OT Music thanks

[1happygirl]

I have learned too many things to name thru the forum. I have especially broadened my music education thru the forum. In addition to all of you forumites knowledge of bikes, cars, photography, history you guys (and gals) have a lot of deep understanding of music.
Can you help me understand your favorite artist and succinctly what is so special about them? A lot of the people you guys and gals name are b4 my time. I have had to look up a lot of them in the past, but have learned much. Thanks.
A little history, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and don't understand a lot of the artists named by forumites. I don't remember them listening to the people you guys/gals mention.


PS To start. Help me understand Bob Dylan. He seems to come up a lot and I saw him on a show singing (recently) and I really don't get it.

PPS I'm still under the coughing spell so it gives my time to wonder and time to listen and understand some more things. Maybe it will make me feel better listening to some music, instead of tv. Right now though, since I can't ride, I'm kinda bicycle bummed out.

ppps and bruce springsteen?

[Bob Loblaw]

Sorry to hear you're under the weather...bronchitis sucks mightily. Two weeks off the bike is rough.

I can't help you with Dylan. I am not even sure if that dude is speaking English. The voice of a generation..."Zezzzz meh febben geeeeeeh....till you feeee deh mehebengrevven. Phlegm! Dreck!"

Music is so personal, recommendations are always a shot in the dark, But FWIW, here are a couple of mine...you're looking for broader horizons so these are some more obscure samples from my collection.

Great bike riding song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-rXBCahBPE

There's something about the cadence of this that's just awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTAc62476f4

I like these guys for their rawness and intensity...great riding music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omFWGBfVRo4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ospxlZZM2Hw

Great time trial song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOSuObRNBUA

This should be played loud through headphones...I love the amplifier hum at the beginning
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyfwAgNtcYM

Billie Holliday sound-alike, and a great song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgFqvteVrMI

And a little rap and hipitty hop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hiUuL5uTKc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZVZiQLJwYQ

Feel better soon.

BL

[1happygirl]

Sorry to hear you're under the weather...bronchitis sucks mightily. Two weeks off the bike is rough.

I can't help you with Dylan. I am not even sure if that dude is speaking English. The voice of a generation..."Zezzzz meh febben geeeeeeh....till you feeee deh mehebengrevven. Phlegm! Dreck!"


BL

Thanks.
hahahahaha that was my laugh of the week. thank you so much. I'm happy to know that I understand more than I thought about Dylan then

What about Springsteen?

[yarg]

My favorite Dylan song, beautiful lyrics, sung really well by Bob. I am obviously in the Dylan camp.

Boots of Spanish Leather

Oh I'm sailin' away my own true love
I'm sailin' away in the morning
Is there something I can send you from across the sea
From the place that I'll be landing ?

No, there's nothin' you can send me, my own true love
There's nothin' I wish to be ownin'
Just carry yourself back to me unspoiled
From across that lonesome ocean.

Oh, but I just thought you might want something fine
Made of silver or of golden
Either from the mountains of Madrid
Or from the coast of Barcelona ?

Oh, but if I had the stars from the darkest night
And the diamonds from the deepest ocean
I'd forsake them all for your sweet kiss
For that's all I'm wishin' to be ownin'.

That I might be gone a long time
And it's only that I'm askin'
Is there something I can send you to remember me by
To make your time more easy passin' ?

Oh, how can, how can you ask me again
It only brings me sorrow
The same thing I would want today
I would want again tomorrow.

I got a letter on a lonesome day
It was from her ship a-sailin'
Saying I don't know when I'll be comin' back again
It depends on how I'm a-feelin'.

Well, if you, my love, must think that-a-way
I'm sure your mind is roamin'
I'm sure your thoughts are not with me
But with the country to where you're goin'.

So take heed, take heed of the western wind
Take heed of the stormy weather
And yes, there's something you can send back to me
Spanish boots of Spanish leather.

[bicycletricycle]

listen to this bob dylan album=

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan_%28album%29

it is very good. It is his first album and is mostly covers of old folk songs. I have so much love for this album. I don't know if anyone "understands" the man, but this album makes me appreciate him.

[1happygirl]

yarg:

Wow really pretty lyrics! I guess I'm wondering if I would like the peeps mentioned songs more, sung by someone else or sung differently?

Am I having trouble separating the bad vocals from the song/lyrics/melody?

I also like to be able to understand the words in the song while its being played and I'm a young person.

I guess I have listened to too much Ella F lately or sumpin' but I don't get the voice of Dylan or Springsteen? or am I over thinking it?

[avalonracing]

1HappyGirl,

The important part is "what do YOU like". Just because people say Dylan is great doesn't make him great to you.

You mentioned that you are sick. This is a great time to get on iTunes and browse. Start by going to the iTunes store, search for a song that you like and then check the recommendations from there. Basically you are surfing iTunes. Apple now lets you sample 90 seconds of a song without downloading it and it can really give you an idea of a song and help you find music that you may want to further explore either by purchasing or using as a guide to set up a free station on one of the great internet sites like: Pandora, lastfm or thesixtyone etc.

And oh, do your music surfing with headphones or streamed through a good stereo system otherwise everything will sound like hell through your computer speakers.

[fiamme red]

To start. Help me understand Bob Dylan. He seems to come up a lot and I saw him on a show singing (recently) and I really don't get it.Watch Martin Scorcese's 2005 documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan. It's a great introduction to his early work.

[1happygirl]

listen to this bob dylan album=

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan_%28album%29

it is very good. It is his first album and is mostly covers of old folk songs. I have so much love for this album. I don't know if anyone "understands" the man, but this album makes me appreciate him.

Checking it out now. I think the Peggy-O inspiration lady just died?

[rwsaunders]

"Tangled Up In Blue"....covered live by The Indigo Girls...my favorite rendition of a Dylan tune.

[FlashUNC]

Dylan's Royal Albert Hall bootleg from his conversion to electric is astoundingly good. I'd recommend giving that a listen simply to hear the dichotomy of this performer moving from acoustic to, quite literally, plugging in. You'd think he was eating babies on stage the way his fans reacted at the time.

Separately, for my money, nobody packed more brilliance into a short career than Jimi Hendrix. His best album is Electric Ladyland, but you'll want to start with his first album Are You Experienced?

For something a little more stripped down and punk, few things are better than Iggy Pop & The Stooges' "Raw Power." Just a loud, brash, angry album that kicks the door in from start to finish. Their self-titled first album is years ahead of its time.

For a little 80's punk, you could do a lot worse than the Dead Kennedys.

Finally, I won't bore you about the vagaries of hip-hop over the last 20 years, but I could talk for hours about it.

[Ken Robb]

Dylan is a wonderful poet and musician with a dreadful voice.

[1happygirl]

The Greatful Dead are icons too. I don't even think I know one of their songs. Hmm. I'll look them up.

I like the Indigo Girls song and the M. Peyroux also.

K.R. I think you hit the nail/voice on the head cuz I liked it above with the Girls.
Same thing I guess applies to Springsteen.

[rounder]

I think Bob Dylan is a great starting point for the discussion. When i first started listening to music (beyond top 40), Bob Dylan records started coming out. At the time, folk music was becoming popular with Kingston Trio as the most popular folk band of the day. I was still in high school. The college crowd loved them ( i loved them). They were inoffensive, looked great and sounded great for the day. Then Bob Dylan came out. He was also a folk singer and scruffy, but he sang mainly songs he wrote himself. He came from Minnesota, but migrated to Greenwich Village and became one of the beatnik folk singers there along with many others. But unlike many of them, he had things to say that actually resonated with what was going on at the time but also resonated with other folk singers there and around the country. Lots of people (including me) hated the way he sang the songs, but loved what he had to say. Others sang his song better including Peter Paul and Mary. I had a banjo at the time (because of Kingston Trio), but after hearing Peter Paul & Mary sing Don't Think Twice, which was my favorite Bob Dylan song ever, bought a guitar to learn how to play. After awhile, gained a lot more respect for Bob Dylan and his songs and music. I thought his singing and playing got better, to the point where no one else could do them better than him. That is the way it was for me. But also, i believe most people like the music they grow up with to be the best. Good wishes with your music pursuit.

