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TODDLER
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Posted: January 06 2010 at 09:25 |
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You've said a lot here and not much that I can agree with,
If all a kid hears while he is growing up is Clapton and that does not inspire him to go and explore other guitarists then he's not a music fan. If someone hasn't by this stage in the game worked out that there are many flavours of Progressive Rock, of which Pink Floyd is but one example then they are not a Progressive Rock fan: if someone likes Gentle Giant or Van der Graaf Generator then they are not going to have false expectations of Pink Floyd unless they've lived in a GG & VdGG only vacuum for the past 40 years; similarily if a symphonic rock fan doesn't think Floyd sounds Prog to them then they need to get out more. Whether you compare The Beatles with 1910 Fruit Gum Company or Simon Dupree And The Big Sound matters little when all of them had hit singles, you need to compare them to all the millions of wannabe failed pop songs to get a true picture of how difficult it is to write a hit.
Progressive rock fans gauge their music on merit and merit alone, we are (relatively) immune to promotional advertising and hype, we make our own minds-up based on what we hear. If Pink Floyd were a fly-by-night one hit wonder then I'd agree with your incredulity at their success, but that they have acquired this acclaim over the course of 40 years, long after the EMI/Capitol publicity machine had ground to a lumbering halt, then I cannot agree; that they have acquired fans young and old along the way without excessive hype, pretty-boy posters, charismatic front-men and dayglo lunchboxes in Wal*mart suggests to me that it is the music alone that is doing this, that somewhere in that lack lustre musicianship and technoflash guitar playing, the music is enough and that the music is Prog enough. (Look through the 5-star reviews for any PF album ... most of them are not by die-hard Floyd fans)
Floyd fans are not touchy, they are not confused, nor do they place them on some mythical Prog pedestal. Floyd fans are well aware of the band's problems and limitations. After all they've been told enough times, some of it must be getting through by now. 
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Everything you have said for the most part is true and I agree with your insight a hundred percent. It's great to read your post reply. You are very informative and have fantastic insight. Some people dread reading this type of conversing but, I love your view points and I am really impressed with your knowledge. It's true that a kid who does not investigate more than Clapton is not a true music fan. Experience with musicians and students is a real awakening for me at times. I know that you may not believe me and I am not intent on going against your word. I have met many fantastic guitar players and keyboardists who sadly do not travel a road beyond Clapton. That realization within itself kills me. I have always been a bit confused about it. It might be the area that I reside in. Or possibly some really talented adults and kids do not absorb music culture to that degree. It's hard to believe that a person would have abundance of talent and close doors on music history. It's quite insane when a kid has been working so hard to play a Clapton or Beck piece and progresses at a slow pace, while the next student has the ability to learn and play a technical fusion piece without effort in about 20 minutes time, then turns to me and says: please don't ask me to play this kind of music again, lets get back to playing Mississippi Queen by Mountain. This example (which is based on years of experience), is what drives me to pose the simple but un-answered question in my mind as to how and why this happens? I am blown away by this reality and don't really have an answer for it. I am positive and more than willing to give adults and kids what they really want out of music. They just baffle me beyond belief. How do you describe the meaning of this? Or if there even is one? Don't you think this is strange? or is the reason or rhyme staring me in the face? But I think that your point sums it up, no matter how many musicians I have witnessed with this mentality.
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Vibrationbaby
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Posted: January 06 2010 at 10:57 |
I once bought my father a Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch record for his birthday once and he played the crap out of it until the day he died.. So far though ( at least the last time I checked ) The Black Watch haven't sold out to their fans.
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Dean
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Posted: January 06 2010 at 13:44 |
Vibrationbaby wrote:
I once bought my father a Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch record for his birthday once and he played the crap out of it until the day he died.. So far though ( at least the last time I checked ) The Black Watch haven't sold out to their fans.
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I will own-up to buying my Dad a Slim Whitman album even though the merest sound of it causes my brain to explode like one of Tim Burton's Martians. I also took him to a Tangerine Dream concert.
