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Maleah
04-08-2007, 02:51 PM
I know there's a lot of music that i haven't heard out there....and since we were suggesting BK listen to Keith Urban ;) I was wondering if there is any music or songs in particular that you would recommend to the anyone here. For instance, I just recently listening to Pink Floyd's "Learning to Fly" and "Comfortably Numb" and found I liked them a lot! Anything with a cool bass line grabs my attention. Or something bluesy/funky (Jonny Lang, Marc Broussard) rockin country (Wynonna! travis tritt)........pretty much anything!

Bring 'em on guys! I'm ready to download! as I'm listening to Wynonna's "Attitude" 8)

EasyFeeling
04-08-2007, 03:05 PM
Oh, I love Pink Floyd. But I don't know these songs, Maleah.

Lately I listen to the older music like Supertramp, Alan Parson, ELO and so on.
I know everybody will laugh at me but I really love the album of TAKE THAT. It's the best album they ever made, IMO. Love every song. And I downloaded an album of Scissor Sisters. She's My Man is a very cool song.

Maleah
04-08-2007, 03:38 PM
Hmmm.......I haven't heard any of those EF. I'll have to look for them!

I LOVE the melody of Pink Floyd's "Learning To Fly." I'm not sure why though! :laugh:

So I'd recommend that ;) If anybody likes country.....I'd also recommend Wynonna (I Want To Know What Love Is, Attitude, or others if you're interested), Travis Tritt (Homesick, Put Some Drive In Your Country, Start The Car) and if you like powerful voices.....Martina McBride! :D

Other than that........I'm really enjoying digging up some of Bob Seger's older stuff! LOVE his voice!

Randy's Girl
04-08-2007, 03:57 PM
Have you heard Steve Earle and have you heard Gram Parsons? Love them both. Ooh, and CCR and/or John Fogerty. Love his voice

EasyFeeling
04-08-2007, 04:23 PM
Here in Germany radio stations are playing one song the whole day: Grace Kelly from Mika. Very cool. Sometimes he sounds like Freddy Mercury in that song. You can find it on Limewire. :wink:

Freypower
04-08-2007, 07:14 PM
Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler's solo albums. I could write about this for hours. Let me think about this and I will recommend some specific tracks (there is more to them than Sultans Of Swing & Money For Nothing).

badkitty33
04-09-2007, 11:18 AM
Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler's solo albums. I could write about this for hours. Let me think about this and I will recommend some specific tracks (there is more to them than Sultans Of Swing & Money For Nothing).

FP -- I LOVE Dire Straits! "Romeo and Juliet", "Industrial Disease", "Skateaway", and "Twisting By the Pool" just to name a few!!!

"Romeo and Juliet" ... everytime I hear it ... takes me back to the early '80s and a boyfriend I had. He loved Dire Straits (introduced me to them). I can't hear that song and not think about him and those days. :cry:

Oh, I forgot about "So Far Away"! Love that one too!

Okay, back to the topic!

badkitty33
04-09-2007, 11:25 AM
Well, Maleah, to get back to the topic, have you ever listened to any Avril Lavigne? She's very talented. I love her voice. One of her songs called "Damn Cold Night" is so beautiful! I absolutely love it!!!

Then, of course, there's Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, No Doubt, Chicago, Lynryd Skynryd, just to name a few!! Very different sounds (everyone I just named here). In my opinion, worth listening to.

I could echo EF and say that ELO's stuff is amazing!!! And while we're talking initials, there's always ELP!!

Just some food for thought!

Maleah
04-09-2007, 07:02 PM
I haven't heard most of the groups/songs so far, so I'll be busy :laugh:

BUT.......I do listen to Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and Lynyrd Skynyrd BK. I think i may have heard a couple of Avril Lavigne as well but I don't remember what she sounds like.

Freypower
04-09-2007, 08:35 PM
My very brief Dire Straits guide is as follows:

Their masterpiece is Making Movies, which contains Knopfler's greatest ever song, Romeo & Juliet, plus some other classics in Tunnel Of Love, Skateaway and Solid Rock. It's a great pop album. Follow this with Brothers In Arms, not so much for the big hits, good though they are, but for more thoughtful songs like Ride Across The River and The Man's Too Strong, although the title track should be heard by everyone. The first two albums, Dire Straits and Communique, have really good songs like Sultans, In The Gallery & Lady Writer. On Every Street is patchy, despite the wonderful title track, the countryish How Long & the tale of rock'n'roll excess, Heavy Fuel. Love Over Gold is not for Dire Straits beginners. It is worth having for Industrial Disease but most of it just goes on too long.

