Having been a Yes fan for almost fifty years I think I’m finally able to share with the group that on first listen I almost took Close To The Edge, perhaps the greatest Prog album of all time, back to the shop for a refund because I preferred the Yessongs versions.
Musical Confessions
I declared Guns n Roses, Van Halen, and The Wildhearts as ” a bit rubbish” cos my brother liked them.
It works both ways – he professed a dislike for The Jam and The Specials.
I can report that we have both grown up (a bit), and share similar musical enthusiasms
You were right the first time.
You got off lightly – my brother liked Mud and The Gary Glitter band.
He has learned the error of his ways and has a semi grown up musical taste.
What exactly is a ‘grown up’ musical taste?
I still like Mud and the Glitter Band, and -whisper it – RNR Pts 1&2 remain undeniable classics.
Mud were brilliant at what they did. None of this guilty pleasures nonsense.
Tiger Feet was, and is, great.
Mud were great.
In my days at Birmingham, they were one of the best bands to perform in the students’ union.
They played locally before Christmas, I assume there’s one original member left, supported by female tribute band Sladey, who I would have gone to see had it not been sold out.
There was a time when I was discovering music probably early teens and I naively believed that Van Morrison was famous only after he left the Velvet Underground and the Who were Elton John’s backing band because I’d seen the Tommy LP somewhere.
I also had no idea there had been an earlier incarnation of King Crimson when I decided that Discipline was my favourite album in the world.
I went to see Van Morrison at the Albert Hall in 1989 and enjoyed Georgie Fame, his support that evening, singing ‘Yeah, Yeah’ the most.
I thought Pink Floyd was a solo act.
They are a duo. “Which one’s Pink?”
Not so sure about the Close to the Edge live versions on Yessongs- the title ‘track’ sounds a bit tinny to these ears and played a tad too fast whilst the faux strings on And You and I are a bit cringey. However, the live versions of Perpetual Change and Starship Trooper are, to me anyway, vastly superior and more powerful than the studio versions.
I find “Yessongs” definitive, the tight racing through of already tight songs part of the excitement. The slower Yes get, the less they interest me. So any drippy piece is out.
‘So any drippy piece is out’ – this is when you need Mooose.
I call it “girly prog”. You need the occasional romantic tune when engaging in tonsil hockey with a hennaed lovely in cheesecloth with more morals than you hoped, but when listening on your own, you just jump over “onward”, or “still you turn me on”.
Awww, wistful fumes of @rob-c and his foxy boho chicks coming through there…..
Not always as foxy a “boho chick” as my 70s Zappa-inspired shameful thoughts hoped, though it wasn’t all tumbleweed…
When I first heard the Gibson Brothers hit “Que Sera Mi Vida” on the radio, I was 100% convinced it was the latest platter from The Skids. I did think it was a sharp change of direction for the band, but I loved it. When the song appeared on TOTP, I was utterly gobsmacked.
I still think that the “If You Should Go…” bits sound a bit like Richard Jobson, though.
Ha ha – I want to hear a cover version of that. (They’re better dancers than Jobbo though!)
Britain’s worst pop star dancer…Richard Jobson or Andy McCluskey from OMD? Hmmm…
How about the bloke from Fine Young Cannibals? As I recall he wore skintight jeans on his pipe cleaner legs and danced liked someone was holding him up while he got tasered.
God, he was annoying. Nearly as much as New Musik’s bassist who chewed gum open-mouthed, wore shades and played with one hand in his pocket.
For my money it’s Brian Ferry closely followed by Siouxsie’s “who gave auntie a sherry?”, moves.
Sorry, but I have to defend Bryan here. The man is always the very picture of suave. And I believe there is a law that says if you look suave, you can do whatever dance moves you like and still look cool. Even the one where he holds his elbows in and flaps his hands. Still cool!
I’m with you re Siouxsie though.
I agree about stylish Bry and I’m also defending Siouxsie because she is such a great stage performer.
I love that single so much. Better than the Skids 😮
Yes, it’s joyous. Slightly more joyous than Into the Valley I’d venture to.
