I mentioned it in the Oscars thread when it aired, but music lovers owe it to themselves to watch '20 Feet From Stardom.'

The main story is about backup singers, but it also really opens your eyes about all the small touches that makes good music great, even immortal.

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Nirvana
Pearl Jam
Live
STP


Oh the good ol days...

I'm into music enough that I actually set a challenge for myself. I had TONS of people whose musical opinions I respected (Reaper16 on this board being one) who loved metal. I've never been able to get into metal at all, even though I love a lot of different genres. I decided that there must be some reason that metal is good and appealing. So... I set about listening to metal a few years back (I actually started a thread explaining what qualities I appreciated in music and looking for metal albums that would fit that bill) in order to discover what people liked about it. It took a while, but I eventually developed a taste for metal.

The moral (I guess): is that passing value judgements on music (this decade is better than this decade or music stopped being good at this point) is sort of silly and a non starter.

Since then, my musical viewing has completely changed. I almost always listen to stuff and ask myself, "Why do people like this? What's appealing about it?" It's sort of a dispassionate, academic way of viewing music, but it's really increased the scope of music I find enjoyable. Admittedly, there are times when I'm just throwing my hands in the air screaming, "STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE HERE," but a lot of the time, even with the poppiest bullshit, I'm just interested in figuring out why it has appeal.

FYP to my taste. Yes, sad but true. The good old days.
Smashing pumpkins, Pearl Jam & Red Hot Chilies at memorial hall in 91' was one of the best. Live & STP are both great live bands. CoMo you have good taste in music!

Kurt Cobain wasn't even the best musician in his own band.

In a way it hurts to hear that. I love Nirvana.

But Dave Grohl is ****ing amazing.

Two very different bands. You can't beat Nirvana for the pure rage/angst. Foo Fighters are more refined, mature... but still basically carrying to torch for "rock".

To me Dave Grohl is the one person who has kept rock and roll alive I.E Sound City. Being a huge PJ fan, Dave is the one that realizes how music should be made. He is rock and roll's savoir. All tape!

Every fan of rock should see that documentary.

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Rock and Roll say's Thank you Dave!

Decidedly not RnR, but I submit that every person who insists that the digital age hasn't changed things, or has made them better, should be required to sit done with a quality sound system and listen to;

Jennifer Warnes - Famous Blue Raincoat, and
Jazz at the Pawnshop

and get back to us.

dynamic range, instrument placement, ambiance, incidentals, that slight slide of brushes across snare, the depth of Warnes' vocals, the tinkle of dinnerware at 'the pawnshop' . . . so much more immersive, and demonstrative of what attention to sonic detail can offer. You can close your eyes and envision exactly where the sax is sitting, and the bass, and the piano, etc.

Unless you have the most boss PC based system ever, this will be a pale imitation, but a taste of what quality mastering can do.

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That's what I loved about Otis Redding, he really put effort into the phrasing, soundstage and dynamics of his singing, listen to how he attacks the start of each phrase, it's like he's yelping in pain at what he has to say, then fades into despair. that and the strong horns set the entire mood of the song.

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Can't remember where I came across this blog, probably here, but if anyone wants an endless supply of new music check this guy out. This is a 25 minute synopsis of his time at SXSW. I hadn't heard of more than a few of these people before this video...definitely going to check out Future Islands.

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That's true, and any knowledgeable fan will agree, but it wasn't his musicianship that made him great... it was his songwriting ability and authenticity that made him great.

For those of you who didn't watch the concert, here is a song I'd never heard of before watching and its one of their very best IMO...

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It's a cover of a punk band from the 80s called Fang:

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Nirvana still appealed to me a decade ago when I was a teen. Their songs get a quick flip any time they come on the radio. Still, they were undeniably huge and important to rock music.

And their influence in quite a bit of today's music is a big deal. Grohl is the man. Honestly can't give a shit about Cobain when Dave is still kicking and making good music.