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mad rhetorik
02-05-2004, 10:02 AM
Are there albums that you own that you are embarrassed to have in your collection? Albums that have no indie cred? Albums that you've outgrown from a musical perspective...<b>yet</b> still can't fathom selling off? Albums that will elicit an eye-rolling reaction from your musically inclined friends, but you still find them fascinating?

Here are my skeletons in the closet:

Guns 'N' Roses: <b>Appetite For Destruction</b>
Yeah, it's basically 80's cock-rock. But unlike most of their peers, this has balls, grit, and a middle-finger-in-the-air trashy subversiveness that weren't seen since the New York Dolls. I still can't live without my monthly fix of "It's So Easy."

Green Day: <b>Dookie</b>
It's poppy, commercialized, and heavily derivative of The Jam, Husker Du, The Buzzcocks, and a bunch of other punk acts the average person has never heard of. I still dig it, though. At least it's better than the Blink-182 and Sum41 sh-t that followed.

Beastie Boys: <b>Licensed To Ill</b>
All the fratboys and whiggers love this rap/rock fusion to death. And I do too. Best track: "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" <i>(BEST RIFF EVER in a rap song)</i>

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: <b>Let's Face It</b>
Yes, I bought this back in '98 for "The Impression That I Get." And third-wave ska is deader than JFK. Do I still listen to it? Absolutely.

Dream Theater: <b>Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory</b>
I'm sure I'm gonna get punched in my cyber mouth by the resident proggers for saying this, but this album definitely reeks of prog cheese. Lots of solos, a generally cliche concept storyline, a male vocalist that sounds female, and a keyboardist that reminds me so much of Rick Wakeman I'm surprised he doesn't wear a cape. Still, if I have an urge to hear 128 notes a minute played with robotlike precision, this is where I go.

Fleetwood Mac: <b>Rumours</b>
Basically a slick, poppy AOR album. But there is no denying the talents of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. "The Chain" might be the best song they ever wrote.

I used to own Sublime's self-titled, Offsrping's <b>Americana</b>, and Bush's <b>Sixteen Stone</b>, but I came to my senses and traded them in for Queens Of The Stone Age's <b>Songs For The Deaf</b>. Fair trade? I'm sorry to say that I also used to own Kid Rock's <b>Devil Without A Cause</b> but I curbstomped that POS a long time ago along with a bunch of R&B and lite rock sh-t I used to devour when I was musically retarded.

-Jar-
02-05-2004, 11:59 AM
a few..

Ratt - OUT OF THE CELLAR. Few did hair metal as well as Ratt did.. early on anyways. I remember seeing their video for "Round and Round" and I just had to have this. Sure, its full of filler, but I love to give a spin every now and then. The opening to "Wanted Man" can still give me chills if I'm in the right mood.

Journey - ESCAPE. Went and saw the movie MONSTER a few weeks back with my wife. I'll never hear "Don't Stop Believing" the same way ever again. *whew* But I still dig "Stone In Love" every so often. Very very strong nostalgia factor with this album. I think that's because I literally wore it out when I was 12 and have hardly listened to it at all since. But when I do I can almost smell the memories from that time in my life...

I know I have more.. like some Bee Gees and lots more bad hair metal ;-)

-jar

nobody
02-05-2004, 12:04 PM
Personally, I don't really believe in guilty pleasures. If you like it, you like it. I don't like everything my friends like and I don't expect them to like everything I like. Do I listen to things that friends of mine think is crap? Sure. Am I embarassed because of it? Hell no.

I enjoy quite a few of those listed in your post, guiltfree. I listen to Appetite for Destruction, which rocks like a mf, Dookie once in a while, great example of modern style pop punk, and that Kid Rock disc. I haven't gotten too much into what else he's done, but I really think that was a heck of an album. If I had it, I'd pull out that Beastie Boys disc too.

Kinda hard for me to think of anything I like that I would find emabarassing. I basically have no shame.

Jefferson
02-05-2004, 12:18 PM
I'll bet everyone has stuff in their collection that to some may seem out of place.

Sure the bulk of what I listen to is Punk, post-Punk and Wave type stuff. But I still listen to Dylan, Van, The Who and Rush. Hey, I like Rush! At least I don't listen to Ratt. :D

Cheers

Jefferson, hoping Jar takes my jab in the spirit it was intended.

-Jar-
02-05-2004, 12:39 PM
I'll bet everyone has stuff in their collection that to some may seem out of place.

Sure the bulk of what I listen to is Punk, post-Punk and Wave type stuff. But I still listen to Dylan, Van, The Who and Rush. Hey, I like Rush! At least I don't listen to Ratt. :D

Cheers

Jefferson, hoping Jar takes my jab in the spirit it was intended.

hey man, my LP copy of OUT OF THE CELLAR is right there on the shelf next to PYROMANIA, METAL HEALTH, SCREAMING FOR VENGENCE, BACK IN BLACK and NUMBER OF THE BEAST! (er, umm SHOUT AT THE DEVIL was on tape, but I have that too!!)

-jar

:cool:

Slosh
02-05-2004, 12:52 PM
I used to own Sublime's self-titled, but I came to my senses and traded it in for Queens Of The Stone Age.

Are you insane? No, seriously. Sublime's s/t is like one of the best albums ever (and the debut ain't bad either) but Songs For The Deaf sucks more than anything that has ever sucked before! It makes Audioslave look good, fer Jah's sake :p

Fvck indie-cred. There are only two kinds of music: stuff I like and stuff I don't like; therefore there's no such animal as a guilty pleasure to me.

