h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sir Thomas Beecham described harpsichords very well I think. He said that they sound like "two skeletons copulating on a corrigated iron roof. In a hail storm". I tend to agree with him.

'Golden Brown' by the Stranglers sounded like it used a harpsichord.
But then the song was all about a love affair with heroin (ab)use, so just be careful with those ancient instruments kids.
Harpsichords have no staying power as they have no sustain - long live the Les Paul.

The problem with the harpsicord is the difficulty in maintaining the beast. Since its strings are "plucked" similarly to a guitar, the inner workings require alot of time to keep them operational. I personally enjoy harpsicord music, tinny as it is. It has a very nostelgic aura that seems to transport one to another time and space... Well best be off to the transporter.

I think I may be just allergic to the sound and have found ways of justifying it. In the background of, say, Handel, it's great, but that tinniness gets to me by itself.