The Official Pop and Rock Music thread

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

@Muad'Dib, any Warren Zevon - any Warren Zevon - gets my vote!

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense ('99 Special Edition Soundtrack)

 

If I'm feeling hyperbolic, I'd venture to say this project (both the film and the soundtrack) are right up there with the greatest music that pop has ever produced.  It's for sure the greatest accomplishment from everyone involved.  A distillation of everything that was special and wonderful about the Talking Heads.

 

[Jay 37,368]

If you like that Pramore album Koray, you'll probably like their previous, self-titled album too

 

And we had this retro discussion before!

 

On 5/26/2017 at 12:19 PM, Jay said:

For you 80s synthpop guys, does this track do anything for you?

 

 

 

On 5/26/2017 at 4:52 PM, Richard said:

It's nice, and it certainly has a retro sound, and look (for the vidro, I'm thinking I WOULDN'T NORMALLY DO THIS SORT OF THING). I must say, though, I prefer HARD TIMES by The Human League.

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

What?  I'm completely indifferent to them but I also didn't comment on them?

[Jay 37,368]

Woops, mixed up posts after reading too fast, fixed.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

12 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

Also been having some fun with Louis Cole:

 

About dang time!

 

On 8/24/2018 at 11:25 AM, Disco Stu said:

I've become quite enamored with this Louis Cole album that I posted about last week.  It's kind of my favorite new pop album I've heard in a long time.... @Nick Parker I think you might like this album, maybe

 

 

 

 

Cole definitely plays in the same sandbox as David Byrne from back in the day.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

4 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense ('99 Special Edition Soundtrack)

 

If I'm feeling hyperbolic, I'd venture to say this project (both the film and the soundtrack) are right up there with the greatest music that pop has ever produced.  It's for sure the greatest accomplishment from everyone involved.  A distillation of everything that was special and wonderful about the Talking Heads.

 

The greatest concert film. EVER.

 

I got a tape I want to play you.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 minute ago, Richard said:

The greatest concert film. EVER.

 

I got a tape I want to play you.

 

"This Must Be the Place" is so magical and perfect, words can't describe how perfect it is.

 

 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

5 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

 

About dang time!

 

 

Cole definitely plays in the same sandbox as David Byrne from back in the day.

 

Holy crap, dude! A friend was playing some Louis Cole about a month ago and I knew I had heard the music before, but I just assumed he had introduced me to him earlier at some point!

[Disco Stu 15,495]

14 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

 

Holy crap, dude! A friend was playing some Louis Cole about a month ago and I knew I had heard the music before, but I just assumed he had introduced me to him earlier at some point!

 

My favorite song on the album is definitely “Real Life.”  What a banger!  Dat Mehldau piano solo tho.

[Nick Parker 3,040]

Whenever I think of Talking Heads I think of Bernie Worrell, so I'm happy.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Celebrating the 40th anniversary of a pop masterpiece

 

Talking Heads - Fear of Music, released August 3rd, 1979.

 

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

I'll wait until next year, and celebrate the 40th anniversary of REMAIN IN LIGHT.

THE OVERLOAD - devastating.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Here’s a shocker: I’m a HUGE Talking Heads fan but I think Remain in Light is kind of overrated.  It’s maybe my 4th or 5th favorite of their records.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

@Disco Stu, nothing shocks me; I'm a scientist.

I'm a big Floyd fan, but I think that DSOTM is overrated.

It's all sauce, for the goose.

[A24 4,338]

1 hour ago, Richard said:

 

I'm a big Floyd fan, but I think that DSOTM is overrated.

 

 

You're probably one of those Pink Floyd fans that prefers the post-Waters period. 

 

 Alan Parsons and I happen to think that Dark Side Of The Moon is their ultimate pièce de résistance. And you know what they say, great minds think alike.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

1. Animals

2. Wish You Were Here

3. The Dark Side Of The Moon

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1. Eve

2. Pyramid

3. I Robot

4. The Turn of a Friendly Card

5. Gaudi

6. Eye in the Sky

7. Tales of Mystery and Imagination

8. Ammonia Avenue

9. Vulture Culture

10. Stereotomy

[A24 4,338]

1. Tales Of Mystery And Imagination Edgar Allan Poe (either vintage vinyl or Japanese CD - the Western remaster sucks big time)

[Disco Stu 15,495]

That's the only one you like?  That's when they were kinda dull with the badly done prog crap.  Give me smooth MOR Parsons any day.  Others were much better at concept albums and intricate rock compositions, Parsons had to find his strengths.

[A24 4,338]

4 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

That's the only one you like? 

 

Pretty much, yes. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

1. Animals

2. Wish You Were Here

3. The Dark Side Of The Moon

Sorry, Koray, it's:

1. THE WALL

2. ANIMALS

3. A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON

 

 

1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

1. Eve

2. Pyramid

3. I Robot

4. The Turn of a Friendly Card

5. Gaudi

6. Eye in the Sky

7. Tales of Mystery and Imagination

8. Ammonia Avenue

9. Vulture Culture

10. Stereotomy

Hmm. Let's see.

