Your Would-a, Should-a, Could-a Artists of the Rock Era?

[Lukenskywalker]

Magazine is one of my all time favorites. I was blown away by them every time I saw them. (Twice in one week, first time around. I saw them 4 times total, IIRC.) Those are serious fighting words around chez blue2blue. I lost their album when my house got ripped off in '74 and never thought I'd hear them again... so I was delighted when a UK company dug up the masters and re-released it. For a Columbia recording, it was a pretty lo fi affair, considering the sometimes elaborate arrangements, and I guess it was one of those producers with big idea things that seemed to rub artists (and their moms, judging from the liners in the re-release) wrong... but I love the arrangements, by and large, and the way-beyond-fragile confessional singing... to me, it's an amazing portrait of the archetypal way-too-sensitive arty teen girl... The funny thing is that the two of them apparently walked straight away from the music biz after that and have led happy, healthy lives (at least as far as can be read into the booklet)... which is not what I would have expected from the oh-so-vulnerable, wounded lyrics and singing... damn, I think I have to go put it on right now.

Beatnik cum Hippie girl I dated in the early seventies, an absolutely gorgeous, petite long haired doe-eyed artsy -fartsy, beauty who attended the Cooper Union in NYC loved them.
She would quote them constantly much to my chagrin and everyone else within earshot.
I enjoyed them too...but not being force fed a steady regurgitated diet of their lyrics.

[Lukenskywalker]

The Easybeats.

[Gomer Pyle]

Malcolm and Angus Young played on tour with some later incarnations of The Easybeats and later on after George left The Easybeats he played bass on occasion with AC/DC

[Lee Flier]

They were great. I saw then at the Starwood in Hollywood in probably 78, 79. Exene (wore a motocross outfit caked with mud), John Doe (too {censored}ing cool), Billy Zoom ({censored} eating grim and silver sparkle Gretsch) and the drummer, forget his first name but his last was Bonebrake.

Don "DJ" Bonebrake.

Saw them a crapload of times at the Starwood, the Whisky, Madame Wongs et al. I've seen them every time they've come through Atlanta recently, which seems to have been at least once a year for the past 5 years or more. And they seriously still bring it. Really, check 'em out if you get a chance, I know they play in L.A. more often than elsewhere.

Unfortunately, Exene has been diagnosed with MS as of last year. But she still toured with X in spite of that, and she's now touring as part of a duo which is coming through here next month. Although there's still no "cure" for MS, apparently there are now a lot of ways to manage the symptoms whereby folks can still have excellent quality of life and do most of the things they did before. Exene has stated that she intends to be one of those people, and I don't doubt her for a second!

[Lee Knight]

DJ Bonebrake. That's great.

[blue2blue]

Beatnik cum Hippie girl I dated in the early seventies, an absolutely gorgeous, petite long haired doe-eyed artsy -fartsy, beauty who attended the Cooper Union in NYC loved them. She would quote them constantly much to my chagrin and everyone else within earshot. I enjoyed them too...but not being force fed a steady regurgitated diet of their lyrics.

Nonetheless, I'm sure you're a better person for it.

 

If she still has a copy of that vinyl, it's worth a pretty penny.

 

Columbia pressed very few copies and apparently worked it not at all. Judging from the booklet in the re-release, the whole project was held together by a few whispy threads of momentum going into the release and, as soon as it was 'out,' everyone involved went their (very) separate ways, with not a lot of good to say about each other. (Lily & Maria were still friendly and did some small acoustic shows together before drifting out of active participation in the music biz.)

 

If I hadn't stumbled into my public library soon after the (fellow) high school kid they had ordering records for them got it in and pointed it out to me, I probably never would have heard it, myself.

 

 

Here's one I'll bet your erstwhile GF threw at you once or twice: I am too low to fall / and I don't know if you exist at all...

[blue2blue]

Don "DJ" Bonebrake. Saw them a crapload of times at the Starwood, the Whisky, Madame Wongs et al. I've seen them every time they've come through Atlanta recently, which seems to have been at least once a year for the past 5 years or more. And they seriously still bring it. Really, check 'em out if you get a chance, I know they play in L.A. more often than elsewhere. Unfortunately, Exene has been diagnosed with MS as of last year. But she still toured with X in spite of that, and she's now touring as part of a duo which is coming through here next month. Although there's still no "cure" for MS, apparently there are now a lot of ways to manage the symptoms whereby folks can still have excellent quality of life and do most of the things they did before. Exene has stated that she intends to be one of those people, and I don't doubt her for a second!

