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ForeverAutumn
04-01-2008, 09:14 AM
I was in the used CD store at lunchtime and they had a used copy of The Bends. So, being the addict that I am, I bought it. I've heard selected tracks off this one, but never the whole CD.

Unfortunately, he wanted $18.99 for the new REM. I like to support my indie guy, I don't mind paying a buck or two more. He always charges me less than his ticketed price and he's introduced me to lots of great music, so I feel like I'm getting my money's worth even when I occasionally pay more than I need to. But it was $6.00 over Best Buy. That's a bit much.

And, sorry Swishy, he didn't have the new Muse. I'll have to order that one from the US anyway to get the CD/DVD version. It doesn't look like the DVD was released here. :mad5:

I also picked up:

Roger Waters - The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking (used)
Vanden Plas - Far Off Grace (used)
Porcupine Tree - We Lost the Skyline (new)
Riverside - Out of Myself (I ordered this one a long time ago...finally came in)

And an assortment of burned rarities, bootlegs and OOPs that he made for me by:
Riverside
Threshold
Dream Theater
Porcupine Tree

A nice way to spend a lunch hour! :thumbsup:

ForeverAutumn
04-01-2008, 10:25 AM
After two spins of The Bends...this reminds me waaaaaaay more of Coldplay than it does Muse.

I would never connect Muse to this album. But I'd say that Coldplay has done a good job of copying it.

I like it better than OK Computer.

Davey
04-01-2008, 10:57 AM
After two spins of The Bends...this reminds me waaaaaaay more of Cold Play than it does Muse.

Careful, as I found out, you're treading on sacred ground ... :) http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f9/radiohead-new-coldplay-288427/

But you're right, that template from the Bends launched a lot of musical careers in the 90s and beyond. Shows how far reaching that presence was, and how much many of us missed that guitar heavy, but rock music as an art form sound of the past.

ForeverAutumn
04-01-2008, 11:10 AM
Wow. Tough crowd.

At least you got some discussion there. I seem to recall you posting that same thread here and then hearing the pin drop.

In my case, it was not understanding your comments. Now that I understand...I would support you. At least where The Bends is concerned. I didn't make the Coldplay connection when listening to OK Computer earlier in the week. Maybe I should go back and relisten with Coldplay in mind.

Nah, enough Radiohead. I gots me some new Porcupine Tree to spin. :14:

Davey
04-01-2008, 11:22 AM
I didn't make the Coldplay connection when listening to OK Computer earlier in the week.

Yeah, OK Computer has a more experimental and edgy sound than the Bends. More of a Pink Floyd and other 60s/70s psychedelic sound, though moving beyond some of Water's inane highschool diary lyrics. Coldplay didn't really follow that path, preferring a more calculated and dumbed-down mainstream approach that mimics latter day Stipe-driven REM (at least musically, Stipe has never really been a dummy - though I haven't heard the new one), and Radiohead hasn't followed that guitar-centric rock band sound much since either, though they do usually pay it homage for at least a song or two on most of their records.

Finch Platte
04-01-2008, 12:31 PM
Porcupine Tree - We Lost the Skyline (new)

Huh? What is this???

And, yeah- I hear you about prices. I want the new Pat Metheny, but they want $16 for it new. So, I'll have to do some trading. :aureola:

fp

3-LockBox
04-01-2008, 01:27 PM
Careful, as I found out, you're treading on sacred ground ... :) http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f9/radiohead-new-coldplay-288427/. (http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f9/radiohead-new-coldplay-288427/. [/quote)


You know you love it.

You're quite the caustic element over there, aren't you?

:3:

3-LockBox
04-01-2008, 01:41 PM
Huh? What is this???


I heard it. Its just Wilson and a guitar in front of a small audience. Maybe its one of those "authorized" or "official" boots. Other front men have done something similar; Dave Matthews, Doug Martsch come to mind. Too college bookstore-ish. Boring.

Swish
04-01-2008, 01:44 PM
After two spins of The Bends...this reminds me waaaaaaay more of Coldplay than it does Muse.

I would never connect Muse to this album. But I'd say that Coldplay has done a good job of copying it.

I like it better than OK Computer.

After two spins? Can't say too much about that. I like The Bends quite a lot too, but I don't go to that extreme. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no matter how wrong it may be. :p

Swishdaddy

ForeverAutumn
04-01-2008, 02:33 PM
After two spins? Can't say too much about that. I like The Bends quite a lot too, but I don't go to that extreme. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no matter how wrong it may be. :p

Swishdaddy

I'm very fickle. Ask me again tomorrow and you'll get a different answer.

I don't really like either one so what difference does it really make as to which one I like better?

ForeverAutumn
04-01-2008, 02:35 PM
I heard it. Its just Wilson and a guitar in front of a small audience. Maybe its one of those "authorized" or "official" boots. Other front men have done something similar; Dave Matthews, Doug Martsch come to mind. Too college bookstore-ish. Boring.