Knopfler's most commercial album is Sailing To Philadelphia, with the beautiful title track about the Mason-Dixon Line, What It Is, an anthem to Edinburgh, and The Last Laugh with another hero of mine, Van Morrison.

Ragpicker's Dream is very quirky & is not for beginners, but it contains his best solo song, the rousing Why Aye Man, about Geordies working in Germany, as well as Coyote, sung by a sympathetic Roadrunner (really).

Shangri-La is a tour de force of wonderful 'story' songs and as ever, wonderful guitar work. The standouts are 5.15 AM, Boom Like That (about the founder of MacDonalds, Ray Kroc) and the beautiful Trawlerman's Song and Song For Sonny Liston.

If any of this appeals you can then try his album of duets with Emmylou Harris, All The Roadrunning.

sodascouts
04-09-2007, 09:10 PM
You should get "The Dance" by Fleetwood Mac - that's what made me love that group. I also recommend Stevie Nicks' latest Greatest Hits collection called "Crystal Visions." If you're going to get something of Lindsey Buckingham's, get "Out of the Cradle."

Randy's Girl
04-10-2007, 05:28 AM
Soda, do you ever listen to the original Fleetwood Mac?

sodascouts
04-10-2007, 10:51 AM
You mean Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac? Yeah, I have. I like Oh Well Pt. 1, Albatross, Black Magic Woman, Green Manalishi, Stop Messin' Round, and Need Your Love So Bad. I also find Rattlesnake Shake pretty funny.

Post-Green, but pre-Stevie/Lindsey, I ADORE the song Why. I also really like Hypnotized, Did You Ever Love Me, Trinity, Spare Me a Little of your Love, Sentimental Lady, and Get Like You Used to Be.

Randy's Girl
04-10-2007, 02:46 PM
They were good, weren't they? Totally different from Stevie/Lindsey Fleetwood Mac, but still good. Albatross is an amazing piece of guitar work.

sodascouts
04-10-2007, 08:58 PM
Yeah, they were terrific. Too bad about Peter Green losing it. :(

badkitty33
04-14-2007, 03:05 PM
I love Sentimental Lady. I have a version of that by Bob Welch. Was he ever a member of any Fleetwood Mac lineup??? 8)

Freypower
04-14-2007, 11:31 PM
He was for a while - no doubt Soda can tell you exactly when. The only song I remember by him was Ebony Eyes - it was a big hit down here.

badkitty33
04-15-2007, 10:15 AM
Ebony Eyes? That sounds familiar. I think I might remember that one. Thanks FP.

glenneaglesfan
04-15-2007, 10:36 AM
I'm doing a bit of catch up here. Michaela, I haven't heard of Alan Parsons since the late 70's. We had a girl staying in our flat for a short time then who worked for Arista Records, and she was able to get free albums. I got Pyramid by Alan Parsons and Sky 2, the John Williams album. Most of the other artists were quite obscure. Of the new music being played, I like the Scissor Sisters and that Mika song as well. My son also made the comparison with Freddy Mercury.
I recently picked up a free cd (given away with a newspaper) of CSN. It includes live versions of Judy Blue Eyes, Marrakesh Express, Love The One You're With, Wooden Ships and the awesome track Lay Me Down.
FP, I'm with you with Dire Straits, and thanks for that summary.

EasyFeeling
04-15-2007, 12:25 PM
Oh really, Kate? I love Pyramid. :D What I also can recommend is the abum I Robot. Very good.
Mika is on top of the charts here again this week. He has an amazing voice.

sodascouts
04-15-2007, 04:53 PM
I love Sentimental Lady. I have a version of that by Bob Welch. Was he ever a member of any Fleetwood Mac lineup??? 8)

Bob Welch joined Fleetwood Mac in 1971, after they'd lost both Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer to mental illness (Green after losing his mind due to, according to Mick Fleetwood, bad LSD - Spencer after he joined the Children of God cult). They needed a dynamic lead guitarist and he was who they picked.

He appeared on five albums - Future Games (1971), Bare Trees (1972), Peguin (1973), Mystery to Me (1973), and Heroes are Hard to Find (1974).

Sentimental Lady, his biggest solo hit, actually appeared first on a Fleetwood Mac album - Bare Trees. Another song he is notable for is Hypnotized, off of Mystery to Me.

After he left, Mick Fleetwood went hunting for another charismatic lead guitarist - and he found Lindsey Buckingham. Mick asked him to join, and he accepted on the condition that they also take his girlfriend, Stevie Nicks: "We're a package deal." The rest is history.

There were no hard feelings, though, between Welch and any of the members, old or new, of Fleetwood Mac. They often appeared on his solo albums. Speaking of....

