The Music Banter Members' Journals Monthly Update Thread

[Trollheart]

Like an approaching tsunami, we've been waiting for something to hit and kick things into life down here in Journaltown. And this week it seems it did. Four new journals, the return of “The Showroom” and some serious work being done by certain members. Let's get to a safe height and observe the waves crashing in....

Anteater is going all Steely Dan in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ravaganza.html as he looks into the seminal “Aja”

then the first of those new journals almost pushes Ant off the top sspot alphabetically, though not quite, as Aux-in opens his journal, http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...continuum.html wherein he explores --- anyone? --- yup: electronic music. Starting off with Skrux, Andy Moor, Namaste ... all names I have never heard, but that's not surprising as I am not the biggest electro fan. If you are --- or even if you're not --- check his journal out, but beware: as he says himself, it is going to be “video-intensive”. Don't forget those spoiler tags, man!

And while we're on the subject, what's with those pictures that extend the text off my page, Batty? (Looks at sig: Windows 98? There's a Windows 98? When did that happen?) If you want to read all about the adventures of, um, Squirrel Girl, and have a better PC than me, go http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-oblivion.html

Briks is getting into “Romeo and Juliet” (the film, so I guess “William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet”? Why did the makers feel it was necessary to put that part on? People aren't stupi --- oh, wait. These are the people for whom “The madness of King George III” had to be retitled without the numeral, lest they think it was the last of a trilogy! Carry on...) Anyway, he doesn't like it. There are also more Haiku reviews and he's waxing lyrical about moving to Mars. Maybe. He also has something to say about Valentine's Day.

It's 2002 in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...63-2013-a.html and albums included are from Queens of the Stone Age, Bus Driver, EI-P and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, then on to 2003 where it's Dizzee Rascal, The Black Keys, Guided by Voices and Mew in the running

while another new journal opens, from the oddly named grtwhtgrvty (what? Does he hate vowels too?), eager to express http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-opinions.html, and the first is on Lana Del Rey.

Hard on his heels is another new member with his journal. Innerspaceboy has quickly made himself a home here and I don't think anyone who's read his material has a bad word to say about him. In fact, he's the sort of member we always hope to attract, and hopefully he will stay on. In http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nnerspace.html he starts off asking what will the current generation's legacy be in terms of music and art, then veers completely left to check out some of his favourite choons from “Sesame Street”! Ah, memories!

I honestly don't know what to tell you about http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-music.html this week. Ki has really been (ki)lling it with a boatload of entries, including words on Floyd, Jeff Bridges, more from Pg. Lost, as well as a visit to Seattle's EMP and word from below about Valentine's Day. Some worker!

Neapolitan hops onto the question posed in Innerspaceboy's journal and makes his case for Rachel Flowers in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-journal.html

Norg has a journal! No, you read that right. Norg has a journal. With typical Norg subtlety and finesse, it's called http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html and he's kicking it off with something called Phuture Doom (not sure if that's his spelling or if it really is spelled that way) as well as some latin music he likes. As my avatar says, fascinating. Perhaps.

More from http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...rgy-story.html as Oriphiel gives us chapter six of his story while

on the http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...crap-heap.html Pet_Sounds is checking out some of his favourite Bowie tracks

and Sidewinder has The Jazz June, Boards of Canada, Queens of the Stone Age and Sonic Youth among others in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ar-1965-a.html for 2002.

Which brings us back to me. Now, as I've been whining on about for several weeks, my journals are not getting updated as they should, because I'm currently writing material for Star Trek Month, due to warp into a journal near you (mine, basically) on March 1. It should be worth waiting for. But while I try to avoid neglecting my other journals, and my main one, I have only managed to throw the one Tom Waits album review into http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-journal.html, though http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-emporium.html has been getting some attention, with the long-not-awaited opening of American Dad vs Family Guy, as well as a new section concentrating on surprising moments in movies.

Another journal I've been trying to resurrect is http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...i-reviews.html, and with so many albums from this year already to get through I'm rolling a few reviews out, including albums from Funeris and Blush. Judge Dredd reaches the end of the “Robot wars” in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...d-2000-ad.html and as mentioned http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...-showroom.html returns, with music from our friend Xurtio's band.

http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...y-history.html continues into 1984 with Armored Saint and Great White

while Urban is firmly rooted nearly two centuries earlier, talking about Saint-Saens in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...nal-stuff.html

Jumping http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...ta-coffin.html William the Bloody finishes off his look at Circle Jerks, and puts in a handy index to his journal so far. Thinking of doing one for mine, but, you know, nearly 200 pages to catalogue?

Taking us out this week is Wpnfire, who's listening to Run DMC and Judas Priest (not at the same time presumably) in http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...s-journal.html

This has to be the first week that one member won both awards (well, the “Workhorse” hasn't been around that long, to be fair) but I couldn't really see any other outcome. I did consider some of you, but in the end it had to be that man who won the

After all, he updated his journal with seven different entries (and they weren't short either) while also going out and about and having a life! That's what I call dedication. So, Ki, you're well on the way to being the hardest-working member here for 2015.