I love them both though
I never really bought much by R.E.M. and Madonna back in the day, but I’ve been working my way through their back catalogues recently as the CDs are cheap and ubiquitous. Anyway, two confessions: (i) I prefer 90s R.E.M. to 80s R.E.M. and (ii) I enjoy the Madonna albums more than the R.E.M. ones.
REM are becoming the forgotten band. The narrative that they became crap has stuck. Almost all of their albums are great if you ask me.
And yeah, Madonna makes great stuff too; her image overshadows the music.
I’ve been playing the latter REM albums a lot lately, especially the last two. There really is a lot to enjoy and it’s well worth reinvestigating.
I should say at this point that I enjoy both artists! What I’m finding is that – IMO – the early R.E.M. albums are a bit overrated, while the later ones are underrated. I’m not sure why people have a thing against Monster – pretty good album I think. I also think Up is an excellent album. I may not be the target market.
With Madonna, i go against the view that it’s her mature records like Ray of Light and confessions on a Dancefloor that is her best work. I prefer the early 80s, fluorescent bodywarmers stuff. Her first two albums are her best, I think.
Confessions is a great album! Seems to get overlooked in favour of the more obvious Ray of Light.
Whisper it Leffe, but Hung Up might be the best 21st century single by a 20th century artist.
Amazing song, and very possibly correct.
I’m with you. Super early Madonna is the best, followed by the Imperial phase and then the phase where the music press finally gave themselves permission to like her after she brought in the “serious” producers.
Another fan of Monster here – not a classic, perhaps, but very enjoyable.
Yep, Monster is my favourite REM album except for the IRS Years compilation… but it’s an embarrassment of riches listening to their stuff.
Thirded – Monster is my top choice too.
And I have never found the greatness in Automatic For The People
Agreed…”Automatic” is pretty good in places but at times it’s very sombre. You can see how a lot of future bands like Embrace, Coldplay, Elbow and Athlete might have been listening in their younger days.
“Pretty good in places”? Complete masterpiece
I’ve always thought Automatic was somewhat over-rated. But then, my favourite REM album is Fables…so I’m used to being shouted down, one way or another.
Never have I ever listened to entire albums (in one sitting) by Van Morrison, Steely Dan … or the Beatles.
I know; you just have to get up (down?) and boogie, don’t you?
(I presume that’s what you meant.)
I get up; I get down…
Only a seasoned witch would say that. But yours is no disgrace.
Is that your 5% for nothing?
That may be Khatru.
Gesundheit!
I used to say that the song I heard my mate’s band playing and which kick started my journey to being a musician was Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones.
It was actually Run to You by Bryan Adams.
I’d much rather hear Run to You. Very atmospheric, nice guitar, great production.
Written for and rejected by Blue Oyster Cult.
It doesn’t recover from that ‘you and I’ howler at the start of the lyric. I’m still reflexively cringing at it by the time the song ends.
I have never knowingly heard any proper, whole album by Led Zep, Van, Fleetwood Mac (although admittedly I do like a decent comp by them) Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, Yes, Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush.
Not out of any snobbery or prejudice, I should add. I don’t really belong here at all do I??
The thing about Fleetwood Mac is that Rumours is so good that it’s actually better than the Greatest Hits. With the exception of Rhiannon, putting anything else they did on it instead of what’s there just dilutes it.
I look forward to “The Big Lebowski 2”, when he can repeat his line about The Eagles with Fleetwood Mac.
I have never listened to the whole of Tubular Bells in a single sitting.
I think I have probably heard the whole album in fragments over the years.
My parents had dreadful records. For years I shunned Simon and Garfunkel because they owned a copy of Bridge Over Troubled Water.
My Mum played Ella, Frank, Chet all the time. Dad showed no interest in music at all . One day he came home. “Someone played this at work. It’s really good”. He was carrying a copy of Bridge Over Troubled Water which I was saving up for. Obviously I hated it and walked out of the room whenever he played it
I enjoy some of the works of Tin Machine. Not all but some. And they looked good on the cover of the first album
Bowie looked better in his Tin Machine beard and suit than he did throughout the Ziggy and MWSTW years, among other eras. And Under the God and I Can’t Read are storming tunes.