~Slosh - this ain't no funky reggae party, $5.00 out the door

tentoze
02-05-2004, 01:02 PM
Are there albums that you own that you are embarrassed to have in your collection? Albums that have no indie cred? Albums that you've outgrown from a musical perspective...yet still can't fathom selling off? Albums that will elicit an eye-rolling reaction from your musically inclined friends, but you still them find fascinating?


I was in a silmilar thread on another board last wk, so I guess I'll just cut and paste from it, then run and hide..........

Back in early high school (a loooong time ago), I went through a delusional preiod when I thought Rod McKuen was The Best Poet Ever. During that delusional period, I not only owned all his books, but also two lp's of him mostly reciting verse, but also offering up a coupla songs- Listen To The Warm and Lonesome Cities were the titles of the lp's. Now, I moved on from ole Rodney and those 2 albums eons ago. About 2 months ago, while scrounging in one of the used vinyl shops here, I found a copy of both those lp's for .99/ea and bought 'em without hesitation. Had to wait till my son was gone one night to play them, to avoid personal ridicule. But play them I did, scratches and all, and yup, it took me to that simpler place that was referred to.

You may toss your tomatoes in my direction anytime now.....

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

Troy
02-05-2004, 01:03 PM
Congrats on post 100 nobody! You are no longer irregular.

I am in total agreement with you on this. No guilt.

I'm a prog fan ferchrissake! The entire genre is a guilty pleasure in many people's eyes.

I may be the only person that actually listens to Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" album with any sorta regularity. It has a great analog synth sound pallette. But I can dig that most people think it's a train wreck. Their loss.

Finch Platte
02-05-2004, 01:15 PM
Post of the week :D

fp

Jefferson
02-05-2004, 01:27 PM
hey man, my LP copy of OUT OF THE CELLAR is right there on the shelf next to PYROMANIA, METAL HEALTH, SCREAMING FOR VENGENCE, BACK IN BLACK and NUMBER OF THE BEAST! (er, umm SHOUT AT THE DEVIL was on tape, but I have that too!!)

-jar

:cool:

I once owned a copy of both Pyromania and Back in Black , its just that I never admitted it in public. :D The other selections I'm not familiar with, so you're on your own. ;)

jasn
02-05-2004, 01:43 PM
Almost any artist has their time and place. I have alot of stuff I play depending on who else might be listening and where it is (light jazz, 60's artists greatest hits; C&W), but wouldn't necessarily listen to it on my own.

But, for personal listening and this topic (and to reveal my vintage), I'd have to say a GP for me is Loggins and Messina. Yes, they cut some pretty gruesome mainstream stuff, but it is the longer-playing, well-recorded in-between cuts that I still like so much, and you can find them on their first four studio albums:

Lovin' Me/To Make a Woman Feel Wanted/Peace of Mind; Same Old Wine; Angry Eyes; You Need a Man/Coming to You; Pathway to Glory; Sailing the Wind; Be Free; Changes are a few. I guess I should make myself a comp.....

Pretty accomplished musicians, and they had a Lennon/McCartney thing going with Messina as Lennon keeping Loggins from going off the deep end. Loggins totally s*cks now, and JM is hangin out in the canyons somewhere, I guess.

Bring it on...

Dave_G
02-05-2004, 02:02 PM
For me:

Foreigner cd's (remasters)

AC/DC

Ozzy

The Fixx

Kansas

Paul McCartney solo albums (like back to the egg)

Bowie "Lets Dance"

Boston


Dave

dld
02-05-2004, 03:37 PM
Wondering how Lets Dance could be considered as guilty pleasure. Just a damn fine hard rocking pop album. I thought It had good songs front to rear. Maybe not eclectic enuf and too mainstream? WTF, still love it

Abba - Arrival.
Neil Diamond - Hot August Night
Paul Simon - Hearts and Bones
Guess Who - Shakin and, Road Food (not their best received but lots of good songs amongst a few stinkers)
Chicago, II
Springsteen, Born With The Runs

tentoze
02-05-2004, 03:42 PM
Wondering how Lets Dance could be considered as guilty pleasure. Just a damn fine hard rocking pop album. I thought It had good songs front to rear. Maybe not eclectic enuf and too mainstream? WTF, still love it

Abba - Arrival.
Neil Diamond - Hot August Night
Paul Simon - Hearts and Bones
Guess Who - Shakin and, Road Food (not their best received but lots of good songs amongst a few stinkers)
Chicago, II
Springsteen, Born With The Runs
How could you possibly consider Hearts & Bones and Springsteen as guilty pleasures???????

Sheesh, dld...............

:rolleyes: :)

mad rhetorik
02-05-2004, 03:56 PM
Are you insane? No, seriously. Sublime's s/t is like one of the best albums ever (and the debut ain't bad either) but Songs For The Deaf sucks more than anything that has ever sucked before! It makes Audioslave look good, fer Jah's sake :p

Uh...<b>NO.</b>

The Sublime album, IMO, was for the most part a load of contrived frat-rock without much to keep it interesting. There were maybe only 6 or 7 songs I found listenable on there. I'll admit that the band's blend of ska, punk, rap, and funk was pretty novel, and that Brad Nowell (I think that's his name) had a <i>great</i> voice. It's a shame he never could find his full potential. I will, however, check out their first album and see if I have any luck with it.

Furthermore, the words "sucks" and "Queens Of The Stone Age" should never be used in the same sentence. I love <b>Songs For The Deaf</b>, and I think it's what more bands should be making these days--an album with songs that all sound different, good songwriting, hooks, inventiveness, and oh yeah, <b>BALLS</b>. None of this lame "retro" bullsh-t. Granted, the radio bits are a bit lame (not to mention copped straight from <b>The Who Sells Out</b>) but that can be forgiven. <b>Rated R</b>, their previous album, is even better IMO.

