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Post by ginnie on Aug 14, 2008 18:03:48 GMT -5
I voted for XTC. Maybe they are more well known in England than here (Canada).
Most people forget bands like MC5, The Stooges, The New York Dolls - even the Velvet Underground: they are worshipped and respected by rock journalists but invisible to the general public.
The Velvets in particular. Despite their influence on many, many bands, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone you know with one of their albums. Even today, songs like "Venus in Furs" or "Heroin" are still too far out there for public consumption. When the Sex Pistol first arrived on the music scene, I wondered what all the full was about - after all, I'd been listening to the Stooges et al for years before that. Then I realized it wasn't their music causing all the fuss, but their attitude. And rock really needed a good kick in the pants at the time. ,,,but I'd still rather listen to "Raw Power'" or "The New York Dolls" than "Never Mind the Bollocks"...
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Post by franklima on Aug 14, 2008 19:46:56 GMT -5
did somebody say 3 of my favorite bands, The MC5, The Dolls and the Stooges??? All which I have seen live a few times///
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Post by ginnie on Aug 14, 2008 20:05:48 GMT -5
did somebody say 3 of my favorite bands, The MC5, The Dolls and the Stooges??? All which I have seen live a few times/// Are you kidding? That's pretty incredible. I am envious........ Do you mind giving a few thoughts about their performances? I don't know what it was like for you, but in 74 when I listened to the Dolls and Stooges I was basically listening to them by myself. No one I knew had heard of them, or were interested in hearing them. Their loss! Oh, and to add one more to the list: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. They were truly sensational in the day, and remain one of my favourites. Of course, no one I know today has ever heard of them either, except for my sister. Alex had more charisma than almost any other performer, he didn't even had to do anything except maybe laugh and it affected the crowd. VAMBO RULES!
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Post by HollyH on Aug 14, 2008 20:27:47 GMT -5
Amazing! We've got them in our Hall of Fame! (See the thread in Games and Fun). I believe our Mr Lennie is the big SAHB fan here.
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Post by franklima on Aug 14, 2008 20:30:32 GMT -5
Not only was I lstening and seeing the stooges inthe early 70's...my bands were covering alot of their stuff live. I also use hang out at this small venue in the village seeing the Dolls play to very small audiences, and I was hanging out with people like Jeff Hyman and his friends, later to become the Ramones, also got to know all the band too,...Dolls later moved up to opening for Mott thew Hoople at bigger shows. The MC5 were incredible live...loud, and pure energy and excitement...Rob Tyner one of the best frontmen and singers put on an incredible show, and the band just totally rocked...No one realizes that beyond the first live album they put out 2 other great studio albums "Back in the USA " and High Time and also other various bootlegs and compilations. I bought the first Stooges album just because of the cover of the album, I saw these guys and said I gotta here them, then I saw them on a TV show called Mid-Summer Rock in trhe the summer of 1970...by that Novemeber the Friday night after Thanksgiving my band did a whole show based on the Stooges...I did the Iggy performance of my life...throwing peanut butter out in to the audience, smearing that and raw chopmeat over my nearly naked body diving head first off the stage in to the audeince, climbing back on to the stage covered in blood...inciting a total riot...was taken to Police Station at 4 am in the morning after they dragged me out of my house...it was rock & roll in all it's glory. I saw the Stooges live for my first time that year when they played with The MC5, and David Peel and Lower East Side at the Singer Bowl at the old NY World Fair sight. Then saw both The MC5 and Stooges several more times during those 2 years in the 70's...and this was inbetween seeing every KinKs shows possible too! Those years of my life were one big blur
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Post by ginnie on Aug 15, 2008 14:12:21 GMT -5
