cygnify

Headache & Grace

 

BUT, I want Alex to make the next album. I think he got some experimentation out of his system with Victor and the next one would be even better

The Trees, Xanadu, and Neil's ESL era solo are the best cowbell breaks ever

 

Santana - Evil Ways, etc.

 

Def Lep - Rock of ages intro

 

Grandfunk - American Band intro

 

I have 4 cowbells (more accurately 2 cowbells and 2 jam blocks) on my kit - always a part of my solo, and I often place them in grooves.

 

Never knew of this song ("Rave against the Machine") before, but there was a cool cowbell riff recently covered in Modern Drummer (if you're inclined to drum!)

https://www.moderndrummer.com/2016/12/video-lesson-groove-construction-part-10-exploring-killer-cowbell-pattern/

Pumpkins owned my 1995 for a multitude of reasons. Most of them involved females. lol

This marks two weeks that I've been obsessing over Frank Zappa. Been a fan for decades - but recently "checked in" again. Just so much to dig in to; I've got about 22 discs in rotation

Guthrie Govan #1

 

Steve Morse #2

 

John Petrucci #3

 

I also quite like Vai and Malmsteen (tie with Petrucci)

Here's the list of 10 that I am currently sharing (none of my friends have got it yet! one was apparently uniformed and guessed Rush! lol) I purposely left off my favorites / obvious choices. I actually scanned in all my tickets stubs and am proving the incorrect guesses as we go - lots of fun discussion.

 

1.) Buddy Rich

2.) Stevie Ray Vaughan

3.) Pink Floyd

4.) Loverboy

5.) Quiet Riot

6.) Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

7.) The Beach Boys

8.) The Grateful Dead

9.) Frank Zappa

10.) Baby Metal

Zappa jumps out at me for some reason. I'll go with that one.

 

HA! Yup, you got it and you don't even know me! Most of my friends would think I had seen him (and probably not several of the others). Regrettably, I did have the opportunity to see Frank, but did not. :(

 

However, I have made it up by seeing his son a couple times with "Zappa plays Zappa" including many alumni - and one show even with Steve Vai and Terry Bozzio playing "The Black Page". So, that's about as close as I could get!

Tough one, but Zep will always win that battle for me!

 

Deep Purple in second, Sabbath in third.

 

Pretty much holds for any year among these three in my book.

Here's the list of 10 that I am currently sharing (none of my friends have got it yet! one was apparently uniformed and guessed Rush! lol) I purposely left off my favorites / obvious choices. I actually scanned in all my tickets stubs and am proving the incorrect guesses as we go - lots of fun discussion.

 

1.) Buddy Rich

2.) Stevie Ray Vaughan

3.) Pink Floyd

4.) Loverboy

5.) Quiet Riot

6.) Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

7.) The Beach Boys

8.) The Grateful Dead

9.) Frank Zappa

10.) Baby Metal

In some weird way, I have to say "yes." Not one of my favorites, but I like a number of their songs.

 

When I started at College, I had been totally immersed in what is now referred to as "Classic Rock" "Metal: and or "Prog Rock"; Zeppelin, Yes, Rush, Krimson, Genesis, Boston, Metallica, Megadeth, Maiden, et al. I soon befriended some people that were all about The Cure, New Order, Joy Division, The Smiths, REM - bands that were not even on my radar. They were not quite the pop-crap that my sister listened to, but some of the qualities were there - and I resisted it mightily! However, it was constantly being played and inevitable that some of this would seep into my subconscious and I found that I liked some of these tunes. Thus, I suppose they have some nostalgic appeal to me for my college years, even if they weren't "my thing" So, yeah, there is some appeal, but I wouldn't place them in my favorite, maybe even top 100 bands (I do listen to a lot of different things.)

I saw "Baby Metal" last night (opening for Red Hot Chili Peppers). That was pretty challenging! lol! The backing band was excellent; the bassist in particular was spectacularly impressive. However, the J-Pop choreographed 3 teen girls singing and dancing, and semi-creepy fan base, sorta sealed it as a "no go" for me!

As seen in this thread, it seems people who are musicians of some sort, are less likely to listen to music just for the enjoyment. I'm aware of a person who said a whole Rush album was ruined and made unlistenable because of some guitar glitch either in the recording or actual playing. I don't get it. I used to want to play the guitar and actually took a few lessons but I'm kind of glad that I wasn't able to continue because I enjoy listening to various kinds of music more than I think I would if I was an accomplished guitar player.