Audioslave <i>does</i> indeed suck. One lackluster album and way too much f'kin hype.

Slosh
02-05-2004, 04:42 PM
Uh...<b>NO.</b>

The Sublime album, IMO, was for the most part a load of contrived frat-rock without much to keep it interesting. There were maybe only 6 or 7 songs I found listenable on there. I'll admit that the band's blend of ska, punk, rap, and funk was pretty novel, and that Brad Nowell (I think that's his name) had a <i>great</i> voice. It's a shame he never could find his full potential. I will, however, check out their first album and see if I have any luck with it.

Furthermore, the words "sucks" and "Queens Of The Stone Age" should never be used in the same sentence. I love <b>Songs For The Deaf</b>, and I think it's what more bands should be making these days--an album with songs that all sound different, <s>good</s> <s>songwriting</s>, hooks, <s>inventiveness</s>

Inventiveness and QotSA are words that should never be used together :p Maybe if they were the only band you ever heard in your life you can say this. A band like Girls Against Boys do what QotSA do, only a thousand-fold greater and with some degree of originality.

Sublime's lyrics are weak, I'll give you that much, but every other aspect of the music is superb. BTW, if you don't like the s/t you'll like 40 oz. to Freedom even less.

NP: June Of 44 - Anahata

Dusty Chalk
02-05-2004, 05:12 PM
There are two kinds of music -- the kind I like, and the kind I haven't heard yet.

-Jar-
02-05-2004, 05:47 PM
Inventiveness and QotSA are words that should never be used together :p Maybe if they were the only band you ever heard in your life you can say this. A band like Girls Against Boys do what QotSA do, only a thousand-fold greater and with some degree of originality.

Sublime's lyrics are weak, I'll give you that much, but every other aspect of the music is superb. BTW, if you don't like the s/t you'll like 40 oz. to Freedom even less.

NP: June Of 44 - Anahata

wow Slosh, I didn't know you were so hostile to QOTSA! :-)

That's ok, I'm not the hugest fan in the world, and even though even their debut isn't extremely "inventive" - it rocks righteously in my opinion, and at least half of R does too.

But hey.. those guys also did BLUES FOR THE RED SUN and SKY VALLEY as Kyuss so, they're pretty much gods to me !

-jar

dld
02-05-2004, 08:00 PM
How could you possibly consider Hearts & Bones and Springsteen as guilty pleasures???????

Sheesh, dld...............

:rolleyes: :)

Those two artists get little respect, generally, here at RR. So by RR standards ( high indeed :p ), I consider them guilty pleasures. I'd add I've got both artists catalogue give or take maybe 1 or 2 albums.

I'd also add Carly Simon to the list.

And Three Dog Night

And Bachman Turner Overdrive

And Donna Summer

And Thelma Housto,

And Bob James,

Madonna

Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels

Meatloaf

Thats enuf for now, lots more where they came from

MindGoneHaywire
02-05-2004, 08:51 PM
I've said for awhile that at this point, anything I'm like I'm not afraid to admit & therefore am no longer embarrassed by. If I have it, then there's a reason why I either still like it or once did enough to keep it, and I can usually explain why, as if someone were to take a look at my collection & say something like, 'ha ha ha, what are you doing with all those Beatles albums! They were the worst band of all time!' So:

Are there albums that you own that you are embarrassed to have in your collection?

No.

Albums that have no indie cred?

Too many to list here.

Albums that you've outgrown from a musical perspective...yet still can't fathom selling off?

Not quite as many, though there are of course plenty I don't listen to as much as I used to, some of which haven't aged all that well.

Albums that will elicit an eye-rolling reaction from your musically inclined friends, but you still find them fascinating?

I don't care what them creeps think.

I liked a few of yr selections:

Guns 'N' Roses: Appetite For Destruction
Green Day: Dookie
Beastie Boys: Licensed To Ill

Three of my big faves, actually. I've probably listened to Licensed To Ill as much as any single album (might've heard the first Violent Femmes album a few hundred more times, though). That you would consider any of these 'guilty pleasures' is actually kinda puzzling to me, as I think that they all still hold up very well, & were great great great in their day. If anything's aged, it's Licensed To Ill, actually. Hell, I like Rumours, too--but I could see thinking of that as a guilty pleasure more than these three.

Funny that you've got Dream Theater & Licensed To Ill in the same post...I went to high school with both Rick Rubin (who I didn't know), & Mike Portnoy (who I did). Kinda funny that these two guys went on put out music that was for the most part complete opposites (notwithstanding Rubin's production of bands like Slayer & other metal bands). Friends of mine, including a longtime bandmate, played in a hardcore punk band with Rubin in the early 80s--the Pricks. I've never seen Rubin take a guitar credit, but I think most of the playing on Licensed To Ill is actually him. Pretty sure of that, actually--not the Kerry King solo, of course, but I'm sure he played that riff on 'No Sleep To Brooklyn'--and those guitar parts were definitely not sampled, at least not most of 'em (Custard Pie & Down On The Corner, at the end of Time To Get Ill, might've been, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head that sounded sampled). Did the riff on 'Brooklyn' come from another tune? It was one of the few on the rec I wouldn't be able to identify.