I didn't realize that Exene had MS... but I have a friend who was diagnosed in her twenties and she's now in her late 50s and doing very well as far as I know.

[Richard King]

Richard, I've now got plans to visit my Mom in Vero in March. I'll PM you to see if we might have a chance to connect breifly while Im in town (if you haven't sold your house by then).

Everyone's mom lives in Vero. Actually, the house I have on the market is a second house that I bought a couple years ago on spec. I'll still be here after it sells. It would be great to meet a fellow HC'er.

[Richard King]

The Easybeats.

Now you've gone and done it. My worst (favorite) earworm is now back going through my brain (again). Friday on My Mind is, once again, stuck on my mind.

[Poker99]

Kathy Perry

oh wait

[Spleencage]

Terence Trend D'arby (ego got in the way)

Charlie Sexton

The Dan Reed Network

Toy Matinee (maybe too cerebral)

Jane Child (great talent, but insisted on writing everything)

New Man (killer band, awesome songs- poor support from Epic mangmnt)

Til Tuesday (Amy left the band)

Robbie Nevill (amazing debut album then nothing)

Julia Fordham (perfect adult MOR Xover talent)

[Spleencage]

Ambrosia- if they had stayed true to their first album and comprehensively toured the country when they were hot. .

 

 

I am HUGE Ambrosia fan, but I don't know if they'd qualify to be on the list in this theme of forum. They did tour heavily in the mid 70's and they had 6 charted singles over the span of 15 years, and released 7 albums- one being a greatest hits. Hardly qualifies them as band that didnt "do it".

[Lukenskywalker]

I've always been a sucker for Power Pop,
John Waite, he writes decent songs, is fun to watch perform too.
The thing I like most is his vocal phrasing.
Saw him on Oahu 3 years ago and his voice has held up well.

I also like The Gin Blossoms.

[nat whilk II]

Annie Lennox has had a somewhat biggish career I guess. Maybe she's bigger in the UK than the US, I dunno, BUT.....

I've always felt she has been capable of so much more, been one of the really big voices just under the tier that holds Aretha, Gladys Knight, etc. The LOTR soundtrack kind of confirmed my notion, showing some of the sensitivity and range she's got.

Listening back thru my best-of Eurythmics disc, sheesh, there's a bunch of really lame, uneven productions, idiotic lyrics, just the bad side of the 80s all over the place. Just doesn't do her talent justice IMHO.

Oh, there are good songs, too - no need to list them. But in my fantasy I say "c'mon Annie, get in my car and let's go to my studio - let me be your producer and I'll make you REALLY wail like you know you want to":)


Y'now Janis Joplin also had a whole lot more potential than she was able to realize in (excuse my harsh view all ye faithful) that horrible Holding Company band (winner of the worst guitar solos award in all pretentious hippiedom.) Had she just lived and moved on, I bet her image now would be quite different and a lot more accomplished than that raggedy-ann hippy screecher icon with the round specs.

nat whilk ii

[locust tree]

For me, XTC has great songs but not great albums. They often strike me as a brilliant band with no crap filter whatsoever.

The Comsat Angels strike me as a huge woulda-shoulda band. They started in the early 80's playing dark, ahead-of-its-time post punk. By '83 they were starting to make a play for commercial radio but never really succeeded. Their early stuff is brilliant, but even in their commercial stuff I hear hints of 80's Bowie, Simple Minds, etc etc. Rumor has it that U2 toured with them in '81 and came off the tour sounding a lot like the Comsats. Judge for yourself, these 2 cuts are from 1981. The drums were recorded next to an elevator shaft in an empty warehouse, with ambient mics on 6 adjacent floors... wow. I can't really think of anyone else in '81 who was already onto that kind of big drum sound.

[YOUTUBE]yIGuj2APL84[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE]NRmEfYQuNl0[/YOUTUBE]

Also contemporaneous with these guys are The Chameleons, another favorite of mine. Unfortunately they weren't anywhere near as consistent as the Comsats, and even their best albums have a lot of duds for me.

