere.

I see Wolfmother as almost a tribute band. Don't get me wrong, I love them and listen to them heaps. I like R&R, Wolfmother are R&R.

I hated The Tea Party though, they seemed to be almost playing Doors songs, there wasn't enough removal from the original for my liking.

Do you think WM are more Led Zep, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath? I would have said Sabbath more than any other myself, but it's all a rich tapestry..., blablablah..

[I-AM-TEH-FASTEST-11]

what the world needs is a extra strong dosage of Pantera

[Mattydv]

If by innovative you mean uncredited covers of classic blues songs, re hashed 50's riffs, and some of the most self indulgent jams ever, then you are correct.

Led Zep are EVERY BIT as guilty as Wolfmother of being 'inspired' by other musicians. IMO it's a fair comparison.

But Led Zep got influence and inspiration and made songs that were very different as they got influence from so many other bands. Wolfmother got their inspiration from an already highly thought of range of artists and then made songs very simliar. Yes, they both got inspiration from artists and put songs together but Led Zep did it in a time where it was original and their songs were revolutionary. If wolfmother can recreate a song with as much worldwide impact as Stairway to Heaven, (or even half the impact for that matter) I will take back everything I have ever said, buy all their albums and give them my bike.

If this does not come across as making sense or being relevant, I apologise.

[NCR600]

[QUOTE=NCR600;798767]It's a big call to say that any modern musician hasn't been influenced by any one playing before them. As far as I remember all blues music can be traced to northern African desert nomadic traditional music that eventually made it to the US via the slave trade. It's all a continuum from somewhere.

I see Wolfmother as almost a tribute band. Don't get me wrong, I love them and listen to them heaps. I like R&R, Wolfmother are R&R.

I hated The Tea Party though, they seemed to be almost playing Doors songs, there wasn't enough removal from the original for my liking.

Do you think WM are more Led Zep, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath? I would have said Sabbath more than any other myself, but it's all a rich tapestry..., blablablah..

I tend to lean towards the "Wolfmother sound like Blue Cheer and Budgie" camp, which interestingly are bands that they deny ever having even heard in an interview I read a while back.

Rock & Roll in general is pretty derivative, something is always going to sound like something else if you look hard enough.

[ajay]

It's a big call to say that any modern musician hasn't been influenced by any one playing before them. As far as I remember all blues music can be traced to northern African desert nomadic traditional music that eventually made it to the US via the slave trade. It's all a continuum from somewhere.

I see Wolfmother as almost a tribute band. Don't get me wrong, I love them and listen to them heaps. I like R&R, Wolfmother are R&R.

I hated The Tea Party though, they seemed to be almost playing Doors songs, there wasn't enough removal from the original for my liking.

Do you think WM are more Led Zep, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath? I would have said Sabbath more than any other myself, but it's all a rich tapestry..., blablablah..

You kind of missed what I was saying.... a little

All I'm saying is that Wolfmother haven't done anything groundbreaking, they haven't advanced music in anyway.

I never said modern musicians are not influenced by older/other music. Not at all. Im have been studying music most of my life and i find the best way to learn is look at what your predecesors have done, and expand on it, not to copy it. That may as well be plagiarised. So no, i wont give them credit, as they haven't anything original.

They have coppied a lot of those bands, probably sabbath the most, but the key word is copy, not "been influenced". As you say, a tribute band. I guess thats one way of looking at it, but id be interested to hear what they think about it.

WM suck, Sabbath rule.:p

[ajay]

If by innovative you mean uncredited covers of classic blues songs, re hashed 50's riffs, and some of the most self indulgent jams ever, then you are correct.

Led Zep are EVERY BIT as guilty as Wolfmother of being 'inspired' by other musicians. IMO it's a fair comparison.

No the point is they created a sound, weather they played other peoples songs isn't relevent, Jazz music is more or less based around what the players are able to do with a tune, Zep used a similar idea, but with rock music.

[Anthonaut]

Good music doesn't have to be progressive.

[S.]

Like it matters, it's just noise. OMG YOU COPIED MY NOISE IMA SUE YOU. Inspiration from this and that and whatever, in the end it's just sensory stimulation for the sake of it, and generally (despite the fact that so many musicians are apparently far better educated on global politics than politicians themselves, and waste no time trying to make "statements") it's not really a productive process except for whether you happen to like the order in which the different frequency noises come out of your speakers...

Yeah yeah expressing emotions/art/bullshit/whatever... it doesn't matter, it's trivial :)

[ajay]

Like it matters, it's just noise. OMG YOU COPIED MY NOISE IMA SUE YOU. Inspiration from this and that and whatever, in the end it's just sensory stimulation for the sake of it, and generally (despite the fact that so many musicians are apparently far better educated on global politics than politicians themselves, and waste no time trying to make "statements") it's not really a productive process except for whether you happen to like the order in which the different frequency noises come out of your speakers...

Yeah yeah expressing emotions/art/bullshit/whatever... it doesn't matter, it's trivial :)

Stick to physics.

[Elbo]

I feel that I should set out a list of songs and artists, with a bit of background information. I can tell you that if you listen to a few of these songs, and like this style, you'll soon realise that today's music has got nothing on the old stuff.

Bob Dylan:
- The Times They Are A-Changing
- Subterranean Homesick Blues (conforming to society)
- Like a Rolling Stone
- Masters of War (political/war)
- Blowin' in the Wind
- Hurricane (about a black man being framed by a white man for murder)
- Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
- Sara (in my opinion, possibly the best love song ever, he actually means what he sings)
- Knocking on Heaven's Door

These are all basic songs, musically, but lyrically they are intricate and have awesome messages. Dylan has a lot of things to say about the world and he does this through his music, playing at protests, gatherings, etc in his prime. I think the current generations' messages in their songs are pretty piss weak compared to his.

