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I cannot get into Zappa at all. I've listened to Freak Out! and We're Only In It For The Money and just sit back in quiet confusion (I have Trout Mask Replica and don't find that as hard going - although it took a while). It's brilliantly innovative (a lot of the techniques are a couple of years ahead of what The Beatles were eventually given too much credit for) but does humour really belong in music...

 

I'll give it some more time. It's too much to miss out on.

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I've been playing the piano for 13 years and only now can I truly improvise with any efficiency. I'm a pretty poor musician but it's not really that easy...

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If you can play one or two songs on the piano, you can often give the appearance of being really good by slowly making a denigrating slip into randomly smashing the keyboard, or hitting it with your face. Pass it off as jazz improv.

"Konstantine" by Something Corporate is a good song to play when you want to impress people by not really doing anything. It's all just bare fifths, basically.

 

Piano is a tough one to improvise on, not to worry. I can do some very rudimentary improvisation, but that's about it. If I ranked my instruments in order of ability I'd go trumpet > piano > guitar = voice > harmonica.

 

As for Zappa, go for the heavier instrumental fare now: Uncle Meat, Hot Rats, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Weasels Ripped My Flesh, Waka/Jawaka, The Grand Wazoo. That ought to win you over. Or just get Sheik Yerbouti. You'd never guess me of all people, Uptight Bitch-About-The-Music-Folder Guy, to heavily favor an album with lyrics like "with a spindle up my BUTT til it makes me scream," "ram it up your poop chute," or "a grinder a bumper with a pre-moistened dumper," but it's Top 3 or 4 in my collection.

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For the record, here are the Beach Boys songs I think have lyrics on a par with those on Pet Sounds, for varying reasons.

 

Chronological (released - lyricist in brackets)

 

'In My Room' (Gary Usher); 'The Warmth Of The Sun' (Mike Love); 'I Get Around' (Mike Love); 'Please Let Me Wonder' (Mike Love); 'Good Vibrations' (Mike Love); 'Heroes & Villains' (Van Dyke Parks); 'Cabinessence' (Van Dyke Parks); 'Breakaway' (Murry Wilson); 'Add Some Music To Your Day' (Joe Knott & Mike Love (apparently)); 'A Day In The Life Of A Tree' (Jack Reiley); 'Till I Die (Brian Wilson); 'Surf's Up' (Van Dyke Parks); 'Sail On Sailor' (Van Dyke Parks, various)

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This is weird, but if you want to hear what I consider the greatest piece of piano ever, listen to Diamanda Galas' version of "I Put A Spell On You".

 

Nothing special, really, but she smashes it.

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Thoughts on the new Morrissey single?

 

Sounds like a bit of a sing-a-long to me. Production isn't too brilliant and his voice...I dunno. Not bowled over.

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Czech - Not sure, try the early stuff first. Kimono My House and Indiscreet kick ass, then Lil' Beethoven is just notable for sounding like nothing on earth. I like the newest but I dunno if it's the best place to start.

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Thoughts on the new Morrissey single?

 

Sounds like a bit of a sing-a-long to me. Production isn't too brilliant and his voice...I dunno. Not bowled over.

 

I liked it, better than most of You Are The Quarry, cos the sheen of the production on that one let it down.

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Thoughts on the new Morrissey single?

 

Sounds like a bit of a sing-a-long to me. Production isn't too brilliant and his voice...I dunno. Not bowled over.

I heard it last night on the radio and it's pretty much what I expected. Good stuff.

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The last couple of times I've heard "Bat Country" by Avenged Sevenfold on the radio I've really gotten into it, I've missed hearing metal like that on the radio that didn't involve grunting gutter vocals or tuned down guitars with no melody.

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The last couple of times I've heard "Bat Country" by Avenged Sevenfold on the radio I've really gotten into it, I've missed hearing metal like that on the radio that didn't involve grunting gutter vocals or tuned down guitars with no melody.

 

the video to it really soured me...up to that point, I had been a fan of the song.

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I think that'll come soon, actually. The amount of promotion they did for Hello Young Lovers over here, and the reception at wednesday's gig lead me to believe they'll be doing more stuff like that, if only for their European fanbase.

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I've noticed that if you try to find rap lyrics on the internet, from any source, that unless they're actually printed in the liner notes of the album, they're wrong pretty much 100% of the time.

This probably has something to do with the type of people who would want to type out lyrics and submit them to a site.

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I like how I still listen to The Wallflowers' Bringing Down the Horse ten years later. Mostly because my other musical tastes during that time were questionable (Third Eye Blind, "Return of the Mack").

 

 

Still, the stretch from "One Headlight" to "The Difference" is gangbusters.

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