HW boring ?...

[Chris Bates]

Alex wrote:

> >So you'll be familiar with Pink Floyd, Can, Gong, Van Der Graf Generator
> >etc who all use(d) repetition and drones to create an atmosphere?
> Sure Chris, but it's not systematic.

'tis with the bands I've listed.

> When I
> listened to those HW songs, I had this strange feeling that it always was
> the same track ! I never felt that way with Pink Floyd (that's the only one
> I've listened to from your list, though I've heard of the others but never
> had a chance to try them out yet).

Listen to early Floyd and you'll clearly see that they are coming from
the same place as HW. Trippy droney stuff that either recreates or
enhances the drug experience. Hmmm that's also what house music tries
to do isn't it :-) This kind of stuff is totally different to the
intellectual exercises of the prog mega-bands (Genesis, Yes, ELP), it's
much more visceral.

And later he wrote:

> >Um... if I don't know which songs you heard, how can I possibly say
> >whether all HW songs are "like that?" :-)
>
> By "like that", I meant bland. That all sound alike.

Untold albums over the last 26 years with a vast range of styles. Bland?
Maybe. My Mum thinks they're rubbish too, but then at least she can
explain her reasons, and I'm sure she'd never claim that gentle synth
pieces sound like balls-out rockers. *all sound alike*. Arse.

> like prog bands (like Kansas, King Crimson, Marillion, Dream Theater, Styx)
> and all kinds of other stuff : Pink Floyd (I don't really call them prog,
> though I know some people do, but as you say : it is a nebulously defined
> area in itself !), Supertramp, U2, The Police, Duran Duran (yes, you read
> well !), Talk Talk, Toto... and tons of other bands, some more obscure as

Oh, THAT kind of prog-rock. Not symphonic rock, not krautrock, not
Canterbury, no, bland middle-of-the-road radio fair. Why didn't you
say so earlier? Now I understand why you don't like HW.

Let's take King Crimson as a starting point; do you like their early
noisy albums *In the Court...*, *Larks Tongues...* etc or the later
(blander?) jazz-rock stuff such as *Red*? If it's the avant-guard
things then you might be able to get into HW - try the first album.
Otherwise it's probably too different to what you're used to. I wouldn't
advise spending money on things you're gonna hate. Try borrowing a few
albums, or get a compilation - somebody on boc-l can surely recommend a
nice diverse one.

> well. All in all, I have rather eclectic tastes, I think. What I *don't*
> like though is techno music and also the more heavier rock, like thrash,
> death metal, etc... (and rap - I can't stand rap) BOC is about as hard as I
> go. The only hard rock stuff I like, all things considered, are the old hard
> rock bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple... Does that help ?

Doesn't really help. As I suggested before try Levitation, but that's a
hard rock album so don't play it too loud. Seriously though, why bother?
Tastes vary, if you don't like something, you don't like it. C'est la vie.


Chris