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Strength / Weakness
This is pretty straight forward.
Just list a few of your favourite bands & list what you think their strengths & weaknesses are. Primal Scream Strengths: Embracing many different genres without bandwagon jumping or sacrificing their own sound. An unselfish attitude to working with other people , if they think someone outside of the band can make it work better they bring them in. Weaknesses: Bobby Gillespie's vocals are a little on the weak side , especially on ballads. Plus they do raid the Rolling Stones songbook a little too much sometimes. Stereolab Strengths: A totally unique sound. I can't think of too many bands that mix guitar pop with krautrock and 60s lounge music.Lætitia Sadier is one of my favourite female vocalists , i'd happily listen to her sing all day. Weaknesses: Far too prolific , 9 albums & 17 EPs in the space of 15 years plus dozens of side projects means that their records contain far too much filler material. Only their Emperor Tomato Ketchup album is really solid from start to finish. The Clash Strengths: The single mindedness to do whatever they wanted. They remained down to earth no matter how many records they sold. Moved punk forward by showing there was more to it than playing 3 chords & shouting a lot. Topper Headon , one of the most underrated drummers ever. In a live environment he's one of the tightest drummers I have ever heard. Weaknesses: Over-indulgence. See side 4 of London Calling and half of Sandinista , do we really need to hear a bunch of kids singing Career Opportunities? What are you , Pink Floyd? Alice Cooper Strengths: People seem to forget the original Alice Cooper band were protégés of Frank Zappa and wrote some of the finest twisted trashy rock songs ever. Alice doesn't really get the credit he deserves for his lyrics either which are quite cleverly written with a subtle sense of humour. Weaknesses: 30 years of **** solo albums (give or take a couple) & gimmicky stage props have tarnished the above. Especially his comeback in the late 80s. The Fall Strengths: Mark E Smith Weaknesses: Mark E Smith |
I did my top 10. This was surprisingly hard.
Elliott Smith: Strengths: Created some of the most interesting experimental pop songs of his day after perfecting his intimate acoustic sound. Weaknesses: Died too early making a mess of most his post-humus material particularly the stuff during his later day. Don't think that's a problem? Look at the mixing on From a Basement on the Hill which had the potential to be without a doubt his masterpiece. Patrick Wolf: Strengths: He's made some of the most unique pop ever with his last album and the two before created some of the most unique things for what he was trying to do with them and he's super talented and super hot<33 Weaknesses: Sometimes it seems like he takes himself too seriously which doesn't so much affect the album as his stage presence live. The Magnetic Fields: Strengths: Stephin Merritt is one of the most talented lyricists ever and an excellent producer who can construct songs/albums very well. Weaknesses: Kind of like with Stereolab he's far too prolific. He's done albums with various side projects (under his own name, Gothic Archives, Future Bible Heroes, The 6ths etc) and the Magnetic Fields releases, while they've been spaced out, if you look at Stephin Merritt's other stuff including they're not too spaced out and sometimes you wonder why he put a certain song on here. But oddly enough that isn't a problem at all on 69 Love Songs, there's probably five or so songs I'd have gotten rid of but thats it. Carissa's Wierd: Strengths: They kind of the embody the pacific northwest musical aesthetic for me and they create some of the most heartwrenching music ever. Weaknesses: Sometimes they're a bit too cliche, particularly on tracks like Die which you can only listen to if you're already feeling down. Jens Lekman: Strengths: He writes funny lyrics that would place him along side Morrissey and Stuart Murdoch, which is extraordinary given English isn't his first language. Plus he's an excellent vocalist that from a technical standpoint is stunning. Weaknesses: He tries to rhyme certain things that shouldn't be rhymed. English is his second language and it makes it amusing but sometimes its distracting particularly when vocals/lyrics are such a big part of his music. Morrissey: Strengths: When he's in proper form he can rival the best of the Smiths stuff easily and he's proven to be a very versatile artist from album to album. Weaknesses: Sometimes style changing isn't for the best, for every good Morrissey album you can basically find a bad or subpar one. He's also become far too stream-lined with these last two releases. I hope he does something different with the new album. Bright Eyes: Strengths: I think Conor can write some of the most beautiful lyrics ever and create some very eclectic/unique music when he wants to, example: Digital Ash in a Digital Urn or Letting Off the Happiness. Weaknesses: Lately his lyrics have been below standard (they've honestly been a downhill slope ever since Fevers & Mirrors) and his music is becoming pretty stream-lined. I don't think he'll be experimenting anytime soon and seeing as his orchestrated country sound is already dull that kind of blows. Modest Mouse: Strengths: Back in their day they created fantastically jaded and edgy music that was a brilliant combination of Pixies and Built to Spill. Weaknesses: They've turned into a fairly dull supergroup that's obviously past their prime. The Smiths: Strengths: They created some of the most perfect pop songs ever (There is a Light That Never Goes Out for instance) and some of the just most perfect songs ever (Asleep for instance.) Morrissey was an excellent frontman, Johnny Marr a great guitarist, Rourke and excellent bassist and Joyce a very solid drummer. All in all a very cohesive group of musicians who knew exactly what they were doing. Weaknesses: I couldn't think of many but the reason I don't listen to Strangeways, Here We Come much is because after the Queen is Dead they became fairly dull. Maybe they'd already achieved their pinnacle sound I don't know but that album only shines at moments. Stuff like the pointless intro to Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me and the banality of Unhappy Birthday are kind of shameful given their prior releases. Daniel Johnston: Strengths/Weaknesses: He created some of the most painfully honest lo-fi music ever. This could be both good and bad. |
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I'll do a few more...
