The thread title says it all. What do I need? What should I start with? Don't say 'all of them' ...
The thread title says it all. What do I need? What should I start with? Don't say 'all of them' ...
Ian Beabout
Mixing and mastering engineer. See ya at ProgDay !
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...m/bakers-dozen
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...-and-holland-3
colouratura.bandcamp.com
Start with the first two with Eno- the eponymous debut and 'For Your Pleasure'.
The first 2 and then
Country Life !!
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
-- Aristotle
Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
“A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain
Start with the self-titled debut and proceed chronologically. Discontinue when/if it starts sounding too "mainstream" for you. Generally speaking, the earlier the album, the higher the progginess/quirkiness factor. That said, Siren is one of my favorites, even though the weirdness quotient was almost entirely gone by then.
I agree with everything Mr. Triscuits sez, with the addition of saying it's worth buying the cheapie DVD of their Musik Laden appearances
http://www.waysidemusic.com/Music-Pr...spc-33016.aspx
Steve F.
www.waysidemusic.com
www.cuneiformrecords.com
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“Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin
Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]
"Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"
please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.
Avalon.
"Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
"I have nothing to do with Endless River. Phew! This is not rocket science people, get a grip." - Roger Waters, 2014
"I'm a collector. And I've always just seemed to collect personalities." - David Bowie, 1973
B-b-b-but . . .
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Studi...rds=roxy+music
I bought the first two individually. Then the box came out. Got the box. Didn't regret it. Still don't. (And it's a beautiful box!)
Roxy is right up there, man. One of my all-time favorites.
I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.
^If you did get that, you wouldn't have 'Viva'. For me that's one of the great live albums but is underrated- maybe because of its length (or lack thereof).
^It deserves a deluxe re-release. What is there is fantastic- they were a heavier group than in the studio.
If what you already know and like are the late 70s & early 80s singles then you should skip the debut and the 2nd album For Your Pleasure. I love RM but I think the first 2 albums are bloody awful, and aren't at all representative of the RM that most people know and like.
Start with Manifesto, from 79, which contains their 2 best known and biggest singles, so it should be familiar to you.
Then either jump backwards to Country Life from 74 or Stranded from 73 and then forward to Avalon from 82.
Once you've heard those 4 you'll know what period you like.
I have many other RM albums but I rarely listen to them, and as far as I'm concerned they are for completists only.
HOWEVER, if the 70s/80s singles aren't what you like, then start with the debut.
Yes, I just meant for prospective buyers of that box rather than you personally.
There is that DVD that came out in 2007 which featured various live things amongst their promo videos. As with many bands I'm less interested in the later live stuff- too many session players and backing vocalists.
The ONLY thing I know is "Out of the Blue". Which I like.
Ian Beabout
Mixing and mastering engineer. See ya at ProgDay !
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...m/bakers-dozen
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...-and-holland-3
colouratura.bandcamp.com
I agree with people who say start with the first two. "The Bogus Man" rules. Then do yourself a favor and detour into Eno's first four 'vocal' albums -- 'Here Come the Warm Jets', 'Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)', 'Another Green World', and 'Before and After Science' -- a total goldmine of genius songcraft.
For my money, their debut is one of the all-time best first from anybody. Pretty close to essential, I'd say. And Virginia Plain is as near to a perfect pop song as glam or prog came. I like For Your Pleasure less than the debut, but it's still fairly solid. For some reason I've never gotten into the post-Eno stuff that much, though I quite like Avalon.
Slightly off-topic but The Melvins/Jello Biafra did a cover of In Every Dream Home A Heartache on their most recent covers album, Everybody Loves Sausages, that I actually prefer to the original.
+1 on Nador's post above. By all means get the first four Eno albums if you don't have them. Like now.
Do The Strand.
Yeah, what you said. Siren was a very personal album for Bryan, and I imagine it was very tough to put his heart on his sleeve like that.
But the first album was thinking way, way out of the box. In spite of its uninspiring title, “The Bob (Medley)” is mainly electronics and audio montage with snippets of song weaving in and out. Very avant-garde. Nothing they did since (including For Your Pleasure, the other album with Eno) was this daring and experimental. But I’d say that anything up to and including Siren is worth your while. The reformation albums are just straight pop music, but Avalon has the distinction of at least being exquisitely performed, written and produced.
That is probably Eddie Jobson’s career highlight as a violinist. I never tire of listening to it!
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
My favourite is the debut followed by For Your Pleasure, i'd probably include Avalon if I was giving a top three which apparently I just did.
"The wind is slowly tearing her apart"
Sad Rain
Anekdoten
I hope my frail old body & ears will be able to handle the Melvins. They're playing in Madison on Thurs, July 9th at the High Noon Saloon (capacity 450).
Can you say f*****g deafening!
70 year olds should just not be doing this shit, but it's the f*****g Melvins in a bar!
I don't even like punk/post-punk/grunge/thrash-metal music much at all, but it's the f*****g Melvins in a bar!
At my age, I ain't gonna miss a legendary, influential band like that in a bar!
Midwest people - not sold out yet. $17 in adv. $20 day of show!.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
This one is so different than early Roxy that we may as well be talking about two different bands...
That being said, IMHO Avalon is probably the greatest "Adult Contemporary Pop" record ever made. Smooth, wistful and romantic but never cheesy, sappy or maudlin.
An amazing ***** effort. Hard to believe they quit after this one.
I didn't know anything about the early 70s Roxy when I first heard them in the late 70s, so am quite happy with the Manifesto — Flesh + Blood — Avalon trio. They're all full of excellent art pop in a David Bowie sort of vein.
If you dig "Out of the Blue" then definitely get Country Life, since Jobson can be heard throughout (though there's nothing else on the record that's as good). He's also on the album that precedes it, Stranded.
Then I'd recommend what others have -- start with the debut and work forward from there.
To me the first few albums are of a kind, and can be an acquired taste. Roxy was progressive with a small "p", so don't expect anything remotely similar to most of the music we talk about on ProgEars. Bowie or some Krautrock bands are the closest comparisons in my book.
I'm holding out for the Wilson-mixed 5.1 super-duper walletbuster special anniversary extra adjectives edition.
First five albums are essential. Avalon as well depending on your tolerance for pop. It is VERY different from the early stuff but still a classic.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
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