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Post by Velata on Oct 23, 2005 23:42:10 GMT -5
... May I...?
So much for politeness and diplomacy, hein?
I don't like names, and I avoid pointing fingers. However, I can tell you that as far as music videos go, I have no great love for some of the recent ones that seem to follow a formula: - singer with flashy/skimpy clothing - adorned with an excess of jewellery commonly known as "bling" - drives around in fancy, expansive cars - goes to gatherings with people who dress in a similar fashion (no pun intended) - a group dance number ensues - male singer gets surrounded by women who wear next to nothing - money, champagne, guns, getting away with some sort of crime - excessive amount of singer's head shots - exotic locale or fancy club scene ... if a videos fits more than 2 or 3 of the above criteria, the "Poser alert" screams in my head. And plese let it be known that these rules do not always pertain to the Rap/R 'n' B community, although many of them do run in with these formulae.
Manufactured bands are usually a bad idea, and so are "contest winners." Many of them ended up as one-hit wonders, anyway. That doesn't mean one-hit wonders are always bad... no. The probability of them being overly commercialised/cheesy/full of themselves/etc, however, is unproportionally high.
Hopefully, these comments along will suffice in answering your question. After all, since the forum is a public venue, we cannot stop people from reading this. I believe I should at least observe some courtesy to whomever who might be reading.
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Post by Genna on Oct 24, 2005 11:17:19 GMT -5
Oh honey! I hear you! the music industry in general is SICK (err... not in a good way).
can you say massari (or whatever - I can't be bothered to check up his name). He's albanian I think? who cares. can't fucking sing/write lyrics/write the non-vocal parts of his songs/mkae the people who do write the non-vocal parts write something worthwhile/make a decent video...
I have to confess that I kind of have a weak spot for a coupla kelly clarkson songs though - oh fuck the cat's out of the bag.
I don't see anything wrong with posts like this. If there are massari fans here - come defend him - post some lyrics that moved you! or tell me what part of his singing, "his" music is remarkable - I can easily do the above if people choose to put down my fave bands. I see no harm? as long as it doesn't end in PERSONAL flames. Listen I used to have friends who loooved the backstreet boys. While I wanted to kill bsb, I loved my friends and respected when they explained to me that brian's voice is very special to them and that they liked it when the boys harmonized. it hardly mattered. music you listen to doesn't have to define who you are. My brother was recently very seriously bashing Audioslave heavily - a band I happen to like - but whatever he raised very good points (uncreative choruses...) Tom morello's riffs definitely aren't as inspiring as when he was with rage. Still I absolutely adore Chris Cornell's sEXY voice (which he says is nothing special lol) SO I am more willing than my brother to forgive their shortcomings. Like Velvet revolver, I don't think audioslave has reached its potential yet
If people on other forums can civilly discuss the saddam trial I'm sure we can handle a music discussion. So long as nobody acts like an asshole and obviously tries to be threatening, or to obviously be eliciting an angry response. although it's hard to "read" tone - I am trying to be lighthearted about the whole thing because I'm not taking this discussion all that seriously - I'm just having fun with it.
I hope I didn't offend you or anyone with my bon jovi comments - I did add the disclaimer that I've only heard a couple of songs/seen vids from his newer era and explained why I felt they were unimpressive.
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Post by Advent Childhe on Oct 29, 2005 8:36:17 GMT -5
Greetings:
I like Bon Jovi.
I like Bon Jovi in a similar way that I like Great Big Sea.
I have seen many videos in my life (as did you all) and I must say, the times that the rocker/actor/actress actually "smile" or "laugh" during these videos are quite rare.
Now, this is not to say that they don't smile or laugh... no. What I meant is that one rarely see them smile in the videos for some sort of benign reason. You see 50 Cent smile all the time... when he is being straddled by a scantly dressed woman. You see rockers from Metal bands laugh all the time... when they are being fed mouth-to-mouth by groupies....
Other bands such as Korn (thankfully dead), Slipknot, Sum41, or others of the alternative/pop stream are all way too serious to smile in their videos. Have you ever seen My Lady Peace members smile normally (ignore the insane smile that the main singer uses sometimes)?
