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Your Ultimate Rock Track.


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Mint. Did you watch the Wish You Were Here doc on BBC4 at the weekend? That was pretty good. Wish You Were Here is easily my favourite song by them.

I missed that. I like them all from Meddle, but this is a classic and I also put Animals as one of my all time faves aswell.

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Wooo hooo I've seen Def Leppard, my all time fave band! Though I'm not a fan of that particular song. I prefer their early stuff or from later albums try tracks....Pearl of Euphoria, Desert song or Paper sun

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Wooo hooo I've seen Def Leppard, my all time fave band! Though I'm not a fan of that particular song. I prefer their early stuff or from later albums try tracks....Pearl of Euphoria, Desert song or Paper sun

 

Do they not just play the hits and stuff when they tour nowadays? I've had this in my head all day!

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Rock is pretty much dead as an art form.

Dead or dormant? Electronica disappeared for a while but is now back. Surely musical trends behave in the same way as the majority of trends, surely they're cyclical.

 

We may very well see the return of glam rock(or some shade of it) to popularity? and with the popularity may come a new artistic conversation?

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Dead or dormant? Electronica disappeared for a while but is now back. Surely musical trends behave in the same way as the majority of trends, surely they're cyclical.

 

We may very well see the return of glam rock(or some shade of it) to popularity? and with the popularity may come a new artistic conversation?

 

They're not cyclical. Jazz is dead. The Blues died. You can say the same of many other forms. These were movements that came from communities of people and circumstances that don't exist anymore. Noone is going to invent anything new and distinct within those genres; all forms of music reach this point at some stage. With popular music it's a little different, because the music itself is immaterial: it's essentially a battle of marketing. This allows some scope for cycles. When a certain demographic grows older, the market is ripe for nostalgia from their record-buying youth. There's not much of an artistic conversation to be had about this kind of music; save for a few exceptionally talented individuals, the vast majority of it is redundant. Whereas, within the forms of music that came from communities where music was an essential part of the culture, there was a vast wealth of real talent.

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They're not cyclical. Jazz is dead. The Blues died. You can say the same of many other forms. These were movements that came from communities of people and circumstances that don't exist anymore. Noone is going to invent anything new and distinct within those genres; all forms of music reach this point at some stage. With popular music it's a little different, because the music itself is immaterial: it's essentially a battle of marketing. This allows some scope for cycles. When a certain demographic grows older, the market is ripe for nostalgia from their record-buying youth. There's not much of an artistic conversation to be had about this kind of music; save for a few exceptionally talented individuals, the vast majority of it is redundant. Whereas, within the forms of music that came from communities where music was an essential part of the culture, there was a vast wealth of real talent.

 

Is Jazz dead, or is it just that the greats of that genre are? I'm certain there are still jazz artists creating new material. So It's not fair to say Jazz is dead, it's just drowning under an ocean of pop, r&b, dance etc.

 

I don't think Jazz or Blues are as relevant now as they once were, but I'm not going to say that they never will be. Folky rock has had a brief resurgence, but there aren't genres that can out-muscle the pop/r&b juggernauts that are backed by the major labels/marketing machines. Not for very long anyway, once the novelty wears off you'll no doubt find HMV, once again, teeming with teenage girls buying the same shit their mums were buying 30 years ago.

 

As an aside, I'm enjoying the vinyl revival, not because I own many, but just because it's a big two fingers up to the disposable nature of music. There's something... collectable(?) about vinyl that you don't get with CDs or MP3s and it makes listening to music a more active past-time.

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Do they not just play the hits and stuff when they tour nowadays? I've had this in my head all day!

 

More or less I suppose... the setlist differs whether they are playing in America or over here. Like Joe says, people expect them to play certain hit songs, like Sugar, Hysteria, Animal, Rock of ages. He must get sick of it too! If you listen to his Planet Rock show on Saturdays at 6pm he plays some great music (not hit songs) and every other week he plays a Leppard song that isnt so well known. The Rock of Ages movie is out soon :yucky: where Tom Cruise sings Pour some sugar....god, all the good songs the Leps have done over the years and they choose that one :doh: So because of that DL have released newly recorded versions of Sugar and Rock of Ages.

 

I dont think Rock is dead, if anything it's experiencing a resurgence. Loads of old bands touring, DL recently toured with Motlery Crue. And there seems to be more rock festivals now than ever! And Lady Gaga is touring with The Darkness!! :o (though not sure if The Darkness is Rock lol)

 

EDIT.

Bonamental...this was filmed by a fan last night at a little warm up gig by DL. Its for a yuotube show that goes out tonight at 8pm. Considering its their first show for alittle while, I thought they sounded pretty good!!

 

Edited by Toonraider
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As KSA said, musical art forms are born from communities and circumstance, when those communities and circumstances change or no longer exist, the music itself becomes a community which carries the culture forward. The genre's ability to evolve is determined by its creative strength which is pretty much immeasurable but must be based on size of the community and structures or parameters of the art form i.e. how the genre is defined (e.g. electrically amplified guitar music). Once the boundaries of the genre are set, the community can carry it forward creating sub-genres that somehow dont break the boundaries. You can cross-reference to each sub-genre (punk rock, grungey punk rock, indie rock etc) but at a certain point, the boundaries of the art form will have been fully explored due to the limits imposed by the genre's definition. There are only so many ways you can play chords on a guitar.

 

I dont believe jazz is dead as its freeform, experimental improvisation allows the community of jazz musicians to constantly innovate and provides a broader palette of tools. I dont believe the blues is dead either because of its strong links to modern r'n'b & hip-hop. I dont really think rock is dead either, its just not that vibrant and one of the most rigidly adhered to formats. The strongest and most vibrant musical genres are the ones which are constantly innovating. Rock's great period of innovation is over so thats why i said 'as an art form' its dead which is maybe a bit strong but sort of true until someone new and distinct comes along.

