Among all the world’s confessional singer-songwriter-type numbers, which confession went too far, which confession do you regret having had to hear?
Which genre is more unfairly overlooked by rock scholars and other rock nerds, Heavy Metal or Disco?
It’s easy to tell the difference between a song sung by any of the four vocalists in The Beatles, but it’s not always that easy to tell who’s singing in a band with multiple vocalists. What band with multiple vocalists that you like is most difficult for you to distinguish among lead singers?
Who’s your second-favorite sitar artist?
Can you recall one of the first times you heard a song and incorrectly thought it was being performed by another artist? (For instance, I clearly recall hearing Andy Kim’s “Rock Me Gently” for the first time and being certain it was sung by Neil Diamond. Even when the DJ announed the artist, I thought there was a mistake.)
Is there a pretty cool offshoot band that you like better than that band’s critically cool predecessor (eg, you like New Order better than Joy Division)?
I look forward to your answers.
My Name is Luka. by Suzanne Vega.
Disco is most unfairly overlooked and mocked by rock nerds. Unless it’s delivered by Led Zep (trampled under foot) or the Stones (start me up), in which case it is blindly accepted
A long time ago, it was hard for me to figure out if Richard Wright or David Gilmour was singing. I’ve since nailed that down. I also went through a time when I was sure John sang Oh Darling!
Ravi Shankar
I thought Don’t You Forget About Me was by David Bowie. It was the soundtrack to The Breakfast Club, which starts with a Bowie quote from Changes; “and these children that you sh/pit on…”
a few years later I saw Billy Idol in concert. He says “this next number was a song i almost recorded in 1986 but I turned it down!
he launches into “hey hey hey hey!”
I like Love and Rockets a LOT, but not more than Bauhaus. I’m gonna go with The Breeders. That’s my final answer.
“Dear Mr. Jesus” by The Power Source
Heavy Metal might be a bit more “musical” with its sudden changes and whiplash tempos.
I can’t tell The Proclaimers apart. Seriously, though, Al Jardine sounds very similar to Brian Wilson on some cuts.
Brian Jones
I’m still not convinced that Macca isn’t singing on “Sub Rosa Subway” by Klaatu. Another Macca clone is Phil Keaggy. I swear those two were separated at birth.
Maybe not a group per se, but I prefer solo Peter Gabriel to his stint in Genesis.
TB
Among all the world’s confessional singer-songwriter-type numbers, which confession went too far, which confession do you regret having had to hear?
Some of that treacley Westerberg stuff on Suicane Gratification.
Which genre is more unfairly overlooked by rock scholars and other rock nerds, Heavy Metal or Disco?
Disco. A lot of people think that they’re too cool to boogie, but boy oh boy do I have news for them. It’s easy to dismiss disco as a fad but the Nile Rodgers’ style guitar is cool, as is the bass in songs like Boogie oogie oogie.
It’s easy to tell the difference between a song sung by any of the four vocalists in The Beatles, but it’s not always that easy to tell who’s singing in a band with multiple vocalists. What band with multiple vocalists that you like is most difficult for you to distinguish among lead singers?
Raspberries. I’m not sure who’s singing the songs that Dave Smally had a hand in writing.
Also, I still don’t know whether it’s Paul or John on some of the Beatles songs.
And I was recently stunned when I learned right here in these hallowed Halls that Ron Wood sings Ooh La La.
Who’s your second-favorite sitar artist?
I guess I’ll go with George or Brian
Can you recall one of the first times you heard a song and incorrectly thought it was being performed by another artist? (For instance, I clearly recall hearing Andy Kim’s “Rock Me Gently” for the first time and being certain it was sung by Neil Diamond. Even when the DJ announced the artist, I thought there was a mistake.)
Smoke of Distant Fire by Sanford Townsend Band (Van Morrison)
Is there a pretty cool offshoot band that you like better than that band’s critically cool predecessor (eg, you like New Order better than Joy Division)?
Wilco (although I still love Uncle Tupelo)
Funny that you mention confusion over Richard Wright and David Gilmour, Shawnkilroy. Never having paid attention to Pink Floyd growing up, it wasn’t until about 5 years ago that I knew that Gilmour sang as frequently or more frequently than Roger Waters, and until he died last week I had NO IDEA that Richard Wright sang lead on any of the band’s classic stuff! Since high school, though, I did know that Roy Harper sang “Have a Cigar”, which explains why I’m here.
I thought he just wrote some of the stuff. Did he sing lead on anything? And that’s Roy Harper singing “Have a Cigar”?
