So, what have you been listening to lately?

[westen44]

Please God, make Pauly Shore shut up (and stay out of any further movies, too.)

As for Grand Funk Railroad, I've always appreciated them more than most seem to do.  With those black backup singers, they might even give the Stones a challenge, although no one is ever going to beat them on their own song. 

[uwe]

I really like Grand Funk and it is criminal that they are not in RRHoF yet. Their version of Gimme Shelter wasn't the musical catastrophy many critics proclaimed it to be at the time, but it did sacrifice all the eeriness of the Stones original and that is a key ingredient of that song. Grand Funk were a lot of (good) things, but eerie they were not

They never did the track, but an 80ies act like The Sisters of Mercy would have done a better job with it I think.





Or someone like the sadly underrated Silent Running who never shook off the Simple Minds tag, but were to my ears a lot more potent.

[westen44]

I never quite understood how so many music critics could screw up so much, not just about GFR but many other bands, too.  Both Rolling Stone magazine and the RRHOF would do the world a big favor by just going away.  Goodbye and good riddance!  The world would welcome your demise.

[uwe]

If Kiss is in the RRHoF, then GFR deserves it ten times over. The boys from Flint had an organic feel the New Yorkers never matched. Kiss - unless buried in Bob Ezrin's mega production and billowing e-e-echo-o-o - always sounded a little angular, strangely angular for an American band even; generally groove isn't you guys' problem. We're supposed to be the stiff ones!

[Dave W]

RT does Hank, 1981

[westen44]

If Kiss is in the RRHoF, then GFR deserves it ten times over. The boys from Flint had an organic feel the New Yorkers never matched. Kiss - unless buried in Bob Ezrin's mega production and billowing e-e-echo-o-o - always sounded a little angular, strangely angular for an American band even; generally groove isn't you guys' problem. We're supposed to be the stiff ones!

The RRHOF has received a lot of criticism through the years and I stopped paying attention to it years ago.  I believe many other people feel the same way.  The people behind it don't know what they're doing and that's clear to anyone who cares to take notice of this. 

[Rob]

I never quite understood how so many music critics could screw up so much, not just about GFR but many other bands, too.  Both Rolling Stone magazine and the RRHOF would do the world a big favor by just going away.  Goodbye and good riddance!  The world would welcome your demise.

AGREE

[westen44]

AGREE

[westen44]

Edge of Paradise covering The Who

[uwe]

She does have range, but stilettos on a sand beach aren't practical!

I would have never guessed that they are Yanks, the music is very "Yurrropean Symphonic Metal w chick singer", which has become a popular genre all of its own. Figures that they are from LA, the US city that always tries to be more European than it actually is. But then Margarita, the singer, is Russian by birth.

Anyway, I'm curious now and ordered two CDs, thanks for the tip!

Is there a market for this type of stuff in the US? There is in Europe, it's even a little crowded by now. The music with those image-strong front women and accessible melodies has crossover appeal for female and pop audiences.

[Pilgrim]

Love this tune. And the bass player is a KILLER.  His sound is magnificent....not bright, just right!

[uwe]

Is that how your brain really, really works, Al, I write something about inadequate footwear in the sand and you then rush to the next best vid that starts with a women stilettos scene? WHAT IS THIS PLACE?  

Herr Ronson must have listened to a lot of Grandmaster Flash & Furious Five (which I always liked though I'm by no means an expert on the rap/hip-hop scene) in his youth (probably the record collection of his older brother or parents!), his sounds and instrumentation immediately reminded me of Da Five.

[Pilgrim]

Is that how your brain really, really works, Al, I write something about inadequate footwear in the sand and you then rush to the next best vid that starts with a women stilettos scene? WHAT IS THIS PLACE?  

I'm deeply proud to contribute to the long-running tradition of adding to such things!

[westen44]

She does have range, but stilettos on a sand beach aren't practical!

I would have never guessed that they are Yanks, the music is very "Yurrropean Symphonic Metal w chick singer", which has become a popular genre all of its own. Figures that they are from LA, the US city that always tries to be more European than it actually is. But then Margarita, the singer, is Russian by birth.

Anyway, I'm curious now and ordered two CDs, thanks for the tip!

Is there a market for this type of stuff in the US? There is in Europe, it's even a little crowded by now. The music with those image-strong front women and accessible melodies has crossover appeal for female and pop audiences.

I just discovered this band on my own.  Even though they are LA based, I don't much think this type of music has a market in the U.S.  The singer Margarita Monet is Armenian.  At some point (probably as a teenager) she moved to Moscow.  She was classically trained there, moved to the U.S. and gave piano lessons here.  With that money she got the band started.  It was the lead guitarist who got her interested in metal.  From the way she talked, it appears she doesn't think the band's first albums are any good.  I've also just ordered their last two albums. 

I saw her interviewed by an Australian DJ today.  So I got most of my info from that.  He pointed out that it's refreshing to hear someone effortlessly hit high notes, unlike some male singers who are aging and struggling.  I can sympathize with that.  But it's an exercise in futility to expect to compete with a chick singer like that when it comes to vocal range.  However, Margarita isn't really bragging about anything.  She said she started out just as a pianist.  Even on their first album she said she had to continually remind herself that she was supposed to be a singer, too. 

Here she is from five years ago.  It's pretty good, but I think she would agree that she has evolved since then.  She mentioned in the interview that her new producer is helping her tremendously in developing her vocal talent. 

Note:
After looking at Wikipedia (which I should have done in the first place) I see that Margarita actually moved to Moscow at an early age.  I had assumed from her interview that she spent her teenage years there.  But now I'm not sure.  She is fluent in Russian, but that is something common with Armenians.  Also, I got confused about when she moved to the U.S.  I had incorrectly assumed that it was in 2010.  But that's just when she moved to Los Angeles.  She did seem to talk about Russia a lot in the interview.  She mentioned, for instance, that Russians take music more seriously than Americans.  Also, in Russia if you aren't good enough, then don't expect anyone to give you any more chances.  It's over for you.  I found her blunt attitude to be amusing. 

[Basvarken]

Is there a market for this type of stuff in the US? There is in Europe, it's even a little crowded by now. The music with those image-strong front women and accessible melodies has crossover appeal for female and pop audiences.

A friend of mine is bass player in the band Epica.  They are also a female fronted sympho/prog-metal band. They are enormously popular all across the world. Filling stadiums in South America etc. In the Netherlands they can fill a decent venue, but not stadium sized like abroad. They will never chart over here. It's a parallel universe.

Same goes for Nightwish with Floor Jansen. Until recently at least. The Dutch audience had never heard or cared about her (them) until she featured in a main stream tv-show called the "best singers", where they sing each other's repertoire. (lots of crying and overacted jaw dropping). All of a sudden the Dutch have embraced her and she's a celebrity.