1. PYRAMID

2. EYE IN THE SKY

3. STEREOTOMY

(3a (TRY ANYTHING ONCE)

4. THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD

5. TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION

6. I, ROBOT

7. EVE

8. AMMONIA AVENUE

9. VULTURE CULTURE

10. GAUDI

At least we agree that both A.A, and V.C. are pretty bad.

 

 

1 hour ago, Alexcremers said:

1. Tales Of Mystery And Imagination Edgar Allan Poe (either vintage vinyl or Japanese CD - the Western remaster sucks big time)

What about the TOM+I box. How does that sound, to you? I take it that you don't like the '87 Orson Wells remix version?

[Disco Stu 15,495]

16 minutes ago, Richard said:

10. GAUDI

 

90% of my affection for this one comes from “La Sagrada Familia” which I think is one their very best songs.

[A24 4,338]

1 hour ago, Richard said:

What about the TOM+I box. How does that sound, to you? I take it that you don't like the '87 Orson Wells remix version?

 

What's TOM + I? Yes, I don't like the remix version for the same reason I don't like the Special Edition versions of the Star Wars movies. Don't put modern additions that don't belong there.  And I hate the remastering of both the remix and the original version because it's entirely executed in the fashion of the terrible Loudness Wars, almost to a point of distortion.  And they probably added too much treble too so that the average listener can hear a difference. 

 

Luckily for the world, the Pink Floyd remasters are done with respect for the original source and they sound very good.

[Marian Schedenig 8,198]

9 hours ago, Richard said:

I'm a big Floyd fan, but I think that DSOTM is overrated.

 

[A24 4,338]

3 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

 

90% of my affection for this one comes from “La Sagrada Familia” which I think is one their very best songs.

 

Not familiar with that. Let's listen.

 

Listening .... Ouch! Bad & corny Musical shit. Sorry, can't listen to this crap. 

 

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

There's not one single Parsons album, including the Poe album, that isn't horrendously corny and cheesy.  It's kind of their appeal.

[A24 4,338]

They gotten much, much worse after the first three albums, hence the reason why I stopped liking them. And it was the least present on Edgar Allan Poe, which is why it's their best album.

 

 

 

 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

3:50 (instrumental). Priceless 

The more I listen to GAUDI, the more I'm convinced that it's a dry run, for FREUDIANA.

 

23 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

There's not one single Parsons album, including the Poe album, that isn't horrendously corny and cheesy.  It's kind of their appeal.

Stu has a point, there, Alex.

 

3 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

Luckily for the world, the Pink Floyd remasters are done with respect for the original source and they sound very good.

Mr. Guthrie manages to make even ANIMALS sound halfway decent.

Now, for what was missing from the THE WALL immersion edition: a full 5.1 mix.

[A24 4,338]

1 hour ago, Richard said:

.

 

Stu has a point, there, Alex.

 

 

I don't know about you, but I can clearly hear a big difference between the semi-proggy, Art rock start of Parsons Project and the soft, tame, corny, middle-of-the-road pop albums that came later (starting with Eve).

 

 

[Thor 7,508]

Hey, hey....no talking about Parsons or Pink Floyd without me!

 

Nothing 'cheesy' about APP; Woolfson managed to compose epic ballads that walked the thin (but right) line of sappy musical sentimentalism. Something about the major-minor chord changes, and the hefty bridges, that no musical would ever touch. "La Sagrada Familia" is a masterpiece, although I will always prefer the GAUDI studio album to the musical version.

 

Parsons' new 2019 album, THE SECRET, is also growing on me considerably, as previously mentioned.

[A24 4,338]

You should have outgrown The Secret by now, Thor. You speak of it as if it's a complex work that needs 10 listenings before one can start to appreciate it. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I dunno, APP is like Toto or Asia.  MOR arena-ish rock with some prog-lite elements that’s basically just fun “bad” rock.  I enjoy them like I enjoy the Star Wars prequels, part sincerely part ironically.

[Thor 7,508]

10 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I dunno, APP is like Toto or Asia.  MOR arena-ish rock with some prog-lite elements that’s basically just fun “bad” rock.  I enjoy them like I enjoy the Star Wars prequels, part sincerely part ironically.

 

That couldn't be more wrong. It's far more sophisticated than that. There is zero 'arena rock' about it. If anything, it's the opposite -- anorak music for music nerds with great HiFi equipment.

 

1 hour ago, Alexcremers said:

You should have outgrown The Secret by now, Thor. You speak of it as if it's a complex work that needs 10 listenings before one can start to appreciate it. 

 

It's not really complex. It's more a deceptive simplicity going on that only starts to grow on you once you decipher its nuts and bolts.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

44 minutes ago, Thor said:

There is zero 'arena rock' about it. If anything, it's the opposite -- anorak music for music nerds with great HiFi equipment.

