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Totally agree with Steely Dan, and Fagan's solo work! Also for me: Jane Siberry (Canadian singer/songwriter who embraces many styles) XTC Stevie Ray Vaughan Prefab Sprout Big Country Slayer AC/DC Johnny Mercer Psychedelic Furs Red House Painters

Not as strong as some others. I give you Scotland. Catesta, recind this statement immediately, or I'll set a troup of hairy, Highland warriors on you. They wear nothing under their kilts, and sharpen their battleaxes with their teeth!

Yes, double-entendres falling from the sky!! Honorable mention must be made, however, of Deep Purple's "Knocking at Your Back Door". For my money, this song is the most entertaining of clever rock smut. I laugh my ass off whenever I hear it.

Yes, my wife kicks my ass in it every time we play!

chris, I just picked up a cheap Paycheck compilation, and I think that track is on it! I'll give a close listen, thanks!

Second's Out was my first exposure to the songs of the PG era of Genesis too, and that live version of "Firth of Fifth" is still my favorite. Hackett's guitar solo gives me goose bumps! Check out his vibrato. And Mike's bass pedals during the solo! Man, it's enough to make my hair stand on end. I owe my love of 12-string guitar to these guys, as displayed on Foxtrot's "Can Utility and the Coastliners" and the "Supper's Ready" intro. Steve Hackett's playing had a profound influence on how I play guitar. After all these years, I'm STILL trying to master his solo on "Fountain of Salmacis". As a complete album, I'd have to vote for Selling England... as my favorite. To me, that was the pinnacle of the PG-Genesis era. The Lamb had a lot of great tracks (In the Cage, Back in NYC, Fly on a Windshield/Broadway Melody of 1974, Carpet Crawlers, It, etc...), but I thought there was a lot of filler on it too. I can listen to Selling England...over and over, edge to edge, without jumping the needle. I think post-PG Genesis had some credibility too. Trick of the Tail was nice (I love it when Phil sings part of Supper's Ready on the fade out in "Los Endos"), Wind and Wuthering had some great moments, And Then There Were Three is over the top in some sections; "Deep in the Motherlode" and "Down and Out" really hit me. After these records, the catalog gets spotty for me. Duke and Abacab have their charms, but not edge to edge. Stop me!! I could talk about Genesis all day!!

No question about it--any hard rock or metal band sounds WAY unsophisticated compared to the music of our jazz heroes. I'd take Billie Holiday over Ozzy, and I'd take Tal Farlow over Eddie Van Halen. Still, at times I have this jones to just rock out, and that cannot be satisfied by jazz. Hard Rock and HM are meant to be simple-minded and unsophisticated. They appeal to the organs in between, not always to our minds, necessarily. But can't we say the same about blues? Just because a type of music is not harmonically or rhythmically complex (and HM sometimes is) doesn't mean it's without value or purpose or function. Are Duchamp's Urinal and Bottle Hanger any less artistic because they are everyday objects, and rather drab ones, too? Hard Rock and HM are blues and R&B on 11. All it is is giving a pre-existing art form another purpose or value or function, intricacy and sophistication be damned.

I like anything with catchy melodies or interesting songwriting, and wrapped in a vibe or atmosphere that I'm comfortable with (usually somewhat dark). This stretches out to accomodate all sorts of genres. Some of my favorites: -70s soft rock -30s/40s/50s American Standards -almost anything on the 4AD label through 1992 -1970s prog rock -punk -late70s-mid 80s post punk/new wave -New Wave of British Heavy Metal -the first wave of LA Hair Metal bands (pre-1985), and those bands who aren't from LA, but fit in that genre -1980s Sophisti-pop -classical music from the Romantic period (Rossini, Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev) -I'm warming up to some country music. Lately, I found I LOVE Johnny Paycheck's "Colorado Cool-Aid" I like listening to specific music at specific times of the year---Summer always makes me take out shameful Hair Metal, like Ratt, Motley Crue, Def Leppard---songs about girls and crusin' in the sun. The Fall and Winter draws me towards anything introspective and dismal. Jazz has its place in my listening year-round, as it should! We all know nothing really tops it!