 

ha - yeah, that's an extreme example. But I totally get your point. Not that I regret it, but I do find that I cannot listen to music without my musician mind trying to find some way to relate to it (how would I play that? how is his snare sound? is that all programmed? will he use that same fill again? etc.) My wife thinks I am cursed by that; I suppose I do lose that zen sort of letting the sound wash over me, but on the other hand I can be "inside" the music in some way. (truth be told, I do enjoy classical, and some trancy sort of electronica that my drum set brain doesn't enter into!)

 

Classical is a great type of music, with many styles to choose from. I get what you're saying about your "musician mind" because I sort of deal with that when I watch movies. I notice errors or changes that shouldn't be there from one scene to the next. The difference being, I haven't trained myself to do it, it just happens. Luckily it doesn't completely ruin the movies.

 

I don't feel like the musician mind ruins music for me - but it certainly guides me towards certain aspects of music. Also, don't assume that means perfection either - I got bored with alot of blingy players that are just too mechanical. It led me more to the jazz/fusion type influence and some really funky drummers, as well as some technical monsters. It did drive me away from alot of stuff that was played on the radio (back when that was a thing.) :codger:

 

I play in alot of cover bands, and have had to play alot of music that I wouldn't listen to otherwise. I viewed it in a positive way and made it a challenge to make it feel as good as possible. I still wouldn't listen to that in my spare time.

nother thought came to mind for me. If I'd been introduced to Nirvana, specifically Nevermind, as great music right as I was getting into music (rather than being introduced to them as the unwanted successor of the "classic rock" I loved), I think I'd like them a whole lot more. They'd have likely challenged my understanding of the ability to mix heaviness and catchiness and angst and such into one style if I'd given them a fair chance before so many of the bands they influenced (Muse, Foo Fighters, etc.).

 

to clarify my earlier statement regarding this; in 1991, I was really getting into King's X, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pantera. Each of which I found infinitely more interesting than Nirvana. I guess Nirvana had the cooler video and appealed to more "in" crowds

Snotty. Some people just like the songs more.

yes, like Rolling Stone. Enjoy

Why do so many have a chip on their shoulders over Rolling Stone? And don't assume.

 

No chip - for most of the time when I was growing up, their reviews were panning the type of music that I liked. They represented the "fashion rock", the cool crowd, what was "in" (and often what was most calculated, derivative, boring.)

nother thought came to mind for me. If I'd been introduced to Nirvana, specifically Nevermind, as great music right as I was getting into music (rather than being introduced to them as the unwanted successor of the "classic rock" I loved), I think I'd like them a whole lot more. They'd have likely challenged my understanding of the ability to mix heaviness and catchiness and angst and such into one style if I'd given them a fair chance before so many of the bands they influenced (Muse, Foo Fighters, etc.).

 

to clarify my earlier statement regarding this; in 1991, I was really getting into King's X, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pantera. Each of which I found infinitely more interesting than Nirvana. I guess Nirvana had the cooler video and appealed to more "in" crowds

Snotty. Some people just like the songs more.

yes, like Rolling Stone. Enjoy

As seen in this thread, it seems people who are musicians of some sort, are less likely to listen to music just for the enjoyment. I'm aware of a person who said a whole Rush album was ruined and made unlistenable because of some guitar glitch either in the recording or actual playing. I don't get it. I used to want to play the guitar and actually took a few lessons but I'm kind of glad that I wasn't able to continue because I enjoy listening to various kinds of music more than I think I would if I was an accomplished guitar player.

 

ha - yeah, that's an extreme example. But I totally get your point. Not that I regret it, but I do find that I cannot listen to music without my musician mind trying to find some way to relate to it (how would I play that? how is his snare sound? is that all programmed? will he use that same fill again? etc.) My wife thinks I am cursed by that; I suppose I do lose that zen sort of letting the sound wash over me, but on the other hand I can be "inside" the music in some way. (truth be told, I do enjoy classical, and some trancy sort of electronica that my drum set brain doesn't enter into!)

nother thought came to mind for me. If I'd been introduced to Nirvana, specifically Nevermind, as great music right as I was getting into music (rather than being introduced to them as the unwanted successor of the "classic rock" I loved), I think I'd like them a whole lot more. They'd have likely challenged my understanding of the ability to mix heaviness and catchiness and angst and such into one style if I'd given them a fair chance before so many of the bands they influenced (Muse, Foo Fighters, etc.).

