I like a lot of 90's rock; preferrably early to mid 90's. Bands would include Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots, Hootie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Creed, Fuel, etc...
I guess I will go chronologically with my favorites: Growing up in the '80s, I was really big into the top 40/pop music. I used to love to listen to the American Top 40 every Saturday morning. I also was really big into the '80s new wave stuff and still enjoy some of that stuff today, especially those one-hit wonder songs. Then in high school, I moved towards R&B and what I would call old-school rap with admiration for New Edition, Johnny Gill, Guy, Wreckx-N-Effect (sp?), Silk, Shai, and before then rappers like L.L. Cool J, Fat Boys, Run-DMC, Whodini, etc. By the time I got out of college, I started gravitating back towards pop music again and was mesmerized by Celine Dion. I still have the majority of her stuff on CD as that was all I had CD wise for a long time. And I will go ahead and admit that I enjoyed listening to what I would call "bubble-gum" pop music of the Backstreet Boys, N'Sync - even Britney and Christina . If there was a good hook to it, I was a sucker for it. But then one night I heard this song by Moby on the radio, "Southside", and my musical tastes would never be the same. I quickly got into Moby which led into more techno/electronica artists such as Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Underworld, Utah Saints, Fluke, Leftfield, Aphex Twin (Richard James), Crystal Method, etc. Plus some old school stuff in Kraftwerk, New Order, and Gary Numan. Then this would lead to "electronica-influenced" artists such as Massive Attack, Portishead, Tricky, Hooverphonic, Delerium/Front Line Assembly, Enigma, and Nine Inch Nails. It was through electronica that I discovered "Passion" by Peter Gabriel which led me to become a fan of his and indirectly to Kate Bush. But it also led to alternative rock along with some punk and post-punk. Pretty soon, I was getting into bands such as Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Smashing Pumpkins/Zwan, the Clash, the Buzzcocks, Rancid, Operation Ivy, Less Than Jake, Misfits/Danzig, the Cure, the Smiths, Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, early U2, early REM, etc. Then onto hard rock and heavy metal with bands like Motorhead, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Pantera, Sepultura, and the Cult leading the way. Then I guess it was onto classic rock bands like Floyd, Zep, and Rush. Somehow, I got into Blondie around this time as well. But one genre that I had gotten into before some of the stuff I listed earlier but wanted to save for last was jazz music. I started into jazz after techno/electronica and some alternative stuff. I don't know why I have never been able to get into "big-band" jazz (Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, etc), but it has always been for me cool jazz/hard bop then onto fusion and then the modern stuff. This has been my favorite of late and looks like it could stay that way for awhile. Why do I like this stuff? Well, I guess one reason is that every time I listen to it, I hear something new it seems that I didn't hear before. There are also some great melodies in jazz - ones that will stick in your head forever. Perfect example is the 2nd track, "Blues Minor", off the sublime Sonny Clark album, "Cool Struttin'" - to me that is what it is all about - absolutely brilliant. That is why I really enjoy guys like Coltrane (up to "A Love Supreme"), Freddie Hubbard, Horace Silver, early Herbie Hancock (although later Herbie starting with Head Hunters kicks ass as well), and pretty much all of the Blue Note jazz albums of the late '50s and '60s. I haven't been able to get into the free jazz as much, but do have stuff by Eric Dolphy, Andrew Hill, several Coltrane stuff past "A Love Supreme", etc. But fusion absolutely is the bomb for me now. In the last couple of months, I have gotten such Miles Davis fusion classics as "A Tribute to Jack Johnson", "On the Corner", "Get Up With It", and "Live-Evil" (which I am listening to right now, specifically "Funky Tonk"). Also just got recently the first Mahavishnu Orchestra album, "The Inner Mounting Flame", Return to Forever's "Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy", "Emergency" by the Tony Williams' Lifetime (absolute unbelieveable sound coming from a trio that is electric guitar, organ, and drums!), "Inifinite Search" by Miroslav Vitous (hasn't arrived yet), and the first Weather Report CD (also hasn't arrived yet). I am already eagerly anticipating getting more stuff by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, "Romantic Warrior" by Return to Forever, "Big Fun" by Miles, "Spaces" by Larry Coryell, and more stuff by Weather Report and Return to Forever.
