Westward Ho!, Devon, England Superthread

[phanan]

One early version began with Some Like It Hot, but it didn't work out the way I thought it would, so it was shelved.

I don't think Power Station was really new wave, anyway. They were more straight ahead rock.

 

[LemonMelon]

I agree with you. The things that bother me are that some punk bands get so much praise for doing so little and that punk is talked about by the media as this revolutionary thing while they rarely talk about prog rock.

I agree that the media treats prog rock unfairly. The amount of great melodies that were concocted during that period was unreal, even if you have to occasionally apply patience and discipline to unearth them. That's the kind of thing any good critic should praise.

 

[phanan]

I agree with you. The things that bother me are that some punk bands get so much praise for doing so little and that punk is talked about by the media as this revolutionary thing while they rarely talk about prog rock.

I think punk deserves the recognition, but I also agree that prog rarely gets the same accolades and should.

 

[Screwtape2]

Sometimes the simplest of sounds turn out pretty good.

All those songs from the 50's and early 60's were simple. Sometimes just three chords produces magic in its own right.

Let me use this analogy, for the most part that was before music became really advanced it was like the time before the forward pass in football was invented. Afterwards it doesn't make sense to use the forward pass instead of running all the time. I hope that makes sense but I don't think it actually does.

 

[LemonMelon]

pot, meet kettle

00's is the worst decade of popular music so far. The 80's had a rocky period at the start, but still had lots of wonderful music.

 

[phanan]

Let me use this analogy, for the most part that was before music became really advanced it was like the time before the forward pass in football was invented. Afterwards it doesn't make sense to use the forward pass instead of running all the time. I hope that makes sense but I don't think it actually does.

No, I understand what you mean. And that's precisely why punk came into play then. Some people were getting tired of the excess in rock, and decided to go back to basics.

Going back to basics happens a lot, not just in music. It's the circle of life.

Yes, I just quoted The Lion King.

 

[Screwtape2]

I agree that the media treats prog rock unfairly. The amount of great melodies that were concocted during that period was unreal, even if you have to occasionally apply patience and discipline to unearth them. That's the kind of thing any good critic should praise.

Don't you and Phanan find it frustrating that The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Ramones are more highly regarded then these great prog rock bands? That they are talked about on the same level as the great bands?

 

[Lila64]

60s, 70s, and 80s music



BTW, you don't see many prog bands in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They are always overlooked (Genesis, Yes, Rush,...)

 

[phanan]

Don't you and Phanan find it frustrating that The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Ramones are more highly regarded then these great prog rock bands? That they are talked about on the same level as the great bands?

As I said, the great prog rock bands most definitely should get the same recognition. Absolutely. I get very frustrated when the likes of Yes can't get into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, no matter how much of a joke it is.

Doesn't mean that punk doesn't deserve any, though.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

One early version began with Some Like It Hot, but it didn't work out the way I thought it would, so it was shelved.

I don't think Power Station was really new wave, anyway. They were more straight ahead rock.

yeah, i agree. if i were to use any sister project of theirs, it'd have to be arcadia. anything else wouldn't fit.

 

[phanan]

yeah, i agree. if i were to use any sister project of theirs, it'd have to be arcadia. anything else wouldn't fit.

Yeah, Arcadia would work.

 

[Screwtape2]

60s, 70s, and 80s music



BTW, you don't see many prog bands in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They are always overlooked (Genesis, Yes, Rush,...)

There was actually a discussion about this a few months ago. It has everything to do with the head of Rolling Stone and the people he hires having a major bias against progressive music.

 

[LemonMelon]

Don't you and Phanan find it frustrating that The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Ramones are more highly regarded then these great prog rock bands? That they are talked about on the same level as the great bands?

I personally think the Sex Pistols suck. Objectively and subjectively. The Clash were probably the most talented punk group of their era (besides some CBGBs bands like Television that were influenced by this punk sound and were absolutely unreal), and The Ramones, while nothing special objectively, are a lot of fun. Punk isn't really my thing, but the latter two deserve the accolades.