Oh, and give Sublime another chance. I had a couple of collections that were pretty marginal, but I'm with Slosh on this one--their self-titled album is very, very good. Before I heard their stuff I was suspicious, because their fan base seemed to be criminally trendy, but unlike a lot of the 'alternative' music of the day that was extremely popular, when I actually heard the album I thought it was a damn good piece of work, still do. The sampling of 'Summertime' is a masterstroke; the raps on 'Garden Grove' & April 29, 1992 (Miami) are both great, & 'What I Got' is just a great pop song. Anything else I'd steer clear of, but that's a mighty fine rec.

mad rhetorik
02-05-2004, 09:51 PM
Funny that you've got Dream Theater & Licensed To Ill in the same post...I went to high school with both Rick Rubin (who I didn't know), & Mike Portnoy (who I did). Kinda funny that these two guys went on put out music that was for the most part complete opposites (notwithstanding Rubin's production of bands like Slayer & other metal bands). Friends of mine, including a longtime bandmate, played in a hardcore punk band with Rubin in the early 80s--the Pricks. I've never seen Rubin take a guitar credit, but I think most of the playing on Licensed To Ill is actually him. Pretty sure of that, actually--not the Kerry King solo, of course, but I'm sure he played that riff on 'No Sleep To Brooklyn'--and those guitar parts were definitely not sampled, at least not most of 'em (Custard Pie & Down On The Corner, at the end of Time To Get Ill, might've been, but that's all I can think of off the top of my head that sounded sampled). Did the riff on 'Brooklyn' come from another tune? It was one of the few on the rec I wouldn't be able to identify..

Were you friends with Mr. Portnoy by any chance? Or did your conflicting musical philosophies rule that out? ; P

Anyway, now that you mention it, I'm not sure who did the riff on "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn." It sounds like it was recorded live in a studio, not sampled. The solo, as you mentioned, is definitely Kerry--his bullsh-t trem bar-riding style gives him away immediately. However the rhythm riff is probably one of three things--a Kerry overdub, Rubin himself, or maybe Slayer's rhythm guitarist Jeff Hanneman. If it is Rubin, than I complement him on his mean axework. His experience with the Pricks must've paid off.

If I'm totally wrong (which I doubt) and it did in fact come from another tune, it most likely came from a Slayer song. Since I'm not a Slayer fan at all (metalhead heresy, I know : P) I wouldn't know exactly where it came from.

Oh yeah, and those are definitely samples at the end of "Time To Get Ill."



Oh, and give Sublime another chance. I had a couple of collections that were pretty marginal, but I'm with Slosh on this one--their self-titled album is very, very good. Before I heard their stuff I was suspicious, because their fan base seemed to be criminally trendy, but unlike a lot of the 'alternative' music of the day that was extremely popular, when I actually heard the album I thought it was a damn good piece of work, still do. The sampling of 'Summertime' is a masterstroke; the raps on 'Garden Grove' & April 29, 1992 (Miami) are both great, & 'What I Got' is just a great pop song. Anything else I'd steer clear of, but that's a mighty fine rec.

Funny, you named most of the songs I liked on there. I also liked "Wrong Way" and "Santeria," but both of those got plenty of radio time (on my local stations at least) and I soon got tired of them. The rest of the album was filler. Moreover I was also sick of every backwards-cap Abercrombie-wearing beefhead fratboy saying "SUBLIME ROOLZ!!!" especially when most of the chuckfu-ks are stoned out of their gourds or watching football games while the album is playing anyway.

MindGoneHaywire
02-06-2004, 12:02 AM
Were you friends with Mr. Portnoy by any chance? Or did your conflicting musical philosophies rule that out? ; P

Not really friends, though we got along fine. I was two grades ahead of him if I remember correctly. But we were classmates in Hebrew School (yes), and played in the school band in Jr. High & HS also. At the time I actually didn't know much beyond the Beatles & Rolling Stones, Who & Led Zeppelin. He & his friends were into stuff like Rush & Van Halen (who I eventually discovered also). It strikes me now that while I got into AC/DC around that time, I don't think those guys were into them--though they were 'heavy,' they liked busier stuff, I guess. On a school band trip in Jr. High Mike had a Zappa tape--Sheik Yerbouti. Ever hear 'Broken Hearts Are For @$$holes?' I thought it was hilarious. I thought about it recently & wondered which was odder, that kids our age (they were 12/13, I was 14) were listening to stuff like that, or that songs like that (which do seem like they're meant to appeal to 14-year-old boys so they can giggle about it) were being recorded by a guy who was near 40 years old at the time.

Anyway, now that you mention it, I'm not sure who did the riff on "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn." It sounds like it was recorded live in a studio, not sampled.

Like I said, I'm pretty sure that most of the guitar playing on the record is. I think that the part that's lifted from War's 'Low Rider' for 'Slow Ride' was played live also.

The solo, as you mentioned, is definitely Kerry--his bullsh-t trem bar-riding style gives him away immediately.

Ha! I wouldn't know. If you'd told me at the time that it was the guy from Voivod or Venom or Metallica or Megadeth or any of those sorts of bands I would never have been able to tell the difference. I still wouldn't be able to tell. The thing is, he was credited prominently on the album, & it was known at the time that RR was producing a Slayer record. The guy was in the video, also, playing the solo.

However the rhythm riff is probably one of three things--a Kerry overdub, Rubin himself, or maybe Slayer's rhythm guitarist Jeff Hanneman. If it is Rubin, than I complement him on his mean axework. His experience with the Pricks must've paid off.

Unless I'm horribly off, RR played most of the guitar on the album, so I don't see why he'd have someone else play a part that sounds like most of the rest of the guitar work on the album...with the same exact guitar sound as the rest of the album. Mean axework? Surely you jest. I'm told he was a good player--but if I were judging strictly by the playing on that record, which was done strictly to inject a white-boy guitar rock sensibility to rap music, I'd say it makes Johnny Ramone sound like Django Reinhardt.

If I'm totally wrong (which I doubt) and it did in fact come from another tune, it most likely came from a Slayer song. Since I'm not a Slayer fan at all (metalhead heresy, I know : P) I wouldn't know exactly where it came from.

