"Beefy's Corner".......For all off Topic threads

I had a little search and the one at the top was Skylarking and since that was the album in discussion I thought I'd just give that a bash to start off with. Feel free to suggest any others though!

 

For some reason it's just been cut down to one?

 

It's Berlusconi ... what do you expect?

 

It'll be his mate Cortese next.

 

Unfortunately, that's the only thing most people remember about XTC. Yes, it was good, but they got a lot better too.

Thanks for the comments above chaps. Didn't know you cared Lamb and Chilco..! And Mikey, if you want a list of XTC things to download then pass this way again. I'll put up a few that carry the best flavours of The Band from Swindon.

BTW, my work didn't last long today. The client was OUT..!

 

Blimey, where does one start..?

First you have to know a little about XTC. They were heavily influenced by The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Hollies, Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd, and many others, but you get the idea. We are talking late 60s generally, with a little bit of early 70s thrown in too. Consequently, their music reflects it. To my ears they actually surpass their influences in a lot of areas. Musically, without giving things away, they don't go for the obvious, and lyrically their predecessors can't get near them, in my opinion, save Brian Wilson perhaps. Anyway, to recommendations...

Believe or not [I hate that phrase, but it's appropriate here] I'll recommend a different band called The Dukes of Stratosphear. Try tracks from the EP 25 O'Clock and LP Psonic Psunspot. They were brought together in the CD Chips From The Chocolate Fireball. Why do I suggest these pepys..? Well, it's because The Dukes are actually XTC having a laugh, and they sound great doing it. That'll do you for starters. It usually takes about a couple of plays to get into the Dukes. I would say 4 plays to start to really get straight XTC stuff. Hence they weren't the biggest of commercial successes - people won't usually make the effort. Once you're in though, you're in. Have fun.

 

Have any of you heard of the American Revolution?

They were an American punk band in the 70sbefore Punk had been invented.

 

The 1770s you mean?

 

I do remember a band from the 1960's, because I have leafed through many an LP collection and have noted the name.

Punk can be confused with a number of genre on the fringe. I've even seen Frank Zappa albums being classed as punk 'ish, and he came from the year dot..! Usually you get the odd nods to the Ramones, New York Dolls and such, if we're talking USA. In the UK the headliners would be The Sex Pistols, Clash and Stranglers, although even the latter had a jazzy content to them, at times. This is all 1974-76 times.

 

Here is a review of the Ramones written by none other than a young Morrissey! Like we needed any more reasons to hate the pretentious git.

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Anyone seen the new Bond film?

 

Has anyone got a Macbook Air or Pro? If so how does it run FM? And generally is it worth the money?

 

Never seen that before, but I would have said that was fairly accurate.

[Clue - I wasn't keen on the Ramones]

 

Hunted down a download for it, think it's from some bloke in New Zealand and the download is currently down to be completed in 4 days, so I'll report back then haha. Would have been faster to have it shipped!

 

Bah!

 

Record it off Spotify..? Obviously just to try it, of course.

 

Merely my opinion, Joe. As is everyone's view, unless we're quoting facts.

I didn't like the music of The Smiths either..! That eternal wringing of hands music was never anything I was likely to be into. If there was any of the negative outlook style, it tended to be from the blues.

 

Poor Cortese, he will miss his mate.

 

Never been into The Smiths, but I have a soft spot for punk even though I rarely listen to it nowadays. I got into the Ramones because they were on the soundtrack of one of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games I had on Playstation as a kid (that might all have gone over your head). I used to be really into skating and all the culture that surrounded it.

Blues is cool, and I've tried to expand my guitar-playing knowledge into the genre. Speaking of which, that insanely fast run in the middle of "21st Century Schizoid Man" - I have nearly cracked it today, and it's not nearly as difficult as it sounds. It's all in the G minor blues scale, which is a nice and easy one, so the fingering isn't a problem. It comes really naturally to me as it's one of the first things my guitar teacher taught me when I was like 12. It's just the bloody timing that's tripping me up now.

 

Hesh or Fresh?