The Album Review Club - End of Round #8 (pg 1495) - Playlist Guessing Game

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I've read that a couple of times but still don't really understand it.

It means I appreciate that Picasso did things that were genius and novel because I know enough about art history to grasp that but purely viscerally his paintings wouldn’t be what I’d choose for my walls if cost was no object. Appeals to my head but not my heart in quite the same way. Because of that I’d feel guilty gainsaying someone else to whom Bowie appealed to both head and heart.

But I’m overstating for effect because there is plenty of Bowie that does appeal to my heart. “Heroes” and “Hunky Dory” particularly.

 

[Bill Walker]

Guitar, bass, drums, singer singing words (sometimes in KC’s case) — they aren’t different at all from a certain point of view. And are therefore eminently comparable when it comes down to whether listening to them is a pleasurable experience. That they elicit a different kind of pleasure (or lack thereof) I’ll grant you.

KC produce what we call progressive rock. In fact they made THE first ever full blown progressive rock album, and they have never veered away from prog, they've never been in the singles charts.....They're not a pop music band.

I'm guessing 99% of people wouldnt like them IF they dont like Prog. It's not really a fair comparison.

It's like comparing Pentangle with Slade (Guitar Bass Drums Singing)

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

KC produce what we call progressive rock. In fact they made THE first ever full blown progressive rock album, and they have never veered away from prog, they've never been in the singles charts.....They're not a pop music band.

I'm guessing 99% of people wouldnt like them IF they dont like Prog. It's not really a fair comparison.

It's like comparing Pentangle with Slade (Guitar Bass Drums Singing)

They were damn close to pop from the phase I liked them best in — when Belew was a member. “Sleepless” was a HIT over here AND over there! I’d bet they were most popular with the widest audience when they were the LEAST prog, fancy that.

 

[journolud]

Ok. The Screaming Blue Messiahs — Gun Shy, their first full record. The Clash driving 110 MPH smash their van into a electric transmission substation in Memphis, Tennessee.

Will give them a listen. I like the name

 

[Bill Walker]

It means I appreciate that Picasso did things that were genius and novel because I know enough about art history to grasp that but purely viscerally his paintings wouldn’t be what I’d choose for my walls if cost was no object. Appeals to my head but not my heart in quite the same way. Because of that I’d feel guilty gainsaying someone else to whom Bowie appealed to both head and heart.

But I’m overstating for effect because there is plenty of Bowie that does appeal to my heart. “Heroes” and “Hunky Dory” particularly.

But you didnt "feel guilty" about giving Leonard Cohen a 1/10 and then saying if you wern't in a generous mood you'd have given him a 0 ?

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

But you didnt "feel guilty" about giving Leonard Cohen a 1/10 and then saying if you wern't in a generous mood you'd have given him a 0 ?

Nope. I changed that to a 2 to be fair. I don’t know if I’ve made myself clear — I don’t like music without hooks and I don’t like music without joy. You can be depressed about the state of the universe or you can do carefree bubblegum, I don’t care, but if you do either without chord changes, I’m out.

 

[Bill Walker]

Nope. I changed that to a 2 to be fair. I don’t know if I’ve made myself clear — I don’t like music without hooks and I don’t like music without joy. You can be depressed about the state of the universe or you can do carefree bubblegum, I don’t care, but if you do either without chord changes, I’m out.

I'd agree with that, but it's puzzling, you give Leonard a 1, a world renowned singer songwriter, and I give Fountains Of Wayne a 3.....and I'm described as being harsh !!

 

[Saddleworth2]

Just out of interest, why would you compare this album to King Crimson ?

As I said. You might as well compare Bubble Christmas album to A Hendrix album.

 

[Bill Walker]

As I said. You might as well compare Bubble Christmas album to A Hendrix album.

Quite..

Funny story, my wife wanted to see Buble here so I relented and went with her. after his first number, he chatted a bit and said, "hands up all the men who came here purely because of their wives/girlfriends"

Practically every guy in the place put their hand up...:)

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I'd agree with that, but it's puzzling, you give Leonard a 1, a world renowned singer songwriter, and I give Fountains Of Wayne a 3.....and I'm described as being harsh !!

But I didn’t describe you nor your review as harsh, mate. At worst I intimated that the record wasn’t supposed to be deep or important — in fact I wrote that it was effectively meaningless in my review. Here’s my thing: I can like records that are deep and meaningful or records that aren’t. My collection is filled with both. I can even like records by artists who think what they’re writing is deep and meaningful when I think/know it isn’t. I can even like records that are deep and meaningful when that’s not the artist’s intent (my second fave record of all time is one of those).

This may not be you and it doesn’t have to be you, but I guess I’d question why. That’s not a criticism — it’s a real question and I can think of a few good answers, some of which you’ve given regarding your respect for musical talent and complexity.

But I am much less interested in ANY of these if there aren’t any hooks. And when there aren’t hooks, what I want is sonic experimentation — which is why there is prog and discordant alternative I like quite a lot. Like some of the Fripp/Eno collaborations, and Sonic Youth, e.g.

Leonard Cohen’s record has none of these things. None. All I have are his words, no hooks, no sonic experimentation. I listened to his words and described quite carefully my thoughts about them in my review. It doesn’t mean I have heard much of his catalogue or that I might not like others of his records. But I detested that record for very specific, defensible reasons. He’s a poet whose poetry I didn’t like in that instance.

Also the adulation of the genius thing is not and never will be me so “world-renowned singer-songwriter” doesn’t mean anything to me if the singing, playing and songwriting has no visceral appeal. And that’s what I’m trying to get people to understand by offering this lightweight bubblegum record (using others’ descriptions). Why can’t I or anyone else enjoy it AND enjoy deep, meaningful records too?

And with that I’m going to listen to Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” which, when it popped up on my Spotify in my car yesterday, set my 15-year old daughter all a-giggle. “Dad!” she shrieked. “That’s a MEME SONG!!”

Best piano hook of the last 20 years, my dear.