Story's Journal of (mostly) Stuff He Likes
 

So, for a while I have been wanting to make a journal but didn't have any good ideas, and while I still don't really, I figured I'd take the plunge anyways. Basically this thread will be me talking about all things musical and stuff that I like. I will make recommendations and reviews, and talk about whatever I want to really. And sometimes I will try to provoke some discussions, which brings me to the first post:


I really love it when musicians cover songs. As long as they do it relatively well, even if it's not as good as the original, I love to see a new take on a song. For this reason, I also love outtakes, different versions of songs by the same artist, collaborations between artists, and samples. Some of my favorite songs have also been covered fantastically by other artists, and I love these versions. So, I'm going to post some of my favorite covers, and I'd love to see some of yours:D







A couple of my favorites, post yours today!

Thread approved :thumb:

Some great covers there, particularly the Bowie version of Across the Universe - his vocals are absolutely phenomenal on it, particularly with the refrain in the last minute or so.

I told myself this morning that I'd go at least the week without mentioning Elvis Costello, but whenever I think of covers that improve on the original, this one just takes the biscuit;



^ It's a Sam and Dave B-side initially, and definitely not one of their better songs in its original format.

^_^ Yay for journals. [=[=

well in story. i hope this is a good one!
im not atall surprised Bulldog aproves.... :D

Some more favorites of mine, thanks for the feedback guys:D





It really surprises me how much Tomorrow sounds like The Beatles, in this cover and in all their songs

And, while it may be blasphemy, I actually prefer Redding's cover over the Stones' original, though they are both fantastic. This live version is just ballin.

That's another thing we have in common :D

Anyway, a song that I really loved as a cover. It always get me jumping. I didn't feel I could ever listen to that more than cliché song. However, I can listen to this one infinitely.

Figured I'd post a couple more of my favorites before the next post, which will be coming soon





Some instrumental ones here, basically Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Spanish-speaking guitar duo who do some great instrumental work, they've also covered Stairway to Heaven which is fantastic as well. I especially like Gabriela's technique of slapping the guitar.

And Chris O'Riley is an amazing piano player who actually has an entire album of just covering Radiohead songs. It's really great and I think an interesting take, and if anyone want's a link to it just ask:D

JEFF BUCKLEY - HALLELUJAH but then again i don't really like the original to begin with.


STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN - LITTLE WING is a cover-ish of the Hendrix original. Does this still count?


JIMI HENDRIX - JOHNNY B GOODE

[youtube]E-P2qL3qkzk[YOUTUBE]
This takes a lot of beating for best cover ever.

i cannot think of covers without this song

A quick review before I undergo my next project


For a long time when I was younger (up until about 11 years old) I really had no interest in music. Oh sure, I would listen to it but I didn't have my own taste. There were no bands that I liked, or favorite genres. So much of my experience of music was through what my parents would play.

My dad listened to a lot of stuff that I liked and still does. My mom, though, played her mixes. She burned these mixes to CDs and played them in the car. A lot of it I now realize wasn't that great, but one band she liked was The Shins. I still like these guys and ever since my first experience with them in the care when I was 5 I've always loved their sound.

They have a pretty easy-going sound, reminiscent of Built To Spill and Modest Mouse, which is probably because the producer who mixed the album, (Phil Ek), also worked with those bands. The album focuses a lot on really great, catchy melodies and fantastic vocal harmonies, especially on the song Saint Simon. It is also more guitar-oriented than their previous album Oh, Inverted World.

However, what I really love about this album is the pace. Too often when listening to music I find myself bored. It's not just bad, boring music that does this to me. I will love a band but after a little while of listening will often want to switch to something else. The Shins don't do this to me. Every song on the album, no matter fast or slow, is great, and I can easily listen to this album all the way through when I couldn't with many others.

Overall, I would definitely suggest getting this album for some great easy listening. Don't expect any deep meaningful lyrics (although the do have a nice whimsical quality) or experimental synthesizer sounds, but do expect a great catchy album with some nice production.

8.5/10



Some of my favorites from the album

Ohh, the way you wrote this is wonderful, much more professional. ;] I remember the music I listened to when I was little, it was either stuff I heard on the radio or whatever my parents played.

