Hamish

If you'd actually read some of my other posts you realise that I don't assess a band on how popular they are either. You can't make up stuff to form the basis of an argument!

I likw Led Zep and Hendrix (who doesn't?) but there's a lot more to rock music than them. You should take the blinkers off and broaden your tastes a bit...

So calling all metal fans idiots is not putting up with someone's sh!te? Please explain... And by good rock music you referred to Led Zeppelin and Hendrix - that's not exactly saying you have an awareness of rock music is it? Even my dad has listened to them!

Mee, You have THE most illoigcal style of arguing! You make amzing jumps of faith extrapolating a comment someone's said into something way out there! Pseudo-intellectuals are very frustarting people to communicate with! :001: Firstly, I never said I like bands BECAUSE not a lot of other people do. I like bands only because of the music they play. My music collection attests to the fact that I listen to music for it's own merits. There is no trend or anti-trend to it. And I didn't dismiss popular music, I simply provided you with my theory why SUPER-popular blands, almost by definition, have to produce bland music. Please try and understand what I've written before spouting more nonsense!

P!ss off Alex, I'm looking forward to this :015: And I'm on Marty's side. Bring it on!

There's no point in arguing with dance monkeys who have little knowledge of music :001: A singer (and they have 2 singers!) who doesn't hit any notes? :015: After seeing them live I can say with some authority that I've never seen a band that were so pitch perfect (and without the need for electronic effects to force this!). But I like the fact that not everyone like's SOAD (or, indeed, most of the music I listen to). Truth is, that is the definition of it being alternative and a bit 'on the edge'. Bands that are super-polular are, by definition, bland. They haven't the luxury of offending anyone and need to produce bland music (which, ironically, I find offensive) that appeals to the lowest common denominator of music listener. Coldplay spring to mind...

You are quite a prejudiced person Mee, aren't you? You obviously have this sterotype of metal fans. A LOT of people (who like lots of other types of music too) like metal/rock music. In fact, I think you'd be hard pushed to find anyone who doesn't like some of it. I'd guarantee that if a big name rock band came to the Highlands it would sell out the biggest venue you can think of. Clearly a venue catering solely for ANY single type of music does not make good business sense and would close sharpish. And there are quite a few metal tribute bands that are successful. Off the top of my head I can think of 3 AC/DC ones (Bons Balls, Hells Belles and AC/DSHE).

What is so good about 'multi layered' guitars...it's not new , big or clever and plenty of bands have used them to thicken up a thin studio sound ( at the expense of space in the mix , usually which pinches a lot of the bass.) ...of course they will be something else live - they dont have 8 guitar players on the stage...or do they add some guitars in through the sound desk.... I seem to recall the Bay Area's finest hashed up some albums with a very greedy mid-range guitar sandwich. Erm, I didn't mean they have multi-layered guitars! They actually don't do that (especially live, with a very 'honest' sound). I meant the music they play is multi-layered with a lot of different styles included (listen to a record and you'll see). There is a definate folk influence in a lot of the melodies for instance. A lot of sings have a very interesting jux ta position of styles and tempos that makes them interesting. I know that's not entirely original either but what bands are original these days? SOAD are quite different to most rock bands though. All popular music has a direct lineage to Hank Williams Snr anyway! :001:

You say that now but I know the truth! :001: 'Holy Mountains' is a good song too, isn't it?

Mee, go back to listening to the SOAD album you downloaded :001: Despite you saying that you didn't like it, I know you've fallen in love with it and are secretly listening to it at every opportunity :001: :001: It's OK, embrace you're now found taste in music! :001: :001: :001:

My theory is that smokers are generally unhealthy and therefore also fat. The reduced heat since the smoking ban is due to less fat, sweaty smokers going there. And a knock-on effect is less BO too :001:

Show me a song that in some way is not derivative! But now that you've (allegedly) listened to SOAD and dismissed them then I can only conclude that your taste in music is, at best, very generic, at worst, non-existant (evidence of which is your self-confessed liking for Runrig :015:). So my involvement in this discussion ends here!

I'd say listen to 'Hypnotize' of the same named album but I can't see you admitting it's good even if you thought it was! You've got quite a lot invested in this argument at this stage!

That's a good argument for allowing smoking in bars - to mask the smell of BO! Why wasn't that raised in the Scottish Parliament? What are we paying our MSPs for?! :015:

In regard to all of the comments since my last post...what themann4thejob said! :001: Mee, seriously, give SOAD a proper listen. They are quite heavy but don't just switch off as soon as you hear the guitars. They are 'multi-layered' I think you could say. There's a lot of depth to their music and they have a very profound message in most of their songs too. Live they are something else. For instance, your average 'heavy metal' band would cover 'Sultans Of Swing' live! I admit that most rock bands are fairly mindless but SOAD (and Tool too) are not most rock bands.

