Hot Take/ Musical Confession Thread!

scotthilk said:
Take for the day: Rolling Stones are good, not great.
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Ouch! I burned myself on that one. IMHO, The Rolling Stones are a top 5 band of the classic rock era. Right up there with the Beatles, The Kinks, and The Beach Boys for me and Exile on Main St. May be my favorite record (outside of Pet Sounds) of the bunch.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
Ouch! I burned myself on that one. IMHO, The Rolling Stones are a top 5 band of the classic rock era. Right up there with the Beatles, The Kinks, and The Beach Boys for me and Exile on Main St. May be my favorite record (outside of Pet Sounds) of the bunch.
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Beach Boys are definitely top 5 for me! We can agree on that.

Thoughts on Zeppelin and Floyd? I've seen some patterns where those who love the Stones aren't as enthralled by Floyd, and vice versa. No correlation or anything really, just have seen the pattern exist.
 
scotthilk said:
Beach Boys are definitely top 5 for me! We can agree on that.

Thoughts on Zeppelin and Floyd? I've seen some patterns where those who love the Stones aren't as enthralled by Floyd, and vice versa. No correlation or anything really, just have seen the pattern exist.
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I cast a pretty wide net when it comes to music. I love Meddle, DSOTM, and Animals Plus I enjoy other songs on other albums I do find The Wall a bit overly indulgent (but that’s kinda the point). Zep is Great too the run of LPs from I through House of The Holy is brilliant. That all being said, I would still usually prefer to listen to The Rolling Stones.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
I cast a pretty wide net when it comes to music. I love Meddle, DSOTM, and Animals Plus I enjoy other songs on other albums I do find The Wall a bit overly indulgent (but that’s kinda the point). Zep is Great too the run of LPs from I through House of The Holy is brilliant. That all being said, I would still usually prefer to listen to The Rolling Stones.
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I will listen to Exile right now, all the way through, just for you.
 
TheMythOfSisyphus said:
Curious about your love of BB's. For example, I grew up hearing their pre-Today!/Pet Sounds albums (i.e. their "surfer" music, when they were thought of as a "singles band"). My father really enjoyed that music and would play (usually greatest hits compilations) that era of BBs quite often when we were in the car. Now, as vocal music (and IMO) it is great. But I don't ever put it on. I find it boring and empty. I've also read a critic (can't remember which one) write about how the division of fans (not that you can't like it all) lies along a sort of reactionary/culture shift schism. The pre-Pet Sounds surfer music is safe, nostalgic and molded in "simpler" times (there's a reason my father enjoyed it). After that it became challenging.

Let me preface anything I'm about to say that I love them. Pet Sounds is one of my all-time favorite albums and I own a lot (prob too much) of BB's across multiple medias. But I don't think I'd ever put the group in a top 5 (the album yes, just not the group). TBH, I prob wouldn't really make a list, but if pressed I think their discography is spotty.
As well, I think the mythologizing of Brian Wilson as a genius is meh; it's an easy byline but it doesn't really say anything about the actual music. And there are great albums outside of Pet Sounds - Today!, Surf's Up, Wild Honey, Smiley Smile/Smile; really good albums - Sunflower, 20/20, Friends, Love You; ok albums - Holland; and a lot of junk too.

So, I guess what I'm asking is why do they make your top 5?
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Great question (not directed at me but They are in my Top 5 too) so the first top to bottom brilliant record was obviously Pet Sounds but Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!) is a really good album in its own right. The Beach Boys post-Pet Sounds output is criminally overlooked (Obviously including the lost masterpiece SMiLE) but Wild Honey, Smiley Smile, 20/20, Friends, Surfs Up, Sunflower, Holland, and Loves You IMO fall into the category of either really good to great. If you wanna also include Dennis Wilson’s Pacific Ocean Blue and Bambu in the mix too you have a run that matches up well (again IMHO) with the Beatles, Stones or whoever else you wanna through n there. I think my generation (and younger) has a new found appreciation for these albums where the generation older have a tough time getting past their initial Surfer Nostalgic aesthetics (which to be fair, they eventually embraced and have toured under Mike Loves evil grasp for the past 40 or so years). It would be like if the Beatles were only appreciated for their pre-Rubber Soul Output. Sorry this has probably gotten away from me a bit but I really love The Beach Boys.

