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Charlie2300
Charlie2300
412 posts

Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 29, 2013, 23:19
billding68 wrote:
I often read the soundtracks weekly post and think Jeez does anybody listen to anything NOT totally obscure and unheard of? I mean
I listen to some off the wall stuff from time to time (residents,beefheart etc..) But Come on now it kinda seems like sometime people are just trying to out do one another by firing off some of the most random one off stuff they can dig up. Is anyone on this forum gonna fess up to owning a top 40 (recent) album? I dare ya people. I got dibs on the Sabbath (it hit number 1 here in the states). Lets see what ya willing to claim.


You certainly raised a smile in the den. For what it's worth, I compose my soundtracks' weekly summary based upon what I've been listening to during that period. Honest Gov, it's true. As an illustrative example, I've got it into my head that there really is a Pysch Boom in progress and I've been piecing together a collection of psyche tunes accordingly. Hence my contribution to the soundtracks thread this week will reflect this...and a lot of the featured artists are obscure, forgotten or relatively unknown. Others are anything but obscure. That's the way it is.
At some point in the future, I'll no doubt be indulging in the likes of Neil Young (Harvest is such a record), but it's not this week!

Another point worth mentioning is that of the constraints imposed by limited disposible income. The HH Unsung forum threads regularly features artists that are/were hitherto unknown to me; some of these turn out to be 'right up my street' on the basis of youtube footage and discogs streams...and the cash follows. The Nisennenmondai diet is not cheap, but it keeps me happy lol. There's no money left.
grufty jim
grufty jim
1978 posts

Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 29, 2013, 23:22
I only post in the 'Soundtracks' thread once in a blue moon... my tastes are pretty eclectic, which I'd suggest is the case with most of the folks here - I think there's a tendency to like a wide spectrum of stuff (from the obscure right through the mainstream). That's the impression I get anyway.

And if I'm totally honest, most of my absolute favourite artists would probably tend more towards the mainstream end of things... in my life I've spent more time listening to David Byrne and Talking Heads than anyone else. And they sold millions of records.

Of course, I wouldn't visit this place at all if I didn't also like a lot of less mainstream acts (the Pink Dots, Swans, Digital Hardcore artists... I suspect I spend more time than is strictly sensible listening to late-60's / early-70's era Stockhausen). And given that this is an Unsung forum after all, it's hardly a surprise that the more obscure stuff gets discussed most often.

Which doesn't mean I don't also adore Bowie, Prince, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Bob Marley and plenty of others who have shifted a shed-load of albums. In truth though, I can't say I've been captivated by much *recent* mainstream stuff. I've put it down to just getting older, but the mainstream has got pretty dire to my ears - and that wasn't the case up to about a decade ago when you seemed to be able to rely on a handful of genuinely good but also pretty popular albums every year. If that's still happening then it's passing me by.

It goes without saying that there are exceptions - I've played the recent Daft Punk record quite a lot. And I really liked Bowie's new one.

Oh, and I watched the Gangnam Style video a whole bunch of times.
Charlie2300
Charlie2300
412 posts

Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 29, 2013, 23:29
grufty jim wrote:
I only post in the 'Soundtracks' thread once in a blue moon... my tastes are pretty eclectic, which I'd suggest is the case with most of the folks here - I think there's a tendency to like a wide spectrum of stuff (from the obscure right through the mainstream). That's the impression I get anyway.

And if I'm totally honest, most of my absolute favourite artists would probably tend more towards the mainstream end of things... in my life I've spent more time listening to David Byrne and Talking Heads than anyone else. And they sold millions of records.

Of course, I wouldn't visit this place at all if I didn't also like a lot of less mainstream acts (the Pink Dots, Swans, Digital Hardcore artists... I suspect I spend more time than is strictly sensible listening to late-60's / early-70's era Stockhausen). And given that this is an Unsung forum after all, it's hardly a surprise that the more obscure stuff gets discussed most often.

Which doesn't mean I don't also adore Bowie, Prince, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Bob Marley and plenty of others who have shifted a shed-load of albums. In truth though, I can't say I've been captivated by much *recent* mainstream stuff. I've put it down to just getting older, but the mainstream has got pretty dire to my ears - and that wasn't the case up to about a decade ago when you seemed to be able to rely on a handful of genuinely good but also pretty popular albums every year. If that's still happening then it's passing me by.

It goes without saying that there are exceptions - I've played the recent Daft Punk record quite a lot. And I really liked Bowie's new one.

Oh, and I watched the Gangnam Style video a whole bunch of times.


