Favourite Music

[Newman]

Most of what was issued from the mid to late seventies onwards was and still is crap!

1975
A Night at the Opera (Queen)
Dressed to Kill (Kiss)
Face the Music (ELO)
Young Americans (Bowie)
Welcome to my Nightmare (Alice Cooper)
Toys in the Attic (Aerosmith)

1976
Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy)
A Night on the town (Rod Stewart)
Dreamboat Annie (Heart)
Hotel California (The eagles)
Boston (Boston)
Desire (Dylan)

1977
Bat out of Hell (Meatloaf)
Street Survivor (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Rumours (Fleetwood Mac)
Slowhand (Clapton)
The Stranger (Billy Joel)

1978
Van Halen (Van Halen)
The Cars (The Cars)
Stranger in town (Bob Seger)

1979
Breakfast in America (Supertramp)
The Wall (Pink Floyd)
London Calling (The Clash)
Highway to Hell (AC/DC)

1980
Back in Black (AC/DC)
Turn of a Friendly Card (Alan Parsans Project)
The Game (Queen)
Blizzard of Ozz (Ozzy)

1981
Face Value (Phli Collins)
Escape (Journey)
Nature of the Beast (April Wine)

1982
Saints and Sinners (White Snake)
Blackout (Scorpions)
American Fool (John Cougar Meelencamp)
Rio (Duran Duran)
Billy Idol (Billy Idol)
The Number of the Beast (Iron Maiden)

1983
Eliminator (ZZ Top)
War (U2)
Metal Health (Quiet Riot)
Cuts like a knife (Bryan Admas)

1984
1984 (Van Halen)
Stay Hungry (Twisted Sisters)
Love at First Sting (Scorpions)
Building The Perfect Beast (Don Henley)
Heartbeat City (The Cars)
Reckless (Bryan Adams)
Born in the USA (Springsteen)

1985
Theatre of Pain (Mötley Crüe)
Scarecrow (John Cougar Mellencamp)
Heart (Heart)
Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits)

1986
So (Peter Gabriel)
Look What the Cat Dragged In (Poison)
The Way it is (Bruce Hornsby)
Master of Puppets (Metallica)
Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi)

1987
Joshua Tree (U2)
Diesel and Dust (Midnight Oil)
Kick (INXS)
Appetite for Destruction (Guns and Roses)
Hysteria (Def Leppard)

1988
Melissa Etheridge (Melissa Etheridge)
Colin James (Colin James)
Long Cold Winter (Cinderella)
New Jersey (Bon Jovi)

1989
Full Moon Fever (Tom Petty)
Pump (Aerosmith)
Trash (Alice Cooper)

So, do you still think that the late 70's and the 80's was crap?

 

[Rich]

So, do you still think that the late 70's and the 80's was crap?

Yep, the one worthy of any note can be counted on one hand

 

[Newman]

You are just too young to appreciate it.

 

[David Eagar]

To Newman - I may well be on thin ice here, but out of that list, Peter Gabriel's So is the only one that would get any airplay at my joint (although nice effort to compile such a list)

 

[Newman]

That's why it is a joint.

 

[David Eagar]

Each to his own - I'm certainly NOT saying I'm right and your wrong, but it has got me thinking:

Having my formative musical years in the mid 60's early 70's, I too bemoan the 80's , 90's & 00's as being pretty barren (much against my desire not to become a dinasaur like my parents, who, when I was a spotty young Herbert, wailed at me every time I played a Jimi Hendrix LP)

However, that is only from a Western music point of view

The 80's, 90's & 00's have given me much musical pleasure from the likes of Fela Kuti, Mory Kante, Ayub Ogada and a host of other 'World Music Boom' artists

 

[Newman]

I grew up in the 80's and my babysitter's name was MTV, if you know what I mean.
And if I don't listen much to the music of the early 70's and previous years is not that I don't like it, but more out of a lack of knowledge and, as most of the kids, couldn't make it to listen to my parents' music and like it.

The only songs from these years that I really like are from artists that I heard in the 80's.
I didn't know about Aerosmith's until their comeback in the mid 80's with rap artists Run-DMC.
I didn't know about my Pink Floyd's favorite (Brain Damage) until I heard The Wall in 1980.
And it is China Girl and Let's Dance in 1983 that made me discover David Bowie's Space Oddity.

Although The Stones and the Beatles where playing often at home (My mother was a big fan) I didn't get to realy listen to them until Emotional Rescue and Lennon's Starting Over in 1980.

So, slowly, I began to get interested in the 70's music, buying the Greatest Hits album of my favorite artists to get a peek at their previous work without listening to it all.

 

[ColinEssex]

I have said before that the USA has produced many influential and great music artists.

The King of course is Elvis, he revolutionised pop music along with Holly, Jerry Lee etc. Elvis's 'American Triliogy' is a perfect example of his technique and skills.

You have to go a long way to find a male voice range to equal Roy Orbison - the only other person to do 5 octaves was Carusso.

