Nov 252007
My football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, just came up short against the mighty New England Patriots. It was a great effort! During commercial breaks I flipped over to an old VH-1 Storytellers episode featuring Pearl Jam. I don’t know that there’s one Pearl Jam song I like even a little, but they give a great effort! They’ve got all the Classic Rock structures, the private lyrics made public, the stickin’ it to The Man business… Great effort, but not a single song that lives up to those aspirations. Are there any bands or albums you’d award a E for Effort?
wilco. I know they’re good.
I just don’t care.
Blue Oyster Cult. They’ve got all kinds of hard-rock correctness, in addition to a healthy serving of rock critic/hipster cred, yet — other than their radio-friendly hits — I just don’t care about or for ’em.
Wilco was the next band I thought of, although I like a lot of that Summerteeth album. BOC is another good example.
“Classic” ZZ Top is a good effort band for me.
I give Springsteen credit for effort, the guy used to play for a long, long time. Most of it I would not care to listen to, but he gave a fan value. Perhaps at the prices now, not so much.
Yeah, me too wit da Springsteen.
Jethro Tull. Blue Oyster Cult, on the other hand, rocks.
Aerosmith: there’s a few moments where they “try” not to rip off the Stones.
Sloan. They’re good players and singers, and they generally have good taste, but the songs never quite get there for me.