[Fixed]

Woody Guthrie.was an influence on him . he and miles davis share something they both shocked their fans when they .......plugged in and went electric
cheers

[rugbysecondrow]

If you want a good CD or DVD, check out The Band and their concernt The Last Waltz. Great collection of artists and singers in one blow out concert. This will plug you in to a few other folks.

Van Morrison is one of my favorites, and a few are below:

These are the Days
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lyve_egY8o&feature=related

Into the Mystic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVAnlke_xUY

Days like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BteIwbKU_iQ&feature=related

Irish Heartbeat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT0YgMnSXR8&feature=related

With the Chieftains: Celtic Ray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfRPC5MvLAE&feature=related

With the Chieftains: Maries Wedding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbJqUsM5Abk&feature=related

With the Chieftains: Star of the county down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GbdB7PlGtc

[Birddog]

HappyGirl If you want to get feelin' it for the Dead, then Workingman's Dead and American Beauty are the places to start.

Dylan wrote some good songs but I never took a liking to him as a performer.

[Ray]

Some people like music rough and interesting and abstract and a bit of "pretty" is nice if mixed in, but pretty doesn't cut it on its own. Some people like music "pretty" and maybe a little bit of rough and interesting and abstract mixed in but without pretty it doesn't work. A LOT of people don't like artists like Dylan or Hendrix or Coltrane or various others because there's very little "pretty" to it (although I'd argue there's a lot of beauty).

There's no judgement to this statement - its just how it is. My wife can't stand some of the music I like - I can't stand some of the music she likes. Fortunately there's a fair amount we both like. Dylan is rarely pretty (although there are exceptions - "Lay Lady Lay", "Blowin' in the Wind" come to mind). I think he's brilliant as both a writer and a performer but I understand why a lot of people don't. I never liked the Carpenters but they were great (INCREDIBLY great) at what they did. But I just can't listen to it.

If you listent to Dylan or Springsteen and think "what is this crap?", you probably like music that's pretty. If you listen to them and your world changes, you're probably in the other camp. I'm in the other camp.

Oh, and if you listen to American Beauty or Workingman's Dead to find out what the Dead was like, you won't. You'll hear the "pretty" version of the Dead and its very nice stuff. But its about 5% of what the Dead were. Get the tapes from some of their 1970 shows where they did an acoustic set and a couple (or few) electric sets and you'll get a feel for what the Dead was. In their prime.

-Ray

[yodelinpol]

I think it is funny that Dylan's son has a band called the Wallflowers.

They are safe.

Dylan was never a wallflower.

Maybe his son was.

Yes I know that Wallflower is a Dylan song.

He sang a version with one of my heroes Doug Sahm in 1973.

Some people don't like his voice either.

Live music is better... bumper stickers should be issued.

[LesMiner]

Woody Guthrie.was an influence on him . he and miles davis share something they both shocked their fans when they .......plugged in and went electric
cheers

Woodie was from another time. You could also throw in Pete Seeker as well. For 1Happygirl to get into Dylan would be like some of us getting into Ragtime, Scott Joplin. "No Direction Home" is on Netflix and I think it is in the streaming version as well. If you have the right set up you can download it. The social time and events have a lot to do with Dylan's popularity. At one point Dylan told the Beatles that their music was not very good because it did not say anything. I think John Lennon took it as an insult. Back in the day, protesting the war, the environment and civil rights were part of the music scene. With lyics like

The eastern world, it is exploding
Violence flarin', bullets loadin'
You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'

In part it applies today. More again

What a field day for the heat.
A thousand people in the street
Singin' songs and a-carryin' signs
Mostly sayin' hooray for our side.

Still today music and popular artists make social statements protesting current events. Lady Gaga with "Born this way" lyics make as strong a comment as the protest songs of the 60's

Don't be a drag, just be a queen
Whether you're broke or evergreen
You're black, white, beige, chola descent
You're lebanese, you're orient
Whether life's disabilities
Left you outcast, bullied, or teased
Rejoice and love yourself today
'cause baby you were born this way

Emmer the Republican candidate for the Minnesota Governor took a public stand against gay rights. Target made a large donation to Emmer's campaign that became public. About the same time Lady Gaga was about to make commerical endorsments for Target. Once the gays rights issue was raised between Target and its employees, Lady Gaga renounced the commerical endorsment in support of gay rights. Emmer's political future has been reduced significantly. Target has scrambled to regain its public respect.

[Fixed]

early 60's Greenwich Village folk scene
you might like this book
http://www.amazon.com/Freewheelin-Time-Greenwich-Village-Sixties/dp/0767926870
cheers

[R2D2]

I respect all music but i'm Blues Man from way back.
Some things to cut your teeth on:

BB King - Live At The Regal
Howlin' Wolf - London Sessions
J Geils Band - The Morning After
Muddy Waters - Hard Again

Just a start. Blues are as real as a hot day working in the fields.........

I also love modern Jazz
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Eddie Harris - Name escapes me. But he was a master of playing Sax off an echo-plex. Here's one Swiss Movement with Les McCann
Jerry Muligan - Age of Steam

Anway here's a start moving away from the folk/poet genre.

[torquer]

early 60's Greenwich Village folk scene
you might like this book
http://www.amazon.com/Freewheelin-Time-Greenwich-Village-Sixties/dp/0767926870
cheers
Suze Rotolo, the author, recently passed away. Interviews with her are also featured in the Scorcese documentary previously mentioned.
Another good book about Dylan and the Greenwich Village folk scene is this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Positively-4th-Street-Farina-Richard/dp/086547642X
Richard & Mimi Farina (she was Joan Baez' sister) are wonderfull representatives of that scene; you can sample their music here:
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Vanguard-Recordings-Farina-Richard/dp/B00005QK16
Dylan cut his ties to the folk scene, in most folk's view, when he released the double album Blonde on Blonde and went electric at Newport. Next month is the 45th anniversary of its release, and Al Kooper, one of the key musicians supporting Dylan at that time, was on the radio show Sound Opinions discussing that summer's events.
http://www.soundopinions.org/

If this is TMI re Dylan, take a break and check out Richard Thompsom:
http://www.richardthompson-music.com/
You did ask about our favorite artists, right? He's my pick; not to compare him to Dylan, but much of their professional lives have run parallel; folk roots, influenced other musicians, but Thompson, IMO, remains accessible, which Dylan, for vast stretches of his career, chose not to be. Plus everyone sounds smarter with a British accent. (Even Keith Richards, whose book just came out in paperback, if you need even more reading.)

[rpm]

I think the music that speaks to us most is the music that we associate with transitions and particular important times of our lives, the sound track of your life, if you will.

I was reminded of that when I went to a Paul Simon concert last night. Simon and Garfunkel were the sound track for my college years in the sixties. At 18 I got on the train underneath a buffalo jump in Montana and got off at Penn Station in New York City, having never been anywhere east of the Mississippi before. The year was 1964 and "Sounds of Silence" was the song that spoke to me.

The Vietnam war was heating up, there was palpable racial tension, and graffiti was everywhere. The lyrics really captured the feeling of the moment and my feelings in this strange new environment "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sounds of silence."

So when 69-year old Paul Simon did a solo acoustic version of "Sounds of Silence" last night, I replayed some of my life story. And his new album "So Beautiful, So What" which is both spiritual and bemused, seems like it's the sound track of my life currently.

There were a number of 20-somethings at the concert (All constantly taking cell phone pictures--why?) because Simon's music has been an inspiration to a number of current indie bands like Arcade Fire.

A long-winded way of suggesting that you give him a listen.

[johnnymossville]

I was where you are in regards to Dylan until I saw the PBS documentary by Martin Scorsese "No Direction Home."

That was a real eye opener for me on Dylan. If you can find it online or get the DVD you probably won't regret it.

http://cnettv.cnet.com/direction-home-bob-dylan-dvd-trailer/9742-1_53-8527.html

[CarlosContreros]

I've heard some "Doors" music...have to love the lyrics...
true poetry to music by the icon..Jim Morrison.

Same for Springsteen....but of course there are such great
songs where the lyrics are very weak...of course this
is VERY subjective....