David Bowie:
- Five Years
- Man Who Sold The World
- Heroes
- Under Pressure
- Soul Love
- Ashes To Ashes
- Young Americans ("not even one damn song can make me break down and cry" --> sort of speaks about american music and how it really means nothing important. Kind of like now)

Very innovative musician/songwriter/singer influenced heavily by the world around him, not so much politics, but more to do with the Earth, people and life itself. One of my all time favourite artists.

Iggy Pop: Punk/alternative era. Awesome. Listen to:
- The Passenger
- Living on the Edge of the Night
- Real Wild Child (Wild One)
- Lust For Life (Jet blatantly stole the percussion from this for Are You Gonna Be My Girl)

I start to realise how some people are blindly following the mainstream stuff of today, when I say to them, 'have you heard The Passenger', and they say, 'oh yeah, by Powderfinger.' 'NO by Iggy Pop.. damn it' 'Who's that?'

Also, want some great music that is lyrically and musically advanced. Go no further than Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground. Listen to:
- Last Great American Whale
- Dirty Boulevard
- Sweet Jane
- Walk on the Wildside
- White Light/White Heat
- Caroline Says
- Stephanie Says
- Heroin

As you can tell i am talking with bias as these are my favourite artists, but I like the older music as I can't stand the meaninglessness of current day songs, and the regurgitated riffs, percussion and bass lines.
Hope this helps for people who have not heard some of these great songs or artists.

[Macr]

Led Zep's first album, was folk music like Dylan and others of his time. That is one thing that they were inspired by. It was from there that they moved out into what they are currently known for including adopting the eastern sounds especially the time they travelled to Morocco to produce No Quarter. But to counter claims, Led Zep (Robert paige at least) was a Robert Johnson (SP??) fan and blatantly renamed some of his songs. So WM do have some ammo.

As for Tea Party, I like them, but they do have a lot of Doors in them and they do blend songs in concert like save me and love will tear us apart and at their last concert they blended Tool's Sober into a song.
Everyone is influenced by someone and it will come out. Jimi Hendrix by BB King (Rock me baby). The Doors would of been the same, just that the drugs helped with the progression. Stones were also influenced by Robert Johnson.
From NIN comes Marilyn Manson and Orgy.
The one that I am having trouble with is Attrition, Goth music using Classical music.

[Macr]

These are all basic songs, musically, but lyrically they are intricate and have awesome messages. Dylan has a lot of things to say about the world and he does this through his music, playing at protests, gatherings, etc in his prime. I think the current generations' messages in their songs are pretty piss weak compared to his.
Pearl Jam have three songs about a serial killer, created by his parents. Actually here it is
Pearl Jam's "Ten" contains two-thirds of Eddie Vedder's little known "Mamasan Trilogy." In the spirit of rock opera Vedder lays out a tale of a twisted life in the songs Alive and Once. The third song of the trilogy, "Footsteps/Times of Trouble" is on the Temple of Dog record combining members of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam in tribute to fallen band member Andrew Woods of Pearl Jam precursor Mother Love Bone. So here's how the story goes...the trilogy starts with "Alive" in which a young man's Father has died and allows himself to be seduced by a older woman Mrs. Robinson type who also happens to be...err...umm...how to say this, well let's just say maternally-related of the first order. This traumatic experience eventually caused said seduced kid to go on a rampage falling down the ill-fated path of taking up serial homicide as a profession as told about in the song "Once" Vedder growls, "Once upon a time I could control myself" And it all ends as our forlorn character is caught and lands on death row. "Footsteps," finishes the trilogy off with reminisces of a doomed delinquent dallying his last days and lost in deep thought, regret, and denial from behind the bars of a jail cell. I think this fits the bill. It highlights a social problem.

[Rik]

What a bunch of jaded old chinstrokers. Sounds like too many people here are clutching on to the music of their formative years. If you don't think there's any good new music, either you don't listen to enough new music to find the good stuff or you've closed your mind to what is "good". Oh well, your loss.

[NCR600]

Led Zep's first album, was folk music like Dylan
Ok. Someone on here claimed that Slipknot's first album was jazz too.


The one that I am having trouble with is Attrition, Goth music using Classical music.

I know goths who will argue that classical music IS goth music, and all the people who call themselves goths these days aren't.

At the time Led Zeppelin's first album came out there were approximately 50 gajillion bands doing almost exactly the same thing with re fried psychedelic blues.

Check Blue Cheer, Early Fleetwood Mac, the Led Zep precursing Yardbirds, The Greatful Dead, Cream, John Myall's Blues Breakers etc etc etc.

Led Zep? Good yes, ground breaking, no.

[at the drive in]

I
I start to realise how some people are blindly following the mainstream stuff of today, when I say to them, 'have you heard The Passenger', and they say, 'oh yeah, by Powderfinger.' 'NO by Iggy Pop.. damn it' 'Who's that?'

.

I once asked a mate who claimed he listened to lots of punk and seemed to though he knew lots about the genre, if he knew who iggy pop was. His reply "hes marylin mansons guitar player right"

[gravelclimber]

Oh well...listen to this anyway.....rocks my world, it does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExyRMqX8eOA

Never to be surpassed.:(

[ajay]

I once asked a mate who claimed he listened to lots of punk and seemed to though he knew lots about the genre, if he knew who iggy pop was. His reply "hes marylin mansons guitar player right"

Haha, funny you mention that, Marilyn Manson's guitar player (John 5) is actually a brilliant guitar player. Ive got a couple of his solo albums, all I can say is "holy smoking shit sticks!!!"

[Pete J]

Yeah yeah expressing emotions/art/bullshit/whatever... it doesn't matter, it's trivial :)

Right on! Physics is where it's at!!

:p

[skivi]

doo-wop floats my boat these days. also nujazz/left field electronica.

but i found dad's old 45's and i can tell you know black sabbath "sabotage" is off the hook. definately will go to the grave with me.