Ebony Eyes was off of his solo album French Kiss, which also includes the version of Sentimental Lady you're familiar with (slightly different lyrics and arrangement). Christine McVie guest-appeared on his album and sang backup on the song. She's the one going "All I need is you" in the chorus. Lindsey and Mick also guested on the album.

Here's a video of Bob Welch performing Ebony Eyes at the 1978 CalJam. Stevie appeared onstage with him - she's rocking out with her tamborine! You go girl! At the end of it, you can see a bit of Gold Dust Woman that she performed on Bob Welch and Friends, with him backing her.

Ebony Eyes with Stevie Nicks - Cal Jam 1978 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHK_FFS7t0A)

She also appeared on it on a "Bob Welch and Friends" special:

Ebony Eyes with Stevie Nicks - Bob Welch and Friends c. 1983 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBJ1rqqRX9g)

Probably more than you wanted to know, but you got me going on the Mac, so it's your fault. ;)

badkitty33
04-15-2007, 11:07 PM
I love Sentimental Lady. I have a version of that by Bob Welch. Was he ever a member of any Fleetwood Mac lineup??? 8)

Bob Welch joined Fleetwood Mac in 1971, after they'd lost both Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer to mental illness (Green after losing his mind due to, according to Mick Fleetwood, bad LSD - Spencer after he joined the Children of God cult). They needed a dynamic lead guitarist and he was who they picked.

He appeared on five albums - Future Games (1971), Bare Trees (1972), Peguin (1973), Mystery to Me (1973), and Heroes are Hard to Find (1974).

Sentimental Lady, his biggest solo hit, actually appeared first on a Fleetwood Mac album - Bare Trees. Another song he is notable for is Hypnotized, off of Mystery to Me.

After he left, Mick Fleetwood went hunting for another charismatic lead guitarist - and he found Lindsey Buckingham. Mick asked him to join, and he accepted on the condition that they also take his girlfriend, Stevie Nicks: "We're a package deal." The rest is history.

There were no hard feelings, though, between Welch and any of the members, old or new, of Fleetwood Mac. They often appeared on his solo albums. Speaking of....

Ebony Eyes was off of his solo album French Kiss, which also includes the version of Sentimental Lady you're familiar with (slightly different lyrics and arrangement). Christine McVie guest-appeared on his album and sang backup on the song. She's the one going "All I need is you" in the chorus. Lindsey and Mick also guested on the album.

Here's a video of Bob Welch performing Ebony Eyes at the 1978 CalJam. Stevie appeared onstage with him - she's rocking out with her tamborine! You go girl! At the end of it, you can see a bit of Gold Dust Woman that she performed on Bob Welch and Friends, with him backing her.

Ebony Eyes with Stevie Nicks - Cal Jam 1978 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHK_FFS7t0A)

She also appeared on it on a "Bob Welch and Friends" special:

Ebony Eyes with Stevie Nicks - Bob Welch and Friends c. 1983 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBJ1rqqRX9g)

Probably more than you wanted to know, but you got me going on the Mac, so it's your fault. ;)

No problem Soda, I'm never one to turn down musical history info!!! I love learning this stuff! Thanks!

You know, "Bare Trees" jumped out at me! I'm quite sure that's where I remember that version of "Sentimental Lady". I don't think I have Bob Welch's solo effort.

And thanks for the link to that video. I'll make sure and check that out. 8)

Brooke
06-19-2007, 04:05 PM
I didn't really know where to ask this question, but maybe this will be ok.

I'm a fan of John Mellencamp and in his song "Check It Out" there is a line that says "sung with the Eagles all week long....". Does anyone know if that refers to THE Eagles or is he talking about the BIRDS? I've always wondered about this and if he was a fan of theirs or its just a line with no meaning! Anyone?

Freypower
06-19-2007, 11:31 PM
I always thought that line was 'soaring with eagles' & it was a metaphor for being happy or whatever.

Brooke
06-20-2007, 09:28 AM
That could be, Fp. I didn't look it up to see if that was the correct line. That's how I always heard it, but I could be wrong. Just wondered. And I liked thinking I was right! :lol:

Maleah
06-26-2007, 12:53 AM
So I just started listening to Bryan Adam and I LOVE him! His voice, to me anyway, is similar to Don and John Waite. One of the songs I downloaded was his version of the song that Don and Trisha Yearwood did together, "Inside Out." Anybody else a fan of his?

janisjoplin
07-01-2007, 05:45 PM
Yep, I like Bryan Adams - got most of his albums.

His duets with Bonnie Raitt (Rock Steady) and Mel C (When You're Gone) are pretty darn good too.

