| Trip's Essential Music Picks- NEW!!!!!! FRESH!!! |
| I. Bob Dylan- What can I say about this genius that hasn't already been said? For those of you that have never heard of him I cannot allow you to be so musically ignorant and demand that you either go and buy a cd("Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits" is a good start ) or if you prefer the cheaper more rebellious means, go to Napster(b4 'The Grinch who stole Napster' aka Lars Ulrich takes it) and download a few songs("Like a Rolling Stone" and "Tangled up in Blue" are grrreat and simply essential Dylan!) ...Ok, one thing you need to know about Dlyan: His voice is an acquired taste and for those of you partake of the musical sacrilidge of Nsync or Back Street Boys, Dylans unique voice will probably scare you, but don't let that keep you from continued listening...His songwriting is incredible and has totally changed music forever with his deep socially conscious lyrics and personally intimate sketches...For those of you who are interested Dylan became a born again Christian in the mid 70s and has a few Christian albums to his name("Slow Train Coming" is the best of this bunch)...Quality 'secular albums' by Dylan- "Blood on the Tracks", "Blonde on Blonde" and the newest relaease- "Time Out of Mind"..also if you really begin to get into Dylan the DVD "Don't Look Back" is a great look into the man at the height of his popularity... Also recommended- Neil Young.. |
| II. The Clash- For those of you young 'ens who don't see much in Dylan but think Green Day or Blink 182 are musical geniuses you need to check out The Clash...This band was one of the original punk rocks bands that began in the late 70's and was the first to bring blatantly socially conscious lyrics to a widespread audience...They were also one of the first hard rock bands to incorporate funk, reggae and other numerous styles into their sound...Though they were much bigger in the UK, their impact on punk/hard rock/alternative music cannot be measured...With the Clash I would recommend purchasing an album instead of getting a few songs from Napster...The Clash, unlike todays "Punk Rock" bands were not simply catering to the radio and attempting to make good singles as much as making quality albums...The Clash mesh much better in the album format...If you are going to buy a Clash album "London Calling" is essential...One of the best albums of rock history no doubt..Their self titled debut("The Clash") is also an amazing album....Their later release "Combat Rock" is also very good album with a couple of more radio friendly songs( "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go?")...Though they did make some incredible albums one to avoid is the dud- "Cut the Crap".. Also recommended- The Ramones |
| III. Blur- Well, for those of you who were wondering if I listened to anything from this century, I can only answer your snotty question with an affirmative yes...Though my generation has basically been subjected to one of the most dismal musical periods ( look for more on this later) since rock began in the 50s, we have been blessed to have a few acts that make us forget the New Kids on the Block or the MC Hammer's of our day...Blur is one of those bands..Blur is another band which never really caught on the US like they did in the UK..Many have speculated this comes from Blur being just "too smart" for the US audience..count me as another member of this "US music buyer hater club"..From the wry and yet catchy lyrics to the infectuous guitar infused brit pop they are known for, Blur is often far ahead of the times lyrically and musically..For a first time listener of Blur I can only recommend you do not try to pen down their sound to one style..Unlike other popular bands of the day(i.e. Limp Bizkit), you never know what you will get from Blur...For anyone interested in buying a Blur album, their recently released "The Best of Blur" is a great collection and gives a good look at the constantly evolving sound of Blur..This album does its job of wetting the appetite for more of Blur and is not a comprehensive collection to say the least...For further listening, their self titled album('Blur') is a good start as it is the first one that received any US attention, mainly from "Song 2 (that woohoo! song)"...Next, 'Parklife' is another great album..This album brought Blur to the forefront of the British music scene and opened up the floodgates of Blur sound-a-likes to enter the market...Their most recent effort '13' is also a great album to own..with the extremely catchy song "Tender" and also showcases Blur in their continued to effort to expand their musical horizons... Also recommended-Oasis |
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| This is a picture of Blur..For your visual stimulation...The visual element is part of what has killed rock..oops...sorry...oh well, click on the picture to go their Official Website where I stole this picture :) |
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