OT: ♫ The Music Thread ♫

[Ben Grimm]

Open Letter to NYC is one of the better rap songs about New York and showed that the Beastie Boys could write a good song being serious, not that I mind their comedy stuff.

Agreed. I got my Spotify report but didn't like it. I didn't spend enough time listening to music and spent too much time listening to Classic Rock. That's gonna change. I got a digital book subscription service for Christmas, deleted my classic rock playlists, and made a new one of music from the last 25 years.

Pitchfork's reader's poll has the #1, #2, and #4 albums in the last 25 years coming from Radiohead. That seems a little biased to me, even for a reader's poll.

I know I'm not cool, but I don't like most of the groups I'm supposed to, and most of the 21st Century artists I like are women. As the original Fleetwood Mac sang in the song Oh Well "Don't ask me what I think of you, may not give the answer that you want me to".

 

[DialUp]

Pitchfork's reader's poll has the #1, #2, and #4 albums in the last 25 years coming from Radiohead. That seems a little biased to me, even for a reader's poll.

I have discovered a ton of great stuff off of Pitchforks lists, but their Radiohead and Solange(!) fetishes are ridiculous

 

[Roo Returns]

I have discovered a ton of great stuff off of Pitchforks lists, but their Radiohead and Solange(!) fetishes are ridiculous

They're the Pierre Maguire of music journalism.

 

[Roo Returns]

They're a band that's so iconic, it's become trendy to hate them. Just like the Beatles, f***ing come at me. I've had it up to here with Becky's and Sara's who don't think The Beatles are any good.

I digress.

Whether you like them or not, they're objectively fantastic musicians, and Keidis has rockstar swagger from a bygone era.

I totally disagree with anybody who says it all sounds the same. They've had a tremendous amount of progression over the years without (mostly) jumping the shark and sounding like a different band. It's a nice middle ground that's hard to achieve.

Sure, I'll concede that there's a vibe. 90% of my RHCP listening is in warm weather. That's fine. Every band has a character. Saying RHCP should lay off the summer vibe is like saying The Black Dahlia Murder should lay off murder. That's what the f***ing band is.

It also must be said that RHCP's music is generally not my genre. I'm a metalhead. You've got to be pretty decent to reside in my non-metal catalogue and all the bands that do are all-time greats.

I don't get The Beatles hate. It's so dumb. Contrarianism. Every year I see more and more garbage on FaceBook and Instagram trying to retcon music history.

It's funny you associate RHCP with summer and being chill. I'd say that's definitely the By The Way to present of their career aka when they've already been icons.

One Hot Minute is a very dark album. There's a lot of dark moments on their first four records as well.

If you haven't listened to Uplift or Mother's Milk, those are by far the most metal albums RHCP did. A lot had to do with Michael Beinhorn from Material (Whitney Houston got her start singing with them 40 years ago) and making the guitars louder and heavier. Frusciante and Beinhorn had a lot of issues during the recording of Mother's Milk. It's a shame because I love that sounds and it's the most explosive album they've made.

My main issue with RHCP as I said above, is they're too comfortable with Rick Rubin as a producer (I love his work from the 1980s-2006 but he's not really an innovative producer anymore). You see them live and they can still bring it, but they've tried to become these pop songwriters the last twenty years (since By The Way). I wish they'd get like a Jim O'Rouke, Pharrell, St. Vincent, just someone who interprets music different from Rick Rubin and can really challenge them in a new way. Danger Mouse did that somewhat on The Getaway.

 

[Machinehead]

I don't get The Beatles hate. It's so dumb. Contrarianism. Every year I see more and more garbage on FaceBook and Instagram trying to retcon music history.

It's funny you associate RHCP with summer and being chill. I'd say that's definitely the By The Way to present of their career aka when they've already been icons.

One Hot Minute is a very dark album. There's a lot of dark moments on their first four records as well.

If you haven't listened to Uplift or Mother's Milk, those are by far the most metal albums RHCP did. A lot had to do with Michael Beinhorn from Material (Whitney Houston got her start singing with them 40 years ago) and making the guitars louder and heavier. Frusciante and Beinhorn had a lot of issues during the recording of Mother's Milk. It's a shame because I love that sounds and it's the most explosive album they've made.