YEAH. No bout a doubt it. These guys fuckin' ROCK! For raw, uninhibited, blues-based 3 chord sludge-rock, no one does it better than these guys. Like Vibes, my awareness of AC/DC started at Back in Black, with Brian Johnson at the mic. I worked back to Highway to Hell and some other Bon-led earlier stuff. A favorite of mine is the Dirty Deeds album, and a few years forward to For Those About to Rock, whose title track is KILLER with the volume at 11. I go through phases with them. I'll buy a few cds, listen to them for a week, and then not return to them for years. Thanks to the Great Al, I feel a phase comin' on right now!!

I hate to say it, but I got burned on a Wes Montgomery disc once. If memory serves, it was a compiltation of pop tunes with string backgrounds---I think it was on A&M, and the tracks were recorded in the 1970s?? I hated it, and it soured me on Wes for a long time. Now I KNOW all of Wes' material is not like this, but whenever I look to buying a new Wes, this bad experience goes through my mind!

That contraption is right up my alley! Envy, here...

Boring. That's my life after work. Boring. Didn't used to be that way, but since I married, I can't just go off and do whatever I want any longer. So weeknights after 6pm finds me doing the dishes, reading, watching TV, working on demos of my songs, posting with all youze here on the board, and talking with my wife. Last night was special, because I had the opportunity to burn a cd for a fellow board friend; a nice departure from the routine!! Well, none of these things I do are boring as activities themselves, but I just pine for the days where I could stay up until 2am and make all the noise I wanted, where I wanted, and with whom I wanted.

Alexander, what makes you an authority? A statement like "I'm very sorry to have to say it..." comes across as condescending and patronizing. Once again, you want to burst the bubble of everyone who may find comfort in communication with a god. Not being Mormon, and being of somewhat weak faith myself, I recoil at the Mormon overtones just like anyone else would, but I can let that pass. This awful ordeal happened to the Smart family, and if they want to attribute the fortunate outcome to a higher power, then so be it. Who am I to mock that? Who are you to mock that? I don't mean to be contrary, nor do I mean to discourage you or anyone from expressing an opinion, but this shit is getting old, man.

Gary, didn't you start/steer a few Miles Electric threads way back when? I seem to remember those being very informative and enteraining!

Mark, you have to admit, though, mods did have the one-up on the rockers in the clothing department!

We got a case of beer once. It was a relatively high-profile show, too. We opened up for the Prog Rock band Marillion on their Season's End tour. We were psyched just to be doing it, as we were long-time Marillion fans, and I think the promoters could sense this. So after our set someone from the bar brought up (4) six packs of Miller Genuine Draft, and said, "Compliments of the house for doing a great show". Yeah, thanks. MGD!! I also remember having a condom thrown on stage from the balcony, or somewhere. So, a case of beer and a Trojan. That was our compensation for the night. (Gave the condom away, too)

Wynton Yarsalis? Would this be the same Wynton Yarsalis who released that great record For Lady ?

Thanks, BW. I'll take on Strong Bad or Bubs as an avatar soon!!

Wasn't it the poster called MilesDavis who translated Aric's cryptic submissions? He did a pretty good job, if I remember. One of MY favorite threads was the one in early 2001 (I think) where someone was taking various photos of some posters and placing them in album covers via Photoshop. I seem to recall a few that made me howl!! Anyone remember that thread?

Could you explain this again? It's still unclear.

Uh, Bartender? I'll have some of what Sangrey's having.

Thanks for the chuckle, AfricaBrass. I'm still laughing aloud at your picture of Bubs!! In your honor, I think I'll go spin...Coltrane's Complete Africa Brass Sessions.

Just checked out the clips from Boogaloo Sisters, and you guys rock (well, you know what I mean)! Great playing by all, and I only heard samples of three tunes. Joe G, "Lifewish" is a beautiful melody, and Jim...shit, I could have sworn a lost organ date from 1961 surfaced in "Jimmy Smith..." You have that feel down so well. Do you guys ever let Randissimo let loose and wail a bit? Well, I'll have to buy the record and see!!!!

Homestar Runner is in the house, YESSSSSSS!!! I'm glad you picked up on this!! A few people at work hipped me to h*r not too long ago. Funny as hell! Strong Bad is no joke, eh?? I love his e-mail about guitar (jug jigga jug jigga jug jigga JAH JAHHHH!). Dancin' Bubs also scored high in my book. And Jim, Mondrian WILL be back. I get bored with the same avatar, so I'll change frequently. I LOVE yours right now, by the way! Oh, AND David Ayers' too!

I know, Jim. But you understand, there's nothing at al WRONG with an avatar of Jim Nabors. See?