I love to listen(and of course look at)Nicki Minaj...but it takes
me a long time to understand her lyrics....but I enjoy her songs
and just the tunes/flow of her music...even while finding her
lyrics a bit sophomorish....eh but why bother...just enjoy
what you hear!
Heck trying to understand her "Your Love" lyrics is a workout
in itself..but to me a great song and superb video.

I don't care for Bob Dylan..but he does have great a great car!

[Aaron O]

I have learned too many things to name thru the forum. I have especially broadened my music education thru the forum. In addition to all of you forumites knowledge of bikes, cars, photography, history you guys (and gals) have a lot of deep understanding of music.
Can you help me understand your favorite artist and succinctly what is so special about them? A lot of the people you guys and gals name are b4 my time. I have had to look up a lot of them in the past, but have learned much. Thanks.
A little history, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and don't understand a lot of the artists named by forumites. I don't remember them listening to the people you guys/gals mention.


PS To start. Help me understand Bob Dylan. He seems to come up a lot and I saw him on a show singing (recently) and I really don't get it.

PPS I'm still under the coughing spell so it gives my time to wonder and time to listen and understand some more things. Maybe it will make me feel better listening to some music, instead of tv. Right now though, since I can't ride, I'm kinda bicycle bummed out.

ppps and bruce springsteen?

I'm going to try and make it as simple as possible.

Before Bob Dylan, rock was music for high school kids. It wasn't taken seriously and usually the song writing was simplistic.

After Bob Dylan, people understood that rock had a lot of creative potential, especially for song writing.

Before Bob Dylan, there was a more common division between singer and songwriter. There was a much greater emphasys on singing and voice. Dylan would have been a song writer, not a performer.

After Bob Dylan, the line between singer and songwriter was far less sharp...especially for people who were talented song writers. People who would have tried selling songs now sung them.

He was essentially an extremely talented beat poet who was able to fuse that with music.

To understand Bruce, you have to understand the context of when he drew a following...it was a stripped down, thoughtful style of music, with some elements of the folks tradition, that stood in sharp contract to arena bands, glam bands and reactionary punk bands. Where bands like the Ramones in some ways defined themselves by nihlism, and by just reacting to corporate sclock, Springsteen rejected some of the excesses while just being a dude. Where Elvis Costello was reacting by trying to make a point, Bruce was reacting by just going out in a pair of jeans and saying what's happening to everyone? It was more relateable and simple than trying to understand the fashion/rebellion combination of a band like The Clash.

To explain a band I love, The Talking Heads, is both simple and difficult. It really boils down to liking originality and liking bands that don't sound like anyone else. The only real band you can say...well, they kinda sound like this...with the Talking Heads is Roxy Music (another band I really like). The song writing is often brilliant...it's not simple, sarcastic as all hell and has a real dynamic with the music itself. Songs like Nothing but Flowers have subtle song writing that really also relies on the music to understand. It's often extremely poetic and evocative. Musically, the Heads evolved and covered a lot of ground. They were really the first band to truly fuse funk, world rythms and rock.

[Fixed]

a lot of people who like this stuff also like Tom Waits
cheers

[Germany_chris]

Beauty in both art and music (redundant)is an escape for most people, it takes you to a different place, one that is either not real or a very embellished reality. Therefore beauty is dishonesty and the intent to create beauty is the intent to be dishonest a crime in many ways.

I like punk the opposite of beauty raw but honest.

Chris

[Fixed]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwzaifhSw2c
a little lou
gary davis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1lpMEFl1aA

[palincss]

Woodie was from another time. You could also throw in Pete Seeker as well.

That's Pete Seeger.

[Aaron O]

That's Pete Seeger.

Given his talent level, that's Pete Meager.

[wc1934]

[QUOTE=LesMiner] The social time and events have a lot to do with Dylan's popularity. At one point Dylan told the Beatles that their music was not very good because it did not say anything. I think John Lennon took it as an insult. Back in the day, protesting the war, the environment and civil rights were part of the music scene.

+1
Dylan's female counterpart was Joan Baez - She stated that at first she could not understand why Dylan never went to any of the protests - then she realized that he wrote all the songs they sang at the protests.

[bshell]

It is silly to talk about whom has a "good" or "bad" voice when it is all personal taste. Dylan has Dylan's voice.

I had an English teacher in the early eighties that spoke of the beauty of Bob Dylan's work. She grew up with it; I couldn't relate at all.

A few years after HS I picked up two of his records at a yard sale and thought I would give him another try. I listened to them many times back to back, to become familiar with this strange (to me) sound.

And then it clicked. The guy is a genius to me. I feel very fortunate to have tried again.

ps. He has a load of albums and I don't love it all.

[Aaron O]

[QUOTE=LesMiner] The social time and events have a lot to do with Dylan's popularity. At one point Dylan told the Beatles that their music was not very good because it did not say anything. I think John Lennon took it as an insult. Back in the day, protesting the war, the environment and civil rights were part of the music scene.

+1
Dylan's female counterpart was Joan Baez - She stated that at first she could not understand why Dylan never went to any of the protests - then she realized that he wrote all the songs they sang at the protests.

I'm sorry...but Joan Baez is NOT the female Bob Dylan. No one cares about Joan Baez anymore, other than her relationship to Dylan, because she was a one trick pony who wrote fairly trite songs with little universal meaning. She had an ok voice, sung with no passion and the songs were generic. Comparing her to the person most directly responsible for the direction rock took is sort of insulting to Dylan.

As far as the context...here's the context...American rock was pretty much crap at this point. Buddy Holly was dead, Eddie Cochran was dead, Chuck Berry was awesome, but was passed over for whites and the Brits were massively popular because they were staying true to the foundation of rock while at the same time progressing. Sure...Del Shannon was around, but the American rock landscape was bubblegum pop crud. Against that backdrop, a folkie transformed, brought real song writing to rock and changed everything. He challenged Lennon to actually have substance. He set the standard...that's why bands like the Hollies did entire albums of Dylan covers. He's a crappy vocalist, but he's an amazing song writer...which is why so many of his songs end up better covered by others.

There is no female Bob Dylan...though if there were one, it would be Joni Mitchell...or perhaps Sandy Denny.

This changed rock:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J4O2-nsFBA

The pump don't work cause' the vandals took the handle.

[bironi]

Try Blood on the Tracks by Dylan from 1975. His voice was at it's best, and his lyrics too. It is easy to understand his lyrics, and they cut to the heart. There is great story telling on this album, but there are many other albums by Dylan that are equal or better. This one is just more accessible to the new ear.

Enjoy.

What I love most about Dylan is his constant growth and change. The guy never rests. :beer:

[Fixed]

voices singing ability ? ok here is my take i am a jazz /blues fan but unless you sing opera ,they(pop) all are mostly self trained voices /excluding gospel where the church has a teaching tradition . timing and phrasing is where a lot of greats make their mark b.d. has it frank sernatra willie nelson . louis armstrong .... whenever an artist (musician ) can be identified by the first few notes they have succeeded in something special . imho
cheers
the theme song for my recovery below .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2GiCKKO390&feature=related

[Aaron O]

Sometimes it takes a certain attitude and voice to sing a certain song...imagine nearly anyone else singing Tangled Up In Blue!

Did you hear the Willie Nelson cover of Senor? Amazing...LOVED the I'm Not There soundtrack (for the most part).

[Fixed]

+1
cheeers

[1happygirl]

I think Bob Dylan is a great starting point for the discussion.
interesting I liked the Kingston Trio. I know peeps listen for different reasons. I'm too young I guess but when I think music, like ice cream, i think fun not social change. [man I've been in too long, what an analogy] sorry, b&jerrys

Anyway I am working my way through the lists. This has been fun. Now its almost good being off except for the coughing part.

Oops biketrike it was Suze Rotolo, not Peggy

[1happygirl]

Dylan's Royal Albert Hall bootleg from his conversion to electric is astoundingly good. I'd recommend giving that a listen simply to hear the dichotomy of this performer moving from acoustic to, quite literally, plugging in. You'd think he was eating babies on stage the way his fans reacted at the time.

Separately, for my money, nobody packed more brilliance into a short career than Jimi Hendrix. His best album is Electric Ladyland, but you'll want to start with his first album Are You Experienced?

For something a little more stripped down and punk, few things are better than Iggy Pop & The Stooges' "Raw Power." Just a loud, brash, angry album that kicks the door in from start to finish. Their self-titled first album is years ahead of its time.

