What music are you into?

PeteMurphy

So, as it was my suggestion that prompted the change of the 'General' forum to the 'Off Topic' forum, I figured that I should get the ball rolling with some off topic stuff.

I'm just curious about what kind of music you guys are into.

I guess I've always been a bit of a rocker. I grew up with my dad's Queen and Led Zepplin albums... but he also had stuff like Stevie Wonder and Supertramp.

I've always loved funk and soul music - Sly and the Family Stone, James Brown, Betty Davis, Little Richard, etc...
I'm also a big fan of pop music and harmony music - I love those old Beatles, Queen and Beach Boys records.
I love a good string arrangement. Anything with strings/orchestra usually catches my ear.

My all time music hero is a guy called James Hall, who made a name for himself through doing pretty out there alternative music, but he's mellowed out over the years and does more melodic rock music.

I tend to flit between styles - one week I'm listening to classical and opera, the next week I'm listening to powerpop and 70's new wave stuff.

Some of my favourite albums are -
Spilt Milk by Jellyfish (amazing powerpop album from the early 90's with a big Queen/Beatles influence)
Swordfishtrombones by Tom Waits (I love most of his stuff. Love his voice and his melodies)
Life Is Sweet by Maria Mckee (Yes, the same lady who did the big power ballad 'Show Me Heaven' made this dark, Bowie influenced album in the mid 90's and went on tour with my hero James Hall. I once helped her work out the chords to a song she was struggling with!).
Everybody Loves A Happy Ending by Tears For Fears (quite different to their other stuff. Very Beatles influenced)

I just discovered an album called 'Superior' by a Danish guy called Tim Christensen, which I think is brilliant. Melodic, rootsy pop rock music.
I love Mandy Moore's last album (Yes, Mandy Moore, you read that correctly). She made a beautiful record when she made 'Amanda Leigh', real soulful pop music with great harmonies and arrangements.

So I'll listen to anything really. I love jazz, soul, blues, pop, rock, classical, opera, and loads more... I have this thirst for melody and harmony. One of the very few things that can make me cry like a baby is a beautiful melody over the right chords ;-)
I could talk about music all day long...

Pete.

PeteMurphy

And I also meant to say (and this won't do much for my 'street cred' or 'cool factor'), but I love musicals! Stuff like Oliver, Willy Wonka, Stop The World I want To Get Off, The Sound Of Music, etc...

Anthony Newley and Leslie Briccuse who wrote the Willy Wonka score did some amazing stuff together, and lionel Bart who did the Oliver soundtrack... wow, the guy couldn't read or write a note of music, he used a transcriber to get all his ideas on paper, but his arrangements on stuff like 'Consider Yourself' are INSANE. Truly brilliant. I don't know how people come up with those kinds of arrangements. Amazing stuff!

sspatrick

Being a vocalist as well as a guitar player i like a variety of styles.  As far as guitar i like blues rock Stevie Ray Vaughn, southern rock(skynyrd etc), i play in a country/rock band so also like a lot of the chicken pickin as well.  As far as vocalists my influences would be Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Joe Cocker, Michael Bolton.  Pretty much any singer with some soul, and good distortion.  Back in my younger days i was into a lot of chistian rock/metal which is where I first heard of Ken Tamplin(SHOUT).  There were a lot of great vocalists in that genre.  Jamie Rowe of Guardian, John Schlitt(Petra), Dino Elefante(Kansas, producer).

PeteMurphy

I love the chicken pickin' stuff... Albert Lee and Jerry Donahue, etc...
Always been a big Aerosmith fan, too... from the early days right through to Get a Grip. Seen them live a few times. I actually once got to watch them from the side of the stage at Wembley Stadium.

I haven't heard of all the names you mentioned but I'll check some of them out.
Thanks @sspatrick

Nigel

I know I'm probably one of the lone wolves here, and especially being Administrator of the best vocal academy on the planet where vocal quality is vital... but for me it's Motorhead, Motorhead, Motorhead, AC/DC, and then some Motorhead.

Ken has always been one of my all time favorite vocalists, but he's also been my best friend for almost 30 years, so I'm a little close to the source - he's an amazing singer and also one of the best "people" I have ever met.

I like Aerosmith too, especially that driving rock stuff!

Other rock vocalists I like are of course David Coverdale and Dio - but I must admit I like Gaga, I think she actually has some great talent behind the mask.

Nigel

PeteMurphy

I agree @Nigel - Lemmy is amazing. I saw what you wrote on another thread about him, and it's true. Well into his sixties and still rockin'!

I do love AC/DC, but I prefer the Bon Scott era stuff to the Brian Johnson stuff (although I do love the Black in Black album). I think I just prefer Bon's voice, but I do think that some of their best songs are on the BIB album.

It must be an amazing thing to be so close with someone who has such a great voice, especially knowing them for 30 years and seeing them grow, seeing their journey. That's a really cool thing.

And Gaga... while I wouldn't call myself a fan, if you strip it all away... all the crazy clothes and big pop production, she actually has some really good melodies. If you stripped 'Bad Romance' down to just piano and vocal it would still work - that's definitely one of the signs of a great song, and ultimately it IS all about the song...

Nigel

That's right, it IS all about the song.

And along those lines, I have been pushing Ken to re-release his older Shout stuff in instrumental/karaoke versions for all the vocalists here to practice to.  The older Shout music is actually really good, back in the day when he didn't know how good he was!  Maybe that's a good thing.

Regarding AC/DC, I actually had my own AC/DC cover band about six years ago (I was Malcolm) and the Brian Johnson material was significantly more difficult for our vocalist(s) to sing, it would routinely blow out their voices because it was so high AND strenuous.  What a blast though, I can tell you there's not much that competes with the experience of playing Whole Lotta Rosie on stage at ear splitting volume