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Obvious musical things you've only just realised

Started by 23 Daves, December 05, 2010, 02:42:32 PM

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23 Daves

Earlier this week, a stranger and I were desperately trying to stifle laughter about the enquiries of a young female tourist in Music and Video Exchange.  Her questions about the nature of vinyl records were so naive that they prompted the following answer from the unusually patient cashier: "No, those singles only have two songs on them, whereas the albums have many songs."

The trouble is, there are sliding scales of musical naivete, and once every so often I've found myself caught with my pants down, usually at a music quiz, but sometimes in general conversation.  For instance, for the past ten years now I've been listening to a track by American harmony group The Cascades called "Flying on the Ground", going as far as sticking it on compilations for friends, without realising that it's actually a mediocre cover of a Neil Young song rather than an original.  I got the track from a CD where no songwriting credits or sleevenotes were given, so I've since spent the last decade thinking that "Flying on The Ground" is a US harmony pop record rather than a track on Buffalo Springfield's first album - a band who, I have to go on to confess, I've barely listened to a single track by.  It's never occurred to me to bother.  There again, nor have I listened to Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks", any album by Elvis Costello from start to finish, or Meatloaf's "Bat out of Hell" in its entirety (although I'm sure I've absorbed enough of the latter to get a fair idea that it's not something I'd be mad keen on). 

So - what supposedly obvious musical things has it taken you years to realise, or what seminal records have you otherwise blanked?  If anyone can beat an ex-housemate of mine at this I'll be staggered.  He walked into my room once asking what "brilliant track" it was I had on my stereo, which at the time was "Strawberry Fields Forever".  I was so shocked by the statistical improbability of that - that somebody could have lived for nearly thirty years and never heard the song - that I nearly shook his hand, as it felt like some kind of bizarre achievement.

Johnny Townmouse

I'll jump straight in and say that I am usually very completist about music that I like, and generally have very good knowledge of the genres I am most interested in. This leaves massive gaps in my music knowledge regarding most mainstream, seminal music of the Beatles, Stones, Who etc. However, I would like to think I have a very good knowledge of experimental, industrial, avant-garde and krautrock music.

Over this weekend my wife has been playing a lot of Helios Creed, a 'band' that she has loved for a long time. I know the 'band' through being featured on various Amphetamine Reptile compilations alongside bands that I enjoy a great deal more, such as Helmet, Cows and God Bullies. My wife then informed me on saturday that Helios Creed is actually a person, not a band, and he used to be in a band called Chrome.
"Are you sure? That's a very good krautrock band."
"Yes, they're called Chrome."
"That's stupid. Why would you call your band Chrome when there already exists a very good German experimental band called Chrome?"
"I don't know."
"That makes me respect Helios Creed a whole lot less - didn't anyone even tell him?"
"I don't know."

So yes. It turns out that the early 70s German krautrock band I have known for the last 21 years as Chrome are in fact a San Francisco band from the late 70s, comprised of two guys, of which one is called Helios Creed.

The short version of this is that I got it into my head from a young age that Chrome were German. On another forum someone is probably posting about the guy who insisted that Chrome were German and would not back down. The twat.

NoSleep

To be fair Damon Edge and Helios Creed had a parting of ways, with Damon Edge retaining the rights to the Chrome name and moving shop to Germany.

Johnny Townmouse

Quote from: NoSleep on December 05, 2010, 03:39:30 PM
To be fair Damon Edge and Helios Creed had a parting of ways, with Damon Edge retaining the rights to the Chrome name and moving shop to Germany.

You are very kind, but only cursory research mentions a plethora of info about Chrome, a band I have enjoyed immensely in the past. It's just one of those things that crawled into my brain unchecked.

the midnight watch baboon

I didn't know what bass was for a very long time.

Here's a question: Why do black people champion bass-driven music more than honkies do?[nb]Based on possible misconceptions of jazz, reggae, hip-hop, house, jungle and their derivatives.[/nb]

gmoney

Quote from: the midnight watch baboon on December 05, 2010, 04:03:50 PM
I didn't know what bass was for a very long time.

Bit of a non-sequitur. What's fish got to do with anything?





Spoiler alert
sorry
[close]



NoSleep

Quote from: the midnight watch baboon on December 05, 2010, 04:03:50 PM
I didn't know what bass was for a very long time.

Sega Bass Fishing is 2nd only to Guitar Hero.

edit: damn you g

Johnny Yesno

Quote from: Johnny Townmouse on December 05, 2010, 03:22:50 PM
So yes. It turns out that the early 70s German krautrock band I have known for the last 21 years as Chrome are in fact a San Francisco band from the late 70s, comprised of two guys, of which one is called Helios Creed.

Not all the albums are just the two of them. The first album The Visitation, was played by a full band and doesn't feature Helios Creed at all. Alien Soundtracks had a full band and Half Machine Lip Moves had a third band member on it. It was around the time they made Blood on the Moon and Red Exposure that they tried to pass off the two of them as a band, crediting nonexistent members such as John L. Cyborg.


Cambrian Times


BlodwynPig

Weren't Chrome supposed to be touring Europe this year with Tommy Grenas from Farflung. I was keeping my eyes peeled but nothing. Farflung recently completed a tour of small hard-to-get to places in central Europe, so I missed that as well (although I saw them last year with White Hills in Berlin, which was incredible).

SavageHedgehog

For a while I wondered who this S.Engel person who wrote loads of songs for Scott Walker and his brothers was, and what kind of relationship he had with them to write them so many songs

Paaaaul

In a similar vein, I didn't realised why PWEI's primary songwriter Vestan Pance didn't ever appear on the records.

Dead kate moss

I thought Ornette Coleman was a woman.

When I was little I thought Abba had several female singers that weren't the blonde one, only later realising it was the same one with different hairstyles.


My friend didn't like The Smiths for years because he thought this was the singer:


mrClaypole

For about 6 months in 1991 when I 1st discovered the joys of SKA, I was convinced that it was pronounced by spelling out the letters, I went around telling everyone I "loved S- K- A music now",  what a dumb 14 year old I was.

alan nagsworth

Quote from: mrClaypole on December 07, 2010, 11:24:19 AM
For about 6 months in 1991 when I 1st discovered the joys of SKA, I was convinced that it was pronounced by spelling out the letters, I went around telling everyone I "loved S- K- A music now",  what a dumb 14 year old I was.

I thought it meant 'skate' and lumped it in with stuff like Blink-182 and Alien Ant Farm. Which is more embarrassing? There's only one way to find out!!!!!!

Spoiler alert
game of soggy biscuit followed by game of chequers
[close]

buttgammon

Quote from: alan nagsworth on December 08, 2010, 05:04:22 AM
I thought it meant 'skate' and lumped it in with stuff like Blink-182 and Alien Ant Farm. Which is more embarrassing? There's only one way to find out!!!!!!

I assumed this until I then assumed it was invented by Madness until I then assumed it was invented by The Specials until I then heard some original ska and thought 'hang on, what the hell is this.'

At about 14, I assumed I'd listen to ska-punk for the rest of my life. It never occurred to me that about a year or two later I would discover good music instead.

Johnny Townmouse

I only realised a couple of years ago that the annoying gobby twat in Generation X who looks a bit like Billy Idol is in fact..............Billy Idol.

Arsehole. Both of us.