Did’ja or Dinnae Like It?

 Posted by
Apr 222011
 

It takes a positive touch!

I was recently introduced to a band that featured the use of the bagpipes in the lead guitar role. The person who played me multiple tracks from this record, although dear to me, neglected to let me know that the band also showcased the didgeridoo.

This band struck me as WRONG on so many levels. For the sake of research for The Hall, I looked for this band on YouTube and unfortunately found several videos. They showcased a kilt-wearing, tush-shaking player of bagpipes. The didgeridoo player (who also wore a kilt) doubled as the keyboardist. There were black puffy sneakers and an obliquely designed band logo. There was a rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Lord help me if any of the videos depicted a World Music Iwo Jima.

I’m a bit concerned that I’m becoming overly closed-minded in my advancing age. Bagpipes: they can sound festive, they can sound plaintive, they can sound weird. But in general, when part of guitar/bass/drums combo, they sound (to me) very, very out of place.

This band got me to thinking: Are there rock songs when a bagpipe or didgeridoo is used to positive effect?

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A Townsman’s Heroic Take On The Rolling Stones’ Post-1970 Output

 Posted by
Apr 222011
 

Draw the line.

In a recent Dugout Chatter question regarding The Rolling Stones‘ “Emotional Rescue” and “Start Me Up,” Townsman bostonhistorian countered a cop-out charge by quickly cementing his place as Mr. Moderator’s Newest Hero. Although Mr. Mod is well aware that this is may not be a title to which many Townspeople aspire, he felt the rock ‘n roll record needed to acknowledge bostonhistorian’s complete dismissal of the Stones’ post 1970 career with a posting of his full opinion on The Main Stage. This dramatic turn of events can be  traced beginning here. The astounding final blow of bostonhistorian’s defense follows:

For real. They should have packed it up after Altamont and the release of Let It Bleed, which both happened in December of 1969. Think about this: what if the last thing anyone ever heard out of the Rolling Stones was “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, and then think about the self-parody which follows. Does anything after Let It Bleed add to their reputation, or diminish it? There’s nothing on Exile as good as the best songs off Let It Bleed, and Let It Bleed also had a tiny bit of cultural relevance. After that, it’s a haze of drugs and navel gazing. I’ve gone on the record as characterizing Mick’s vocals on Exile as Amos and Andy-like, and I find the whole album turgid. Of course Mick and Keith could still write songs, but to what end?

“I admire not only the panache of bostonhistorian’s definitive stance on the subject,” said Mr. Moderator, while departing his colonial home for a drive into the office this morning, “but its moral underpinnings.”

Mr. Moderator went on to add that although he feels the Stones produced another half dozen highly worthy songs following Altamont, including a few from the band’s years matched up against prime Rod Stewart and perhaps his second-favorite Rolling Stones song, “Beast of Burden,” he fully backs the spirit of bostonhistorian’s opinion and is “admittedly deeply envious” of his staking out this position first.

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Workin’ Overtime or Acquired Taste?

 Posted by
Apr 222011
 

Wow, here’s an oldie-but-goodie that many of our current daily participants have not had a crack at. For veterans, look at some of these never-forgotten, always-missed names. This thread is so old that I think I’ve actually had time to change my mind about my stance on a band or two. Enjoy.

This post initially appeared 1/27/07.

Think about it Rock Snobs: the sound of many cult artists you likely didn’t hear until your late-teen years and later probably would have sounded foreign or just…wrong to your prepubescent ears. Surely, some of you will object to this characterization, claiming a hip older sibling who turned you onto Van Der Graaf Generator or even hipper parents who conceived you while cranking up Stockhausen’s latest. Hey, maybe you had “visionary” ears, fully formed, from birth. Who am I to argue? And more power to you!

For the rest of us, there was some work involved. We could have played it safe with a string of good-enough Steve Miller Band albums, or for younger Townspeople – what – U2’s forays into irrelevance? Instead, we pressed forward, past the cool, beyond the cutting edge, into the vaults, where an overweight, ill-groomed older guy with Coke bottle lenses made us magic mix tapes of sounds from the underground.
Continue reading »

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Rock for Kids

 Posted by
Apr 212011
 

We all know too well that rock is still thought of in most circles as a young person’s game.  But that’s not what I’m thinking of here. Some bands, you have to get into them when you’re relatively young. For instance, Pink Floyd and The Doors—let’s face it, their lyrical concerns are almost perfectly pitched to appeal to teenagers, but, in another light, those same concerns are just so damn goofy, you can’t possibly take them seriously as an adult. I can’t, anyway.

Perhaps a similar band from a different subculture—Fugazi. Could a 30-year-old really get into Fugazi for the first time? It’s nothing to do with their intrinsic quality as a band, but you need to be unformed to some degree to pick up what that band’s offering, I submit.

And let’s be really honest. If you’re 25 and you haven’t gone through a Beatles phase yet, it’s probably not going to happen. Move on.

And this isn’t just about music. It works for authors (Salinger) and directors (David Lynch, Woody Allen?) too.

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Dugout Chatter

 Posted by
Apr 212011
 

You know the drill: please provide your gut answers to the following questions. Let your gut be your guide!

SHOWDOWN (choose one): The Rolling Stones‘ “Emotional Rescue” or “Start Me Up.”

Which older style of music usually sounds particularly worse than the original when revived in pastiche form by a more current artist?

Is there any better mediocre artist in his own right who spawned more kick-ass covers than Larry Williams?

What’s the last meaningful horn section used in rock, one that sounds uniquely integrated into a song, not just “dialed in” a la the Rent-a-Memphis Horns or Earth, Wind & Fire horn section?

What’s one of the most unexpected uses of horns in rock ‘n roll?

Which older style of music often sounds better to you than the original when revived in pastiche form by a more current artist?

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