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

I've just arrived

Sure, Beatles and guys were influential and very rich, but so were Bathory, Venom, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath etc but they are only given credit by the metalheads and not by the outside world.
And before you say anything, those bands are not just popular with the metal-muthas, ok? -Some- people outside seem to like them but not enough to get them recognition over the Beatles.
Moan moan boring Sid, you're so -boring- Sid -boring- -boring-...

So are you saying that Iron Maiden had a consistently higher quality output, and changed music in more ways, than the Beatles? Consider that John Lennon's lyrics took protest music mainstream and made the world aware, that George Harrison is responsible for introducing the western world to the Sitar, that no English group had made it big in America for a very long time before the Beatles who opened the store for the Stones, the Animals, the Bluesbreakers (with Eric Clapton), and the Jimi Hendrix Experience (yeah, Hendrix was a Yank, but his backing band was all british). And if you think Heavy Metal would have been here without Hendrix's widespread (ei both sides of the Atlantic) popularity, you're sadly mistaken.

I'm not saying that HM is bad music. In fact, I liked the one Black Sabbath song I've heard. I'm not saying that the bands you've listed aren't influencial. But I am pointing out why the Beatles are given so much credit -- and it's *because* they were so widely popular that they did so. If they'd started out with songs like "A Day in the Life" and "Helter Skelter" they'd have never made it. It's the fact that they started Pop and grabbed a huge audience before they became inventive musical geniuses that allowed them to be so influencial.

~Irving

And you know what, that's the sad thing. The Beatles -did- earn their place, and we're getting reminded about it From Here To Eternity!

Maiden, like most other metal bands, have their own way of being influential. I'd say it was the style. When they change their lineup and a new singer comes in, everything changes, so much it takes fans a while to realise what's happened to their beloved band.
Iron Maiden, The Number Of The Beast, The X Factor, Brave New World (coming soon!), they're all points where the singer's been changed, and audiences have to open their minds a bit.

Even Bathory changed from unique death metal to unique themeed-viking music...obviously this is not a patch on the Beatles, but it's different in a different way, y'know?

Kids today seem to be thinking that the old Monsters of Rock (like the bands I mentioned two posts up) are tres boring, and seem to be finding all sorts of new stuff in the HM world. Yes, da old bandz were very big and powerful, but they are now a bit boring (or is that just my own opinion - yikes!). Bout time somebody said "ok, there's more than five bands that we can all bow down to": I think that's what I'm trying to say.


I bet 90% of what I said was irellevant crap, but foo that.

Not really totally crap Mike. Black Sabbath do get at least one metion in the list (I'm now at work and the mag is at home).
The old monsters of rock, like all bands over time have been supersceded (sp?) by the newer bunch (I'd call them kids, but the main man behind slipknot is older than me). They also do listen and experiment with music other than just rock/metal.

*puts down doughnuts and freshly made tea and orange juice*

And get get back to another one of Mike's major complaints about today's music, why is it so difficult for the middle-aged rockmusic lovers like me to find the good new stuff? I stopped listening to "chart music" when the rap/hip-hop thing got revved up. Sorry world; to me that is NOT music. Dance material maybe, but not music. In the old days (sorry), we heard stuff on the radio or at your friend's house and that influenced what you bought. That will still be true for university students like Irv and still-in-school types like Mike, but what do I do?

Thank goodness for the way radio is run in the UK. Having the BBC allows music of all sorts to be played, not just the chart bound stuff. Yes we could get into all sorts of discussions about the choices of records played on the radio, but there are many programmes (both nationally and locally) which highlight the new music in all genres, country, rock, alternative, dance, rap, classical, jazz. They also have a good commitment to live music, either broadcasting concerts or getting musicians in to do sessions (who in a rock band wouldn't love to get a session on the John Peel show ).
I think that it must be harder in the US because of the way the stations are run, but you should be able to find something on the net which will cater to your tastes, even if it is good old auntie beeb!

Phil who is still influenced by what he hears, and even by interesting looking records/cds in record shops (something London hasn't a shortage of )

*Orange juice, just right after the curry I had for lunch*

With the Beeb, you also avoid the chiefest scourge of 99% of American radio, namely the commercials. Ow. Let's not go there.

You know, I haven't had a proper Indian meal, besides the ones I try to cook for myself, since 1984? There are two Thai restaurants in Lakeland, but Thai food just isn't the same.

Indeed Thai food just isn't the same. I have been told it can be quite difficult to get good indian food in the US. Suppose it's a collonial thing, which is why you get lots of SE Asian stuff instead! A friend at work introduced me to a great little takeaway stall that sets up on mondays and tuesdays in the market round the corner from here

As for comercials, the beeb certainly does get rid of them (apart from pluuging it's own stuff that is) and good riddance. You can get all the main bbc radio channels (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) as streaming real audio. There are many other channels that you can also get. I haven't realy looked as real audio on freebsd (at work) isn't great. I'll stick with my MP3s.

I'm glad to hear from what you said earlier that John Peel is still around. I presume he's still doing the same thing, presenting the cutting edge in music?