For a little 80's punk, you could do a lot worse than the Dead Kennedys.

Finally, I won't bore you about the vagaries of hip-hop over the last 20 years, but I could talk for hours about it.


Jimi, very cool. I can imagine when I'm well cycling to some Jimi
I wondered what the Dead Kennedys were other than a cool name. I am looking up all links in this thread. I may need to be sick, ughh, longer

[1happygirl]

Van Morrison ]

Cool, chieftans hmmm

[1happygirl]

Some people like music rough and interesting and abstract and a bit of "pretty" is nice if mixed in, but pretty doesn't cut it on its own. Some people like music "pretty" and maybe a little bit of rough and interesting and abstract mixed in but without pretty it doesn't work. A LOT of people don't like artists like Dylan or Hendrix or Coltrane or various others because there's very little "pretty" to it (although I'd argue there's a lot of beauty).

There's no judgement to this statement - its just how it is. My wife can't stand some of the music I like - I can't stand some of the music she likes. Fortunately there's a fair amount we both like. Dylan is rarely pretty (although there are exceptions - "Lay Lady Lay", "Blowin' in the Wind" come to mind). I think he's brilliant as both a writer and a performer but I understand why a lot of people don't. I never liked the Carpenters but they were great (INCREDIBLY great) at what they did. But I just can't listen to it.

If you listent to Dylan or Springsteen and think "what is this crap?", you probably like music that's pretty. If you listen to them and your world changes, you're probably in the other camp. I'm in the other camp.

Oh, and if you listen to American Beauty or Workingman's Dead to find out what the Dead was like, you won't. You'll hear the "pretty" version of the Dead and its very nice stuff. But its about 5% of what the Dead were. Get the tapes from some of their 1970 shows where they did an acoustic set and a couple (or few) electric sets and you'll get a feel for what the Dead was. In their prime.

-Ray

Cool Ray, very insightful observation. Yeah, now its starting to make sense

[avalonracing]

BTW- There has also been music created in the last 30 years too!

[1happygirl]

I think it is funny that Dylan's son has a band called the Wallflowers.

Live music is better... bumper stickers should be issued.

Wow if Dylan sounds this bad, among others, not live I can imagine live.

Ick

[1happygirl]

Woodie was from another time. You could also throw in Pete Seeker as well. For 1Happygirl to get into Dylan would be like some of us getting into Ragtime, Scott Joplin. "No Direction Home" is on Netflix and I think it is in the streaming version as well.


Wow, extremely insightful analysis also.Like I guess if I was a married guy and met Gisele the model and she wanted to date me. Its about timing.

Ive really been at home toooooo long
I think the music that speaks to us most is the music that we associate with transitions and particular important times of our lives, the sound track of your life, if you will.

[1happygirl]

I respect all music but i'm Blues Man from way back.
Some things to cut your teeth on:
BB King - Live At The Regal

BB King=great
I read still in his 80s (and a diabetic) he does more dates than most musicians still.
My Grandpa really liked Chuck Berry btw

Aaron O. / FIXED yeah It is about the voice I know for me

Thanks Ray for the shout out to the Carpenters. My Grandpa was in love with her voice. Even though not a choice for you to listen too, the recognition of her talent is cool. Like I don't like walnuts but they're cool for others

[1happygirl]

voices singing ability ? ok here is my take i am a jazz /blues fan but unless you sing opera ,they(pop) all are mostly self trained voices /excluding gospel where the church has a teaching tradition . timing and phrasing is where a lot of greats make their mark b.d. has it frank sernatra willie nelson . louis armstrong .... whenever an artist (musician ) can be identified by the first few notes they have succeeded in something special . imho
cheers
the theme song for my recovery below .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2GiCKKO390&feature=related

Fixed exactly insightful. but doncha think these peeps you mentioned HAVE great voices. Do you like ella? i do and =great voice

[1happygirl]

I like punk the opposite of beauty raw but honest.

Chris

So you don't like Keats either? Beauty is truth/truth beauty?

I think there is truth in beauty. its sometimes polluted though i'll give you that, but im one happy girl

[Fixed]

Fixed exactly insightful. but doncha think these peeps you mentioned HAVE great voices. Do you like ella? i do and =great voice
love her scat .. billie holiday is my favorite singer .
2 greats here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWtUzdI5hlE

[1happygirl]

So one last thing, I know a lot of peeps like the WHO also and stuff.

A lot of the people yell. To me that doesn't count as singing. I get more satisfaction if I yell I guess.


THANKS everyone. I'm on day 16 so I'm really broadening my musical horizons.
So I guess some self analysis ray hit it I may be one happy girl and like pretty things but it doesn't make me superficial
I used to see death everyday but thats another story

[Aaron O]

A good voice doesn't equate with good music...at least not to everyone...and a distinctive, or lesser, traditional voice can result in fantastic music. I like Ella Fitzgerald a lot as well...my cat is named Ella...but she is no where near as important as Bob Dylan in the development of music and her contributions are far less important. Lots of people have nice voices. Very few can write a great song. That's one of the things that Dylan made people realize. Classical music certainly has experimented with atonal sounds.

Funadementally music is a language...and it's possible to communicate beautifully through music without perfect pitch.

[fiamme red]

I like Ella Fitzgerald a lot as well...my cat is named Ella...but she is no where near as important as Bob Dylan in the development of music and her contributions are far less important.This is a silly comparison. Of course she wasn't a composer, she was a singer.

[Aaron O]

I'm not comparing them...I'm saying there is more to music than a voice. I'm also explaining Dylan's importance in helping to eliminate the line between composer and performer.

[yngpunk]

PS To start. Help me understand Bob Dylan. He seems to come up a lot and I saw him on a show singing (recently) and I really don't get it.



Dylan's 70th birthday is approaching (in May), which may be part of the reason why he's in the "news" recently.

For some good discussion, the public radio station here in Chicago (WBEZ) has a program called Sound Opinions that recently had a couple of segments on Bob Dylan that you (and others) might find interesting.

Past shows are available for download here:

www.soundopinions.com

Shows # 279, and #283 cover Dylan.

Some interesting listening, whether or not you care for Dylan.

Cheers

[nelson]

Dylan is definitely one of the most influential musicians of the last 50 years. Others I'd list as being as influential would be Duke Ellington and Bill Monroe. I could only wish that Frank Zappa could be added to that list. Those three have done more than anyone toward developing "American" popular music. Once you've gotten over the rough edges of Dylan's voice, explore some of the other great American singer/songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and the late Don Van Vliet.

[Aaron O]

Dylan is definitely one of the most influential musicians of the last 50 years. Others I'd list as being as influential would be Duke Ellington and Bill Monroe. I could only wish that Frank Zappa could be added to that list. Those three have done more than anyone toward developing "American" popular music. Once you've gotten over the rough edges of Dylan's voice, explore some of the other great American singer/songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and the late Don Van Vliet.

Zappa as influential as Bo Diddley, BB King, CHUCK BERRY and Ike Turner in the direction of modern music? No way Jose. I wouldn't place Leonard Cohen in this realm...not in influence or importance. Tom Waits is another guy with a cult following, but narrow importance. If we're talking modern music, and not holding ourselves to 50 years, you have to add in Ike Turner, Chuck Berry and Bo Didley. No conversation about influence is complete without mentioning Lou Reed...and you also have to factor in Miles Davis. Another that often doesn't get his due is Hank Williams...a lot of people played based on Hank.

You're confusing guys you like a lot with guys who changed the way music was done. Leonard Cohen didn't change anything in music. Neither did Tom Waites...and Frank Zappa's effect is miniscule compared to someone like Chuck Berry, who influenced EVERYONE. I think Ray Davies and Zevon are better song writers than anyone mentioned above, even including Dylan, but they aren't that influential because they haven't changed the way music was done in the way Dylan did.

[Fixed]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J2WdcW0ZY4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIhtafqZvy8
a couple of covers
cheers There must be some kind of way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
Theres too much confusion
I cant get no relief
Businessman they drink my wine
Plow men dig my earth
None will level on the line
Nobody of it is worth
Hey hey...

