The old bands were better!

[quote]I don't want longevity. I want excitement and enthusiasm. And there is plenty there today.

Your criteria are very similar to mine Banahead - may I suggest and recommend Maximo Park. As for my top 20 of the last 20 years;

The Reynolds Girls
Banarama
Milli Vanilli
Rick Astley
Kajagoogoo
Sonia
The Spice Girls
New Kids on the Block
Tiffany
Coldplay
Jason and Kylie
Five
S Club 7
911
Bewitched
Sigue Sigue Sputnik (strictly a little early - know)
Hearsay
One True Voice
Michelle Mcmanus
Will Young

Enough said

quote:

Originally posted by Diode100:

I remember when all we had was the Melody Maker and a couple of hours of John Peel on a sunday afternoon, and you think it was better then ? There is so much music around now, and so many good musicians, there is really no excuse for being stuck in a time warp.

I suspect that the increase in coverage of music that's taken place since the 70s has contributed to our feeling that today's music is less exciting. Back then you had to seek the stuff out, and it was a culture far away from the mainstream, so it seemed exotic and alternative. There was hardly ever any coverage of rock in the broadsheets. Nowadays we have the Observer Music Monthly down with the kids. What would Cyril Connolly think?

Mark S

quote:

Originally posted by Deane F:
Just about anything that was played on it sounded like something I'd buy - even Country music!

Hey Deane...behave!

We have some fantastic bands around now. The difference is that we are bombarded by mainstream music to the extent that there is always something in there that we will like, and listen to because it's so easily accessible, and that is a distraction. The BBC have hijacked Glastonbury, so that is mainstream now too. What is out there that is seriously good is the stuff that you have to work a little harder to find, and that always was the case, except that before we didn’t have the easy option – we were into “singles bands” or “albums bands” and we knew where we stood.
Work a little harder and you’ll find it. The bonus is that the old stuff is still with us too ( I just don't have the time to listen to that as well). You couldn’t ask for more.

quote:

Originally posted by Diode100:

quote:

Originally posted by Stephen Tate:

What utter nonsense.

I shouldn't think so, not really, sucessful modern bands won't have to drag their ass out on the road in thirty years time, because they will have made enough to retire on out of the first couple of albums, go ask ColdPlay, Dido, or even Fine Young Cannibals.

Err... so they don't do it for the music then?
It's all about money then.

Coldplay , Dido, fyc says so. What riveting stuff it must be live.

I challenge anyone to go see the Drive-By Truckers live and come out and say that modern bands just can't do it like the old days! They'll rock your ass off every night, and they do it because they mean it. And it isn't just them - there are loads of bands like that.

I think that once you've seen the Who, Hendrix, Zep, Jefferson Airplane, Sly, Zappa and Tull play live at the Fillmore East around 1970, it's pretty hard to get knocked out by the Here Today Gone Tomorrows. If that's living in the past, so be it.

If you haven't seen them perform live, it's kind of hard to understand. I think Woodstock gives a good flavor of what was happening then.

quote:

If you haven't seen them perform live, it's kind of hard to understand.

Who was the last band you went to see play live?


Nigel

Hi,

Checkout AC/DC - Stiff upper lip, live at Munich 2001 on dvd. All tickets were soldout in twenty minutes, around 80,000 of them. I'm sorry i was'nt there, but this dvd is a great demonstration to how live performances should really be. Eat your heart out coldplay.

regards

What ? Now we're rating concerts by how fast the tickets sell ? I can't beleive you guys are writing this stuff, I'd like to think it's tongue in cheek, but I'm really not sure.

quote:

Originally posted by Diode100:
What ? Now we're rating concerts by how fast the tickets sell ? I can't beleive you guys are writing this stuff, I'd like to think it's tongue in cheek, but I'm really not sure.

I wasn't goin to entertain this fred, but I will Dave and you're absolutely correct. ACDC Bollocks, Münich 20 minutes* Catholic fantasy*

Berlin. same years, same tour as popular as they sometimes are wasn't all sold out in 20 weeks, hypw bullshit, grow up*


Goodnight*



Get Our Mick to teach you guitar* (I refer naturally to the silly 20 minutes sold out post)


Our heather shouldn't have attacked Our macca like that, think of the settlement*

quote:

Originally posted by Chayro:
I think that once you've seen the Who, Hendrix, Zep, Jefferson Airplane, Sly, Zappa and Tull play live at the Fillmore East around 1970, it's pretty hard to get knocked out by the Here Today Gone Tomorrows. If that's living in the past, so be it.

