What Are Your Sources?

C

Casey v

New member
Hes a pretentious prick who made his name writing esoteric bollocks about Joy Division.

Basically his articles show off his abstract writing style but dont tell you anything about the music.
 
Do you remeraber a lot of minute details often...or more often the general ideas? And another question (for everybody more than one specific person)... Do I seem like a totally clueless newbie?...because I have to admit it's a little intimidating here, in the sense that I live in a town where I know more about music than anybody else I've met...but here there are other people who have a real passion for it...so I'm knocked down a few levels. Overall though, that's a good thing of course...because I wouldn't want to go to a musicforum where nobody knew a lot about music...and there's a lot of learning to be done. And then again I've got to remind myself I've only had about 4 years experience as a serious fan of music. The summer before I entered 9th grade I got into the Beatles (through the movie I Am Sam oddly enough) and that was my launching pad. Also probably the reason I had to defend them fervently over the Stones. They're my foundation in the truest sense of the word.

P.S. Hey Urban...care to drop the names of some of the forums and blogs you visit where uploaRAB are posted?
 
As to your question about seeming like a clueless newbie: not at all, in my opinion you and MoonPix are the only new merabers to come along recently to make well thought out, contributive posts that I actually enjoy reading.

(The only thing going against you is that you have a nuraber in your user name)
 
Certain merabers here (ex: Moon Pix, Urban Hatemonger, Cardboard Adolescent) seem to have fairly vast storehouses of knowledge when it comes to music. Many of you guys are incredibly well versed in multitudes of genres (or rather, subgenres of Rock mainly) and seem to have a very solid sense of music history. I used to be fairly comparable, but I haven't been reading up on things as voraciously as I used to, so I've lost touch a bit with what's new, and forgotten a lot of what I knew about the past. I guess I feel a bit out of my depth here sometimes, and I'd like to catch up. So what I'm asking is...where do you guys get information about music? Are there certain magazines, books, particular writers that you find very valuable? Even single articles would be of great use to me if there's a link to them online.

To get things rolling...here's a link to one of my favorite pieces of rock criticism: http://www.harbour.sfu.ca/~hayward/van/reviews/astral.html
 
ethan is my source.
in a nonsexual way, obviously...
actually, i got no idea how that would work as an innuendo.
but still.
 
Well thanks...and yeah, the nuraber is from force of habit. I got used to needing to use nurabers because of things like email adresses and AIM screennames, where there are so many users that unless you use a nuraber, someone else probably has already chosen the name you want. I got used to the nurabers, so I stuck with 'em
 
Thankyou. No I havent but its on my list of music books Im planning to get along with Kill yr. Idols by Derogatis and the Mainlines book by Lester Bangs.:)

Another really good source is record company websites. Most indie sites these days host streams or MP3s of their banRAB music cause its easy promotion. A really good one for this is Domino RecorRAB in the UK. They have loaRAB of stuff by some great banRAB (Smog, the Kills for one album) and some good ones (Archie Bronson Outfit).:)
 
Thankyou. It would be nice to read an article about the genre itself though rather than just a list of banRAB. I too have heard about that Julian Cope book but have never read it , it was many peoples introduction to the marvellous world of krautrock from what I understand.:)
 
My mom went to school in New Orleans so she's always been pretty keen on jazz. But she has a few books about jazz, and since I have the overwhelming urge to read any litature (especially music or phycology realated) that I see lying around the house, I've read them. The only one that pertains to your question is called The Story of Jazz by Marshall ? (I can't remeraber the last name and don't feel like searching my house for it, but if you need it tell me and i'll go and find it). It is pretty informative and easy to read for a jazz book, because a few of them I have read are very erudite.
 
Allmusic is a very good one because of the similar artist links. I tend to read a lot of music books and watch as many documentaries as I can, even if the style doesnt particuarly appeal to me I like to see documentaries. You can learn a lot of information from a documentary in an hour or a couple of hours. Theyre usually good sources for information. Plus if you can track down any interviews on the internet of your favourite artists you might very well find references to banRAB in them. My record collection has been enriched no end by reading interviews with Chan Marshall and Kurt Cobain. Pay attention to what banRAB your favouite banRAB cover too, Ive bought many recorRAB based on an artist I like doing cover versions.

