Although I suppose we could come up with a definition of metal based on some combination of objective musical criteria (e.g. double-bass drumming, de-tuning, distortion, etc.) or some common sense standard like the Supreme Court’s definition of pornography (i.e. “you know it when you hear it”), I have a nagging suspicion that metal is best defined by the particular emotions it most commonly expresses. See the rest here
The age old question: what makes something metal? It has come up for me lately a bit because my daughter has been enjoying AC/DC lately (started with hearing Highway to Hell over the closing credits of one of the Iron Man movies, now she likes some other tunes like Dirty Deeds and TNT) and she asked me “Is AC/DC heavy metal?” See the rest here
Chris Squire had a bigger impact on my bass playing than anyone else I listened to in my youth. Ged taught me how to step forward and fill up musical space with the instrument, which is a great counterpoint to Mike Rutherford’s subdued, almost Frippian unshowmanship. But Squire was really my Coltrane. See the rest here
Thanks for the kind words, JaPaBo. I’ve been on a Yes kick since he died. I listened to one of the new 1972 live releases–7 or 8 whole shows are available. Good stuff. He was a bass genius. Arse, would you say he was your biggest hero back in the day? See the rest here
I’ve been in mourning all week. It’s still too soon to listen to Fish’s bass playing (although maybe I’ll break my fast by finally listening to “Fish Out Of Water”). See the rest here
That’s too bad about Chris. I hope he gets better soon. The only Yes I know other than the hits is Tales from Topographic Oceans, which you played for me in college. I’m not sure you were trying to make me a fan… See the rest here
I wouldn’t know — I have never sat down and given a serious listen to anything after “Union” (although I’ve certainly tried to!) See the rest here
Sad–hope the big man is ok…
And wow, those newer Yes albums must really suck if they are worse than Tormato! See the rest here
On a related note: over at Stereogum, a columnist just spent what must have been a ludicrous amount of time listening to every Yes album, and then ranking them from worst to best. It’s hard to argue with his choices. See the rest here
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