Loved star trekkin.
I have a copy! But I think that was a different band , who, I heard at the time, was by a member of the Rubette's (Sugar Baby Love)
Posts by foxfeeder
-
-
Display MoreI loved Queen between the ages of about 8 and 14 then completely lost interest. I first saw them on Top Of The Pops doing Seven Seas and thought it was brilliant, really exciting. My brother got the single then later got Sheer Heart Attack, which for me is probably my favourite of the few Queen albums I know. Now I'm Here, what a superb piece of pop-rock. I loved Bohemian Rhapsody (I just can't bring myself to use the abbreviation!) and the ANATO album, which I thought had some really impressive stuff such as Prophet's Song with all the vocal overlap effects etc.
Around the time of NOTW it was like a switch being thrown - it wasn't that I suddenly thought they were now rubbish, it's just that they vanished from my personal radar, never to re-appear. I'd watch the occasional live performance if one got shown on TV, and a friend lent me Live Killers which was ok apart from the over-long noodling on Brighton Rock.
I've occasionally wondered about why a band I really liked stopped being of any interest to me so abruptly. All I can think is that at that time my musical interests were expanding quite rapidly and Queen, while not bad, were no longer sufficiently remarkable or appealing so got nudged out of the way.
I mentioned my loving Seven Seas and my brother getting the single. My favourite Queen song remains its b-side, See What A Fool I've Been. It perfectly combined the heaviness and loucheness that helped define a big part of their sound. Now I'm Here would be almost neck and neck with it.
One of my closest friends is the biggest Queen fan I know, but pulled a face and shook his head when I asked him if he was interested in the post-FM incarnations.
Yes, I always liked "See What a Fool I've Been" too, bought it as a download a while back. "Now I'm Here" was the first song I ever had in my possession before it was released as a single, so it always has a special place in my heart. Great song it is too.
-
Haven't heard Cosmic Rocks, so I can't argue, but I don't like Paul Rodgers, and also suspect that his presence will have encouraged Brian to do what he's bad at: the sort of tracks he did on his solo album "Back To The Light" with Cozy Powell. Many of the other tracks (The Dark, Nothin' But Blue, Last Horizon) are outstanding, but things like I'm Scared, and particularly the awful Love Token (On a par with Andy Partridge's worst moment, "Pink Thing") would have been best left unheard.
Queen are IMO probably the best example of a band where the sum of the parts were much better than the individuals, mostly reigning in each others excesses, though Freddie's dreadful 1920's style pastiches (of which Seaside Rendezvous is just one) slipped through. The one exception, for me, is Roger's "Happiness?", which is a superb album, better than many Queen albums.
Queen 11 is my favourite, Queen 1 next, and SHA, Night and Day are all generally good, but after that, they lost it. Hot Space was the low point (not alone in that, Elton's Victim of Love was another from the same general era, a symptom of bands/artists being swayed by the punk passing phase)
I was a Queen fan from Q2, when most people didn't know who they were. I played them to death. Everywhere! When BoRap got to no. 1, I was in the lower 6th form. During assembly, an upper 6ther came up to me, shook my hand, and said "Well done, you spotted them before any of us. Cue instant street cred!
-
I prefer the 1994 remasters, EXCEPT for Foxtrot, where the old mix sounded just badly produced. Despite the changes, I think the new one is an improvement.
-
1/ Moody Blues (though effectively now retired, last gigs in 2018 but Graeme Edge has called a day now, I believe) so effectively Justin Hayward and John Lodge, who are still gigging and releasing.
2/ Cock Robin.
3/ Steve Hackett (though not any of the albums since BTSH or Squackett, sadly!)
4/ Tim Bowness.
5/ Nick Magnus.
That's about it, I think. Mostly buying old stuff in new formats these days, like BJH 5.1 mixes, Korgis complete back catalogue, etc.
-
-
I'm half Scottish, through my father, and was conceived in Dumfries, though they moved to Chester before I was born, mother's home town. By age 17, having spent 3 weeks a year with relatives in Scotland, I worked out I'd spent effectively a year of my life in Scotland. (3 weeks x 17 years = 51 weeks plus one on a school trip tot eh Hebrides.) I know Scotland well, and still have relatives there (who I have more contact with than the ones locally!) but I wouldn't say there are huge differences between England, Scotland or Wales (whose border is less than 3 miles from me, and where I worked a lot) but the south east, including London, is a different world, where people seem happy to squeeze themselves into a tiny area of land, relative to the rest of us. I've never understood why! Proud to be British, and English & Scottish. Without us, Europe would have had a much different union, one nobody could have left! We don't/didn't seem to get much gratitude, particularly from Charles De Gaule!
