VT’s Music Chat

[bickster]

28 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

 

 

 

Oasis and Shack as supports  

[bickster]

 

[chrisp65]

Went to a book launch yesterday evening and thoroughly enjoyed.

Just a smallish group of people upstairs in a bookstore after closing with a few glasses of wine, and a panel discussing the new Huw Stephens book, 100 Welsh Records.

It’s not a chronological list, it’s not a top 100 list, it’s just a subjective broad list of the interesting. What it does slightly touch on is that sort of rock family tree side of things, the links between bands, the borrowed drummers, the artwork on one record by the bassist on another that goes on to produce another.

Time absolutely flew by, but one of the highlights was when a bag of records was produced and people were encouraged to have a rummage, read the credits, pass them around. Not all especially rare, some were, but some were just there as typical and representative.

Then it was all off down the pub, where lots of those records were played by Don Leisure, who has a page in the book, which I got him to sign.

A genuinely wonderfully absorbing evening for nerds. I saw a record I hadn’t ever seen, didn’t know it existed. It was disproportionately thrilling.

[bickster]

Could have just put it in the funny pics thread but I think it’ll be more appreciated here

 

[Marka Ragnos]

Another one of those bands where I've never understood how they didn't make it big in Britain, where their records just didn't sell. They're like proto-indie royalty here in America, kind of like Big Star but much bigger. I find this sometimes happens with American bands that are big Anglophiles, which is something you don't encounter as much today. Cheap Trick wanted to be more British than Slade. They loved British glam so much. But it's almost like British listeners figure they already have better versions of the same kind of music, so they don't need Anglophilic tommy try-hards or something? I don't know.  It cut both ways, too. Americans generally couldn't care less about Slade or even T-Rex, except among a few critics and hipsters, which surprises me still. But then there are also American bands who had to go to Britain to make it back in the USA, at least to some extent, and may never had made such a splash here if not for getting attention in the NME, etc. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the biggest example -- or Hendrix. Petty were totally "deep American" from grungy Florida pretty much super-charged on English soil. Pixies, too.

 

Edited June 7 by Marka Ragnos

[Nor-Cal Villan]

14 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Another one of those bands where I've never understood how they didn't make it big in Britain, where their records just didn't sell. They're like proto-indie royalty here in America, kind of like Big Star but much bigger. I find this sometimes happens with American bands that are big Anglophiles, which is something you don't encounter as much today. Cheap Trick wanted to be more British than Slade. They loved British glam so much. But it's almost like British listeners figure they already have better versions of the same kind of music, so they don't need Anglophilic tommy try-hards or something? I don't know.  It cut both ways, too. Americans generally couldn't care less about Slade or even T-Rex, except among a few critics and hipsters, which surprises me still. But then there are also American bands who had to go to Britain to make it back in the USA, at least to some extent, and may never had made such a splash here if not for getting attention in the NME, etc. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the biggest example -- or Hendrix. Petty were totally "deep American" from grungy Florida pretty much super-charged on English soil. Pixies, too.

 

I really like both T Rex and Slade, I’m definitely not a critic (at least don’t get paid for it ) and I like to think I’m not a hipster 

Big Cheap Trick fan. Can you honestly tell me that you forgot. Forgot the magnetism of Robin Zander or the charisma of Rick Neilsen?

Edited June 7 by Nor-Cal Villan

[villa4europe]

7 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Another one of those bands where I've never understood how they didn't make it big in Britain, where their records just didn't sell. They're like proto-indie royalty here in America, kind of like Big Star but much bigger. I find this sometimes happens with American bands that are big Anglophiles, which is something you don't encounter as much today. Cheap Trick wanted to be more British than Slade. They loved British glam so much. But it's almost like British listeners figure they already have better versions of the same kind of music, so they don't need Anglophilic tommy try-hards or something? I don't know.  It cut both ways, too. Americans generally couldn't care less about Slade or even T-Rex, except among a few critics and hipsters, which surprises me still. But then there are also American bands who had to go to Britain to make it back in the USA, at least to some extent, and may never had made such a splash here if not for getting attention in the NME, etc. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the biggest example -- or Hendrix. Petty were totally "deep American" from grungy Florida pretty much super-charged on English soil. Pixies, too.

