Other overlooked '70s bands and solo acts in need of (re)discovery - Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2014) Discussion

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

A Raspberries documentary would be excellent. And that reminds me of another overlooked '70s band: Fotomaker, featuring former Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson plus two members of the Rascals (who recently reunited).

And because I happen to be listening to them right now I'll add Jo Jo Gunne, featuring Jay Ferguson of Spirit. Coincidentally, both Fotomaker and Jo Jo Gunne released albums whose cover caused a stir.

I still haven't seen the Big Star documentary, so I can't comment on the whininess.

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

I love those guys. I have all their albums, plus the CD compilation.

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[–] King_Of_Fuh 11 years ago

I love the taste of Raspberries and when Go All the Way came out in my senior year in high school, there was hope for R&R again.

The world economy will crash in 2016, so for now, have fun!

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

You can never go wrong with power pop in my book, and the Raspberries were way out front in a very strong genre. They did indeed inspire hope for rock 'n' roll – but 40-plus years later, that hope seems long gone.

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[–] TimmyElkinson 11 years ago

Going a little more synth pop, I'd love to see a documentary on a group called New Musik. Their first album, From A To B, is incredible and the lead singer, Tony Mansfield, essentially shaped 80s from behind the scenes.

"That's the karma again, I didn't help Kenny so she beat me up with a telephone"

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

New Musik was a great band I overlooked. Thanks!

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[–] PurpleProseOfCairo 11 years ago

I'm going to see Judie Tzuke in a few weeks. I've seen her live regularly over the years, and bought all her albums. I've always felt bad for her, though hopefully she's making a living (I think she has songwriting credits on some famous songs, or lent samples or something). Stay With Me Till Dawn is always popping up on romantic compilations too

I remember going to see her once at a reasonable sized venue in the late Eighties. When we got there the gig had been cancelled - management troubles or something, the whole tour had been cancelled. She never played venues of that size again. It all seemed so unfortunate and sad - I think she's very talented but, like so many. never got the recognition she deserved.

Awight we're The Daamned we're a punk baand and this is called Carn't Be Appy T'day!

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

Kudos to you for supporting Judie Tzuke's career over the years. I'm glad to hear she's still performing.

To me, she always seemed to be an incredible talent that the music industry didn't quite know what to do with. Her music isn't easily classifiable, and she never got the promotion she deserved. I suspect that because she's not conventional rock or pop, with a voice that would do well in opera, she was a hard sell on radio and among many fans. Other hard-sell artists like Kate Bush have been able to sustain their careers, but I suspect she had more control of hers and better promotion.

I'm embarrassed to say I have only the first two Judie Tzuke albums – "Welcome to the Cruise" and "Sportscar." Can you recommend any to help me catch up, particularly recent releases? How about her live albums?

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[–] denise1234 11 years ago

I would love a good documentary on Be Bop Deluxe ~

Bill Nelson: One of the greatest guitar players ever who has not gotten the recognition he deserves IMO.

~~ If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story ~ Orson Welles

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

I would love a Be Bop Deluxe doc! I was just playing a Bill Nelson solo album a few weeks ago. He's a true rock visionary for those who know where to look.

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[–] denise1234 11 years ago

WarpedRecord^

I was just listening to BBD's 'Sunburst Finish' the other day, which I think is their 'Sgt Pepper's'.

Had to listen all the way through without interruption of course

~~ If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story ~ Orson Welles

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

Hello, Denise1234:

I love "Sunburst Finish"! I have two copies of the LP. That reminds me that I need to upgrade to CD.

"Drastic Plastic" will always hold a special place in my heart because it's the first Be Bop Deluxe album I bought. This is a band that demands attention on the part of the listener, but those willing to listen closely will find generous rewards.

I'm gratified that people like you still care about bands like this because they are still very much a part of my life, and always will be.

Did I ever tell you that I love you? Because it's true, and not in the creepy sense.

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[–] denise1234 11 years ago

WarpedRecord^

Awwww....

BBD: Every time I listen to their tunes, I find something new -- And I love that

Not to mention the extraordinary musicianship of BBD, of course.

Bill Nelson is a rare breed -- definitely a musician's musician.