My main issue with RHCP as I said above, is they're too comfortable with Rick Rubin as a producer (I love his work from the 1980s-2006 but he's not really an innovative producer anymore). You see them live and they can still bring it, but they've tried to become these pop songwriters the last twenty years (since By The Way). I wish they'd get like a Jim O'Rouke, Pharrell, St. Vincent, just someone who interprets music different from Rick Rubin and can really challenge them in a new way. Danger Mouse did that somewhat on The Getaway.

Well I'm 31 so By The Way and Californication was my start and I have a childhood association with those albums being on the radio in the summertime. And then I kinda go from there into the rest of the catalogue.

I definitely agree about One Hot Minute and I think it's an album that gets overlooked by mainstream fans. The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is also a favorite.

I would love to see them do an old school, darker/funk album now just to hear what it sounds like with their experience and modern production.

The Getaway flirted with it and that's my favorite modern era album of theirs.

It depends on your perspective. It's one thing if a fan says "I would like to hear a different approach with a new producer" versus #SomeGuy on Facebook saying they should lay off successful tropes because he and he alone doesn't like them.

 

[Roo Returns]

Well I'm 31 so By The Way and Californication was my start and I have a childhood association with those albums being on the radio in the summertime. And then I kinda go from there into the rest of the catalogue.

I definitely agree about One Hot Minute and I think it's an album that gets overlooked by mainstream fans. The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is also a favorite.

I would love to see them do an old school, darker/funk album now just to hear what it sounds like with their experience and modern production.

The Getaway flirted with it and that's my favorite modern era album of theirs.

It depends on your perspective. It's one thing if a fan says "I would like to hear a different approach with a new producer" versus #SomeGuy on Facebook saying they should lay off successful tropes because he and he alone doesn't like them.

It's definitely the most interesting/best of the two with Klinghoffer and a lot has to do with Danger Mouse who is a trained musician and has a different approach from Rick Rubin.

If you like Josh Klinghoffer, besides his solo stuff check out The Bicycle Thief album he did with Bob Forrest in the late 1990s/early 2000s. That's a wonderful record and he does some great stuff on guitar. I saw them and Foo Fighters play with RHCP in Baltimore in 2000. Top five show.

For the second bolded, I think what makes RHCP great and what got them to superstar status was their ability to change on every album. Uplift/Mother's Milk/BSSM/OHM/Cali/BTW all sounded very different. Of those even if you only take the ones the most well known/mainstream Kiedis/Flea/Frusciante/Smith lineup did, all different. SA/UL/ROTDC all sound very similar and that's what frustrating. Of the three, I'd say the latest Dream Canteen took the most risks and could have been a five star album and a little less monotonous if someone a little more musical than Rubin was producing.

I just don't think they're very challenged anymore and rely a little too much on pretty choruses, when they can at least go in a direction of being nastier/groovier/more instrumentals.

 

[Gordon Bombay]

I just don't think they're very challenged anymore and rely a little too much on pretty choruses, when they can at least go in a direction of being nastier/groovier/more instrumentals.

It doesn't seem like they want to be that. In spite of being fantastic musicians and creative, they rarely show that side.

I saw them twice one summer, and it was the exact set each time. Even the "jam" sessions were the same. It was a little disappointing knowing who and what they are.

I go through my phases with RHCP. Love them and then I can't hear a single song for a couple years. Frusciante is my favorite out of all the guitarists, hands down

 

[Machinehead]

It doesn't seem like they want to be that. In spite of being fantastic musicians and creative, they rarely show that side.

I saw them twice one summer, and it was the exact set each time. Even the "jam" sessions were the same. It was a little disappointing knowing who and what they are.

I go through my phases with RHCP. Love them and then I can't hear a single song for a couple years. Frusciante is my favorite out of all the guitarists, hands down

To be fair, if you see a band twice on the same tour, you're pretty much guaranteed to get the same show or close to the same show. Most bands don't rehearse a new show for each gig on the tour.

 

[Gordon Bombay]

To be fair, if you see a band twice on the same tour, you're pretty much guaranteed to get the same show or close to the same show. Most bands don't rehearse a new show for each gig on the tour.

I do agree, most bands play the same set. I guess I was just hoping a band as revered as them and having the extensive catalog that they have would switch it up a little. The improv jam session isn't so improv the 2nd time you hear it.

