Bands that have had either a long and successful career, or a completely undistinguished one in terms of charts, but whom you only like one song by?
(This is hard for me, because most successful bands I like at least two songs by)
Aerosmith: Train kept rollin. I don’t even like Dream On anymore.
Cars: Just what I needed. For some reason, this song always reminds me of the Police.
Chumbawamba: Amnesia. Could take or leave Tubthumping, but Amnesia is a fun song.
and three that IIRC did not make the charts at all, but deserved to with their one big song:
Fun Lovin’ Criminals: Seemed like they had potential, but their album sounded far too much like G Love and not enoug like Beck.
Faithless: Insomnia: Ditto, actually. What’s up with both of these bands, whose big (but non-charting?) songs sound totally dissimilar, yet they both had the urge to put out an album of slow bootie music? Altho Insomnia is my favorite dance song.
Suicide Machines. “New Girl” is actually where I draw the line on how much ska I like in my punk. The rest of their stuff has too much horns.
The Beatles - “Holy Crap We’re Simplistic And Boring” (they didn’t make this, but they should have, so that people would realize they’re simplistic and boring and quit telling me I should like them).
Yeah, cause lots of bands use 11/4 - 4/4 - 7/4 meter changes in their bridges. Don’t even get me started on all of those bands who invent radical studio techniques that define production for the next forty years. Or all of those bands who hire 40 piece orchestras to play out of tune on their records. Or those bands with mellotron and sitar parts in the same song.
11/4 - 4/4 - 7/4 meter changes where? I’d believe that John Lennon did this in a solo piece; he was, near as I can tell, the musical mind behind the group. If it’s in an actual Beatles song (and yes, I’ve heard them all; I dated an honest-to-goodness Beatlemaniac for 2 1/2 years, and she made damned sure of that), is it done in such a way as to blend the entire thing into a composite 4/4, much as Roland Orzabal did in the 7/4 - 4/4 piece Laid So Low? It didn’t impress when he did it, either. If in fact I am in error based on one song I’ve forgotten in which they actually did this, kindly give me the name of the song, and I’ll consider making that the “one hit” the OP requests.
As to the studio techniques: I am grateful to the Beatles for (apparently, according to artist interviews) inspiring every single rock/rock-related musician IN THE WORLD for the last 40 years. That they did that does not improve their actual music, however.
Regarding the orchestra: a 40-piece band playing formulaic four-part harmony is no more impressive than four independent musicians playing the same. Symphonic pieces in and of themselves do not inherently possess complexity. It is for that reason that, while I enjoy certain classical composers such as Bach and especially Beethoven, I avoid performances of Mozart like the plague. Actually, Mozart and the Beatles have a lot in common: both were innovative and inspirational, and both invented many of the conventions used in the genres they created, but – through no fault of their own, as they had nothing on which to base it – in doing so, they were formulaic and tended toward repetition. The stuff was revolutionary at the time, but unfortunately, not all art ages well.
The invention is often surpassed by the innovation. It doesn’t take anything away from the inventor’s ingenuity – as I said, I am grateful to the Beatles for everything they have inspired – but that doesn’t change the fact that the original creation is far lower in objective quality than that which is built upon it.
Incidentally, no offense is intended toward those who like the Beatles. I don’t. You can. I don’t care. My point is that people often tell me I should like them because Tears For Fears uses elements which can be traced back to Beatles music. Yes, they do, but they use multiple elements in the same song, twist them in new and interesting ways, and add yet more innovations of their own creation to create something unique. At that point, you may as well attribute the inspiration for the song to the guy who created time signatures, since he invented the 3/4 rhythm in which it’s written. I don’t like the Beatles. That was my whole point.
Sorry for the hijack, Ludovic. My fault for including something of a drive-by comment in my earlier post. Ilsa_Lund, feel free to start a new thread (or Pit me) if you’d like to continue this debate…seriously, it’s something I wouldn’t mind doing. I just don’t want to derail this thread any more than I already have.
Some friends made a mix tape for me about 14 years ago. There’s a song on it called Motor Scooter by The Surrealists (there’s at least one other band by the same name, but it’s not them). Somebody in our circle of friends knew somebody in the band, and the tape we got the song from may have been self-released.
I’m told the rest of the tape pretty much bit, but that one song is fantastic.
Hey, Roland…are you aware that if the real Roland Orzabal heard you say something this ignorant he’d probably slap you upside the head?
Most big-league musicians are very appreciative (or in awe, even) of the genius that were the Beatles. They may have finally become passe, but for twenty to thirty years, every big-time musician’s list of top ten favorite albums I ever saw always included at least one (and frequently more) album by the Beatles. They may have finally fallen far enough out of style to be of no interest to the likes of you ( ), but there’s no denying the quality of their music…especially when compared with the music of that time. It was original, energetic, invigorating, and, occasionally, beautiful. At the time it would take your breath away.
Hello, June. Welcome to Cafe Society, where you can dislike anything. I don’t like the Beatles either, but for long and complex reasons which have nothing to do with their actual music.
And here we go again and again and again. Yes, we know the Beatles were influential and never did any wrong bleaah bleh bleh ad infinitum. I don’t expect you lot to like the bands I like so don’t expect everyone to like The fucking Beatles. We’ve been down this road before. They are not the fucking be all and end all of music people.
End Hijack.
Back on OP, Franz Ferdinand are never going to write a song as good as ‘Take me out’ again, so they should be one hit wonders.
), but there’s no denying the quality of their music…especially when compared with the music of that time. It was original, energetic, invigorating, and, occasionally, beautiful. At the time it would take your breath away.