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Yeah, but then again, Jackson Pollock invested a lot of time and effort to make
^ This.
The thing with Beefheart is, you had other artists from that period like Zappa, Velvet Underground and King Crimson who were also making groundbreaking, innovative avant garde influenced rock music, but they still did a lot of stuff I find aesthetically pleasing. And that's where Beefheart falls short.
Beefheart's music has never touched me or blown me away and it doesn't make me want to dance. It doesn't really give me anything other then sheer fascination and amusement, like watching a train wreck. I had a phase where I listened to TMR all the time and now I don't really listen to it anymore. My favorite song is Moonlight on Vermont.
The thing with that album is, I think it's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard, but I'm slowly beginning to suspect that it wasn't actually meant to be funny, and that bothers me.
I still consider it a great album, because it's so unique, fascinating and it's certainly never boring. But genius?
Yeah, but then again, Jackson Pollock invested a lot of time and effort to make
^ This.
The thing with Beefheart is, you had other artists from that period like Velvet Underground and King Crimson who were also making groundbreaking, innovative avant garde influenced rock music, but they still did a lot of stuff I find aesthetically pleasing. And that's where Beefheart falls short.
Beefheart's music has never touched me or blown me away and it doesn't make me want to dance. It doesn't really give me anything other then sheer fascination and amusement, like watching a train wreck. I had a phase where I listened to TMR all the time and now I don't really listen to it anymore. My favorite song is Moonlight on Vermont.
The thing with that album is, I think it's the most hilarious thing I've ever heard, but I'm slowly beginning to suspect that it wasn't actually meant to be funny, and that bothers me.
nah, of course it was meant to be funny. you can hear Beefheart laugh at the beginning of Hair Pie: Bake 2 as well as after the Rocket Morton comment "i run on beans". and it's not like he was devoid of a sense of humor either (you saw that Ten Commandments thing i posted earlier, right?). there are parts of it too which focus on serious subject matter, particularly Dachau Blues.
Moonlight in Vermont is absolutely awesome in every way, though.
there are parts of it too which focus on serious subject matter, particularly Dachau Blues.
I do know that, and I consider Dachau Blues to be one of the worst songs on the album.
But I guess you have a point and it would be a relief to know that TMR wasn't meant to be taken seriously. It seems that a lot of people do take it seriously.
Thing is, I didn't know if Beefheart was a great surreal humorist or if he was just batsh*t insane.
Nick Cave is intelligent. Also a little schizophrenic and dark. He sings about God, death, suffering, etc.
When I first heard this in a description I think a normal reaction to this would be "another darkened spiritual prince? yawn". I mean honestly, a decade after Jim Morrison, with Ian Curtis, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, and others playing the "doomsday guru" card, you would think Nick Cave would be another one of those guys.
However, Nick Cave has many things going for him. He's incredibly literate - and knows how to use it. He quotes the bible to good effect without sounding like a fundy, plus if he doesn't have anything new to say, he can expert at saying it a different way. He reads a large amount of poetry, philosophy, and many novels. Exceptional songwriter all around.
Second, he always finds the right people to play with him. Even though he is usually in the spotlight, he has had Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld, and Rowland Howard play with him. All of those men are very talented musicians, especially Howard.
And of course, he is exceptionally talented. You don't get the feeling he is a pretentious dicknose, and watching his performances there is definitely something going on. His voice is one of my favorites. Sarcastic, drenched in postmodernism, and all around dark. He sort of has the Dylan syndrome, just need to get used to the voice and you will get immersed by it.
Okay finally (to prevent this from being a ramble), he is one of the most consistent artists in music history. Not 'consistent' like Paul McCartney, but reliable that I stopped reading reviews for his albums and just buy one whenever I see it. Never disappointed, always thoroughly enjoy them. Which is weird, because no matter what he does, Nick Cave always has his distinctive sound and struggles with diversity.
If I haven't convinced you to vote for him...here's his most popular songs showing his 3 'stages'.
The Birthday Party - Dead Joe (from Junkyard)
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Mercy Seat (from Tender Prey)
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Hiding All Away ( from Abattoir Blues/Lyre Of Orpheus)
You must like one of these - go out and an get album. And vote for him here.
Regarding Nick Cave, hell yeah. He has one album I don't like, besides which he's responsible for one of the most consistent discographies around (in my opinion).
Linear Mode
