i like the doors, nin, david bowie, tori amos, and marylin manson. If anyone would like to talk about any of them just say so.18 responses total.
Tori Amos. Definitely. And somewhat David Bowie. The others I like, but am not wild about.
The last Tori Amos video I saw greatly offended me. But then I say that because the contents of that song and the opinion she expressed therein I didn't agree with. So far, I haven't found her to my liking-- she's especially popular right now because of a certain musical trend I don't especially care for. *shrug* I'm sure I could be convinced of her musical talent, of course. I am a little more sure of Jim Morrison's talent with The Doors from the minority of the songs that are still big hits. He knew how to use a jazz organ or an old electronic piano without making the song sound corny, and you'll remember he used a harpischord in his first big hit, "Light My Fire." A harpischord in a rock song? _That's_ talent. David Bowie I greatly admire, even though I don't love all his songs to death. In my estimation, he wields god-like power in the music industry as he has not only survived, but thrived for so many years as a synth pioneer and a rock drama/concert artist. He has defined so many things we just take for granted in today's pop music. Today he is still performing concerts with grand theatrics, and paving new ground for synthesizer music. His last hit showed he could make techno sound fresh, and not quite as repetitive. Trent Reznor, of course, has been industrial's man of the hour lately. I still prefer to listen to one of the groups that likely influenced him-- Depeche Mode. Some might think DM's latest album, _Ultra_, was mimicking his sound, but I'd say that would be an ironic statement. But comparing the two does indicate a change of the times. DM was the favorite of mods, new wavers, and old Goths that obsessed about death, depression, and otherwise brooded a lot. NIN seems to fit the current fad of angry angst, emotional recoil and retaliation, and bitterness. However, it seems that there is a core group of fans between the two bands that people are calling Gothic these days.
Harpsichord in a rock song, eh? Try Tori's newest album... Nice to see someone's feeling more talkative than I am :) Which video/song/opinions are we being offended at?
Oh yes, I am aware of Tori and her harpsichord. "Jupiter" is the vid I'm referring to.
I seem to have passed out of the period of my life where I can tolerate the Doors -- might have to do with overplay by former roommates or maybe just dislike for their music, especially the trademark cheezy keyboards.. I like some Bowie but don't really care much for anything he's done in 10 years. I suggest checking out Brian Eno if you like Bowie, starting especially with four albums he produced in the 70s that were *WAY* ahead of their time, "Here Come the Warm Jets", "Taking Tiger Mountain (by Strategy)", "Another Green World", and "Before and After Science." I've got strongly mixed feelings about Tori Amos.. I quickly grew to dislike "Little Earthquakes" but then liked several of the singles from "Under the Pink". On the other hand, several of the others simply bored me or actively annoyed me. I'm certain that she's capable of producing music that I like but most of the time she just doesn't seem to do it. I also just don't seem to like the whole genre of squeaky-voiced female singers the way some people I know do -- I could never really go gaga over Amos, Kate Bush, Happy Rhodes, or others the way some people do, it's just not really my type of music. As far as Marilyn Manson goes, I think the real talent there is media manipulation and not music.. I suppose I'm being awfully negative tonight. Perhaps if I find myself in a more postive mood sometime soon I'll post some of my favorites for you to pick apart.. :-)
Pretty Hate Machine, Trent's first outting, shows heavy DM influences. It's much more "80's" than his latter two albums. Trent Reznor is musically brilliant (though some may not be able to realize it), and he has to be to have made the albums almost compltely on his own. Still, I wonder about his motives. He claims, still, that his music is "all about pain," and I'm left to wonder what there is left for him to want. He's already filthy rich and incredibly popular. So, for that matter, was Kurt Cobain. What's the problem here?
You do that, mcnally....I'll get my tweezers ready :)
I'm interested in hearing some Marilyn Manson, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Ever since seeing a photo of Marilyn Manson with Pat Boone.