[Fergus Burger]

Next fool that posts something completely irrelevant like "so and so are the best band ever!!11Shiftoneone!! will get a weeks ban.

[MasterOfReality]

Am I also the only one that thinks Led Zep is overrated?

They were good, but live, Jimmy Page's playing was incredibly sloppy compared to other good live bands. Check out the Led Zep double dvd they released a couple of years ago and see.

All you 80's metal/rock fans out there, did you know that Dio is rejoining Black Sabbath, and touring under the name Heaven and Hell??????

This is what i have been waiting for ever since the original Sabbath reunited back in 1997.

[Macr]

Am I also the only one that thinks Led Zep is overrated?
Yes! :p :D

[Hamsta]

If a song still gives me goosebumps the third time I hear it, I don't care who wrote it/copied it/morphed it/claims it. I simply enjoy the experience. Isn't that what music is all about?.

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

Comparing the political statements of Bob Dylan and System of a Down should be a crime punishable by repeated testicle kicking. :p

Yeah, System of a down aren't flogging off their back catalogue to be used in adverts!

memo: Strike Mr Zimmerman off the creative roll call

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

IDavid Bowie:
- Five Years
- Man Who Sold The World
- Heroes
- Under Pressure
- Soul Love
- Ashes To Ashes
- Young Americans ("not even one damn song can make me break down and cry" --> sort of speaks about american music and how it really means nothing important. Kind of like now)
.

You forgot to mention 'The Laughing Gnome!'

;)

google it, download it, and love it (well make your own mind up about the last one)

[cellardoor]

But for the last 6-7 years - virtually nothing that's exciting.

That's not to say there's no good stuff - there is. But I just don't see it as innovative or that original.

Ok, I had to calm down first, you got me so angry.
Check this list, Original and innovative stuff.

Oz Bands:
Architecture In Helsinki (instrument and electronic based pop sort of stuff)
Because of Ghosts (fucking amazing band, guitar/bass/drum based stuff, quite and subtle but somehow epic at the same time)
Love of Diagrams (no lyrics, rythmic guitar/bass/drum stuff)
Golditz Glider (no lyrics, guitar/bass/drum stuff that will rock your brain around your skull till it drips out your ears
CityCityCity (kind of a cross between Dave Brubeck and Sonic Youth)
Music vs Physics (instrumental hiphop, the early stuff is better then the new stuff)

Non Oz Bands:
Joanna Newsom (folk-e stuff revloving around a harp, amazing lyrics, a par with any of the great song writers of history)
Modest Mouse (been around for a while but releasing new stuff, I cant even think how to describe it, it fucking rules though, check it out)
Sigur Ros (prob' heard of these guys, headphone music, better then drugs)

Thats all I can think off the top of my head. Sorry If anybody else has mentioned them but I couldnt be bothered reading the whole thread.

[ridesaGT]

My normal listening habits is very much centred around JJJ and sometimes RRR in melbourne, but i recently found myself flicking over to watching the latest season of Australian idol. Now before you skip to the next post, i only wanted to see what the fuss was about. So as i'm sitting on my couch with my wife next me after dinner, were picking the crap out these new so called artists and i begin to wonder, what makes a good singer/artist/musician? I couldn't really answer myself, except i was able to come up with some definitions.
A singer: just really repeats the words and tones written on a page.
An artist: Someone who applies emotion and thier own interpretation to a song or musical piece(albeit sometimes written by themself)
A musician: is a piece within a set, the set together create the art, which is the music.
So for example: Bernard Fanning is an artist and the members of rolling stones are musicians (do you think Mick Jagger would have made it on his own?) and Britney spears is just a singer.
Now there are exceptions, Bernard Fanning is also a musician, as is Daniel Johns. The truth i did find however is that the performers on Aus idol are just singers pretending to be artists. I realised that the show (idol) itself only allows these people to be merely more than mediocre as they regurgitate the crap that someone else wrote on a page. So that sunday night made me feel dirty and i immediately had to go wash myself :D

Good music is what YOU connect with, and nothing more.

[Bodin]

Ok, I had to calm down first, you got me so angry.
Check this list, Original and innovative stuff.

Oz Bands:
Architecture In Helsinki (instrument and electronic based pop sort of stuff)
Because of Ghosts (fucking amazing band, guitar/bass/drum based stuff, quite and subtle but somehow epic at the same time)
Love of Diagrams (no lyrics, rythmic guitar/bass/drum stuff)
Golditz Glider (no lyrics, guitar/bass/drum stuff that will rock your brain around your skull till it drips out your ears
CityCityCity (kind of a cross between Dave Brubeck and Sonic Youth)
Music vs Physics (instrumental hiphop, the early stuff is better then the new stuff)

Non Oz Bands:
Joanna Newsom (folk-e stuff revloving around a harp, amazing lyrics, a par with any of the great song writers of history)
Modest Mouse (been around for a while but releasing new stuff, I cant even think how to describe it, it fucking rules though, check it out)
Sigur Ros (prob' heard of these guys, headphone music, better then drugs)

Thats all I can think off the top of my head. Sorry If anybody else has mentioned them but I couldnt be bothered reading the whole thread.

I must've been living in a cave for the last decade. I have not heard of one of these acts. :o

[ajay]

My normal listening habits is very much centred around JJJ and sometimes RRR in melbourne, but i recently found myself flicking over to watching the latest season of Australian idol. Now before you skip to the next post, i only wanted to see what the fuss was about. So as i'm sitting on my couch with my wife next me after dinner, were picking the crap out these new so called artists and i begin to wonder, what makes a good singer/artist/musician? I couldn't really answer myself, except i was able to come up with some definitions.
A singer: just really repeats the words and tones written on a page.
An artist: Someone who applies emotion and thier own interpretation to a song or musical piece(albeit sometimes written by themself)
A musician: is a piece within a set, the set together create the art, which is the music.
So for example: Bernard Fanning is an artist and the members of rolling stones are musicians (do you think Mick Jagger would have made it on his own?) and Britney spears is just a singer.
Now there are exceptions, Bernard Fanning is also a musician, as is Daniel Johns. The truth i did find however is that the performers on Aus idol are just singers pretending to be artists. I realised that the show (idol) itself only allows these people to be merely more than mediocre as they regurgitate the crap that someone else wrote on a page. So that sunday night made me feel dirty and i immediately had to go wash myself :D

Good music is what YOU connect with, and nothing more.