Chayro

That was one hell of a line up. I've seen Zappa, great, Zeppelin, very good, The Who, great but i've seen other artists and bands I have preferred. Sometimes its simply about the time and the place, who you were with. I guess as I get older the excitment I get with gigs is not what it was. I don't think thats down to the quality I think its cause i'm a grumpy old fart.
Looking back on my favourite gigs now most of them were in formative years of seeing bands. . There are very few artists I havent seen that I need to see, the ones that i havent are mostly dead .... Hendrix, Doors, Johnny Cash, Elvis. My favourite gigs in no particular order are

Kate Bush - Sunderland Empire 79?
Bruce Springsteen - - City hall, Newcastle (River tour, i think), 2nd row ticket
Siouxsie/Banshees - 1st ever gig aged 16 in Durham University
Patti Smith - City hall again 78
Talking Heads - City Hall 79
That Petrol Emotion - Riverside, Newcastle (early 90's?)
Elton John -City hall 78?
Rickie lee Jones - Edinburgh 79
KT Tunstall - tiny cafe in Newcastle as showcase for 1st LP (about 30 in crowd) 2004? December
Cramps - Mayfair, newcastle 91
Ramones - City Hall 80 -
Steve Earle - 199?
Kid Creole & Coconuts- London Dominion 82
Lemonheads- Leeds Town & Country93
Blue Oyster Cult78
Eric Taylor, Morden Tower, newcastle 05
Wilco Jonhson/Solid Senders - Durham 81
Fatima Mansions - Riverside, Ncle
David Byrne - Re Momo Tour - Edinburgh 92?
Willard Grant Conspiracy - The live, Newcastle 03

I still go to many gigs and still enjoy them, but their significance to me are less than when I was younger i guess.

I'm chuffed that i have the original tickets for the above gigs and I reckon most of the ones i've been to. I've got some of them framed, i'll have to do the rest!

Regards

Diccus

"I think that once you've seen the Who, Hendrix, Zep, Jefferson Airplane, Sly, Zappa and Tull play live at the Fillmore East around 1970, it's pretty hard to get knocked out by the Here Today Gone Tomorrows. If that's living in the past, so be it.

If you haven't seen them perform live, it's kind of hard to understand."

Quite possibly you are right - unless of course you had seen the Jam at Woking YMCA, Morrisey at Glastonbury, the La's at T & C, Maximo Park at Reading last year blah blah etc etc then of course you would realise that fine music and performances extended beyond 1972. As to longevity it is a rare band from any generation that continues to produce and perform consistently as your list perfectly illustrates.

I mean, it's like comparing the best baseball players of today with Babe Ruth. You really can't as conditions were different, etc.

I fully realize it's all about preference and there's no right or wrong. I just wanted to see what other people thought about the older acts vs. the new. Tons of people love Rush - I can't stand 'em. So what?

The powers that be want us to be comfy in the world that they give us. The corporatist media oultels, radio stations, and junk print media keep us focused on the new and irrelevant. The new and relevant stays hidden.

In order to find out what's good these days you need to inform yourself. Read. Stay away from the internet and the TV. On the internet, people pursue more knowledge of what they already know. The TV is mind control pure and simple, it's message: worship the rich, consumerism, be content.

Good music is, by it's very nature, subversive ; politically and socially. As J. Lennon once said, "Be here now". Which means; avoiding the nostalgia opiate and seeing what the world today has to offer.

"......Freedom is a road, seldom traveled by the multitude."

Public Enemy






Regards,


Big Brother


BB

Big Brother was a great group too! Cover art by Robert Crumb.

Crumb was amazing. Totally non-commercial. In his biographical movie, he said that the Stones called him and asked him to do their latest album cover, to which he replied "Are you kidding?", meaning that they were insane for even asking him to do anything so commercial. I admire his dedication to what he wanted to do.

I think Diccus is right, thinking the old bands were better is probably more about having a great time being a teenager rather than the bands themselves. It's an association thing (to an extent, of course).

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:


Yes we had great bands in the 70s and I agree that Uriah Heep were among them, but the 70s also gave us Mud, Sweet, Kenny and John Travolta;

What's wrong with Mud. They made the first record I ever bought. OK I was six but I've still got it. Just played it to remind myself. OK it's rubbish but I've heard much worse

quote:

Originally posted by Rasher:
I think Diccus is right, thinking the old bands were better is probably more about having a great time being a teenager rather than the bands themselves. It's an association thing (to an extent, of course).

This is my pet theory explaining why Sgt. Pepper's is so frequently regarded as the best ever album.
Sure, it's got three or four fantastic songs, but 'best ever' is stretching it a bit.

Old bands were better? Yes definitely in my opinion. Metallica being an exception, the rest is for the fest.

happy listening/viewing all the way.
Apart from the nutty interuptions, im with you all the way.

regards

quote:

Originally posted by Berlin Fritz:
Get Our Mick to teach you guitar* (I refer naturally to the silly 20 minutes sold out post)


Our heather shouldn't have attacked Our macca like that, think of the settlement*

Go and take a hike you loon!

Hi
In some ways I feel there isn't the space to discover bands like there used to be. What I mean is debut bands are rammed down your throat through T.V advertising, with an innane voice over with the actor trying to sound radical and urgent. It puts me off. Great bands create their publicity via word of mouth and a genuine buzz. This has been hijacked by commercial interest and we are being told what to like. Because of this it is hard to see the wood for the trees. I have no doubt there are some great bands out there and some will stay the course and continue to improve but I would like to discover them rather than having a five star rating shoved in my face.

Bring on the new WHO album !

Regards

T.C

Agreed.
Then , it was about the music
Now, it's about the record lable making money

Jag