Bon Jovi, Great Big Sea (especially GBS) and others of the smiling ilk just give off that sense of relaxed fun aura. You can sense that they smile because they are happy. Yeah.
Check out Great Big Sea if anyone is interested.
All hail the Ram, Advent Childhe,
PS: If anyone has ever read "Avalon" on-line, they would be smiling like Bon Jovi or GBS members right now.
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Post by Bryan on Oct 29, 2005 22:40:50 GMT -5
wow almost all the musics i love velata hate... man... and i just gotta say not all contest winners are bad... the 1st ones are usually good... it's just the one's that come after r one hit wonders... some didn't even get to the 1st hit... take american idole for example... kelly clarkson has been on the top of the charts for almost 4 years since she won, but the rest have become no namers that u hardly even hear about anymore...
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Post by Velata on Oct 30, 2005 23:27:26 GMT -5
... May I...?
I'd like to apologise if I have offended HM's sensitivities. I will admit that Hip-hop/R 'n' B is very popular nowdays, and some good songs have surfaced. I am not trying to say that they are worthless in anyway.
Like what I've said, I am trying to keep this conversation polite, since music plays a very dear part of everyone's life. I welcome HM into the conversation, and wait to hear his further input.
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Post by Bryan on Oct 31, 2005 9:04:12 GMT -5
oh no... i'm not offended in anyway... just thought it's funny that our tastes are on complete opposite ends of the spectrum that's all...XD
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Post by Velata on Nov 1, 2005 3:00:20 GMT -5
... May I...? Does it ever occur to you that even when our musical tastes differ wildly... both of us are still considered by other people under one umbrella term? (i.e. "goth") I guess, this quick observation undermines the genre definitions in music quite a bit, hein? Especially of what they call "Gothic rock"....
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Post by Advent Childhe on Nov 1, 2005 10:13:56 GMT -5
Greetings:
"Both of us are still considered Goths?"
I did not see that particular side of HM's wardrobe. Nor do I wish to see it (grin).
I find it fascinating and at times sickening how musicians are able to affect the so called fashion trends. In this term then, the phrase "appearence is everything" really does come into play. Music is music, I have never understood its recent connections with fashion. As a recent subculture its really taken over a hold on the general populous. Even Beastie Boys are working on a new clothing line.
Mind, I am not against having one's own preference in fashion. Not at all. But it is not a stretch to fear and wonder when will the music business be more about the look than the music?
All hail the Ram, Advent Childhe,
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Post by Velata on Nov 3, 2005 23:56:52 GMT -5
... May I...? I believe, this trend of "making trends" is another aspect to the entertainment business. It is a business, after all. This "branding" plays on the insecurities and the desires of the fans so a select group of individuals can profit from them. After all, before all this "branding" happened, people still went out to get huge ear-rings and large numbers of necklaces in the hope that they would look like Madonna (or the red leather jacket in the "Bad" video by Michael Jackson... classic examples). Some people have just smartened up to this possibility, is all. ~sigh, that being said, if I see another rapper wannabe in baby blue hip-hop wear... I will scream. Now that we've opened this can of worms, what do you think of the so-called "Cosplay stores"?
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Post by Advent Childhe on Nov 4, 2005 20:23:10 GMT -5
Greetings:
I can understand the concept of hero-worshiping. This is an eternal concept at the heart of us all. However, when it gets to a point where the singer/songstresses are overtly making their attires another venue of profit....
Rap videos are bad. Sure they display scantily clad women (much to my enjoyment), but the least they can do is hire better looking ones. They promote the body... not the beauty in my belief. They also promote the idea that once one becomes a gangster they can have all the groupie love that they want... Is that real? I don't know.
"Cosplay Stores" can lead to a similar trend... however, I do not see it going so far. After all, the anime community is a small subculture, no matter how colourful and vibrant it may seem. With all the sanctions on content and such not every quality anime gets released in North America. These stores will have to resort to popular shows like "Shaman King" or "Bey blade" to make a living.... I doubt that it will be as big and exaggerated as the hip-hop business had gone.
Sigh... I remember the days of blues, jazz, and good old rhythm and blues.
But the good old days of music did not have as many scantily clad women....
We need a compromise!
