The Album Review Club - Week #195 (page 1310) - A New World Record - ELO

What is ‘friends music’ is it US Indie pop or bands played on the TV Show ?

I used to watch the show when it aired as my wife at the time was a big fan and I found it harmless but a bit banal, however Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston made the viewing experience more appealing.What I didn’t really associate with the programme was the music played on it .
I can only really remember a Hootie and the Blowfish concert.

Looking at the Friends soundtrack it contains, artists such as Lou Reed, Paul Westerberg, Grant Lee Buffalo and The Pretenders so you can definitely count me as a ‘Friends Music ‘ fan.

I’m thinking of a Hootie and Blowfish album as my next pick :-)
 
What is ‘friends music’ is it US Indie pop or bands played on the TV Show ?

I used to watch the show when it aired as my wife at the time was a big fan and I found it harmless but a bit banal, however Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston made the viewing experience more appealing.What I didn’t really associate with the programme was the music played on it .
I can only really remember a Hootie and the Blowfish concert.

Looking at the Friends soundtrack it contains, artists such as Lou Reed, Paul Westerberg, Grant Lee Buffalo and The Pretenders so you can definitely count me as a ‘Friends Music ‘ fan.

I’m thinking of a Hootie and Blowfish album as my next pick :-)

Bimbo's Friends music analogy is actually in essence a pretty sound one!

Apart from, when he broadbrushes it to anything and everything, at which point it loses all meaning and becomes a bit of a tiresome parody.

But in this case, it is imo somewhat appropriate.

How 'negative' that is, kinda depends.
 
This is probably pretty close to Freinds music, really.

Or rather technically, Empire Records music maybe, but not too dissimilar in its essence.

I was only faintly familiar with your Empire Records reference so I had a bit of a mooch. I thought the soundtrack, including the GB track, seemed a lot better than the clips of the movie itself.

Then reading up a bit it seems that the phenomena of crass / crappy movies and TV shows having decent soundtracks is fueled by a few things.

Firstly especially on teen movies they often hire one of the top-tier music supervisors who will typically have taste well in excess of the movie itself. This is one of the most cost effective methods of injecting some identity into a film and giving it a veneer of quality irrespective of how crap the film actually is. It's made easier because the licensing deals are often with companies who sit under the same giant corporate umbrella. With the advent of streaming it seems that sync licensing is a sufficiently lucrative income stream that very few artists won't do it so the stigma of being associated with something naff is heavily diluted for most artists these days.

All fairly obvious I suppose but not something I'd ever really thought about.
 
What is ‘friends music’ is it US Indie pop or bands played on the TV Show ?

I used to watch the show when it aired as my wife at the time was a big fan and I found it harmless but a bit banal, however Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston made the viewing experience more appealing.What I didn’t really associate with the programme was the music played on it .
I can only really remember a Hootie and the Blowfish concert.

Looking at the Friends soundtrack it contains, artists such as Lou Reed, Paul Westerberg, Grant Lee Buffalo and The Pretenders so you can definitely count me as a ‘Friends Music ‘ fan.

I’m thinking of a Hootie and Blowfish album as my next pick :-)
Not as good as Counting Crows....just saying :-)
 
I know you like to label everything from Mumford and Sons to Megadeth as dinner party/Friends music but you’re definitely wrong in this case. If you can’t hear that bit of buzz and grit in this than your ears might need a good clean.

By the way, my only previous experience of Gin Blossoms was a track on a free CD with Q magazine. Can’t remember which song, probably one off this album, but I like what I’m hearing so far.

Never seen an episode of Friends though. Maybe it’s full of jangly guitars and throaty singers.

Bimbo is a man that's made of meat, and you're on the internet, looking at feet..
 
I was only faintly familiar with your Empire Records reference so I had a bit of a mooch. I thought the soundtrack, including the GB track, seemed a lot better than the clips of the movie itself.

Then reading up a bit it seems that the phenomena of crass / crappy movies and TV shows having decent soundtracks is fueled by a few things.

