[Severian]

Originally Posted by pepper_green

the Kinks

Oi! Yeah! Love it. Arthur! Village Green! Lola vs. Powerman! The Kinks are so great. Matched the Beatles and Stones stride for stride back in the late '60s for a bit.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Severian

Matched the Beatles [...] stride for stride back in the late '60s for a bit.

Just "matched"? I'll take The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society over any Beatles album. But that's me — in addition to genuinely love that record, I have an allergy to the school of thought that says The Beatles are the alpha & omega of this whole shit. Not that you necessarily implied that, though...

[The Soup Nazi]

 

This is the shit. Too bad I still can't get a bona fide copy of Early Recordings, which goes for $80 online. DEGENERATES.

[pepper_green]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Just "matched"? I'll take The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society over any Beatles album. But that's me — in addition to genuinely love that record, I have an allergy to the school of thought that says The Beatles are the alpha & omega of this whole shit. Not that you necessarily implied that, though...

yea. I don't know about all that. Village Green is a sweet album though. Stones Beatles Kinks. all different bands.

[a baby in 1980]

Eagles (remastered)

so good...

[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Just "matched"? I'll take The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society over any Beatles album. But that's me — in addition to genuinely love that record, I have an allergy to the school of thought that says The Beatles are the alpha & omega of this whole shit. Not that you necessarily implied that, though...

Honestly I go back and forth on it. I just fucking LOVE the Kinks. The Davies brothers made some of the most beautiful and ass-kicking music of that — or any other — era. And if I had to choose between "Victoria" and any Beatles or Stones song ever, I'd choose "Victoria" (studio version) every morherfucking time.

I do — from a kind of pop culture scholar standpoint — tend to view the Beatles as the "alpha and omega" of pop music in general. But from a more personal perspective, I see it a little differently. The Beatles never wrote anything quite like what the Kinks produced during their peak period.

As a whole, yes, the Beatles had a more fruitful and consistent discography, but they also quit at their peak. The Kinks went on to put out so-so records in the '70s and '80s, but also made some great records in those years. I used to just straight up prefer the Kinks. But now I look at it differently. Like, the Beatles were the Beatles. Whether you're a fan or not, it would be silly to argue that anyone has ever had a bigger influence on music. The Kinks were the runt of that particular litter, and as a result made some crazy awesome, weird as fuck, gloriously goofy yet jarringly poignant music that the Beatles were simply too big to make.

So, y'know, I wasn't really implying that the Beatles were the alpha/omega, but the general consensus in pop culture is that they were and are. I still love those late '60s/early '70s Kinks records as much as most of the Beatles' output.

In other words, I'm not one of those "Beatles or bust" nazis. There were times when they were a step behind the Kinks, the Stones, and definitely the Velvets (though that's getting into another topic entirely, one that would require mention of Dylan, and others, so let's steer clear of that for the purposes of this conversation.)

Beatles never wrote anything with the thunderous momentum of "Powerman" (nope... Not even "Helter Skelter." It may have been heavier and more frenetic, but it doesn't have the same energy). Neither did Zeppelin for that matter ( ... but yeah, it's true).
And they never wrote anything as wonderfully silly as "Apeman." The Beatles never wrote anything quite as emotionally poignant in that achingly beautiful, proto-Replacements, heart-on-sleeve kind of way as "Strangers," which makes me cry on the reg, for realzies.

But catalog vs. catalog, the Beatles do pretty much own everyone, mostly because they didn't keep at it long enough to embarrass the living shit out of themselves, as the Who, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Stones... even Dylan, most certainly did.

Have I answered the question you never asked with my lengthy, completely unprompted, all-over-the-goddamn-place reply? Good. Cheers.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by a baby in 1980

Eagles (remastered)

so good...

Eek. Yikes. I'm genuinely glad that you find joy in the Eagles' music. Seriously. But... wow... I do not. It's hard to imagine anyone under the age of 50 having a legitimate love for the Eagles (undoubtedly one of the most establishmenty bands of all time, like Fleetwood Mac without any pretense of artistic experimentation, or desire to move beyond the parameters of AM rock radio), but I would be a complete and utter Genteel Death-sized prick if I ever tried to shame or insult you for enjoying their music. Enjoyment of music is a force of good in the world, and I support your enjoyment of whatever you enjoy.

Still, seeing the words "The Eagles" pop up in the middle of a conversation about the Kinks and the Beatles is... ah... jarring. Which is why I feel compelled to make this entirely unsolicited comment right now.

