Please Check Out My Other Blog At:
www.steveeatsnyc.blogspot.com

WELCOME TO SMB

....where you will find interesting opinions and information on the music we love. Whether it be new and emerging artists, classic bands, shows, magazines, televison or just what we are listening to, always check in to find out what's going on in our musical world.



Friday, May 7, 2010

Q & A: Should They Stay Or Should They Go Now?



Things that make you go hmmm...that's what I'm asking myself. For instance do certain bands need to retire? Should they go their separate ways? In this entry I will discuss, with myself of course, several burning issues in the music industry and give my take on why they should or shouldn't be. So I will start out with the emotional topic of when a band should call it quits.

1. U2: I had an affair with the self proclaimed greatest band in the world from the early 90's until just a few years ago right before their last record, No Line On The Horizon. Prior to that album I had already decided it was time for them to go, not in a bad way but they seemed to have done everything they could possibly do musically. When is enough enough?
2. The Rolling Stones: Wait let me check outside to see if anyone is waiting to beat me up for saying this. Sorry peoples this is long overdue, I mean are we gonna wait for these guys to roll out in their wheelchairs? A shout out to the Baby Boomers for continuing to ride this train. P.S. longevity doesn't change the fact that the Beatles were still better.
3. The Eagles: These guys really annoy me, in fact they really annoy each other so why still play? This is the reunion syndrome. They broke up at the height of their career, went on to several successful solo records then decided to play some shows together for old times sake. Then whammo! They are back together with a stupid album called Hell Freezes Over, I guess not. I'm sorry but if your comeback album is a live greatest hits then it's not a comeback.

These next three bands should also start considering their options since their product of late has been less than stellar.

1. The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Going clean never sounded so ordinary. And what kind of album name is Stadium Arcadium? I love the Chili's but it's time for them to either take a permanent vacation or go back to the basics of what made them so great in the first place and I'm not talking Under The Bridge either!
2. Weezer: Riches to Rags, back to Riches and now what. They've already had their highly successful comeback with the Green Album and since then 4 subpar albums getting weaker each time. Harsh, maybe but this running joke can only go so far.
3. Foo Fighters: Now this one was a tough choice because I respect Dave Grohl a ton for making a name for himself after arguably being in one of the greatest bands of all time. However after a fast rise to the top the Foo's are starting to feel a bit stale and need to put out a significant record to remain relevant.

A band we would like to see come back real soon? The Strokes. We hope these guys can mend their differences and put out another badass record.

Here are a couple of music trends that I'd like to see go away:
1. Bands with all-star line-ups. Just because you guys were great with another band doesn't mean you won't suck in the new one. See Audioslave, Chickenfoot, Oysterhead for example.
2. Lil Wayne guesting in every song on the radio. Thankfully Lil Wayne had to go off to jail on a little weapons charge otherwise he'd have been on the new Broken Social Scene record as well.
3. Rappers who announce they are retiring. Jay-Z, Puffy, Eminem. Come on. It's just a ploy to make these guys relevant again, oops that hasn't worked out too well for Em.
4. Broadway shows inspired by rock albums. Tommy, ok that was pretty much a given, but American Idiot?
5. Reunion concerts. No explanation necessary.
6. Bands or musicians who play Vegas. See Elvis.
7. British vocalists who sing the chorus in Rap songs. At some point this might have been an original idea but it's time to put it out to pasture.

One last thing that needs to go...American Idol. Ok I'll admit it, I was a fan for the first four years but that was too long. Time to shut it down, sorry Ryan.

Honorable mentions: Axl Rose, Kenny Rogers, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, New Kids On The Block, Green Day, Aerosmith....did I mention Weezer?



No comments:

Post a Comment