i hated opera too, until i got to college and got drafted to be part of the huge chorus required for an opera memphis production of turandot. being on stage w/ all that sound- i was hooked. i started investigating classical music on my own (my dad had made us listen to classical, played "drop-the-needle" with us, and i hated it), and discovered so much wonderful music. first classical LP i bought, Ozawa and the BSO playing Brahm's first symphony. the "big tune" in the last movement is still one of my favorite moments in all music. there remains a lot of classical music i can't get into. most early music i find pretty boring, and serial music, 2nd vienna school, leaves me cold. that said, i like most anything written between about 1750 and 1930. my two year old daughter is a big fan of bach's keyboard works! at least half my listening these days is Jazz- got started driving around town late one night in college and they played John Klemmer's touch, still a favorite disc for, errr, certain situations. hate the cool jazz, kenny G MOR stuff tho. first straight-ahead disc i bought was Sonny Clark's "Cool Stuttin'", after which i kept going back to Tower in DC and asking the Jazz dudes for more stuff like it. I probably have close to 500 jazz titles in my collection now, branched out into jazz vocals (Abby Lincoln, Kevin Mahogany, and of course Ella, Joe Williams, Sassy, etc.) not into Ornette- guess I need a melody. Listen to Johnathan Schwatz's program every weekend. listen to a lot of americana, no depression, alt-country, whatever you want to call it: John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, each of which has a spot on my musical desert island. two great web radio stations to check out: WXPN in philly, and fordham's WFUV...oh, and i'd much rather talk about this than politcs! blame david kelly!
i loved New Edition and the R&B music that spun from that time. i'm not sure that it's musically up to par with previous R&B music...but it was the music i heard a ton of when i was in high school so it has some significance to me. tons of memories. i'll still put up johnny gill's first solo album with any other R & B album i own. incredible voice.
I did too - but it was Sunday mornings for me. I'm sure you have heard it, but just in case you haven't - have you heard Negativland's "U2" with all of Casey Kasem's outtakes? I heard it about 5 years ago for the first time and It changed the way I thought about AT40.
Yea that first JG album (for Motown) was the **** IMO. I will never forget the first time I heard "Rub You the Right Way". I immediately had to know who sang it and then went out and bought the cassette single. I think I have listened to that song more than any other song in my whole life, LOL. The sad thing about Gill is that he has an amazing voice, but for whatever reason, he just never had the material or the right producers or whatever to really be a big star out of the R&B genre. It took going to the Motown label along with getting Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis plus LA Reid & Babyface to produce the songs on the Johnny Gill album. Then he decided to join up with Keith Sweat and Gerald Levert for LSG and who knows when we will ever hear another solo album from him? Somehow, I get the feeling that he might think that he could never outdo the "Johnny Gill" album. oomp - never have heard that, but would like to as I imagine that it is pretty funny.
I like party music. I don't like downer music. There's lots of things that have great energy and make you want to move. There's also stuff that makes you want to put a gun in your mouth. I don't need any help there.
and he's probably right...my, my, my...lady dujour...those were really strong r&b ballads. the other NE guy who was good solo was Ralph Tresvant...but not nearly as good as Gill, in my opinion.
Me too. I was going to mention it but I didn't think anyone else would know what I was talking about. That is really bizarre. He must be an ASS in person...
Cool - won't be able to listen to it until I get home, but am looking forward to it. Thanks. Max, I had the first Ralph Tresvant album on tape. Besides the big hit, "Sensitivity", I loved "Stone Cold Gentleman" and "Do What I Gotta Do" (I think that is the song). Ralph always had this silky smooth voice where JG's was more of a powerful baritone one. I am still amazed at how high Tresvant's voice was on NE songs like "Cool It Now" and "Candy Girl".
ahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are New Edition fans here!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!!! Have you guys heard there new song? I've got it on a CD in my car. "Hot Tonight" Oh, and I agree with "Rub you the right way". One of my top ten fave songs of all time!!!!!!
Just listened to this - oomp - you have achieved a level of greatness, in my book, that may never be equaled by anyone. I actually remember hearing about this - Casey Kasem going crazy about having to play a request for a dead dog. Great to hear someone doing a song to it!
Trip Hop - Portishead Tricky Massive Attack Lamb Cardigans (Gran Turismo Album) Mono Grunge - Mother Love Bone Alice in Chains Mad Season Pearl Jam Candlebox Smashing Pumpkins Metal - Opeth Blind Guardian My Dying Bride Misc. The Cure Elliot Smith gloomliness.