The Everly Brothers were among the top selling artists of the late 50's and early 60's, their close harmony can usually only be achieved with siblings, they influenced The Beach Boys and got Brian Wilson on the trail.

In the 60's the band most influential to the Beatles was the Beach Boys - Good Vibrations being a masterly piece of songwriting and production, Wilson at his peak.

Don't underestimate Connie Francis - she had a voice that could do rock or tender ballads - very unusual.

Obviously the most important pop act was The Beatles - too many songs to pick a fave, but they knocked most competition into touch and destroyed many successful acts to the cabaret circuit. (Bobby Vee, Neil Sedaka, Pat Boone etc)

McCartney's bass playing is extremely complex and innovative on many Beatles tunes.

Col

 

[wazz]

2nd Grammy awards several years ago (and sadly only on TV), Aretha Franklin filled in for Luciano Pavarotti at very short notice and sang his signature tune (opera buffs, help me out I can't recall the name of this piece) and I could still hear the blues - she played no tricks with 'jazzing it up' it was just the natural inflection of her voice - a spine chilling musical moment

it was probably "Nessun dorma", an aria (italian for "song") from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot.

Aretha can kick most anyone's vocal butt around the block. of course, it's a bit of apples 'n oranges as far as vocal technique compared to an opera singer's. (but that's not a value judgement! so no need to go there. it's all about the impact. both are great imho.)

also:

great list, newman!! i love early van halen. now there's a guy (eddie) who forever changed the landscape! a lot of great bands and albums on your list. peter gabriel's So is a favorite.
as someone pointed out, somehow led zeppelin was omitted from my and everyone's list. terrible.

so........much..................music..........................................

 

[Rich]

Emotional Rescue

Must be the worst album they ever made

 

[Rich]

McCartney's bass playing is extremely complex and innovative on many Beatles tunes.

Col

Has to be the best bass player in the world, still

 

[Rich]

1975
A Night at the Opera (Queen)
1977
Bat out of Hell (Meatloaf)
Street Survivor (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
The Cars (The Cars)
Stranger in town (Bob Seger)

1979
Breakfast in America (Supertramp)
The Wall (Pink Floyd)


1983
Eliminator (ZZ Top)
War (U2)
Heartbeat City (The Cars)
Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits)

1987
Joshua Tree (U2)
So, do you still think that the late 70's and the 80's was crap?

Well allright, two hands

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I've never been one to avoid tossing out a grenade or two.

By llimiting this to the blues, we have omitted some great artists. For instance, if you allow country music, Roy Clark's guitar skills were quite good. His talents were wasted because of some career choices, I'm sure, but he was able to pick and grin with the best of them.

Let's step over to Charlie Daniels, whose "Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a real toe-tapper. But the sequel "Devil Went Back to Georgia" was even better and they had a guest violinist for that one - with Johnny Cash on vocals. As great as the first one was, the sequel was (at a technical music level) incredibly better. Of course, as a sequel it did not open new ground so it gets overlooked A LOT. Unfairly, IMHO.

Now if you want to talk about innovators, go back a bit. First, to J S Bach, who was only a frickin' genius of composition. Organ, continuo, harsichord, piano - all were (in his day) relatively new. He embraced them and in so doing, cemented their positions in the world of music in way that might not have occurred so rapidly had he NOT been on the scene.

Fast forward to Tschaikovsky, who wrote innovative works in his use of contrasts, new sounds, and non-standard sounds. OK, everyone knows about the 1812 Overture that used cannons and church bells. But it is less well known that the Nutcracker used a new instrument. So the story goes (and it might be apochryphal, but I'll repeat it anyway), Petey Boy went to London for something and heard this MARVELOUS new instrument called the CELESTA. (OK, it was new at the time.) He bought one and smuggled it back into Russia. He composed the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairies in the Nutcracker Suite to feature this unknown instrument and sneaked his celesta into the concert hall in a box that completely concealed it. Supposedly, opening night for the new ballet, The Nutcracker, was pandemonium when the delicate little strains of "Fairies" wafted through the halls.

Fast forward to Phillip Glass, who is not as widely appreciated today as he should be - but there is always the test of time. Mr. Glass experiments in synthesizers - and in modulated silence - as a musical issue.

It is very hard to ignore Julie Andrews as a performer. Like Roy Orbison, she was able to hit an incredibly wide range of notes (before her throat operation). See, for example, the movie Victor, Victoria. Besides being a real HOOT, it also shows off some of her range. OK, it's a fluff piece in some ways. But NICE fluff.

As far as PURITY of voice, I have two immediate nominations, both (sadly) deceased. Cass Elliot (Mamas and Papas) and Karen Carpenter. Both had truly INCREDIBLE singing voices. I've got a really nice audio system and when I listen to either woman sing on a "triple D" CD, the purity and precision of their "vocal instruments" is overwhelming.