Jonny Come Lately
04-08-2015, 05:53 PM
This thread is pretty old but I can definitely do a 'beginner's guide' for Pink Floyd.

In total, there are 15 Pink Floyd studio albums. One thing I feel quite strongly is that is that listening to Pink Floyd's albums in chronological order is NOT the best way to get into the band. A newcomer to the band may be put off by the very experimental material on some of the earlier albums and therefore miss out on what I consider to the band's zenith in the 1970s.

The majority of people start with one of three albums - The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here or The Wall. This is not surprising as these feature most of the band's most recognisable songs, which receive the majority of airplay on classic rock radio. I would recommend starting with The Dark Side Of The Moon as it is more song-based than Wish You Were Here and less bleak than The Wall (while also featuring a more balanced representation of the band's talents). If you enjoy Dark Side, then listen to those two.

Which albums you should listen to next depends on your views on Wish You Were Here and The Wall. If Wish You Were Here is your favourite then I would recommend listening to Meddle next which contains the brilliant side-long composition Echoes, which is every bit as good as Shine On You Crazy Diamond. If you love The Wall then go for The Final Cut which is even darker and further explores some of the ideas expressed in The Wall from Roger Waters' personal perspective but if you are not a fan of The Wall or of Waters' singing voice then you can give this one a miss.

The other album from this era, Animals, is a superb concept album in my view but is not readily accessible as it is built around three long songs which meant the album has received limited airplay over the years. I would say that it shouldn't be your first Pink Floyd album but if you become a big fan it is essential. The band really are at the top of their game here and while Waters wrote most of the material, Gilmour's guitar work is superb throughout and defines the album's sound.

The post-Waters years are somewhat divisive and these albums are dismissed by some sections of the PF fanbase. I personally far prefer The Division Bell to A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, as I consider the former to be a true Pink Floyd album (Rick Wright co-wrote half of the songs) whereas the latter is a David Gilmour solo album in all but name, and the 1980s synthesisers and drums/drum machines have not aged too well. If I wanted to listen to a David Gilmour solo album I would rather listen to his 1978 self-titled release which highlights his guitar work and has aged rather better.

In my experience people who strongly favour the Waters-dominated Wall and Final Cut do not tend to be big fans of these albums, but if you prefer Wish You Were Here you should certainly give Division Bell at least one listen. The most recent release, 2014's The Endless River, is made up virtually entirely of instrumentals. It has the classic David Gilmour guitar and Rick Wright organ/keyboard/synth parts and I am very satisfied with it myself but I think it is really only one for the big fans.

As for the main early studio releases, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and A Saucerful Of Secrets both feature a psychedelic sound rather removed from the more progressive 1970s albums. Both are strong albums although there is a difference in that Piper is dominated by Syd Barrett whereas Saucerful features one Barrett composition but the majority of the album was written by Waters or Wright. I personally favour the latter but both are good additions to a Pink Floyd collection. Ummagumma is a double disc set consisting of a live album and a studio album but bar the excellent acoustic Grantchester Meadows the studio record is made up of very experimental, avant-garde pieces eschewing conventional song structures. The live album is excellent but is made up mostly of material from the first two albums so this album may be best left until last or nearly last.

Atom Heart Mother meanwhile is underrated in my book - the title suite isn't perfect but has some great moments while the songs on side two are eminently listenable. If you like Meddle then you should enjoy a fair bit of this album. If you are curious about the early years but do not fancy listening to a full album, then Relics is worth hearing - it contains a smattering of songs from the first three albums as well as some (high quality) non-album tracks.

Of the two soundtrack albums I would say that Obscured By Clouds is superior to the Soundtrack from the film More. The former is actually quite underrated and has a mix of laid-back rock songs with some early versions of ideas that were explored on Dark Side Of The Moon. The latter also has some strong material but is let down by its second half which is dominated by mediocre instrumentals.

There are three Pink Floyd compilation albums. One of these, the ironically titled A Collection Of Great Dance Songs, frankly is not worth your time unless you are a completist or badly need a rather poor edit of Shine On, a very minor edit to Another Brick In The Wall Part 2 and a version of Money where David Gilmour plays practically every instrument. The compilation was a contractual obligation album and it shows. The other two, Echoes: The Best Of Pink Floyd and A Foot In The Door are substantially better than Dance Songs and both contain a lot of quality material but are flawed collections - the former has quite a well thought out tracklisting and cleverly features segues between the different tracks, but it is missing too many essential classic songs IMO (where for instance are Welcome To The Machine and Run Like Hell) and features some fairly questionable inclusions, while the latter has a good selection of tracks for a single disc but on the whole seems to have been put together fairly hastily with little clear sense in the running order.