Not only was I lstening and seeing the stooges inthe early 70's...my bands were covering alot of their stuff live. I also use hang out at this small venue in the village seeing the Dolls play to very small audiences, and I was hanging out with people like Jeff Hyman and his friends, later to become the Ramones, also got to know all the band too,...Dolls later moved up to opening for Mott thew Hoople at bigger shows. The MC5 were incredible live...loud, and pure energy and excitement...Rob Tyner one of the best frontmen and singers put on an incredible show, and the band just totally rocked...No one realizes that beyond the first live album they put out 2 other great studio albums "Back in the USA " and High Time and also other various bootlegs and compilations. I bought the first Stooges album just because of the cover of the album, I saw these guys and said I gotta here them, then I saw them on a TV show called Mid-Summer Rock in trhe the summer of 1970...by that Novemeber the Friday night after Thanksgiving my band did a whole show based on the Stooges...I did the Iggy performance of my life...throwing peanut butter out in to the audience, smearing that and raw chopmeat over my nearly naked body diving head first off the stage in to the audeince, climbing back on to the stage covered in blood...inciting a total riot...was taken to Police Station at 4 am in the morning after they dragged me out of my house...it was rock & roll in all it's glory. I saw the Stooges live for my first time that year when they played with The MC5, and David Peel and Lower East Side at the Singer Bowl at the old NY World Fair sight. Then saw both The MC5 and Stooges several more times during those 2 years in the 70's...and this was inbetween seeing every KinKs shows possible too! Those years of my life were one big blur I'm glad you remember some of it! So were the Stooges and Dolls bands that your friends were familiar with too? I think my friends thought I was a bit 'different' because I listened to them. I would've been around 16 to 18 at the time. I liked my friends favourite bands too - Nazareth, Aerosmith, Deep Purple...but they didn't have Lou Reed's "Berlin" on their turntable, you know what I mean. When I started jammin with my two friends, our material was: Sensational Alex Harvey Band ("Framed", "Faith Healer", "Swampsnake", "Vambo") plus the Stones, Derringer, Johnny Cash (a rockin' "Folsom Prison Blues"), Rush, plus lots of blues. My only regret in life is not being in a band - the only one. I never got beyond the party, garage stage. Darn!
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Post by ginnie on Aug 15, 2008 14:13:48 GMT -5
Amazing! We've got them in our Hall of Fame! (See the thread in Games and Fun). I believe our Mr Lennie is the big SAHB fan here. I'll have to check that out. It's rare to know anyone that's even heard of Alex Harvey in my part of the world.
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Post by kinkfrank49 on Aug 16, 2008 20:47:16 GMT -5
That's an interesting list. I confess I have not heard the music of half the bands, and I would probably choose the Squeeze (aside from the Kinks). I think Steve Earle has gotten tons of attention, much of it earned, over the years, and the Velvet Underground gotten way too much credit for one album of songs that other artists have done better. Television's Tom Verlaine was hyped in my part of the world as the Next Great Guitarist (he wasn't). I like the old bands and Soft Machine, Blodwyn Pig, and New Order never really got the publicity on a level with their ability or were lumped in as part of a bunch of similar bands when they stood out.
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Post by ginnie on Aug 16, 2008 23:42:30 GMT -5
That's an interesting list. I confess I have not heard the music of half the bands, and I would probably choose the Squeeze (aside from the Kinks). I think Steve Earle has gotten tons of attention, much of it earned, over the years, and the Velvet Underground gotten way too much credit for one album of songs that other artists have done better. Television's Tom Verlaine was hyped in my part of the world as the Next Great Guitarist (he wasn't). I like the old bands and Soft Machine, Blodwyn Pig, and New Order never really got the publicity on a level with their ability or were lumped in as part of a bunch of similar bands when they stood out. Not to be picky, but the Velvet Underground recorded four albums. Also, I'm not familiar with anyone else who has recorded there songs. I'm just wondering if you are thinking of some other band?There may be a tribute album out there but no material that I've heard on the radio. That doesn't mean cover versions don't exist, but if they do, who heard them? I read a great quote about the Velvet Underground, the gist of it being that ' only six thousand people bought their albums, and they all started bands;. Their influence on others groups cannot be takin lightly. Although never in the public's eye, the Velvets style of instrumentation, recording and songwriting - especially lyrics - had an immense effect on artists that came after them. Listen to a song like 'European Son' on their first album. Has anything been heard like it since? Are the Velvets overrated? By critics, possibly. By the public? Hardly, just because most people have never heard their music.
