Quote:
Originally Posted by trackaghost
Lol, now you've completely lost me. I can't even relate to someone who dismisses Madonna, Neil Young, Kurt Cobain and Elvis.
And the fact you keep harping on about musicianship completely confirms to me that you know nothing about Neil Young, because he has very distinct views on that and things sounding too perfect. Thank god others share this view too, I don't even want to think about a world without punk, hardcore or garage rock
For the record, if you've ever seen Neil Young live playing acoustically, he's actually a superb acoustic guitar player. But I guess if you don't like anything too loud or challenging there's not much I can do to convince you  I saw Nirvana back in the day too and they were amazing live, as someone who is turned off by what has happened since his death, I think sometimes it's easy to forget their impact, influence and importance. |
Okay, I didn't dismiss Madonna. I like her music, I don't like her image. I wasn't dismissing Elvis either, but pointing out that he's not one of the top ten best guitarists in the world and Kurt Cobain wasn't either.
My question for you would be, do you play the guitar? My mentor is Mason Williams, the guy who did "Classical Gas", so I'm a little more picky about what a superb guitar player would be than your average person would be. When I look at a guitar player, I am looking at technique, such as hand positioning, execution and clarity of notes, the absense of buzzing noises, tone and a variety of other things. I'm a classical player, so I don't have a lot of respect for people that most people would consider great. I mean people adore Cobain, but forget guys like Eric Johnson. One more example, that may piss you off too, is Big Love. For a BAD classical player, it is easy and most classical guitarists could do it sleeping. For most people, it is unattainable to think they could play it. It just depends on your perspective. There's an old joke, "Q: How do you get a guitar player to stop playing? A: Put sheet music in front of him." 99% of guitarists can't read music, but it doesn't diminish their accomplishments. Lindsey can't read music, which makes him poor technically, but it doesn't diminish his accomplishments. In fact, it magnifies them. Most guitarists are not like LB, however, and that does make them poor musicians.
I think the thing about things sounding "too perfect" is the same excuse many musicians use about being "too commcercial". It just means they don't know how to write hooks. I don't think it is that I don't understand Neil Young, I just think you are not a musician, so my opinion seems foreign. Like, "how can someone think that". I'm looking at it from a critical standpoint and not one of a fan. When I hear a song, I pick the different parts out in my head and analyze them. I can't just "listen".
I like a lot of punk, hardcore and garage rock too. I don't think you understood me.
I love challenging music. I just think most people would be surprised that Van Halen's Spanish Fly is not the hardest guitar song to play, Bach's Prelude # 6 is. For someone like me that has an exceptional musical education for most of his life, it seems totally foreign that something Neil Young does isn't all that hard for me.