 

They’re a lot like Toto IMO.  Nerdy arena rock.  Anyway, Steely Dan is the ultimate “music for nerds with great HiFi equipment.” 

[SteveMc 2,674]

8 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

They’re a lot like Toto IMO.  Nerdy arena rock.

That's why I love them.

[Thor 7,508]

25 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

 

They’re a lot like Toto IMO.  Nerdy arena rock.  Anyway, Steely Dan is the ultimate “music for nerds with great HiFi equipment.” 

 

Again, there is nothing 'arena rock' about them. In fact, they didn't even do any live gigs untill the 90s; the whole thing was based on studio/concept albums with a cinematic development. It's very 'interior' music. So if that's what you think, you clearly don't know them very well. It's like saying Bob Dylan and Kiss are the same.

 

The only thing in their catalogue that possibly has any 'arena' aspect about it, is the instrumental "Sirius", which was adopted as a sporting event theme throughout the US in the 80s and 90s.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I'm sorry, "Games People Play" is late-70s arena rock to a T.  I'm not sure you know what arena rock actually means.  It's not Kiss or Motley Crue or whatever.  Arena rock is big ballads and stuff.  Like Little River Band is another arena rock group.  Journey, Foreigner, and REO Speedwagon are the most obvious and popular.  "Nerdy Journey" is a pretty accurate description of The Alan Parsons Project.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_rock

[Marian Schedenig 8,198]

12 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

1. Animals

2. Wish You Were Here

3. The Dark Side Of The Moon

 

10 hours ago, Richard said:

Sorry, Koray, it's:

1. THE WALL

2. ANIMALS

3. A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON

 

(No love for Meddle?)

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Not in my top 3, no. Good album though. 

[A24 4,338]

1. Dark Side Of The Moon

2. Meddle

 

[Thor 7,508]

11 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I'm sorry, "Games People Play" is late-70s arena rock to a T.  I'm not sure you know what arena rock actually means.  It's not Kiss or Motley Crue or whatever.  Arena rock is big ballads and stuff.  Like Little River Band is another arena rock group.  Journey, Foreigner, and REO Speedwagon are the most obvious and popular.  "Nerdy Journey" is a pretty accurate description of The Alan Parsons Project.

 

I don't think that's accurate at all. The bands you list have very little in common with APP, outside maybe a song or two. Rather, APP has more in common with other art rock/symphonic/prog bands like Supertramp, 10CC, Manfred Mann's Earthband, Pink Floyd and so on. Often characterized by theatrical, musical numbers (nobody could write a minor-mode melody like Woolfson) counterpointed by instrumentals (often written by Parsons). So I think APP is really the opposite of 'arena rock' (yes, I'm well aware what it means).

 

However, some APP "spin-off groups" have more in common with those bands, like Pilot and Keats.

 

My suggestion is you start listening to APP from TALES AND MYSTERY onwards to get a better grasp of what they're about. From the mid 80s onwards, they turn more 'poppy', but very rarely into arena rock territory.

[Quintus 5,399]

 

[A24 4,338]

1. Selling England By The Pound

2. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

 

 

 

Accept it! Live with it!

[Thor 7,508]

I accept it in that it's Alex' trademark philosophy: "Artists (be it filmmakers or musicians) only have one or two good works in them, and it's always at the beginning of their careers". This is not a philosophy I subscribe to, however. Those are great albums, no doubt, but I also think a lot of latter-day Genesis (the Phil Collins era) is really good and underrated.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,534]

On 8/4/2019 at 1:07 AM, Marian Schedenig said:

 

 

(No love for Meddle?)

I like MEDDLE. It goes without saying that ECHOES is a classic ("Give us a ping, Rick!" ).

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Alexcremers said:

1. Selling England By The Pound

2. The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

 

 

 

Accept it! Live with it!

Sorry, Alex; close, but no Havanan.

The correct order is:

1. WIND AND WUTHERING

2. SELLING ENGLAND BY THE POUND

 

 

 

1 hour ago, Thor said:

...I also think a lot of latter-day Genesis (the Phil Collins era) is really good and underrated.

What about the Ray Wilson era? 

[Thor 7,508]

1 hour ago, Richard said:

What about the Ray Wilson era? 

 

Unlike most other people, I actually like CALLING ALL STATIONS (incidentally the only Genesis album I have in physical format!), especially the title track, "Congo" and "The Dividing Line". But then, it's Rutherford and Banks' baby, not Wilson's.

[A24 4,338]

1. Close To The Edge

2. Relayer

 

 

Some things are edged in stone ...

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Yes is a band where my opinion is in line with the conventional wisdom.  Fragile is their best album.

[A24 4,338]

Just now, Disco Stu said:

Yes is a band where my opinion is in line with the conventional wisdom.  Fragile is their best album.

 

Not at all, Close To The Edge is widely considered to be their opus magnum. And after 4 decades of examining the matter (which I also did for DSOTM), I came to the conclusion it's true. But I congratulate you for your unusual choice.  For me it's at number 3.