Of course, so do Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, and countless other prog rock groups that are spit on these days.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

00's is the worst decade of popular music so far. The 80's had a rocky period at the start, but still had lots of wonderful music.

i love early 80s! to each their own.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

Yeah, Arcadia would work.

yeah. i don't plan on using them though. to have two related groups on an 80 minute cd seems like overkill for me.

 

[phanan]

There was actually a discussion about this a few months ago. It has everything to do with the head of Rolling Stone and the people he hires having a major bias against progressive music.

Jan Wenner, I believe. Big time asshole.

 

[phanan]

Ok, I gotta get out of here for a while.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

I personally think the Sex Pistols suck. Objectively and subjectively. The Clash were probably the most talented punk group of their era (besides some CBGBs bands like Television that were influenced by this punk sound and were absolutely unreal), and The Ramones, while nothing special objectively, are a lot of fun. Punk isn't really my thing, but the latter two deserve the accolades.

Of course, so do Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, and countless other prog rock groups that are spit on these days.

i totally agree with this. the sex pistols are like the boy band of punk to me. they didn't pioneer anything, they just lucked out and got popular. had they not used such shock tactics and shit, they wouldn't be remembered at all. oh well.

 

[Screwtape2]

As I said, the great prog rock bands most definitely should get the same recognition. Absolutely. I get very frustrated when the likes of Yes can't get into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, no matter how much of a joke it is.

Doesn't mean that punk doesn't deserve any, though.

I don't see the contribution to music that punk artists made.

 

[LemonMelon]

I don't see the contribution to music that punk artists made.

Accessibility is everything. Bands like the Ramones and the artists that they were contemporaries with may not have been genius musicians, but they put the power back into the hands of the everyman, and that's a big deal. Myspace is doing the same thing today. It doesn't mean the music is all great, but it's still something that should be applauded.

 

[Screwtape2]

I find the deconstruction of punk to be the more important moment in music. Having artists like The Police, U2, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure and others take the punk energy but do something creative with it started something really new.

 

[LemonMelon]

I find the deconstruction of punk to be the more important moment in music. Having artists like The Police, U2, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure and others take the punk energy but do something creative with it started something really new.

But where would those artists be without punk's existence in the first place?

There's your answer.

 

[Screwtape2]

Accessibility is everything. Bands like the Ramones and the artists that they were contemporaries with may not have been genius musicians, but they put the power back into the hands of the everyman, and that's a big deal. Myspace is doing the same thing today. It doesn't mean the music is all great, but it's still something that should be applauded.

I agree with that but musically they didn't add anything.

 

[Screwtape2]

But where would those artists be without punk's existence in the first place?

There's your answer.

It was a rebellion against punk. Just as some artists rebel against sluty female pop. That doesn't mean sluty female pop was important just that it was terrible.

 

[LemonMelon]

It was a rebellion against punk.

No, it wasn't. Read U2 By U2 sometime; they thought punk was just fine and dandy.

 

[Screwtape2]

No, it wasn't. Read U2 By U2 sometime; they thought punk was just fine and dandy.

I mean rebellion in the sense that they broke all the rules and their creativity created something new. They created a whole new sound by going against the punk mold. They escaped to other genres and sounds.

 

[LemonMelon]

I mean rebellion in the sense that they broke all the rules and their creativity created something new. They created a whole new sound by going against the punk mold. They escaped to other genres and sounds.

Again, I think your interpretation insinuates more negativity towards punk than necessary, but I get where you're coming from. I think you had it right the first time; they took the punk energy and attitude they were familiar with, but slowed things down and wrote about less incendiary topics, creating a new and interesting sound.

 

[Screwtape2]

We'll agree to disagree about punk's impact on music.

 

[LemonMelon]

I don't think we're all that far off on this one. I can appreciate the impact, but not so much the music itself.

 

[Screwtape2]

LemonMelon, when you do shows with your band do you plan on doing some improvising like between songs just jam?