Good post.

Although your interpretation of an "artist" and a musician" is very subjective and may not apply to the next person, however it is probably a loose description that most people will relate with.

"Good music is what you connect with."

I agree with that, although I'm so anal with the music I listen too that finding music to connect with can sometimes quite an arduous task!

[NCR600]

Am I also the only one that thinks Led Zep is overrated?



Yes! :p :D

N0!

tencharacters

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

Modest Mouse (been around for a while but releasing new stuff, I cant even think how to describe it, it fucking rules though, check it out)
.

DOh!

Forgot to mention the mouse...

Pissed off that I won't be around Melbourne at the end of December to catch them live.

Doubly pissed off as Johnny Marr (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Marr)is playing guitar for them!

[R33F]

The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Tom Waits, Frank Zappa, James Brown, The Ramones, The Dead Kennedys, Slayer, Joy Division, Public Enemy, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Leftfield, the Prodigy, Tool, DJ Shadow, Massive Attack from OS (and many many more). AC/DC, Midnight Oil to name but a few from here.

Graveclimber, welcome to mid-thirties ! :D

Joe Satriani released 'Surfing with the Alien' in 1987. I thought that was innovative.

Unit by Regurgitator was also innovative IMO.

Please add those 2 to your list, and I will stick my head back into the sand where I am more than comfortable with my Angels, Radiators & Horsehead CD's. :D

[gravelclimber]

Joanna Newsom (folk-e stuff revloving around a harp, amazing lyrics, a par with any of the great song writers of history)
Modest Mouse (been around for a while but releasing new stuff, I cant even think how to describe it, it fucking rules though, check it out)
Sigur Ros (prob' heard of these guys, headphone music, better then drugs)


Is this the best ya got??

Joanna Newsom sounds like Bjork and Kate Bush's lesbian love child, only more annoying.
Modest Mouse. Pffft. Pop. All done before. For example, the Pixies, Beck etc.
Sigur Ros. Better than drugs they may be, but not as good as listening to a Senate Committee debating an appropriations bill for outback toilet maintenance on News Radio. Boring.

But, hey....that's only my opinion :D :D :D

[ajay]

Graveclimber, welcome to mid-thirties ! :D

Joe Satriani released 'Surfing with the Alien' in 1987. I thought that was innovative.

Unit by Regurgitator was also innovative IMO.

Please add those 2 to your list, and I will stick my head back into the sand where I am more than comfortable with my Angels, Radiators & Horsehead CD's. :D


I really wanted to mention satch, but my mind was clouded as to weather I think he did something innovative or I'm just sucker for anything with phat guitar solos...

Speaking of which, who's coming to see the G3 tour (Satriani, Vai and Petrucci) ???

[cellardoor]

Is this the best ya got??

Joanna Newsom sounds like Bjork and Kate Bush's lesbian love child, only more annoying.
Modest Mouse. Pffft. Pop. All done before. For example, the Pixies, Beck etc.
Sigur Ros. Better than drugs they may be, but not as good as listening to a Senate Committee debating an appropriations bill for outback toilet maintenance on News Radio. Boring.

But, hey....that's only my opinion :D :D :D

Well whad'ya'want tiger? A whole new genre. Stuff like that dosent come along very often. And its very easy to look back on history and draw a line between genre A and genre B but it dosent happen like that in the present, things emerge and evolve slowly. There are inovative bands out there. If you want to ignor them be my guest. Maybe you just dont like whats happening, but that dosent mean its not original.

For instance the bunch of Aussie rock bands doing shit with out lyrics (which is an answear to many of my prayers because %90 of lyrics are trite over used rubbish. And then, like a needle in a hay stack comes Joanna Newsom (who may not be able to sing) but is writing some of the most poetic and complex music the world has seen since orchestras, wigs and lead face paint went out of fashion. And her lyrics, my god just read them if you dont want to listen to her sing.

What sort of music are you into anyway?? Maybe if we know your prefs we can recomend you something that will tickle your special place like the Oils did in 82 (I wish I could have seen those boys play, alas I was still crawling)

[MasterOfReality]

Went and saw Yngwie Malmsteen last night.

That was definately not shit!

[ajay]

Went and saw Yngwie Malmsteen last night.

That was definately not shit!

Sick, there's something about Yngwie that can either sound blisteringly amazing or quite comical.... But yeah, definatlely one of the worlds greatest guitar players...

[johnny]

I find Mars Volta pretty original.

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

Can anyone tell me when Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen etc. become gods? I've always regarded them as narcissistic wankers who can't find decent band that'll have them. Hmm, "look at me , I can play real fast and have the most fantastic jewellery. Don't I photograph well?" Write some PROPER songs ya fairies!. You're the rock equivalent of freeform jazz. Hell, at least jazz artists dress well!

[ajay]

Can anyone tell me when Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen etc. become gods? I've always regarded them as narcissistic wankers who can't find decent band that'll have them. Hmm, "look at me , I can play real fast and have the most fantastic jewellery. Don't I photograph well?" Write some PROPER songs ya fairies!. You're the rock equivalent of freeform jazz. Hell, at least jazz artists dress well!

I usually rate your opinion as fairly educated, however, that was just bollox dude.

[johnny]

I usually rate your opinion as fairly educated, And I the same for you until I read that! :p :D

[ajay]

And I the same for you until I read that! :p :D

haha... Ill stand by satch and vai till the death!!

