clifford_thornton

I just got a sealed ICP record that was unplayable it was so warped. Oddly, you couldn't tell from looking at the jacket.

Rock Reviews by me Still a little something out there, but again you gotta dig. Dig?

Yeah, I'm steering away from industry/anti-industry arguments; they are often moot. Good and even great work will get done in spite of the music industry's efforts to quell anything other than that which operates at the lowest common denominator (bottom line). I don't dig on Radiohead, but you could do a hell of a lot worse... In terms of pop/rock, one need only look to bands like The New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Fiery Furnaces et al to see there's still something "there." Will Oldham, Cat Power, Smog are still kicking a couple around. Nobody here has probably heard of Sunset, but he/it are really onto something special in terms of long-form, progressive pop suites.

I liked Nirvana well enough in about 1990-1992 but they don't hold up too well. Get me some John Doe.

I mean, YMMV and it always will. How does one define "greatness" in music? Again, YMMV. Syd Barrett Roky Erickson Captain Beefheart The Grateful Dead Jack Bruce Sonic Youth Velvets Roxy Music (Eno & Ferry) Mudhoney/Green River Come Bitch Magnet Lungfish Talking Heads Nikki Sudden/Swell Maps Can The Clean The Vaselines Eric Gaffney Rhys Chatham Theoretical Girls (early) Kraftwerk Neu! (the first record) The Band Byrds Kevin Ayers Groundhogs (at least the first couple of recs) ...are all better than good to me...

And, finally, John Lennon isn't all that history has made him out to be.

I'll add that, though their career is almost 30 years on and their newer albums aren't to my tastes, Sonic Youth are a no-brainer, one of the greatest rock bands of our time.

How many of the posters here, in this very thread, dig deep into current rock music, especially that released by independent labels in either the US or Europe? There is a fair amount of great shit out there. I suspect y'all weren't digging much deeper than Cream (great as they were) in 1969 either.

OG issue?

Um, this is the music industry. Who gets paid for anything? (not saying I agree with that, but I think it is a valid point to make)

Ahh, thanks for the Murray reminder. Those are good records.

That's just a bit too pithy for me. Do you mean Joseph Jarman or Joseph Bowie, and if so, which albums? In response to The Flam - it's Joseph Bowie on trombone, not Lester Bowie on trumpet. The trumpet is Leo Smith.

Hans Dulfer - El Saxofon - (Catfish)

A friend of mine emailed me this curious question: So any ideas on how to help her out?

But dig that cover on My Spanish Heart. And watch those Thetans.

Joseph.

I just send shit back if it ain't right. Usually. I mean, pressing quality varies and most BYGs, ESPs and Americas aren't going to sound like a quiet Japanese pressing. Even Liberty-era BNs can sometimes be a crapshoot. I think I even have a couple of Oguns and Derams that aren't so hot. So... just do your best and if it's common enough, you'll find it again.

Oh right, forgot about that one. And this one, which I dearly love: The Baden-Baden Free Jazz Orchestra - Gettin' To Know Y'All - (MPS) Fucking firestorm of a piece, w/ AEC horns + Skidmore, Surman, Breuker, Oxley, Steinmetz, Delcloo, McCall, Phillips, Palle Danielsson, Heinz Sauer, et al.

He's on a number of non-AEC BYG Actuels: Jimmy Lyons - Other Afternoons Archie Shepp - Blase Archie Shepp - Yasmina, A Black Woman Alan Silva - Seasons Sunny Murray - Sunshine There's also a nice duo with Phillip Wilson on IAI.

Too bad that none of the writers discussing Kidd in the press are up to snuff.

All I can add is "welcome" and yes, do stick around and give us your impressions of the music. If you're just getting started with this music but are committed and interested, I don't think any of the pre-1968 BN titles would do you wrong.

Happy Birthday, and hope it's not a "trainwreck."

Great one! Got the Uniteledis French pressing of that set.

I prefer Little with, as durium put it nicely, a closely-voiced (but just-dissonant-enough) front line. Maybe that's why the Time LP has never moved me. I've seen that Island issue, as well as a Bainbridge reissue. Did they do a dub remix?