Well done. I'll listen to those videos once everyone wakes up here. xD

good review story, i like how you done a review on something influenced on you by your parents. asSugar said, i always listened to the radio or stuff my parents (or siblings, im not sure your aware but they are 8&9 years older, so they had a huge effect on my tastes) so i either listened to the likes of stereophonics (dad), oldskool stuff like Kelly Llorenna, alice deejay (siblings) and the likes of some AC/DC (mum). i might check them out once im finished being busy :(. but i will make a point of listening to atleast a few songs.

Thanks guys:)

Ok, it's time for.....


So the idea is that once a week or about I will try to tell you about something that I think is interesting, fun, cool, or etc. It can really be anything but as of now I'm just kind of starting this off with not much of an idea. Anyways... let's get on with the show:


A lot of you have probably heard of The Shaggs. Basically, the deal is they were three sisters who started a band in 1968 because their father wanted them to.His mother had "foresaw" three things when he was young, which is that he would marry a woman with strawberry-blond hair, would have to sons after she died, and his daughters would form a popular rock group. Because the first two came true he decided to make the second come true as well.

The thing is his daughters had no idea how to play instruments. They got a couple lessons on playing and singing, but they were really inexperienced in the ways of music. They had also had zero intention of forming a group themselves, it was just their dad's idea that they went along with.

This is really the whole reason I like these guys so much. Their music isn't beautiful, or perfect, or even good. It's just so childish and pure that it's really interesting to me. They only had one album, 1969's Philosophy Of The World, before they gave up due to various reasons, and it tanked. But now today, lots of people know about The Shaggs, and I think it's really cool that they have actually reaches fame.

The Shins, very nice. I first heard them at around 2am on MTV when they showed the music video for Know Your Onion. I've been hooked ever since.

My girlfriend loved The Shins when we first got together so I've had some exposure to them and they certainly have some good songs. Nice review with a personal touch :)

the Shaggs are one of my foremost 'recommended artists' on Last.fm due to the proliferation of lo-fi stuff in my library... although I have never really been into much of the 'idiot savant' stuff like Half Japanese and Beat Happening, if I'm honest it seems a bit gimmicky... check out Dolly Mixture for simplistic all-girl indie popness

Hi storymilo,
I especially enjoyed The Shins' "Kissing the Lipless." I like their use of both acoustic and electric guitar, and I loved the feeling when the electric guitar first comes in with jolts of raw excitement, like zaps of electricity. Their vocals are sweet and warm, and I feel the way they sing gives the song, a bell-like tone, a ringing quality. Finally, I liked the contrast between the calmer, meandering parts of the tune and the higher vocal lines. I'd never heard of the Shins, so it is fun to listen to them. I hadn't heard of the Shaggs, either! That's an interesting true story about them!

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Molecules, I wouldn't suggest them for any kind of serious listening. I don't even own the album, I just think it's a really interesting story and some different music from everything else I listen to.

Vegangelica, those are some of the things I like most about The Shins:). If you like that song I would definitely suggest getting the album, as they keep that sort of vibe throughout the whole thing.

I'll try to get in another review sometime soon guys. My schedule has been packed for the past week or so.

I'll definitely listen to more of the Shins' music--turns out I *have* heard some of their songs (like "Phantom Limb")...I just didn't know which group sang them! I'm listening to all their free music on The Shins myspace now. I'll look forward to what you post next in your journal so I can get more inspiration!

Good review of The Shaggs, I always find that story interesting. I'd agree their music isn't good for normal listening, but it's always fun to hear what they created with really no training and the lyrics in their songs are really truly bizarre. It's like walking into a different crazy world.

The Shins are fantastic, and I enjoyed your review. If you haven't yet, you should definitely check out their latest release, Wincing the Night Away. It's a very diverse album in comparison, and definitely does have the experimental synthesizer and sounds that weren't present on Chutes. But Chutes is still better, imo.

Yeah..just a few days ago I heard Stevie Wonder and was like "wait....it that Higher Ground???"
Nice, story. Nothing compares to our cover of Sober, which you, unfortunately, have not heard yet. Because you chose to shop for shoes instead. Well you should.

Heh maybe Wednesday if I'm not busy shoe-shopping some more. And of course I can provide some very useful keyboard accompaniment :P:

musicphantom, I haven't heard that album yet. I'll definitely be checking it out even if Chutes is better. Recently I've been listening to their debut Oh, Inverted World, and I've been liking it more than I used to.

Hey guys. So, since this thread needs updating and I'm too lazy to do an album review at the moment I figured I'd show you guys some songs I've been digging lately. (Basically, stealing Bulldog's idea) This is actually a playlist I made for a friend. Keep in mind that most of these are tracks that I learned about from MB, just condensed into some of my favorites


1. Primal Scream- Moving On Up
I'm sure a lot of you know this track. I think it is a great song, one of my favorites by Primal Scream. It incorporates some gospel elements as well as an awesome guitar solo and just all-around coolness. A great opener to Screamadelica and I think a good opener to this.

2. Elvis Costello- Veronica
Taken from his live 1994 album at Woodstock (courtesy of Bulldog), in which he plays with only his keyboardist and himself on guitar. This is one of my favorite Costello songs (top 5 easily) and I actually like this album more than the original. The vocals are supreme, but I've come to expect that from Costello anyways:)

3. Buena Vista Social Club- Dos Gardenias
Buena Vista Social club was a club in Havana, Cuba which was mainly active in the 30's and 40's but inspired guitarist Ry Cooder to team up with some well known Cuban musicians and make an album title after the club. Basically, if you like any type of Spanish/Latin music you will probably like this and this is my favorite track off the album.

4. Frank Zappa- Dancin' Fool
The best part of this song are easily the lyrics. They're written from the perspective of a "Dancin' Fool", who tries to prove he's cool by going dancing every night even though he's awful at it. It has a funky beat as well, and is actually pretty fun to dance to. The ending is also pretty funny, even though I'm not exactly sure what's going on:p:

5. The Specials- Little Bitch
This is just some classic Specials. If you haven't listened to them, they're a great ska band who actually manage to have some very stylistically different songs. This is one of their most famous and great if you like ska.

6. The Shins- Young Pilgrims
I already reviewed the album this song is on, and pretty much what I said about that holds true for this song. Really catchy and well produced, one of my favorites on the album.

7. Strapping Young Lad- Love?
There are two tracks on here which I'd like to thank Loathsome Pete for, and this is one of them. Metal was never really a genre I liked before coming to MB, but now I have been discovering some bands I'm really enjoying and this is one of them. Their guitar player, Devin Townsend, is particularly awesome.

8. Dub Incorporation- Murderer
Dub Incorporation are a French reggae band who sing in French and some Arabic I think. This is actually the only song I have by them, which I'll soon be fixing if I can find a link to the album, but I just love it. This song just has everything I like about reggae. I can't really explain why I like it so much, except it's so fun to listen to. And it doesn't really make a difference that they're singing in a language I can't understand.

9. Built To Spill- Center of The Universe
I recently got Built To Spill's album Keep It Like A Secret and have so far loved it. This is my favorite track off the album. They are kind of like the Shins, in that they have some great melodies and and nice production.

10. Fat Freddy's Drop- The Raft
Another reggae track. Fat Freddy's Drop are a group that I think are loved by a few people here on musicbanter. The few songs I've heard by them I've really liked, and this is one of them. Great beat and singing, and even though it's long it doesn't get boring.

11. R. Stevie Moore- Why Should I Love You
R. Stevie Moore is a lo-fi guy who has some really great and some weird songs. This is just a fun track with a great melody

12. Peeping Tom- Mojo (Feat. Rahzel & Dan The Automater)
This is the other track I learned about from Loathsome Pete. Peeping Tom are one of Mike Patton's many bands and out of the ones I've listened to my favorites. This song is especially good, and the chorus is awesome.

13. Porcupine Tree- Lazarus
Another song most of you have probably heard. I prefer Porcupine Tree's softer stuff much more than their heavier songs, and this fits the bill perfectly. Great melody and one of my favorite PT songs.

14. Sonic Youth- Teen Age Riot
This is my favorite song off their most famous album, Daydream Nation. It starts of with some trippy whispered words and a great guitar riff, until it really kicks off around 1:20. Then it's just 5 minutes of awesomeness.