Firstly especially on teen movies they often hire one of the top-tier music supervisors who will typically have taste well in excess of the movie itself. This is one of the most cost effective methods of injecting some identity into a film and giving it a veneer of quality irrespective of how crap the film actually is. It's made easier because the licensing deals are often with companies who sit under the same giant corporate umbrella. With the advent of streaming it seems that sync licensing is a sufficiently lucrative income stream that very few artists won't do it so the stigma of being associated with something naff is heavily diluted for most artists these days.

All fairly obvious I suppose but not something I'd ever really thought about.

Interesting, and thought provoking somewhat.
 
A damning indictment of modern life that's a bit too on the money.

A contender for B&W's human condition theme playlist. But then, so is a lot of that album.

I did actually have a few ideas for restarting that thread. One was 'sprechengesang'. But the other was, songs that we heard since the themes we had that made us think of the theme that would have been worthwhile at the time. Which happens to me quite a bit, I hear something either old or new and think, ah that would have fit such and such theme well. Like a 'revisit' type look back. But probably too complex.
 
You've never seen an episode of Friend, really? Wow.
I don’t watch American sit-coms generally. I loved Third Rock From the Sun though, which was big around the same time.:
What is ‘friends music’ is it US Indie pop or bands played on the TV Show ?

I used to watch the show when it aired as my wife at the time was a big fan and I found it harmless but a bit banal, however Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston made the viewing experience more appealing.What I didn’t really associate with the programme was the music played on it .
I can only really remember a Hootie and the Blowfish concert.

Looking at the Friends soundtrack it contains, artists such as Lou Reed, Paul Westerberg, Grant Lee Buffalo and The Pretenders so you can definitely count me as a ‘Friends Music ‘ fan.

I’m thinking of a Hootie and Blowfish album as my next pick :-)
If GLB are on the Friends soundtrack, I’m with you. Maybe it’s not a negative but a badge of honour!
 
A contender for B&W's human condition theme playlist. But then, so is a lot of that album.

I did actually have a few ideas for restarting that thread. One was 'sprechengesang'. But the other was, songs that we heard since the themes we had that made us think of the theme that would have been worthwhile at the time. Which happens to me quite a bit, I hear something either old or new and think, ah that would have fit such and such theme well. Like a 'revisit' type look back. But probably too complex.

I agree, nice idea in principle but possibly too complex.

I found that thread probably the best one for discovering stuff from other posters, but nonetheless we've struggled to get traction on it. Definitely worth trying to resurrect it imo.
 
I know you like to label everything from Mumford and Sons to Megadeth as dinner party/Friends music but you’re definitely wrong in this case. If you can’t hear that bit of buzz and grit in this than your ears might need a good clean.

By the way, my only previous experience of Gin Blossoms was a track on a free CD with Q magazine. Can’t remember which song, probably one off this album, but I like what I’m hearing so far.

Never seen an episode of Friends though. Maybe it’s full of jangly guitars and throaty singers.
I don't hear grit or buzz but its not unpleasant in a REM/Counting Crows/Hootie kind of way.
It does remind me of some unnamed American tv show when all the kids are in a really cool bar drinking buds and having a really cool time and then the resident band comes on the stage and the lead singer is so great looking with a really cool half beard and the kids go wild because the music is fun and er.. cool.
I don't hate it for that though.
 
I don't hear grit or buzz but its not unpleasant in a REM/Counting Crows/Hootie kind of way.
It does remind me of some unnamed American tv show when all the kids are in a really cool coffee shop and having a really cool time and then the resident band comes on the stage and the lead singer is singing about smelly cats
I don't hate it for that though.
 
I agree, nice idea in principle but possibly too complex.

I found that thread probably the best one for discovering stuff from other posters, but nonetheless we've struggled to get traction on it. Definitely worth trying to resurrect it imo.

Oh well, sprechengesang it is then!
 
I don’t watch American sit-coms generally. I loved Third Rock From the Sun though, which was big around the same time.:

If GLB are on the Friends soundtrack, I’m with you. Maybe it’s not a negative but a badge of honour!
Don’t let them shame you Rob, I’m with you, I’ve never seen an episode of Friends either.

This weeks offering is not as bad as I’d anticipated/imagined whatever that may have been. I mean it’s not groundbreaking, but it’s not DMR which is a blessing!
 

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