...as did I. The 'Eton Style' version of Gangham had me riveted for a good while.
mr sulcus
mr sulcus
399 posts

Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 30, 2013, 08:47
I like being switched on to new, odd, music through this website (either Cope's album reviews or recommendations from forum members), so I don't mind the soundtracks seeming to be obscure, I assumed some people left out the mainstream releases because they get lots of exposure in other channels. There are certain reviews and lists I look out for because I get the feeling they have tastes similar to mine in some way, or I can rely on them to give an honest description. Obscurity is all relative, some of the things I listen to that my friends think are coming straight out of left field would be seen as old news or passe by many here.
IanB
IanB
6761 posts

Edited Oct 02, 2013, 08:55
Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 30, 2013, 10:15
I mainly buy classical and contemporary music and (less often) jazz these days so I am not much of a barometer. I've got more enough pop and rock music to last me several lifetimes (slight exaggeration but 200 days worth according to iTunes). Laura Mvula's debut and the new Bowie and the Steve Wilson would be it for me in 2013. Not expecting to add to that unless Rumer, Christine Aguilera, Feist, George Michael, Prince or The Unthanks have a new record out. I love pure pop but I am not hearing anything recently that sets me alight like the first Beyonce or Scissor Sisters records and I don't much like the Pet Shop Boys. Not that the indie strike rate is much better. Eclecticism and the endless churn and rehashing old cliches tends to stand in for originality most of the time.
jb lamptoast-morsley
jb lamptoast-morsley
2447 posts

Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 30, 2013, 13:55
Perusing the current British top 40, London Grammar and Mazzy Star would attract some attention from me.

I am rather fond of PJ Harvey who has won the Mercury Prize twice and her last album must have charted quite strongly on the back of this

Recent albums from Gotye, Kate Bush, PIL and Wild Beasts too i would imagine.

But in the main, the majority of mainstream music is pretty poor as others have said, these days. And because music is so much easier to access, it means it is far easier than ever before to stray off the beaten path into music that means something, and one can relate to
Fitter Stoke
Fitter Stoke
2601 posts

Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 30, 2013, 15:36
Well, I just bought Elton's new album, I got the Manics' latest a fortnight ago and I plan to get Chvrches debut soon. Do they count?
Popel Vooje
5373 posts

Edited Sep 30, 2013, 19:17
Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 30, 2013, 19:15
billding68 wrote:
Is anyone on this forum gonna fess up to owning a top 40 (recent) album? I dare ya people.


Yep - "Until the Quiet Comes" by Flying Lotus (no.34 in the US) and "Lonerism" by Tame Impala (no.1 in Aus, no.34 in the US and no.14 in the UK).

I don't really follow the charts though - most of the time I don't even know what's in the Top 40, or even what formats it's compiled from (is it all downloads these days or what?) so it doesn't really have any bearing on whether I like an album or not.
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat
6200 posts

Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 30, 2013, 20:00
Like many (most) on here, don't really know what would have made the Top 40, but the following of this year's releases that I've bought might, just possibly, have done:

Bowie - The Next Day
OMD - English Electric
PSB - Electric
Goldfrapp - Tales of Us
Johnny Marr - The Messenger
Depeche Mode - Delta Machine
Boards of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito

Admittedly hardly awash with One Direction and Ga Ga, but not sure you're going to get that on here!!

Best thing about Unsung for me is the fact that people are generally knowledgeable about a huge range of music from beyond the charts and are also really open-minded to new things, while being not at all judgmental about other stuff. Prior to coming across H2H/TMA, I had contributed to other band websites, where generally the feeling was one of (a) partisan prejudice against any other bands, no matter how apparently similar and (b) snobbery based on having the most obscure recordings/having been to see the most gigs by said bands. Not so here.

For what it's worth, take advantage of the fantastic knowledge on offer, people listen to the stuff on SOOL because they like it, not to impress anyone.
MC
638 posts

Re: Regular Non obscure music
Sep 30, 2013, 21:24
A month ago I put together a list of charty stuff which I remember fondly from my youth:

Duran Duran – Girls on Film / Rio
Smiths – What Difference Does it Make
Stranglers – Golden Brown
Ram Jam – Black Betty
Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams / Here Comes the Rain Again
Kirsty Mccoll – New England
Blondie – Call Me
Soft Cell – Tainted Love
The Bangles – Eternal Flame
Dexys Midnight Runners – Come on Eileen
Gary Numan – Cars / Are Friends Electric?
Human League – Don’t You Want Me Baby
Katrina & the Waves – Walking on Sunshine
Kate Bush – Running Up that Hill
Michael Jackson – Billy Jean
Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star
Men Without Hats – Safety Dance
Mike Oldfield – Moonlight Shadow
Men at Work – Down Under
New Edition – Candy Girl
Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun / Time after Time
Fiction Factory – Feels Like Heaven
Bowie – Modern Love
Billy Idol – White Wedding
Ultravox – Vienna
OMD – Enola Gay
Fine Young Cannibals – Johnny Come Home
Salt N Pepa – Push It
Black Box – Ride on Time
Boney M – Rasputin
Sister Sledge – Frankie
Inner City – Good Life
Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance / Manchild
Kim Wilde – Kids in America
Billy Bragg – New England

If anyone has any of these on MP3 (or wav/flac) that they could email to me so I can put a compilation CD together, I'd be most grateful.
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