[greenlight]

 

wow, what a sweet track. just heard track Evencycle by Melissa Guion a.k.a. MJ Guider from her debut album on Kranky label. Evencycle, a song that ties everything to a Roland's R8 4/4 beat which makes everything around it sound small. Guion’s gorgeous vocals shift into a mantra-like repetition of “in control”, until its ending and beginning blur into just another percussive element.

check it out. it is 8th. track. https://kranky.bandcamp.com/album/precious-systems

[greenlight]

 

Demdike Stare and Votel's label delivers this incredible, ancient-but-modern sound collage painstakingly constructed over a number of years out of Youtube samples - total mind-bender this one, somewhere between New Age meditation tape and the sound of your nightmares...

Totally stunning record from the elusive Tongues of Light, drawing cosmic, primordial vectors between glossolalia, sound poetry and improvised music via the nebulæ of Youtube for Demdike Stare & Andy Votel’s Pre-Cert Home Entertainment.

Arguably the label’s most striking, even transcendent release, Channelled Messages at the end of History started life as a gift for a friend following long conversations about the nature of improvisation, spontaneity and musical mediumship and subsequently dawned as a remarkable document of occult praxis in the digital age.

Tongues of Light acts as a sort of psychopomp or liminal interpreter for a wide range of belief systems, all rooted in the common conviction that they are channelling sounds from some “other” or “higher” entity or dimension, much in the same way that Sun Ra believed he was channelling celestial bodies thru his music or the Dogon people of subsaharan Africa believed they received alien codes describing humanity’s heritage.

The record unfurls as a seamlessly sequenced compilation of samples - all framed by plasmic drones and synth pads which connect and highlight the links between seemingly disparate elements. By the record’s end the effect is really quite uncanny; compounding disparate new age coordinates on a common plane, and thereby revealing their underlying, subconscious metaphysics.

It’s great to hear Pre-Cert Home Entertainment connecting the dots between generations of new age thought and practice, and we reckon this slab will standout as one of their defining releases for time to come.

Limited Edition Pressing of 500 copies, artwork by Andy Votel.

[The Soup Nazi]

 

 

So in addition to Messrs. Gunn and Vile and Miss Lattimore compositions we get three bitchen covers. What the fuck is not to love!

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by Severian

So, y'know, I wasn't really implying that the Beatles were the alpha/omega, but the general consensus in pop culture is that they were and are.

That's why you gotta love something like this:

The Beatles were four yobs, or rather three yobs and a librarian named Paul. Watch A Hard Day's Night on TV now and it's obvious how worthless that whole business was when removed from its immediate context of hysteria. Fuck the Beatles, fuck the songs, fuck the cute direction and Marx Brothers comparisons: it's BLATANTLY OBVIOUS that the most rock 'n' roll being in the whole movie is the fucking grandfather! That wily old slime of Paul's! He had more energy than the four moptops put together! Plus the spirit! He was a true anarchist!

The Beatles were nothing. The Stones were something, still are I think, Dylan, well, but rock in the sixties in general was just plain overrated. In fact, the sixties were overrated. The Sex Pistols were a hundred times more of a kick in the ass of a sagging culture than the Beatles.

—Lester Bangs, from Notes for Review of Peter Guralnick's Lost Highway, 1980. Just a wee bit out of context, since the text is about Elvis... but still.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

That's why you gotta love something like this:



—Lester Bangs, from Notes for Review of Peter Guralnick's Lost Highway, 1980. Just a wee bit out of context, since the text is about Elvis... but still.

Hah. Well, that's pretty good stuff. Nothing is fun if EVERYBODY loves it. But I still tend to disagree. Strongly.

[The Soup Nazi]

 

Brian Case — Tense Nature

[pepper_green]

Originally Posted by Severian

Honestly I go back and forth on it. I just fucking LOVE the Kinks. The Davies brothers made some of the most beautiful and ass-kicking music of that — or any other — era. And if I had to choose between "Victoria" and any Beatles or Stones song ever, I'd choose "Victoria" (studio version) every morherfucking time.

I do — from a kind of pop culture scholar standpoint — tend to view the Beatles as the "alpha and omega" of pop music in general. But from a more personal perspective, I see it a little differently. The Beatles never wrote anything quite like what the Kinks produced during their peak period.