Aerosmith Strengths: During the 70s recorded some of the greatest soulful , funky , dirty rock n roll ever recorded. Steven Tyler is just bursting full of charisma and Joe Perry had cool oozing out of every pore on his body. Weaknesses: Recording slickly produced middle of the road love ballads for your daughter written by Diane Warren? Oh f*ck off. Flaming Lips Strengths: Don't take themselves too seriously , write some gorgeous pop songs. Wayne Coyne seems like one of the nicest blokes you could ever hope to meet and is clearly totally bonkers. Weaknesses: It's all gone a bit nice , dare I say a little boring. There will always be a part of me that would love to see them return to the acid tinged punk inspired noise they did during the 80s when Wayne Coyne ripped off Gibby Haynes with alarming regularity. And speaking of Wayne Coyne , his vocals ain't the greatest either. David Bowie Strengths: Can turn his hand to almost anything and make it work. Has an unmistakable voice. Fantastic songwriter and always has talented people queuing up to work with him. He may jump bandwagons but he does it long before anyone else even thinks of jumping on them. Weaknesses: 1984 , 1985 , 1986 , 1987 , 1988 , 1989 , 1990 , 1991 , 1992 ........... you get the picture. And the less said about T*n M**h**e the better. Motorhead Strengths: Lemmy , Living legend. Their first 7 or 8 albums are a faultless example of loud & dirty rock n roll with plenty of balls & attitude. Weaknesses: The current band might be technically better than the classic Lemmy/Philthy Animal/Fast Eddie line up but I don't think they have as much personality or the rawness that made the classic 'head' line up so iconic. Although Lemmy is still capable of knocking out the odd rock anthem from time to time a lot of the material from the last 10/15 sounds too much like re-hashed ideas from the past. Stone Roses Strengths: Wrote fantastic 60s inspired trippy pop records when nobody else was doing so. Recorded one of the greatest albums ever made that still sounds fresh almost 20 years after it's debut. Totally unpretentious, after an entire decade of studenty middle class jangly indie pop bands they were like a breath of fresh air and made it OK to like working class bands again paving the way for the likes of Oasis & Pulp in the 90s. Weaknesses: That entire second album where John Squire seemed to be possessed by the spirit of Jimmy Page and the seemingly never ending disintegration of the band that seemed to last forever until it was finally put out of it's misery after an embarrassingly awful set at the Reading festival in 1996 |
Pink Floyd
Strengths: Created one of the finest and influential debut albums ever recorded. Did'nt write hit singles after the first album. Created some of the earliest and influential stage shows. Have a guitarist with one of the most mournful sounds ever put to vinyl. Never craves publicity. Had awesome album covers. Weaknesses: Wrote some average banal songs that somehow have come become classic (Money). Became decidely less progressive with each album which is short change for one of the first progressive bands. Roger Waters became an arse. Are Middle class bores. Tangerine Dream Strengths: Have achieved longevity through a series of fads and musical change. Can say more in a few piano notes than bands can on whole albums. Marry the moving image with music succinctly. Weaknesses: Some of their music can also be banal and not sound out of place and on a TV movie of the week. Have far too many albums to achieve a consistent discography. Porcupine Tree Strengths: Are excellent musicians and in Steven Wilson have one of Britains finest ever songwriters/producers. Can strike that delicate balance between heavy riffing and genuine ambience. Weaknesses: Play music that (heavy riffs withstanding) is decidely stuck in the 70's. Have one of the most unadventurous live acts ever( they are tight as hell but look bored out of their skulls). Constantly issuing new material which retail shops sell at extortionate prices. Fugazi Strengths: Definite F.U to major labels and continued their support of Dischord records by self financing all their releases. 4 instruments, rarely used overdubs. Their music did exactly what it said on the tin. Weaknesses:One album too many. Mackaye had too much of a strangehold on the band |
grandaddy: made what is my personal opinion the best music around. i think each album was an improvement on the last, all the way till their last.
