Steven Wilson VS Greta Van Fleet

[SteveSly]

But if you're going to go with a Led Zep clone, I'd go with The Struts who have a much more powerful singer and a bit more balls. And on a prog aside, The Struts singer, Luke Spiller, sings on Mike Oldfield's (not so great) Man on the Rocks.

I love The Struts, but I don't hear much of a Zep comparison with them at all. The Struts do seem to be gaining some ground. They are playing my area this summer at a venue more than twice the size the last time they came through.

[davis]

Not so much a brouhaha, sometimes the truth hurts.

but it's not the truth. it's just SW's opinion.

[davis]

As a fan of both, I think SW has got it completely wrong here. He seems envious that GVF are good looking and have got a major record deal at such a young age. In a previous interview he was complaining about how rock music is invisible in the music mainstream nowadays and yet now that GVF are helping to bring rock music back to young audiences he doesn't like it. GVF are not a manufactured band, they can actually play their instruments and write songs and they are great live. So what if they sound a bit like Led Zep, they wear their influences on their sleeve rather like SW did in his earlier career. No doubt they will continue to grow and develop their own style which in fact I think they are already doing if you listen to all of their debut album.

Personally I think it says more about Wilson who seems to be getting more and more arrogant and opinionated than ever.

[davis]

It's a weird thing in that a person like SW should be able to express their opinion, but in reality nobody wants to hear old people whine about stuff. He should just do his thing and not be so concerned about other artists.

52 is old?

[davis]

One thing to note though - it puts light on Led Zeppelin - so more kiddos can be introduced to the real deal.

and maybe go back to those that Led Zep "learned" from.

[timmy]

Yep - make the listeners go back to the source. Exactly. This is something I can get behind 100%.

[IncogNeato]

Yep - make the listeners go back to the source. Exactly. This is something I can get behind 100%.

Agreed 100%

[wilcox660]

You betcha!!

"Candy Kiosk Rock". Can I dance to it, does it have a good beat?

[chalkpie]

I'm sure they'll kiss and make up - then SW will remix/remaster their shit in 5.1 in a few years.

[Sean]

I get that. But sometimes cotton candy is exactly what I want.

Abba's song "Dancing Queen" is one of the most well-made pop songs of the last 50 years, IMO. And when it's blasting on a dance floor, or in a roller skating rink, it really shines. I wouldn't consider it disposable myself, although I can understand why the average prog fan might not like it.

Feel the beat of the tambourine.....

[kid_runningfox]

I get that. But sometimes cotton candy is exactly what I want.

Abba's song "Dancing Queen" is one of the most well-made pop songs of the last 50 years, IMO. And when it's blasting on a dance floor, or in a roller skating rink, it really shines. I wouldn't consider it disposable myself, although I can understand why the average prog fan might not like it.

...and yet I find listening to ABBA in general, and that song in particular, akin to being subjected to fingernails being scraped down a blackboard. Horrible, horrible music, however well-composed it might be in the formal sense.

As regards Wilson's latest outburst, I sometime wonder if he just does it for the publicity value. He's a figure who has long expressed a cynical view of the whole industry machine (deservedly, I have to say), and I seriously think this is him playing the game of any publicity being good publicity. Judging by this thread, it would appear to be working. Btw, I have no interest in GvF whatsoever, but if they're playing the kind of music they enjoy then good luck to them.

[aith01]

...and yet I find listening to ABBA in general, and that song in particular, akin to being subjected to fingernails being scraped down a blackboard.

This doesn't surprise me at all.

Horrible, horrible music, however well-composed it might be in the formal sense.

"horrible music"? Now that just seems like an overreaction. What other songs by other groups do you consider to be horrible?

[Kcrimso]

Just surprised Steve would bother with something like this. Doesn't sound like him at all.

It sounds exactly like him.

[Steve983]

It sounds exactly like him.

