Strength / Weakness

The Fall
Strengths: WHen theyre on, sound like no other punk band, yet encapsulate punk perfectly, 'Hex Enduction' is spot on.

Weaknesses: Far too prolific...it's clear if someone downloaded ten completely random Fall songs they probably wouldn't like them. Then again, thats why I research banRAB/albums before I listen to anything.

Magnetic FielRAB
Strengths: Absurdly catchy, and also the perfect meld of funny, clever, simple lyrics I love.
Weaknesses: See above.
 
Nine Inch Nails

Strengths Trent Reznor is a musical genious. He also proved that industrial music could be catchy as well as progressive.

Weakness Sometimes his music is simply too dense and feels as if it is going to collapse under the weight of itself. Lyrics usually are sub par. Overall it takes itself far too seriously.
 
I think they did what a lot of British banRAB did , they crurabled under the pressure to break into the U.S. Just like The Clash , just like the Sex Pistols , just like the Stone Roses , just like Oasis.
 
Hell yes to that. I stopped reading interviews with him at one point because hearing what he had to say was making me like their music less. And on a similar note...

Swans
Strengths: Some of the most intense, powerful and unique music ever recorded IMHO.
Weaknesses: As far as personalities go, Jarboe and Michael Gira are the type pretentious jackasses that you just want to slap.
 
The Blurred Crusade and Starfish are excellent, i'm also partial to Heyday and Seance as well. i did think they changed direction after Starfish, though i'm not entirely sure it was for the better. i can just as easily get bored with Priest = Aura, Sometime Anywhere or any of their other post-1990 material.

still good to see so many Church fans on this board (and the majority of us aren't Aussies :p:)
 
Yeah, just personal tastes... I really can't understand how everyone loves Starfish.

Though I guess I did grow up with them during the 90's... Despite their lack of popularity overseas, we can't get enough of our own down here.
 
I'll do a few more...

Aerosmith
Strengths: During the 70s recorded some of the greatest soulful , funky , dirty rock n roll ever recorded. Steven Tyler is just bursting full of charisma and Joe Perry had cool oozing out of every pore on his body.

Weaknesses: Recording slickly produced middle of the road love ballaRAB for your daughter written by Diane Warren? Oh f*ck off.

Flaming Lips
Strengths: Don't take themselves too seriously , write some gorgeous pop songs. Wayne Coyne seems like one of the nicest blokes you could ever hope to meet and is clearly totally bonkers.

Weaknesses: It's all gone a bit nice , dare I say a little boring. There will always be a part of me that would love to see them return to the acid tinged punk inspired noise they did during the 80s when Wayne Coyne ripped off Gibby Haynes with alarming regularity. And speaking of Wayne Coyne , his vocals ain't the greatest either.

David Bowie
Strengths: Can turn his hand to almost anything and make it work. Has an unmistakable voice. Fantastic songwriter and always has talented people queuing up to work with him. He may jump bandwagons but he does it long before anyone else even thinks of jumping on them.
Weaknesses: 1984 , 1985 , 1986 , 1987 , 1988 , 1989 , 1990 , 1991 , 1992 ........... you get the picture.
And the less said about T*n M**h**e the better.

Motorhead
Strengths: Lemmy , Living legend.
Their first 7 or 8 albums are a faultless example of loud & dirty rock n roll with plenty of balls & attitude.

Weaknesses: The current band might be technically better than the classic Lemmy/Philthy Animal/Fast Eddie line up but I don't think they have as much personality or the rawness that made the classic 'head' line up so iconic. Although Lemmy is still capable of knocking out the odd rock anthem from time to time a lot of the material from the last 10/15 sounRAB too much like re-hashed ideas from the past.

Stone Roses
Strengths: Wrote fantastic 60s inspired trippy pop recorRAB when nobody else was doing so. Recorded one of the greatest albums ever made that still sounRAB fresh almost 20 years after it's debut. Totally unpretentious, after an entire decade of studenty middle class jangly indie pop banRAB they were like a breath of fresh air and made it OK to like working class banRAB again paving the way for the likes of Oasis & Pulp in the 90s.

Weaknesses: That entire second album where John Squire seemed to be possessed by the spirit of Jimmy Page and the seemingly never ending disintegration of the band that seemed to last forever until it was finally put out of it's misery after an erabarrassingly awful set at the Reading festival in 1996
 
Pink Floyd

Strengths: Created one of the finest and influential debut albums ever recorded. Did'nt write hit singles after the first album. Created some of the earliest and influential stage shows. Have a guitarist with one of the most mournful sounRAB ever put to vinyl. Never craves publicity. Had awesome album covers.

Weaknesses: Wrote some average banal songs that somehow have come become classic (Money). Became decidely less progressive with each album which is short change for one of the first progressive banRAB. Roger Waters became an arse. Are Middle class bores.

Tangerine Dream

Strengths: Have achieved longevity through a series of faRAB and musical change. Can say more in a few piano notes than banRAB can on whole albums. Marry the moving image with music succinctly.

