Topic: Rock Music Discussion

I've only skimmed through this thread, just looking to see if 'my band' got any mention at all. But no, none.

Approx 100 million units sold, once touted as the biggest band in the world, and no-one seems to like them enough to mention them in these sorts of conversations.

I appreciate they've not been active for 30 years, and seem to be a bit of a generational thing, 'Dad music' perhaps, with a bit of a naff image (with a few truly astoundingly naff music videos to part-justify that image), but I grew up on their music, and 30 years later it's still the music I listen to the most and enjoy the most.

@gcunit I feel like this is a game since you didn't mention the band.

So 30+ years old, 100m sales, Dad rock. My first guess would be Queen but I feel like the naff video isn't fair to them as they were clever for the time with music videos. So someone more cheese hmm...Genesis?

@jump I did purposefully leave it open for guesses to see what people came up with 🤭

While there's a few tracks from the bands you've guessed that I'll listen to, I wouldn't call myself a fan of either of them. Not that I've ever gone particularly deep into their catalogues. I do like Radio Gaga though.

MODEL DD5 by Mutsuhiko Izumi

FIRE by Mutsuhiko Izumi Live performance

@gcunit So different direction of music and re-reading what you wrote I missed the biggest band in the world comment.

Metal/alt rock has been covered enough in here so I can rule out stuff like Guns n Roses, Black Sabbath, Green Day etc. Coldplay, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin don't fit the time frame assuming they kept making music whilst you listened to them. Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones are possible but don't fit the naff Dad rock vibe as they are more iconic. Santana, Bon Jovi and Chicago have a certain naff vibe but I don't think they have ever had a biggest band in the world phase.

After all that I've got two guesses of either The Doors and U2 which fit the description but I'm gonna say U2.

@jump Love your well-thought-out answer dude... but the points go to @Rambler on this occasion.

While there are many tracks I love, and many versions of those various tracks, here's an easy one to draw upon to show how good they were. This video has 194 million views. There are a few other revered live versions of this song in particular that came later, with some saxophone added, which are great, but I prefer the overall performance and the pureness of the guitar sound when the crescendo hits of this version. Get it on a CD/lossless format and turn your stereo as high as it can go once you approach the 7 minute mark, then wait for 3 minutes of aural ecstasy. Sonic heaven.

@gcunit I would have never gotten that. Most of the old music I listen to is either from old timer bands still playing festivals like Toots and the Maytals, Patti Smith, Joan Jett etc or when a band says they were hugely influenced by another band but I don't think I've ever seen a band I like mention Dire Straights as an influence.

In any case congrats @Rambler

@jump @roy130390 that lost prophets guy is messed up. I've known about it for some time, but it never gets any easier to hear about. I remember thinking it couldnt have been real just because of how insane it was. Never liked em, but for those that did it must have been disappointing.

As for Jimmy...i dunno. My best friend in high school was dating this dude in his early twenties for a few years. Her parents were aware and consented, nobody had a problem with it. I'm not sure at what point it's no longer statutory (if thats ever the case), but regardless they had a normal relationship for a few years then broke up. I think this kinda thing happens more often than people care to admit. On the other hand Jimmy could be Gary Glitter 2.0. To add to your list - I've read some accusations about David Bowie. It's strange how some musicians are impervious to this kind of controversy.

Rockstars (performers in general. I've heard some messed up stories about pro wrestlers too ) have a lifestyle that waits for them. Sex, drugs, etc.. there's like a lawlessness to it. But it'll probably be much less so going forward. Which is better for everybody.

Thanks for the ministry 🎸 i didn't know Uncle Al was still working!

@Losermagnet Yeah the lifestyle isn't great. I listened to a podcast with the frontman of Monster Magnet (who are lyrically one of my favourite bands) and he talked about the lifestyle of touring basically being it's Saturday night every night of drinking and partying for months and sometimes when you're staring at hotel rooms every day the so the sane thing to do is to smash it up One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest style. There's also an element of being expected to be a rockstar too, he talked about how a girl jumped on stage to perform oral on him and he had to let her otherwise he'd be the wimpy rockstar.

He also told a story about how the tour bus would really impress people more so than being in a band and once he was in some kind of bible state in American and told people he was part of a Christian puppet troop and they still acted like groupies towards him.

@Rambler No need for it to be secret. To me, there's music; and there's Dire Straits (and some of Mark Knopfler's solo stuff). I listen to a range of music from time to time; but I could listen to Dire Straits anytime, anywhere, and have been for the last 30+ years.

I got to see them on the On Every Street tour in 92, but it was my first live experience and I was only 11, so it was a bit overwhelming, and I wasn't that into the On Every Street album (love the titular song, and a few others are good, but MK had gone a bit too americana by that point), but I've still got my ticket and the t-shirt.

@jump and in that scenario he's the one being assualted (technically speaking). Stuff is weird. Controversial opinion perhaps - but i do feel like the "wild west" days of music are gone and I'm kinda sad about that. I dont want anybody to be assualted or become dependant on substances, but I think there are many examples of how that chaos fosters creativity. Syd Barret LSD-ing himself into pudding made Pink Floyd what they were in the 70s just for one example.

@Losermagnet yeah he definitely was.

I agree things should be abit more rock and roll, it's getting to the point where I'm hearing too many songs about waiting around in airports now as musicians are spending too much time not doing things like before. It's becoming the norm for bands to struggle after the 3rd album as they run out of life experiences to write about, I've already started seeing it happen with both Frank Carter and IDLES who are proably the two of the most intresting UK acts from the last 5 years with poor 3rd albums and I'm not gonna start listening to sodding George Ezra!

@jump yeah you can almost tell when a band loses its inspiration and drive. Like they don't really want to make another album, but they gotta eat (or they're contractually obligated).

I assumed that's natural for many bands/artists to exhaust their ideas within an album or two, because back in the day, music/record companies used to offer more resources & writers to help bands to keep producing more albums beyond a couple albums. And now, that the record/music industry has shrunk since digital music disruption, it's less common to invest in bands/artists.

edit: I think artists that can keep making good albums are rare geniuses. That's been my thinking, anyway. I don't know if it's true.

What have I been listening to, you ask? Why Alestorm good sir or madam.

@WoomyNNYes i think thats pretty accurate. I always think about the 60s and how The Beatles made Rubber Soul after meeting Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson was inspired by Rubber Soul and made Pet Sounds, that influenced Sgt Peppers, which led to Zappa's We're Only in it for the Money. Which inspired no one lol. This all happened in like 2 or 3 years.

@Rambler By Blackbeard's surprisingly light-colored facial hair i think you're right. I forgot about Captain Beefheart. Zappa produced Trout Mask Replica (i think....). And of course, Beefheart influenced Tom Waits (Zappa too, to be fair).

And i get that power metal vibe from Alestorm. Makes me want to drink meade and get a skull tattoo.

YESS!!! This Simple and Clean cover is awesome

@WoomyNNYes most bands I listened to (I stopped myself from saying real bands) don’t use writers though.

There’s a saying about you have a lifetime to make you first album, 6 months to make your second and on the third you believe your own hype and starting copying your music or do something different.

There’s is a movement from not releasing albums any more to just dropping songs into Spotify which depresses me.

@Losermagnet Alestorm are another band that have dodgy antics on tour. There’s a leaked group chat full of racism, wanting to sleep with as many fans as possible etc.

They are fun live but why is this joke band now playing in Brixton Academy?! This is the same venue which the likes of KoRn, Volbeat, Rob Zombie and other real metal bands would play on tour in London.

Aii aii, if I may, one more cover song: