which country is responsible for the worst music?

[Rambler]

OK, since when was 'Eastern Europe' a country?

This is a subject close to my heart, so forgive me wading in here, but Hungary, for example, may be a small country (about 10 million people), but it has produced at least two of the most influential composers of the 20th century (Bartók and Ligeti); Poland's not far behind (Gorecki, Szymanowski, Penderecki). Even places like Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia and Armenia have made big marks on the classical landscape in the last 20 or 30 years. I can't speak for the pop/rock/etc. in most of these countries though.

 

[Chef Napalm]

Patrick Pulsinger and Cheap records put out some good stuff down through the years, and I think someone was defending Austria earlier on as well...

Also Klein Records in Vienna. I love that Princess Him maxi-house sound.

 

[hamarplazt]

Nobody mentioned Italy, and we still have the worst rock groups ever in every parallel universe, but lucky for you non italians you haven't heard them!

I actually have a lp from an italian rock group called The Birdmen of Alcatraz, and it's bloody brilliant.

 

[egg]

OK, since when was 'Eastern Europe' a country?

This is a subject close to my heart, so forgive me wading in here, but Hungary, for example, may be a small country (about 10 million people), but it has produced at least two of the most influential composers of the 20th century (Bartók and Ligeti); Poland's not far behind (Gorecki, Szymanowski, Penderecki). Even places like Estonia, Lithuania, Georgia and Armenia have made big marks on the classical landscape in the last 20 or 30 years. I can't speak for the pop/rock/etc. in most of these countries though.

Estonia is bloody brilliant. Every year they smack the Eurovision with total genius. Last year a laconic schmindie band singing 'it's the 80's coming back' in classic self-deprecating style; the year before was genius as well.

 

[owen]

how about spain and portugal- i can think of verrry little in their defence

having said that a friend from madrid who constantly bemoans the crapness of spanish music did a cd recently with some cool early 80s stuff on...had an AMAZING electro-disco track by none other than Pedro Almodovar (I'm not joking here)

obviously eastern european countries are fine for composers and funny soundtrack music (oh and the music in vera chytilova's 'daisies' is great, anyone know who it's by?) but they never really 'got' pop music, did they....crap dressers too

 

[Melmoth]

Are you an ex-pad(dy) then Melmoth?

Yeah. Or an im-Mick-grant.

Oh dear

 

[Rambler]

Portugal seconded, at least if those ropey promo CDs the Wire give out every 12 months are anything to go by...

 

[bassnation]

Yeah. Or an im-Mick-grant.

Oh dear

don't tell me you are in elephant & castle. thats where i am right now, unfortunately stuck in a government office though. christ, its a small world.

 

[Melmoth]

don't tell me you are in elephant & castle. thats where i am right now, unfortunately stuck in a government office though. christ, its a small world.

Not at the moment. Thats where I live though. Lovely isn't it?

 

[stevienixed]

Someone mentioned Plastic Bertrand being French. He's not actually, he was born in Brussels.

As much as I'd like to nominate Belgium for producing crap music - too much trance and Scala - there's so much goodness being made as well. I mean, Telex! dEUS! Evil Superstars! Lords of Acid! (Shut up, I love it.) Luc Van Acker! Brel... Front 242...

 

[mms]

Also Klein Records in Vienna. I love that Princess Him maxi-house sound.

mego are from vienna too as are sabotage, the cleaner more european answer to the klf
http://www.sabotage.at/news.html

they did that spray which was the smell of money etc.

 

[michael]

had an AMAZING electro-disco track by none other than Pedro Almodovar (I'm not joking here)

I watched an early Almodovar movie a couple of weeks back (Labyrinths of Passion) and he sings in that. Pretty awesome actually, call and response mutterings & wailings between him and another guy about "gutter love" over 80s disco sounds.

There's a Spanish artist who did quiet electronic stuff along the lines of maybe Seefeel or older Aphex that I really like. Silvania. Meanwhile, Portugal at least has Rafael Toral and Nuno Canavarro.

This seems to be outside the spirit of condemning a nation's "pop" music though, cos it's all a bit noodly.

The Spanish tribute album to Queen I heard was exceptionally horrendous. Particularly the rap/metal cover of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'... "So you think you can stop me, well kiss my aaarse" Oh dear.

 

[hauntedbyhorribles]

(oh and the music in vera chytilova's 'daisies' is great, anyone know who it's by?)

the daisies soundtrack is by jiri slitr and jiri sust. slitr is a rather famous entertainer, got his start doing the vaudevillesque stage shows czechs love so much.

i heard some pretty decent hip-hop in the czech republic when i was there, not exactly groundbreaking but could probably hold its own with most american backpacker stuff if i knew what the hell they were saying. ditto on whoever brought up bittova, stivin, and liska... might add oldrich janota, "sesite" is great.

plastic people of the universe have about two good songs and a whole lotta legend, but it's kinda hard to cut a great record if your band is illegal. i like DG 307 though.

 

[mms]

has any music apart from yodelling ever come out of switzerland?

 

[stevienixed]

the young gods are swiss...

 

[simon silverdollar]

i think lucien nicolet aka lucien n luciano is half swiss.

 

[Pearsall]

Miss Kittin is Swiss.

 

[Chef Napalm]

has any music apart from yodelling ever come out of switzerland?

As Ness said, Yello are swiss.

 

[owen]

and kleenex/liliput. and die welttraumforscher. switzerland rocks!

greece remains undiscussed here....apart from xenakis and diamanda galas, is it all men with moustaches and bouzoukis? i mean, those 'music of greece' records in charity shops really are dismal.

 

[hamarplazt]

and kleenex/liliput. and die welttraumforscher. switzerland rocks!

Yeah, there were also Grauzone. And wasn't Honegger (the composer) swiss too?

Didn't know Weltraumforscher was swiss though, I always thought they were one of thouse odd things from Hamburg...

greece remains undiscussed here....apart from xenakis and diamanda galas, is it all men with moustaches and bouzoukis? i mean, those 'music of greece' records in charity shops really are dismal.

Well... there was Vangelis. A lot of people would probably put him on the minus side. I'm not one of them. Yanni, on the other hand, now that's a minus.