... Also, Fuck “Kokomo”
 
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TheMythOfSisyphus said:
Curious about your love of BB's. For example, I grew up hearing their pre-Today!/Pet Sounds albums (i.e. their "surfer" music, when they were thought of as a "singles band"). My father really enjoyed that music and would play (usually greatest hits compilations) that era of BBs quite often when we were in the car. Now, as vocal music (and IMO) it is great. But I don't ever put it on. I find it boring and empty. I've also read a critic (can't remember which one) write about how the division of fans (not that you can't like it all) lies along a sort of reactionary/culture shift schism. The pre-Pet Sounds surfer music is safe, nostalgic and molded in "simpler" times (there's a reason my father enjoyed it). After that it became challenging.

Let me preface anything I'm about to say that I love them. Pet Sounds is one of my all-time favorite albums and I own a lot (prob too much) of BB's across multiple medias. But I don't think I'd ever put the group in a top 5 (the album yes, just not the group). TBH, I prob wouldn't really make a list, but if pressed I think their discography is spotty.
As well, I think the mythologizing of Brian Wilson as a genius is meh; it's an easy byline but it doesn't really say anything about the actual music. And there are great albums outside of Pet Sounds - Today!, Surf's Up, Wild Honey, Smiley Smile/Smile; really good albums - Sunflower, 20/20, Friends, Love You; ok albums - Holland; and a lot of junk too.

So, I guess what I'm asking is why do they make your top 5?
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Hey there,

I also grew up "surfer" Beach Boys in the car with my parents (mostly Dad). I fell in love with the beach vibes, and we usually listened to them while in Mexico. (Reference - I am 33 years old)

To me, there are two tiers of "surfer" Beach Boy tracks

Tier 1 (Bottom): Surfin' USA, Surfin' Safari, Fun Fun Fun, Surf City
Tier 2: Don't Worry Baby, Be True To Your School, I Get Around, When I Grow Up To Be A Man

One is most exclusively dealing with "surfing" and the beach, and the other has a similar vibe but a little more substance in the subject matter. Both have always instilled positivity to me when I listen and remind me of hanging outside with the family.

I've also always been a sucker for falsetto vocals - give me some Beach Boys, doo-wop, malt shop mixes, etc.

Throw all of that on top of the advancement of their sound. As a musician, fan of music, Music-Grad and former Music Teacher, I can respect how advance some of their songwriting became. It evolved, but to me, I still always heard the beach. Enter Pet Sounds / SMILE / etc.

Songs like Wouldn't It Be Nice, Good Vibrations, Heroes + Villains, etc have now taken one of my favorite musical genres described above and mixed it with my familiar favorite of The Beatles, and other popular bands that were incorporating lusher harmonies, melodies and mature subject matter + advanced lyrical content.

I will always love The Beach Boys deeply, but I also know some of it was due to my exposure as a kid. If you hate the surfy Beach Boys, it may be harder to genuinely appreciate them outside of their highly regarded records.

That was a huge caffeinated flow of thought, but hope my response sheds some light!
 
TheMythOfSisyphus said:
Lol. These two things. Have you seen the trailer for Steve Carrell's Space Force where he sings Kokomo to relieve stress? I just remember growing up, the cringe cross-pollination between BB's and Full House/Stamos and that song. And Mike Love is a capital-D Douchnozzle.

In the end, I think you and I disagree about the significance of some of their albums. But like I said, I love a lot of them (Surf's Up is one of my faves) and like a lot more. You seem to hold some that I just like in higher esteem - which is still totally valid.

Also, yes...Pacific Ocean Blue. I would put that on before a lot of BB's albums.
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Yeah, I get that. I am definitely in the minority when it comes this assessment but I really do LOVE a lot of those albums.
 
TheMythOfSisyphus said:
Don't hate it, but I would probably never choose to put it on vs. what else in the world I could possibly choose to listen to. But I agree with the whole thing about vocals - and that's what saves it for me. The harmonies are with few peers.

I'll also never hate it because it is so wrapped up (sounds like for you too) in nostalgia with me. To note, my father also played Neil Diamond's The Jazz Singer and anything Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons (another great vocal group - talk about your falsetto - Biiig girls they don't cr-y-y-y)
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Alright,

So what about ELO?
 
TheMythOfSisyphus said:
What about 'em?

Are you asking if I like them - no real thoughts. Don't listen to them enough to have an opinion.
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Yeah, was curious.

I find myself more of a fan of: Beatles, Floyd, ELO, Beach Boys than I do The Stones, Kinks, Who, Dylan.. etc

Looking at it objectively now, it seems like the biggest difference is the pure rock and roll influence. But, in that second category, I'd take Zeppelin all day.
 