What about (wait for it) Tony Blackburn? Noel Edmonds? Kenny Everett? I lived in England all during the 70's and early 80's, and the Kenny Everett show is one of my favorite memories.

What software do I use to get radio on my computer? Will Realplayer 7 work? The way that app took over my macine, it ought to be good for something besides playing samples of CD's at Amazon.com.

Oh, and what's a good website in England for buying CD's? I'd be interested to browse there and see what the selection is like.

I remember Kenny Everet, wild and zany - now there's someone who it's right to call zany. Sadly gone. Noel Edmonds now just has the occasional pop at the BBC after it axed a tv programme of his (a saturday evening light entertainment). I'm sure Tony Blackburn is still on a radio station somewhere playing all your favourite classics from the 60's and 70's (along with people like Simon Bates and DLT)

John Peel is still doing what he does best, as you say playing the cutting edge stuff before other people get hold of it. Lots of demos and sessions like always. Lets see 10pm-midnight, should be just right for an early evening show for you Lil

The realplayer is the one you want. I'm know there are plenty of radiostations which broadcast on the net, but I don't know where they are

I'm not sure about websites, http://www.boxman.co.uk and http://www.blackstar.co.uk might be worth a look. There are probably quite a few mail order places with lists on the web which would certainly be able to get the less mainstream stuff.

The only other thing I can say is check the schedules and see if you can find something that piques your interest, then try and remember to listen

Kenny Everett is gone ... like, dead?? Details, please

Gone is indeed dead. Maurice Cole, 1944-12-25 1995-04-04
there are a few websites out there http://www.vakart.co.uk/everettweb/
and God Almightly seems to have started an article here as well.

Kenny Everett died in his London home 4th April 1995 of an AIDs related illness.

Lil, I can't remember whether you're running mac or microsoft, but I know that on realplayer 7 basic on the mac there's a menu that says "stations". It lists net radio stations that you can tune into by choosing them in the menu. For a while I got hooked listening to Virgin Radio UK because the commercials in England seem to be so much more clever than those in the states, but it plays mostly the kind of music you'd hear on an American station. I don't know if you can get BBC channels on realplayer, either.

I'm proud to say that the last insanely popular album I bought, Santana's Supernatural, I bought before it started climbing the charts. I just heard that Santana had an album out and I bought it. I had no idea it'd still be on the charts nearly a year later!

~Irving

For the BBC go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/audio.shtml and you can listen to the 5 stations output as well as the World Service and the Aisan Network. There is also links to the websites of the individual stations where you'll find more info about what they're playing etc.

If you think the commercials are better in the UK than the US, I'm not sure what to think of what the US stations play

I think that Carlos Santana is probably suprised that it's done so well also. I think that the last insanely popular album I bought was the album Play from Moby. I'd heard the couple of singles released prior to the album and when it was released it didn't do massive amounts. It's now been in the UK top 10 albums for an age and all the tracks now have been liscenced for use in adverts around the world. Don't let that put you off though, it's a great album.

I think I just like the British sense of humor better -- even in commercials -- and I didn't hear nearly as many obnoxious car dealership commercials.

I rather like my radio station... you can all have a listen if you like. However, I admit that I have to turn off the radio at times- but I have strong distaste from a few bands... you will hear no britney spears, tupac, puffy, backstreet boys, n*sync, or alguilara.

http://www.weqx.com

Kenny Everett has been dead for 5 years *wonderingly* and I didn't know. His TV shows were always in the BEST possible TASTE!! Mike(A), did you ever see any of his shows? In the beginning they had a problem because he kept making all the stage crew crack up, but they kept it on as the first ever spontaneous techie laugh track.

As for US radio commercials, you haven't heard anything until you've heard Isaac Hayes croon to a cheeseburger 4 tmes in 15 minutes.

It will be a little while before I put on the radio -- we have Palestrina on the Bose right now. Missa pro defunctis in honour of Maurice Cole, aka Kenny Everett...

Nah, the only time I ever -heard- of Kenny E was about a year or two ago, and by then he was stone f***ing dead of course . He sounds like a real hoopy frood

Now, Lil's problem of finding decent music...that's a tough one...

Radio does not work for me. Radio sucks. You spend most the time listening to crap, and once in a while if you're very lucky a song you know and like might get played.
I get my new material by listening to friends stuff, reading magazines and by doing a bit of research.

I can probably credit that wretch () Urchin for changing my life by getting me into HM...flawed though the introduction was!
I found out about the Samson rereleases by reading a copy of Metal Hammer...and thus discovered a band that I'd heard about before (seeing as they are connected to the Iron Maiden family tree) and knew that I could finally buy their (early) albums
And of course I heard about Bathory from the Denim & Leather website...now there is a band that's gagging to be checked out

Does that help?

*takes Palestrina off, puts Little Feat Sailin Shoes CD on*
*mindspring starts to crawl off toward the kitchen*
Well, maybe I should start reading Rolling Stone again.

Interestingly enough me and Irv had a bit of an exchange over Rolling Stone...it seems almost impossible to get it in the UK