Bands and albums

[crfriend]

Dang, this thread has touched on some really good stuff.

I've been a classical fan for ages, and much of that is truly hard to beat. Whether it's Beethoven and Consecration of the House or Brahms and his Academic Festival Overture, or Sibelius' Karelia Suite (which darned near got me into trouble a couple of decades back). Or Copland's immortal Fanfare for the Common Man. So there's the backstory.

That said, I've always been drawn to Electronica as well because of my love for electronics and computers, and got a darned good introduction to it from Mike Oldfield (mostly his long-format stuff), Jean-Michele Jarre, Kraftwerk, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream. Tangerine Dream's sequencer-driven music is some of my best music to listen to when thinking about problems because the pacing helps me to organise my mind.

A good bit of 1960's and '70s rock was pretty darned good as well -- and even some of the '80s stuff has held up well. I'm also a big fan of ABBA and was absolutely delighted when they released Voyage a couple of years ago.

So, much of my life has a soundtrack to it, and it's one I keep close at hand -- electronically, of course!

[DrFishnets]

That said, I've always been drawn to Electronica as well because of my love for electronics and computers, and got a darned good introduction to it from Mike Oldfield (mostly his long-format stuff), Jean-Michele Jarre, Kraftwerk, Vangelis, and Tangerine Dream. Tangerine Dream's sequencer-driven music is some of my best music to listen to when thinking about problems because the pacing helps me to organise my mind.

Even though I love electronic music I hate computers and don’t get me started with AI. Don’t get me wrong I know my way around a computer and help family and friends with any computer issues they have but I still hate computers. I don’t mind using them for music and video production but anything else I don’t like.

As I’ve mentioned on this thread I’m a big fan of electronic music as I am a synth programmer and hobbyist electronic musician. Jarre, Kraftwerk, Vangelis and Tangerine Dream are prized possessions in my CD collection. I’d say 1980s synth music, funk, progressive rock and RnB are my favourite styles of music.

[Ozdelights]

I like too many styles of music to try and list them without leaving out something important. So I'll go against the grain and say that electronic music is not included in my likes. I like the intricacies in music so classical can appeal. I like to not just hear the note and harmonics but also the collateral sounds of the instrument. I grew up on rock & roll but now appreciate soul and r&b especially with brass included. I like my music to tell a story, truly have meaning not just words that fit together. I am finding a lot of new music releases that I enjoy. Never too old?

[FranTastic444]

My musical tastes have somewhat shifted over the last half century.

Approaching and into my early teens I knocked about with some older kids who were all about what was then known as "heavy metal". I still have a certain affinity for AC-DC and Maiden if I hear them on tv or in a film. Late teens and into my late 20's I became somewhat of an indy kid. Smiths in particular, but also WonderStuff, James, Carter USM, PWEI and the like. In an adjacent category, I also liked New Order, Radiohead, Depeche Mode and, though I wouldn't publicise it at the time, I could also happily listen to some more mainstream artists that made use of newfangled "electronic" technology - Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, Yazoo (Vince Clarke connection), Bronski Beat, Human League et al.

30's and 40's I turned my attention to singer songwriters. Standouts include Richard Thompson, Thea Gilmore, Laura Marling. I was also a very early follower of Florence Welch / Florence + the Machine. It was during this period that I also found the music of Nick Drake.

In my early 40's I moved from the UK to the US and this also coincided with me making a lot more use of Spotify (a relative was one of the first employees of the company, so we were very early adopters). I've always had this mindset of not really being too interested in what is propping up the charts and being more interested in genuine talent producing interesting content that is never going to sell in large enough volumes to trouble the mainstream. Having free access to so many different genres has led me to listen to a whole load of music that I would never have heard on the radio and would never have purchased speculatively (btw, I do support artists that I particularly like through merch purchases or concert attendance).