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Post by ginnie on Aug 17, 2008 11:48:17 GMT -5
I must have been a bit sleepy last night... I can actually think of a few Velvet songs that were covered by other artists - White Light/White Heat - Bowie, Mick Ronson Sweet Jane - Mott the Hoople, Cowboy Junkies I'm sure there are a few more.
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Post by kinkfrank49 on Aug 17, 2008 14:01:49 GMT -5
The only VU album I can stand to listen to, and this is just a taste thing, is their debut-though Loaded has a version of Sweet Jane that if Reed hadn't sung it would be okay. I thought the experimental, doped-out sound of the first was interesting, especially Heroin. I don't think that Reed was a good vocalist, and I thought that the other musicians were sloppy and the production meandered, but it was 1967. The critics adored them, and now that I do reviews of new music, I give the band their props for blazing trails. Reed eventually became a decent singer. The Cowboy Junkies' cover of Sweet Jane is a great song, and the Beat Farmers' cover of There She Goes Again from 1985 is another good one. I know they are a band with some ardent fans, I'm just not one of them.
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Post by ginnie on Aug 17, 2008 14:55:28 GMT -5
The only VU album I can stand to listen to, and this is just a taste thing, is their debut-though Loaded has a version of Sweet Jane that if Reed hadn't sung it would be okay. I thought the experimental, doped-out sound of the first was interesting, especially Heroin. I don't think that Reed was a good vocalist, and I thought that the other musicians were sloppy and the production meandered, but it was 1967. The critics adored them, and now that I do reviews of new music, I give the band their props for blazing trails. Reed eventually became a decent singer. The Cowboy Junkies' cover of Sweet Jane is a great song, and the Beat Farmers' cover of There She Goes Again from 1985 is another good one. I know they are a band with some ardent fans, I'm just not one of them. Well, the Velvet Underground is certainly not for all tastes! I guess most people would absolutely hate them. I'm actually drawn to Nico quite a bit, which is strange because she's not really a band member at all - more of a Warhol prop. But "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "Femme Fatale" I find outstanding songs. Her "Cheslea Girls" album is also quite good, although after awhile all he songs start to sound like the same song. Her "Marble Index" album is likely to get the same reaction from the general public as any VU album, though it sounds completely different. As far a Lou Reed - he's another artist not for all tastes. You either love him or hate him I guess. My favourite album of his is "Berlin" - yet more music not destined for mass consumption. I remember buying "Metal Machine Music" in the mid '70's. I didn't know if it was too far ahead of its time, or a complete joke. I think Lou just delivered it to RCA to fullfill his contract.
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Post by franklima on Aug 17, 2008 16:39:30 GMT -5
Ray's solo show guitar player ( Bill Shandly ) knew Noel years ago and played with him too.
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Post by kinkfrank49 on Aug 17, 2008 22:12:07 GMT -5
Machine Metal Music-Ouch. Lou did surprise people when he put out Rock and Roll Animal about the same time, the live disc with a great backup band including Steve Hunter on guitar doing his hits. He was pretty deep into his heroin thing in the mid 70s, and his studio stuff is kind of hit and miss. Machine..Music was, as I recall, recorded in his apartment with lo-fi tape recorders recording feedback from guitar amps, then tape looped in the studio somehow. I think he was so loaded at the time he though it was art, and I haven't heard it in 30 years so it might be better than some of the rap-metal I and industrial my son likes.
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Post by davek729 on Aug 17, 2008 23:35:38 GMT -5
Amazing! We've got them in our Hall of Fame! (See the thread in Games and Fun). I believe our Mr Lennie is the big SAHB fan here. I'll have to check that out. It's rare to know anyone that's even heard of Alex Harvey in my part of the world. They had a moderate following in the UK in the 70s and early 80s. Their audience in the US and Canada was smaller, but I wouldn't say they were very obscure. I remember as a teen in the 70s, hearing SAHB on the radio from time to time. Rock magazines at the time like Circus and Cream were quite fond of the band. Alex was a very colorful figure and made for interesting press. G12/Davy (from Scotland) who makes an occasional appearance here is a big fan. I agree that they SAHB are deserving greater attention.
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