Isn’t it some Pink Floyd song that Harper sings lead on? What do I know. I could be wrong about Wright singing as well. Someone said it here, so I took it as gospel.
Pink Floyd pince-nez time.
Yes, Roy Harper sings on “Have a Cigar.” Waters wrote it, but his voice was shot at that point in the sessions, and Gilmour didn’t want to sing it, so they brought in Harper.
Wright probably sang lead on maybe 10 Floyd songs, tops. The only one that gets any airplay, as far as I know, is “Time.” He sings the bridge. (“Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.”)
Among all the world’s confessional singer-songwriter-type numbers, which confession went too far, which confession do you regret having had to hear?
That Barry Manilow sent Mandy away?
Which genre is more unfairly overlooked by rock scholars and other rock nerds, Heavy Metal or Disco?
Metal. I don’t like Disco, and I don’t need a good reason not to either. Then again, I will never be mistaken for a hipster.
It’s easy to tell the difference between a song sung by any of the four vocalists in The Beatles, but it’s not always that easy to tell who’s singing in a band with multiple vocalists. What band with multiple vocalists that you like is most difficult for you to distinguish among lead singers?
Yeah, the Wilson boys sound simular to me. Sometimes I get confused with Teenage Fanclub but it might be because I forget their damned names.
Who’s your second-favorite sitar artist?
Brian Jones, natch. Although he might be my favorite on autoharp and dulcimer. Hard to say.
Can you recall one of the first times you heard a song and incorrectly thought it was being performed by another artist? (For instance, I clearly recall hearing Andy Kim’s “Rock Me Gently” for the first time and being certain it was sung by Neil Diamond. Even when the DJ announed the artist, I thought there was a mistake.)
I’m pretty sure that Horse With No Name song by America sounded like Neil Young when I was a kid. Wasn’t there some song called Lonely Boy in the mid-70s that sounded like Elton John but wasn’t? Ah, I had to look it up, Andrew Gold.
Is there a pretty cool offshoot band that you like better than that band’s critically cool predecessor (eg, you like New Order better than Joy Division)?
I’d go with Wilco too. I like Richard Hell with his Voidoids better than Television.
I expected disco to get its critical re-evaluation in the last few years, when the current generation of rock scholars were so eager to jump on the “Sometimes I just want music you can dance to!” train and were throwing, like, Robyn albums on year end best-of lists.
As TB suggests above, though, it would probably be easier to find a “scholarly” hook to write about for metal, if so inclined.
Anyway, just in case we ever do reach the crisis point where disco gets a re-evaluation in pop culture,
I have a Critical Upgrade post for Discovery ready to go.
Life was good before you posted that Lou Reed confessional up here today, Mod.
Metal.
Teenage Fanclub all sound the same to me, as do their songs.
Harrison.
‘Long Cool Woman’ by the Hollies sure sounded like CCR. Still does after all these years.
On my scorecard the Minus Five edged out Young Fresh Fellows on ‘Because We Hate You.’
1. I love Dylan, but I always thought the song Sara was a bit much.
2. Definitely disco. Metal is at least guitar-based, male-oriented, and white, whereas disco suffers by being none of the above.
3. Moby Grape
4. Colin Walcott
5. I remember the fist time I heard Japan on the radio. I thought “Wow, Roxy Music has a new album, and I never even heard about it.” I can’t think of another vocalist who has based his style so closely on another singer, especially one who is so idiosyncratic.
6. I like Blur a lot, but I probably like Gorillaz and Albarn’s various other recent projects better.
1. “Chelsea Hotel No. 1” by Leonard Cohen
2. I would argue that disco has had more revisionist cred given to it than metal has, so metal.
3. It wasn’t until the advent of MTV that I realized that Ben Orr sang lead on several Cars songs. Similarly, it’s been within the last year or so that I discovered that most of the Suburbs’ songs were sung by Chan Poling, not Beej Chaney.
4. Ananda Shankar. Third favorite: Anoushka Shankar.
5. Lot of good answers here so far. I think I like “Smoke From A Distant Fire” best simply because I had no idea who did that song until a couple minutes ago, but I would have guessed Van Morrison too.
5a. Sidebar to BigSteve: Lawrence Hayward, in Felt’s early days, sounded JUST EXACTLY like Tom Verlaine.
6. I don’t like Death Cab much at all, but I really enjoyed the Postal Service album.
Ben Orr’s a good one! I didn’t know how much he sang lead until I saw The Cars on their Candy-O tour, my first big arena concert.
Rick Wright sang Us and Them. I think that’s a pretty solid popular Floyd number. right?