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Why I prefer Van Halen to Radiohead
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IanB
IanB
6761 posts

Edited May 06, 2008, 16:09
NWOBHM
May 06, 2008, 15:13
keith a wrote:
I don't mean to be rude, Ian, but saying that VH are as important as the Ramones is bollocks. I can think of loads of bands that I like more than The Ramones, but I wouldn't under-estimate their importance. It's like saying Def Leppard are more important than the Pistols!!


You're not being rude. No offence taken. One man's utter bollocks is another man's New Order album.

However, if you will forgive me for saying so, that's something of an isolated British Indie Rock world view you're taking there.

I think it is totally appropiate to measure a band's influence by how many people they inspire to play themselves and in that respect VH are as influential an act as The Ramones. Maybe more so. Perhaps not in Ladbroke Grove or Brick Lane but certainly in most of America and mainland Europe.

Actually Def Leppard *are* in their own way just as important than the Pistols. NWOBHM was just as much a genuine national grass roots movement as Punk or "New Wave". Probably more so and just as revolutionary in the cutting of HM away from the Blues and Prog roots. Punk was much more of a media construct. The young metal bands got very little coverage until it was nearly all over and Sounds got on the bandwagon.

Def Leppard also helped to revolutionise heavy metal's relationship with its audience by releasing their own indie single which John Peel, of all people, played the shit out of. And they were not alone. This was a huge shift for a genre that had always eaten from the major label table. Marillion went the same kind of route though via radio sessions rather than a self-release single. The NWOBHM singles collectors' scene is just as vibrant as anything else we read about here.

Whether it is your (or my) favourite kind of music or not is neither here nor there. The scene was huge and remains very influential. Which quite frankly is a lot more than we can say for a lot of the music Peel played back in 78. The NME was choc full of bands that couldn't draw 50 people outside of London.

I just can't see how people can warmly embrace Cheap Trick as being perfectly ok to incorporate into their alt.rock sensibilities and yet give VH and Kiss the crticial bum's rush.

It's not like they are on my turntable morning noon and night but respect is due.
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Re: Why I prefer Van Halen to Radiohead (keith a)		 Replies:
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