So, what have you been listening to lately?

[gearHed289]

I'm only attracted by the music. Have always greatly appreciated Led Zeppelin in case that has gone unnoticed here.

They don't show the guitarist enough in that video. HA HA! Just kidding... 

I really fell for Muse when Absolution was first released. I hadn't been that excited about a band in years. Funny enough, Radiohead never clicked with me, but I do tend to describe them as Radiohead meets Queen (who I love). I pretty much fell off after the 2nd Law. It turned into one of those things where they either sound like they're re-treading the past, or trying new things that just don't appeal to me. I bought Drones and saw the tour (always awesome live), but I haven't listened to that one probably since the year it came out. I did not buy Simulation Theory.

[westen44]

I bought Simulation Theory finally.  It came out three years ago I think.  It's by far their worst album, but since I had all their albums up to that point, I decided to buy that one, too.  The CD is still in the mail.  When I get it, I guess I'll play it and see what happens, but I've already heard all the songs of course.  I really don't know what happened to them with that one.  I'm not sure if it had even one good song.  The Absolution album was the peak, but there were a few good ones after that, too. 

[Dave W]

Lidija is a star in Croatia. I don't wonder why.

[uwe]

Thanks for keeping us abreast of musical developments in the Balkans, Dave. A voice big enough to fill a David Bowie T-shirt and then some, no less. (Actually, she has a very pleasant and good voice and who knows what wonders sun-bathed mediterranean organic growth may legitimately create, all that fresh fruit und vegetable must be good for something.)

That form of Balkan Pop with a tinge of Middle East melody thrown in has developed into a whole genre over the last 30 years or so. Of course, notable members of an English rock group have contributed ... - you know where everything ends.

[Pilgrim]

Lidija is a star in Croatia. I don't wonder why.

Although visually distracted, I did notice that the bass player gets a beautiful sound in that video.

[Dave W]

Although visually distracted, I did notice that the bass player gets a beautiful sound in that video.

There was a bass player in that video? 

Yeah, I did notice, excellent tone.

[uwe]

"There was a bass player in that video?"

Yes, Dave, and he was working hard to get a grip on his part while you were - as usual - being easily distracted. With the performance being recorded and all, he sure didn't want his sound to go tits up. It's called priorities.

[4stringer77]

For a second I thought the shirt said wowie, which would have been more appropriate considering I'm not hearing much influence from Bowie here.

[uwe]

In a way, the lack of any noticeable Bowie influence seems to protrude from the above performance, dispensing with any androgynous ambivalence as it does.



Moreover, why any form of lettering on Lidija's T-shirt was deemed necessary fills one with wonder, given the palpable strength of the garment's tacit signal emission as worn. That said, awareness for the David Bowie brand was certainly heightened by her and may have well climbed new peaks.

[uwe]

Great track, I really dig the lead guitarist's style which combines (on this and other tracks) funk, psychedelia and rock/blues nicely. Great 'tache too.



Finally, some live footage from them has appeared, it shows that they weren't just a singles band, but a real force to be reckoned with.

[4stringer77]

I'll nominate Blackfoot for a favorite band with native blood. Greg T Walker sporting some buckskins here I believe.

[Granny Gremlin]

Oh my, Tom outs himself as a New Romantic/Electro Kid turned Proggie! ...

To me, Autograph sounded a bit like dumbed down Loverboy (if that's possible), which means they sure were mining deep!

All the later stage new wave/synthpop dudes were proggies.  Flock of Seagulls, Human League, the whole fricken lot.  No earlier stage New Wavers (i.e. punks, sometimes even with synths) wouldn't go near them.

Autograph is a funny parallel in that way, so dumbed down (unbelievably so as you say considering the source is hair metal to begin with), but even in the video you can see who the target demographic really is - those girls in the 'audience' are no hair metal chicks, but more conservatively (if fashionably for the time) dressed no longer young adults with jobs and starting to have and appreciate responsibility,  like proper jobs in an office, but still wanting to show they have a fun/wild side by listening to a band that has pointy guitars, long permed hair, tight leatherette pants and bandannas on their wrists, lamenting how they have to have respectable haircuts to keep those jobs, but secretly not missing the upkeep - back-combing was a pain.  It was similar with nerdier latter synthpop.  Only the goth ladies held steadfast; granted it may have been a bit easier for them to keep it real in the office, and every office has one, it's like a rule.

[uwe]

Four old Brits and one Yank have obviously nothing better to do than use the lockdown to remote-record a few old chestnuts, this one a bit of psychedelia by LOVE. The Steve Morse and Don Airey solos are real crackers.



Here's the original:

[gearHed289]

Video says unavailable here, but here's one that worked for me. Nice cover! As a side note, for years I thought Alone Again Or was a UFO song. 

[uwe]

"As a side note, for years I thought Alone Again Or was a UFO song.  "





So did I! The Damned covering UFO,



why not, they shared a bassist (Paul Gray) for a while after all! 







LOVE/Arthur Lee only came to my knowledge in the early noughties when British music mags rediscovered him  and LOVE after he had been doing time. I thus feel your embarrassment. 



LOVE's Forever Changes is a heck of an album. And that track has been covered so incredibly often ...