And you also win the

for having the courage (some might say temerity) to ask this question about this band:

Originally Posted by Ki

You're saying to yourself right now..."man, you're really going to start with Pink Floyd to bring back Worth The Hype?" Well yes, I am. Why bother pussyfooting around when I could just get right into it with one of the most successful bands out there. Plus, I feel like talking about Pink Floyd, sue me.

Anyway, yes, we have Pink Floyd up on stage and we are going to dive in and see if we can reach a verdict as to whether or not they are worth all the hubbub they get across numerous platforms. Most people know Pink Floyd when they hear the name Roger Waters, and even more people know Pink Floyd when you mention albums like Wish You Were Here, and The Dark Side of the Moon. And sometimes people recognize the name when you go all the way back to the Piper at the Gates of Dawn era, which is pretty cool too.

I'm of the opinion that the Roger Waters era of Pink Floyd is the far superior of the two different sides of Floyd that people talk about. I'm of course speaking of the whole Waters vs Barrett argument. And I know there are a lot of people out there who will say that if Syd Barrett stuck through the hard times and stayed with Pink Floyd, they'd be far better off. Well, all I can say is that you're wrong. But I digress, let's really get into this shall we.

Let's talk about their discography, and i'm speaking specifically their studio albums. We've got albums like Animals, The Division Bell, Wish You Were Here, The Dark Side of the Moon, and Meddle, to name a few. All very very fantastic albums. But on the other side, we've got albums like A Saucerful of Secrets, and Ummagumma, which...aren't all that great, in my opinion anyway. I just couldn't get into them as much as I could the later albums, but that could easily be the cause of me getting into Pink Floyd with their later albums, so I has already associated the later album sound with Pink Floyd, which meant any different sound just seemed...wrong. Not to say they're terrible albums, but...yeah they're pretty bad. The hype that surrounds Pink Floyd however does come from the later albums as well, which are the ones I mentioned above. One that is hugely the main focus of all the hype does go to The Dark Side of the Moon.



That leads to an important question though. Does one album justify the amount of the hype that the band got as a whole? Is the hype that surrounds the band as a whole worth it in the long run? The verdict comes to...



Yes, I do believe that the hype that surrounds one album as much as it does definitely justifies the hype that the band gets as a whole. The thing is, if I personally never heard of The Dark Side of The Moon through means of radio or music forums, I never would have really bothered looking into their other albums. I mean, sure, I would have eventually found out about them and gave them a listen, but being exposed to such an album that Dark Side is, really put a huge impact on how I felt Pink Floyd should sound, which could explain why I like the sound of the later albums. Am I wrong? Maybe, but hey, they win in my book, no matter what people say about *cough* Endless River *cough*.

So well done man! Now it's time for our final look into Anteater's first faltering pawsteps (do anteaters have paws?) as we check out his debut journal for the last time in

As April of 2009 prepared to give way to May, Ant got all proggy and checked out Gentle Giant's Acquiring the taste, then May saw Grobschnitt's Rockpommel's land, with Ambrosia's self-titled making a trio of seventies albums, taking us well into June where he decided to have some Lemon Jelly with Lost horizons. Things went quiet then till August when he reviewed Barren dream by Mr. Sirius and Friendship Time's s/t. September then made him all jazzy and he introduced us to Steve Cole with NY LA, Holderlin with Holderlin's traum, kicking off another trilogy of seventies reviews, with Vangelis and Jeremy Steig making up the other two, and in fact bringing to a close his first journal.

It's perhaps ironic that this is the last entry, posted almost four years after Ant had bowed out of this particular endeavour:

Originally Posted by Unknown Soldier

This looks an interesting journal, especially your marking system 5.3/7 and 6.1/7 for example, I'm baffled

But never fear! The insect-eating one was only getting started, as we all know, and he would return with the bigger and better Anthill 2.0, plus other journals which would all amaze and entertain us. Hey, a star had been born!

So that's it for the second classic journal. Next week I'll be slowly feeling my way through the darkness and entering http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...seur-cave.html! See you then!

Before I go, a word on our latest member, Innerspaceboy again. I have no hesitation in awarding his new journal the newest of my accolades, the never-coveted

As this award is new, let me just reiterate its point: this is for the journal which receives the most attention, in terms of comments, has the best conversations, generates the best "buzz" each week.

Since he only started his journal a few days ago, it's been flooded by comments, all appreciative and admiring, and hopefully has shown him that, yes, after all, this is where the real music discussion is to be had. Long may he reign.

And that ties it up for another week. As the rain belts down outside my window and I slot in my fifth Star Trek movie DVD (I lie; I watch them on Netflix) it's time to get back to work on Star Trek Month. See you all next week. Did I mention about Star Trek Month? I'm sure I did. Well, if not, Star Trek month is only two weeks away.

And the next update is only half that time!
Till then,
Toodles!