There is a category we are avoiding - arrangers. I'll nominate Quincy Jones as being one of the best modern arrangers. I bought a DVD of "The Wiz" and viewed it the other day. OK, the vocals are sometimes a little hard to follow because they are in ghetto patois - appropriate for the movie of course - but the orchestration behind the vocals is absolutely flawless. You know QJ is good. Perhaps you don't know quite why, though. He was the arranger behind Michael Jackson's Thriller album. OK, MJ is a really good entertainer, uses his voice to good effect - but it was QJ that made the album so hot. MJ makes things hot on stage because as an entertainer he has "presence" - but on the album it is the MUSIC that comes through - and that was QJ standing behind MJ all the way.

 

[GaryPanic]

i never put Elvis on my list - in much the same way as i would not put the beatles-- for their time they were gods of music .
as to whether Paul McCartney greatest bass .. i am afraid that their is some much crap out there with his name on it that its now tainted - and I cannot stand him any more ..personal view

as to elvis - there anrn't enough words to describe his talent - but this was not to my liking ...

Bowie
great - (but not now)

Red hot chilli pepers

I would say their career has been fantasic - and looking at the history has been a bit like the beatles (but in reverse) the beatles start out with simple music and got complicated - peppers started complicated and have now stripped their music down to the basic's - (mind you ,still some of it is sh*t)

 

[ColinEssex]

as to whether Paul McCartney greatest bass .. i am afraid that their is some much crap out there with his name on it that its now tainted

Listen to the bass line on 'Something' or the running bass of "Hello Goodbye or "Penny Lane" or even the speed he plays the double notes on "I Saw Her Standing There"

Trivia - John Lennon played bass on "Ballad of John and Yoko", Paul played drums, John also did the lead. George and Ringo didn't turn up for the recording.

Col

 

[David Eagar]

As far as PURITY of voice, I have two immediate nominations, both (sadly) deceased. Cass Elliot (Mamas and Papas) and Karen Carpenter. Both had truly INCREDIBLE singing voices. I've got a really nice audio system and when I listen to either woman sing on a "triple D" CD, the purity and precision of their "vocal instruments" is overwhelming.

Cass Elliot was great, Karen Carpenter a bit too MOR for my taste in what she sang, but your right, she had a good voice

Two of my contenders in this category are:

Judy Collins - folkish but THE most pure voice I have heard, very closely followed by

Suzanne Vega - I think sings better songs than Judy and is also spinechillingly pure & haunting in what and the way she sings

 

[GaryPanic]

George Harrison songs
something
here comes the sun
while my guitar gentle weeps

I would rate these beatles songs up there with any of the other beatles tracks

and probably the only song that really outshines these is J.L imagine

(I am slightly basis towards GH, but hey thats music for you)

hand grenade time

how about cats stevens ???

father to son - still does it for me - a great song...

 

[Rich]

peppers started complicated and have now stripped their music down to the basic's - (mind you ,still some of it is sh*t)

Don't you know that it was over twenty years ago today that Sgt Pepper taught the band to play?

 

[Rich]

the beatles-- for their time they were gods of music .

They still are mate, name another band that anywhere even approaches their creative collective genius

 

[David Eagar]

Might this set us off on yet another tangent? The most INFLUENTIAL artists, those that actually changed the course of music.

In my list, many have already had mentions here (we must be a pretty knowledgeable bunch) although all are not necessiarily to my taste

To begin at the beginning, J.S. Bach - undoubtedly (having my interest sparked by Carl Stalling, he was the first that really appealled, closely followed by Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker)

Beethoven - definitely (Pastoral Symphony = bliss)

Debussy / Ravel - absolutely (having finally arrived in what I liked in classical music, this was it

Modern classical: Stravinsky's Firebird / Aaaron Copeland Rodeo (thank you ELP)

Early 19's - Robert Johnson - without question & Louis Armstrong (his work does not much for me, but did to many, many who do appeal) so cannot be denied

30's - 40's - 50's ?? Duke Ellington (although I preferred Count Basie) Charlie Parker and certainly by the 50's Miles Davis was changing music (first of many times he did)

50's - Elvis gets all the plaudits (& I quite like some of his early work, but check out Arthur Cruddup's original version of That's Alright Mama) but, The King of Rock 'n Roll?? For me, once Little Richard made Lucille, RnR had nowhere else to go - it had reached it's peak - Jobim was also creating Bossa Nova

60's -(My golden period) Beatles without question, but also had Hendrix, Cream & the whole blues explosion, Aretha Franklin and the beginnings of 'Fusion'

70's - My interests were now definitely with fusion - McLaughlin, Keith Jarrett (get the Bremmen / Luasanne Concerts) Chick Corea, Yes & ELP (where they self indulgent - YES, but they could PLAY and play innovative stuff

80's - 90's - 00's it now gets a lot tougher - who has actually changed the couse of music? Rap concieveably has by removing the music component (no chord progressions & a two note melody - it aint music anymore)

There have been some great artists in these decades, but other than rehash what came before in a different format, who actually changed music with an original idea?