Did I say enjoy? Jeez -- that track starts well in a sort of punk-Monkees way, but the instrumental second half is painfully unlistenable and seems to go on for about six hours.
In any event, I bring it up because I heard it for the very first time the other day -- in a TV commercial for Hotels.com, of all things...
...and it grabbed me immediately. Not knowing its authorship, however, I then did the research, and you can easily imagine my disappointment when I heard the song in its entirety.
Anyway, then it struck me -- I used to joke that I slept, musically speaking, through the '90s. And there was more than a grain of truth there, which is to say I was not hugely fond of most of the stuff on the radio back then (hell, I didn't decide I liked Nirvana till about ten years ago). And Stereolab was one of those bands I just couldn't be bothered with at the time.
Hey, I'm old and cranky. So sue me.
Anyway, that leads us to this weekend's business. To wit:
...and the critically well-regarded and/or commercially successful post New Wave-pre 21st century artist or band you most completely don't get on any level is...?
No arbitraary rules here, but obviously by post-New Wave we're talking about the mid-to-late '80s. So our time frame here is roughly from The Thompson Twins to Y2k.
Discuss/have fun.
And have a great weekend, everybody!!!
Sleater Kinney. Horrible.
ReplyDeleteThe whole grunge movement - it was whining with fuzz pedals.
ReplyDeleteTook rock-n-roll from "fuck you" to "poor me."
"Took rock-n-roll from "fuck you" to "poor me."
ReplyDeleteBrilliant.
Please don't spit on my grave when I'm gone:
ReplyDeleteSonic Youth
Captain Al
as a well-intentioned, somewhat forgetful elderly gentleman i can't specifically bring to mind the music i didn't like from those days - but i do recall that george harrison had cancer and was stabbed during that time span, and died soon afterwards, in the early 21st century
ReplyDeleteand speaking of the thompson twins, of course we all know they weren't really named thompson, and weren't twins, but i just found out courtesy of our friends at wikipedia that they carried on in 1993-96 after changing their band name to babble - their song 'take me away' could be seen as prententious, i guess, but i kind of like it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auzp4Yzs7Pg
I found that much of the music labeled "independent" in the mid-to-late '90s that dominated mainstream commercial radio was boring. "Look, we're ironic!" or "mope mope mope" sure gave us a lot of bands that were cute for a hot minute. They're all playing at the local county fair this summer...
ReplyDeletepaulinca
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Counting Crows, Blind Melon, 4 Non- Blondes, Hoobastank, Incubus, Creed, Sister Hazel, Nickelback.... so, so much dreck to my ears
ReplyDeleteJoni MItchell. Oops, that's another thread, sorry.
ReplyDeletePearl Jam
Counting Crows
Red Hot Chili Peppers
I guess had I been in HS these would have resonated; alas I was in my early 30s.
Bless Nirvana for kicking the door open and ridding the world of hair metal, but the labels' signing frenzy led to a ton of garbage in its wake.
Pivoting off the above George Harrison mention, while undergoing cancer treatment his doctor brought his kid in and had him play for George. Also had him sign the kid's guitar when George could barely hold a pen. Thankfully, if I recall, the doctor was punished by a board of ethics.
Bob in IL
Bob - Actually, it was at one of the Mayo Clinic hospitals and my source - who worked there - said the doctor got fired.
DeleteI actually liked 4 Non Blondes and Blind Melon, but both were one-album wonders.
ReplyDeleteThe head guy is my neighbor but, sorry, I have just never gotten Wilco.
ReplyDeleteNick Danger: Thanks for the George info.
ReplyDeleteMy buddy: Didja ever listen to Wilco?
Me: Not intentionally.
Bob in IL
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Buns & Hoses, and Radiohead. The first is hair-metal to me: Empty, vacuous, teen-boy pretend rock where every 'song' sounds the same. The second: See #1, but I'll add that I also find it hard to listen to a vocalist who sounds like a cat getting raped. The third....I believe 'em, but save for a few songs, they just don't do it for me (and, oddly, the ones I like, I really like, so it seems to be all or nothing for me with Radiohead).
ReplyDeleteC in California
I'll second Sal's Sleater Kinney (tuneless dreck) and C in California's Radiohead (would someone put poor sad Thom Yorke out of his misery, please).
ReplyDelete- Paul in DK
Blues Traveler. Can hardly be called "blues" when Popper's harmonica sounds like a squeaky kazoo. Bob Hite is cringing in his grave.
ReplyDeleteCan't take Morrissey
ReplyDelete