TheMythOfSisyphus said:
Yea, I was following some of those thoughts in this thread earlier re: Floyd and Zep.

But I think you're cutting with a dull knife here. For example, Dylan on one side seems misplaced; and Floyd on the other as well. Sure, Floyd had symphonic embellishments (and, btw, they're one of my favorite bands of all-time) and obvious prog leanings and moog noodlings; however, Gilmour cut straight with his guitar playing. I'd argue that Floyd has little in common w/ BBs for example. In the same instance, Zep progressed from Zep I where it was basic blues-based rock turned up to 11 to Houses of the Holy/Physical Graf (my fave Zep album) where there was a lot more compositional prowess and makes them an odd fit with Stones (The Who, IMO, went through a similar growth). I will note that I hardly like Zep anymore. I think a lot of the criticisms of early Zep as derivative and unoriginal are fair; as well, I believe Page to be an overrated guitarist (and a sloppy one at that; Yarbirds alumni, give me Jeff Beck any day); and the lyrics....arghh, Tolkien would not be impressed.

I love The Who though - I'd take watching Townsend windmill for an hour over 2 minutes of Page with a bow.
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Amen to all of this. I am just kind of lumping bands together but I totally get and appreciate your point. Sounds like we could sit and chat music for hours!
 
Going back to the Beach Boys:

Underneath the beautiful harmonies and fun songs about surfing and cars, the Beach Boys' songs seem much more heartfelt and vulnerable than those of their contemporaries, even to the point of coming off almost a little awkward. It feels like there's an emotional barrier of self-consciousness that most of us have that they seem to push right through without even realizing it, which is just refreshing and lovely in itself. There's a pulse of disarming positivity throughout all of their songs, even the weird and weepy ones. They were precious with the musical side of things, but the lyrics felt natural and unpolished, even for that time. The Beatles, on the other hand, always sound kind of detached from their songs like they are doing a recording of their rehearsed performance art, and it's easier for me to actually believe the Beach Boys, but maybe that's just me. Like, at the beginning of "Don't Worry, Baby," when he says in the opening line: "well, it's been building up inside of me, for, oh, I don't know how long..." it just feels way more true than any Beatles song I can think of, and the song only just barely started, haha. It's also hard for me to think of another band who wouldn't think they're too cool to record a probing, intimate song like "In My Room" - it's just so on the nose and leaves you nothing to hide behind, but somehow they pull it off and you don't pity them or feel uncomfortable about it because they're not really complaining at all, just opening a door and letting you in on who they are.

Also, the good-natured exuberance in songs like "Heroes and Villains," "Sloop John B," and "I Get Around" just gives me a certain thrill that no other band has ever matched, and I think part of what makes those songs really take off is the feeling that the artists performing them are grounded in a level of authenticity and they're really as excited as they sound.
 
Ericj32 said:
Going back to the Beach Boys:

Underneath the beautiful harmonies and fun songs about surfing and cars, the Beach Boys' songs seem much more heartfelt and vulnerable than those of their contemporaries, even to the point of coming off almost a little awkward. It feels like there's an emotional barrier of self-consciousness that most of us have that they seem to push right through without even realizing it, which is just refreshing and lovely in itself. There's a pulse of disarming positivity throughout all of their songs, even the weird and weepy ones. They were precious with the musical side of things, but the lyrics felt natural and unpolished, even for that time. The Beatles, on the other hand, always sound kind of detached from their songs like they are doing a recording of their rehearsed performance art, and it's easier for me to actually believe the Beach Boys, but maybe that's just me. Like, at the beginning of "Don't Worry, Baby," when he says in the opening line: "well, it's been building up inside of me, for, oh, I don't know how long..." it just feels way more true than any Beatles song I can think of, and the song only just barely started, haha. It's also hard for me to think of another band who wouldn't think they're too cool to record a probing, intimate song like "In My Room" - it's just so on the nose and leaves you nothing to hide behind, but somehow they pull it off and you don't pity them or feel uncomfortable about it because they're not really complaining at all, just opening a door and letting you in on who they are.

Also, the good-natured exuberance in songs like "Heroes and Villains," "Sloop John B," and "I Get Around" just gives me a certain thrill that no other band has ever matched, and I think part of what makes those songs really take off is the feeling that the artists performing them are grounded in a level of authenticity and they're really as excited as they sound.
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This is the hot takes thread. Reasoned, heartfelt criticism belongs somewhere else.
 
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