 

Kings of Leon...didn't break through in America until album 4 and sex on fire, weirdly the same time that a lot of the UK turned their noses up at them because they'd lost the southern American drawl that made them special in the first place 

Still find it mad that one of the B sides on their first single is holly roller novacaine live at Brum academy - and that my mates went and I couldn't be bothered to go

Not sure if the killers are similar but not to as much of an extent 

Edit - maybe the strokes too but they're a weird band cos I'm not sure the UK realise how important they are in our own 00s renaissance 

Edited June 8 by villa4europe

[Nor-Cal Villan]

43 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

Kings of Leon...didn't break through in America until album 4 and sex on fire, weirdly the same time that a lot of the UK turned their noses up at them because they'd lost the southern American drawl that made them special in the first place 

Still find it mad that one of the B sides on their first single is holly roller novacaine live at Brum academy - and that my mates went and I couldn't be bothered to go

Not sure if the killers are similar but not to as much of an extent 

Edit - maybe the strokes too but they're a weird band cos I'm not sure the UK realise how important they are in our own 00s renaissance 

Kings of Leon did quite well here with their debut album, at least critically and as a live act. Molly’s Chambers was pretty popular. No doubt they didn’t have the sales of Only by the Night but it’s not like they were totally overlooked either. In fact, those here who were onboard from the start mostly also “turned up their noses” at them when Sex on Fire exploded 

Edited June 8 by Nor-Cal Villan

[mjmooney]

9 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Another one of those bands where I've never understood how they didn't make it big in Britain, where their records just didn't sell.

They got a fair bit of radio play with 'I Want You to Want Me', but you're right, they didn't make the commercial breakthrough here. I saw them live, and maintain to this day that they were by far the loudest band I ever heard. 

I think they were too rock/heavy for the glam audience and too glam/pop for the rock&metal crowd. The two pretty boys weren't enough to counteract the ugly image of Nielsen and Carlos in the eyes of the little girls. And Nielsen didn't look the way a guitar hero was supposed to. 

Just pitched wrong in every way. 

[Mark Albrighton]

I was going to say that I have “Surrender” by Cheap Trick on a compilation album.

On closer inspection, it turns out I have “I Surrender” by Rainbow.

I guess I’m really only familiar with the Cheap Trick song due to its appearance in various tv shows/films.

[DaoDeMings]

2 hours ago, villa4europe said:

Kings of Leon...didn't break through in America until album 4 and sex on fire, weirdly the same time that a lot of the UK turned their noses up at them because they'd lost the southern American drawl that made them special in the first place 

Still find it mad that one of the B sides on their first single is holly roller novacaine live at Brum academy - and that my mates went and I couldn't be bothered to go

Not sure if the killers are similar but not to as much of an extent 

Edit - maybe the strokes too but they're a weird band cos I'm not sure the UK realise how important they are in our own 00s renaissance 

Perhaps their importance in the 00s scene wasn't recognised at the time but nowadays anyone who was into the indie scene in the early 00s would definitely have Is This It as one of the eras best/most influential albums. Retrospectively it holds up way better than anything by The Libertines imo

[mjmooney]

3 hours ago, villa4europe said:

Kings of Leon...didn't break through in America until album 4 and sex on fire, weirdly the same time that a lot of the UK turned their noses up at them because they'd lost the southern American drawl that made them special in the first place 

Another band that I keep hearing about, but couldn't name more than one song (Sex On Fire - and then only the title, not the tune). 

