That Music Thread

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

Discuss all things music here!

If you're stuck in 1997 like me, the new Third Eye Blind cd came out today. It's available for download on Amazon.com for $3.99.
http://www.amazon.com/Ursa-Major/dp/B002LFRXFC/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk?..."

If you're a fan of the band, this is not a bad album. It's more than worth $3.99.

[The Baron]

Going Through My CD Collection:

 

Half and, Half - Megumi Hayashibara.  I picked this one up during a period when I was randomly sampling Japanese music to get a sense of how it sounded. I had heard of Hayashibara as a seiyuu, not so much as a singer. She's not a bad singer, but the stuff on this album is basically lightweight fluff. Good background music, but nothing that stays with you. It's the sort of musci that ended up bieng played over the closing credits of Heisei Gamera films, (And yes, that's how the album title is punctuated. I've no idea if there's some significance to the placement of the comma, or if it's just cross-cultural fun.)



"sweets" - Yoko Ishida. Another one bought randomly. I knew nothing about her when I first got it. This album has some English liner notes, enough to indicate that most of the songs on the album are closing themes for various anime series, which I gather is a specialty of Ishida's. Again, largely lightweight fluff, but somewhat livelier and more memorable than the Hayashibara album. 

 

 

[The Baron]

Going Through My CD Collection:

 

Original Tracks Vol. 1 - Amuro Namie with Super Monkey's. More listenable but undistinguished lightweight pop fluff. What it was, was that I discovered a shop that sold Japanese music. I knew nothing about what Japanese popular music sounded like, so I bought some CDs more or less at random, and ended up with alot of stuff that wasn't really all that amazing.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

What has always amused me about Japanese music is the seeming random English word(s) or phrases in their songs. You will have the entire song in English and then like "my love" will pop in from time to time.

[The Baron]

Travis Herrick (Modular Mod) said:

What has always amused me about Japanese music is the seeming random English word(s) or phrases in their songs. You will have the entire song in English and then like "my love" will pop in from time to time.

 

 

Yeah, I've noticed that alot, too.  The only thing I can think of is that English sounds as "exotic" to them as Japanese sounds to us.  What's funny is when a CD comes with printed lyrics - the Japanese lyrics are printed using Japanese characters, and the English words are printed using the Roman alphabet. It makes for an odd effect.  From what I've read, English is taught as a matter of course in Japanese schools - few Japanese become fluent in English, but most can recognize basic phrases.

[The Baron]

Going Through My CD Collection:

 

Akemodoro Unai - Nenes.  A particular favorite of mine. Nenes are an all-girl Okinawan folk group. Their stuff is lively and enjoyable. An especial favorite of mine is "Kuduchi", which has almost sort of a "rap" feel to it. Fun stuff.

 

59 - Puffy. This is the group that is known in the US as "Puffy AmiYumi". It's fun stuff, although I must admit, I picked it up initially because it has both the English and the Japanese versions of the Teen Titans theme.

[The Baron]

Going Through My CD Collection:

 

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi - Music from the Series - Puffy AmiYumi.  Pretty much what the title says, plus the Teen Titans theme again. Listenable stuff.

[The Baron]

Going Through My CD Collection:

 

Let's Knife - Shonen Knife.  Shonen Knife is another all-woman group, consisting of Naoko Yamano, Michie Nakatani and Atsuko Yamano.  This album is from 1992. Their music has more of a "rock" feel to it than most of the "pop" stuff I've been listening up to this point. More substantial, somehow.  The songs are all in English, though the lyrics don't always make a ton of sense. Still, fun stuff.

[David Warren]

Did you ever get the second Led Zeppelin box set?

Also, live Queen has plenty of audience participation with Freddie.
Chris Fluit said:

For sheer volume, L kicks some serious butt.  It makes J and K cry in a corner for their mommy. 

Favorite Memories: As always, lots of options but one stands above the crowd: the Led Zeppelin box set.  Most of my friends made the switch to CDs before me- partly because I couldn't afford a CD player at the time.  In 10th grade, I finally got tired of being a laughingstock and hatched my brilliant plan.  I convinced my mom to go in with me on a new stereo for Christmas.  It had a CD player so that I could keep up with the new.  And here's the kicker- it also had a turntable so I could play my mom's old records.  Then my dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas (my parents were divorced so I got separate presents from them).  I asked him for the Led Zeppelin box set which had just come out that fall (1990, for those playing at home) as a complementary gift to the stereo.  My first CD, my first box set and one of my favorite Christmas memories all rolled into one.  Yup, that's hard to beat.

Most Embarrassing: I'm going to go with a category for this one, rather than a single example: Live Albums.  When I was younger, I used to hate live albums.  The sound quality was usually inferior to studio albums.  There were extended and indulgent instrumentals.  I felt that if you wanted to listen to the music, you were better off getting the "real" album.  But in the last 4-5 years, I've changed my tune in a big way.  I appreciate the alternative arrangements more than I used to.  I don't mind extended instrumentals, intros or outros as much- hey, more of a good thing, right?  I enjoy the occasional audience sing-a-long (there's a really good one on a Tom Petty album in which he teases the audience that they're going to put him out of a job).  Now, I'm kind of embarrassed that I was such a hard-liner about it.  But I can eat a little crow if it means expanding my musical library.

Most Recent: I'm going to cheat a little on this one.  My most recent L CD is The Lost Boys soundtrack.  But it's not entirely new.  I used to have it on cassette back in ancient times before technology (see above).  In the last year, I've been replacing a few of my old (and generally lost) cassettes.  I found a copy of The Lost Boys in a discount bin as everybody else makes the switch to mp3s and eagerly picked it up.  The one before Lost Boys is the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill but that's a similar story- I had the cassette when it was new and finally upgraded to CD 20 plus years later. 

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

I would venture to say Shonen Knife is one of the better known groups here. I remember hearing about them a looong time ago.

The Baron said:

Going Through My CD Collection:

 

Let's Knife - Shonen Knife.  Shonen Knife is another all-woman group, consisting of Naoko Yamano, Michie Nakatani and Atsuko Yamano.  This album is from 1992. Their music has more of a "rock" feel to it than most of the "pop" stuff I've been listening up to this point. More substantial, somehow.  The songs are all in English, though the lyrics don't always make a ton of sense. Still, fun stuff.

[The Baron]

I like their stuff. I have eight or nine of their albums.

[Emerkeith Davyjack]

...I'll go in for Most Recent , after a LONG drought (Bought w/the same Amazon gift card , 3 out of four , that I bought the Fl;ash Chronicles #3 with , from a relative who may be less guilty of stealing ongoing inheritance payments that are rightfully mine that her husnad or sister-in-law are !!!) (I tried to put this up t'other day .):

Scott Walker,  BISH BOSCH

Bobby Womack , UNDERSTANDING

GYPSY OCA , by Styne and Sondheim (Co-ink-a-dink-ally , Chris !!!) , featuring the vocal stylings of Ethel Merman...and Jack Klugman !!! ( Who looked about the same " Jack Klugman " in 1959 , evidently . )

Bruce Springsteen , 18 TRACKS ( The one " Man's World " acquisition . ) .

[The Baron]

Going Through My CD Collection:

 

Rock Animals - Shonen Knife.  More fun stuff, this time from 1993.