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Dean
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Posted: January 06 2010 at 14:03 |
TODDLER wrote:
I know that you may not believe me and I am not intent on going against your word. I have met many fantastic guitar players and keyboardists who sadly do not travel a road beyond Clapton. That realization within itself kills me. I have always been a bit confused about it. It might be the area that I reside in. Or possibly some really talented adults and kids do not absorb music culture to that degree. It's hard to believe that a person would have abundance of talent and close doors on music history. It's quite insane when a kid has been working so hard to play a Clapton or Beck piece and progresses at a slow pace, while the next student has the ability to learn and play a technical fusion piece without effort in about 20 minutes time, then turns to me and says: please don't ask me to play this kind of music again, lets get back to playing Mississippi Queen by Mountain. This example (which is based on years of experience), is what drives me to pose the simple but un-answered question in my mind as to how and why this happens? I am blown away by this reality and don't really have an answer for it. I am positive and more than willing to give adults and kids what they really want out of music. They just baffle me beyond belief. How do you describe the meaning of this? Or if there even is one? Don't you think this is strange? or is the reason or rhyme staring me in the face? But I think that your point sums it up, no matter how many musicians I have witnessed with this mentality. |
I have had a similar experiences - I met a young guitarist who knew more about metal guitarists than anyone I've ever met and could rattle off riffs and solos with ease. He asked me who my faves were and I listed people like Beck, Gilmour, Catherine, McGeoch, Akkerman, Frith, Hackett and was met with a blank stare. However, this guy then went out and bought albums by most of these people, and his guitar playing changed as a result - the manic shredding didn't exactly disappear, but it became more refined, measured and controlled.
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chopper
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Posted: January 06 2010 at 14:25 |
Dean wrote:
TODDLER wrote:
I know that you may not believe me and I am not intent on going against your word. I have met many fantastic guitar players and keyboardists who sadly do not travel a road beyond Clapton. That realization within itself kills me. I have always been a bit confused about it. It might be the area that I reside in. Or possibly some really talented adults and kids do not absorb music culture to that degree. It's hard to believe that a person would have abundance of talent and close doors on music history. It's quite insane when a kid has been working so hard to play a Clapton or Beck piece and progresses at a slow pace, while the next student has the ability to learn and play a technical fusion piece without effort in about 20 minutes time, then turns to me and says: please don't ask me to play this kind of music again, lets get back to playing Mississippi Queen by Mountain. This example (which is based on years of experience), is what drives me to pose the simple but un-answered question in my mind as to how and why this happens? I am blown away by this reality and don't really have an answer for it. I am positive and more than willing to give adults and kids what they really want out of music. They just baffle me beyond belief. How do you describe the meaning of this? Or if there even is one? Don't you think this is strange? or is the reason or rhyme staring me in the face? But I think that your point sums it up, no matter how many musicians I have witnessed with this mentality. |
I have had a similar experiences - I met a young guitarist who knew more about metal guitarists than anyone I've ever met and could rattle off riffs and solos with ease. He asked me who my faves were and I listed people like Beck, Gilmour, Catherine, McGeoch, Akkerman, Frith, Hackett and was met with a blank stare. However, this guy then went out and bought albums by most of these people, and his guitar playing changed as a result - the manic shredding didn't exactly disappear, but it became more refined, measured and controlled. |
I always despair at people who measure a guitarist's skill by the number of notes per second.
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Posted: January 06 2010 at 23:14 |
The only way I's get sick of PF would be to play them over and over and over and over again too much. They did much quality music, but put them on a platform and you're likely to get bored by the view.
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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TODDLER
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 05:39 |
Slartibartfast wrote:
The only way I's get sick of PF would be to play them over and over and over and over again too much. They did much quality music, but put them on a platform and you're likely to get bored by the view. |
I feel the same way. I love Floyd and I'm way too far back in the EARLY 70's because I favour Meddle and Atom Heart Mother or even Obscured by Clouds. Once I'M in the mood, I can play many Floyd titles for the afternoon. I love their idea's on Meddle. It's many times for me personally, more enjoyable than rapid notes played over bizzare time signatures. I love Meddle!
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Dean
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 06:20 |
TODDLER wrote:
Slartibartfast wrote:
The only way I's get sick of PF would be to play them over and over and over and over again too much. They did much quality music, but put them on a platform and you're likely to get bored by the view. |
I feel the same way. I love Floyd and I'm way too far back in the EARLY 70's because I favour Meddle and Atom Heart Mother or even Obscured by Clouds. Once I'M in the mood, I can play many Floyd titles for the afternoon. I love their idea's on Meddle. It's many times for me personally, more enjoyable than rapid notes played over bizzare time signatures. I love Meddle! |
How receptive I am to any piece of music is determined by my mood and some pieces can change my mood, so sometimes it depends on whether I want my mood to be changed or enhanced. Somedays I'd rather listen to Aquiring The Taste than Meddle, or H to He Who Am The Only One instead of The Wall, some other days I can play a piece of Avant Garde and then want to hear disc 2 of Ummagumma or Saucerful Of Secrets.
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 06:46 |
Henry Plainview wrote:
First of all, that is your just punishment for reading Yahoo Answers.
Second of all, because they wrote DSOTM and The Wall, which, for whatever reason, are seminal rock albums.
Third, what contemporary bands sounded like Pink Floyd? Gilmour's style is unique.
Fourth, why do you even care what the unwashed masses think? |
thats all I need to read on this post
Also, man, stop paying atention to the listeners and keep attention to the music and what it makes you feel...
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TODDLER
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 09:39 |
chopper wrote:
Dean wrote:
TODDLER wrote:
I know that you may not believe me and I am not intent on going against your word. I have met many fantastic guitar players and keyboardists who sadly do not travel a road beyond Clapton. That realization within itself kills me. I have always been a bit confused about it. It might be the area that I reside in. Or possibly some really talented adults and kids do not absorb music culture to that degree. It's hard to believe that a person would have abundance of talent and close doors on music history. It's quite insane when a kid has been working so hard to play a Clapton or Beck piece and progresses at a slow pace, while the next student has the ability to learn and play a technical fusion piece without effort in about 20 minutes time, then turns to me and says: please don't ask me to play this kind of music again, lets get back to playing Mississippi Queen by Mountain. This example (which is based on years of experience), is what drives me to pose the simple but un-answered question in my mind as to how and why this happens? I am blown away by this reality and don't really have an answer for it. I am positive and more than willing to give adults and kids what they really want out of music. They just baffle me beyond belief. How do you describe the meaning of this? Or if there even is one? Don't you think this is strange? or is the reason or rhyme staring me in the face? But I think that your point sums it up, no matter how many musicians I have witnessed with this mentality. |
I have had a similar experiences - I met a young guitarist who knew more about metal guitarists than anyone I've ever met and could rattle off riffs and solos with ease. He asked me who my faves were and I listed people like Beck, Gilmour, Catherine, McGeoch, Akkerman, Frith, Hackett and was met with a blank stare. However, this guy then went out and bought albums by most of these people, and his guitar playing changed as a result - the manic shredding didn't exactly disappear, but it became more refined, measured and controlled. |
I always despair at people who measure a guitarist's skill by the number of notes per second.
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Despair? No, guitar playing should venture to both sides of the fence. Gilmour has beautiful solos and so does John McLaughlin. I have been playing McLaughlin's solos and compositions for decades and I do not consider my talent or ability to be above a singer songwriter who writes a simple and melodic tune. To say, or out right sum up in words to people that you are a better musician than someone else is quite frank, not only egotistical but an insult to the arts. Music has endless work, sweat and toil. It is quite foolish to think that just because you can sit in with jazz greats it places you above other levels of music and musicians. This is why players like Wayne Shorter are timeless and completely universal in their improv solos. They are humble and always learning something new. Wayne Shorter has played some beautiful signature melodies in jazz/ballad type or romantic style pieces. Just a few notes and that is it. You must keep your mind open at all times when confronted by a style of music that you may dislike. Especially if you are an exceptional player. In this case it should really be the best of both worlds. Sometimes I hear musicians remarking about how overrated Hendrix is and that he falls into that boring guitar hero crap. But then why did Miles Davis see him in concert? Why would Miles jam with him? So you see that is just the old ego again. Musicians who are a bit narrow minded in which case your breaking the ice with them because they respect you as a player but, their entire mind set is a bit nightmarish to deal with.
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TODDLER
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 09:49 |
Dean wrote:
...some other days I can play a piece of Avant Garde and then want to hear disc 2 of Ummagumma or Saucerful Of Secrets. |
I can't believe you are saying this! I have never heard anyone relate Ummagumma to Avant Garde. Maybe I need to attend more prog fest. Whenever I listen to Avant Garde I always play Ummagumma at some point in the listening process.
{edited to fix quote tag}
Edited by Logan - January 07 2010 at 12:35
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 15:24 |
Anthony wrote:
Floyd is the most overrated crap band ever! Come on, what are we talking about? Only David Gilmour has any talent, Waters and Mason are a lousy boring monotonous rhythm section, and all the lyrics that Waters can write can be summed up as "Boo hoo hoo, my daddy died in WW2, so the world sucks, they're all against me", while being blind for the fact that he's an arrogant a**hole himself! Come on, the popularity of Floyd is based on gimmicks and not on their music. Would "Money" have been a big hit without the cash registers? Would "Another brick" been a hit without the children's voices? I DON"T THINK SO!
F*ck Waters, give me a band of real musicians. Like for example Yes. |
That.....is so awesome!!! Funny thing is I have NEVER seen the whole concert movie The Wall....honestly to me it does look like a boring movie.
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 15:33 |
And guess who will get very far, and maybe win, the Battle of the Prog Bands? Very overrated, marginally progressive by today's standards.
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Jesus is real, God and man.
GENERATION 41i: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and subtract 1 from the generation. Social experiment.
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A Person
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 16:03 |
Astrapto wrote:
And guess who will get very far, and maybe win, the Battle of the Prog Bands? Very overrated, marginally progressive by today's standards.
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How are they marginally progressive by today's standards?
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TheGazzardian
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 20:24 |
A Person wrote:
Astrapto wrote:
And guess who will get very far, and maybe win, the Battle of the Prog Bands? Very overrated, marginally progressive by today's standards.
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How are they marginally progressive by today's standards?
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< ="utf-8"> I don't know if the phrase "progressive by todays standards" even makes sense when talking about someone who was progressive before today.
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A Person
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 23:02 |
TheGazzardian wrote:
A Person wrote:
Astrapto wrote:
And guess who will get very far, and maybe win, the Battle of the Prog Bands? Very overrated, marginally progressive by today's standards.
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How are they marginally progressive by today's standards?
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< ="utf-8"> I don't know if the phrase "progressive by todays standards" even makes sense when talking about someone who was progressive before today. |
Yeah, but I'm just curious why they don't think PF is progressive.
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m2thek
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 23:10 |
Do the people who think PF suck also think that all the people who like them are completely nuts? If a lot of people like something there's usually a good reason behind it.
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 23:17 |
m2thek wrote:
Do the people who think PF suck also think that all the people who like them are completely nuts? If a lot of people like something there's usually a good reason behind it. |
For some reason, a lot of the people who don't like PF come off as former PF fans who over did it, or their musical taste changed and now they have had a revelation: PF isn't good! I, the lowly prog fan, must denounce this so-called king of prog, for I have listened, and deemed him unworthy.  Perhaps a little too sarcastic, but these threads never seem to focus on the actual music, just the fact that PF isn't prog.