I haven't covered the live releases but of the two post-Waters live albums I would strongly recommend getting P.U.L.S.E (from The Division Bell tour) rather than Delicate Sound Of Thunder (from A Momentary Lapse Of Reason tour). Both cover most of the major hits but P.U.L.S.E also features a full live rendition of The Dark Side Of The Moon, some of the strongest material from The Division Bell plus Sorrow and Learning To Fly, probably the two best tracks from Momentary Lapse and therefore offers a superior selection of material.

If you have any questions about Pink Floyd and their albums, please feel free to ask.

SilverAcidRayne
04-08-2015, 08:48 PM
I love Pink Floyd. I always wondered if everything that was said about Syd Barrett was true. Seemed to me a very good musician...

Jonny Come Lately
04-14-2015, 02:17 PM
From reading Mark Blake's excellent book Pigs Might Fly I get the impression that a lot of the stories were true - the worst ones including reports of Syd strumming the same chord continuously during concerts. I really can't blame the band for deciding not to pick him up one night, it seems cruel in a way but having him on stage in the state he was in wasn't good for the band, the audience or for Syd himself. To their credit the other members did help Syd record a couple of solo albums but even this sadly became too much of a challenge after about 1970.

Syd's Wikipedia page has a fair bit about the recording of his solo albums The Madcap Laughs and Barrett:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Barrett

Unlike the Eagles, there are plenty of decent books on Pink Floyd, including Nick Mason's account Inside Out (which is also very good). I guess there isn't that much gossip surrounding the band and therefore the books can focus on the music. I have to say that Nick doesn't come across as having an axe to grind and he recounts some interesting stories about the songs (I particularly enjoyed reading about how Echoes came out) as well as some amusing anecdotes.

DJ
04-23-2015, 10:26 PM
Badkitty Bob Welch is a gem. I lived on his albums in High School.
I also lived on Montrose, JD Souther, Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark. And for a little bit of country swing Chuck Wagon and the Wheels. My piano player friend turned me on to the Keene Brothers. I have a lot of musician friends so I love all music. Floyd, Zepplin, Deep Purple, Sammy Hagar and sooo many more. I'll have to think on it a bit. Oh and good old fashion Bluegrass Doc Watson.

Jonny Come Lately
10-09-2016, 03:30 PM
Just thought I'd bump this thread because I was thinking about my music today. From next to nothing I've built up a reasonably decent collection on CDs and MP3 files, mostly of classic rock music from about the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. As you probably know I've found quite a few big, big favourites - Eagles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepp, Neil Young and more.

Unfortunately, 2016 has been a bit of a 'dry' year for me in terms of discovering music that I love. With the exception of Bad Company and their debut album, I've not really found anything much that I really liked that wasn't by an artist I was already a fan of. I keep going back to my faves and as much as I love them, I'd really like to broaden my horizons a bit more. So I was wondering if any of you have any music that you think I might really like and would recommend I give a listen?

I'll give a few pointers as to how I'm feeling right now in case this helps:

- I really want to expand my music collection 'out' rather than 'up' (i.e. add some more artists), so I'm not worried about further exploring the solo works of bands I already like right now. I've already got a few of them and I feel these can wait for the time being.

- There's probably enough threads in this section where I've talked about my music taste to give a flavour of what I already love. I don't think there's any one sub genre that I love more than any other. In fact, I'd probably rather listen to something different from what I already love (albeit probably still in the rock world) than a 'lite' version of a favourite band.

- If I'm being honest, I wouldn't find it helpful to be recommended anything by The Beatles (I hear their songs very often - there are some I like but if I was a big fan I'd have known it by now), The Beach Boys (I have a decent compilation album which is enough for me) or U2 (I'm not a fan and get tired of their songs very quickly).

- I'd probably prefer to be recommended individual songs rather than albums, although I'd be happy to be pointed towards either.

I apologise if this comes across as 'needy' or anything like that, I just really want to explore some really good music and I thought I'd be better off asking my friends on The Border for recommendations rather than reading through yet another predictable critics' list or listening to classic rock stations on internet radio (where there's a good chance of one of my existing favourites coming up, which always ends up distracting me!).

Last of all I'd like to say thanks, I'd love nothing more than discovering some great stuff that is new to me!

(Also, if this is more appropriate somewhere else, I don't mind if it gets moved).

thelastresort
10-09-2016, 03:40 PM
If you're after something comparable to early Eagles and Poco, I'd recommend Pure Prairie League or The Outlaws. I'd recommend Kansas City Southern and Girl from Ohio respectively if you want a taster.