The only other thing I know about them is that in their early days they seemed to be trying very hard to look exactly like Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

[villa4europe]

Sex on fire is a horrible karaoke pub singer song but they've got 2 brilliant albums a couple of really underrated albums and then good songs scattered across everything else, struggling with the new album but it's the first one that I'd say has nothing there (it's a bit boring imo)

The first 2 albums are just so different from the vast majority of bands, mostly in his voice but they're huge top table 00s records imo right up there with is this it, silent alarm and whatever people think of me etc

[Marka Ragnos]

7 hours ago, mjmooney said:

Another band that I keep hearing about, but couldn't name more than one song (Sex On Fire - and then only the title, not the tune). 

The only other thing I know about them is that in their early days they seemed to be trying very hard to look exactly like Creedence Clearwater Revival. 

Never liked them myself. Just always sounded derivative and too conventionally hip.

11 hours ago, villa4europe said:

Edit - maybe the strokes too but they're a weird band cos I'm not sure the UK realise how important they are in our own 00s renaissance 

Yes, that did happen with Strokes, but ... England made something far, far better (not that the English would ever appreciate their own talents, it seems to be against the King's rules or something) with the new garage sound once they got hold of it. Libertines and Babyshambles and so so many others energized and improved upon the pretty boring rich-kid rehashed Velvet punk Strokes.

8 hours ago, mjmooney said:

They got a fair bit of radio play with 'I Want You to Want Me', but you're right, they didn't make the commercial breakthrough here. I saw them live, and maintain to this day that they were by far the loudest band I ever heard. 

I think they were too rock/heavy for the glam audience and too glam/pop for the rock&metal crowd. The two pretty boys weren't enough to counteract the ugly image of Nielsen and Carlos in the eyes of the little girls. And Nielsen didn't look the way a guitar hero was supposed to. 

Just pitched wrong in every way. 

Fascinating. Totally makes maddening sense to me. You may never find an American songwriter-guitarist more desperate for approval in England -- but never getting it. Something very sweet and interesting about that.

Edited June 8 by Marka Ragnos

[Nor-Cal Villan]

44 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Never liked them myself. Just always sounded derivative and too conventionally hip.

Yes, that did happen with Strokes, but ... England made something far, far better (not that the English would ever appreciate their own talents, it seems to be against the King's rules or something) with the new garage sound once they got hold of it. Libertines and Babyshambles and so so many others energized and improved upon the pretty boring rich-kid rehashed Velvet punk Strokes.

Fascinating. Totally makes maddening sense to me. You may never find an American songwriter-guitarist more desperate for approval in England -- but never getting it. Something very sweet and interesting about that.

Todd Rundgren. I have no idea if he got the approval but he was massively desperate for it. 
 

Love me some Todd

[Nor-Cal Villan]

50 years ago today  @rjw63

 

Edited June 9 by Nor-Cal Villan

[rjw63]

7 hours ago, Nor-Cal Villan said:

50 years ago today  @rjw63

 

Great bill

BT W on the subject of Rundgren, love his stuff, got loads of his albums but seems to have gone a lot weird snd unllstenable over the last few years.

As for Kings of Leon they were great until Sex on Fire, at which point they all had shaved and had haircuts, and sadly looked and sounded like a **** boy band.

[mjmooney]

16 hours ago, Nor-Cal Villan said:

Todd Rundgren. I have no idea if he got the approval but he was massively desperate for it. 

One song. You know, that one. Was never an actual hit here, but got (and still gets) massive radio play. Everybody knows it - although half of them think it was Carole King (it would fit seamlessly onto 'Tapestry'). Currently running in its umpteenth TV commercial. I was at a gig by my mates' covers band just last night, and they played it. 

But play people 'A Wizard, A True Star', and they'll probably run screaming from the room. 

 

[Xann]

1 hour ago, mjmooney said:

'A Wizard, A True Star'

A Psych behemoth  

From the middle ground? 'Something/Anything?' is a classic album collector title.

Both you want to find in a record shop with a Todd section.

Got the interesting oddball relation to Wizard. Also from '73 on Bearsville with Todd at the controls. Fairly niche.

[mjmooney]

And then there's 'Faithful'...