Right now, my musical taste is heavily geared to female singers (too many to list). I have found that I have a penchant for a particular sub-genre of Country / Country pop - that of the (usually) progressive, female artist. Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Brandi Carlisle as examples. I will now even openly embrace mainstream and I like some of the stuff that Taylor Swift and Beyonce have done!

My most recent find, and something that I'm absolutely playing to death, is the music of Reina del Cid / Elle Cordova. Elle and Toni put out a lot of YouTube content and I can spend hours working through their videos.

My idea of a good album is one that you can put on and listen to end to end without skipping any tracks. With this in mind -

1. When in Rome by Penguin Cafe Orchestra. I have introduced this album and band to so many people. Particularly for those of you on here who have expressed a preference for "classical music", give this one a try.
2. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
3. Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
4. Singles – 45's and Under by Squeeze. Ok, this is a bit of a cheat as it is a compilation but I'll include it hear as it brings back so many memories of a school field trip in my late teens. I saw the band live a few years ago and came to the conclusion that with the exception of Hourglass, every other track in their back catalog that doesn't appear on this album is absolutely pants
5. A Treasury by Nick Drake. Also another compilation!

[Uncle Al]

Even though I no longer have the ticket stubs, I can proudly say that I attended
a concert in college, with my wife. The main artist was none other than
"Elvis Presley"
We were in "the nose bleed" section, 5th row down from the top of the venue.
But, it was worth it

Uncle Al

[crfriend]

Even though I love electronic music I hate computers and don’t get me started with AI. Don’t get me wrong I know my way around a computer and help family and friends with any computer issues they have but I still hate computers. I don’t mind using them for music and video production but anything else I don’t like.

This is precisely where most new-thinking folks go horribly, horribly wrong with me. Yes, I work with computers, but my background is in hardware that dates to the day of discrete components (you know -- transistors, diodes, capacitors, and resistors) and drew to a close when TTL exited the landscape and everything turned to the microprocessor. Note the most recent photograph of me next to a 50-year old specimen -- that's my forte, and that's where frequency, cadence, and symmetry are very useful, all of which are present in much electronica.

As I’ve mentioned on this thread I’m a big fan of electronic music as I am a synth programmer and hobbyist electronic musician. Jarre, Kraftwerk, Vangelis and Tangerine Dream are prized possessions in my CD collection. I’d say 1980s synth music, funk, progressive rock and RnB are my favourite styles of music.

I started off as a clarinet player, learnt oboe later, bowed psaltery later still, and have dabbled in keyboards including analogue synthesizers. All prepped me nicely with things and concepts that were extraordinarily helpful in Computer Science (back when it was vastly more than one semester of coding in the latest fad language).

An hilarious side-note here. One of my favourite architectures in the Data General NOVA. One of the signal controls in its clock circuitry is called "stutter" -- the effect is (visually) similar to ragtime, which I also adore.

There's a fair amount of stuff I also detest. For instance, the only "artist" to have been permanently banned form being reproduced on my high-end kit was Jimi Hendrix. Utter garbage. I'd rather listen to engine knock or fan noise.

[moonshadow]

I really like songs I can relate to, songs with meaning, where I can feel the singer/artist touch my soul.

A few that come to mind of late,

Almost anything from Harry Chapin
Johnny Cash - Hurt (that one his really close to home recently)
Johnny Cash's version of "One"
Metallica- Unforgiven

[FranTastic444]

Johnny Cash - Hurt (that one his really close to home recently)
Johnny Cash's version of "One"

Interesting that you picked out two Cash songs that were cover versions from his albums American III and American IV. Regarding Hurt, I think this is one of those tracks where the video greatly adds to the song performance. Another example that springs to mind is Sinéad O'Connor's cover of Nothing Compares 2 U.

[FranTastic444]

I missed Over the Rhine from my last post! They have this annoying habit of including one or two tracks on an album that I don't care for (thus failing my test of a great album being one that you can play end to end without skipping any of the material). They do however have a lot of quality content across their large back catologue.