As for Abba, they were sugary pop in the early days, but they got much better. The last 2 singles, Under Attack, and esp. The Day Before You Came, are brilliant, sublime, beautifully crafted songs. Waterloo was Eurovision. In that arena, it deserved to win, though I can never understand why the UK keeps entering unknown acts when we could be putting world class ones in (not by our definition, perhaps, but by the general public.) Take That, for example!
-
That's one of my very favorite latter-era Moodies albums, every bit as good as "Long Distance Voyager", IMHO.
I agree.
-
-
Are "an Englishman in New York" and "Snack Attack" on this? I've always assumed they were, like both of them.
The Gizmo also features on Blue Guitar by Justin Hayward and John Lodge, though John Lodge is not on it, it was Justin & 10cc, about 3 years prior to it's release. They were just passing time in Strawberry Studio, Stockport, and Justin had a spare song. Some spare, eh?
Justin's "All the Way" compilation includes the original version of Blue Guitar, it had the Halle Orchestra and some extra backing vocals added for the single release. The Gizmo is more clearly heard on the original version.
I am lucky to be able to say I have been in Strawberry studio, Stockport, though it was some time later, 1980 in fact, by which time it was in different hands with a different name, Pluto studio, I seem to recall.
-
Everyone loving Smallcreep. I don't think I've heard it since about 1980, if indeed at all. I'll seek it out and give it a bash.
I struggled with A Curious Feeling. Again, one I haven't revisited for decades. I recall it as a distillation of every airy swirly wispy thing I disliked about 76-78 Genesis.
Smallcreep is superb, side 1 in particular. I've said it before: the guitar playing is very good, yet Ant Philips is on keyboards, allegedly.
-
Steve: Far bigger fan of Steve than Genesis, TBH, though the last 3 albums (post GR2) have been massive disappointments, but got everything studio album wise, and only stopped the live albums at Live in Liverpool.
All the others about equal. Gave up on TB after Soundtracks, which is good, and ACF is excellent bar the instrumentals, Gave up on MR after AVS, but I like it and think Smallcreeps day is the best solo effort not by Steve. Gave up on PC after Hello, it and FV are ok, but not regular listens. Gave up on PG after 4, like the first 2, 3 is a curate's egg, and 4 has 2 great songs, dislike the rest. Never got into AP, the first album wasn't very appealing, to me.
-
TOTT, TLLDOB, W+W. Also all the previous covers. They seemed to compliment the music , creating a whole. Duke was good , a move away from that old classic album cover feel but maintained that feeling of completeness , creating a concept feel. Abacab made a statement , " This is different". Abstract , no concept, not great but I did buy all 4 covers . Shapes was terrible. IT not much better. ATTWT was odd. Looked like it should've had some concept or meaning but I have never figured it. Clouds, cigarettes, lines, two people. Quite Odd.
WCD and CAS average. I always liked SO. Thought it was great. It had typical Genesis live image with the lines of lights.
???
There are 3!
-
Indeed, Little Richard, a true original and a massive talent, he was a class act. He really set the music world in a new direction, probably without even realising it. RIP.
-
Display MoreCriticism is welcome when its merited and due, it is encouraged when it's constructive and other ideas are debated fairly and remain relevant.
What is it that you are trying to say here?
Most band documentaries have the chance to fall fowl of the hype or unfair expectations placed upon them, especially concerning bands with a large catalogue or longevity. Went Nuclear is to suggest legal action followed, to suggest that almost no one liked it is also a generalisation. To then be so bold to say that the band didn't like it is indeed fatuous and naive.
TGA
I said ALMOST no-one liked it. Certainly, within the forum, it was considered a turkey. Within the band, the only person who seemed pleased with it was Mike, but he's a friend of Eagle Rock's CEO, I believe, so I'll draw my own conclusions...………..
-
cool. I'm not familiar with the band but will check them out. I'm not the biggest fan of live stripped down acoustic versions of songs that are 'big' in the studio but anything different can be interesting for sure. I remember the 1997/98 media presentations when they did acoustic versions of no son of mine and a couple others (I think) and they were nice.
Very good band, started life in 1984, I'd recommend 1989's First Love/Last Rites (the last album before the break-up) and the 2006 reformation album, I Don't Want To Save The World as best start points, but Peter Kingsbery (band leader and pretty much the songwriter on his own) has 4 solo albums from the intervening years, all of which are very good, hard to pick one over the others, though the last one, Mon Inconnue, is almost exclusively sung in French.
