My friend and long time Burning Wood supporter Ken D sent this to me yesterday:
I thought about this for a little bit. I've already proclaimed my love for both Motorhead and the Pet Shop Boys. I have also mentioned many times over the years how I don't believe in guilty pleasures when it comes to music. I genuinely love the genius behind ABBA's pop tunes and the aggressive attack of Judas Priest. No guilt whatsoever.
So how would I answer Ken's question? Which act would be outside my usual lane? I don't love hip-hop, but I do own every Beastie Boys and Public Enemy record, as well as a few choice classics of the genre.
Then it hit me. The Cro-Mags!
Hardcore is a lot different to my ears than punk or metal, though many fans of the genres love all three. "The Age Of Quarrel" is a record I fell in love with upon its release and even if it had to do with circumstances---seeing them live a few times with my friend Tim, being younger and stupider---I still own and love this record. It's loud, hard and fast and always hits the spot. And as it so happened, one of the first "quarantine concerts" I watched was from Harley & The Mags.
Aside from the Bad Brains, who cross hardcore punk with reggae and dub and who I love to death, The Cro-Mags' "The Age Of Quarrel" is my outlier, the only other hardcore record in my collection.
How about you?
14 comments:
I hold onto and play a lot of the Dischord bands - Rites of Spring, Beefeater, Fugazi, 3, Grey Matter. and the SST and Touch and Go bands. There's a great doc streaming on Prime about the DC hardcore scene called "Salad Days." also on Prime is a doc, "the New York Hardcore Chronicles Film," that features Agnostic Front, Biohazard and Youth of Today.
I totally get the affection for New Order. if you were clubbing in the 80's, you danced to them.
my outlier, since I in no way collect world music, is the record that Ry Cooder made with the Pahinui Brothers. my dad was stationed at Hickam AFB in Hawaii in the late sixties and it's a little nostalgic for me. Don Ho, not so much!
My outlier? "Loveless" by My Bloody Valentine. I've tried other bands that make this kind of noise music -- and even other MBV albums. This one stuck where nothing else like it does.
(I mean, I like a lot of albums that people probably turn their noses up in general at -- the "Jefferson Starship" albums from the 70s for example -- but those aren't outliers in what I listen to.)
Motorhead is the quintessential example for many
Hey Sal, honored that you like the topic!
Besides New Order, the other band that answers this question for me is Kid Creole & the Coconuts, despite my skepticism with "theatrical" acts. They had an absolutely killer live show too.
There are genres I don't like, like hair metal or modern (pop) country, largely for the same reasons (insincere careering over art), but I love (the pop smarts of) "We're Not Gonna Take It". In keeping with the nostalgic Hawaiian childhood memory above, the only jazz album I have is "Pete Fountain's New Orleans", a fave of my dad's and a record I too love. All the other jazz I have can fit on a CD or two, so I guess that'd be my outlier.
My 10-year-old daughter walked in while I was playing your Cro-Mags vids and said "Geez, Daddy, that's some rough stuff!" (and she loves "Ace Of Spades" and "Stranded" and Nirvana). So I told her I'm going to play her some Scratch Acid if she really wants to hear something rough!
C in California
Stan Tracey - Under Milk Wood, is about the only Jazz I have. As I once read and agree with, John Lennon said Jazz leaves him cold.
Jazz with "a beat" has a chance with me, such as the jazz players in the Skatalites. But mostly I steer clear.
Chris Botti - his stuff is the smoothest of Smooth Jazz, which means Kenny G is The Cro-Mags by comparison. And yet I have a few of his albums and I enjoy them all. Not so much Kenny G though.
Kevin, this is the Botti record I own:
Bruford Levin Upper Extremities https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000006EBP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pi6HEb7JTP31D
You have two more hardcore albums than I do, I never acquired the taste for it. I used to hear stuff on a local college station and wasn't interested.
I have a pretty fair amount of obscure rock/blues/country/rockabilly type music, but nothing I'd really call "outlier", just "unpopular" or "weird shit".
Sal -I had no idea that the Botti/Levin/Bruford record existed. I am very intrigued! Will check it out this weekend. Thanks for the tip.
Mine would be sitting thru a full side long song by Yes
So that means you are fan of Yes but no other prog?
The Fall. Loved them from the first time I heard them although their genre (whatever the hell that is) is nothing like my usual tastes.
Agree too on New Order and Kid Creole.
Tinpot
That would mean I am a fan of prog when it veers toward pop. But not a fan of prog when it veers to side long noodling. Exceptions are Genesis'
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