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Stool Man View Drop Down
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Points: 2689 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Virtual history in music
    Posted: March 06 2015 at 03:32
I love virtual history - the alternative possibilities of what might've happened if certain small details had varied from actual reality.  (What if Alexander The Great had lived into old age?  What if Hitler hadn't moved to Vienna in 1912? etc)

But what about the history of popular music?

For example, what if The Beatles hadn't appeared on the Ed Sullivan show? Beatlemania would've remained a UK-only phenomenon, and they might've not got bored of touring and switched to experimenting in the recording studio, without which we wouldn't have Sgt Pepper etc. (and progressive rock itself would've turned out very different - all because of a 1964 TV appearance not happening)

Or what if the 1969 lineup of King Crimson had stayed together?  They'd still be an amazing band, but Fripp perhaps wouldn't dominate as he did and does.

Just for fun, let's think of other examples where an initially small change might've led to bigger changes later on.
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CPicard View Drop Down
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Points: 10841 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 06 2015 at 07:22
Having attended Death To All concert in Paris yesterday evening, I wonder what kind of music Chuck Shuldiner would play nowadays if he hadn't died 13 years ago: progressive metal with Control Denied, ultra technical death-metal with Death, atonal music on his free time...?

I'm also considering what Mike Oldfield could play if he stayed in the neighborhood of Robert Wyatt, the musicians of Henry Cow and the Canterbury school: free form folk-rock? Jazz-rock with hints of micro-tonal music? Or would he have toured with the Residents, replacing Fred Frith?
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Dean View Drop Down
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 06 2015 at 08:53
Being a Floyd fanboi there are many "what if" scenarios associated with that band that could have alternative outcomes which possibly could have had far-reaching consequences.

What if Syd Barrett had not gone off the rails?
What if David Gilmour had not joined the band?
What if they had recruited Jeff Beck instead of David Gilmour?
What if Dark Side of the Moon hadn't been so successful?
What if Roger Waters hadn't thrown a paddy in Montreal?
What if their accountants hadn't screwed up their tax returns?
What if Pink Floyd picked-up Roger Water's Pros and Cons idea instead of his Wall concept?
What if Roger Waters wasn't fixated on the War, his mother and his loss of his father at Anzio?
What if music in The Wall was Progressive Rock, or at least changed key, temp or chord progressions.
What if Richard Wright and David Gilmour had contributed more to the music?
What if Roger Waters hadn't "sacked" Richard Wright?
What if The Final Cut never existed?
What if Roger Waters hadn't fallen out with David Gilmour?
What if A Momentary Lapse of Reason had been a Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason album?
What if Syd Barrett and Richard Wright were still alive today?
What?
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Stool Man View Drop Down
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Points: 2689 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 06 2015 at 10:25
Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Being a Floyd fanboi there are many "what if" scenarios associated with that band that could have alternative outcomes which possibly could have had far-reaching consequences.

What if Syd Barrett had not gone off the rails? They might've remained just a psychedelic pop band, playing the songs Syd wrote, instead of creating A Saucerful Of Secrets.
What if David Gilmour had not joined the band? He actually left soon after joining, but was persuaded to stay.
What if Dark Side of the Moon hadn't been so successful? Maybe things would've been better for longer.
What if Roger Waters hadn't thrown a paddy in Montreal? He'd been fed up of ignorant fans for a while anyway.  Especially those with fireworks.
What if Richard Wright and David Gilmour had contributed more to the music? I've thought about this one myself - they each had released a solo album in 1978, what if those had instead been combined as the next Floyd project after Animals?


Edited by Stool Man - March 06 2015 at 10:27
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Dean View Drop Down
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Points: 37575 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 06 2015 at 11:04
Originally posted by Stool Man Stool Man wrote:

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Being a Floyd fanboi there are many "what if" scenarios associated with that band that could have alternative outcomes which possibly could have had far-reaching consequences.

What if Syd Barrett had not gone off the rails? They might've remained just a psychedelic pop band, playing the songs Syd wrote, instead of creating A Saucerful Of Secrets.
Possibly, but few of the psych pop band from that era remained as psych pop bands. I think they would have progress along similar lines, but with (perhaps) better songmanship.
Originally posted by Stool Man Stool Man wrote:

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

What if David Gilmour had not joined the band? He actually left soon after joining, but was persuaded to stay.
Wasn't that while Syd was still with them?
Originally posted by Stool Man Stool Man wrote:

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

What if Dark Side of the Moon hadn't been so successful? Maybe things would've been better for longer.
True.
Originally posted by Stool Man Stool Man wrote:

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

What if Roger Waters hadn't thrown a paddy in Montreal? He'd been fed up of ignorant fans for a while anyway.  Especially those with fireworks.
Again, true, but the Montreal incident was germane to the Wall concept
Originally posted by Stool Man Stool Man wrote:

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

What if Richard Wright and David Gilmour had contributed more to the music? I've thought about this one myself - they each had released a solo album in 1978, what if those had instead been combined as the next Floyd project after Animals?
Gilmour's first solo album was harking back to his Joker's Wild days, how much of that could have formed Pink Floyd songs is debatable. Wet Dream is of less debate since it contains a lot of what Wright brought to the Pink Floyd sound.
What?
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Stool Man View Drop Down
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Points: 2689 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 06 2015 at 21:56
I wonder how hip hop would've developed if breakdancing and scratching had been more dominant aspects, rather than rapping.

Also given that some acts are One (or two) Hit Wonders while others become hugely influential with successful careers, how might popular music have turned out if some of those acts were switched?  Sonic Youth switching with The Flying Lizards? David Bowie switching with Zager & Evans? 
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Points: 50960 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2015 at 07:51
What if Elton John's audition for lead singer of Gentle Giant was successful?
What if Roy Wood never left ELO?
What if Jeff Lynne's audition for lead singer of Genesis in 1975 was successful?
What if Styx all of a sudden had a major success with "Plexiglass Toilet?"
What if Rick Wakeman decided to join David Bowie's backing band instead of Yes in 1971?
What if Chris Welch hadn't suggest Patrick Moraz as a replacement for Wakeman in Yes in 1974 and the band went with Vangelis?
What if Greg Lake had never left King Crimson?
What if Yes was serious enough to have asked Robert Fripp to join instead of Steve Howe?
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Smurph View Drop Down
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Points: 3167 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2015 at 08:32
What if Yezda Urfa existed in 1969?
What if Christian Vander hated jazz?
What if Black Sabbath never existed?
What if Jimmy Hendrix lived another 50 years?
What if Anglagard was around in the early 70's?
What if Motorpsycho made a metal album?
What if Udi Koomran worked on dance pop instead of the greatest freaking music all the time?
What if Dave Kerman never split up 5uus?
What if Genesis decided to get heavier in the 80s instead of working on developing the genre of dad prog?
What if Thinking Plague was bigger than Miley Cyrus?
What if there WAS a rule that said dogs couldn't play basketball?
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CPicard View Drop Down
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Points: 10841 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: March 13 2015 at 13:48
Originally posted by Smurph Smurph wrote:

What if Black Sabbath never existed?


Blue Öyster Cult would have occupied the niche.

Originally posted by Smurph Smurph wrote:


What if Jimmy Hendrix lived another 50 years?


You mean, if he lived until 2020?... Have you checked the calendar recently? LOL

Originally posted by Smurph Smurph wrote:


What if Genesis decided to get heavier in the 80s instead of working on developing the genre of dad prog?


Then, we wouldn't have to endure Disturbed's version of "Land of Confusion". Dead
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