Of course, I'm more than happy to sit here all night and recommend heavy metal bands, but I'm not sure if you're into that ;)

NightMistBlue
10-09-2016, 05:58 PM
Jonny, are you an appreciator of guitar? I wonder if you would like Jeff Beck's jazz fusion period. I'll post a YouTube clip of Jeff's "There and Back" album; his pyrotechnics on "Star Cycle" are astonishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfbNve6eJOM

WS82Classics
10-09-2016, 06:40 PM
If you want a band that bridges Beatles and Pink Floyd sounds, then the Alan Parsons Project is a great one to discover(I'll be starting a thread on them sometime in the next couple of days).

Would certainly recommend acts like the Allman Brothers Band, Cream, ELP, Foghat, Grand Funk Railroad, Steely Dan, and Tom Petty if you haven't gotten into them already.

Eagles-related bands-wise, the Souther/Hillman/Furay Band might be a good one to look into. Alternative-wise, Green on Red, an REM-era band which fuses together the sounds of the Kinks and 60's Pop music, is a must.

If you're into aural soundscapes, then Focus, Harry Nilsson, Thunderclap Newman, and Traffic are good ones to check into.

I will give a recommendation to blues rockers Dave Edmunds, Rare Earth, Ten Years After, and the Yardbirds, hard rockers the Amboy Dukes, Argent, the Baker/Gurvitz Army, Golden Earring, Humble Pie/Steve Marriott, Rainbow, and Rick Derringer, as well as progressive, psychedelic rockers Jethro Tull, the Moody Blues, Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter, Procol Harum/Robin Trower, and Uriah Heep.

Hope this helps. I'm admittedly shooting blind on this, as I'm unsure as to what you've NOT heard.

MortSahlFan
10-10-2016, 09:37 AM
Very happy to hear Supertramp on here. They are not only one of my favorite bands, but I think they are the most overrated. No drug issues, relationship bombshells, hotel smashing - it was just about the music. Even bands that I love (Led Zeppelin for example) got most of the attention for EVERYTHING except the music. Groupies, baby sharks, drunkenness, violence, etc..

ELO is another band that stands on their own.. I also like Alan Parsons.

Pink Floyd is my favorite group - I like the 70s stuff, don't care much for the first and last couple albums, though "Endless River" had some nice stuff - the instrumental stuff. But the two albums before were brutal - they were at their best when Roger Waters was leading the band.

The Doors will always be a favorite band. But if you've heard them (or bands like Zeppelin, Who, Stones) millions of times, it's more fun to hear stuff you either haven't heard in a long time, or things from the 60s and 70s that were overlooked... "Achilles Last Stand" is definitely my favorite Zep song, I also love "Ten Years Gone".

I also loved the Fleetwood Mac lineups. I didn't care for the very beginning, 12-bar blues shuffles. But when Danny Kirwan joined the band, they did some great stuff with Peter Green at the helm. If you guys have a few minutes, check out a few Buckingham-Nicks songs (youtube) - "Long Distance Winner" and "Frozen Love".

America is a fine band, with some really great songs, some of the best harmonies.

One thing I've done in the recent past was to use other message boards, since we have people from every country, and I'd always ask for their best native stuff from the 60s and 70s - even found some South American progressive rock. I'll list a few non-English songs, all on Youtube.

Fairuz - Al Bosta
Arco Iris - La Cancion De Nahuel
Mediterranean Sundance - Al Di Meola
Kebnekajse Leksands - Brudmarsch
Karelia - Kerimaki Beat
Erkin Yoray - Yagmur

NightMistBlue
10-10-2016, 10:33 AM
Even bands that I love (Led Zeppelin for example) got most of the attention for EVERYTHING except the music. Groupies, baby sharks, drunkenness, violence, etc..

That's not their fault though, I hope you'd agree? They never promoted that image, as far as I can tell, and would have vastly preferred to be known, overall, for their music. There's an NPR interview with Jimmy from a few years ago, where (though he's unfailingly polite and a gent) you can tell he's peeved and frustrated to be asked the typical "sex, drugs and mayhem" questions.

UndertheWire
10-10-2016, 03:23 PM
For something a little different, you could try Alain Stivell. He's a Breton folk musician, most famous for playing the celtic harp. There's quite a lot on youtube, so you can sample before buying.

MortSahlFan
10-10-2016, 04:50 PM
That's not their fault though, I hope you'd agree? They never promoted that image, as far as I can tell, and would have vastly preferred to be known, overall, for their music. There's an NPR interview with Jimmy from a few years ago, where (though he's unfailingly polite and a gent) you can tell he's peeved and frustrated to be asked the typical "sex, drugs and mayhem" questions.

Agree 100% - it's the fault of the media and the system in general.

