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

Hi, well just wondering if anybody has heard of Avril Lavigne 'cause all of my friends have but don't like her music so I was trying to see if I'm the only one that likes her music?!

My stay was shortlived. I have exams. I have lots of homework. I have no free time (curses to the extra curriculars i do), so au revoir, mes amis, i hope to see you in the next life!

lol xxx

spreadthelove

peace out loud.

Farewell and adieu... good luck with the exams!

Maybe you can come back during holidays?

Avril Lavigne is not my thing, in fact i think its pretty rubbishy stuff.

And EMR, now there are two things I think you should do...

1. Get a copy of Ben Lee's Awake is the New Sleep.

2. Hear some Coldplay!

Although I guess music is like that, everyone has a personal taste. Whilst some love Avril, I like The Beatles, Ben Lee and Coldplay, and then EMR likes Great Big Sea, which I have never heard of. I shall try and get hold of some from somewhere though!

Perhaps we should all try and expand our musical horizons.....

Right now I'm listening to Paul McCartney's most recent album, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. It is absolutely awesome!

Ok, could someone please fill me in: Who are the Arctic Monkeys and are they any good?

They seem to be immensly popular in the UK, yet nobodies heard of them in Australia.

Hi Orange,

The Artic Monkeys are a sheffield indie band of the post-libertine variety. They are OK at first, but there's not alot to them, they were too hyped too early.
They became popular due to word-of-mouth, the interweb, and Sandman magazine.

Currently, I've got tickets to go see The Rakes on Friday in Sheffield, and in 3 weeks I'm going to see 65daysofstatic in York.

Oh, and if you do listen to coldplay, try and avoid the later stuff, their earlier stuff is much more inovative and interesting.

b-b

My dad has (for some bizarre reason) become quite obsessed with the Arctic Monkeys. It's funny - they're on the top of the charts in the UK but unheard of in the States.

Same as in Australia, I've never ever heard them. Apparently the record is breaking all kind of records in the UK! Some are saying they are like The Beatles all over again!

Regarding Coldplay, I've been thinking of going out and buying A Rush of Blood to the Head, which is one I don't have. Recently I've been listening to X & Y, which I think is pretty amazing anyway! Although it doesn't sound like it at first, you delve into the music and everything becomes so different. I love 'Swallowed in the Sea', has anyone else heard the track?

The Artic Monkeys arn't the new Beatles, but they did invent the internet.

Most focus in Britain at the moment is on Yorkshire (which is great for me) after the likes of the Keiser Chiefs, Cribs and Artic Monkeys, so if you want to keep up to date try the sandman magazine (sheffield only) website, and obviously the nme (although its not great its a good predictor of future success).

At the moment, also watch out for Boy Kill Boy (was going to get tickets but going down to Norwich to meet cousin instead).

With Coldplay, I love Parachutes, thought RoBttH was ok, and don't mind, but don't like, X&Y. I think they've just got too mainstream, and too repetetive. But then I've followed them since the start, and many bands manage to alienate their early fanbase when they start changing due to their success.

b-b

The Kaiser Cheifs are pretty awesome, although I haven't heard very much of them.

Does anybody think that there will ever be a 'new' Bealtes, ie. a band who have such a huge affect on music and culture? Personally I don't really think so, although the next progression of rock music will need some kind of forerunner. Who do you think this will or could be, and what type of music do you think will be the next huge, huge thing?

(And I mean really huge, not something thats just popular or big.) The only prediction I'm keen to make is that rap music and the hip-hop genre in general will be finished with in about 7-15 years. I hope so!

I'm thinking about the long history of music, and it doesn't seem to me as if any other band or musical group has achieved the pop culture, legendary status of the Beatles. Actually ... I take that back. The closest I can think of was Paganini, a virtuoso violinist and very much the forerunner of modern rock groups, who make every concert into a performance. He was hugely popular throughout the world in the 19th century.

It depends what you mean by the 'new' Beatles.

If you mean popularity, both at the time and later, I would say alot of bands have already achieved this. The Stones, Floyd, The Kinks etc.

In terms of musical influence and legacy; Cream, The Pixies, The Smiths.

For both of the above; Led Zep, Blur, Coldplay(TBC).

SO in other words; Yes, and I think it has already happened.

b-b

Well, I confess to being pretty ignorant of rock music, so I don't know much (if anything) about Cream, the Pixies and the Smiths. But it seems to me that at the time the Beatles were playing, they were the first of their kind and introduced a whole new style to the music scene.

Additionally, do you see Stones-mania, Floyd-mania or Kinks-mania? No, the word that has become well-known is Beatlemania, with girls tearing out their hair, fainting, screaming, etc. You can see some evidence of it in Hard Day's Night.

"do you see Stones-mania...with girls tearing out their hair, fainting, screaming, etc."

Yes, I think you do, and also with many others (infamously Tom Jones and the underwear)

As for Pink Floyd and The Kinks, that's not really their type of fan.

b-b

Oh, and I think that Cream, and the Smiths (and to a certain extent the Pixies) did revolutionise rock (and other) music in the same way.

b-b

I have to confess that I don't really know enough about rock music to carry on a discussion.

I'm quite fond of Spinal Tap, though!

The difference between The Floyd, The Stones etc. and the Beatles is that whilst all made perhaps an almost equal contribution to the history and evolution of rock music, the Beatles also made cultural changes, in everything from politics to religion.

The Beatles were everybodies band. They weren't just for the big rock 'n roll fans. In my opinion, they were the first really really popular band the world over. A good test is this: Only the fans would know the names of every single band-member in say The Rolling Stones or Pink Floyd. But everbody knew, and most still do know, the four loveable moptops as they were at one point in their career.

In my opinion, the band that have come the closest to the contribution to music and culture as the Beatles are U2. And yet even they haven't had the cultural impact as The Beatles.

That's why I also mentioned Led Zep, Blur, Coldplay(TBC) etc as other bands having an equal impact both in terms of legacy and popularity.

For naming the members test I think that most people know principle members;

Led Zep - Jimmy Page & Robert Plant (also to a certain extent, John Paul-Jones and John Boham)
Blur - Damon Albarn (Graham Coxon)
Coldplay - Chris Martin

And most popular of all

Cream - ERIC CLAPTON

b-b

I couldn't name the members of any of those bands, but I can name John, Paul, George and Ringo.

On the other hand, I can name all the members of Pink Floyd, because I have the liner notes of The Wall sitting right in front of me (I'm listening to it for the first time and it's *amazing*!)

Roger Waters
David Gilmour
Nick Mason
Richard Wright