It sounds like something simple, not like a Slayer song. It's just a simple riff, using 5 chords in a 3-chord figure. Barre chords. Like 'Fight For Your Right,' I'm sure it was written specifically for that record.

Oh yeah, and those are definitely samples at the end of "Time To Get Ill."

Yeah...thought so. I think that 'Slow & Low' features a sample, also. That had been a B-side previously--the She's On It single. Have you ever heard the older 45s? I picked up a bootleg copy of 'Rock Hard' a few years ago. I'd been looking for that for YEARS. It was IMPOSSIBLE to find. It's the Beasties--when RR was their DJ--rapping over AC/DC's Back In Black. It kinda stinks, except it's great.

Slosh
02-06-2004, 03:04 AM
wow Slosh, I didn't know you were so hostile to QOTSA! :-)


Hey, if I wanted to listen to Foo Fighters...
wait a sec. Why the hell would I ever want to do that? :p

NP: GvsB - You Can't Fight What You Can't See (fine music for 6:00 AM ;) )

Mike
02-06-2004, 04:11 AM
For real guilty pleasure you need to dig out your Abba, Phil Collins, Geoff Love & his Orchestra, Shirley Bassey, Billy Idol, The Carpenters, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, I've got loads of stuff like that.

Some of my favourites are the Capitol Ultralounge discs lots of cheesy easy listening fodder.

Cheers
Mike

Dave_G
02-06-2004, 06:44 AM
Speaking of AC/DC,

This AM I played the newly re-re-re-re-re-remaster of Back in Black.

Reading the liner notes while I drove, this band sold in excess of 11 MILLION copies of this stupid album!


Good lord!

I guess they made it big, huh.

Never saw that band, had plenty of chances.

Dave

ForeverAutumn
02-06-2004, 07:07 AM
Speaking of AC/DC,

This AM I played the newly re-re-re-re-re-remaster of Back in Black.

Reading the liner notes while I drove, this band sold in excess of 11 MILLION copies of this stupid album!


Good lord!

I guess they made it big, huh.

Never saw that band, had plenty of chances.

Dave

I'm an AC/DC fan. Always have been, always will be. I'm not a hard core fan, I don't have all their CDs. But everytime I hear Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap I have to crank the volume up and sing it as loud as I can. Maybe they aren't the best band ever from a musical standpoint, but they're sure fun to listen to.

They take that fun on the road. I've seen 'em live a few times. A couple of times when I was in Junior High and High School and, more recently, last summer at SARS fest. Lemme tell you....ask anyone who was there, or read any review of SARSfest, and you'll hear that AC/DC out rocked the headliners, The Rolling Stones, by miles. Even people who were there to see the Stones and weren't fans of AC/DC had to admit that the Stones may have brought the crowd in, but it was AC/DC who stole the show.

Not a guilty pleasure. A staple of life IMO.

Guilty pleasures in my collection? Hehehe. By most people's standards here, most of my collection would be considered a guilty pleasure. :p

Troy
02-06-2004, 07:38 AM
Some of my favourites are the Capitol Ultralounge discs lots of cheesy easy listening fodder.


I have a bunch of those. They're great.

RCA's series of "History of Space Age Pop" discs are also worth seeking out for fans of 50s and 60s big band hi-fi and perverted percussion.

Stone
02-06-2004, 08:10 AM
Are there albums that you own that you are embarrassed to have in your collection? Albums that have no indie cred? Albums that you've outgrown from a musical perspective...<b>yet</b> still can't fathom selling off? Albums that will elicit an eye-rolling reaction from your musically inclined friends, but you still find them fascinating?

Here are my skeletons in the closet:

Guns 'N' Roses: <b>Appetite For Destruction</b>
Yeah, it's basically 80's cock-rock. But unlike most of their peers, this has balls, grit, and a middle-finger-in-the-air trashy subversiveness that weren't seen since the New York Dolls. I still can't live without my monthly fix of "It's So Easy."

Green Day: <b>Dookie</b>
It's poppy, commercialized, and heavily derivative of The Jam, Husker Du, The Buzzcocks, and a bunch of other punk acts the average person has never heard of. I still dig it, though. At least it's better than the Blink-182 and Sum41 sh-t that followed.

Beastie Boys: <b>Licensed To Ill</b>
All the fratboys and whiggers love this rap/rock fusion to death. And I do too. Best track: "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" <i>(BEST RIFF EVER in a rap song)</i>

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: <b>Let's Face It</b>
Yes, I bought this back in '98 for "The Impression That I Get." And third-wave ska is deader than JFK. Do I still listen to it? Absolutely.

Dream Theater: <b>Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory</b>
I'm sure I'm gonna get punched in my cyber mouth by the resident proggers for saying this, but this album definitely reeks of prog cheese. Lots of solos, a generally cliche concept storyline, a male vocalist that sounds female, and a keyboardist that reminds me so much of Rick Wakeman I'm surprised he doesn't wear a cape. Still, if I have an urge to hear 128 notes a minute played with robotlike precision, this is where I go.

Fleetwood Mac: <b>Rumours</b>
Basically a slick, poppy AOR album. But there is no denying the talents of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. "The Chain" might be the best song they ever wrote.

I used to own Sublime's self-titled, Offsrping's <b>Americana</b>, and Bush's <b>Sixteen Stone</b>, but I came to my senses and traded them in for Queens Of The Stone Age's <b>Songs For The Deaf</b>. Fair trade? I'm sorry to say that I also used to own Kid Rock's <b>Devil Without A Cause</b> but I curbstomped that POS a long time ago along with a bunch of R&B and lite rock sh-t I used to devour when I was musically retarded.

