Where did it all go wrong? or Whys The Music Scene So Poor?

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 2:34 pm

1994
Kurt Cobain kill himself and released the best MTV unplugged ever.
Blur´s Parklife is a masterpiece.
Oasis released their excellent debut.
Beck makes everyone who likes music curious and excited about him with Mellow Gold.
Portishead makes the stunning Dummy.
Manic Street Preachers makes their last album with Richey James (The Holy Bible). And is probably their finest!
Jeff Buckley released his best record (Grace).
Johnny Cash start his American Recordings.
Soundgarden makes his finest record Superunknown.
Weezer!
Hole 'Live Through This' is critically acclaimed.
(If you like alternative) try 'Diary' by Sunny Day Real Estate
Paul Weller make his best record in years (Wild Wood)
Even Green Day released a good album...
..... and i know i´m missin many things ....

1994 alone is better than 00,01,02,03 and 04 together! HANDS DOWN

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 4:26 pm

Nah, you can find high points and low points in every year.

2000
Steve Earle - Transcendental Blues
Fastball - Harsh Light of Day
Jayhawks - Smile
Shelby Lynne - I Am Shelby Lynne
Joan Osborne - Righteous Love
Outkast - Stankonia
Neil Young- Silver and Gold
Dwight Yoakam - Tomorrow's Sounds Today
Steely Dan - Two Against Nature
Billy Bragg and Wilco - Mermaid Avenue Volume 2

I'm sure I'm missing some too.

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 4:38 pm

Bob and Charlotte, there is A LOT of great music out there right now.

There are thousands of different scenes out there, not just one mainstream group of music.

Glassjaw
Cursive
The Lido Venice
Christiansen
Desaparecidos
Piebald
The Blood Brothers
Brand New
Radiohead
The Ghost
The Stryder(rest in peace)
Junction 18
Head Automatica
Taking Back Sunday
Ben Kweller
Saves The Day
The Stereo
Hot Hot Heat
Thrice

That's just a beginner's list. If you want specific albums, let me know. These are the top 5 albums you SHOULD own right now:

"Worship And Tribute" - Glassjaw
"The Ugly Organ" - Cursive
"Deja Entendu" - Brand New
"Through Being Cool" - Saves The Day
"Stylish Nihilists" - Christiansen

those that should be on the list:
"We Are the Only Friends We Have" - Piebald
"Read Music, Speak Spanish" - Desaparecidos
"This Vicious Cycle" - Junction 18
"Make Up The Breakdown" - Hot Hot Heat
"Stay What You Are" - Saves The Day

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Tue Jun 08, 2004 4:53 pm

2001

Bob Dylan, Love & Theft
Leonard Cohen, Ten New Songs
Buddy & Julie Miller, Self-Titled
Gillian Welch, Time (The Revelator)
Clem Snide, The Ghost of Fashion
Alejandro Escovedo, A Man Under The Influence
John Hiatt, The Tiki Bar Is Open
Graham Parker, Deepcut To Nowhere
Sam Phillips, Fan Dance
Nick Lowe, The Convincer
Rodney Crowell, The Houston Kid
Merle Haggard, Roots Vol. 1
Ron Sexsmith, Blue Boy
Joe Henry, Scar
Lucinda Williams, Essence
Suzanne Vega, Songs In Red & Gray
Garbage, Beautifulgarbage
Shaver, The Earth Rolls On
Dolly Parton, Little Sparrow
Patty Loveless, Mountain Soul
Ricky Skaggs, The History of The Future
Johnny Dowd, Temporary Shelter
Robbie Fulks, Couples In Trouble
Phil Lee, You Should Have Known Me Then
Whiskeytown, Pneumonia
Stephen Malkmus, Self-Titled
Bjork, Vespertine
Rufus Wainwright, Poses
Loudon Wainwright, Last Man On Earth

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 7:57 am

so all that's missing is 10 years perspective, B & C.

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:50 am

Glad we all agree...

rock and roll is almost dead!

Post by **BlueChair** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:24 am

Bob And Charlotte wrote:Glad we all agree...

rock and roll is almost dead!

It depends on what you base it on. Radio/Television has mostly stopped endorsing quality music ever since the late 90's. Occasionally something pops up that is both commercially successful and good, but it is a rare find these days.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are a great example. Up until 1994, they got lots of radio play for their new materal which was deservingly quite good. A few years later they had VH1 television specials but no radio play. Now they lack much support from either medium, aside from the Classic Rock stations who will only play their old material.

The sad part of it is that the audience is still there, but mass media executives assume that they are only marketing to 12 year old girls.