Agreed, Reznor is quite brilliant to be doing most of the musical work himself. I still usually listen to DM because I tend to vent my depression inward than outward, and Gahan and Gore are better singers. I also think that Steve has a point-- Reznor looks like he could be headed for suicide. I also wonder a lot where DM will be going. David Gahan, the lead singer, is a wasted skeleton these days-- not unlike Reznor. Martin Gore looks about equally thinned out from heavy drug use. Must be a sign of the times-- so much music is on the edge I have been eager to check out Brian Eno because I see he has been so influential. He seems to be one of the godfathers of alternative music, or rather, the new music genre of today. But I also want to find out what made Thomas Dolby so popular-- quite amazing that such a talented sound engineer was also a pop artist. I also agree with McNally. I really don't like squeaky, breathy-voiced singers (either, or, or both). Cutesy alternating with the "bluesy big mama" voice? Brrrrr... I wonder sometimes if they want to sound like grown women, or little girls instead. Jewel, especially, can't seem to decide.
Reznor says that he's gradually moving toward producing only, and he has already produced such albums as Antichrist SuperStar by Manson and spreading the wealth on the Lost Highway sound(was Eye, by The Smashing Pumpkins, as unique sounding to you as to me?). He certainly has the talent to become great in that vein. DM is doing itself a big favor by not touring and putting extra stress on Gahan which led to his drug problems in the first place. Their one live performance in the U.S. (on the tonight show) didn't impress me, however. Gahan seemed too subdued, almost shy.
Anyone see _Depeche Mode 101_? Dave evidently got stage fright so bad, that he would get drunk off his butt before a performance. Staggering drunk. Then it seemed he just poured his whole self into what he was doing to forget he was nervous. I can totally relate-- I'm usually pretty shy, and I have to become almost a different person when I take the stage. I'm sure Dave's heroin and cocaine abuse started when he sobered up, or when the alcohol just wasn't enough. He was evidently showing burn-out really bad on the Tonight Show. Or maybe he was doing coke and herion long before anyone thought about it. You remember how wired John Belushi used to be-- he was just too scared to perform straight, I'm sure.
He just looked like he was almost shy, or after some bad trip. Didn't strike me as being hammered at the time, but what do I know?
Yeah, the 'pouring his whole self into what he was doing' I can definitely relate to. Even just dancing with friends at a concert, I have to ignore the fact that there are other people with me in the audience or I'm hopelessly tight and self-conscious.
lumen mentioned ENO. The new disk will finally be released on July 7th in UK, shortly after everywhere else. "DROP" has had about a dozen name changes, and is a mix of ambient, rock, and something known as 'outsider jazz', formerly known as 'unwelcome jazz', hinted at on Nerve Net. I liked Nerve Net, well.. most of it anyway. If it's not overproduced, DROP should be good.
I've learned to be wary of Eno's recent works, especially if they're released as collaborations with other musicians.. "Nerve Net" was bearable, largely on the strength of a few strong tracks (such as "Fractal Zoom") but I was highly annoyed by the butcher job they did and think that instead of delaying it nearly a year and replacing half of the songs he should just have released it as "My Squelchy Life" as originally planned. I much prefer the "My Squelchy Life" songs, both the ones that eventually made it onto "Nerve Net" and the ones that showed up as bonus tracks on the Vocal boxed set.. I really *didn't* like the tracks that I assume were the "unwelcome jazz" tracks.
Hmm...the only stuff of Eno's I'm really familiar with are My Life in the Bush of Ghosts with David Byrne, Another Green World with Fripp, and his work with U2...what's his solo work like?
Does fFripp play on "Another Green World" at all? If so, his presence is fairly minimal and it's definitely not a Fripp/Eno album -- perhaps you're thinking of "Evening Star" or "No Pussyfooting"? Eno's "solo" albums (which all seem to feature tons of guest appearances, hence the quotes around solo) are amazing in that they preshadow much of what was interesting about the 80s sound though they were recorded in the early 70s.. Echoes of later Eno-produced work (such as Talking Heads) can be heard along with lots of other influences.. The albums generally feature poppy songs with a Eno-signatur absurdist twist -- kinda hard for me to describe except by calling them Enoesque which isn't particularly helpful in this situation. I recommend (highly) "Here Come the Warm Jets", "Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)", "Another Green World", and "Before and After Science" and recommend listening to them in that order (which is chronological and also seems to work best since his style changes over the course of the albums..)
Hmm...maybe I am thinking of Evening Star, or confusing a 'guest appearance' with a 'collaboration'. Whatever the difference is. Just my usual befuddlement.
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