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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 7:25:52 GMT
Post by sandbachhatter on Sept 1, 2014 7:25:52 GMT
Off we go with Week B then.
As before, my shortlist is just that. I've tried each week to come up with no more than 5 artists (some weeks are one or two either side) and I'll never keep everyone happy as we'd all come up with a different 5 for each letter anyway, but that's the point of this, so feel free to suggest your own. I'm also trying to give a varied choice to suit a number of different music tastes so we don't necessarily get stuck in the same genre.
Anyway, I'm relatively happy with this week's selection but no doubt there will be some glaring omissions
So, your starters are:
Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Blondie Blur Bowie, David
Over to you. I'll call time on this at midday on Friday.
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 9:47:37 GMT
Post by hatter_in_macc on Sept 1, 2014 9:47:37 GMT
As you say, Sandy, not one of the easier letters for which to whittle down a short-list! All five that you have selected are worthy, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if any one of them were to win.
Plenty of left-field alternatives, too. The Birthday Party, Belle & Sebastian, Babes in Toyland, Buzzc-oc-ks... oh, and the Beatnik Filmstars!
I'm going to go for Bowie, based on his impact and (often startling) style ch-ch-ch-Changes. Glam, soul, krautrock - and some great, great music. Albums-wise, Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory, Station to Station, Low and Heroes all stand the test of time and are still influencing musicians today.
I'll even forgive him for Tin Machine...
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 9:47:49 GMT
Post by archie on Sept 1, 2014 9:47:49 GMT
In response to overwhelming demand for my short-list as trailed in 'A', I can report that, again based on my record/CD collection, I can offer you: Beatles Beach Boys Jackson Browne Buffalo Springfield Byrds with the rejects including Black Sabbath, Kate Bush and Tim Buckley (Jeff's dad).
Much as I still like and play the other three, it has to be down to either the Beatles or the Beach Boys. The Beatles probably influenced more artists since the 60s than anyone else but they in turn have always acknowledged that the release of Pet Sounds forced them to try and up their game. For that reason and also because they were responsible for the best love song of all time in God Only Knows - whereas the Beatles only had the second best in And I Love Her - it's the Beach Boys for me.
To finish, a passing raspberry for Blur, the most over-rated group of the last 20 years.
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 10:15:23 GMT
Post by hatter_in_macc on Sept 1, 2014 10:15:23 GMT
To finish, a passing raspberry for Blur, the most over-rated group of the last 20 years. Each to their own, of course, archie (which is making this particular thread-series a lot of fun!), but I do think that's a tad harsh. Britpop was undeniably over-rated, but Blur, as a group, went a considerable distance beyond once all the brouhaha had died down about that. Their sound just before and after the turn of the century expanded into Radiohead-type electronica and, later, afrobeat - on '13' and ' Think Tank'. Not commercial successes, but hugely accomplished - and influential on groups that are ploughing the left-field today. Wouldn't argue with your choice of the Beach Boys over the Beatles, mind!
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Post by Epworth Hatter on Sept 1, 2014 10:51:53 GMT
The Boo Radleys, The Beautiful South (I spent quite a bit of my youth wearing a Northern Scum T Shirt), The Beloved, The Breeders, Bjork, The Bluetones, the awfully named British Sea Power
And the maybe less well known: Bradford, The Butterflies of Love, The Bridewell Taxis, The Broken Family Band
For variety, I'd also like to add James Brown into the mix.
The Boo Radleys would be my top pick, but I don't expect any of these to be in the running. Of the mainstream bands so far, The Beach Boys get my vote.
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 11:13:26 GMT
Post by sandbachhatter on Sept 1, 2014 11:13:26 GMT
Cheers Eppers. For what it's worth, Beautiful South and Bluetones were both on the fringes of inclusion, as was Bjork, albeit briefly!
I quite like some of Biffy Clyro's stuff as well, and who hasn't got on the dancefloor to Livin' on a Prayer at a wedding?!
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 11:13:42 GMT
Post by sandbachhatter on Sept 1, 2014 11:13:42 GMT
Bon Jovi, just in case anyone was wondering!
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 11:41:01 GMT
via mobile
Post by gazz on Sept 1, 2014 11:41:01 GMT
Bowie for me. The man is a genius.
The Beatles may have influenced many, and I do like some of their stuff myself, but Bowie reinvented himself so many times during his career and never looked or sounded out of step with his contemporaries from any given era, and he can still put out a decent tune if he wants to.
David Bowie: legend
Trivia: David Jones changed his name to Bowie because Davey Jones was already a prominent star with The Monkees.
I have to agree with Maccy, Archie. That was harsh on Blur. Excellent band, and they chucked out some excellent music and lyrics. Definitely not overrated.
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 11:45:52 GMT
Post by sandbachhatter on Sept 1, 2014 11:45:52 GMT
Right then, Bowie, David and Beach Boys, The have 2 votes each so far!
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Post by bigfudge on Sept 1, 2014 11:47:30 GMT
Just for the sheer impact they had on music and culture in general. They are one of Britains biggest exports.
Has to be the Beatles for me!
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 12:17:01 GMT
Post by sirroger on Sept 1, 2014 12:17:01 GMT
Barclay James Harvest, Bachman-Turner Overdrive & Bread all worth a mention. Brotherhood of Man not so worthy of a mention, although I just did. Like some of the Beatles early stuff, but for me there's only one winner and that's Bowie.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2014 12:26:07 GMT
I quite like Blondie and The Beautiful South but I'll go with one of Eppy's mentions, The Beloved.
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 12:37:55 GMT
Post by sandbachhatter on Sept 1, 2014 12:37:55 GMT
Ok, an update (more for my benefit in keeping track than anything else!):
Bowie, David 3 Beach Boys, The 2 Beatles, The 1 Beloved, The 1
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 18:59:30 GMT
Post by another_ruined_saturday on Sept 1, 2014 18:59:30 GMT
crikey. all five of your original shortlist have their merits. debbie harry on 'union city blue' or 'heart of glass' definitely floats my boat. i saw blur touring 'leisure', and they were hateful, awful. saw them again seven or eight years later and it was one of the greatest 'greatest hits' sets imaginable. 'the universal', 'he thought of cars', all of 'blur' and 'thirteen' and some of 'think tank' are brilliant, questing modern records.
hard not to make a case for 'pet sounds' and 'good vibrations', but the beatles edge it for me, with half a dozen fine, fine albums, particularly 'the beatles' and 'revolver'. my fave though is the long medley on 'abbey road'. mccartney was a technical genius and lennon brought the emotion. 'a day in the life' is one of the greatest, coldest, pieces of music ever, and 'tomorrow never knows' still sounds incredibly fresh in its beats and drones, despite being made from cut up bits of tape in 1966.
but bowie, david. i just love 'hunky dory'. brilliant album. and loads of great bits and bobs elsewhere from the nine-odd minutes of 'cygnet committee' to instrumentally one of my faves ever 'sound and vision', through to the multi-million sellers like 'let's dance' which sounds stronger by the year. 'space oddity' was a true one-off, and his vocals are heroic - those octave-leaps on things like 'starman' and 'life on mars' are thrilling. DB for me too.
and then the lovely built to spill, the control and power of bitch magnet, and my absolute noughties favourites, toronto's broken social scene.
week 'b' feels a bit like week 'f' in CHIEF - it's not fair, but someone's got to miss out...
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Week B
Sept 1, 2014 20:15:56 GMT
Post by gazz on Sept 1, 2014 20:15:56 GMT
week 'b' feels a bit like week 'f' in CHIEF - it's not fair, but someone's got to miss out... That's a quality comparison, mate.
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