[wombat]

Is this the best ya got??
I'm with you, but I think this stretches further than just music.

I mean take a look at science. Where are the new laws of reality? Where are the new Einstein and Newton? Sure, we've got quantum physics and string theory, but they tend to be fuzzy around the edges at the very best.

And what about the space race? We landed on the moon in the 60s, and yet the current generation still haven't gotten us to Mars, let alone anywhere else!

Oh! And where's the damn hover cars already? I mean we're still here, tooling around with the wheel, an invention from god knows when! I want all those cool hover cars we were told about on Beyond 2000 and the like.





If you want new, innovative music try ABCs Experimental Music Show and the like, if your ears can handle it. (I know mine can't).

[wombat]

haha... Ill stand by satch and vai till the death!!
Stand by? You won't be able to stand within 100ft of them without bumping into their egos.

[I-AM-TEH-FASTEST-11]

Can anyone tell me when Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen etc. become gods? I've always regarded them as narcissistic wankers who can't find decent band that'll have them. Hmm, "look at me , I can play real fast and have the most fantastic jewellery. Don't I photograph well?" Write some PROPER songs ya fairies!. You're the rock equivalent of freeform jazz. Hell, at least jazz artists dress well!

i agree, I freakin hate this crap.. seriously, does nothing for me..
for some reason people think that if you DONT like said artists you mustn't know much about music.. but I'll see your Steve Vai and rasie you one Keith Morris...

but anyway, I think that some of the more interesting music is the likes of Radiohead, Jamiroqoui (not that I really like it) and Squarepusher
3 different styles that all seem to keep me capitvated

[EastsideZero]

The problem is most music is "product" not "art" made by corporations to shift units ,sell merchandise and fill stadium seats.Look at all those Video Hits "Punk" bands ,black nails, spiky hair and about as punk as Justin Timberlake. R&B performers that that make soft core porn clips to themselves.There aren't many of these people that have a career lasting more than two albums,as soon as sales start to drop they are replaced by the next big thing the marketing men have made to sell to braindead puppets who cant think for themselves.The same people who buy thier jeans pre-torn and faded (i recently saw an ad for converse "chuck's" pre stressed for that "authentic" look $70-bargain!, for a shoe design that is 50ish years old and made of canvas).

Real music is out there,you just have to look harder these days to find it.
Black Sabbath's Black Sabbath best album ever made. never dates(to my ears anyway) and i dont mind Wolfmother.

"There is nothing new under the sun"

[ajay]

Stand by? You won't be able to stand within 100ft of them without bumping into their egos.

Pfft! Dont knock ego's. Imagine the stones or zep without ego... they aint got nothin!

Not to mention, The Who, Hendrix, The Doors, Miles Davis blah blah... ego is everything!

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

haha... Ill stand by satch and vai till the death!!

Aaargh, have you gone mad?

They're the musical equivalent of masturbating in front of your own reflection!

Technically proficient they may be but artists they are not! It shits me to tears when I hear them compared to Hendrix. Can you ever imagine Vai et al, writing something as rocking as Purple Haze? As funky as Foxy Lady? or as jaw droppingly beautiful as Little Wing or Castles made of Sand?

And besides, what sort of f***ing name is Yngwie?

[thecat]

Pfft! Dont knock ego's. Imagine the stones or zep without ego... they aint got nothin!

Not to mention, The Who, Hendrix, The Doors, Miles Davis blah blah... ego is everything!

You forgot to mention Sky hooks "Ego's not a dirty word"

[ajay]

Aaargh, have you gone mad?

They're the musical equivalent of masturbating in front of your own reflection!

Technically proficient they may be but artists they are not! It shits me to tears when I hear them compared to Hendrix. Can you ever imagine Vai et al, writing something as rocking as Purple Haze? As funky as Foxy Lady? or as jaw droppingly beautiful as Little Wing or Castles made of Sand?

And besides, what sort of f***ing name is Yngwie?

He's sweedish, give him a break!

And no, I havent gone mad. Vai is a fabulous composer (you'd know this if you've ever listened through one of his albums).

Satriani isnt that technical. Sure he can blow a solo, but compared to most players, he rocks hard as and is known A LOT more for his delicate phrasing and tone.

Malmsteen is at the forefront of neoclassical music, and good on him because ive havent heard of anyone really stepping up to the plate apart from him.

Apart from not liking their music (which i dont expect you to either) one thing that you shouldnt deny is that those players have taken rock guitar to a new level.

I guess its a fruitless argument...
so moving along --->>>>> PANTERA IS WHERE ITS AT!!!!!!!!!!

and god help me if I get my crappy little e-fighting hands on the scumbag that ended Dimebags life.....:mad:

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

Modest Mouse. Pffft. Pop. All done before. For example, the Pixies, Beck etc.


If that's your idea of pop, I can't wait to check out your edgy, avant garde, alternative collection! :p

[gravelclimber]

If that's your idea of pop, I can't wait to check out your edgy, avant garde, alternative collection!

Easy listening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thm29bz3XKc

Folk (I gotta post it again 'cause it is the coolest clip)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExyRMqX8eOA

Chillout (also an awesome clip):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfIYghqx7HQ&mode=related&search=

Enjoy people.

[lopes]

If you get bored with the slop dished up on the radio, at least with the internet and youtube it is easier to check out the music of other cultures now.

Currently I like the mor lam music from north east thai/laos:

Heres a few samples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK3VmKrSIFw&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwXzPqWV4oM&mode=related&search=

No need to worry about the bland radio stations - there is a style to suit everyone now thanks to the internet.

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

No need to worry about the bland radio stations - there is a style to suit everyone now thanks to the internet.


What about the Amish?

[lopes]

What about the Amish?

I dont think they need radio or the internet - apparently they do sing in church though.

