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Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Whatcha Readin’ and Listenin’ To Wednesday: November 19, 2008


Usually I split my time among many visual and audio inputs. In addition to two or three books going at any given time, I flip between CDs rather frequently.

Not this week.

My attention since last Wednesday has been solely on one box set: the just released Genesis set covering the Peter Gabriel years. Five albums are here—Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, and the two-disc concept album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway—as is a bonus disk of non-album tracks, including four previously unreleased bits from 1970.

Being a huge fan of the classical Genesis lineup (before Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett left the band), I’ve loved hearing the remixed albums. Making my way through them chronologically has been a voyage of rediscovery.

And it has accomplished something nearly impossible: It has focused my attention on only one group for an entire week.

Listening To:

Genesis, 1970-1975 Box Set

16 Comments:

At November 19, 2008 9:14 AM, Blogger Metal Mark replied to my musings ...

Just reading more children's books.

Listening to this stuff:

Cyanide 4-Complex
Black Rain-License to thrill
The Answer-Never too late
Tank-Honour and blood (re-issue)
Defiance-Beyond Recognition (re-issue)
Fiftywatthead-Fogcutter
Sammy Hagar-Cosmic Universal Fashion
Dragon-Horde of Gog and Sacrifice (re-issues)
The Police-several titles
Hanoi Rocks-several titles
Elder-s/t

I have never heard a whole Genesis album and I doubt that I ever will.

 
At November 19, 2008 7:07 PM, Blogger Perplexio replied to my musings ...

Sounds like a great set! Hackett is a master guitarist!

Currently Reading
A Question of Loyalty (same book as last week)

Currently listening to:
David Bowie The Best Of
Steve Lukather/Larry Carlton No Substitutions: Live in Osaka
Steve Lukather Ever Changing Times
Australian Crawl & James Reyne The Definitive Collection
Crowded House Farewell to the World
Hunters & Collectors Natural Selection

 
At November 19, 2008 9:01 PM, Blogger Ray Van Horn, Jr. replied to my musings ...

Don't blame you there, dude. That box set is probably amazing since it's all the good stuff.

Book: Time Flies When You're In a Coma: The Wisdom of the Metal Gods, by Mike Daly

Music-wise, a mix of classic stuff, some other good stuff and a lot of promo for my final column in AMP:

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin - Zoso
Cheap Trick - Dream Police
Cheap Trick - In Color
All That Remains - Overcome
Unearth - The March
Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Gods
AC/DC - Highway to Hell
Stray Cats - Rumble in Brixton
Canvas Solaris - Cortical Tectonics
Canvas Solaris - The Atomized Dream
Rose Tattoo - Blood Brothers
Twisted Sister - You Can't Stop Rock 'n Roll
Twisted Sister - Under the Blade
Twisted Sister - Stay Hungry
Twisted Sister - Live at The Astoria
Earth - Phase 3 Thrones and Dominions
Holy Moses - Agony of Death
Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth
Jeff Loomis - Zero Order Phase
Bloodbath - The Fathomless Mastery
Maelstrom - It Was Predestined
Outlaw Order - Dragging Down the Enforcer
Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow
Bioinic - Black Blood
Elder - s/t
Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music
The Tornadoes - Play Telstar and Other Great Hits
Electric Light Orchestra - Afterglow box set Disc 2

 
At November 20, 2008 5:17 AM, Blogger DaBich replied to my musings ...

Oh I guess I'm out of the loop, we just bought the new AC/DC CD and it rocks! Rock 'n RolL Train has such a catchy beat, that I bop when I'm driving lol

 
At November 20, 2008 9:02 AM, Blogger Jeff replied to my musings ...

Ahhh you got it! I really want that box set, hopefully for Christmas or something. Have you been listening to the albums in surround or just the regular CD remixes? I want the set mainly for the surround sound. I've been waiting for it to come out for quite some time.

 
At November 20, 2008 4:17 PM, Blogger David Amulet replied to my musings ...

Mark: It's been months since I put any Hanoi Rocks in. As for Genesis, you must realize that this is the complex, heavy prog Genesis stuff, not the pop schlock that the band largely became in the 1980s and beyond. After all, in this era of Genesis Steve Hackett invented tapping for rock guitar--which Eddie Van Halen later used effectively, too!

Perplexio: Some of the mixing doesn't do Hackett any favors, but overall it's stunning. And the interviews on every album's accompanying DVD are enlightening. Bowie might make my list next week.

Ray: On Genesis, as I mentioned responding to Mark, this is the good stuff--amazing time signatures, great riffs, haunting atmospherics. On the book, how is it--should I read it? On your pics, you have me eager to hear the Zep again.