Jonny Come Lately
10-10-2016, 06:46 PM
Thanks for all the recommendations so far! Will try to check out as many of these as possible, I haven't got time to say much more now as it is quite late here but I'll reply in more detail when I get the chance. Cheers! :cheers:

UndertheWire
10-11-2016, 07:04 AM
JCL, I've just reread your list and it doesn't include Cream. That's probably just an ommission as they are such an obvious choice. My favourite album would be Disraeli Gears and favourite song, "Sunshine of Your Love".

MortSahlFan
10-11-2016, 12:32 PM
Paul McCartney & Wings - Old Siam, Sir (lots of Paul fans I know don't know this great song with this great riff)

John Lennon - Out The Blue, Bless You (Lennon thinks the Stones 'borrowed' the riff, sped it up to create "Miss You" which he said he likes, and that no one owns music)... There's also a lot of unreleased songs you can find online. "My Life" being a really good one.

I know there are some Pink Floyd fans - check out Rick Wright's first solo album. I also love Roger Waters' "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking"

Freypower
10-11-2016, 06:18 PM
JCL, I've just reread your list and it doesn't include Cream. That's probably just an ommission as they are such an obvious choice. My favourite album would be Disraeli Gears and favourite song, "Sunshine of Your Love".

WS started a topic on Cream further down the page.

Jonny Come Lately
10-11-2016, 06:49 PM
Just wanted to reply as much as possible to those who’ve come up with suggestions so far. Thank you for doing this!

tlr: Thanks for those two song suggestions. I really like the Pure Prairie League song you posted – really reminds me of the spirit of early Eagles, which is a great thing. Interestingly I noticed it was written by Gene Clark. I gave a listen to his version too, although I prefer the PPL version. The Outlaws track was decent too, but I was impressed more with Kansas City Southern. As for heavy metal, the heaviest album (and closest to metal) I’ve got to date is Deep Purple In Rock (an album which has ‘rock’ in the title… :lol:) so throwing around lots of metal bands probably won’t mean much to me.

NMB: Just listened to the Jeff Beck track you posted. I must admit I think that style of music is slightly outside my normal taste, but the guitar work is excellent for sure.

UtW: This Alain Stivell guy sounds quite different! I’ll try and give his music a listen at some point, although I'll probably want to listen to some of the rock artists mentioned first.

I think I’ll probably start off by exploring Cream’s music, as I notice they’ve been mentioned more than once. I know and like Sunshine Of Your Love, but am not really familiar with their other songs. I get the sense Disraeli Gears is probably the best starting point for them. (If you don’t mind me asking, which list did you check? Just me being dim-witted I suspect).

WS82: For the first set of bands you mention, here is a rough but honest guide to how much I know about each and which works I know.

. Alan Parsons Project – I’m familiar with Parsons himself through his work with Pink Floyd in the Dark Side era, but not with his band although I’ve heard the name before.
. The Allman Brothers Band – The only one that I own a full album by, as I have Brothers & Sisters. Overall I think it’s not bad by any means, but only 2-3 of the tracks really appeal to me. However I have since become aware that this was recorded after Duane’s death so I probably need to listen to the band’s work while he was around.
. Cream – Addressed previously (although I did notice you posted some songs in their thread. Think I’ll check them out).
. ELP – I know who they are and that they’re a progressive band but I’ve not really listened to them (having said this, Lake’s I Believe In Father Christmas is one of my favourite Christmas songs, if that’s of any use in finding a good starting point).
. Foghat – I definitely remember hearing Slow Ride on a classic rock channel a couple of years ago, which I thought was pretty decent. Not really heard anything else by them though.
. Grand Funk Railroad – Honestly know nothing about them and wouldn’t be able to name a single song off the top of my head.
. Steely Dan – I have two songs on my iPod – Reeling In The Years and Dirty Work, although my parents own the Then And Now compilation album. Really ought to give that another listen.
. Tom Petty – Another where I know who he is and who his band are, but I’d struggle to name one of his albums. Definitely need to check his stuff out though, especially as I’m quite a fan of Mike Campbell’s work with Don H.

I won’t go into detail for the others you mention, as for one thing there are some names that are new to me and the other is that you mentioned quite a lot of artists. Thank you for such a long list, looks like there’s plenty there to discover.

I probably need to use some kind of music cataloguing website where I can keep a record of what’s in my collection which would enable me to update it when I made new additions (message boards just aren’t good places for that sort of thing). I think that would make it a bit clearer what I do and don’t have, giving a better indication of what I’m familiar with.