[personboy]

If you want some good Australian bands check out: Cog (http://www.cog.com.au), Karnivool (http://www.karnivool.com.au), Jinn (http://www.myspace.com/jinnau),Sleight of hand (http://www.sleightmusic.com),What Drives The Weak (http://www.myspace.com/wdtw) and This Collision (http://www.thiscollision.com)

[S.]

If you want some good Australian bands check out: Cog (http://www.cog.com.au), Karnivool (http://www.karnivool.com.au), Jinn (http://www.myspace.com/jinnau),Sleight of hand (http://www.sleightmusic.com),What Drives The Weak (http://www.myspace.com/wdtw) and This Collision (http://www.thiscollision.com)

Cog are out, for two reasons:
1. To be classed as an Australian band you should at least have an Australian accent. Putting on a THICK yank accent to sing in, all the while sounding like you've got Down's Syndrome and/or a phallus in your mouth = not much of an Aussie band to me.
2. They suck.

Karnivool and Sleight of Hand are damn decent though. Haven't heard those other three however.

[personboy]

Cog are heaps good, I'm listening to them right now. Yea sleight of hand are pro I've seen them play live 4 times before. Karnivool are good too but their older stuff is better than their new stuff. The other three bands are only small bands thats probably why you haven't heard of them, I only know about them cause I went to some gigs which they played at.

[NCR600]

Cog arose from the ashes of the much superior 'The Hanging Tree'

Hanging Tree were quite good. Cog are radio friendly lite nu-metal rubbish.

[Gripper]

I find Mars Volta pretty original.

Me too (or I used to), but my tolerance for them is coming to an end.

Love the first album and still play it all the way thru

Their 2nd album has only had several play thru's but I regularly play certain tracks.

3rd album well, played it once and that's it....can't see me buying their next one..

They need to sit down and write some properly structured songs again etal, ATDI.

[mtb_slipknot_fan]

What about the butterfly effect?? they dont sound quite that bad and they're Aussie.

If u want to check em out go to their website they have a couple of songs on there: http://www.thebutterflyeffect.com.au

Chris

[Macr]

Cog arose from the ashes of the much superior 'The Hanging Tree'

Hanging Tree were quite good. Cog are radio friendly lite nu-metal rubbish.
So they are not *Heaps Good* then like personboy states? A band I really enjoy, but are now defunct is Scarlet. Their EP's were pretty dark (nearly goth), but I find it hard to decide what genre they fit in.

[Rik]

They need to sit down and write some properly structured songs again etal, ATDI.How can they be "original" if they follow set guidelines for song structure? ;)
The whole I V C V C M8 C C O is pretty mundane, bring on the freeform randomness that lasts for 10 minutes :cool:

[jjperko]

Me too (or I used to), but my tolerance for them is coming to an end.

Love the first album and still play it all the way thru

Their 2nd album has only had several play thru's but I regularly play certain tracks.

3rd album well, played it once and that's it....can't see me buying their next one..

They need to sit down and write some properly structured songs again etal, ATDI.

The lack of structure is what gives them their edge. I feel that they do follow a structure that is more reminiscent of classical music than anything else. If you listen through one of their albums youll notice a trend in song structure.

I like The Mars Volta for the weirdness though and struggle to find any other guitarist that solos in the min 2 degree of the key.

[ajay]

The lack of structure is what gives them their edge. I feel that they do follow a structure that is more reminiscent of classical music than anything else. If you listen through one of their albums youll notice a trend in song structure.

I like The Mars Volta for the weirdness though and struggle to find any other guitarist that solos in the min 2 degree of the key.


Yeah The Mars Volta Write some awesome music. Listened to many a tune while O.S and it certainly made dull bus rides thoroughly enjoyable...

BTW - what do you mean by this? - " struggle to find any other guitarist that solos in the min 2 degree of the key "

[Gripper]

The lack of structure is what gives them their edge. I feel that they do follow a structure that is more reminiscent of classical music than anything else. If you listen through one of their albums youll notice a trend in song structure.

'
Just saying that their creative? structure has gone to far for me.

I'm all for pushing the creative barriers, until it turns into trash.

[jjperko]

BTW - what do you mean by this? - " struggle to find any other guitarist that solos in the min 2 degree of the key "

Um from what picked up from hearing Omar Rodriguez (sp?) he solo's a lot using a dorian mode which is essentially a major scale on the second degree of the key you are playing (a tone up from the tonic). He also uses a mode ( I dont think there is a common name for it) that is simply the same scale moved up 1 semitone up from the tonic note which creates a really clashy sound.

For example if he was soloing in the key of C minor which one might use a C minor pentatonic scale for he would use a C# minor pentatonic.

Reading that post back I don't even know if I understand what I've written let alone others. Anyway back on topic
James

[ajay]

Um from what picked up from hearing Omar Rodriguez (sp?) he solo's a lot using a dorian mode which is essentially a major scale on the second degree of the key you are playing (a tone up from the tonic). He also uses a mode ( I dont think there is a common name for it) that is simply the same scale moved up 1 semitone up from the tonic note which creates a really clashy sound.

For example if he was soloing in the key of C minor which one might use a C minor pentatonic scale for he would use a C# minor pentatonic.

Reading that post back I don't even know if I understand what I've written let alone others. Anyway back on topic
James

Yeah thats what I thought you meant...

Playing in a dorian mode is extremely common though...

Playing a C# minor pent over a Cmin is essentially playing a diminished/lydian dominant mode which is also quite common in soloing over altered chords.

A slight exploration into some Jazz/Fusion will reveal alot of this kind of playing!

Start by listening to scott henderson (http://www.scotthenderson.net/):)

[cellardoor]

I just got through spining a great new album. Fucked Up - Hidden World. Im not sure which is the album name and which is the band name. I just downloaded it because it had a cool cover. But I was really impressed. I dont userly go in for that type of music but this album really did it for me.

[MasterOfReality]

Just thought of another great 70's band.

Grand Funk Railroad.

Simple yet awesome.

In a live recording, no other band I have heard has come close to them.

