Posts by Backdrifter

The new cabinet is grim stuff.

It seems with each passing day we are not just 'drifting into the arena of the unwell' but that we are sliding with increasing speed into the festering pit of the toxic.

Watching tory MPs who hated Johnson switch to supporting him, because they see him as the chance to win back voters from the Brexit Party, has been nauseatingly unedifying. Party before country, pure and simple.

I had a discussion with colleagues in 2016 where we said, a year from now we could actually have President Trump, Prime Minister Johnson and President Le Pen. Well sorry Meat Loaf but two out of three really is bad. The death of common sense indeed.

I'm glad I have a week of manic theatregoing at the Edinburgh Fringe to look forward to for some escape.

Yes I agree "the ice-cold knife" is stretching the idea too far. But I love the notion of selecting one specific song to illustrate the inclusion of 'it', I have to say that gave me a chuckle.

Quote from DecomposingMan

I've gotten the impression that most of the ATTWT songs that were played live -- specifically "Down and Out," "Ballad of Big," "Burning Rope," "Deep in the Motherlode" & "Say It's Alright Joe" -- had unusually short stints in the band's set list.

Oh you're not wrong there. The 1st three lasted one tour, the other two stayed for the Duke tour, as did Lady. In fact D&O didn't even last the one tour, it got dropped during the tour! Ballad might've too?

Again though, was that unusual practice for them? They usually had a bunch of "one & done" tracks from each album.

Some interesting thoughts there, not a whole lot I agree with but I Iike reading others' views on album that's hugely problematic for me.

While I appreciate Scenes is based on a comic, I doubt that closer acquaintance with the comic would alter my loathing of the song.

Quote from DecomposingMan

I think it says something about the album that only one of its songs (FYFM) ever made it into the band's long-term concert repertoire.

Hmmm, really? I reckon it says more about their ruthlessness with their own material, including some of their best songs. e. g. would you say the same about the albums Los Endos, Afterglow and Turn It On Again come from?

Many Too Many - Mama

I'd be delighted with a whole album of new material, regardless of the track lengths!

Ah but Nanunami are you "afraid to admit" you don't like them? Doesn't seem like it. And quite right too.

Two of my favourites are in there, NYC and Keep. As is my most disliked Genesis track, Scenes, in my view the absolute worst thing they ever did. The others I'm mostly neutral on, perhaps leaning towards not liking.

Quote from DecomposingMan

Phil.

Thanks - well then, for me it stands as one of his best.

A favourite trio track for me. And as opposed to the band, I really like the middle instrumental section. It has a pleasingly trancey feel that they rarely ever had, unfortunately.

One of the best trio lyrics too, effectively conveying a sense of dependency and desperation. Do we know who wrote the lyric, or if anyone led on the music?

For me it sits at the darker end of the Genesis spectrum, alongside Mama though it doesn't sound much like it. That's the end of their spectrum I like best to inhabit.

Quote from OneForTheVine

Unfortunately, there is a factual foundation for the FBI and CIA not sharing information back then.

Finished The Looming Tower and it left me feeling drained. I'll definitely investigate the Barnford books. If the show is accurately sourced it essentially tells us the CIA knew Al Qaeda operatives were in the US in March 2000 and had Intel that at least two of them were taking flight training, but take-offs only. And not only did they not tell the FBI, they actively withheld it and refused to divulge it when the FBI realised there was activity but some info was missing.

Not pleasant, but one of the shows of the year. Gripping and horrifying.

Yes I thought it was probably lazy categorisation of 10cc due to I'm Not In Love and possibly Things We Do and maybe Dreadlock Holiday (which I have to say is pretty bad).

Despite my disagreeing with it, it kind of doesn't surprise me some will include Genesis on a 'soft rock' list. If you go by a tiny number of singles eg FYFM, Hold On, In Too Deep the casual listener would pigeonhole them as such. It shows how ridiculous most categorisations are.

I'm sure that lazy labelling is probably linked to the perception of Collins and Rutherford's solo careers too. But have they partly called them soft rock due to their having had hit singles as you said FeelItComing ? That really would be a ludicrous reason. It would make Metallica soft rock as well!