Annoying Twit
10-11-2016, 07:43 PM
I know there are some Pink Floyd fans - check out Rick Wright's first solo album. I also love Roger Waters' "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking"

I really like Rick's "Wet Dream". Subtle, but good. It's a pity Rick didn't get many tracks on PF albums during that era.

MortSahlFan
10-12-2016, 08:01 AM
I really like Rick's "Wet Dream". Subtle, but good. It's a pity Rick didn't get many tracks on PF albums during that era.

I'm guessing Roger Waters wasn't happy doing most of the work, while all the others saved their music ideas for their solo albums. I know Roger Waters liked some of the songs from his album, probably thought "I could have made this better with some lyrics" as most of Rick's songs were instrumental, and the lyrics on a few songs are pretty weak...

Annoying Twit
10-12-2016, 10:28 AM
I'm guessing Roger Waters wasn't happy doing most of the work, while all the others saved their music ideas for their solo albums. I know Roger Waters liked some of the songs from his album, probably thought "I could have made this better with some lyrics" as most of Rick's songs were instrumental, and the lyrics on a few songs are pretty weak...

Roger did mention that Rick hadn't bought those ideas to him, and said that there were a 'few things' that he would have used. I preferred Pink Floyd when it wasn't a few others bringing 'chord progressions' to him. Democracy > Dictatorship.

UndertheWire
10-12-2016, 12:52 PM
JCL, by list I just meant "Eagles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepp, Neil Young and more". My sister had "Disraeli Gears" and I remember liking most of it.

NightMistBlue
10-12-2016, 01:31 PM
Jonny, I may be wide of the mark here but for some reason I've felt compelled to suggest Leonard Cohen for you. I don't know why.

I think he's a love 'em or hate 'em kind of choice. My friend thinks he cannot sing, and has been mocking her husband for years because he's a fan.

Then one day I heard "Suzanne" and the world went still. Such a beautiful song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svitEEpI07E

MortSahlFan
10-12-2016, 04:40 PM
Roger did mention that Rick hadn't bought those ideas to him, and said that there were a 'few things' that he would have used. I preferred Pink Floyd when it wasn't a few others bringing 'chord progressions' to him. Democracy > Dictatorship.

Pink Floyd was at their best when Roger Waters was the dictator.. David Gilmour on many, many occasions has said he's very lazy. He's also mentioned that most of the stuff on record was stuff he'd fiddle around with, and then Roger would build an idea, write chords, lyrics... The two contributions of "Wish You Were Here" album was the 5-note riff.. "Shine on..." came about the haunting 4-note guitar riff.

I think the other three guys had it made. When Roger left, the band didn't write anything great, even with the 12 writers on staff and all the session guys.

As for Steely Dan, check out the following songs:
-Don't Take Me Alive
-Kind Spirit
-The Bear
-This All Too Mobile Home

Jonny Come Lately
10-12-2016, 06:46 PM
JCL, by list I just meant "Eagles, Pink Floyd, Led Zepp, Neil Young and more". My sister had "Disraeli Gears" and I remember liking most of it.

Ah, thanks, just wanted to check as I've done other, much more detailed lists elsewhere on this section. I think it's quite generous to describe that as a list! I've given Disraeli Gears a listen, and I like it quite a bit. Favourites so far are probably Sunshine Of Your Love and Strange Brew, although I like everything except Mother's Lament (although that pretty obviously isn't representative of their music, and at least it is reasonably short).

NMB, your comments about your friend remind me a lot of the conversations I have with people about Bob Dylan! :hilarious: I don't seem to mind some of the more controversial vocalists, so yes, I think I'd probably enjoy Leonard Cohen, probably not as instantly as with some artists but I can imagine his stuff growing on me.

I agree that democracy was better than dictatorship for Pink Floyd. Just look at what they allowed to make it onto A Momentary Lapse Of Reason after David took over the band. :twisted: If the band had been more democratic some of the worst stuff could have been left off! :wink: Seriously though, I agree that Pink Floyd's best music was definitely when Roger was leading the band's direction and writing all the lyrics. I think the balance they had in the Dark Side and Wish You Were Here era was absolutely perfect, with David and Rick helping to bring Roger's concepts to life with their superior musicianship. Having said that, there are moments in The Wall (mainly on disc two) when it does border on 'The Roger Waters Show', but Animals (which is one of their top three albums IMO) is a different matter - that's totally a Pink Floyd album in my mind, even if Roger was more dominant than on Dark Side or Wish. I couldn't imagine that record without Rick's keyboards and even more so David's guitar work. I have to admit I'm fond of The Division Bell, much more so than Momentary Lapse, although I'll concede it has its fair share of lyrical foibles and it does feel at times that the songs are secondary to David's next guitar solo... I absolutely love High Hopes though.