I've been listening to Elle and Toni this morning as I've been working on my pc. Here is a great Billy Joel cover (Vienna).

Sights and Sounds of London Town by Richard Thompson. I like to think of this track as his response to hearing Streets of London by Ralph McTell.

When in Rome can be listened to here via YouTube. Here is the Wiki page for the band. Many people find that they have heard their music before through use in adverts, films / tv as well as cropping up as filler / background music on radio (particularly BBC and NPR).

In terms of more recent bands that make use of synths / electronica , I've enjoyed listening to the likes of LaRoux, Basement Jaxx, Disclosure, Rudimental, London Grammar, Ms Mr, Chvrches, Daft Punk, Moby, Arthur Beatrice, Koop, Jack Garratt.

[moonshadow]

Regarding Hurt, I think this is one of those tracks where the video greatly adds to the song performance.

Indeed. I love the video.

Still struggle to get through it without crying. The lyric "You can have it all... my empire of dirt", man, that cuts right through me. It expresses my situation time and time again for as long as I've been alive. I've had to start over so many times in my life, I've had so many people come after me for blood over the years. It's the reason I'm here on the west coast. The last straw broke last year. We sold/gave away practically everything we own, and left.

It's kinda funny... more people here on SkirtCafe know of my whereabouts than my own [extended] family and [so called] "friends". Between my new legal name and the fact that we are under no lease, no utilities are in our name, even my cell phone is just an untrackable Straight Talk phone.

Yep... we're off the grid, and I'm okay with this. And so far, I've resisted the urge to "rebuild", "storing up my treasures on Earth" hasn't worked out for me so well... Gonna try a new strategy, and the only goal is happiness and peace.

[Myopic Bookworm]

Bloody hell. You’re me (or I’m you)! A huge correlation with my musical tastes!

I forgot to mention Dire Straits: just been listening to some.

[Uncle Al]

OK, I'll date my self with an 'old' spectrum of music appreciation.

Part of my list
Glenn Miller, The Dorsey Brothers, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman,
Lawrence Welk, Guy Lombardo & The Royal Canadians, John Williams with
The Boston Pops, "Hooked on Classics", "Hooked on Swing", "Doc" Severinson with
the NBC Tonight Show band, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Dean, Tennessee Ernie Ford, to name a few.

I enjoy my music like I enjoy candy - I first throw away the wrappers.
(IMHO, rap is not music - just words spoken to a rhythmic drum beat.)

OK - I'll go back under my rock

Uncle Al

[Kirbstone]

Don't hide yourself under a rock, Uncle Al. Musically I'm right there with you. I'm the same age as the Beetles and Bob Dillon.

My only personal 'band' experiences were with a group of maximum 6 of us in Germany under the label 'DIGB Quarters'. We rehearsed weekly and did gigs of traditional Irish stuff, which the Germans love, for real money. It was a lot of fun for a six-year period while I worked there. On my return to Ireland I got involved in a larger traditional Irish group called 'Noteworthy', run by a harpist. That group also did gigs in stately homes and local theatres for several years, but alas some key players are now deceased and we meet no more. My contribution was a mean whistle.

One son plays regularly in GB with a Pogues tribute band called the 'Phogues'. They gig in large pubs regularly. Elder son also gigs with a pop group in and around Birmingham UK, Elder daughter plays solo traditional Celtic harp for festivals, weddings, funerals and such and has her own website. Younger daughter plays guitar for her local happy-clappy church every Sunday, so it's bedlam here when they all visit, but great fun of course.

Tom

[Ray]

MB - I adore Dire Straits. Got all their albums, seen them live, modelled my guitar playing on Mark Knopfler, and to complete the picture, I have all of Knopfler’s solo albums too.

[Stu]

I'm a bit of a fan of old music. One of my favourites is the works of Leonardo Vinci, whom I think is a much under-rated composer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qead0r59vIU


Stu