Thanks for bringing these out, especially the ones I bolded...

Sounds like Cale has come around a bit since the last time I bothered to read one of his interviews then. Mind that was ages ago, but it just turned me off severely to his opinions at the time. I also saw him live twice around that same time and it was horrible both times. Likely a low point in his career, he was playing in tiny bars so fucked up that he hit his face on the mic stand and didn't seem to notice. Chris Spedding sort of carried him through the first time, and the second time he was opening for Pere Ubu in a Seattle club with no reentry, so I just suffered through the same Neil Diamond wannabe set (seriously he was turning Paris 1919 into the Jazz Singer). Again, I know he's capable of much better, and in fact has done so since, but I was pretty put off back then.

I can't imagine a less appropriate thread to do it, but I gotta defend Beck too. I've seen him twice, both times when I didn't exactly choose too, and each time was completely blown away by his good sense on stage. He's a real showman and yeah the songs only have a smidge of substance, but sometimes charisma and a few hooks is enough.

Can't believe I didn't list Branca, but you always forget somebody major I suppose. Chatham too would be on my list. Since I was doing my own faves rather than historically relevant, I elected to leave off Feldman. I know I'll get into his music more one of these days, because I can see why I should, but I've never connected qute right at the right time so far.

I'm actually not a big Chatham fan. I know it goes against popular consensus to say that, but his stuff just bores me.

Debussy
Ravel
Mahler
Morricone
Tim Buckley (Starsailor is hugely influenced by Ligeti, Xenakis, Varèse, Messiaen and Luciano Berio)
Jean-Claude Vannier and Michel Colombier's work with Serge Gainsbourg
Villa-Lobos

Has anyone else noticed that Zorn is mostly utterly shite, and then mysteriously every now and then he'll produce something achingly beautiful?

I hope no-one's mentioned Zappa yet. Boy, is he ever shit.

Zappa is not a composer,twat.

Fuck off, cuntface.

[For anyone interested, I once had an argument for about an hour that ended in fisticuffs, the subject of which was Zappa - the chap contended that Zappa was 'the best composer of the 20th-century' I pointed out that he was neither a composer nor the best anything (u2, for instance, win the 'most annoying thing ever' award, with the Manic Street Preachers a close second). This is the providence of my statement, which will now, no doubt, dissolve into an insult match between me and that fascist queer].

../

Candy?

I'm going to eat your kidneys.

Was it porky?

Go ahead. Chew the dick if your mouth gets there. Tasty.

You look Welsh.

Bump 'cause that's a good thread

right now i'm listening to a great record called "desert ambulance" by ramon sender & pauline oliveros. it's early electronica, kinda reminiscent of delia derbyshire crossed with sun-ra style moog psych freak outs with sampled accordian ala oliveros. it's beautiful stuff.

Schoenberg
Webern
Berg
Bartok
Debussy
Ravel
Glass
Yoko Ono
Reich
Cage
Maciunas
Stockhausen
Oliveros
Cardew
Branca
Shostakovich
Copland
Bernstein
Sondheim
Gershwin
Penderecki
John Cale
Wolff
Scott Walker (kind of a composer)

I feel like im leaving loads out, add more later when I think of them

alan sondheim... nice!
great poet, fab composer.

Cant let this thread die its too interesting

I heard the premiere of John Adams' Doctor Atomic Symphony. I usually avoid Adams like the plague, but this was pretty outstanding... reminded me of Lutoslawski at his more raucous in some parts (especially what I assume was the third movement).

You can listen to some of the proms (British classical music festival) here.