Miscellanous music thread

[Iago]

Rather than try to pull together discussions from several other threads, here is a new one with an intersting article from The AV Club regarding the Black Keys and the career direction that they have taken. I am not saying that I agree with it, but it is interesting nonetheless:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-black-keys-class-war-on-indierock,67602/

[Seamaster]

What interests me is that the Black Keys' comments and the article are both a bit schizophrenic. It's like neither have quite figured out what's going on yet.

The Black Keys sound is certainly more mainstream now, which is what they appear to be aiming to achieve. As I said before, I'm happy that they're doing well, but I do miss the Black Keys sound of old.

[Iago]

That was the thing; I am not sure precisely what the Keys are trying to argue. That said, while I certainly prefer their "older" sound, nevertheless I agree with the author of the article that we really need some well-cone old school rock to make its way onto the modern charts, and if that has to be the Keys, so be it.

[Seamaster]

When listening to the Keys' latest album, I am actually reminded of British rock at times.

[Iago]

I need to pick it up. But when I was checking Amazon for it, I felt the draw of Thickfreakness and Chulahoma. But even that draw was overpowered by some Criterion Blu-rays -- and Godzilla is a-comin' . . .

The thing that makes the issues with the modern charts less pressing is that there is so, so much older music out there that I still have not picked up -- and I have an extensive music collection. I just do not feel any pressing need to keep up with new music save for a few bands like the Keys and The Arcade Fire.

[Seamaster]

You'd do okay to pick up Chulahoma -- just keep in mind that it is only an EP.

I also don't keep up with current charts. I tend to prefer older stuff or stick to the bands I already like.

[Iago]

Nothing wrong with EPs, if the price is right. I have a few treasured EPs.

[Seamaster]

In this case, I think it works well, as the songs on the EP don't get stale. That said, I really enjoy the music on the EP and I would have liked a few more songs, but I can appreciate why the Keys chose to keep it an EP.

[Iago]

The Pretenders had a classic EP that was actually called Extended Play. It had at least two classics, "Cuban Slide" and the Velvet Underground-esque "Porcelain," plus it had an amazingly intense "live" version of "Precious." For years, that was the only legitimate "live" recording that The Pretenders ever released -- until the Unplugged-era Isle of View, Chrissie Hynde felt that the only way to hear The Pretenders live was to really hear them live! But that track alone, which has never been released on CD, makes the album a collector's item.

[mrblur]

Unplugged MTV Nirvana... awesome CD>

[Seamaster]

Iago: I know the album to which you refer. I don't have a copy, but I also really liked "Porcelain" on that album. I wish I had got around to picking up a copy.

Blur: That is a good album. I actually prefer Nirvana unplugged than I do plugged.

[Iago]

Nirvana Unplugged is one of the best of the Unplugged shows.


Seamaster: While the live version of "Precious" is still not available, "Porcelain" and "Cuban Silde" both are on the remastered two-disc CD version of their first album. If you have not picked that up, I highly recommend it -- many of the bonus tracks are previously unreleased "live" recordings. The same thing is true of the two-disc Pretenders II -- in fact, that one has an entire live concert on the second disc.

[Seamaster]

I haven't picked up any of the remastered CDs. Is there a particular label I should be looking at?

[Iago]

Rhino, I think. In the case of Pretenders and Pretenders II, just make sure that you find the two-disc versions. I think that the rest of the remasters are single discs. (If you look on Amazon, they are listed as "Original Recording Remastered.")

[Seamaster]

Found it! I think it's Pretenders (Expanded). There is another version of the same album, unexpanded, but that one doesn't appear to have been remastered. Rather, it looks like a '83 issue.