Quote from boredatwork

There was a mildly interesting 2-part documentary on BBC4, called “I can go for that” about a genre mystifyingly described as ‘Yacht Rock’. This seemed to encompass the highly produced American west coast sounds of 1980s bands like Hall & Oates & Toto, who were interviewed extensively, although it also included some Eagles & Michael Jackson. Anyway, if anyone who can get BBC iPlayer is interested it’s here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/…ck-series-1-2-episode-two

😄

I remember hearing about Yacht Rock about 15 years ago. I hadn't heard the term before that but instantly got it. It makes me think of the 80s, misty music videos, US westcoasters wearing deck shoes, pastel sweaters over their shoulders with the arms tied together on their chests, the breeze ruffling their hair, while a bikini-clad woman lies bronzing herself in the sun, champagne in an ice bucket... Find the right soundtrack for that and it'll likely be Yacht Rock, whether or not there's an ocean-going leisure vessel involved.

Consequently, given the kinds of artists in this genre I'm unlikely to watch the documentary!

EDIT: I just read the Wikipedia entry on Yacht Rock and was amused to see mention of a sub-genre Dark Yacht, which is apparently typified by Joni Mitchell's song The Hissing of Summer Lawns.

It gives a list of Yacht Rock acts and it mainly confirmed my feeling that they're very much not for me so I was puzzled to see the brilliant 10cc in the list. Eh?! I don't see them as the sort of anodyne soft rock of most of the other yachtrockers.

Quote from OneForTheVine

This show has now happened, hasn't it? If so, how was it?

Indeed it was last week and I ended up going to the first and last of the three shows. I thoroughly enjoyed them. Since they started touring again in 2015 I've seen them 6 times and the shows have all been excellent. The two Scotland ones last autumn probably edge it but London last week was superb. Over the 4 years of touring they've gone from almost exclusively 70s material to a mix of 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and new stuff that works really well.

At the end of the final gig, Fripp uncharacteristically remained on stage after the curtain call when everyone else had left. For such an impassive man it was the closest I've seen him get to looking anything like emotional. It wasn't the last gig of the tour by some way but it was the final UK gig. It being their 50th anniversary perhaps he's finally knocking it on the head after this.

If so, I'm very glad I got to see this extraordinary, unique band.

Quote from Colbefc

I also got Soused by Scott Walker and Sunn 0)) which i love, then again I love nearly everything Scott has done.

I really want to get that, having heard Brando and loved it. There's a band I'd like to see live. Close your eyes and drift in an ocean of noise.

Did you like the "difficult" post-70s albums? I have a major soft spot for them, partly for the sheer uncompromisingness of them.

I posted a tribute in the RIP thread but was disappointed no one else did!

I have two questions.

Looking back over the rock solo work in this new retrospective, what are his overriding thoughts and feelings about it as a body of work?

When I think of the solo work I immediately am drawn to The Fugitive. I think because it is solely his voice and feels to me the most consistent album. The cover of the new box set adapts the cover of The Fugitive. I wondered if this indicates he feels the same about that album?

Quote from Progatron

Grabbed the recent Peter Hammill live boxed set Not Yet Not Now. 8 CDs, over 8 hours and almost 100 songs from throughout his career. Great stuff!

Hmmm, useful to know.

Quote from dudeski

The opener alone is not really matching the quality of most of the other openers.

It has its moments, like Undertow, Snowbound and The lady lies. And of course there is Burning Rope.

Whereas I don't care for Snowbound, Lady or Rope, but love D&O and think it's one of their best openers!

King Crimson, London Royal Albert Hall, tomorrow and Thursday. Part of their 50th anniversary tour.

I've seen Anderson-less lineups a couple of times, and enjoyed it. I'm not saying those lineups are bad. But when he is there, for me there is an intangible Yes 'spirit' that feels present more so than when he is absent - no disrespect to Howe, Squire (who I saw in a Non-Jon lineup) or White intended. It's probably also a lot to do with his great likeability as a front man.

Quote from Sredni

The only members present, next to the "legendary five", were Ant Phillips and John Silver. You'll find a nice photo of those seven here:

http://www.anthonyphillips.co.uk/media/photogallery.html

That pic is from the Archive launch at Heathrow business centre. The dinner was at restaurant Nobu and an Uncut magazine piece described it as a gathering of all past Genesis members. It mentions Steve Hackett discussing flamenco guitar techniques with Chris Stewart.