Mee, you seem to have the habit of making stuff up! At no stage have I intimated that I haven't listened to dance music. And, if you read CAREFULLY, you'll see that I don't dismiss all of it. Some of it, as in all music genres, is good. The Prodigy immediately spring to mind. I have actually extensively listened to the dance music (not always through choice!) and am able to come to the informed opinion that I don't like the majority of it. And I have my theories as to why I don't like the majority of it; not least that given it is a very trend-driven genre the pashion for the music is therefore not always the primary reason why people play it. You need the passion for music for what you compose to be good I think. And, as far as I'm aware, you're still allowed to have your own opinions in the UK. Also, it might appear that your contemporary knowledge of music is somewhat lacking! SOAD are "american teenage thrash"? :015: Firstly, the term 'thrash' was relevant in the late 80s/ early 90s and, secondly, that's FAR from what SOAD are! I suggest you listen to them before pigeon-holeing them. You should also listen to the new Tool album, it's very good.

Mee - think of you're happy place! You're getting awful excited :001: Seen Dougie MacLean - thought he was ok but nothing special. Also seen Shooglenifty - again ok but nothing special. There are better celidh bands. And I never said I saw the Corries in Inverness, I saw them in Ellon. Try and keep up, it's worth it in the end :011:

Yes, Roy Williamson died in 1990. I saw them before then obviously. There has not been as good a Scottish folk band since the end of the Corries. I'm not sure what your point is though? Mozzart is also dead I believe - does that make his music any less relevant?

Oh, I forgot about the Smiths playing in the 80s! Also, I believe the Beatles and Stones played in the 60s as well. So, I stand corrected, there has been a plethora of phenomenal musicians playing the Highlands recently :006: A lot of the 'folk' played in teh Highlands these days could come under the classification of 'hackneyed jocko nonsense', as an English friend of mine once elloquently put it! Just inane drivel played for the tourists. And before you say it, I've seen Wolfstone a few times - utter pish :001: Where are genuinely talented bands like the Corries these days? They were one of the best bands I've ever seen live.

The mullet's coming along fine, thank-you! How's yours? :001: If you hadn't got it, my "there being nothing left but to get on a turntable or PC" comment was slightly tongue-in-cheek. Although many a true word is said in jest! But I think you'd find that my taste in music is broader than most peoples (look at the range of artists I've seen live over here). It's just that, in comparison, dance music (to me at least) is not all that talented. Dance 'musicians' generally do not spend many hours per day practicing playing their instrument. That's where a real undxerstanding of music comes from. As you were...

I've never seen them but the best name for a tribute band has to the Scottish Prodigy tribute band called Porridgy!

I'll book System Of A Down for you and get some decent music up in the Highlands for the first time ever probably! :015:

For that comment alone I will laugh off anything else you say as your knowledge of music is clearly zero! Apart from my formal training in classical guitar :006: You see, when you actually do know something about music you realise that the majority of dance 'music' is not very difficult to manufacture. And I have heard a lot of dance music as I used to work in an underground dance club (metaphorically and literally) in Aberdeen that booked many so-called big name DJs etc.

I'd have just preferred if they'd had a better selection of music. It was called 'Rockness' and I didn't notice much rock on the bill! I admit it was good for local economy, shame the music was crap :004: I take it then that you didn't go after you looked at the lineup and decided the music was crap...I suppose that could be expected considering you think SOAD ( Sod Off And Die??) are the greatest band in the world at the moment, (in your humble opinion) . I expect you are still a bit wet behind the ears and will surely grow out of the liking for one dimensional heavy guitar combos sooner or later . I hope you start enjoying yourself on that day . Funny thing is , although it was called Rock-Ness , and there wasn't any 'rock' on the bill there were plenty of rockin' tunes and overall the whole place did in fact 'Rock'. :017: My taste in music is very broad but doesn't (generally) include dance music. I think that people who come out with dance music have just realised one day that they can't write songs or play an instrument. Nothing left but to get on a turn-table or a PC! I just like music that pleases me (including folk, rock, country, classical) but NOTHING on the bill at Rockness would have. The range of music available there was very one dimensional and therefore not appealing to a lot of people. And I like the idea of still being 'wet behind the ears' - that's made my day! As you were... P.S. One other major factor in not going to Rockness was that I live in California. Where there is a wide selection of live music. Since I've been here I've seen Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Rev Horton Heat, SOAD, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, George Thorogood, Junior Brown (the latter being the best live musician I've ever seen).