When I was about 5 or 6 I wore the oxide off of a cassette tape of a British band called The Truth. The tape is long gone now and my recent efforts to google them have been just about fruitless. This band was so far off the radar that I was just about to conclude that they'd been a figment of my young imagination... until IRS records reissued their 1985 LP just last year. They were a rock / R & B group from the UK. It was so great to hear these songs again - I remembered all the melody lines but none of the words. Call me crazy, but I have no clue why this band wasn't a much bigger deal.

[YOUTUBE]1FHZqiex0Jw[/YOUTUBE]

[Frantag]

Add Sonia Dada to my list. I never understood why this band wasn't huge worldwide.

[Ernest Buckley]

I think of Sebastian Bach... a guy that can scream like that and look that pretty, seriously... hes got rock god written all over him but his personality and nasal speaking voice are just too annoying. I think if he kept a mysterious persona, hardly spoke and had a decent band, besides Skid Row (who I actually liked), I think he could have been huge. Its not too late but he seems to be more into making TV shows.

[Ernest Buckley]

Oh, I forgot to mention Air Supply, a little distortion here and there, they could have been HUGE.

[Lukenskywalker]

I think of Sebastian Bach... a guy that can scream like that and look that pretty, seriously... hes got rock god written all over him but his personality and nasal speaking voice are just too annoying. I think if he kept a mysterious persona, hardly spoke and had a decent band, besides Skid Row (who I actually liked), I think he could have been huge. Its not too late but he seems to be more into making TV shows.

'I Will Remember You' too, Ernest.

[Rudolf von Hagenwil]

The best musicians I meet are those who play for themself at home, and for the family.

[Jimbroni]

They signed with a major label for awhile, that's what. Seriously, most of the stuff that sucked was their major label stuff. They're still going, actually, and just put out a really good record.

Drivin N Cryin. That's a name I hadn't heard in so long. I remember them and I had a tape of theirs which I really dug. I haven't heard anything beyond that. Its just cool takes me back.

I really can't think of anything to add at the moment except "Spirit". I guess if Rush could be huge why not "Spirit" who was world's better.

[offramp]

 

Robbie Nevill (amazing debut album then nothing)

 

 

Beg to differ; his second and third albums were every bit as good as the first, if not better, imho. I've always wished he would have gotten big. Certainly deserved to... great songwriting...the kind that makes you enjoy the song still, even though the production values and delivery are a little dated. Guess he just prefers to write for others.

 

 

Julia Fordham (perfect adult MOR Xover talent)

 

 

I want so badly to enjoy her more, but she sings flat almost constantly. I've got one album of hers, from back around '90; basically had Sting's 'Soul Cages' band (Miller/Sancious/Colaiuta) on most of the tracks, and would be much, much more enjoyable if she'd just pushed for that extra 2 or 3 cents on pitch. Maddening.

I know she has a small and solid fanbase, but jeez...

[offramp]

I remember a band out of Minneapolis in the late '80's called Beat The Clock.

Jesus those guys were awesome. They should have been everywhere. The second time they played Indy, I let 'em stay at my apartment. Good times.

[chipmcdonald]

Jeff Buckley.

King's-X. Jellyfish.

Really, we should be lamenting the death of music post-MTV/disco.

There were so many great songs from the 70's - the majority of which were written/played by people that would never, ever be given a chance today because of how they look. That's gone, every great artist now is a "shoulda-coulda", because nobody today writes non-consciously anymore.



Everyone today "writes" from some business aspect approach. I'm so sick of hearing/seeing the word "business" connected to "music" these days.

[Lukenskywalker]

Nonetheless, I'm sure you're a better person for it. Here's one I'll bet your erstwhile GF threw at you once or twice: I am too low to fall / and I don't know if you exist at all...

Maybe... at the end of our relationship, words were exchanged, darts and below the belly punches were cast ....there was copious amounts of cheap Chianti, swigged out of straw covered bottles, Good Afghani Hash.....long talks into the middle of he night...'touchy- feely' attempts at reconciliation... early A.M. games of 'Hide the Salami'
However, I had an Agenda and so did she.
If you are interested in how we both prevailed.. we both did fine in our respective dreams and goals.