OT – What is your greatest musical hot take?

Submitted by Nobody Likes a… on

It’s a Friday deep in the heart of OT season so I thought I’d ask, what is your greatest musical hot take? Someone must believe that “Major Tom” is better than “Space Oddity” or that Chris Gaines is superior to Garth Brooks

 

For me it is that George Harrison was the greatest Beatle. He wrote the single greatest Beatles song “While my guitar gently weeps” and had the best solo career. I will go to my grave believing that “My Sweet Lord” Is infinitely better than “Imagine”. There can also be no argument that The Travelling Wilburys were better than Wings (it’s not a fair comparison, I know). 

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corundum

June 2nd, 2017 at 10:45 AM ^

He is just grammy pandering at this point. Good Kid M.A.A.D City was excellent, TPAB was great the first time I heard it but didn't really have any staying power and was hard to listen to for a second time. This latest album was boring outside of a few bangers and the dude is pretty much tailor making his music for Pichfork.

Joined: 05/10/2012

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bronxblue

June 2nd, 2017 at 10:34 AM ^

My take is that the Beatles were fine and wrote some fine songs, but the deification feels like yet another consequence of baby boomers being myopic.

Joined: 11/22/2008

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StephenRKass

June 2nd, 2017 at 10:35 AM ^

I dunno if this counts as a hot take, but I have always enjoyed singing, and singing with other people, instead of just listening. Yes, listen to music, but also participate. Beyond that, it is great to play a musical instrument and be part of "making" music.

I really don't have a lot to say about which genre or performer is better than another. I realize nowadays that a lot of music is heavily massaged behind the scenes, so that voices are in tune and "balanced" the right way. All I'll say is that I appreciate things that are "unplugged," and not heavily dependent on technology.

I will listen to pop, country, grunge, orchestral music, choirs, rap, gospel, soul, blues, jazz, and others too numerous to mention. I guess the one kind of thing that has never worked for me is heavy metal or rock that has no discernible melody line whatsoever. Maybe that's just on me, and there is a melodic harmony. I just don't hear it.

Joined: 07/15/2008

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Larry Appleton

June 2nd, 2017 at 10:36 AM ^

- Bob Dylan was a great singer (he just had a bad voice) - Whitney Houston is the greatest female solo artist of all time - DMX was always vastly superior to Jay-Z - Motley Crue is the worst rock band of all time - "Every Day" by DMB was a great album - "Be Here Now" by Oasis was a great album - Ozzy Osbourne is the heavy metal Madonna (all image, very little talent) - Eddie Vedder was the least-compelling and least-talented frontman from the early-90s grunge-alternative scene (he's still awesome) - Jazz is by-and-large pointless jibberish

Joined: 05/15/2014

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Nobody Likes a…

June 2nd, 2017 at 10:42 AM ^

I have seen Dylan recently and he still has the same voice he always did, it’s not a degree of giving a fuck. If he plays something new-ish like “Early Roman Kings” or “Duquesne Whistle” he still puts effort into it and you can hear him clearly, but if you don’t know “tangled up in blue” is coming it will take you a while to notice that he’s playing it because he just doesn’t care 

 

 

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Rodriguesqe

June 3rd, 2017 at 10:21 AM ^

- Bob Dylan was a great singer (he just had a bad voice)

Was going to say this. Often his best performances have been covers. Dude gets music - not just song writing.

Joined: 12/29/2013

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Nobody Likes a…

June 2nd, 2017 at 10:36 AM ^

Their early work was a little too new wave for my taste. But when Sports came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor.  In '87, Huey released this; Fore!, their most accomplished album. I think their undisputed masterpiece is "Hip To Be Square". A song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of conformity and the importance of trends. It's also a personal statement about the band itself. 

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Everyone Murders

June 2nd, 2017 at 11:12 AM ^

I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where, uh, Phil Collins' presence became more apparent. I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums.

Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument.

In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism.

Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as, uh, anything I've heard in rock.

Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and, uh, Against All Odds.

But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Sussudio, a great, great song, a personal favorite.

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