Talk about iconic!

There are few musicians who I know of for whom I can say, without a doubt, have tried almost everything, and Bill Laswell is one of them. Born from the cauldrons of the underground New York Scene, Laswell has swept nearly every genre. Yet in all this, he remains relatively unknown in comparison to his output, which is so ridiculously large, I may as well just link it instead.

As a musician, Laswell is a bassist, his style primarily created from funk and jazz. Although he began as a small time bar musician in Detroit, his move to New York signaled drastic steps forward in his development, as bassist in bands such as avant-jazz-rock band Curlew and his own personal project/band (HIs most famous as well probably) in Material. From these stepping stones he has led a life in music that all musicians SHOULD be jealous of. He got to do what he wanted on his terms.

Along with John Zorn he was also a key factor in the development of Buckethead in terms of constructing his music. The pair have been good friends, with Buckethead being a lynchpin in yet another project of Laswell's, Praxis, as well as the short lived Arcana. Buckethead also regularly performs in Laswell's projects, whether they be Dub, DnB, Funk, Jazz or Rock. Some other well known projects include Massacre and Last Exit.

Personally, I was introduced to Laswell via Arcana, and I never looked back. I kept on finding projects and bands I loved in similar genres only to find Laswell was again a key player. Sometimes the people YOU think deserve recognition don't get it. I know his stuff isn't the most well known, nor popular, nor will it ever be, but IMO it deserves to be recognised, even if not hailed. Laswell is probably one of the few musical icons I have for his experimentation and diversity, rather than simply be a musician/band I like deeply. In my opinion, the idea of 'respect' in music in general is a fallacy. Music is there to be enjoyed, not respected or idealised (Sorry Beatles fans :p:). However, I can say without a doubt that I respect Bill Laswell. Chances are he won't get through to any special 'gallery' or win a poll, but that really doesn't matter.

Even if he does always wear a ridiculously dodgy looking hat/beanie/beret.

I generally have avoided reviewing his albums after doing three in a row in my journal, but will link you to those anyway.
Last Exit (87)
Arcana (Buckethead fan's should check this out)
Method Of Defiance

^^^

Bloody great post there. I have Murder,Inc, a Praxis album and Radio:Axiom A Dub Transmission which are damn good. I really need to dip my toes a lot more into his huge discography.

I think they eventually got as high as $12/CD.
The original Dischord releases had labels or stickers on them that said something like "Do not pay more than $5 for this cassette" and I think it was $8 for CDs and LPs. And this was in record stores. At first the price tag always reflected that but over the years a lot of places stopped giving a shit. It was always sadly hilarious to see a Dischord CD in a store with "Do not pay more than $8" on the cover and the store's price tag showing $10.99.
I just took a look at my '95 CD, Inzombia by Slant 6 and even that late there is small print that reads "$8 post paid in USA from 3819 Beecher Street NW". I also have some re-issue CDs from the early 00s. The Minor Threat Discography says "This compact disc is only $12" in the notes. Others say "$11 post paid..."

Yes.

Just when I thought there was no one cool around here.

That link ain't working btw, because its now just an advertisement for the new Method of Defiance album coming out in Sept. Take it from me though, its huge :p:

Thx JH.

This has turned into a top notch thread

Hoping after all is said and done we can edit out all the non Icon posts and just have a really cool read of a thread.

i can't believe nobody's done Frank Zappa yet!!


i'd do it myself, but i have no where near the amount of his work to really justify me doing it.

thank you. :)

I'm impartial to his music but I think he does have a great middle name.

yeah, it's alot cooler than his real one, Vincent ;)

I was gonna do him :(.
Bitches be stealing my thunda.

do him please? i'll love you forever.

Make sure you film it.

yeah, get some good shots too

Illinois natives, the Kinsella brothers are perhaps the two men most responsible for the development of 90s midwest emo, indie, and screamo. Furthermore, it can be said that the Kinsellas are one of, if not the, biggest inspirations for the present day emo/screamo community, with nearly every emo fan touting the works of Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Owen, and Owls. Heavyweights in their own day, these brothers recorded some of the most original music in the underground scene of early 1990s and continue to be a force in the Northern Illinois scene.

Mike Kinsella's individual efforts include American Football, an almost universally loved band that crafted intricate acoustic songs and exhibited dazzling electric performances, and Owen, a band born out of the conflicting styles of Joan of Arc and American Football and known for its softer melodies.

Tim Kinsella, along with Victor Villareal, was the braintrust behind Cap'n Jazz's "Analphabetapolothology". Enough said.

The Kinsella's were not only responsible for making music that laid the blueprint for an entire generation, but they also lead the way for numerous bands that sprung up around their heyday. These bands include Villareal's Ghosts and Vodka and The Promise Ring.

I am not too aufait with many bands mentioned here but American Football are quite simply fucking brilliant and should be heard a lot more. I think a shedload of people would be smitten straight away. I also like Ghosts and Vodka. Conversational All-Stars and Is That a Person? both from Addicts and Drunks are great tunes.

Rickenbacker basically summed him up perfectly though.

The Angry Man of Jazz... As a musician, master of the double bass, as well as occasionally lending his hands to the piano, cello and trombone. With his skills he started out early in his career touring with the likes of Satchmo and Louis Hampton, as well as his favour artist in Duke Ellington for a short time (Mingus was later to be the first AND only performer ever 'fired' by the Duke). He was also involved in the bebop scene, performing with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and Max Roach.

