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[pmcd9]

Good find.  Anything involving Jim Dickinson is gonna be good.

[theinevitable]

lately, having to listen to an endless most-repeating playlist of pop music at work, I think a lot about how what other people seem to listen for in music is not what I listen for.

and I don't mean this in some sort of weird, snobby, "other people don't know what is good" way. I actually kind of think that my sense of melody/form/tonality/something has been so warped from what it used to be that I can no longer judge what will sound "too weird" or "corny" or whatever to most/other people. In one direction, I remember a point when I thought The Byrds or Simon and Garfunkel or any country music sounded unbelievably corny, and syrupy-sweet. Now I love that. On the other hand, I find Conduit for Sale really really catchy-- it gets stuck in my head all the time-- even though I can remember how much it turned me off when I first heard it. I recall trying SO hard to understand what other people got out of it, and thinking it was unbelievably annoying.

The reason I bring this up is that I'm constantly amazed by the music they play at work. Specifically, on certain days, they play mix CDs that coworkers/managers/etc have made, and it blows my mind what some of these people think is good music to play in a grocery store. I can never judge which CDs will be popular with my co-workers and which will be hated. One girl made a CD of all horrible modern dance music (Lady Ga-Ga and various ripoffs) which everyone loved. That CD actually alternated modern dance music with POUNDING beats with shit like this. My manager said "I LOVE this CD. You GO girl!" Another employee made a CD of 80s hits that everyone despised, including people who are older/younger than me. People complain about the old-school funk CD one guy made. A guy who is actually a DJ and crafted a really, really good mix that had me bopping around with a smile on my face for the entire 1:30 or however long it was, which people hated and complain about whenever he tries to put it on.

I don't know, I am having trouble coming up with good examples. I just hear certain pop songs that I think are really WEIRD, and see everyone loving them, and hear others that I think are catchy and good and everyone complains about them. Similar things occur when live musicians perform in the store-- the performer who I think the most co-workers complained about was the only one I've liked. What is so grating about a duo of women with pretty voices, guitar, and piano, covering Beatles and Neil Young songs!? At least one person said "THIS IS BARELY EVEN MUSIC."
This also occurs with my little sister-- I try to send stuff her way that I think she'll appreciate, and I can never guess what will be "too weird" and what will be "awesome."

I am going to make a mix for work, and I can't decide how prepared I should be for derision and rude comments. I'll avoid stuff like this no matter how much it makes me think of Gaga in some weird way. I am trying to resist my urge to put in JUST ONE really abrasive, punky song. (man, I want to put that song on there so bad. This song got me through my first couple weeks working here.)

So yeah, I am trying to find stuff that I like that won't weird people out, and at this point I don't know if I know what that even is.

It will definitely include My Secret Weapon.

(also: today I heard Hot Tuna on the radio. I had never heard them before. This song they played was awesome, and the guy never said what the name of the track was. Damn it.)

[pmcd9]

(also: today I heard Hot Tuna on the radio. I had never heard them before. This song they played was awesome, and the guy never said what the name of the track was. Damn it.)

Another Jefferson Airplane offshoot.

[KeithHernandez]

We've been over I don't really like Jefferson airplane, but I remember quah being alright when my mom played it in her car before I could drive.  Maybe I was just happy it wasn't the I am Sam soundtrack though.

[theinevitable]

I just kept thinking "man, I sure do love these Creedence best-of tracks that I have, I should check out their albums" and then not doing it.

Why am I so silly.

[KeithHernandez]

Willy and the Poor Boys and Cosmos factory are so good.  "Who we burning/Who we burning/EFFFFAAGGGEEEEE"

[theinevitable]

listening to all these songs that have that distinctive Creedence sound, I am reminded of another part of the thing I went on about above: there are lots of bands that people say sound alike that I don't think sound alike at all.

For instance, people talk about how lots of bands sound like the Pixies. I don't think I can name a single band that I think actually sound like them. They have such a distinctive sound, which has a lot of elements. One of my first interactions with my kind-of-a-dick old roommate was when he said "wait, but have you heard the Pixies?" when I said I liked Nirvana a lot. Fuck that noise.

It is weird, though, to think about what a big influence the Pixies were on Nirvana, considering they were contemporaries (although obviously Kurt heard them before Nirvana were big at all). I guess I can think of things like that going on now, though. (all of the bands that just sound like that one Animal Collective album?)
I think I am forgetting some really obvious example that is really recent.

[miles]

Doug Martsch claimed Pavement as an influence on Built to Spill, though that's also not a recent example.

[pmcd9]

Creedence is indeed very very good, but I've heard them so much in my lifetime that I am totally burned out on it.  I'm not sure I'll ever be ever to really enjoy them again.  I keep thinking that if I can just put them aside for a few years I can hear them again with new ears, but it's pretty impossible since they are everywhere.  I hear them in movies, on the radio, even in the grocery store or at the gas station when I am filling my tank.  There is no escaping Creedence Clearwater Revival!

However, I can reminisce about listening to Cosmo's Factory on my parents reel to reel player when I was a little kid.  I still remember how much I loved it back then.

[JorgeFabregas]

Was this the Times New Viking thread? While that band name seems harmless, I think Times New Italian is superior.

[robot_god]

I heard a new track from Bobby McFerrin on the radio today and I was mesmerized.  Gonna check that out asap, but lately I've been listening to Iron Maiden.  And Black Moth Super Rainbow.

[Nabubrush]

Paul Di'Anno? Or Bruce Dickinson?

[pmcd9]

Paul Di'Anno? Or Bruce Dickinson?

Both.

[theinevitable]

Women broke up and I am sad. I really like them. They are the band who I cited as saying "make it sound shittier. Make it sound like it was recorded on a boom box."

[KeithHernandez]

I have never heard/heard of Women, but, not to get all l...f...m... on you, but you know what is infinitely cooler than "making something sound like it was recorded on a boombox"?  Recording something on a fuck*ng boombox.

Also, one time I saw Men, pretty awful band, but they played during the weekend firefighters collect money at like stop lights and stuff (everywhere has these right?).  Well they came into the show to collect money.  Have you ever seen 4 firefighters watch a transgendered band?  I thought it was more interesting than the band.