Wow, man, you should broaden your horizons if these are your "guilty pleasures." I have and like all of those albums, except for the Dream Theater which I haven't heard, and don't consider any of them "guilty pleasures." I don't really like that phrase, because I like what I like, but here are a few that might fall into that category that I purchased specifically to have*:

-Any of 12 Erasure CDs and 12"s
-Natalie Imbruglia - White Lilies Island
-Madonna - The Immaculate Collection
-Mudvayne - L.D.50
-Any of a few Reel Big Fish CDs
-Save Ferris - It Means Everything
-Van Halen - s/t

And I suppose I have a lot of other stuff people might consider guilty pleasures, but I really don't associate music that way and I'm not embarrassed to say I really like something like the Romantics or Sigue Sigue Sputnik, or that I have 14 Screeching Weasel CDs.

Oh, and yeah, you should go back and rebuy that Sublime album.

Stone

*As opposed to having them because they were part of a collection I bought.

Mike
02-06-2004, 08:26 AM
I have a bunch of those. They're great.

RCA's series of "History of Space Age Pop" discs are also worth seeking out for fans of 50s and 60s big band hi-fi and perverted percussion.

Thanks Troy I'll check those out, I love all that big stereo effects stuff

Cheers
Mike

Jim Clark
02-06-2004, 08:30 AM
Hey Mike, just yesterday I listened to the Shirley Bassey remix album, I'm no wus.

All of my Styx albums are on LP and since my TT has been hooked up to the PC for years collecting dust those probably don't qualify. I guess you have to play them for it to count. That leaves the remastered greatest hits vol. 1+2 which I do play about once a year or so.

All of the Def Leopard talk has me thinking of trying to find my lp of On Through The Night and blowing some of the dust off my tt.

Tons of other things that probably suck but I like anyway. Surf Punks, much of the Adam Ant catalog although only Strip sucks from start to finish! America roolz, Muskrat Love not withstanding.

DariusNYC
02-06-2004, 09:11 AM
I'm with nobody and Troy on this. No guilty pleasures for me; I like what I like. Usually a "guilty pleasure" on a music board like this means something that somebody likes that was very popular, and in most cases was marketed to a different demographic that that to which the "guilty" party belongs. So they feel guilty for some reason. Elvis Costello never felt guilty about anything he liked, and he knew ABBA (plus a lot of other disco) was great back in 1978 and wasn't afraid to rip-off a bit of their sound on "Oliver's Army". Of course to listen to the macho rockers of the late 70s, disco was some crime against humanity (of course, these were people that listened to Styx -- of course, if I liked Styx I wouldn't feel guilty about that either).

Oh, by the way, I especially applaud Jar's defense of quality 80s hair metal. I used to love that stuff.

-Jar-
02-06-2004, 09:25 AM
I'm with nobody and Troy on this. No guilty pleasures for me; I like what I like. Usually a "guilty pleasure" on a music board like this means something that somebody likes that was very popular, and in most cases was marketed to a different demographic that that to which the "guilty" party belongs. So they feel guilty for some reason. Elvis Costello never felt guilty about anything he liked, and he knew ABBA (plus a lot of other disco) was great back in 1978 and wasn't afraid to rip-off a bit of their sound on "Oliver's Army". Of course to listen to the macho rockers of the late 70s, disco was some crime against humanity (of course, these were people that listened to Styx -- of course, if I liked Styx I wouldn't feel guilty about that either).

Oh, by the way, I especially applaud Jar's defense of quality 80s hair metal. I used to love that stuff.

Pink Floyd had no fear of disco..

and in regards to 80's metal.. the funny thing is, back in those days, I considered bands like Black Flag, Minutemen, Dead Kennedys, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, REM, etc to be my "guilty pleasures" .. even though I was also listening to Accept, Krokus, Ratt, Scorpions, Helix, Michael Schenker, Triumph.. etc etc.. now, it's the opposite. I never thought back then that bands like Husker Du and Black Flag would ever be more than a blip on the radar.. then I read about Husker Du in a People Magazine at the doctor's office or something.. and it all started to change.

-jar

3-LockBox
02-06-2004, 09:39 AM
I know a lot of people think they suck, but I look at the band as performance art. Hell, people who liked DEVO didn't think that the band really took itself seriously, we all just thought of it as campy fun. The band is obviously having fun with Spinal Tap in parts of its video for <i>I Believe In A Thing Called Love</i>.

Guilty is as guilty does. No one is ever guilty in prison, and some of my guilty pleasure are proudly displayed in other people's CD collections. Such as: Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack (at least half of the songs anyway) and Janet Jackson (with whom I'm seriously disappointed with at the moment).

-Jar-
02-06-2004, 09:58 AM
Spyro Gyra - MORNING DANCE and CATCHING THE SUN

Chuch Mangione - FEELS SO GOOD

all three of these albums take me back.. we even played a chart from MORNING DANCE in my high school jazz ensemble.

Grusin & Ritenour - HARLEQUIN

Ok, I used to have this cd and I must have sold it.. I guess I felt a little TOO guilty.. hehehe. Just a little too sugary for me..

-jar

mad rhetorik
02-06-2004, 10:57 AM
I'm an AC/DC fan. Always have been, always will be. I'm not a hard core fan, I don't have all their CDs. But everytime I hear Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap I have to crank the volume up and sing it as loud as I can. Maybe they aren't the best band ever from a musical standpoint, but they're sure fun to listen to.