it's hard for me to think of a weakness. i guess the fact that they broke up after only four lps due to money pressures is the only thing i can think of, but i wouldn't say that's a weakness so much as it is the nature of the beast. edit: okay, jason lytle doesn't have the best voice ever. while i do enjoy the fact that i can actually understand 99% of his lyrics without having to look them up, it would be awesome if he could hit notes like thom yorke does. someone do radiohead. |
I'll do one for now.
King Crimson: Strengths: One of the few bands I know that made better music because of their musicianship. Great balance between accesability and depth. Weaknesses: Vocalists. Not so much the vocalists themselves, but the way they played around them. |
Bump
This was a good idea for a thread. |
The Smashing Pumpkins
Strengths: Billy Corgan is one of the most creative minds in Alternative Rock. Suggesting art and expiriment above the radio formulas and drohl riffs of his contemporaries, Billy's music and distictive vocals rise above the (now) boring Alternative Rock scene. Capable of big riffs, serious grinds and pleasing ballads, the Pumpkins were (and altough some contest, are) an act to remember. Weaknesses: The lyrics.. which often times sound cliche or sophmoric. Although his lyrical prowess has improved, Corgan's poetry has often had a negitive influence on the band. Another point of contempt is Corgan's inability to keep a band together. Fans agree that the original line up will always be best, and in the rock albums where he is absent, Jimmy Chamberlin's drumming is sorely missed. |
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Anywho. Pink Floyd: Strengths: One of the most original and creative bands ever. They put less emphasis on chops than other prog bands, which made them stand out. Waters is a brilliant lyricist. Gilmour has the most gorgeous guitar tone ever. Wright is one of the great keyboard wizards. Got around the fact that Waters and Wright weren't exactly masters of their instruments. Some of the best album covers ever. Gilmour and Wright also has some tight solo stuff. Weaknesses: The annoying fanboy cult of one Syd Barrett. The fact that Waters turned into an assh*le, and while fancying himself the "leader" of the band he got lazy as a musician, having Gilmour record a lot of the bass parts on Animals and The Wall. Waters' solo stuff is pretty damn awful. The Beatles: Strengths: Pop music geniuses. Lennon and McCartney are in the top 10 greatest songwriters ever, Harrison is at least in the top 30.. Brought about the british invasion and changing the sound of rock music. Taking the bold risk of retiring from concerts to focus on creating more progressive music. George Martin was a freaking wizard, but they were also more skilled musicians than people give them credit for. Lennon, McCartney and Harrison all put out strong solo material. Lennon had a great sense of humor and turned being an assh*le into an admirable talent. Weaknesses: Letting Ringo write songs. Making Yoko Ono famous. Writing Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. The huge quantities of crappy soft rock McCartney has been dissing out for the last 30 years. Influencing Oasis. Led Zeppelin: Strengths: One of the greatest ensemble bands ever. Brought a sense of power to rock n roll that has never been successfully imitated since. Page is a god among guitarists. Plant has one of the best howls in rock. A consistant run of great albums. John Paul Jones is an underappreciated musical talent who is not only good at many instruments but produced albums for REM and Butthole Surfers. Made singing about LOTR cool. Weaknesses: Not the best lyrics in the world. Plants vocals lost their power as years went by. The sad fact that you never know when a concert of theirs is gonna be f*cking amazing or f*cking horrible. Inevitably led to power metal. The fact that Page hasn't done anything interesting since. Robert Plant really let himself go. Wolfmother. Yes: Strengths: Maybe the best collection of virtuoso musicians in all of rock music. Took influences from all over the place and made it into something that was entirely their own. Brought progressive rock into the mainstream. Still churned out two good albums even after turning into a pop band. Wakeman's experience with the band is some of the most hilarious reading material you will ever find. Roger Dean's awesome album cover art. Jon Anderson's daughter is really f*cking hot. Weaknesses: Can never keep a consistant line up. All the crap they put out in the 80s and 90s. Some of the most mumbo jumbo lyrics you will ever come across. Wakeman now has 500 rock operas all based on some piece of literature. Howe now looks like the cryptkeeper. Asia |
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