But if you are willing to do a bit of research with the help of internet resources like this board and internet radio stations, read more interesting music magazines like Uncut and MOJO, and check out the indie scene, you'll find a consistant amount of good music each year, most of which can be found in any record store, or at the very least, amazon.com

I highly recommend the Pop Quiz essay by Nick Hornby in his Songbook. It assesses this situation better than me.

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:40 am

i buy MOJO and Record Collector...

sometimes UNCUT, MELODY MAKER and Q.

Oh yes, Songbook is a nice book. (Like almost every book Hornby has written)...

Btw, i´m one of those who spends TOOOO much time at expectingrain.com

Post by **BlueChair** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:56 am

Bob And Charlotte wrote:i buy MOJO and Record Collector...

sometimes UNCUT, MELODY MAKER and Q.

Oh yes, Songbook is a nice book. (Like almost every book Hornby has written)...

Btw, i´m one of those who spends TOOOO much time at expectingrain.com

Awesome, B&C. It's worth checking some of their top picks out. Often they pick out some true gems you wouldn't hear about otherwise. Blind purchasing is sometimes a risk you have to take, though often you can at least listen to short audio samples online, or if you want to cheat, mp3's.

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 12:05 pm

Blind purchasing is my middle name.

I live in Brasil, so i need to import many of the records i own (and assuming that i don´t know how to make a download)... i need to buy things that i never heard. and worst, based on what those magazines tells me.

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 1:02 pm

Bob, just bo out and buy "Worship and Tribute" please (it is not a religious title of band or album- the album title is in reference to the inspiring artists who got them where they are). Glassjaw is on a major label, and released this album through Elvis's own WB- will that help your decision?

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 2:05 pm

think i´ll give this one a try whar.... after all you were right about 'Episode of Blonde', 'Armed Forces' and 'TYM' (Though this one is quite easy)...

----- but i´ll not forget that you rank Get Happy above all Costello records

-----

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 2:12 pm

Haha, I think you'll like this album. The first track is a poor selection for a first track, and is completely different than the rest of it.

Just listen, I think it could break new ground for you.

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 2:32 pm

not sure i´ll appreciate a record with song titles such as 'Stuck Pig'...

crash8_durham · Post by **crash8_durham** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 2:50 pm

When in doubt just write your own songs !!!

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Wed Jun 09, 2004 3:52 pm

Bob And Charlotte wrote:not sure i´ll appreciate a record with song titles such as 'Stuck Pig'...

Haha, the song with the most offending title- "Trailer Park Jesus", is actually the gentlest of all the songs.

Listen to the songs for what they are. I love songs that have titles which arent the chorus. I think that's just redundant.

Bob And Charlotte · Post by **Bob And Charlotte** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 8:33 am

i really like songs that start with their title.

if you don´t, avoid John Wesley Harding (maybe the second best record ever made)

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 2:56 pm

That is my biggest pet peave.

"this song is called "where are you?"

- *tuning* -

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" (or even worse) "wherrrreee aaaare yooooou." - milking the title.

migdd · Post by **migdd** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 7:27 pm

The music scene is in fine shape. My wife and I spend more time than ever enjoying live shows by a wide variety of great musicians. In the last 2 months alone we have seen John Hiatt (twice!), Kate Campbell (genuine country music!), The Goners (featuring Sonny Landreth), Graham Parker, and several others, almost all in Charlotte, NC. . .just up the road from good old Clover, SC!

But if you're looking for real music amongst the pitiful dregs of major record company releases, you're in for a tough road. The search may take a little more effort. However, music is as vital as ever - it's just not always being served up by the mega-giant record labels!

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 9:55 pm

migdd wrote:The music scene is in fine shape. My wife and I spend more time than ever enjoying live shows by a wide variety of great musicians. In the last 2 months alone we have seen John Hiatt (twice!), Kate Campbell (genuine country music!), The Goners (featuring Sonny Landreth), Graham Parker, and several others, almost all in Charlotte, NC. . .just up the road from good old Clover, SC!
!

You lucky bastiche! To this very day I kick myself over missing a solo acoustic Hiatt performance in Atlanta (I had splurged already that month to take a girl to see Dylan...so I had my reasons

)

In fall of '01 Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, Graham Parker and Alejandro Escovedo all came to Birmingham, AL within the span of about one month. Lu and Gillian even performed on the same night. Another equally heartbreaking proposition as my limited pocketbook could only afford one. I chose Gillian and I stand by that....but I still walked around for weeks behaving like the protagonist in Lowe's Man That I've Become.