All hail the Ram, Advent Childhe,
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Post by Tim on Nov 5, 2005 9:51:59 GMT -5
Here's another conversation that I regret to have missed out upon. There's only so much speed reading that one can do. I dont watch tv often, but when i do it's usually either cartoons, films or music videos. My only other passion apart from music is film -and I would like to get into motion picture photography (i.e. making movies). I'm always thinking how particular songs work for a video, and I don't really like footage of a band playing their song in the video (it's more or less cheesy) -but it can be pulled off quite nicely too! One of my favorite videos is actually from Sloan: The Lines You Amend. It's filmed like old footage of some 60s pop group. The song itself is cheerful and melodic, until you notice they're singing about suicide. Spooky. They made a couple of Led Zeppelin "videos" for Whole Lotta Love & Travelling Riverside Blues. Both are killer videos that weave various concert bits with other footage. I like videos that make fun of a genre. But also creative videos. One that I'd like to make would actually feature some other band trying to play it. Or something where part of the video is animated. Music videos are a challenge in film-making because they force the filmmaker to present a series of ideas that work with a song for a film that's usually about 3 minutes long. The movie is made according to the rules set by the song. Compare that to the scores for motion pictures. Now the soundtrack has to follow the rules set forth by the film. I'm using the word "rules" loosely here, but I hope you get the idea. There is a very interesting interaction between music and film and I think that the good videos are made by people who understand the dynamics of this interaction & use it to its full potential.
There's not a lot that turns me off out there (in terms of music). I used to hate boy bands until I worked security at concerts. I did security for an N-Sync concert. I actually found it was fun. I gained an appreciation for what they were doing (making thousands happy) even though their music was cheesy. I also saw that these guys really put on a good show. They really matched their songs with good showmanship, having little sketches on stage. Depeche Mode puts on a really good show too. It's one of the best I've ever seen. Though I've heard that Pink Floyd had the best concerts. They surrounded the audience with speakers and gave such an experience. I have heard this from my cousin and a guy at work. I've read about this too. I really want those guys to tour again so I can catch what they said.
I was going to write more on rap. But for another post.
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Post by Bryan on Nov 5, 2005 15:05:37 GMT -5
lol goth... well we r both into gothic thins... although mine is very much restricted to vampirisms... while valata ur interest span a wider variety...
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Post by Genna on Nov 5, 2005 23:33:51 GMT -5
Hey so I watched november rain for the first time.... the story's CRAAAZAY! oh NO! it's raining let's hide under tables and jump through cake! I know it represents like life turmoil and such it's just funny - must be acid rain lol which stephanie seymour then dies from! haha good! nono I get it I really do - it traces happiness, troubles and death of his love. is it just me or is slash toooo hot! standing there in the desert ripping out those killer solos... I'd forgive him if he walked out of my wedding and forgot my ring! Then he stands on top of a piano! hot! and axl playing the piano! hot! axl in red jacket! hot!
ok that's enough... but is it? i don't think they CAN make a bad video!
ok gotta study but will post about bon jovi later.
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Post by Velata on Nov 6, 2005 21:38:40 GMT -5
... May I...?
To Genna: I'm glad you liked "November Rain." Personally, I liked the story a lot. The red jacket was a bonus. I've often thought... how would I look in that red jacket....?
To HM: Both Goth.... ~sigh It's such an over-used term that covers too many things. I was actually curious; since people have the preconception that "Goth people listen to goth music", when they're faced with a situation like HM and I... what would they say? How can they explain such a phenomenon, except to say that "goths" don't actually listen to "goth music"?
But I digress... that's just my wild reveries, that's all.
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Post by shen on Nov 6, 2005 21:51:30 GMT -5
there's all this talk about Guns N Roses, and I've never listened to any of their pieces before (at least i don't think i did)
so Velata was kind enough to send me "November Rain" (just a live mp3)
and well................ (I don't wanna bash Axel) or anything, but i can't understand a word he's saying....................it's like some 70 year old dude is singing, or someone who has smoked too many cigarettes
anyways, i read the lyrics to the song, and they are pretty good, kinda sad, but not bad, good for when your breaking up or being dumped =)
in any case, does anyone listen to Pearl Jam or Radiohead? ........some grunge and alternative rock
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