Ian Hunter v. Phil Lynott v. Burton Cummings

[naughty boy]

Lynott was aggressive and not very bright.

Not true, not true at all. But I will admit he seems that way because of the denim, rock style, and so on. Some day, you may find yourself surprised!

I watched a documentary on him a few nights ago, and there were the usual schoolday reminiscences. Some fellas were saying he was a bully, a hard-knock, and I think there was some reference to him being really weak academically.

I dunno. I don't like his music but saying that isn't enough, is it? I'm looking for evidence of a more serious crime to get more BCBers on my side

[Quaco]

Hmm, well my experience is I somehow ended up listening to the first Thin Lizzy album a while ago, and was surprised by how funny and together the vision was. Maybe he's like David Lee Roth, just in the sense that that the whole thing is a made-up fantasy of how a rocker could be, and if you like it, he does it well, but if you don't, it seems really really dumb.

I'm not sure how anybody could dislike this:

[Quaco]

Even three-way split!

[The Slider]

Phil by about 30000 miles
I'm bewildered that anyone with any imagination at all could vote otherwise.

[Mike Boom]

Other than the ludicrously camp 'American Woman' I know nothing of The Guess Who.

Should I?

Definitely.




#10
Live at the Paramount
and a good compilation of the hits is probably all you need.

[naughty boy]

I'm not sure how anybody could dislike this:

Really? I find it incredibly boring. 'competent' is the best thing I can say about it.

[pcqgod]

Other than the ludicrously camp 'American Woman' I know nothing of The Guess Who.

Should I?

I'd just start with a "best of" collection. Or you might try the 'Canned Wheat' album which features many of the key tracks that will be on a compilation. I don't think they're the kind of band that would blow anyone away at first listen.

[Quaco]

I'm not sure how anybody could dislike this:

Really? I find it incredibly boring. 'competent' is the best thing I can say about it.

Odd! Isn't there subtlety and humor in the words/delivery? Aren't there melodic hard rock passages (i.e., not just blooze, 'rock and roll mama' type stuff)?

[Charlie O.]

Phil by about 30000 miles
I'm bewildered that anyone with any imagination at all could vote otherwise.

Showtunes.

(I know that isn't necessarily an insult/criticism.)

[sloopjohnc]

OK. Thanks all, I'll get a best of.

there are three good ones I like. There's the single disc Best Of, but to get a better sweep there's. . .

The History of Guess Who
Ultimate
Retrospective

More than just the hits.

[Charlie O.]

I'll add the 2-CD Anthology - probably the best overview with the best sound.

That said, The Best Of The Guess Who, though it only covers 1969-1970 (!), is the most all-killer-no-filler.

[naughty boy]

I'm not sure how anybody could dislike this:

Really? I find it incredibly boring. 'competent' is the best thing I can say about it.

Odd! Isn't there subtlety and humor in the words/delivery? Aren't there melodic hard rock passages (i.e., not just blooze, 'rock and roll mama' type stuff)?

It's mainly that one riff, and it's not especially interesting. I don't hear much melody there at all!

If the whole thing was sped up I might like it a bit more. But then you'd still get that boring voice.

I really dislike everything I've heard from TL. I can't really tell you why 'Whisky' and 'Boys' don't float my boat, maybe it's just that they're 4, 5, 7 and 8 and I like 1, 2, 3 and 6.

And friends have recommended the early stuff but that's even worse (I was expecting some kind of acoustic Groundhogs-type thing - sadly not).



Anyway good to see IH is winning. Something like 'Roll Away The Stone' is much more comic-book and cheeky than Lynott would ever even attempt.

[Quaco]

Well, once you get the riff, you are supposed to listen to other things, like the voice -- and the chorus, which is as exhilarating as anything ever.

Not all their songs are great, for sure, even in that clip.

He's not big on melody. I think of him in the same vein as Springsteen but more fun and self-knowing. (When I said 'melodic hard rock passages', I was referring to the guitars, and the 'Break out!' riff in a different key.)

[toomanyhatz]

This is great pop music, great hard rock AND very soulful besides. PL didn't have a lot of moments like this, but this isn't the only one:

[Mike Boom]

This too

[sloopjohnc]

This is great pop music, great hard rock AND very soulful besides. PL didn't have a lot of moments like this, but this isn't the only one:

Great song. Lynott could do that, go between rockers and really melodic songs. He was a softie at heart.

This is one of my favorites of his.

[The Slider]

Phil by about 30000 miles
I'm bewildered that anyone with any imagination at all could vote otherwise.

Showtunes.

(I know that isn't necessarily an insult/criticism.)

Very much so
With a literal Folk Music basis.

I like Mott the Hoople in small doses.
And the other feller is a good singer - 'better' than the other two if you like.
But there's a huge imagination at play in Thin Lizzy that the other two don't even begin to approach

[mission]

Brother, brother.

All of the poppier tunes on Jailbreak are first rate examples of musical intelligence. Tighter than a fish's ring, crisply detailed, they're little masterclasses in tunesmithery.

How are the little handclaps here?



Or Brian Downey Jr's pressed rolls into and out of the chorus here:



Philo was all about fucking and fighting. The odd meteorological observation thrown in for good measure but mainly just the fucking and fighting. It's like he invented the internet.

Fucking genius.

[The Slider]

Thin Lizzy five ways in five tunes.
That there equals Ian Hunter's entire career.
Then there's the rest

[jimboo]

Dreadful band Thin Lizzy ,thank you to the Slider for posting some fine examples. I don't know Cummings , ain't interested either. Hunter , glasses , swagger and oozing pop glam from every pore .