With due deference to Wheaty, his quiz is hard Hard HARD – and he’s not giving us the answers until Monday!
So here’s a Tiny Quiz which will be much easier – I’m sure it will be all wrapped up by tomorrow – or maybe even this evening!
To confound those who believe that I pick on the NME all the time, this is a review quote from the Melody Maker.
No journalist name, no year – can you tell which album is being reviewed?
“(…) are distinguished by having one of the most boring lead guitarists ever to inflict his presence on a group. The group are also distinguished by having one of the most boring keyboard players ever to inflict his presence on a group. For proof, listen to (…), the extended track on this album, which contains remarkably tedious solos by all concerned…”
David Gilmour is one of my favourite guitarists and Rick Wright is one of my favourite keyboard players, so I’m going to guess Pink Floyd, Atom Heart Mother.
Or alternatively, Caravan, In the Land of Grey and Pink.
Yebbut, the MM writer (sorry, scribe) might not have known that these guys were your favourites – so what would have been their motivation?
I just imagined trendy young
writersscribes of a certain ilk seeing my favourites as boring. Many do. They’re wrong, of course.Do you still think it might be a Floyd album, now that you know it’s a 1960s review?
Ooh, is that a hint? I have to admit, I’m not at all a fan of the Syd-era Floyd and my lack of interest means I’ve never gone beyond a cursory listen to and dismissal of the pre-Atom Heart Mother albums. But that could be a hint. Or a double bluff? Or merely genuine curiosity as to my current state of mind in light of recent developments. Whichever it is, my hope has been renewed. I’m going to say Pink Floyd: Ummagumma. (Awful album imho, apart from Grantchester Meadows obvs).
Not a hint, just a question…🙂
Also, see my response below to DD!
‘Group’ rather than ‘Band’ suggests it may not ‘too’ much of an also-ran.
See Gary’s suggestions.
Not sure what you’re getting at – but it’s not Pink Floyd.
Level 42 springs to mind – lead singer with a guitar, keyboard player who sings as well. I like a lot of their songs.
Interesting. But isn’t the singer the bass player?
Deep Purple
No, although I take your point.
Ritchie Blackmore may be many things but boring isn’t one of them.
Well, yes – but journalists haven’t always been kind to classically influenced widdley-widdley merchants, have they?
Genesis? Messrs Rutherford and Banks aren’t really known for visceral bursts of excitement…are they?
As part of my loft clear out I have replayed the 2007 reissue DVDs of their later albums where they comment on the tracks.
Tony Banks comes across as a very boring man!
Indeed … Tony Blair with a charisma bypass
(which is ironic when you consider the record label they were on)
Arf!
Close to the edge
Thing is, this is from MM – not NME. They’d probably have given that particular review to Chris Welch – and he’d probably have written a positive review, I suspect.
It’s the first Johnny Hates Jazz album, isn’t it?
Trad.
Is it No Parlez by Paul Young
Trad. Where’s Fenton?
None of the above, I’m afraid…
Go West
Is it Sky?
That’s an interesting choice – but, no…
Blind Faith?
Yes or The Pat Metheny Group.
Harsh….
King Crimson?
Very harsh…
Dire Straits – Brothers in Arms?
Sounds more like a prog review. If it’s King Crimson I’d suggest Islands.
Were MM always anti-prog? Mind you, they supported the whole pub rock movement, didn’t they?
None of the above, as of date and time of this post.
Time for a clue – don’t want this to drag on and get boring…
Decade of the review was 1960s. Time for Deramdaze to shine…
Mind you, DD will probably be attending some form of sporting fixture this afternoon – I thought it was odd that our resident 1960s specialist hadn’t “pitched” in (SWIDT?) yet…
Thinking of 1960s bands with keyboard solos- was it The Doors ? Strange Days ?
This also fits the mention of the “extended track” on the album – ie.When The Music’s Over (or it could be The End off the first album)
1960’s you say…hmm…is it The Nice?
The Animals?
Piper At The Gates Of Dawn?
I feel you’re now exploiting a gateway I myself opened by eliciting a Pink Floyd comment (or hint?) from our quizmaster and host. I’m not sure that should be allowed.
Thinking about it, that rather makes me a piper at the gates of dawn, in a funny kind of way, it no doubt being dawn somewhere in the world and me having just got up.
@JQW Forget I said anything. It’s not Pink Floyd, that’s almost certain now. And it wasn’t a hint either. The mistake was hardly my fault though. New and clarifying info is being released with each passing moment, it’s very difficult to keep up.