15. Pavement- Stop Breathin'
Pavement are an alternative band who originated in the early 90's. They're actually kind of similar to Sonic Youth. Same sort of musical/vocal style. This is my favorite song by them. I think the chorus and lyrics are great.

16. Abyssinians- Forward Unto Zion
This is another great reggae song. Similar to the others, with great singing and overall fun to listen to.

17. The Fall- Wings
The Fall are a band I had never listened to before I downloaded Urban's and Molecule's Fall compilation. I really started loving them from the first song. After one listen I'd say this was my favorite track, but I still have to listen a bit more.

18. Sam & Dave- I Take What I Want
I've recently been looking into some good soul to listen to and Bulldog helpfully supplied me with Sam & Dave's greatest hits. It's some great stuff and this was my favorite song after a first listen.

19. The Celibate Rifles- Tick Tock
These guys are a great punk band, and this is a great song by them. Similar to The Specials a little bit imo, this is just a fun track to listen to.

20. The Stone Roses- Fools Gold
This is the closing bonus track on the remastered version of the Stone Roses' debut album. It's nine minutes long, but unlike a lot of other long tracks it doesn't get boring to me. Opens with a funky drum beat, and closes with a sweet guitar line, it's just a great song for anyone who likes the Stone Roses.

Some samples of the songs:



So, these are just some songs I've really been loving recently. Here's a link to the playlist if you care enough to listen:
Songz.rar

I listen to it in the order I put them in here but it probably doesn't matter how you listen to them. IF you do end up listening, let me know what you think:)

Bold = awesome tunes! I'm not that keen on R.Stevie Moore, Sonic Youth, Pavement or Porcupine Tree myself, but that's mostly due to unfamiliarity, and not an awful lot against the artists as a whole.

Funny you should mention that live version of Veronica being the better (good to hear you're digging the bootleg as well) - while I like it myself, I just think you can't really beat the original on Spike. It's that richly-layered and complex production style that does it for me, and what makes Spike as a whole one of my all-time favourites.

Good to hear you like Sam & Dave too. I'll fess up and say I don't listen to that particular song an awful lot. Can't You Find Another Way Of Doing It Baby, You Don't Know What You Mean To Me and Soul Sister (Brown Sugar) are my personal picks of the bunch. Then again, there are just so many of them - that CD's up there with the best bargain bin purchases I've ever made.

The rest of them I can't argue with :D If you like the dirtier, rock 'n' roll side of Primal Scream by the way, check out an album called Riot City Blues - nothing amazing but good, fun stuff all the same.

Thanks for the feedback Bulldog:D

Right now I am enjoying that version of Veronica more than the original, but things like this are always changing for me. Maybe if I listen to the original a little more I'd prefer that.

And I actually already have that Primal Scream album. It's the only one I own besides Screamadelica. I'll agree and say it's definitely a good album, but there aren't really any stand out fantastic tracks on. Glad to hear you like most of the songs.

I have virtually all of the songs on the comp but a great eclectic comp that gives me hope that at least a few on here are paying attention. Keep it up!

Believe it or not, Fools Gold never really stuck out to me as a track. I think you'll grow to appreciate the Stone Roses debut more with repeated listens, actually. The bass and guitar based sonic textures of Made of Stone, I Wanna Be Adored, and the incredible closer I Am the Resurrection are absolutely breathtaking.

http://dkpresents.files.wordpress.co...ter_layter.jpg


I'll always admire poets, I think, for being able to do something I never will. For their ability to combine written words (I can at least make an attempt at writing in a standard format) with rhythm, or rhyme, or both, and make it beautiful in a way that must be read over before it can be appreciated, or if it is understood the first time, and clicks, then maybe that makes it all the more beautiful. If there was a contest, to see which style of writing is the most graceful, makes the most sense, is the most beautiful, poetry would be damn near the top for me.

That's not to say I read a lot of it. I don't think I've ever read a full book of the stuff; it's just not the type of mass produced writing that is appealing enough to me to hold my attention for the length of many pages. It's partly jealousy, I think, that is holding me back because a part of me doesn't want to read something that I don't understand, and that is sad, but I can't get over it and that's why I listen to Nick Drake.

