Why? I don’t see why I SHOULD have an idea who influenced them. I mean I would find it interesting but I don’t see why it has to be a ‘should’…
Depends on how you like music. By the time most folks end up on the SDMB - AND end up in a music geek thread like this - there is a level of music geekiness where it is understood that there is a TON of value in appreciate music by understanding what influenced a sound…
But clearly YMMV…
My mistake then - I didn’t realize this was considered a music geek thread…And yes I understand the idea of knowing influences/predecessors provides you qwith a ton of value. In my opinion the use of the word ‘should’ sounded rather snobbish as in “if you only know Interpol but don’t know the influences you’re nothing but a poser”.
And I apologize for the hijack…
WordMan said it pretty good, but to my own understanding and tastes knowing a band well enough to be able to hear subtle influences and interpretations of those influences increases the listening enjoyment tenfold. If you just read that the guitarist of your band of choice is a huge fan of such and such older player then you listen to the music in a different way, trying to pick those parts out and see how you think that a legacy is being continued. It’s all about the disambiguation.
It also assists in dismissing blatent rip offs for what they are. I know I’m a deep geek when it comes to this stuff, and I know that there are people out there who can just listen to music and take it for what it is, but to me that’s like taking a vintage wine and just chugging it down to catch a buzz. Nothing against those who choose to, but you’re missing a lot of the good stuff.
[QUOTE=EuroMDguy]
My mistake then - I didn’t realize this was considered a music geek thread…QUOTE]
It wasn’t when it was started, but it’s like lights to a moth. 
Nope, I’d never say or think something like that (I do not speak for record store clerks however, because they’re Music Asshats). Music is the ultimate artists buffet. Everyone can pick and choose whatever they like and good on you for doing so. My “should” is best equated to saying “Well you should really not just keep getting plates of chocolate mousse from the buffet. There’s prime rib over here too.”
You should check out Don Lett’s Punk: Attitude for confirmation of what you say. It is a terrific documentary and at one point someone mentions that Iggy Pop when he visited friends in New York, was amazed to discover that he was an important influence for other musicians, because back home he was broke and the Stooges didn’t sell records.
They practically sell out stadiums in places like Argentina and have a huge following in Europe and South America, yet barely fill up a small club when playing North American shows.
The local classic rock station plays it from time to time. They also play Steve Winwood’s Spence Davis hits and “Arc of a Diver.” But I haven’t heard “Dear Mr. Fantasy” in ages.
Oingo Boingo, especially perplexing that all those Nightmare Before Christmas nerds have never heard of them, considering how in love with Danny Elfman they claim to be.
A lot of people don’t realize that some of us don’t have the ability to access a lot of these bands to know about them, at least until the advent of the Internet. We don’t have a dedicated used music store where I live (nor any big centers like NY or LA close by). The used music is sold at the local comic store, not a place known for a large patronage of punk rockers. The indie scene here is small, just a handful of bands that find it hard to even do a demo tape because there is no music industry here. And vinyl? Sure, if you’re looking for polka. :rolleyes:
It is a lot easier to access stuff now that we have the net, but we aren’t even a particularly tech savvy place here, so I don’t think all the blame can be put on the fans - if you can’t get your hands on it in the first place, how can they widen their horizons?
This is very true. I’ve commented before that when I was young, following underground music was hard work. You had to get a lot of information from thumbed-over, passed around fanzines, supplemented with whatever information you could get from other people. Nowadays, you can Google ant band or song and order the stuff online. The Black Randy & The Metrosquad album that was once my pride and joy is available all over the intennet now., 10 seconds away. Also, get off of my lawn.
Hijack: I wouldn’t call Tom Waits “all but unknown” by any means. I wasn’t really aware of how big he was until until a few years back, around the time of Mule Variations, when I read that his local concerts had sold out in 20 minutes. Apparently that’s not an isolated incident; a little Googling turned up this from two years ago:
Not bad for a guy who used to get this kind of audience reaction.
Huh. Well let’s hear it for regional radio diversity then!
He got famous when he died, but five years ago I could say the name Warren Zevon and get blanks looks from a lot of people. And once in a while someone would say, “Oh, that guy who did that werewolf song.”
I’m surprised when people don’t know about the Velvet Underground. I get that people might not love them, but to never have heard of them is strange to me.
<long time lurker, 1st time poster>
I go along with a good number of bands mentioned here, especially Big Star (possibly the greatest band no one knows), The Replacements, The Minutemen, Love, etc., and I agree with Clurican about music being “the ultimate artists buffet” - it also depends what circles you run in. I remember starting out my part-time music career and being embarrassed (now) by a potential bandmate for not knowing who Jimmy Smith was. Also, someone striking up conversation with me at a Robert Walter show by exclaiming the guitarist “sounds just like Alan Holdsworth!!” and me questioning “Who?” garnered a wtf that to this day seems unwarranted. It’s all relative I guess…
What really gets me though is the relative anonymity of legendary blues artists, like the aforementioned Freddie King. Even among musicians, artists like Charlie Patton, Skip James, Blind Willie McTell, Son House are obscure at best. Most people with a general music knowledge could name ten jazz greats, but the blues, while arguably more influential on pop music, and pop culture, is relegated to “…wrote a song about it, goes sumthin’ like this…”
I second that. I was recently on a board where someone said the Allman Brothers “One Way Out” sounded like a Cream song. :rolleyes:
Well, I HAVE to welcome a new poster who namechecks my post entries! Welcome Mix!
I wanted to mention that I sarted a column in my college newspaper called “The Best Band You’ve Never Heard Of” the first article was about the Smoking Popes. I invited people to send me cds or point me in the direction of unknown bands they wanted me to write about… I got one response… I can’t even remember the name of the band or if I liekd them or not but I did write an article about them.
Asleep At The Wheel is a band few people have heard of. Their album “Coming Right At Ya” is a classic. Check it out!