 

[Machinehead]

I do agree, most bands play the same set. I guess I was just hoping a band as revered as them and having the extensive catalog that they have would switch it up a little. The improv jam session isn't so improv the 2nd time you hear it.

That's true. If you're gonna "jam" then jam.

 

[GENESISPuck94]

I'm not special or edgy but my favorite album of all time is Hysteria by Def Leppard.

 

[Roo Returns]

I'm not special or edgy but my favorite album of all time is Hysteria by Def Leppard.

That's not a bad choice at all. Def Leppard were a cool band back in their day. Steve Clark is very underrated in the lexicon of guitarists.

 

[Roo Returns]

I do agree, most bands play the same set. I guess I was just hoping a band as revered as them and having the extensive catalog that they have would switch it up a little. The improv jam session isn't so improv the 2nd time you hear it.

Their setlists really started changing around Stadium Arcadium. Prior they'd play a lot more from the BSSM and sprinkle in some from the first four.

Now they sprinkle in from BSSM and maybe play one of Higher Ground/Nobody Weird Like Me/Me & My Friends.

I saw them live pretty much every tour and this past summer while the show was good, no surprises.

Even as you said, the jams are relatively basic to intermediate and timed which is different from even the early 2000s. It's open the show jamming in open-E, the one they do before Californication, and the reggae pre-outro to Give It Away.

If they're happy doing that, fine. I'm not complaining I just have very high standards for them and will probably not catch the next tour of stadiums this upcoming summer.

 

[GENESISPuck94]

That's not a bad choice at all. Def Leppard were a cool band back in their day. Steve Clark is very underrated in the lexicon of guitarists.

Agree! Steve Clark is my favorite musician of all time. He was very underrated. I compare him to like Cliff Burton where his writing was supremely important to Metallica's success. As was Steve Clark's to Def Leppard. And another one we lost too young.

 

[haohmaru]

Peter Gabriel released a "single" from his first new original material in 20 years. I can't believe it finally happened lol. Looking forward to the rest of it.

 

[cwede]

RIP Jeff Beck

 

[Roo Returns]

Peter Gabriel released a "single" from his first new original material in 20 years. I can't believe it finally happened lol. Looking forward to the rest of it.

Not bad. A little soft but he is in his 70s now.

It has Tony Levin on bass who has been a fairly consistent contributor for Peter Gabriel since 1976. That's always a good thing.

So far it's officially turning into the "I'm old" year. All of the festivals have pretty underwhelming lineups. Zero interest.

To be fair though, there was an overload last year for concerts with everyone playing catchup.

 

[UnSandvich]

Clutch will be going on tour, playing the Paramount in May. Anyone else planning on going?

 

[Roo Returns]

Clutch will be going on tour, playing the Paramount in May. Anyone else planning on going?

They're fun live. I saw them twice including once at The Paramount in 2016 with LOG.

They have almost like a jam band aesthetic where they're always on the road. Surprised they don't us more of the "how could you miss us if we don't go away?" model even for 2-3 years.

 

[cwede]

R.I.P David Crosby

 

[UnSandvich]

 

[Leonardo87]

The song Machinehead came on my music shuffle this morning driving to work, thought of @Machinehead . lol. Great song, my band used to cover it a couple of years ago till we decided to focus more on original material.

 

[Machinehead]

The song Machinehead came on my music shuffle this morning driving to work, thought of @Machinehead . lol. Great song, my band used to cover it a couple of years ago till we decided to focus more on original material.

That's where I got the name from!

I'm a huge fan of the band Machine Head (mind the gap) but the name comes from the song.

I just heard the song and thought it would be a cool name for Xbox Live. That's the story. This is back in '07. I've been Machinehead on every platform since.

 

[Machinehead]

Fantastic.

I quite enjoy Dire Straits even though I'm a metal guy.

 

[Leonardo87]

That's where I got the name from!

I'm a huge fan of the band Machine Head (mind the gap) but the name comes from the song.

I just heard the song and thought it would be a cool name for Xbox Live. That's the story. This is back in '07. I've been Machinehead on every platform since.

I wasn't sure if that is where you got it from. lol. But yeah my band used to play it, was fun to play live, usually opened one of our sets with it.