And although I am pretty good (if I do say so myself ;) at understanding compositions and where they are going, Nelson surprises me at so many turns that I feel like a rank amateur at times as a listener ~

Plus he is flat-out one of the best guitar players I have ever listened to.

Sad to me that more folks don't know more about him.

Well now I must listen to some 'Dangerous Stranger', 'Maid In Heaven', 'Terminal Street', oh! oh! and 'No Trains To Heaven' -- LOVE that tune!

If imdb allows me to post a link & if you haven't seen this vid of NTTH, check this out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fqrl6tQ850

Anyways, so good to be chatting with you again!

~~ If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story ~ Orson Welles

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

Hello, Denise:

"No Trains to Heaven" is an amazing song, and that is an incredible video. Coincidentally, I just picked up a CD of "Axe Victim" to complement the LP I've had for decades. It has three live bonus tracks as well: "Piece of Mine" (Bill loves those puns, doesn't he?), "Mill Street Junction" and "Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape."

As much as I love that clip, though, I have to say there is something a little disarming about those YouTube videos made by fans. It just feels a little detached, you know? I'm not sure what I'm trying to say here, but to me a "video" is something the artist contributes to and signs off on. Of course, that wasn't always the case during the heyday of MTV (and of course, Be Bop Deluxe predated MTV). Anyway, sorry for if I'm derailing what is really a worthy visual accompaniment to a spectacular song.

Do you have any of Bill's solo albums, or his work with Red Noise? It's very challenging and rewarding music, difficult to describe and even harder to ignore. He's been extremely prolific over the years, and many of his albums are out of print or on small labels, so it's hard to be a completist. And because this is a movie site, I'll add that his music is extremely cinematic, yet strangely, he's done very little soundtrack work.

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[–] denise1234 11 years ago

Hey, there!

Actually, a few months ago, I picked up 'Bill Nelson Return To Tomorrow: These Tapes Rewind: Volume One'.

From CD sleeve: 'RETURN TO TOMORROW' is volume one in a series of albums designed to gather together rare and previously unreleased home recordings from the 80's'...It is only now, in 2012, that I've had the curiosity or inclination to listen through this archive of old recordings. I was surprised by what I found.' ~ Bill Nelson, July 2012

Like a good bit of his later solo stuff, he plays around a lot with sound and electronica, and it's not always easily accessible. I believe he has been ahead of his time almost from the get go and along multiple mediums. His mind definitely works in mysterious ways and often listening to his works is like exploring new and fantastical mental-musical landscapes.

I also love his 'Map of Dreams' videos that I've watched on youtube -- mesmerizing.

I don't have any Red Noise.

What I do have (on CD): Axe Victim; Drastic Plastic; Live In The Air Age; Modern Music; and Sunburst Finish.

I am so glad more and more videos of him, and especially BBD, are popping up on youtube, and some of the rather crappy quality older ones are being cleaned up. When you read accompanying comments, you find that there are some real diehard fans of BBD and of Nelson, albeit a select crowd of folks

~~ If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story ~ Orson Welles

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

Hey, 'nisey!

I'm embarrassed to say I'm playing catchup on Be Bop Deluxe on CD. The only titles I have are the "Raiding the Divine Archive" compilation and "Axe Victim." The rest are on LP. But I've just ordered "Sunburst Finish" and "Live! In the Air Age" from Amoeba.com, so I should have them soon.

As for Bill's post-BBD work, I wish I knew enough about it to discuss it intelligently – or with any degree of insight or authority. There are so many artists I've followed over the years whose worked I've admired and respected, and I just have trouble keeping up with it all in addition to all my other pursuits and responsibilities in life. I think you you know the feeling, but we keep trying, right? Rock on!

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[–] denise1234 11 years ago

My family's nickname for me is 'niecy' (sp?)

I never had any BBD LP's because quite frankly, I did not 'discover' them until about 5 years ago.

Don't know why I was so late to *that* party (?)

Anyway, after I did, I ordered all my BBD CD's at one time

Great listening music during all my work driving ~

~~ If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story ~ Orson Welles

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[–] WarpedRecord 11 years ago

Hey, it's me again!