My first listening experience with the man was Fly, discovered on my iTunes after reading about him in High Fidelity, and he swept my mind up to a place that I think was as close to poetry as I'll ever get. The music is simple, really. Acoustic guitar, occasional orchestral instruments, and a soothing voice that I don't know of any equivalent to. However simple it may be, though, it is evident from listening that Drake's soul is being directly imparted into his music.

He committed suicide in 1974, at 26 years old, and after releasing three unsuccessful studio albums. He was depressed throughout his life, and maybe one day it took complete hold of him, and that was why he did it. Maybe, he just didn't have anything left. How much can a musician put into his music before they are empty? Is there a limit? Why do all the great musicians seem to die young?

I don't know, but I like to think that there was more to the man's death than just simple depression. I think it's evident from listening to Bryter Layter that this wasn't a man simply wallowing in depression; he was instead expressing it, and sharing it with the world through poetry. Musical poetry. The lyrics are poetic, but it is the soft guitar and backing instruments that completes it, and his voice that elevates it to the level of a masterpiece. He sings about nature, and about poverty, and about hardship, and it is as poetic as anything I've ever read.

Poetry in music, it is beautiful, by a man doomed to never feel the same way about himself.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Nick_Drake.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bhGqBQjwzL...ace+Of+Sin.jpg

It's all too much. I just can't stand it. My mind feels like it's going to implode. If I hear one more twang of a banjo, one more southern accent crooning about god, I'm going to kill myself.

I'm running away. The crowded city blocks are empty, people most likely shut in their own homes, to escape the noise. It's horrible. Who listens to this shit? I'm lucky not to know anyone.

The country music seems to be following me. It won't leave me alone. I see an alley, and graffitied on the wall is the word "Hell."* A fitting place for the music to rest. I head into the alley and notice an open sewer grate. There's a ladder going down. I take it.

I'm climbing down. The music has halted at the surface; this is good. But it is getting hot, oh so hot. I'm sweating, and I feel like I might slip off the ladder any second. I notice, the walls are turning red. Strange drawings are appearing. They're moving. Suddenly, they're not walls at all. They are fire, and they are engulfing me.

Demons are flying around me, and they are carrying instruments. One has a banjo.. oh god! The music they are playing is 10 times, no, 100 times more awful than anything I heard on the surface. Was this to be my eternal torment? Was I to forever listen to the music that I hated with a passion, that I discounted as nothing but twanging and lyrics about god?

God. That was it. That was what I needed. I prayed, and I prayed, as much as my brain could before rationalizing, and suddenly I saw a light. But no, it was not the searing hot light of the flames. It was a warm light, a white light. Something was descending from above.

I looked up, and my eyes were met with the sight of a great white hand floating gently down. It reached me, and I instantly felt cool and calm. Suddenly it picked me up, and swiftly flew upwards. It was what I would imagine flying to be like. Flying on a cloud.

The hand moved fast, and we reached the surface within a minute. But my eyes were not met with the cold urban metropolis. Instead, a lush green meadow greeted me, abundant with trees, fruit, and birds tweeting in the sky. I gazed around me in wonder, when suddenly my ears were met with something wondrous.

It was music, but music I'd never heard the likes of. It had all the qualities of things I hated; the country vibe, the southern accent. And yet... this sounded good! I searched for the source of the wondrous discovery, and I saw peeking over a hill a man sitting on a stool holding a guitar.

I made my way over there, and the crown watching smiled at me and the man smiled too, but he didn't stop playing. I saw from the sign above his head that he was name Johnny Cash, and I listened to this man named Johnny Cash for a long while, and stared at his black outfit, which seemed so out of place in this beautiful utopia, and then I heard more sounds coming from over another hill.

However much I liked this Mr. Cash, these sounds intrigued me as well. I took a short jog over the hill, and there I was met with the sight of a woman playing violin and a band proclaimed by the banner above the stage as Union Station backing her. They were playing fast, and the music was very country, but I liked it, just like I had Johnny Cash. The song finished, and the woman smiled at me. "My name is Alison Krauss" she announced in a distinct southern accent, and then she started to sing and it was wonderful.

But what was to come next? This dreamy land had opened my mind already, and I was excited to find more. But I could hear no more music besides Alison & Union Station, no matter how hard I strained my ears. I wanted to find more, but I couldn't.