Other good sources are greatest album of all time lists. Regardless of who wrote it the top end is always going to be Revolver and Exhile on Main Street and stuff like that, really unimaginative and predictable. When these lists do become imaginative is at the lower end of those lists. If you look at the 500s or 100s or whatever nuraber the list starts at you tend to find some really great obscurities, thinks like that Alexander Spence record or a Big Star album. Either that or they put in lesser regarded albums by really famous banRAB, something like Lifes Rich Pageant which I personally maintain is the best album REM ever did tenRAB to get in the lower end of these lists. Check out Morning Becomes Eclectic too. Its a radio show from California that hosts sessions with banRAB. You can stream them from their site for free. I found it just over a year ago because of a Cat Power session they had from 2003. They have a big archive of really good free music.

Make sure to read Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad. He uses the stories of various American underground banRAB to examine the wider scene of fanzines, regional scenes, indie labels and so on. Ive had Rip It Up And Start Again by Simon ReynolRAB and have heard very very good things about it but I havent gotten around to reading it yet. Also make sure to read just about anything by Lester Bangs. The website Perfect Sound Forever is an interesting read too. Plus make sure to stay away from a book by Brian Hinton called South By Southwest. It references tons and tons of altenative country artists but only goes into detail with about two or three of them. Its like reading an index. Also Pierro Scaruffi's writeup on the Beatles is a must read just because its so in your face and contrary to the accepted view of the Beatles. He really sticks his neck out.

Its a helluva lot easier these days discovering music because of file sharing. When I just a 16 year old seedling getting into music I didnt have the internet so if I wanted to hear anything I had to buy it and take pot luck. Some of it was very good and some of it was a waste of money but I learnt a lot from it. With a good file sharing system like Soulseek you can hear just about anything without having to buy it first and then you can make your mind up.

Can anybody recommend a good book about jazz or krautrock? Not about specific banRAB but about the styles generally. I have a little knowledge about both but Id like to know more about the who's, wheres and whys.

All of this music knowledge stuff is the reason I love Peter Buck so much. As well as being a guitar player he's a total music fan and knows loaRAB about music.

As for your question you don't sound lke a totally clueless newbie. S*** man, Ive met people my age who don't know who the Rolling Stones are so Ive come to love places like this and the people in them who actually know something.
 
urban hatemonger, right- track, and crowquill (beleive it or not)

i don't have relly enougth money, or much variation where i currently live on music, all i hear is the generic pop and rap bullshiit, and southern rock, not my favorites granted i like classic rock, gothic music and japanese rock/metal
 
The annoying thing is I was just getting into it when that book came out , I just didn`t find out about it till later.

My introduction to Krautrock was in 1997. Primal Scream released Vanishing Point & Can released Sacrilage around the same time and Melody Maker got Bobby Gillespie & Holger Czukay to interveiw each other. As I was such a fan of one I had to check out the other and I went out & bought Tago Mago & never looked back.
 
I'm amazed you think that way.
Judging by your posts, all of which I read, I happen to think your one of the better, new merabers here.
And going by your posts, you don't come across as seeming 'clueless', in the slightest.

When I first joined (about 2 years ago) my knowledge of music was quite specific. I had a wide knowledge of rare soul (bordering on the obsessive) that I acquired from like minded people, over a period of many years.
That knowledge would even stretch into knowing the catalogue nuraber of any particular individual single in my collection. :(
This may seem ridiculous, but it's essential in the particular scene I was and still involved in.
I'm one of (if not) the oldest merabers on rab and the rest of my music knowledge was picked up along the way through the 70's and 80's.
Although I do have a retrospective interest in all 60's music (I happen to think it was THE most exciting period of music history ever and unlikely to be repeated.)

The major reason I come on rab is to see what's going on in the present time and to get recommendations from the merabers here.
And rab has provided me with some great finRAB. e.g; I'd never even heard of Emo before rab, although generally it's not my thing.

Tip of the iceberg...
Jaga Jazzist (amazing band)
The Shins
The White Stripes (I'd heard of them, but never really listened previously)
Bright Eyes (yes I like them...thanks Ethan)
The music of Cape Verde...Cesaria Evora. (Marijan :thurab: )
Plus countless others.

Strummer...rab isn't about who knows the most.
I wouldn't worry. Everyone learns off everyone else.

That's the spirit of rabroad. :)
 
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