They take that fun on the road. I've seen 'em live a few times. A couple of times when I was in Junior High and High School and, more recently, last summer at SARS fest. Lemme tell you....ask anyone who was there, or read any review of SARSfest, and you'll hear that AC/DC out rocked the headliners, The Rolling Stones, by miles. Even people who were there to see the Stones and weren't fans of AC/DC had to admit that the Stones may have brought the crowd in, but it was AC/DC who stole the show.

Not a guilty pleasure. A staple of life IMO.

Guilty pleasures in my collection? Hehehe. By most people's standards here, most of my collection would be considered a guilty pleasure. :p

Actually, I own <b>Back In Black</b> ironically enough, and never considered it a guilty pleasure. Guess it has ingrained itself into my psyche so much that I never thought of it as cheesy. Or maybe, as Slosh has suggested, my musical taste is much to be desired. : P

AC/DC are totally fun and pretention-free. I guess that's why I dig 'em. Same with Motorhead.

I also have one more "guilty pleasure" recording that I forgot: Iron Maiden's <b>Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son</b>. It's got bleach-blonde mullets, synthesizers, a <i>really</i> cheesy concept storyline, and to top the sundae the most ridiculous cover art I've ever seen. I love it. As excessive as the whole spectacle is, it beats the hell out of the Blaze Bayley/Janick Gers years.

I guess Bjork's <b>Debut</b> could also fall into that category, seeing as it is basically dance pop, and eccentric dance pop at that.

Speaking of Iron Maiden, did you recieve my comp yet F.A.? I'm interested in hearing what you think about it.

-Jar-
02-06-2004, 11:58 AM
Actually, I own <b>Back In Black</b> ironically enough, and never considered it a guilty pleasure. Guess it has ingrained itself into my psyche so much that I never thought of it as cheesy. Or maybe, as Slosh has suggested, my musical taste is much to be desired. : P

AC/DC are totally fun and pretention-free. I guess that's why I dig 'em. Same with Motorhead.

I also have one more "guilty pleasure" recording that I forgot: Iron Maiden's <b>Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son</b>. It's got bleach-blonde mullets, synthesizers, a <i>really</i> cheesy concept storyline, and to top the sundae the most ridiculous cover art I've ever seen. I love it. As excessive as the whole spectacle is, it beats the hell out of the Blaze Bayley/Janick Gers years.

I guess Bjork's <b>Debut</b> could also fall into that category, seeing as it is basically dance pop, and eccentric dance pop at that.

Speaking of Iron Maiden, did you recieve my comp yet F.A.? I'm interested in hearing what you think about it.


I spun the s**t out of my copy of BACK IN BLACK. I even got used to where the skips were. I doubt there's an album I've listened to more, except for maybe NEW DAY RISING or NUMBER OF THE BEAST.

Speaking of Maiden, for me, SEVENTH SON was the beginning of the downward spiral. I thought SOMEWHERE IN TIME was great, though not quite on the level of POWERSLAVE. But SEVENTH SON, save for a few tracks like "Clairvoyant" and "Infinite Dreams" .. well I thought it was just pretty repetitious and uninspired. But, at that point, I was pretty much ending my relationship with metal and had started to get interested in bands like REM, Replacements, Violent Femmes, etc.. I never bought another Maiden album after SEVENTH SON.. even though for many years they were hands-down my favorite band. I have to admit though, I saw Maiden last summer and had a rocking good time.. they played "Revelations" and "Hallowed by thy Name" - it was awesome.

-jar

ForeverAutumn
02-06-2004, 02:00 PM
Speaking of Iron Maiden, did you recieve my comp yet F.A.? I'm interested in hearing what you think about it.

I used to play the crap out of Number of the Beast. It was the only Maiden album I ever owned and I loved it. I saw them back in High School too but to be honest, I don't remember much about the concert. There's a few concerts from back in those days where my chemically induced memory fails me. ;) I recently bought a "best of" type of Iron Maiden CD. The Platinum Collection or something like that. It was fun to hear a lot of those songs again. But they didn't make it back into regular rotation.

I received your comp yesterday. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but I'll try to give it a spin over the weekend and let you know my impressions. I'm very interested to see what I think of it too! :)

tugmcmartin
02-06-2004, 02:47 PM
Like a couple of others here (Troy and nobody?) i don't really think i have any guilty pleasures. I like what i like and i'm not afraid to admit it.

But.... as far as respect from peers (we at RR), i own a few albums that would probably make most of the folks here cringe. I guess those would be guilty pleasures in roundabout way. So mine would be:

Several albums from John Denver. This guy was a putz to a supreme level ("far out") but the man could write some beautiful songs. "Poems, Prayers, and Promises" and "Rhyme and Reason" are two of my all-time favorite songs.

My wife has Madonna's "Immaculate Collection" which i actually kinda dig. She also has some Chicago album which i can't remember the name of which is cool to listen to every now and again.

Almost all of my country collection would be a guilty pleasure based on what's not popular here at RR. Have some Tim McGraw, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, and of course Garth, as well as some other "pop" country artists (though no Shania and no Faith Hill).

I also have some older hip-hop/rap stuff that most folks here would laugh at. Some Kool Moe Dee, Fat Boys, LL Cool J, Run DMC, NWA, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, etc.

Out of all of those, John Denver probably elicits the most laughs and curious looks from my friends. But at least he's not Celine!

T-

ForeverAutumn
02-07-2004, 08:27 AM
Like a couple of others here (Troy and nobody?) i don't really think i have any guilty pleasures. I like what i like and i'm not afraid to admit it.

But.... as far as respect from peers (we at RR), i own a few albums that would probably make most of the folks here cringe. I guess those would be guilty pleasures in roundabout way. So mine would be:

Several albums from John Denver. This guy was a putz to a supreme level ("far out") but the man could write some beautiful songs. "Poems, Prayers, and Promises" and "Rhyme and Reason" are two of my all-time favorite songs.