DaBich: I'm glad you like the AC/DC. That's good summer music, in my mind, so I'll crank that up next sumemr.

Jeff: It's outstanding, especially the dramatically improved clarity on Trespass and Nursery Cryme. I don't have full surround at home, so I'm hearing the 5.1 mix oddities in my car. Good stuff--and mayb enough to push me to get full surround inside next year.

 
At November 20, 2008 6:24 PM, Blogger Perplexio replied to my musings ...

I've never been into Bowie, but I recently saw a Daniel Craig movie, Flashbacks of a Fool, in which the music of David Bowie and also Roxy Music was prominently featured and it prompted me to give Bowie, and incidentally Roxy Music as well, a chance. I want to give Bowie a little more of my time before I start exploring Roxy Music though.

 
At November 20, 2008 8:13 PM, Blogger Metal Mark replied to my musings ...

David-These days most prog rock just hits me as being kind of dry. I really have to be in the mood for it.
On the other hand I could listen to Hanoi Rocks at any given time. Their last album was fantasic. Unfortunately they may be it since they are breaking up again after they complete their tour commitments in early 2009.

 
At November 20, 2008 10:09 PM, Blogger cjk_44 replied to my musings ...

After a few false starts I’ve finally gotten “Boom! Voices of the Sixties” by Tom Brokaw rolling. Additionally, I am currently reading a biography of sorts on the Coen Brothers written by Ronald Bergman (the book was written after “O Brother Where Art Thou?”).

Music in my ears this past week or so:

1. Mogwai – The Hawk is Howling
2. David & David – Boomtown
3. Blackfield – Blackfield II
4. Killswitch Engage – As Daylight Dies
5. Three – The End is Begun
6. Judas Priest – Nostradamus
7. The Who – Face Dances
8. Windmills by the Ocean – s/t
9: Down – Over the Under
10: Scar Symmetry – all

 
At November 21, 2008 9:00 PM, Blogger David Amulet replied to my musings ...

Perplexio: I haven't seen that film, but you have me interested.

Mark: I'm with you--most modern prog is technical instrumental masturbation, and not very melodic. Genesis impressed me more than most early prog because they always retained melody--and occasionally great riffs--DESPITE the guitar and (often annoying) keyboard wizardry.

CJK: Let me know how Boom! is after you get through it. BTW, Face Dances was my least favorite Who album, it just never worked for me. Yet it's one of my buddies' favorites--the first one he really got into, I suppose. Nice to see someone else giving some love to David & David!

 
At November 23, 2008 5:25 PM, Blogger cjk_44 replied to my musings ...

David-

So much of what I read about the '60s was what I learned back in college during the late '80s that I'm enjoying revisiting that time period as an older adult with more of my own life experiences to filter what the contributors' have to say.

"Face Dances" struck a chord with me for some reason - when it came out i was obviously familiar with The Who but never really listened to their entire albums. "Faces Dances" taught me a lot about Townshend's style.

"Boomtown" is one of those albums that made an immediate impression on me - it's one of the few albums I can listen to without ever getting sick of it. anyway, David Baerwald is an underappreciated genius if there ever was one.

 
At November 24, 2008 9:50 PM, Blogger dmarks replied to my musings ...

Have you noticed that on "Trespass" they really don't know how to end the songs?

 
At November 25, 2008 12:09 AM, Blogger Bar L. replied to my musings ...

I'm listening to the same old stuff.

I am about to embark on a novel by David Wallace Foster - "Infinite Jest". Have you heard of it or read it? It's so long, like the size of a Bible! But its a novel! I am challenging myself to read it because I think he was brilliant and I can relate to his depression.

 
At November 25, 2008 2:12 PM, Blogger David Amulet replied to my musings ...

CJK: I respect your attempt to learn about the past with a new set of lenses. Very cool. I know what you mean about Face Dances--that's the same reason I have always had a soft spot for Drama, the first Yes album I listened to in its entirety (yet to many fans its worst one).

DMarks: That's one thing I love about the early Genesis--the classical elements like long, dramatic endings hadn't yet given way to pop crafting.

Barbara: I have not heard of Infinite Jest--I'll look into it to see what the buzz is about ... let me know what you think when you're done with it.

 
At November 26, 2008 6:49 AM, Blogger dmarks replied to my musings ...

I'll have to get out "Trespass" again, but I am thinking of tracks on it where it just seemed like they did not know how to stop at the end. I don't think this way about their next few albums, with long dramatic endings that seemed very well constructed.

 
At November 26, 2008 7:48 AM, Blogger Ray Van Horn, Jr. replied to my musings ...

definitely a lot of modern prog is just showoff stuff albeit there's some bright stuff out if you patiently sift around, though you beat me to the masturbation crack - pun intended

 

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