Maybe the exercise would have gone better if the Sales team hadn’t played up the nastier side of their characters. Our Hero didn’t look like “just one of the band” during press and interviews: he looked like he’d been taken hostage by Tony Sales…
Anyone who’s ever been trapped at the bar by one of the Sales team on the Christmas night out will know how he felt.
Really? I can’t remember thinking that. Hunt was far more obnoxious than Tony, it’ was his toxic messiness that played a large part in Bowie’s decision to park Tin Machine.
Last year I watched more Tin Machine interviews on Youtube than is good for anyone’s health, while prepping some episodes of my Bowie podcast and for the most part, Bowie was grimly, gamely keeping up the rather laboured, blokey, just-one-of-the-lads “group dynamic”
I bow to your high volume of research – it was an impression that I got: I accept that my impression may have been incorrect.
Forgive me, Father – I have another one.
I am aware of an early Blur single called “She’s So High” but I didn’t remember how it goes or anything like that.
As we move into the 21st Century, I became convinced that the jaunty, Friends-theme-esque jangly guitar song I kept hearing on the radio was a cover version of the Blur song. It’s a great tune and I can imagine Damo and the lads bashing it out. It’s the one that goes #She’s so hiiigh, high above me…she’s so lovely#.
I am sure that I informed people that “this is actually an early Blur song, you know”.
The first single I ever owned was something or other by Gary Glitter. There was a shop where we lived that sold odds and sods including singles. Happily the other record I remember getting there was Rock &Roll Winter by Wizard so it wasn’t all bad.
My first LP was one of those compilations of hit songs of the day not by the original artists. I seem to recall there being a rather attractive young lady in a revealing shiny top on the cover. I kind of wish I still had it.
Similar here. The first album I requested was by GG. ‘Touch Me’ – Eeew!
The first single was by those loveable rascals, The Wolfe Tones. I was very young and I regret to this day that any portion of my mother’s widows pension was pocketed by those people, even if it was only a couple of pence in old money.
I also had one of those albums with a pretty lady on the front. Included a decent version of Radar Love iirc.
In the early eighties when I was a skinhead even though I was into ska and Oi, for a while I secretly listened to Japan, Heaven 17, Thompson Twins, Landscape and the album, Astaire by Peter Skellern.
Sharon Webb, an actual girl, showed me her copy of 2112. I was determinedly aware of Rush so told her how much I loved “Two thousand, one hundred and twelve.”
Huzzah!
Oh mate.
I know. Thankfully I can’t recall Sharon’s reaction.
I’ve confessed this before on here but feel compelled to do it again.
I went to see the Osmonds live at Wembley Arena c 20yrs ago. A friend got free tickets so thought we’d go along for a laugh. They were absolutely brilliant. A proper band who can really play (it was the full set of Osmonds incl Marie).
I thought afterwards what an opinionated musical snob I was to have dismissed them beforehand. Mind you Mrs F has told me that many times over the years.
I saw David Essex under similar circumstances. I spent most of the time assisting young ladies who had fainted, to the rear of the venue for air, only to witness them immediately recover and go back for more. I couldn’t tell you if the performance was any good or not but Rock On is properly brilliant, his only hit in the US. At least they weren’t subjected to the rest of his catalogue. 😀
I went to one of those Summerhits Roadshows once, BRMB rather than R1. I took my daughter as Chumbawamba were part of the bill. It was shite, as a bevy of anonymous chart topping popstrels came on, one after the other, and mimed to backing tracks. Including, FFS, the mighty Chumbas!
Another one, at the NEC, had E17 and others, and was surprisingly good.
If you like Rock On @tiggerlion check out Duet by Howie B. It does wonderful things with it and Gavin Friday does a decent David Essex.
I will.
REM admit to use its essence for Drive.
I saw Donny a couple of years ago…an absolutely great night. Charming and winningly self-deprecating.
And Donny was ok too.
I saw Leo Sayer as someone had a spare ticket but expecting much and he was brilliant. Great songs, singer, performance.
That was NOT expecting much. Autocorrect…
@twang
Thunder in your heart (or whatevs) is a corker!
Yes. He did lots of corkers.
in the early to mid teens i concluded that one must nail one’s colours to the Stones or the Beatles mast. i chose the former and proceeded to make frisbees out of the set of Beatles Parlophone ep’s Dad had bought for us kids.
What a twat.