Then a strange animal came galloping up to me. It was white, but not albino. It was white in the same way the hand had been, giving off a warm sheen. I looked closely, and I could see it was a milky colored bulldog. It barked once, and then started at a slow trot away. I made the decision to follow it; it couldn't be leading me somewhere bad, as I was sure there was nowhere bad in this place.

After about twenty minutes of following, we came to a forest. The dog headed straight inside, and I was not reluctant to tag along. The trees were immensely tall inside the forest, and so it took me a second to realize what they were bearing as leaves.

Burritos were growing on the trees. And, not only that, they were flying. Everywhere around me burritos drifted along, as without a care in the world. Some glided, and some swooped, but they all were magnificent.

The dog had now led me about 5 minutes into the forest, and this was when I started to hear sounds. It was a man singing this time, like the first performance I had come to, but there appeared to be a full backing band, like the second. I noticed the burritos were all moving towards one place: the place where the dog was leading me.

Suddenly the trees in front of us cleared, and in the middle of the clearing was 5 rows of people watching a band addressed as the Flying Burrito Brothers. This band stopped immediately as they saw me. "I see another one has made it," the man standing at the mic said. "I'm happy to meet you. My name is Gram Parsons."

Then they continued playing. It was unlike anything I'd ever considered to be country before this trip. There was talent, and care, and the lyrics were bearable. I couldn't tell if I was just going crazy or if it was truly a revelation.

After about an hour of bliss, they announced that the next song was going to be their last. I almost cried, for I knew this would be my last experience in this place of heaven. But did it have to be? I had ways of acquiring music at home. I could continue this journey. There were ways of sifting out the good from the bad; it just took patience, was all. I could do this.

My eyes opened as the last song, a spoken story of a boy, ended, and I felt the warm light again. The clearing was empty except for the performers, who were packing up their instruments. The feeling grew stronger, and suddenly the flying sensation from earlier arose. The hand had returned, and was carrying me swiftly from the forest. I gazed back at the utopian paradise in awe as the sun set and I was carried back home. Had I discovered something? I think so. And I think I will remember it for a long, long time.


* Seriously, I think people who discount an entire genre (whether it be country, hip-hop, whatever) should go to hell. And I used to be like this:o:

http://www.impawards.com/1998/poster...eddon_ver1.jpg

Who turns on the radio at 2:40 A.M. to listen to a piece-of-**** call in radio station that also plays stirring tunes, preaching that they “don’t want to miss a thing?”

When you’re awake a 2 in the morning trying to write a parody of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and somehow connect it to a non-hallucinatory desert experience your father had 10 years ago it’s easy to find other things to do. Never mind the other homework that hasn’t been done, because it’s the inactive internet forums and 90% feedback radio stations that are calling. Forget even sleep; that would be giving up, because as long as you’re awake there’s still a part of you screaming “I’m going to finish this! As soon as this Good Charlotte song is over!” and who are you not to believe it? Why couldn’t you stay up all night and magically turn an overdue drama assignment into a satirical masterpiece? Didn’t Nick Drake supposedly write all his songs in the middle of the night?
Well his mother said he did, and that’s good enough. A musical genius is someone to be copied, but not so much that it becomes obvious. Just make some art while you’re awake, and it could turn out to be brilliant. A brilliant mess of cave drawings most likely, but brilliance all the same. Who doesn’t feel inspired past bedtime? I think what I come up awake is far weirder than anything dreams could serve me.
It all comes with a healthy dose of narcissism of course. No one wants to think that they’re staying up and producing **** worthy of a flush. Even if it is, a belief in subjectivity and the idea that you’re smarter than others goes a long way in preventing you from realizing this. “This is art,” is what goes through your mind. “This is abstract. This is what Vonnegut wishes he could have written.” And who knows, maybe it is.

don't want to miss a thiiiiing.

hey pops, so i was just perusing your journal. liked some of the covers especially the karma police piano thang going on. digging the shins. cools stuff about the shaggs -learned something new. glad you appreciate poetry on some level. (if you ever want some recomendations for good poetry let me know :)) and super super glad you are open to country music.
keep up the good work and rad journal!