[nizai]

Homer Simpson: Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact.

[FR Drew]

Aaargh, have you gone mad?
They're the musical equivalent of masturbating in front of your own reflection!

Technically proficient they may be but artists they are not! It shits me to tears when I hear them compared to Hendrix. Can you ever imagine Vai et al, writing something as rocking as Purple Haze? As funky as Foxy Lady? or as jaw droppingly beautiful as Little Wing or Castles made of Sand?


I still have yet to hear anyone come out with something that I like more than "always with me, always with you" and that's even with it lumbered with a freaking drum machine.

I haven't heard much later Satch that I really got into and I'm the first to admit that noodling for the sake of noodling shits me to tears even if it is technically proficient, but "always..." is a good enough piece of music that even if the guy had never recorded anything but that one single he'd still be a freaking genius.

[johnny]

Will I upset anyone if I say that Stevie Ray Vaughn's Little Wing was better than Jimi Hendix's Little Wing?

[FR Drew]

Actually, I'm a fan of Ritchie Sambora's take of "The wind Cries Mary" too.

Of course, once someone has led the way, innovation wise, it's nowhere near as big a task to refine it as it is to do something totally new. Compare the musical landscape that Sambora grew up in as opposed to what Hendrix was surrounded by. The big genius with Hendrix was in moving so far outside the boundaries.

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

Will I upset anyone if I say that Stevie Ray Vaughn's Little Wing was better than Jimi Hendix's Little Wing?

Ahh, I see you've taken up Crack again.

There are programmes you know

(ftr Stevie Ray was a legend but you can't improve on perfection)

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

Actually, I'm a fan of Ritchie Sambora's take of "The wind Cries Mary" too.

Of course, once someone has led the way, innovation wise, it's nowhere near as big a task to refine it as it is to do something totally new. Compare the musical landscape that Sambora grew up in as opposed to what Hendrix was surrounded by. The big genius with Hendrix was in moving so far outside the boundaries.

I must also add, when I am finally declared leader of the free world. Messr's Sambora and Bon Jovi will be tried for crimes against humanity and in all likelihood, executed by firing squad.

[ajay]

Will I upset anyone if I say that Stevie Ray Vaughn's Little Wing was better than Jimi Hendix's Little Wing?

Absolutely not!

I agree with you man, an honorable mention should go to SRV's version Voodoo Chile too!

Incredible...

[ajay]

I still have yet to hear anyone come out with something that I like more than "always with me, always with you" and that's even with it lumbered with a freaking drum machine.

I haven't heard much later Satch that I really got into and I'm the first to admit that noodling for the sake of noodling shits me to tears even if it is technically proficient, but "always..." is a good enough piece of music that even if the guy had never recorded anything but that one single he'd still be a freaking genius.

Wed up:cool:

I need to say that Satch certainly isnt very guilty of mindless noodling... People need to listen to albums the whole way through so they can get a clearer picture of what Satriani actually does - and that is create amazing melodies using very simple harmony, its all in the phrasing.:)

[V10]

Hey come on whats wrong with Human nature re releasing an album full of MAN BALLARDS, seducing the boy of their dreams, with their whimsicall tunes. Or good old juzzy timberlake? All the cast of Neighbours? Why i dont know what your talking about there is plenty of "Great" music out at the moment! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. DIE TOP 40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FR Drew]

I gotta say, through the years there have been watershed albums that get looked back on as classics. You know the cast list:

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain
Dave Brubeck: Time Out
The Beatles: Sgt Peppers, Revolver, The White Album etc
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here
The Eagles: Hotel California
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St etc
Nirvana: Bleach, Nevermind
Led Zep: IV
Deep Purple: Machine Head
Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Plus heaps of others from Clapton, The Who, Creedence, Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, Hendrix, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Midnight Oil, Crowded House, Leonard Cohen, blah blah blah...

Sincerest apologies to all those obvious ones that I've forgotten, and please don't think that I utterly love or even own all the ones in the list above, but it's hard to dispute the fact that these are recordings that will always be classics.

Contrast that with damn near everything produced at the moment which is lucky to be remembered a year later, let alone 4 or 5 decades down the track. Sure there's some stuff that's popular, really popular, but in 2016 or 2026 what is our equivalent of Sgt Peppers going to be?

Anyone?...

[jock180]

i aggree with you that there is a lot of mainstreem music and that most musicians are starting to conform, they make their music to suit society and to get the most ratings, instead they should make their own music... who cares if there isnt that many people that like it.
but at the same time there are plenty of bands that do their own thing. (i cant think of any of the top of my head but it know their there). its just a matter of finding them.

[Povi]

Contrast that with damn near everything produced at the moment which is lucky to be remembered a year later, let alone 4 or 5 decades down the track. Sure there's some stuff that's popular, really popular, but in 2016 or 2026 what is our equivalent of Sgt Peppers going to be?

True true but i think maybe Wolfmother?
who is able to predict the classics?
the thing with music now, everything changes so fast because there is soo much music floating around and new bands being formed. Everyone wants to be succesfull and rich and they think that they can make it by being a band. Everything sounds the same nowadays, and i think that something that will be different to mainstream will make a classic
AH! now after typing this i have just thought....... RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS. I bet you in 10-20 years, the peppers will be classics that everyone will start listening to again

[cellardoor]

I gotta say, through the years there have been watershed albums that get looked back on as classics. You know the cast list:

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain
Dave Brubeck: Time Out
The Beatles: Sgt Peppers, Revolver, The White Album etc
Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here
The Eagles: Hotel California
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St etc
Nirvana: Bleach, Nevermind
Led Zep: IV
Deep Purple: Machine Head
Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Plus heaps of others from Clapton, The Who, Creedence, Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, Hendrix, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Midnight Oil, Crowded House, Leonard Cohen, blah blah blah...

Sincerest apologies to all those obvious ones that I've forgotten, and please don't think that I utterly love or even own all the ones in the list above, but it's hard to dispute the fact that these are recordings that will always be classics.

