Hades Presents: MJ vs. Prince

[version]

NWA - it's aged much better, albeit Chuck D as a person > anyone from NWA
PIL x1000000 - this one shouldn't be a question
Wiley - never had a definitive statement like BITC, but was great for vastly longer; also he invented Dizzee before Dizzee, so
Funkadelic - u know I'm about that psychedelic life
Beefheart - skronk avant jazzish weirdness >> prog
Beach Boys - but Stones (or The Who) over either
Neil Young by a wide margin - the only good boomer icon, and also f Dylan he's unbearable

I'd be pretty surprised if Dissensus didn't go heavily for RZA

the other possibly closer - I'm 100% Kate Bush, obviously - but I don't think place is near as poptimist as it was in the original heyday

We're in agreement on all of these, except I like Dylan as well as Young and I'm really not arsed about The Who.

 

[version]

and again it's not even a conscious decision, really. it's not something I agonize over.

one day, I was like "I don't want to listen to this fucking guy ever again". that was that.

I feel like this about Burzum. One day I just realised I didn't really want to listen to the stuff anymore, all my enthusiasm had vanished. I dunno whether it was just getting bored with the music or the fact he's a complete arsehole, but the two combined means I don't see it as much of a loss.

 

[...]

Neil Young is fucking abysmal.

 

[version]

 

[...]

Urrgh.

 

[version]

I love Neil Young. Neil Young is lots of fun. Neil Young, Neil Young. I love Neil Young.

🔥

 

[...]

Ed Sheeran with guitar feedback.

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

I feel like this about Burzum

yeah I was gonna mention him

tbh, tho it's not something I'd seek out, it doesn't give me the same visceral reaction as MJ

perhaps bc where MJ is the ultimate shimmering universalist pop, Burzum is if not deliberately ugly then harsh, cold, abyssal, etc? idk, maybe I'm not surprised he's a despicable human being in every way

it's also largely cultural context I'd guess

Hearing an MJ record makes me feel the same way as reading about Harvey Weinstein, or abuse in the Catholic Church

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

ultimately they're feelings of course, they don't have to be explainable

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

I'm really not arsed about The Who

3 towering musicians and...Roger Daltrey, who's OK

+ despite technically/compositionally v proficient they also rocked out pretty hard instead of just waffling into progdom

probably their most famous track is an homage to Terry Riley

were basically good for an incredibly long time (mid-60s thru turn of the 80s basically) by rock band standards

have way more (quality + quantity) interesting songs than The Beatles

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

classic rock in general, I'd never want to listen to an LP straight thru, but the good ones (Stones, Zep, Young, etc) u can make a great 45-90m mixtape of their best

I gotta get to work but I'll try to do a more committed Neil Young thing later

 

[...]

Oh God, if I end up listening to Neil Young by the end of this week I am holding you directly responsible, Padraig.

 

[version]

Why wait 'til the end of the week?

 

[Arthur Brick]

Arthur Brick voted Prince.

Personally think off the wall and thriller are the only decent solo things Jacko did. He probably should have died when he was 27! BAD is just a massive pop record from my childhood. Wouldn’t choose to listen to any tracks off it now, but would enjoy em if I heard them on the radio probably. Everything he did after that is so awful it is only out-awfulled by his noncing. BAD no more fits into any sort of music lineage that I’m interested in than Elton John or George Michael. A lot of what I like about OTW & Thriller is Quincy Jones, whereas Prince is prince through and through. Not necessarily that into some of Prince’s schmaltzier bits, but the raw, groovier stuff def hits the spot. Still play Prince records at least once a week, can’t remember last time I played a Jacko track.

Overheard a couple of years ago in Detroit:
Who is Freddie Mercury?
He is Prince for white people!

 

[Arthur Brick]

Nicked from twitter:

What is Michael Jackson’s favourite time period to sing about?
A)BC
B)AD

 

[luka]

That's probably true. Off the wall and thriller are really good though. Transcendently good. I don't know enough about music to try and disentangle what's Quincey Jones and what's Jackson.

 

[Corpsey]

I actually would have expected a Prince landslide on Dissensus.

 

[Arthur Brick]

That's probably true. Off the wall and thriller are really good though. Transcendently good. I don't know enough about music to try and disentangle what's Quincey Jones and what's Jackson.

Listen to other QJ productions from that era (eg George Benson Give md the night) and all of a sudden it sounds like QJ feat MJ.

 

[luka]

Barty is obsessed with this video. Whenever he's round he makes me watch it. Sometimes he wears a lightweight leather waistcoat and no shirt.

 

[luka]

He said it's a crucial precursor to timbaland, which I thought was quite insightful.