[drewski]

Bob Dylan a passionate soulfoul human trapped in a musician's body
Bob Dylan seemed to enter a place that affected his singing.
I think part of what made him so special is that he had the Woody
thing going but he also tapped into old time minstrel music, the blues,
and then when he met with the beat poets and played Greenwich
Village his consciousness was raised to another level.
He had the folk thing going but then took it to another level.
He expressed what was on the hearts and minds of people
who are dismayed by the crap our government was doing
during the 1960's. Repression of non-mainstream ideas
was in full swing in our country.

This incident is particularly interesting to me, and speaks to Dylan's
ideals:

Bob Dylan was slated to make his first nationwide television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on May 12, 1963, and intended to perform "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues", a song he wrote lampooning the John Birch Society and the red-hunting paranoia associated with it. During the afternoon rehearsal that day, CBS officials told Dylan they had deemed the song unacceptable for broadcast and wanted him to substitute another. "No; this is what I want to do," Dylan responded. "If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show." He then left the studio, rather than altering the act.

Bob may not have been the best dad/husband but what a fully alive passionate soul he is.

I just read this book Bob Dylan in America, by Sean Wilentz (2010)
about him. I don't suggest buying this book but it has lots of interesting
factoids. It is very disjointed from a chronological standpoint.
Get it from the library.

I don't own a single cd by him. But I marvel at his
soul. I am more connected to Neil Young's vibe. Make yourself
a nice Russian borscht if you can. It will do wonders.

Speaking of Tom Waits who I think is great, this is about the funniest
thing I have ever seen on the internet. Do a google search on:


Strangest Press Conference by Singer Tom Waits

Hope your cough gets better.

[dimsy]

I really love threads like this.

I'll recommend a few cd's I came across, mostly accidentally that are very wide and varied in flavor but hit me like a ton of bricks.

Joanna Newsom - Ys (she was the only live musician to make me shed a tear and this album was produced by Van Dyk Parks. that may not mean much to most, but yes, it's pretty huge. This was her 2nd album and unlike her first album which i found to be a bit candy coated, was far far more lyrical and poetic, she'd unravel a story and use words in such a way that you couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.)
Eden Ahbez - Eden's Island (he wrote nature boy, nuff said)
Bruce Haack - The Electric Lucifer (I have no words to describe this)
Billie Holiday - The Complete Decca Recordings (c'mon now... it's BILLIE!)
Arthur Crudup - Mean Ol' Frisco (from the charlie blues masterworks 50 disc boxed set, disc 50)
Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (This cd just makes me feel good, beginning to end. it's not as "dischord"ish as their earlier work and has a very eerie feel to it. smokey and dreamy.)
Abida Parveen – Heer by Abida (successor to one of the greatest suffi poets of all time -- nusrat fateh ali khan, she's from pakistan and has a powerhouse voice. I don't speak Urdhu but if i did, i'd probably love her even more.)
Alice Russell – Under the Munka Moon II (VERY POWERFUL VOICE)
Burial – Untrue (part of an emerging sub-genre of electronic music known as DUBSTEP, this guys a pioneer and a living legend -- his wiki page can explain more as no one actually knows who he/she is)
Ceu – Ceu (very beautiful voice on this brazilian beauty. saw her last weekend and she was just charming. she mixes many many elements of music in her style)
Cibelle – The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves (another brazilian artist, she sings mostly in english on this album but has a very sweet and surprisingly strong voice.)
Waldeck – Ballroom Stories (electronic music with a jazz/swing influence, I'd recommend his accompanying CD called "thus spoke the gramophone" or something along those lines which is actually a mix CD of ollllddddddd french and american swing and jazz tunes)
Federico Aubele – Gran Hotel Buenos Aires (electronically influenced latin musician/guitarist/vocalist. very sexy stuff).
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (if you havent heard these guys' debut album, it's perfect. they're from seattle and conjure images of granola eating hippies, but they rock out)
Horace Andy & Alpha – Two Phazed People (electronic/dub/reggae music by one of the pioneers of dub)
ANYTHING by Harry Nilsson -- nuff said.
Jeff Buckley – Grace (a legend before his own time, he died tragically right when his first album released to worldwide critical acclaim. his version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is just perfect).
Jamie Lidell – Multiply (motown influenced vocalist/producer. it's technically electronic music, but not... if you listen to it you'll see what I mean. he's awesome).
Karen Dalton – In My Own Time (I listen to "something on your mind" in the morning on my commute to work sometimes and it just puts me in the best mood. her raspy voice is just so soothing).
Labradford – Mi Media Naranja (this is one phenomenal album. It's considered to belong to a genre of rock n roll music known as POST ROCK, which is largely comprised of instrumental, atmospheric, drawn out sounds which can be almost incoherent at times... but these guys do it so well.)
Madeleine Peyroux – Careless Love (my favorite jazz lady of this decade. Norah Jones can take a backseat to her).
Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther (considered an indie rock band out of denton texas, these guys have a GREAT sound as displayed on their songs "Roscoe" and "the trials of van occupanther" the latter of which gives me chills every time i hear it :))
Nouvelle Vague – Their First Two CD’s (two guys decided to do bossa nova covers of all their favorite 70's, 80's and 90's songs and get the best vocalists in france to sing the lyrics... the catch? they only gave the vocalists songs they had never heard before in order to get a VERY fresh and original take on the original songs... so they're cover albums... but not really.)
Phish – Billy Breathes (most people I meet hate these guys... but i've been a fan forever and if there's one album that's unlike any of their others, it;s this one... it doesn't rock as hard but sorta takes you on this interesting fantastic journey. I highly recommend it)
Pulp – This Is Hardcore (These guys are.... in my opinion, the quintessential 90's brit pop band... U2 can eat it!)
Rhythm & Sound – The Artists (wonderful dub reggae with a lot of great guest artists -- hence the name of the cd -- Jennifer Lara of the Lovejoys is one of my favorites).
Saltillo – Ganglion (this cd is just phenomenal, created by Saltillo AKA Menton Matthews -- a multi instrumentalist and artist part of the group "Sunday Munich" created this after visiting a friend of his in the oncology ward of a hospital when he developed a massive ganglion cyst on his neck. the theme of the entire album according to matthews is FEAR. and he does it extremely well.)
Sea Wolf – Leaves in the River (2nd album by this guy and the tunes are very catchy, well thought out and fantastically produced. It's a very good listen)
Terry Callier – Dancing Girl (ohhhh boy... what to say about this one... you MAY have heard of this guy recently as he's been touring with Massive Attack for the better part of a year since he appeared on their song Live With Me. but Terry Callier's been making music since before I was born. This album is just PERFECT. Dancing Girl and You Goin' Miss Your Candyman are... I don't even know how to classify them... but it's some of the best soul/blues/funk/music i've ever heard. )
Tim Buckley – The Dream Belongs To Me (its' all in the Genes. this guy is the estranged father of another artist I mentioned. Jeff Buckley. Tim's also dead, but his music isn't. He's one of those folk singers you hear and kick yourself in the ass for not having heard it sooner and thus, loving it for longer.)
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (best. album. ever.)

If you're still with me at this point, thanks :) and please let me know if you actually do listen to any of this music, i'd love your take on it (especially if its' new to you).

-Hamid

[chuckred]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J2WdcW0ZY4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIhtafqZvy8
a couple of covers
cheers There must be some kind of way out of here
Said the joker to the thief
Theres too much confusion
I cant get no relief
Businessman they drink my wine
Plow men dig my earth
None will level on the line
Nobody of it is worth
Hey hey...

With all of the Dylan and Hendrix discussion, I was just about to comment that I was amazed no mentioned All Along the Watchtower...

Happygirl, check out "power of Soul", it's helped me make it up many a long hill!

[1happygirl]

Cool. Thanks everyone. I have pneumonia now so I will be a musical genius by the time I'm well.

Bob Dylan a passionate soulfoul human trapped in a musician's body

Bob may not have been the best dad/husband but what a fully alive passionate soul he is.

I just read this book Bob Dylan in America, by Sean Wilentz (2010)
about him. I don't suggest buying this book but it has lots of interesting
factoids. It is very disjointed from a chronological standpoint.