 

to clarify my earlier statement regarding this; in 1991, I was really getting into King's X, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pantera. Each of which I found infinitely more interesting than Nirvana. I guess Nirvana had the cooler video and appealed to more "in" crowds

I prefer challenging music - I don't particularly care for predictable music (In the same way, I don't care for predictable movies.) That's not to say that things can't be simple; just not in a predictable way. Things that are too predictable just come across as derivative and unoriginal. It is possible to have relatively simple parts that are put together in an original way that keep it fresh. Sometimes it can be these simple (yet original) things that are the most satisfying.

 

That being said, I've devoted 35 years of my life to learning an instrument. It is very hard for me to listen to somebody that clearly never made any effort to improve or generate an original work and get enjoyment from that.

 

Your example of Nirvana is interesting; I remember when they exploded on the scene - there was this attitude and angst and production that just sort of hits you on the side of the head. At the same time, I found all of the parts of the song construction pretty damn boring. I already had bands in place that satisfied my aggressive appetites and for simpler type rocking out (each of which were infinitely more interesting). Thus, I would say Nirvana didn't really move me at all.

Not sure if anyone considers this "Fusion", but it was certainly ahead of it's time, and I think alot of Fusion and Prog dudes were schooled in odd times from this:

 

Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out

Tough one - I remember tracks from this one being "previewed" on WPYX106 a month or so before the album release. First Rush album I bought the day it was released!

 

Favorites:

Between the Wheels

Red Sector A

Kid Gloves

 

least favorite: The Body Electric

I've always had an un-easy opinion of James' voice. Technically, he can be quite amazing; though as others pointed out, inconsistent. Hey, he's singing some very challenging stuff too. I saw them on I&W tour and SFaM, both excellent. Later on 6DoiT, ToT - not so much (didn't care for these discs as much either...) aDToE - he was fairly solid (but I missed Portnoy's influence). I purposely skipped the last tour because I did not like the disc at all.

 

But what has always annoyed me, and this is just my own taste I suppose, but the way the vocal lines are delivered, the phrasing, etc. just give me the feeling of him fronting a cheesy hair metal band (White Lion?) This just always felt inconsistent to me, with DT playing some cool extended prog-metal compositions. Maybe I was hoping for a metallicized version of YES, but got a progged-up version of "Firehouse" or "Trixter"

 

Also, I just cannot stand the ultra-syrupy balad vibrato..... blech! or when he tries to get a grungy-tough voice bwah, ha ha. I often see where his voice could compliment the music in a way that I'd like, but he so rarely gets that

Overall great disc, no real "clunkers" in my book

 

favs: Marathon, Territories, Middletown

 

least fav: Emotion Detector

Of these 4, which were all Seattle bands lumped into the "grunge" label:

 

Dirt by a mile!

 

then Ten

 

then Badmotorfinger.

 

and a distant 4th to Nevermind

If you can stretch the definition to "Instrumental fusion", I would include Steve Vai (Passion and Warfare), Liquid Tension Experiment, Focus (Moving Waves), and Zappa.

My personal favorites:

 

Mahavishnu - Inner Mounting Flame

Dixie Dregs - Industry Standard

Return to Forever - Romantic Warrior

Bruford - Feels Good To Me

Billy Cobham - Spectrum

The Aristocrats - Culture Clash

Weather Report - Heavy Weather

Jean-Luc Ponty - Live

Jeff Beck - Blow by Blow

Steve Morse Band - The Introduction

Least Favorites: (Disclaimer, I lost interest in later Tull, and can't recall a single thing off of Catfish or Rock Island; that being said, I actually really like "Roots to Branches" and consider it a later-day Tull masterpiece) : I do recall A and Under Wraps to be particularly vomitorious!

 

As for Influence - I love all of the mark II band. Though you missed: Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond!!!

 

Martin Barre certainly above all the others. Sadly I had a gig and missed my opportunity to see him recently (and he covered Porcupine Tree!) I will make it up by sitting in the 8th row for an Ian Anderson show later this Fall!!

 

Greatest Tull Album: I went with Aqualung. I love Brick and Songs from the Wood equally. But I think Aqua probably gave them the most exposure and allowed the others to follow.

First three albums