Nonsense – I made a “none of the above” comment yesterday evening, before I signed out.
That included the PF suggestion!
My apologies. Time loses all meaning when I get this involved.
Well, I can see that might happen – but I wouldn’t want you to think that I misled you for mischievous purposes!
And I wouldn’t want you to think that I thought that. Is it Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac?
Edit: Just checked. Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac doesn’t have a keyboard player, boring or otherwise. (I’m assuming Jeremy Spencer is not considered a “keyboard player”.)
How about the Iron Butterfly?
Argent?
Or alternatively Focus?
Vanilla Fudge In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
It’s Abbey Road by the Beatles isn’t it.
To be fair I agree with Eric Clapton as one of the most boring lead guitarists “inflicting” himself on the group but it’s harsh on Billy Preston.
Given the number of Beatles experts on this site, I’m quite prepared for this to be incorrect.
I’m not one of the site’s Beatles experts – far from it! – but I’m not sure that Clapton played on Abbey Road?
He inflicted a solo on Something. When I think of boring guitarists, it’s Clapton and Knopfler.
I love Knopfler’s playing. Particularly on the debut. Sultans has one of the greatest, most memorable solos ever and the way he uses the guitar to punctuate the narrative, as it were, on Wild West End is just brilliant. Clapton’s well boring, I agree. Except on Roger Waters’ album.
I have a long-term grudge against Knopfler for his production of Aztec Camera’s second album Knife, his polished effo
Well, that’s interesting! I thought the solo on Something was by George!
Are you sure that Clapton played a solo on “Something”? Neither Wikipedia nor Ian McDonald’s “Revolution in the Head” has any indication that this was the case. There are some rumours floating about on the internet suggesting that one of the solos on “The End” might’ve been by Eric, but I don’t seem to find any support for anyone other than Harrison playing the solos on “Something”. ..
Where’s Tiggs? Or Dai?
Yes George plays that wonderful solo. Clapton is not on Abbey Road
George plays lead on Something. You can tell by listening to it. Nothing like Clapton
George can’t improvise so his solos are always worked out and all the more musical for it.
Looks like I was wrong. Not for the first time.
This begs a question: if you no longer think that the guitarist is Clapton, do you still believe the review to be about Abbey Road?
It’s possible.
Not according to Ian MacDonald’s Revolution In The Head. The only lead guitar on Something is George.
If no-one gets it, I’ll give the answer this evening – don’t want it to drag on too long.
I’ll see if I can think of another hint (at the moment, I can’t think of one which wouldn’t instantly give it away!).
Procol Harum?
Not Procol Harum…
Blind Faith…? That’s 1969 and has a long pointless track on it (and some short pointless ones.)
Not Blind Faith…
Wow, I’m almost unable to comprehend how boring the actual band in question must be!
Well, yes – but perhaps you (and other Afterword readers) might disagree with the review…
Grateful Dead?
Cream
Hendrix
The Band?
That would be as wrong-headed an opinion as I can imagine
One more guess…The Moody Blues?
Good one. They are well boring.
One hour to go until the reveal and it looks like someone has mentioned the correct band – but not the album.
By my reckoning – and allowing for those which I have already excluded – there appear to be thirteen bands still in contention.
So – any thoughts on which album?
I’ll throw in another Beatles album The White album. I reckon it’ll be a Beatles album.
The Beatles didn’t have a dedicated keyboard player. Most of them had a go and McCartney was quite good, but you would never consider him to be “the keyboard player”. Bass and lead (co-lead) vocals.
Pink Floyd- Saucerful of Secrets
The reveal:
The album being reviewed was the first Grateful Dead album.
The journalist was Chris Welch, writing in the Melody Maker in March 1967.
So @hubert-rawlinson walks away with half a trophy, for identifying the band but not the album! Fez-tastic!!
Actually it’s probably spot on.
The review?
I was going to put them down on the Billy Joel thread, but they’d already been mentioned so I thought I wouldn’t waste the name.
The half cheque will be in the post I trust.
Certainly! Would you prefer the upper or the lower half?
Lower please, then if I win another of your quizzes then you could send the other half making me rich beyond the dreams of Croesus.
I had to read a little more about the album.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grateful_Dead_(album)
Several of the tracks were covers and the band were clearly still finding their feet.
Mr Welch was not being very charitable. to jerry Garcia and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan on keyboards,
Here they are at Monterey playing the longest track on the album.
Pigpen’s death made the front cover of the MM a few years later.
Yikes! Here’s a full-length doc of the Dead in England in 1970.