-
Sigh. That is my point. Exactly. Genesis have never been that kind of band. I think they should have been, and they could be on this (probably) last tour. Their catalog is too deep to choose only two and a half hours to play every night.
As for being wrong about songs being untouchable? You know what, Phil could go out and not play in the air tonight. And Genesis really (really) could go out and not play I can't dance/invisible touch. And they wouldn't be lynched. They'd be fine, and so would the audience. they might even get some kudos for having the balls to omit a big hit. The crowd would get to hear something else from the band. This is not some wooly personal desire to hear an impossible set full of can utility or feeding the fire or whatever. I'd just like to see them branch out when the opportunity is there. Even a couple substitutions of like for like would be better than nothing; for example, instead of playing firth of fifth every night, have three or four similar length songs that could rotate into that slot (eg firth/hogweed/get em out by Friday/one for the vine). Instead of invisible touch every night switch it out for misunderstanding/that's all/Jesus he knows me.
That's all. Nothing earth shattering. I think it would make it more exciting, and do their catalog more justice.
There is another option, used by my second favourite band, Cock Robin. (No. 1? Not Genesis, I'm afraid.) Do the hits, but along with other songs, re-arrange them completely. They do some songs totally like the studio cuts, some a bit different, but, on the 1990 tour, as featured in their live at Paris Grand Rex video, Just Around the Corner, a full Bass/drums/keyboards/electric guitar track, was done by the band leader, Peter Kingsbery, as a vocal and acoustic guitar song. Great version, great audience reaction.
The original:
-
Ian, you're an adult. So why debase yourself by manipulating the title?
I haven't! The fact you don't like me criticizing the mess that too many people with too little relevance had too little focus to do properly is your problem, not mine.
Most band documentaries are going to disappoint a lot of fans, particularly with a band who cover so many styles and eras, but this one went nuclear in that respect. Almost NO-ONE liked it, even within the band it seems.
-
One of the b-sides of the era, probably.
-
Display More
That's fair enough, you like what you like and don't what you don't.
I occasionally have this discussion with prog fans who say Genesis and the members you mentioned "sold out", and will by comparison praise prog acts who (as you put it) stayed true to form. For me, that too often translates as 'bands who kept doing pretty much the same thing'. I find it hard to respect such bands, but I tend to like acts that develop and evolve. If a band you like evolves in a way you happen to not like, so be it. Any decent band will change as they go along while knowing they might lose some fans, but perhaps attract new ones.
One of these "Genesis sold out" guys once said, look at Barclay James Harvest (which I'd rather not but never mind) - he said he didn't much like their later stuff but all kudos to them for only playing their older proggier stuff at gigs. Personally I think that's pretty crap - I have zero respect for a band that puts out new material, has no faith in it and wallows in their ancient history like they've become their own tribute act.
I totally get Genesis fans disliking the later trio "commercial" work. I have no major problem with that material but understand the antipathy to it, but it was absolutely not them "selling out".
Incidentally, I think Hackett made a pretty clear bid for commercial success with songs like The Show, Cell 151, some of Cured, the move to incorporate world music on... whatever that album's called - and why not? Nothing wrong with a professional musician wanting hits. Invisible Men was a transparent attempt by Phillips to achieve a poppier more commercial sound. OK it didn't work but so what that he had a go.
I don't know who your friend was, but he was clearly stoned at the BJH gigs, cos they played stuff from all eras, but mainly the later songs at later gigs. They also made some great albums (and yes, some fairly bad albums, and it didn't even follow logic, Ring of Changes, 1983, was one of their best, the following album, Victims of Circumstance, 1984, same producer, same studio, was appalling), their 1989 album, Welcome to the Show, for me, is a better album than anything Genesis came up with as an album from then onwards.
Steve did try to get commercial, and have a hit single, at the request of Charisma! The Show did not chart (in the UK, at any rate! I believe it was a hit in Denmark) but Cell 151 did get to no 66. Not enough for Charisma, they let him go.
Generally, the artist has little control over what TV stations use as theme's or elsewhere, lots of local stations used stuff from Spectral Mornings as backing music and stuff, all too long ago to remember.
As to Sum of the Farts, Steve and Ant may not have had the commercial success the others had, (Except Tony. Shame, that!) but to exclude him completely from a documentary that was "claimed" to focus on the collective and solo works of it's members is just wrong. And unjustifiable, except in the mind of one person. Can we guess who?