My Be Bop Deluxe CDs arrived yesterday, and I'm playing "Sunburst Finish" now. You are very right that it is their "Sgt. Pepper's," or perhaps their "Smile" or "Tusk" or "Forever Changes" or "Child Is Father to the Man" or "Hollywood Dream" or, to keep this somewhat on topic, their "#1 Record." These are all albums that help define a band's excellent while opening them up to seemingly endless possibilities, many of which weren't fulfilled. These are also albums that perhaps scare a lot of A&R folks as well as casual fans.

There's nothing wrong with being late to the party, as long as you arrive eventually, fashionably or otherwise. Be Bop Deluxe is a band I stumbled upon in the late '70s (thanks to coverage in Circus magazine, I suspect). But it's also the type of band I appreciate more now that I am an adult (more or less), and while I liked them then, I absolutely love them now!

As a random observation, it appears this film isn't listed on Big Star's IMDb page, which seems a strange oversight. Do you have any idea how to correct this oversight? My interactions with the help desk haven't been particularly helpful:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3186102
And "Niecy," isn't that Deniece Williams? You're not her, by chance? Too much, too little, too late ...

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[–] denise1234 10 years ago

Nah...not I

I couldn't find a Big Star IMDB page. I will try again.

The link in your post was a no go (?)

~~ If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story ~ Orson Welles

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[–] denise1234 10 years ago

Oh! Found it (the 'soundtrack' link).

The film *should* be on there.

Wonder what's up?

I don't know offhand how to change that. Sorry

~~ If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story ~ Orson Welles

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[–] WarpedRecord 10 years ago

That's weird. That link worked last week when I tested it, and the URL still works when I copy and paste it into my browser. It just doesn't work when I click on it. I just removed the word "reference" from the link, and it still works when I paste it into the browser -- but not when I click on it.

Edit: OK, I think I know what's wrong -- I must have included a return mark in the URL. It works now.

But yeah, the movie about Big Star isn't listed in Big Star's filmography. It's probably some meta-algorithm thing I don't understand.

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[–] scarletminded 10 years ago

I have "The Heart That Whirls" by Bill Nelson and love it very much!

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[–] WarpedRecord 10 years ago

I need to seek out "The Love That Whirls." My Bill Nelson collection is pretty spotty because he's so prolific.

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[–] Walter_Matthaus_Ghost 9 years ago

I really enjoyed the Big Star documentary, although I wish there was more on Chris Bell after the split.

Some others I'd like to see/hear more from:

Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers - There's a decent doc on Gram called Fallen Angel.

New York Dolls - I'd like to see a documentary for these guys.

Death (3 brothers playing early-mid-70s black proto-punk rock in Detroit). They have a documentary entitled A Band Called Death. The two still-living brothers are getting more recognition now, since the re-release of their album and the documentary. Their album is entitled For The Whole World To See:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9obRQDQsEI

As for singers:

Tim Buckley - No documentary on him as yet that I know of.
Harry Nilsson - Who is Harry Nilsson (and why is everybody talkin' about him)? A really good doc.
Scott Walker - 30 Century Man A pretty good doc but lacks some depth because Scott is not very forthcoming regarding the 1970s-90s.

All of the documentaries mentioned above are well-worth watching.

And I'm a Mike Nesmith fan, too...

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[–] WarpedRecord 9 years ago

Excellent suggestions. I especially would love a Tim Buckley documentary. More than likely, it would be a Tim/Jeff Buckley documentary to make it accessible to a wider audience, but as much as I love Jeff, Tim's music stands on its own and he needs to be known as more than "Jeff's father." He didn't have a large role in Jeff's life anyway.

I have seen all the films you mentioned except for "A Band Called Death," which I need to track down soon. The Harry Nilsson and Gram Parsons films are very good, though I'd love to see a complete documentary on the Flying Burrito Brothers.

I would absolutely love to see a New York Doll documentary, and I'm surprised there hasn't been one yet. There is a film about Arthur Kane called "New York Doll" that is quite good, but it's mainly his story.

And Mike Nesmith rocks – sometimes with hints of country, pop, jazz or even new age, but regardless of his experimentation, the result is always a success.

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