I've been listening to Perfect From Now On all day. Really great band. I'll spin Keep It next. I have their others...which should I try after that?
i had a convo once with a friend who's in a local band about this exact topic a couple of months ago. he said that Megadeth's Holy Wars... is one of the most difficult songs to play and a great one at that. he just kept on going about how underrated by the metal scene that song is. all i know is that whole album kicks ass.
My next favorite after those two is There's Nothing Wrong With Love, which is great! I was never really too fond of their latest release, Ancient Melodies of the Future. Those are all I have.
For pure badass musical muscle, I stand back in awe of James Brown's back-up band during the early 70's, the JB's, and perhaps the most underratted band of all-time, the funky Meters of New Orleans. When I was growing up I always thought that bands like Rush and Yes were really impressive for their musicianship (and they are obviously are talented), but comparing them with the truly great bands like the JB's and the Meters is like comparing Joe Klein and Hakeem. Somewhere along the line it occurred to me that a lot of those prog groups were shaking you by the lapels to show you their chops so much that any feeling, or recognizable melody was completely pulverized in their own preciousness. It was all very "hey, look at me! Aren't we brilliant? Want to come to my drum clinic?" It was like somebody spending 15 years and a lot of effort to make a nice cabinet for the second bathroom. The JB's, on the other hand, would play these incredibly innovative, tight and intricate grooves that was in service to something besides showing what geniuses they were. Apples and oranges, I suppose, but those are my $.02. Oh, almost forgot: I find the guitar inter-play in "Marquee Moon" to be really nice. The trancendentally beautiful guitar solo of Blur's Graham Coxon in "This is a Low" is one of my favorite musical moments, as well.
Not all rock, but here goes.... Keith Richard's and Mick Taylor's intertwining guitar work on "Exile on Main Street". Stevie Ray Vaughan's live version of "Tin Pan Alley". Jimmie Vaugan's version of "Texas Flood" on the SRV Tribute from Austin City Limits. Fabulous Thunderbird's version of Slim Harpo's "Tip On In". Little Walter's signature song "Juke".
oh yea..... and Billy Sheehan's work with Talas....Live Speed on Ice to be more specific. and the entire 2112 album still to this day amazes me. macalu, 90% of Megadeth's material is very hard to play...but you are totally correct in that the whole Rust in Peace album is highly underrated. My favorites from that album is Holy Wars and Hangar 18. I could listen to those over and over...
The Vocals on A-HA's Take on Me. I don't even really like the song, but the range on that guy's voice is truly insane.
Keeping with the Stones vain. IMO the best groove they wrote was "Can you Hear Me Knocking" from Sticky Fingers. The horn and guitar bridge is amazing. Let's see, what else? Off the top of my head... Anything from "Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar" Mr Frank Zappa. "Head Like a Hole" by NIN "Bar Room Blitz" by Sweet (yeah! go ahead and laugh) The Edge's work in early U2
There is a live version of Dream On by Aerosmith that they played at the MTV Music or Video Awards one year. It is on the Last Action Hero Soundtrack. There is just something about that song that is awesome. I can listen to it anytime and love it.
Just about everything off of Tool's "Lateralus" album. What a masterpiece! I saw "The Grudge" mentioned earlier in the post. Great song!
I went to a record store in the Galleria a couple of years ago..asked the clerk where I would find Bela Flecks' Outbound, after it was named best Jazz album of the year.... he told me i could find it in the Country section of the store! what a great freaking band!
The thing that I loved about Roundabout was that it was an accessible song and yet still complex as hell. Great hook, great groove, crazy difficult. That is tough to pull off.
Just about every instrument in Big Country's songs, 'The Crossing,' and 'Porroh Man.' Porroh Man was on the album The Crossing. While the song 'The Crossing' wasn't and was on the EP, Wonderland. Anyway the only instrument that isn't overwhelmingly impressive is the bass work. It's solid and functional, but not overly impressive. The songs are crafted in some ways like a classical piece of music, with psuedo movements to them. The cymbal work by Mark Byrzezicki is supreme, and some of the best I've heard. The guitars are innovative, and complex.
Difficult to write or difficult to play? 'Difficult to play' music for the most part does not interest me. If that interests you, the whole prog metal scene (Dream Theater et al) has some seriously technical guitar players. It is mind numbing how many notes they can put into their fills and solos. 'Difficult to write' does interest me, especially music that is original and/or extremely well done. I have always been impressed with Slash's guitar solo in _Sweet Child Of Mine_, which is technically easy and not all that original (it is the best Brian May solo that he did not do ) but burns the groove. The Stevie Wonder keyboard riff in _Superstition_, again is not technically difficult, but burns the groove. Finally early EVH (like the first four albums) was very original and was even technically challenging back in the day.
Fo' sheezy. "Disco Volante" scared the hell out of me the first time I listened to it. The long vocal/bass phrase (quoted from Poe) in "Carry Stress in the Jaw" is so metrically irregular that my old drummer was convinced they were using drum triggers for the horns, but they weren't.
drummer -Kenneth Chaulk---Candiria Miles Davis- b****es Brew Marz Volta- great musicians and song writers. this is what amazes me.