I'm afraid so. Remember when he called everything Yes had done since 1978 total excrement? I was playing Dream Theater's Repentance (from Systematic Chaos) yesterday where he features apologising for his opinions that might have hurt peoples feelings, he hasn't changed in that regard. I've been a huge fanboy of SW in the past but I have lost a lot of respect for him re the Permanating justification rants etc and what he sees as the 'Truth'. By the way Steven, Dream Theater are better than Abba, that's my truth.

[kid_runningfox]

This doesn't surprise me at all.




"horrible music"? Now that just seems like an overreaction. What other songs by other groups do you consider to be horrible?

Too many to list - though the names 'Queen' and 'U2' feature in there quite prominently, in addition to ABBA. I spent most of my teenage years trying to avoid all three, and nothing has changed now that I'm much older. I'm also afraid that I just can't bring myself to 'appreciate' things in that smug, 'ironic' fashion that seems to have a lot to do with the popular rehabilitation of ABBA and Queen especially in recent years. For me they're just awful, camp cheese. I really wonder what it is to you, though: if you don't like what I have to say, there's always the 'ignore' button. And if I'm not surprising you, it is really worth the effort in responding?

[Frumious B]

On the one hand GVF are incredibly derivative and superficial, like stupid little hipsters engaged in 1972 cosplay. Even Whitesnake and Kingdom Come were far better at doing the faux Zeppelin thing than they are. On the other hand rock and popular music have gone so far down the tubes in recent years that it’s kinda like someone had a stroke and you are thrilled just to see them hold a spoon and tie their shoes again. At least GVF is a recognizable rock band with guitar, bass and drums that can function without a f*cking laptop doing most of the heavy lifting. So Wilson is basically correct, but maybe he should cut a little slack.

[iguana]

that can function without a f*cking laptop doing most of the heavy lifting.

think i’ll start a thread on SLEAFORD MODS sometime soon.

[skysaw]

So maybe this is where SW starts to morph into Mark Kozelek, who shit-talked The War On Drugs in a similar scenario.

[jamesmanzi]

God, the irony of people spending 4 pages shit talking someone for shit talking a band that they spent those same 4 pages shit talking.

I get it now guys, it's okay for you to shit talk GVF and it's okay for you to shit talk SW, but SW shouldn't shit talk GVF because reasons.

[Sean]

Define "talking shit". Nobody has yet to say SW is "abysmal".

PS Have you even seen the voluminous threads at FB on this same subject? We are being quite articulate and kind in comparison.

Steven, is that you?? Shouldn't you be working on something instead of reading this stuff?

[JJ88]

First off, Steven needs to get the fuck over himself. He's punching down and no artist should ever do that. It just doesn't do for a fifty-something established artist to bitch about youngsters who only cut their first album.

Indeed. To do it in an interview is one thing but I can't believe that he would actually talk about them in his concert as well, which has been mentioned on this thread. Very bad form IMHO.

[Plasmatopia]

For the record I have nothing against either artist and I think SW should just ignore GVF if he doesn't like 'em.

[Yves]

20 years from now SW will be re-mixing the entire GVF catalogue into whatever flavour of the month format is all the rage at the time....

[aith01]

I'm also afraid that I just can't bring myself to 'appreciate' things in that smug, 'ironic' fashion that seems to have a lot to do with the popular rehabilitation of ABBA and Queen especially in recent years.

If you honestly believe that's why those three groups have remained popular to this day, then that's just delusional.

[Richard]

Indeed. To do it in an interview is one thing but I can't believe that he would actually talk about them in his concert as well, which has been mentioned on this thread. Very bad form IMHO.

He also put down Warren Zevon (at the Carborro show). More-so along the lines that neither he nor his band had ever heard of him so he couldn't have been any good type of thing. (There is a lighted picture of Warren at the Cat's Cradle that SW was alluding to) It was after this that he complained about GvF. This was all during the part of the show where he laments that people under 25 don't know the electric guitar. I think his quote went something like "and those kids pretending to be Led Zeppelin don't count. Nobody back in England has even heard of them." He was wrong of course as GvF had just sold out 3 nights at the London Forum and they are quickly gaining attention, but in the context his comments were humorous.