Contrast that with damn near everything produced at the moment which is lucky to be remembered a year later, let alone 4 or 5 decades down the track. Sure there's some stuff that's popular, really popular, but in 2016 or 2026 what is our equivalent of Sgt Peppers going to be?

Anyone?...

You've pretty much just repeated the first post in this thread in a diffrent way.

[ajay]

True true but i think maybe Wolfmother?
who is able to predict the classics?
the thing with music now, everything changes so fast because there is soo much music floating around and new bands being formed. Everyone wants to be succesfull and rich and they think that they can make it by being a band. Everything sounds the same nowadays, and i think that something that will be different to mainstream will make a classic
AH! now after typing this i have just thought....... RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS. I bet you in 10-20 years, the peppers will be classics that everyone will start listening to again

Something tells me wolfmother wont quite reach classic status

Classic bands and music STAY popular and stand the test of time, there probably wasnt a time when people stopped listening to the Stones, Zep, Floyd, Elton John etc.

Music that differs from mainstream doesn't make it classic, in fact it probably ruins it's chances of becoming classic purely because its NOT mainstream and therefor narrowing their exposure in the 1st place.

Argh, this just frustrating.:mad:

Everyone just needs to get a dose of Scott Henderson (www.scotthenderson.net)

[Povi]

But could you classify the peppers as classics? theyve already been going for over 15 years and will probably go on for another

AND GO LITHUANIA! thanks to my home country we have a great singer for a great band:D:D:D

[FR Drew]

You've pretty much just repeated the first post in this thread in a diffrent way.

Fair cop, I guess basically I completely agree with the sentiments expressed there.

I remember my nephew a few years ago extolling the virtues of "Five", to which I responded:
"There was a pretty crap band sort of like them that sold heaps of records in the 80's called "New Kids On The Block"."
He said: "Who?"
I said: "Exactly."

Sure there are some fairly cool albums around but I still don't see no Dark Side of the Moon or Sgt Peppers equivalents that will stand the test of time.

Maybe it's because so much is being produced now that we just get swamped.

As for Wolf Mother, you might as well be listening to Sabbath.

[ajay]

But could you classify the peppers as classics? theyve already been going for over 15 years and will probably go on for another

AND GO LITHUANIA! thanks to my home country we have a great singer for a great band:D:D:D

Hmm classic is a big word...

I guess they will be remembered for many years to come, but another Darkside or Sgt Peppers? I think not...

[Povi]

They might seem like classics to all you old fellas, but ive never heard of Dark Side of the Moon or Sgt Peppers

[ajay]

They might seem like classics to all you old fellas, but ive never heard of Dark Side of the Moon or Sgt Peppers

Old?

Ill be the judge of that:)

And before you post anything more in this thread, go get yourself a copy of both of those albums! pronto!:p

[MasterOfReality]

As for Wolf Mother, you might as well be listening to Sabbath.

They might have a Sabbath sound, but there is no way you could compare Wolfmother to Black Sabbath.

Every member of Sabbath (apart from Ozzy) is an unreal musician, actually able to play their instruments, not like the members of Wolfmother.

Wolfmother's members have not nothing on Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

[FR Drew]

Agreed, (at the risk of being lynched by all the Wolfmother fans) what I meant was the sound seems very strongly based on Sabbath to the point of trying to clone it. Let me rephrase then, and say "Why listen to Wolfmother when you could listen to Sabbath?"
(Actually, isn't Black Sabbath any band with Iommi in it?) :)

Povi, povi, povi, povi, povi... I just don't know what to say.:eek:

Go buy Sgt Peppers and DSOTM now! Or see if your parents (or grandparents!) have their copies still.

Seriously, like isn't every home in the western world supposed to have an average of 1.7 copies of Dark Side?

[ajay]

They might have a Sabbath sound, but there is no way you could compare Wolfmother to Black Sabbath.

Every member of Sabbath (apart from Ozzy) is an unreal musician, actually able to play their instruments, not like the members of Wolfmother.

Wolfmother's members have not nothing on Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

Fucken Eh!





Although i suspect that Drew was referring to their lack of originality... not so much putting them at the same level as Sabbath.

EDIT:

beaten...

And yeah, at LEAST 1.7 copies of darkside here!

[PINT of Stella, mate!]

It's all well and good saying referring to the likes of Dark Side and Sgt Peppers and saying there are no more memorable albums being produced but as has been mentioned in many other posts. There ARE classic albums out there. Benchmark Albums weren't just the produce of solely the sixties and seventies. There are dozens form the eighties (Meat is Murder, Appetite for Destruction), the nineties (Definitely Maybe, Leftism, Endtroducing, hell you even mentioned Nevermind yourself!) and there WILL be classic albums from this decade, I'm already tipping The Arctic Monkeys, Hot Fuss, Up the Bracket, Is this it and White Blood Cells will all be highly regarded in years to come.

The argument that 90% of music out today is forgettable commercial shite is true, but don't make the sixties and seventies out to be some sort of rock utopia as there was an absolute wealth of godawful shite kicking about then!

The Osmonds, anyone?

[Hamsta]

Sonic Youth

[RCOH]

Will I upset anyone if I say that Stevie Ray Vaughn's Little Wing was better than Jimi Hendix's Little Wing?

I like Skid Row's version of Little Wing better than both Jimi & SRV's.

[ajay]

I like Skid Row's version of Little Wing better than both Jimi & SRV's.


hmm, if we are pulling out little wing covers, Vai does a mean one on the G3 tour a few years back...

Id like to hear Jeff Beck cover it, I really think he could do something special with it.

[konasaurus]

Goatsnake
Catherdral
Kyuss
Primus
Sleep
Black Flag

to name a few

[banshee69]

between the buried and me
underoath
parkway drive
i killed the prom queen
sikth
the dillinger escape plan
protest th