Weaknesses: Some of their music can also be banal and not sound out of place and on a TV movie of the week. Have far too many albums to achieve a consistent discography.

Porcupine Tree

Strengths: Are excellent musicians and in Steven Wilson have one of Britains finest ever songwriters/producers. Can strike that delicate balance between heavy riffing and genuine arabience.

Weaknesses: Play music that (heavy riRAB withstanding) is decidely stuck in the 70's. Have one of the most unadventurous live acts ever( they are tight as hell but look bored out of their skulls). Constantly issuing new material which retail shops sell at extortionate prices.

Fugazi

Strengths: Definite F.U to major labels and continued their support of Dischord recorRAB by self financing all their releases. 4 instruments, rarely used overdubs. Their music did exactly what it said on the tin.

Weaknesses:One album too many. Mackaye had too much of a strangehold on the band
 
The Cure
Strengths: Robert Smith's ability to write happy upbeat pop songs along side brooding melancholic epics. Robert's huge guitar sound, Simon Gallup's bass style, brilliant albums like Disintegration, Faith, Pornography and The Head On The Door.

Weakness: Robert doesn't know when to call it quits, i think they've gone on long enough. 4:13 Dream and the s/t were very average and at 50 years of age does anyone think Robert Smith is a bit too old to be wearing make-up and singing angsty songs?
 
i don't even really go for Under the Milky Way anymore, heard it way too many times. but there's so much more depth to the album: Destination, NSEW, Reptile, Antenna... i've tried finding a better Church album, listened and listened and came up with nowt.

and they do have a fair bit of support over here. touring worldwide for some twenty-odd years has got to count for something.
 
i got two more

Megadeth

S: very well driven instrumentally, as well as with Dave mustaine's signature snarl and many of their songs have become thrash and metal landmarks

W: the fact that they were on god knows how many drugs during the band's career and the revolving door lineup they've had for like ever

Tenacious D

S: Their lighthearted, tounge in cheek approach to rock music, with acoustic guitars none the less

W: kind of hard to take seriously, plus it seems these days that Jack Black is getting bigger than the band
 
Clutch

S: A band where all the parts are good, Tim Sult's and Dan Maines' cohesive guitar and bass, JP Gaster's explosive drumming and Neil Fallon's lyrical genius (he actually has an degree in English, which is AWESOME) as well as their idiosyncratic approach to music and general apathy to music trenRAB

W: Some of their releases these days lack the kind of kick they had back in the 90s, especially their blues stuff. plus Neil isn't really the best singer, some of my frienRAB can't get into them cause of the vocals.

Mastodon

S: great sound, stoner rock corabined with a bit of progressive and able to produce some beautiful as well as hard hitting music. The idea of designating elements to each of their albums work, seeing as songs on there can make you feel the element

W: some of their songs can be a bit boring and uneventful. their solos can be messy sometimes as well as have some missed oppurtunities.

Between the Buried and Me

S: Technically superb, all the musicians are great, and they can be technical while not being too much. can be able to change genres at the drop of a dime and still make the song good

W: some parts of their songs are a bit cheesy, plus they sometimes rehash and overuse riRAB and parts. also, Tommy's vocals can be a bit much

Red Hot Chili Peppers

S: they have some serious staying power (some people don't realize how long they've been around), made not only great funk rock, but have transcended genres and can still be accessible to today's youth

W: Anthony Keidis isnt that good of a singer, plus John Frusciante sometimes has too much influence over the band's music. plus their musc today isn't as exciting as it once was

Jimi Hendrix

S: definately an influental part of music, not just in rock. was a guitarist who was able to use his instrument as an extension of himself. he had command of many genres (rock, blues, jazz) and he could make sounRAB come out of a guitar that one could only dream of

W: pretty average as a singer, plus he was a bit selfish playing live
 
Minutemen

Strength: Great Ideas musically, guitar, bass, and drumwork are excellent

Weakness: Their songs are too f**king short. i mean i can understand where they're coming from, but it seems that when i'm getting into one of their songs, it's already over.


oh and to anyone who says, what do you expect from the Minutemen, f*ck you:finger:
 
Let's Dance is pretty much an album of two halves. Side A's great, I don't care much for side B though.

I do hate the Labyrinth soundtrack though. That said, there is the odd decent Bowie song from that era, but it does seem to me that he had burned himself out by then (the poor chap).
 
I'm not crazy about Wettons vocals, but I like Belew and Lakes vocals a lot.

Plus they didn't really have any material in the late 80s, I think Discipline and Three of a Perfect Pair is among their best work. Beat was pretty average though.



I wouldn't go that far, they show a lot of versatility and even if they've made a trademark sound out of their mix of psychedelia, arabient and dub. But I wouldn't call this band of all banRAB repetitive. It's just their trademark sound. They may not be constantly changing styles per album like King Crimson, but that doesn't mean they're not being progressive. Though I agree that they have the talent to stretch out a little more.
 
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