I haven't listened to it yet. My indie store guy told me that it was really good and that I should buy it. But then again, he is in the business of selling me music. :sosp:

Davey
04-01-2008, 03:35 PM
You know you love it. You're quite the caustic element over there, aren't you?

Not usually, but they are kinda gay for the Radiohead, huh?

Finch Platte
04-02-2008, 08:00 AM
And, sorry Swishy, he didn't have the new Muse. I'll have to order that one from the US anyway to get the CD/DVD version. It doesn't look like the DVD was released here.

I bought this last night. Listened to one song on the car stereo on the way home, and then grabbed a beer & put the DVD in the DVD player when I got home.

So, here goes. This is one of the worst concert DVDs I've ever seen & heard. :yikes: Sound is abysmal. At times, you can't distinguish wtf is going on, altho the bass drum & snare are prominent throughout. Can't say that for the bass, which is just a tinny afterthought. Guitar is way back in the mix sometimes, and sometimes it's fine. He's playing a lot of effects, which may be why it's hard to hear- it's just a wall of squalling noise at times.

The bass player (Christopher Wolstenholme) usually looks bored, when you get to see him, wayyyyy over on the other side of the stage. Focus is mainly on Matthew Bellamy, the guitar/keyboardist, and he tries to be a guitar god, playing to the entire Wembley stadium and mugging/emoting/sliding on his knees/throwing his guitar around as though his life depends on it. Whatever, shrugs Wolstenholme. The drummer (Dominic Howard) is competent, yet boring, and his kit sounds bone dry & taped-up- you'd never guess they were playing in a huge, open-air stadium.

And speaking of open- to me, the worst aspect of the DVD is the sound. It's very constricted- there's no life to it. There should be plenty of deep bass, as the band is augmented by a keyboard player- you'd think he'd have a couple of keys that go below middle 'C', eh? Nothing is separated, it's like the sound mixer took the sound into his hands and tried to compact it into the smallest possible ball he could. Terrible. Usually, my ears adjust to a bad recording, but in this case, I just couldn't bring myself to assimilate it. I had a scowl of disbelief on my face the whole show. Bad job. :prrr:

It seems as though there were several directors- sometimes the camera flashes on 7,290,212 images in the course of 4 seconds, and sometimes the camera will linger for what seems like minutes on something that doesn't have anything to do with the music. A big todo was made out of women dangling from balloons near the end of the show, but it's just pretty stupid and cheap-looking and distracting.

To me, the whole shebang seems like a wannabe teenband concert. The band wants to be into it (it was recorded over 2 nites at Wembley), the crowd is mouthing the words to all the songs and mugging sarcastically but it just doesn't make for a good DVD-watching experience. I found myself feeling sorry for the band, who is probably pretty sick of Bellamy's vocals and onstage acrobatics.

I don't plan on watching this again, and will probably never listen to a Muse disc and Bellamy's repetitious vocals without getting a little belch of bile coming back up.

That said, I'll sell it to you, FA, for $10 American. :biggrin5:

fp

ForeverAutumn
04-02-2008, 08:07 AM
CRAP! I just placed my Amazon order less than two minutes ago. I wonder if it's too late to change it? Is it seriously that bad? It'll cost me about $3.00 more to get the 2 disk set from the US vs. buying just the CD here.

ForeverAutumn
04-02-2008, 08:14 AM
I heard it. Its just Wilson and a guitar in front of a small audience. Maybe its one of those "authorized" or "official" boots. Other front men have done something similar; Dave Matthews, Doug Martsch come to mind. Too college bookstore-ish. Boring.

I just finished listening to this and on 1st spin, really liked it. I didn't find it boring at all. I thought the re-arrangements for some of the songs from full band to just guitar were really well done. The sound quality seems good, but it's hard to tell that for sure on my little office system.

Maybe it's because I'm a guitar player, but I really enjoyed this first listen. And I'll probably be searching out the music for Lazarus now. It makes me want to see Porcupine Tree perform a full unplugged concert.

3-LockBox
04-02-2008, 01:23 PM
I It makes me want to see Porcupine Tree perform a full unplugged concert.


A full band arrangement would be nice. But one person and a guitar is just too coffee-house.

ForeverAutumn
04-02-2008, 01:51 PM
A full band arrangement would be nice. But one person and a guitar is just too coffee-house.


I do tend to snap my fingers instead of clap my hands. Do you think that means something?

BradH
04-02-2008, 05:42 PM
I do tend to snap my fingers instead of clap my hands. Do you think that means something?

Lie down on the couch.

Do you find these actions occuring on one and three or on two and four?

bobsticks
04-02-2008, 06:35 PM
Lie down on the couch.

Do you find these actions occuring on one and three or on two and four?


Yeah, 'cause if they happen on two and four it may be more of a reggaeton hash bar thang than "coffee-house".