Post a controversial music opinion

pre-1920s music of any variety barring tin pan alley and brass bands is very poorly preserved indeed, unfortunately.

xp to say nothing of 'Giant Steps' and 'Boomania'

agree w/Nashwan

Out of interest what are some early (pre-60s) UK calypso records? I know of the odd appropriation here and there (Tommy Steele's Water, Water and Shirley Bassey's take on the Banana Boat Song). Adjacent to that, I'm aware of Edric Connor's Songs from Jamaica being a British production (although I haven't heard it and I'm guessing it's more mento?)

Edric did do this a bit later, but I don't know of any full UK calypso LPs that early.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGT79BtQcrk

Not 50s (1964) but I have to mention Ronnie Hilton's Leeds United Calypso to balance that out

(The first calypso song I ever knew, everyone)

this compilation and its sequels is a good place to start

https://honestjonsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/london-is-the-place-for-me-trinidadian-calypso-in-london-1950-1956

sorry to backtrack here, but my controp is that every aphex twin song is his worst song. fucking dud.

Nice to see you again, Austin! :)

xps Thanks, I'll have to investigate further

unrelated (other than to rightly imply I disagree with the takes here) but I saw afx on Saturday and it's the most intense show I've ever seen. Up there with the best.

I certainly concede he may still be good live

Saw him in 2003 headlining over Orbital and Drum Club, and had to leave because he was doing my head in. God, what a wuss!

as far as music from the united kingdom goes, you only need to listen to records made from 1900 to 1920 or records made from 1964 to 1984. you can safely ignore the rest.

― scott seward

wait, what? what about louisa killen's "northumbrian garland" from 1962? (i didn't know she was trans before looking her up for this post... you go lou!)

notorious is by far the best duranismo. the only slight doubt is if it’s controversial.

Dr. Dre's peak as a producer is not The Chronic but rather the post-Straight Outta Compton 89-91 period (The D.O.C., Above the Law, 100 Miles, N4L)

notorious is by far the best duranismo. the only slight doubt is if it’s controversial.

― you need magical thinking ay my name is david blaine (Hunt3r)

Second best album, yah

Big Thing is good and inspired album

Dr. Dre's peak as a producer is not The Chronic but rather the post-Straight Outta Compton 89-91 period (The D.O.C., Above the Law, 100 Miles, N4L)

― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, September 11, 2023 4:30 PM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Doggystyle imho

jeff lynne's peak is 1967-1971. those idle race albums are wonderful.

Not controversial with me!

the best Move albums are the ones without him though.

The Move were better before he joined. I agree with that too.

i know this has been touched on by other folks here but i'm ready to plant my flag: nina simone is overrated.

I rate her as "the finest musician of the 20th century", so if you only rate her 2nd or 3rd that's your right I guess

I know it's not a contest but Ella > Nina > Billie

if you only rate her 2nd or 3rd

not even top 50 tbh

The Royal House of Hangover (Ye Mad Puffin) at 8:43 22 Oct 23

I know it's not a contest but Ella > Nina > Billie

CAAL you have definitely understood the assignment of the thread!

Fitzgerald at her best is just so freaking smooth, and can go great places. The duets with Armstrong on Cole Porter material may not be your thing but I will never not love them.

Scat, generally, is not my thing but I have no quarrel with those who enjoy that aspect of her career.

Nina Simone is a virtuoso and a genius and a hero; her writing and activism are essential. That said, there is really almost no time at which I just want to put on a Nina Simone record, sorry. I am glad she existed but I just don't want to listen to her frequently. It isn't what I want as a pleasurable voluntarily leisure activity.

given those three as choices, if i had to i would rate the same way as YMP.

then again, the live Ella and Duke records are among my favorite live records ever made so i am certainly biased.

i have a friend who is a soul and r&b nerd, used to DJ out a lot, and his complaint about Nina was that she had become the safe/accessible option for white folks to the detriment of the profiles of much better singers. tbh, i can kind of see his point! we had a long talk about it once because i didn’t get it.

Table and I just said opposite things and it's kinda fun that both can be true.

I am a white person and I don't think I think of Nina Simone as "safe/accessible." In fact she's challenging, in a good way! That's what I like about her! I just don't usually want her music washing over my ears. I respect and admire Nina Simone more than I want to listen to her.

yeah, i rarely want to listen to Nina but that’s because i did so much for many years.

I'm with you YMP. I'm so incredibly sick of hearing Feeling Good that I can't listen to it anymore.

Nina Simone is a virtuoso and a genius and a hero; her writing and activism are essential. That said, there is really almost no time at which I just want to put on a Nina Simone record, sorry. I am glad she existed but I just don't want to listen to her frequently. It isn't what I want as a pleasurable voluntarily leisure activity.

This is a very good encapsulation of my feelings. I am 100% opposed to jazz singers who sing jazz standards; don't need to hear that stuff ever, by anyone. And scat singing...well, it's called scat for a reason. If I'm in the mood for angry jazz vocalists who write their own material, I tend to go Abbey Lincoln > Jeanne Lee > Linda Sharrock > Nina Simone.

abbey lincoln and jeanne lee do standards pretty great too

nina simone is a different kind of thing for the most part but she's not overrated at all

ella is underrated in the way mozart is underrated - I won't elaborate

hey who here doesn’t like opera

ah whatever, Nina’s performance at Montreux 1976 is the greatest live performance, say I’m wrong with examples and I’d be pleased to enjoy said examples

Linda Sharrock over Nina, now I've heard everything

Nina Simone rules and any opinion to the contrary drools.

I appreciate Ella but rarely feel like listening to her. Nina is just perfect. Her version of Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues knocks my socks off every time.

ah whatever, Nina’s performance at Montreux 1976 is the greatest live performance, say I’m wrong with examples and I’d be pleased to enjoy said examples

Judy at Carnegie Hall

I am a white person and I don't think I think of Nina Simone as "safe/accessible." In fact she's challenging, in a good way! That's what I like about her! I just don't usually want her music washing over my ears. I respect and admire Nina Simone more than I want to listen to her.

― The Royal House of Hangover (Ye Mad Puffin), Sunday, October 22, 2023 2:16 PM

all of this definitely where i'm at. re:activism/non-music endeavors- agreed, she rules for all of that. but her music, while related to it, isn't that. it's just. . . okay, y'know? pretty solid ftmp. does that mean she never had any classic moments? of course not! just. . . whoa, let's not get carried away. she's great, but uhh.

re: "safe" option-- really!? i was always under the impression that she was kinda like an early 90s gangsta rapper in her day in terms of pissing off white people. yeah she sold a lot of records, but i have to wonder how many were buying out of curiosity.

(of course that may all have to do with the fact that i got yelled at as an 18 year old for playing a nina record in the house. definitely not a safe choice back where i come from. hrmph.)

also Duke Ellington at Newport for live performance albums, my God

Nina Simone rules any contrary opinion is pure nincompoop nonsense

Is it "worse" to listen to music and hate it or never listen to it at all, even go out of your way to avoid listening to it?

I mean specific artists, not music in general.

Wasn’t there some Nina in a 90’s movie and that’s what brought her into Gen X consciousness? I def remember a friend of mine hearing her in a movie and running out and buying some Nina cd’s. That’s when I first heard her. And it was pretty different and new to us, we were more into punk/gothy things.

This is when the Commitments soundtrack was the common soul cd to be found lying about.

Is it "worse" to listen to music and hate it or never listen to it at all, even go out of your way to avoid listening to it?

Life is too short to listen to music you think you probably won't like. Sure, you might be missing out on something incredible...but the truth is, probably not.