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As KSA said, musical art forms are born from communities and circumstance, when those communities and circumstances change or no longer exist, the music itself becomes a community which carries the culture forward. The genre's ability to evolve is determined by its creative strength which is pretty much immeasurable but must be based on size of the community and structures or parameters of the art form i.e. how the genre is defined (e.g. electrically amplified guitar music). Once the boundaries of the genre are set, the community can carry it forward creating sub-genres that somehow dont break the boundaries. You can cross-reference to each sub-genre (punk rock, grungey punk rock, indie rock etc) but at a certain point, the boundaries of the art form will have been fully explored due to the limits imposed by the genre's definition. There are only so many ways you can play chords on a guitar.

 

I dont believe jazz is dead as its freeform, experimental improvisation allows the community of jazz musicians to constantly innovate and provides a broader palette of tools. I dont believe the blues is dead either because of its strong links to modern r'n'b & hip-hop. I dont really think rock is dead either, its just not that vibrant and one of the most rigidly adhered to formats. The strongest and most vibrant musical genres are the ones which are constantly innovating. Rock's great period of innovation is over so thats why i said 'as an art form' its dead which is maybe a bit strong but sort of true until someone new and distinct comes along.

 

Exactly right and very well put!

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1. I dont believe jazz is dead as its freeform, experimental improvisation allows the community of jazz musicians to constantly innovate and provides a broader palette of tools.

 

2. I dont believe the blues is dead either because of its strong links to modern r'n'b & hip-hop.

 

1. The problem with that statement is that it's widely agreed that there have been no innovations in jazz since 'free jazz' came about a few decades ago. It also doesn't sell. Their will be no more great innovators in jazz in the mould of a Miles Davis. Virtuoso musicians are always going to be attracted to jazz because it is possibly the most demanding form of music, but the form has been taken as far as it can go imo.

 

2. Rock is the form of music that has been most influenced by the blues. I don't know about the strong links between blues and R&B/hip-hop--if you could fill me in on that I'd be interested. I don't particularly hear any blues influence on the occasions I listen to MC Dingdong. Blues records never sold well; even the black community did not buy them, preferring jazz. The Blues is a very limited form in a sense, the most common chord structure being 1-4-5, which is used all the time in popular music. We've had all the masters of the blues we're going to get: John Lee Hooker was the master of the 1 chord drone; Albert/Freddie/BB King the great lead players; Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, the great Chicago bandleaders--I'm only talking about electric blues there, but the same can be said of the country blues that came before it: it's been done. There will be no great innovators within the Blues again, it has been taken as far as the form can go. Occasionally there is a breakout star like an Eric Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughan who do sell well, but they are essentially just rehashing the styles of past masters--particularly the 3 Kings mentioned--rather than actually being innovative. There will always be a place for Blues artists because it's a form that is perhaps at its best during live performances, as I'm sure you can attest having been to Buddy Guy's club, but the best artists lived in the past.

Edited by Kevin S. Assilleekunt
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1. Jazzy Jeff. He took jazz, made it an adjective and added the word Jeff. Genius like that comes along once in a generation, the fact you dont know it says everything about the sort of man YOU are. Then you have artists like Francesco Tristano, Nils Petter Molvaer and Bruno Pronsato who make modern jazz with innovative electronic rhythms.

 

2. Gil Scott Heron is one link between hip-hop and the blues. G-funk, Parliament, George Clinton and that bluesy guitar based funk is sort of bridge too. I know its your specialist subject as you're a guitar player but the connection between the blues and hip-hop is cultural as well as musical. Syncopated rhythm, repetitive structures (sampled or played) and black inner city polemics against whitey. I take your point but i think you can argue a strong connection.

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1. Jazzy Jeff. He took jazz, made it an adjective and added the word Jeff. Genius like that comes along once in a generation, the fact you dont know it says everything about the sort of man YOU are. Then you have artists like Francesco Tristano, Nils Petter Molvaer and Bruno Pronsato who make modern jazz with innovative electronic rhythms.

 

2. Gil Scott Heron is one link between hip-hop and the blues. G-funk, Parliament, George Clinton and that bluesy guitar based funk is sort of bridge too. I know its your specialist subject as you're a guitar player but the connection between the blues and hip-hop is cultural as well as musical. Syncopated rhythm, repetitive structures (sampled or played) and black inner city polemics against whitey. I take your point but i think you can argue a strong connection.

 

I'm familiar with the so-called work of Jazzy Jeff; he is widely known to have plagiarized over 98% of his output from MC Dingdong, the rest of the contribution coming from Big Big Willy Wicky Wah Wah Will Smith, with whom he has engaged in a passionate and often stormy romantic relationship for several decades.

 

I know of Gil Scott Heron, like him. I was genuinely asking about a connection, because I have not listened to much hip-hop. Giving up the guitar because I lack musical talent. If I'd grown up picking cotton and getting farted on by white people it would have been different. One sad thing about the unstoppable rise of technology is that people in poor communities are less likely to learn instruments when they can play Angry Birds. Polemics against whitey aren't a big feature of blues, but there are some good ones:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3DdNYga6A4

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I had a mate who was shit at guitar until he was in his 30s, he's very good now. Why give up? Its a great skill to have.

 

In the blues, the artists are sad about their lives, in hip-hop they're pissed off (generally speaking). Its all about context as YOU said. If you sang 'fuck the police' in 1951 you'd have been hung.

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