However, it wasn't during these times that he truly stood out to jazz fans. It was his compositional work, and work as band leader, where he really took off into a stratosphere where only jazz legends abide. During Mingus' most productive period came his first true breakthrough - Pithecanthropus Erectus. An ambitious album that nonetheless didn't break too harshly from a traditional jazz base, the album is powerful and intense, and the title song eventually became a symbol for Mingus' artistic merit and passion.

Who can argue with his greatness in the jazz world when his output ranges from the early days of Pithecanthropus Erectus and The Clown, through Blues & Roots, Ah Um and Mingus Dynasty, to masterpieces such as Tijuana Moods and The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady before ending his career with Let My Children Hear Music, with great albums scattered in between.

As I opened this post, I noted his nickname, 'The Angry Man of Jazz'. This was given to him for due reasons. As mentioned, he managed to be the only person fired by the Duke, he was a composer and musician with a set idea of what he wanted, and if you were the one to step in his way, you knew about it. Some other famous outbursts include... (From Wikipedia)

He also 'bragged' in his autobiography about his sexual promiscuity, as well as claiming that he was briefly a pimp.

Cut down by Lou Gherig's Disease late in his life his final piece, Epitaph, was never complete before his death in 1979, but was discovered, the two hour, ten minute long piece performed 10 years after his death.

One of the few great jazz artists that don't bore me, despite how much I have listened to his music. Other classics have long past their 'use by' date with me, and aren't overly entertaining after listening to over and over. I can honestly say I have never yet been bored with a Mingus album.

My favourite albums of his are Pithecanthropus Erectus, The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady, and Mingus5.

My cousin was taught by a dude who was taught by Mingus.

yay! :yeah:

Mingus, yeah its not real listenable to the average fan, but ****ing Wow nonetheless.

Michael Stipe

In the 1980s, before R.E.M. attained the global recognition they have today, concert goers saw the shyness and mumbling vocal stylings of a young Michael Stipe as some sort of charisma. With these attributes, Stipe became some sort of unwilling poster boy of the American alternative movement then. His complex feelings were expressed in songs with lyrics near impossible to understand, and thus open to great interpretation from each listener. As the band reached mainstream recognition, and Michael Stipe became a household name, he managed never to sell out, and remained an iconic figure into the 90s, constantly changing his image but retaining the songwriting style that made him who he is.

Its more of a step left rather than a step forward progression-wise.

I'm not really into REM but I do have alot of respect for them and Micheal Stipe, I always found his voice unique.

Since they only publish the lyrics to their songs on a few occasions, nobody knows exactly what he's saying, but it's always pretty great. Some really fantastic lyrics in that song with Patti Smith (in the third video) actually.

This verse is particularly deep:

Awesome post on Michael Stipe. True American icon.

:thumb: many thanks buddy.

Well write one up then.

Indeed. Unlike Zappa (see: here), Jim Morrison actually does need a write-up.

Jim Morrison
Singer... songwriter... poet... filmmaker... theatrical on stage... brillant mind, incredible talent.. musical innovator.. lover.. fighter.. beautiful.. sex appeal.. baritone. :bowdown:
:love:

I don't find him attractive at all.
It's probably just me.

See how all the other write-ups are nice and neat looking?


:|

who wants to be like all the other write-ups ;)

Bumped because I've got one of my own...


It's surprising how little information there is on this man to be found anywhere, which itself proves one of two things. Either a) I'm a total hipster who goes out of his way to revere such people or b) that he's a man who's got the dignity to let the artists he's worked with down the years have the limelight themselves. Naturally, I prefer to think of it as the latter.

Anyway, who is this guy then? English-born, bred and buttered, he's the founder of World Circuit Records (I forget when he did this exactly - late 80s/early 90s I think) which itself has its products distributed by Nonesuch Records. Secondly, since founding World Circuit, he's worked with artists from Central America and West Africa ranging from Oumou Sangaré to the Buena Vista Social Club (the very concept of which was basically his doing) as producer. While not only being instrumental in shaping the best possible sound to bring out the strengths of the music he was working with, in founding World Circuit he's also been responsible for bringing so much music from West Africa and Central America to western listeners who otherwise would probably never have been privileged to hear it. Not necessarily objective fact, but it's how I feel about the man's achievements myself. Also, through his long working relationship with Ali Farka Touré, he's not only had a hand in some of the best West African music out there, but it was his tendency not to overproduce, to simply let the natural talents and cultural musical traditions of the musicians he's worked with take centre stage, that he's also had a strong hand in my favourite album of all time - that being In the Heart Of the Moon. Basically, a hugely rewarding musical avenue that I've gone down in my life can be pinned on his achievements.

An absolute legend in my eyes. Here's some of the music his production methods and record company have brought us down the years...


I was gonna type up an entry for a certain Chris Hillman as well, but I'm getting sleepy so I might just do it tomorrow or something...

Mark E Smith
http://www.kevchino.com/graffix/band...thefall_bp.jpg
Much as the man'd detest being listed here, I think he deserves his place here on the grounds that he's spent 30 years following no muse but his own, and never been afraid to speak his mind about the failings of the world around him. What distinguishes Smith from other misanthropes is the sense that creating music is where he genuinely belongs, as seen by his constantly working and striving to create. For this I think he deserves icon recognition for simply not allowing anyone or anything to change him.