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Posted: January 07 2010 at 23:45 |
A Person wrote:
m2thek wrote:
Do the people who think PF suck also think that all the people who like them are completely nuts? If a lot of people like something there's usually a good reason behind it. |
For some reason, a lot of the people who don't like PF come off as former PF fans who over did it, or their musical taste changed and now they have had a revelation: PF isn't good! I, the lowly prog fan, must denounce this so-called king of prog, for I have listened, and deemed him unworthy. 
Perhaps a little too sarcastic, but these threads never seem to focus on the actual music, just the fact that PF isn't prog.
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Because in general, good music is synonymous with prog for progheads and anything that ain't prog is not really worth listening to. Just a general tendency, I am not pointing fingers. Notice how even in the general music discussions, people often say that such and such song/album is proggy. It's not necessary you know, there is a lot of non prog music that's awesome and even better than a lot of prog.
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Posted: January 08 2010 at 07:39 |
A Person wrote:
m2thek wrote:
Do the people who think PF suck also think that all the people who like them are completely nuts? If a lot of people like something there's usually a good reason behind it. |
For some reason, a lot of the people who don't like PF come off as former PF fans who over did it, or their musical taste changed and now they have had a revelation: PF isn't good! I, the lowly prog fan, must denounce this so-called king of prog, for I have listened, and deemed him unworthy. 
Perhaps a little too sarcastic, but these threads never seem to focus on the actual music, just the fact that PF isn't prog.
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First of all let me say this, I am an over the hill burn-out that grew up on the music of Pink Floyd. Do you remember back in the late 60's and early 70's how kids like me were subjected to bands who added progressive elements to their music? Well, there is your answer. Mostly everyone from the mad days generation thought the band to be progressive in that fashion or for those who did not understand the term, just thought they were a bit too strange. Fairport Convention were thought to be progressive like Jethro Tull were, especially on the Liege and Lief album. After Keith Emerson became well known, the concept of applying more notes formed a solid definition of prog to most. And then bands that added progressive elements to their music became somewhat outside of the prog circle by many prog fans. Things just happened this way and being a smuck, I could not tell you why? It's not such a bad thing but, it is when Floyd get the shaft. They were on tour with Soft Machine and Hendrix at a time when progressive music was evolving. Zappa had the Mothers of Invention on the west coast. Everything in rock music was still brewing. Keith Emerson and the Nice etc.
Then there is the history. Barrett of course wrote this psychedelic album Piper. He, himself always considered it to be simply a collection of songs and nothing else. In otherwords, he could not see what all the fuss was about. He opened doors and made paths for other musicians and writers to explore. He was not a great musician by any means. He was an innovator by all means. He was chased down or hounded by punkers who knocked on his door. The punk rockers for the most part loved Barrett. Syd was influential to punk rockers and space rockers. Waters claimed that Syd taught him when not to play. He relates that concept on the piece "Breathe" from DSOTM. When Barrett refused to play the BBC, Richard Wright stated that he actually felt the same way and many great musicians in London at the time felt that way. Wright explained that in their environment many musicians thought of success to be tasteless. It was common ground then. Today you have people with zero talent and they are looking for stardom. Floyd were an art rock band. Atom Heart Mother, Ummagumma, Saucerful, More, Relics, Meddle, Obscured by Clouds can be placed into the space rock genre or simply art rock from the 70's. Sometimes I wonder if Tangerine Dream were influenced by the early Floyd. So if you review the basics of their history, you can clearly see how they changed music and why they deserve to be in the prog genre. 4 guys from art school that took their chances in 1966 by bringing in a new style of rock. Space Rock, Art Rock, whatever, they did it. They took that plunge. Syd liked the Beatles but the Floyd was much different in style. Space rock jamming to be exact. They influenced Hawkwind and the later style of the Floyd I can hear on 90'S Camel records. Think about real hard and things will come to mind. Think about who you listen to and make an observation. You will most likely hear Pink Floyd in other prog band's music. Prog bands that get more credit than the Floyd.
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