Speaking of Tom Waits who I think is great, this is about the funniest
thing I have ever seen on the internet. Do a google search on:


Strangest Press Conference by Singer Tom Waits

Hope your cough gets better. THanks. see above

So the question is with all the books about these singers, does reading about them make you appreciate their music more or less?
It sounds universally from this thread that most forumites appreciate BD as a writer/person/activist but not his voice.
I think AO maybe that's where it went wrong? maybe is where the composer/musician became performer. Does it mean if we listen long enough we then start to appreciate it. Will I stare at a painting and like it eventually or is it MMPI (minnesota multiphasic test) quick answer about like /dislike?


HAMID: I have never heard of ANY of those people (except for the ones that have been previously mentioned in the thread). I'm listening to all of them in turn thru the thread. Working my way down.

ps was Zappa really a singer?

Hey Fixed: Ran across something/someone called Dexter Gordon Quartet? you like? They r cool. I was looking for some tv show Called Mod Squad. Then doncha go away mad with ella and someone called sy oliver? Anyway it mentioned a Sonny Clark. good stuff

[rounder]

I think that part of liking music is that you go searching beyond what is popular on the radio and go searching on the newspaper, music magazines, listening to what your friends are listening to and just go exploring and end up finding stuff that you really like. If you are into pretty you might like this. I believe Alison Krauss was about 18 then.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbYJNL7uYRI

[Fixed]

Cool. Thanks everyone. I have pneumonia now so I will be a musical genius by the time I'm well.

THanks. see above

So the question is with all the books about these singers, does reading about them make you appreciate their music more or less?
It sounds universally from this thread that most forumites appreciate BD as a writer/person/activist but not his voice.
I think AO maybe that's where it went wrong? maybe is where the composer/musician became performer. Does it mean if we listen long enough we then start to appreciate it. Will I stare at a painting and like it eventually or is it MMPI (minnesota multiphasic test) quick answer about like /dislike?


HAMID: I have never heard of ANY of those people (except for the ones that have been previously mentioned in the thread). I'm listening to all of them in turn thru the thread. Working my way down.

ps was Zappa really a singer?

Hey Fixed: Ran across something/someone called Dexter Gordon Quartet? you like? They r cool. I was looking for some tv show Called Mod Squad. Then doncha go away mad with ella and someone called sy oliver? Anyway it mentioned a Sonny Clark. good stuff yeah i dig dexter also
get the movie round midnight ,gordon was a heck of an actor too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j0k8EnNcT8
listen to miles he is the big brain in jazz
cheers

[palincss]

It sounds universally from this thread that most forumites appreciate BD as a writer/person/activist but not his voice.

Of those who posted so far, yes you could get that impression. It's certainly not universal -- although, let me distinguish between Bob then and now. I think his voice was perfect for his music back then, but somewhere along the line things changed, and now he can't do any of the classics without doing all he can to destroy them and make them unrecognizable. As a crooner, I think he's impossible to listen to.

[drewski]

Of those who posted so far, yes you could get that impression. It's certainly not universal -- although, let me distinguish between Bob then and now. I think his voice was perfect for his music back then, but somewhere along the line things changed, and now he can't do any of the classics without doing all he can to destroy them and make them unrecognizable. As a crooner, I think he's impossible to listen to.


I think Bob was a very sensitive soul and he could not handle the pressure to be a prophet of the "liberal left". I heard him on a 60 minutes interview say that all he wanted to do was have a 9-5 job.

To escape he became a substance abuser which took a toll on his voice.


Reporter: What do you do with your money?

Dylan: I wear it.

Another reporter: What are your songs about?

Dylan: Some of my songs are about four minutes, some are about five minutes and some, believe it or not, are about 11 or 12.)

[Aaron O]

I think Bob was a very sensitive soul and he could not handle the pressure to be a prophet of the "liberal left". I heard him on a 60 minutes interview say that all he wanted to do was have a 9-5 job.

To escape he became a substance abuser which took a toll on his voice.


Reporter: What do you do with your money?

Dylan: I wear it.

Another reporter: What are your songs about?

Dylan: Some of my songs are about four minutes, some are about five minutes and some, believe it or not, are about 11 or 12.)

He's always been a snide, sarcastic bugger...part of why I love him. We're talking about a man who, when told Like a Rolling Stone was officially Rolling Stone Magazine's greatest rock song, said...

"Yeah...this week."

[Ken Robb]

If you're not yet enjoying "classical" music try some from the Baroque Era into the very early Classical Period. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nactmusik" are good samples. They have a groovy beat and you can dance to them. :)

[Ray]

It sounds universally from this thread that most forumites appreciate BD as a writer/person/activist but not his voice.
I think AO maybe that's where it went wrong? maybe is where the composer/musician became performer. Does it mean if we listen long enough we then start to appreciate it. Will I stare at a painting and like it eventually or is it MMPI (minnesota multiphasic test) quick answer about like /dislike?

Ran across something/someone called Dexter Gordon Quartet? you like? They r cool.
I love Dylan's voice and love his use of it even more. Its not a "nice" voice or a "good" voice, doesn't have any range to speak of, etc, but its the perfect voice to get his songs across. Elvis Costello was once praising Jerry Garcia's singing, particularly of Jerry Garcia songs, and referred to it as "the author's voice" - ie the voice that was used when the song was being written, tested, edited, changed, etc. So the song was designed to work with that voice. And in the case of almost all of Dylans' work, it worked VERY well with that voice. As his voice has gotten "worse" I think his singing has gotten even better. I saw him a couple of summers ago and his voice was fer????, but he was brilliant. Didn't do a single song in a recognizable fashion but it was one of the best performances I've seen him give, and I've seen him 8-10 times over the years...

Dexter Gordon was an amazing jazz sax player, who was expatriated from the US and lived in Europe most of his adult life. He came back to the States to great celebration in about 1976 or 1977. I was lucky enough to see his quartet in a small jazz club in Seattle in May of 1978 and it was, to this day, one of the handful of greatest musical experiences I've had, right up there with the best Dead shows and Springsteen shows I've seen. It was an amazing night of music - I was an impressionable 19 year old and I'll never forget that one. Dexter didn't have much of a voice either, but he sure could sing. Check out the film "Round Midnight" and you can even see him try to act...

-Ray

[Fixed]

he was nominated for an academy award for his acting in round midnight
cheers

[1happygirl]

If you're not yet enjoying "classical" music try some from the Baroque Era into the very early Classical Period. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" and Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nactmusik" are good samples. They have a groovy beat and you can dance to them. :)


hahaha. been there, done that. been a while but love me some four seasons. both of them.


ps nactmusik meh. not a fave. i'm sure your're not that old that you danced to them.

[Ken Robb]

I'm old enough to remember when Dick Clark on American Bandstand would haveteens rate new recordings and a very common positive comment was "it's got a groovy beat and I can dance to it".

It seems to me that it's easier to enjoy earlier classical music that has recognizable rhythms and "normal" tonality than the later stuff like Mahler, Hindemuth, etc. that to me seem to have stressed sounding "different and avant gard over musical and enjoyable. I think the folks who really enjoy that stuff have highly developed brains for music beyond mine so they can make sense out of what I perceive as near-chaos.

[oliver1850]

I really love threads like this.

I'll recommend a few cd's I came across, mostly accidentally that are very wide and varied in flavor but hit me like a ton of bricks.

