From: verbit@brauer.harvard.edu (Mikhail S. Verbitsky)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.soviet
Subject: Re: Plagiarizer (Was: Boris Grebenshchikov)
Date: 8 Jan 93 07:02:31 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc3.1993Jan8.020232.19093
Organization: Sozialistische Patienten Kollektiv

In article <1993Jan8.052346.6510@news.nd.edu> alexei@cartan.math.nd.edu (Alex Strouwe) writes:



>I agree that JT is primitive now. I like their albums that were 
>recorded back in the sixties. All good bands became "commercial" in the  
>eighties. Sometimes I think that it was good that Hendrix and Joplin died.
>Who would they be now.

	Both statements are utterly wrong (should I
	say "display the utter ignorance :):) well
	you are not <insert any of my enemies' name>). 
	All rock before 70-ies  (except 13th Floor 
	Elevators, Stawberry Alarm Clock and likes who 
	were and remain more than obscure) was completely 
	commercial. There were no independent
	labels etc., while in end of 70-ies - 
	80-ies there are lot of absolutely
	non-commercial bands which are giants
	comparing with almost anything done
	in 60-ies. Throbbing Gristle and Einstuerzende
	Neubauten and Legendary Pink Dots, to
	name a few. Naturally, they don't get
	much press comparing with Sting's likes,
	but this is rather good.

	BTW, Jethro Tull did not change much on the course
	of 60-70-ies and their last album is the same
	(utterly commercial) stuff as was
	Stand Up or Living in the Past.

	Personally, I have a soft spot for Benefit
	and Aqualang, but even these albums are
	almost unlistenable now. They are not
	just dated (though a good music never gets
	dated), they are completely bland and
	boring on the most part. Competent
	musicianship, adequate lyrics,
	but everything else is theatrics.
	I mean, there is no blood in this
	music. Compare this with "Rebyata
	Lovyat Svoi Kaif" or "Leti Moi Angel
	Leti" by Aquarium (if you don't know these 
	songs, "Dvizhenie V Storonu Vesny" 
	- another swell example - is on Ichthyology).

	Aquarium's idea boils down to the
	display of power, sex, mysticism and
	melodrama - and the reasonable Ian Anderson 
	with his rationality and liberal values
	is totally devoid of these.

>Did Vasiliev play bass? I am not sure about that.

	He plays on all albums before Radio Afrika,
	and on some later ones (some tunes on RA
	played also by him). Actually, Titov,
	when he used fretted bass, played worse
	(more monotone, less inventive) than Vassiliev.


>Though I agree that BG, Romanov and some others are not good musicians,
>I wouldn't say that about Gakkel, Lyapin and Titov. There are not many 
>guitar players who can copy Jimmy Hendrix ( I don't mean just technique).


	About Hendrix - ask on alt.rock-n-roll :) Every 
	competent guitarist can copy Hendrix as well (and 
	with more feeling) as Lyapin did. Listen to
	his solo albums. I have two of them and they
	are awfull, really. He is just a typical 
	mainstream studio hack.

	About Titov - I agree, but A. would
	be the same (or better) without him
	anyway. He did not add much.

I wrote - MV:
>|> 	The members of Aquarium were *never*
>|> 	supposed to know how to play music.
>|> 	Remember: "Aquarium is not a music,
>|> 	it's a way of life"? 

>Another reason why Aquarium has died.

	You sound like you prefer Wings 
	or Status Quo. A shame, really :) 

	Misha.

P. S. Why I personally rate A. higher than most
of 60-ies-70-ies competent "progressive" stuff. I am getting
bored by those and never by these. As well as I never
get bored by the more recent stuff I like. A. cuts
and the punk-industrial-etc. stuff cuts. 
"Progressivists" don't.