Well Tug, I know that some people here may be rolling their eyes at you but I'm totally with you on the John Denver thing. I have a few John Denver collections on CD and my Hubby bought a John Denver DVD for me for Christmas, which I haven't listened to/watched yet.

I've always loved his voice. I took my mother to see him as a Mother's Day gift many years ago and his voice, live, totally blew me away. So much so, that I took her to see him again a few years later. If you never had the chance to see him live, know that his records don't do his voice justice. This man was incredibly gifted. Elton John is like that too. His voice is much richer in a live performance that on any of his recordings.

While he may be better known for some of his Hokey hits like Thank God I'm a Country Boy and Leaving on a Jet Plane, you're right, Tug. Poems, Prayers and Promises and Rhyme and Reason, among so many others, are beautiful songs.

MindGoneHaywire
02-07-2004, 10:49 AM
I've never thought of John Denver in the same scornful way that I would reserve for other performers. I don't have any of his stuff, but I was playing 'Take Me Home Country Roads' Ramones-style in a cover band more than 10 years ago & I don't consider 'Jet Plane' to be hokey at all. There are a lot of performers that I really don't like at all & don't have any of their stuff, but when I'm assaulted by one of their tunes on the radio, one out of every hundred or so has a melody line or a hook or a chorus or something that makes me say, as much as I hate to admit it, that's a good pop song, or at least a good part of a pop song. I've heard James Taylor songs I thought were good, even Phil Collins (at least at one time). I did grow up listening to Billy Joel, and while I can't stand him anymore or most of his music, the man is clearly talented & had a way with melody. And John Denver had more than one tune that I thought was a good piece of work (I think 'Annie's Song' was another). But I can't go any further in my admiration for these Lite FM staples other than acknowledging that they either have a pop song I thought was decent, or a part of one; and I have no CDs or records by any of 'em. Now, there's one guy who I can honestly say I could never say that about even one of his songs, EVER, and that's Barry Manilow. My wife loves his music from childhood, though. Thankfully she never plays any of it. Anyone hear 'Manilow Sings Sinatra?' What a cash-in. What a wuss. What a travesty. What a ta-ra-ra-boom-dee-yay. If only that album had been instrumental-only...

tugmcmartin
02-09-2004, 12:10 PM
Wow, i'm kinda shocked that there are some not-so-negative comments about John Denver. Just goes to show that musical tastes in here are extremely varied and there's probably going to be more common ground amongst us than not.

For me, a lot of John Denver's songs hit home. "Rocky Mountain High" for one. Especially the part about "He was born in the summer of his 27th year... coming home to a place he'd never been before." I'm an east coaster who moved to Colorado in the summer of my 27th year (with my wife who is originally from here) and its definitely my home now. Love it here. His lyrics just paint such an accurate portrait of what its like in the Rockies. My mom, i'm sure, identifies with "I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado" since she thinks i kinda ran away from Virginia to be here. Kind of true, but kind of not. I came out here for my wife, but love it so much that i don't know if i'll ever move back.

Anyway, enough about some trivial personal BS. Nice to see John Denver isn't mockingly scorned by some.

T-

-Jar-
02-09-2004, 02:00 PM
Wow, i'm kinda shocked that there are some not-so-negative comments about John Denver. Just goes to show that musical tastes in here are extremely varied and there's probably going to be more common ground amongst us than not.

For me, a lot of John Denver's songs hit home. "Rocky Mountain High" for one. Especially the part about "He was born in the summer of his 27th year... coming home to a place he'd never been before." I'm an east coaster who moved to Colorado in the summer of my 27th year (with my wife who is originally from here) and its definitely my home now. Love it here. His lyrics just paint such an accurate portrait of what its like in the Rockies. My mom, i'm sure, identifies with "I Guess He'd Rather Be In Colorado" since she thinks i kinda ran away from Virginia to be here. Kind of true, but kind of not. I came out here for my wife, but love it so much that i don't know if i'll ever move back.

Anyway, enough about some trivial personal BS. Nice to see John Denver isn't mockingly scorned by some.

T-

I associate several John Denver songs with different points in my life. When I was 10, my dad moved our family from town out to the country to the Farmhouse he grew up in. So, the song with the line "sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend" from "Back Home Again" seemed to fit his life at that time. My favorite tune by JD is "Looking For Space" - I can't get through that song for some reason w/o getting choked up.. I guess I associate it with the feeling that sometimes I have that I wish I could somehow hit the reset button on my life.. what it's like to be a child, or a teenager, with your whole life ahead of you.. all the doubts, etc.. sometimes you think you're on top of the world then the cold hand of reality slaps you back to earth.. It's amazing what a link to the past music can be. Yea, John could be pretty cheezy, but I'll never say a bad thing about his music.

Looking for Space

On the road of experience
I’m trying to find my own way
Sometimes I wish that I could fly away
When I think that I’m moving
Suddenly things stand still
I’m afraid ‘cause I think they always will

And I’m looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I’m looking to know and understand
It’s a sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I’m almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle and
Sometimes I’m deep in despair

All alone in the universe
Sometimes that’s how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
Then I look in the centre
Suddenly everything’s clear
I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams

And I’m looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I’m looking to know and understand
It’s a sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I’m almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle and
Sometimes I’m deep in despair

On the road of experience
Join in the living day
If there’s an answer
It’s just that it’s just that way

When you’re looking for space
And to find out who you are
When you’re looking to try and reach the stars
It’s a sweet sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I’m almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle and
Sometimes I’m deep in despair
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
Like an eagle, I go flying high, ooh