Joanna Newsom - Ys (she was the only live musician to make me shed a tear and this album was produced by Van Dyk Parks. that may not mean much to most, but yes, it's pretty huge. This was her 2nd album and unlike her first album which i found to be a bit candy coated, was far far more lyrical and poetic, she'd unravel a story and use words in such a way that you couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.)
Eden Ahbez - Eden's Island (he wrote nature boy, nuff said)
Bruce Haack - The Electric Lucifer (I have no words to describe this)
Billie Holiday - The Complete Decca Recordings (c'mon now... it's BILLIE!)
Arthur Crudup - Mean Ol' Frisco (from the charlie blues masterworks 50 disc boxed set, disc 50)
Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (This cd just makes me feel good, beginning to end. it's not as "dischord"ish as their earlier work and has a very eerie feel to it. smokey and dreamy.)
Abida Parveen – Heer by Abida (successor to one of the greatest suffi poets of all time -- nusrat fateh ali khan, she's from pakistan and has a powerhouse voice. I don't speak Urdhu but if i did, i'd probably love her even more.)
Alice Russell – Under the Munka Moon II (VERY POWERFUL VOICE)
Burial – Untrue (part of an emerging sub-genre of electronic music known as DUBSTEP, this guys a pioneer and a living legend -- his wiki page can explain more as no one actually knows who he/she is)
Ceu – Ceu (very beautiful voice on this brazilian beauty. saw her last weekend and she was just charming. she mixes many many elements of music in her style)
Cibelle – The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves (another brazilian artist, she sings mostly in english on this album but has a very sweet and surprisingly strong voice.)
Waldeck – Ballroom Stories (electronic music with a jazz/swing influence, I'd recommend his accompanying CD called "thus spoke the gramophone" or something along those lines which is actually a mix CD of ollllddddddd french and american swing and jazz tunes)
Federico Aubele – Gran Hotel Buenos Aires (electronically influenced latin musician/guitarist/vocalist. very sexy stuff).
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (if you havent heard these guys' debut album, it's perfect. they're from seattle and conjure images of granola eating hippies, but they rock out)
Horace Andy & Alpha – Two Phazed People (electronic/dub/reggae music by one of the pioneers of dub)
ANYTHING by Harry Nilsson -- nuff said.
Jeff Buckley – Grace (a legend before his own time, he died tragically right when his first album released to worldwide critical acclaim. his version of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is just perfect).
Jamie Lidell – Multiply (motown influenced vocalist/producer. it's technically electronic music, but not... if you listen to it you'll see what I mean. he's awesome).
Karen Dalton – In My Own Time (I listen to "something on your mind" in the morning on my commute to work sometimes and it just puts me in the best mood. her raspy voice is just so soothing).
Labradford – Mi Media Naranja (this is one phenomenal album. It's considered to belong to a genre of rock n roll music known as POST ROCK, which is largely comprised of instrumental, atmospheric, drawn out sounds which can be almost incoherent at times... but these guys do it so well.)
Madeleine Peyroux – Careless Love (my favorite jazz lady of this decade. Norah Jones can take a backseat to her).
Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther (considered an indie rock band out of denton texas, these guys have a GREAT sound as displayed on their songs "Roscoe" and "the trials of van occupanther" the latter of which gives me chills every time i hear it :))
Nouvelle Vague – Their First Two CD’s (two guys decided to do bossa nova covers of all their favorite 70's, 80's and 90's songs and get the best vocalists in france to sing the lyrics... the catch? they only gave the vocalists songs they had never heard before in order to get a VERY fresh and original take on the original songs... so they're cover albums... but not really.)
Phish – Billy Breathes (most people I meet hate these guys... but i've been a fan forever and if there's one album that's unlike any of their others, it;s this one... it doesn't rock as hard but sorta takes you on this interesting fantastic journey. I highly recommend it)
Pulp – This Is Hardcore (These guys are.... in my opinion, the quintessential 90's brit pop band... U2 can eat it!)
Rhythm & Sound – The Artists (wonderful dub reggae with a lot of great guest artists -- hence the name of the cd -- Jennifer Lara of the Lovejoys is one of my favorites).
Saltillo – Ganglion (this cd is just phenomenal, created by Saltillo AKA Menton Matthews -- a multi instrumentalist and artist part of the group "Sunday Munich" created this after visiting a friend of his in the oncology ward of a hospital when he developed a massive ganglion cyst on his neck. the theme of the entire album according to matthews is FEAR. and he does it extremely well.)
Sea Wolf – Leaves in the River (2nd album by this guy and the tunes are very catchy, well thought out and fantastically produced. It's a very good listen)
Terry Callier – Dancing Girl (ohhhh boy... what to say about this one... you MAY have heard of this guy recently as he's been touring with Massive Attack for the better part of a year since he appeared on their song Live With Me. but Terry Callier's been making music since before I was born. This album is just PERFECT. Dancing Girl and You Goin' Miss Your Candyman are... I don't even know how to classify them... but it's some of the best soul/blues/funk/music i've ever heard. )
Tim Buckley – The Dream Belongs To Me (its' all in the Genes. this guy is the estranged father of another artist I mentioned. Jeff Buckley. Tim's also dead, but his music isn't. He's one of those folk singers you hear and kick yourself in the ass for not having heard it sooner and thus, loving it for longer.)
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (best. album. ever.)

If you're still with me at this point, thanks :) and please let me know if you actually do listen to any of this music, i'd love your take on it (especially if its' new to you).

-Hamid

Long time YoLaTengo fan, I've seen them several times, but had never acquired "and then nothing..." Your listing of it prodded me to order it, and a few others from your list. It's pretty typical of the range of their sound, but as you said, generally more subdued than the average YLT release. I particularly like "Cherry Chapstick", which I find very reminiscent of some of the more melodic Thurston Moore sung, latter-period Sonic Youth. I'm not sure who was influencing who, though. Thanks for listing it, I'm glad to have it.

[buldogge]

Aaron, frankly I'm surprised at you.

Given his talent level, that's Pete Meager.

If you like early Dylan, if you like say 'Masters of War' and 'Death of Emmett Till', I would check out early Phil Ochs, Utah Phillips, right thru to early/mid Billy Bragg and also The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello solo).

Female Bob Dylan?...maybe Ani DiFranco??

Dylan was best at his rawest IMHO.

-Mark in St. Louis

[Germany_chris]

[QUOTE=buldogge]Aaron, frankly I'm surprised at you.



If you like early Dylan, if you like say 'Masters of War' and 'Death of Emmett Till', I would check out early Phil Ochs, Utah Phillips, right thru to early/mid Billy Bragg and also The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello solo).

Female Bob Dylan?...maybe Ani DiFranco??

Dylan was best at his rawest IMHO.

-Mark in St. Louis[/QUOTE

I always thought of Dylan as a whiner, never raw..his voice was raw but music and ideas not so much

[jr59]

To me both Springsteen and Dylan are both artist for whom edges constantly blur and soften.
Who forever crosses lines with a simple smile, and who wears their wounds out front, like their best suit.


Both are acquired taste, both who give part of their soul in the music that they write/sing.

For me nothing more can be asked.

[sbparker31]

No mention of Neil Young?

I saw a CSN&Y show once which was great, but by far the highlight of the show was when CSN left the stage and Neil Young did a solo acoustic set. He was absolutely captivating -- he can convey more emotion than most other singers. His songwriting is great too -- although he can get a little odd, leaving you thinking ***?

[Nil Else]

Some Dylan songs done by others (not insisting any of these are better than Dylan's... I like Dylan, mostly, but perhaps for better comprehension of the songs... ;) ):

Forever Young - Pretenders (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoD_s_DTZew) Some younger person didn't know who the Pretenders were so you might not know who they are either!

Just like a woman - Charlotte Gainsbourg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdMmKeYkjno) This song is on the soundtrack of the movie "I'm not there (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I'm_Not_There) ", a biographical movie about Bob Dylan. The soundtrack (http://www.amazon.com/Not-There-Music-Motion-Picture/dp/B00138CXQW/ref=tmm_msc_title_0) has some good/interesting versions of his songs. You might wanna look up Serge Gainsbourg, her father, for reference, or not....

Lesley West - Blowin' In The Wind (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kktavUk59w4&feature=related) Lesley West is the famed guitar player of the band, Mountain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_(band)) of late 60s.

Eric Clapton - Knockin' On Heaven's Door (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT-ODcfj7Z8&feature=related)

Cat Power - Paths of Victory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA8DsNXJYow&feature=related) Cat Power does what she does best. :)

Ani Di Franco - Hurricane (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6On-ywDr-GU)


There are so many... there's Janis Joplin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7XawpsSwko&feature=related) and Neil Young (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFUSWllyZqg&feature=related) , if you don't know them. There are jazz majors like Parker, Coltrane, Mingus, Monk, Miles etc etc etc that you ought to check out if you like jazz. For the classical a good source is Amazon's "99 Most Essential" series. You can 99 tune collection DLs for as low as 99¢ sometimes and many of them are quite good recordings. You can get a good feel for the classic music. The only problem is they don't say who wrote the pieces... only who performed it.)