As a whole, yes, the Beatles had a more fruitful and consistent discography, but they also quit at their peak. The Kinks went on to put out so-so records in the '70s and '80s, but also made some great records in those years. I used to just straight up prefer the Kinks. But now I look at it differently. Like, the Beatles were the Beatles. Whether you're a fan or not, it would be silly to argue that anyone has ever had a bigger influence on music. The Kinks were the runt of that particular litter, and as a result made some crazy awesome, weird as fuck, gloriously goofy yet jarringly poignant music that the Beatles were simply too big to make.

So, y'know, I wasn't really implying that the Beatles were the alpha/omega, but the general consensus in pop culture is that they were and are. I still love those late '60s/early '70s Kinks records as much as most of the Beatles' output.

In other words, I'm not one of those "Beatles or bust" nazis. There were times when they were a step behind the Kinks, the Stones, and definitely the Velvets (though that's getting into another topic entirely, one that would require mention of Dylan, and others, so let's steer clear of that for the purposes of this conversation.)

Beatles never wrote anything with the thunderous momentum of "Powerman" (nope... Not even "Helter Skelter." It may have been heavier and more frenetic, but it doesn't have the same energy). Neither did Zeppelin for that matter ( ... but yeah, it's true).
And they never wrote anything as wonderfully silly as "Apeman." The Beatles never wrote anything quite as emotionally poignant in that achingly beautiful, proto-Replacements, heart-on-sleeve kind of way as "Strangers," which makes me cry on the reg, for realzies.

But catalog vs. catalog, the Beatles do pretty much own everyone, mostly because they didn't keep at it long enough to embarrass the living shit out of themselves, as the Who, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Stones... even Dylan, most certainly did.

Have I answered the question you never asked with my lengthy, completely unprompted, all-over-the-goddamn-place reply? Good. Cheers.

The Kinks are wonderful but nothing like the Beatles in my heart. I once would have agreed with you about everything in that post. I listened to so much Kinks one year when I was younger, collecting everything I could get from mid to late 60's up to Arthur but, I started to have massive amounts of mid life crisis-like anxieties and longing way before I was mid-life. Beatles just grow with love over time. The Kinks were making me sad. esp. a song like "This Time Tomorrow". I will say this, like the Stones, the Kinks made me realize 60's music was pretty cool at a young age. yea. nothing like hearing "Under my Thumb" or "Set Me Free" and "You Really Got Me" for the first time. Beatles came later in age.

Face to Face, Something Else, Village Green, Arthur, and all the singles in between have I special place in me too. excellent classic song craft if quite goofy, twee and mocking at times.

[Severian]

Yeah, Beatles are forever. Their music grows with the people who love it. The Beatles will take you from high school to adulthood to middle age to twilight years. Their music doesn't become connected to specific ages or eras. If anything, it seems to offer new and different sounds and feelings as you mature and age and the years pass. Technically it's the same music all along, so what I'm saying it absolute nonsense. But if you love the Beatles, and have lived a bit, I'm guessing you'll know exactly what I'm getting at.

[Bytor Peltor]

"Fractured Cogs" by Steve MacKay and the Blue Prostitutes

 

[Rob Instigator]

 

[a baby in 1980]

 

Tommy Guerrero ‎– No Mans Land

[pepper_green]

sonic youth - Dirty

who cares!! the Yoof doing some blues licks and boogie. it's one of the best grunge albums.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by pepper_green

sonic youth - Dirty

who cares!! the Yoof doing some blues licks and boogie. it's one of the best grunge albums.

Nah man, ain't no grunge album. A bit rockist, sure, but artier than its given credit for. I just fucking love "JC" ... and "Theresa's Sound World" ... and "100%" ... last ⅓ of the album is all jam, baby. Yeah, it's "alternafied," but it set them on the path to Experimental Jet Set and Washing Machine (both of which take the best parts of Dirty and break them down into two completely different albums that are essentially perfect), and, later, Rather Ripped, which isn't the best SY album either, but it finally found them doing their weird take on "pop" perfectly.

Ain't no grunge album though dog. What the fuck even is a grunge album? Aside from every Mudhoney album ever, that is. is it Superunknown, In Utero, Vitalogy? Those three completely unrelated and dissimilar records — a metal goes hard rock mainstream record, a noisey punk record and America's U2 —that are for some reason lumped into the same category?

No, it's coming to me now... Grunge is any kind of rock that wasn't explicitly metal that came out in America between 1988 and 1996. So Temple of the Dog AND Built to Spill AND Melvins AND everything in MTV that wasn't British or electronic or black, from basement to stadium. Makes total sense. Dinosaur Jr and Blind Melon and Weezer and fucking Spacehog and every single other thing with guitars.