Of course having been twiddling guitars for what seems like eternity I'm partial to certain guitar players (surely don't wanna go down the usual 'who can play most notes or the most accurate or the best' etc road :rolleyes: ): Django Reinhardt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyOQObPw0ss&feature=related) , Wes Montgomery (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOm17yw__6U) , Albert King (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvvMX6KpHjE&feature=related) , Jimi Hendrix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI7lYyGpLSg) , John McLaughlin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWnt3yJ9ZhA) , Roy Buchanan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO0kS2aJQog&feature=related) , Jeff Beck (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsfL6ATX1i4&feature=related) , Jimmy Page (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEmb14hCQGM&feature=related) etc etc. Unless you are a certain guitar head many of these probably won't appeal to you.

I used to take pride in having an encyclopedic knowledge of all musicians & bands etc but 'times they are changin'... or rather they've changed. ;) Now I start clicking around in iTunes store and I get lost. Oh btw, to me, Dylan and Springsteen were never really in the same neighborhood at all. You have to 'imagine' the time period when Dylan appeared and what was "the norm" and acceptable. He definitely put a fork in the road.

whew~

and lastly Dylan on Religion (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLCewTcb-jc&feature=related)

[rounder]

Just wondering. Did everyone ever listen to Notting Hillbillys. I bought one of their CDs a few years ago and thought they sounded good. It looked like Mark Knopfler and friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ppQ2_5WsY

[wc1934]

The Greatful Dead are icons too. I don't even think I know one of their songs. Hmm. I'll look them up.


Dead and Dylan (1 and 1A).

[rounder]

I was clicking around and found this. Keith Richards learned to play listening to Chuck Berry (and other blues guys)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClgtoM2RwQY

[Aaron O]

I was clicking around and found this. Keith Richards learned to play listening to Chuck Berry (and other blues guys)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClgtoM2RwQY

EVERYONE learned by watching Chuck Berry, he truly is the foundation of rock (with credit to Bo and Ike, but Berry is the foundation of rock). I'm also not sure I'd call Berry a blues guy...he was combining country music with blues almost as a goof and playing in honky tonks. People thought he was funny.

[Fixed]

[QUOTE=Aaron O]EVERYONE learned by watching Chuck Berry, he truly is the foundation of rock (with credit to Bo and Ike, but Berry is the foundation of rock). I'm also not sure I'd call Berry a blues guy...he was combining country music with blues almost as a goof and playing in honky tonks. People thought he was funnyl
he had a little help
cheers
http://www.johnniejohnsonbluesandjazz.com/

[Aaron O]

[QUOTE=Aaron O]EVERYONE learned by watching Chuck Berry, he truly is the foundation of rock (with credit to Bo and Ike, but Berry is the foundation of rock). I'm also not sure I'd call Berry a blues guy...he was combining country music with blues almost as a goof and playing in honky tonks. People thought he was funnyl
he had a little help
cheers
http://www.johnniejohnsonbluesandjazz.com/

There's always another guy people can say is a root...if you want to do that we'll be tracing rock back to a lute player in Greece! I think if you're really looking for a distinctive break, and the real foundation, it's Berry.

[Fixed]

the lick for jonnie be good is a piano lick in the key of c . all piano stuff
cheers
Career

He was born Johnnie Clyde Johnson[2] in Fairmont, West Virginia[1] and began playing piano in 1928. He joined the United States Marine Corps during World War II where he was a member of Bobby Troup's all serviceman jazz orchestra, The Barracudas. After his return, he moved to Detroit, Illinois and then Chicago, where he sat in with many notable artists, including Muddy Waters and Little Walter.
He moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1952 and immediately put together a jazz and blues group, The Sir John Trio with drummer Ebby Hardy and saxophonist, Alvin Bennett. The three scored a regular gig at the Cosmopolitan Club in East St. Louis. On New Year's Eve 1952, Alvin Bennett had a stroke and could not perform. Johnson, searching for a last minute replacement, called a young man named Chuck Berry, the only musician Johnson knew who because of his inexperience, would likely not be playing on New Year's Eve. Although then a limited guitarist, Chuck Berry added vocals and showmanship to the group. As Bennett would not be able to play again because of his stroke, Johnson hired Berry as a permanent member of the trio.
They would remain the Sir John's Trio until Berry took one of their tunes, a reworking of the Bob Wills' song, "Ida Red" to Chess Records. The Chess brothers liked the tune and soon the trio were in Chicago recording "Maybellene" and "Wee Wee Hours" - a song Johnson had been playing as an instrumental for years for which Berry quickly penned some lyrics. By the time the trio left Chicago, Berry had been signed as a solo act and Johnson and Hardy became part of Berry's band. Said Johnson, "I figured we could get better jobs with Chuck running the band. He had a car and rubber wheels beat rubber heels any day."
Over the next twenty years, the two collaborated in the arrangements of many of Berry's songs including "School Days", "Carol", and "Nadine". The song "Johnny B. Goode" was reportedly a tribute to Johnson, with the title reflecting Johnson's usual behavior when he was drinking. The pianist on the "Johnny B. Goode" session was Lafayette Leake, one of the two main session pianists for Chess (the other being Otis Spann). Leake also played on "Oh Baby Doll", "Rock & Roll Music", "Reelin' and Rockin'", and "Sweet Little Sixteen".
Berry and Johnson played and toured together until 1973. Although never on his payroll after 1973, Johnson played occasionally with Berry until Johnson's death in 2005.
Johnson was known to have a serious drinking problem. In Chuck Berry's autobiography, Berry tells of how he declared there would be no drinking in the car, while on the road. Johnson and bandmates complied with the request by putting their heads out the window. Johnson denied the story but said he did drink on the road. Johnson quit drinking entirely in 1991, after nearly suffering a stroke on stage with Eric Clapton.
Johnson received a little recognition until the Chuck Berry concert documentary, Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll in 1987. That attention helped Johnson, who was supporting himself as a bus driver in St. Louis at the time, return to music. He recorded his first solo album, Blue Hand Johnnie, that same year. He later performed with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley and George Thorogood on Thorogood's 1995 live album Let's Work Together Live. In 1996 and 1997, Johnson toured with Bob Weir's band, Ratdog, playing 67 shows.[citation needed]
In 1999, Johnson's biography was released, Father of Rock and Roll: The Story of Johnnie B. Goode Johnson by 23-year-old Travis Fitzpatrick. The book was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize by Congressman John Conyers, and garnered Johnson more recognition.
In 2000, Johnson was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
[edit]Legacy

[Aaron O]

Very cool post, and I'd heard of him before and knew he was part of Berry's band...but I'll stick to what i said. Berry is the foundation and the band is part of Berry...in the same way that the Crickets are inseparable from Buddy Holly, or the E Street band is Bruce's band. Berry was running around honky tonks playing the guitar with a fusion style before he ever got to Chess, and it was done with humor. "Look at the blues guy play guitar like a redneck!"

[Fixed]

+1 c.b.
he had it star stuff .
cheers

[rounder]

Ive got the Hail Hail dvd and think it is great, but never saw the video before on youtube. I don't remember exactly, but believe that Keith had a lot to do with getting Johnny Johnson back from driving a bus to be on the show. He sounded great on Carol and the other songs in the show. A comment was made that some of the chord keys in C. Berry's songs were based on Johnny's original piano chord keys.

[Aaron O]

Aaron, frankly I'm surprised at you.



If you like early Dylan, if you like say 'Masters of War' and 'Death of Emmett Till', I would check out early Phil Ochs, Utah Phillips, right thru to early/mid Billy Bragg and also The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello solo).

Female Bob Dylan?...maybe Ani DiFranco??

Dylan was best at his rawest IMHO.

-Mark in St. Louis

I'm really not that wild about idealistic, early Dylan, I prefer electric, bitter, sarcastic Dylan. I generally strongly dislike the 60's NYC folks scene and think most of them were ridiculous. Some of my opinion probably has do with that being my dad's favorite period of music :)

Billy Bragg has his moments - and I loved what Wilco and Bragg did with the Mermaid Avenue Guthrie stuff. I have a great duet of Bragg live with Kirsty MacColl. Ochs is fine, he doesn't thrill me. My real love is blues/rock.