Re: Square one, The beats go on, Abracadabra!

["L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>]

>> TED will be awfully bored if they have to go on living in 1970.  

>TED is a thing of the past. 

Awfully noisy bunch for something that doesn't exist in the present.


>>BTW, after our recent discussion of WAY, someone pointed out that this 
album may have provided some of the roots of the techno movement. 
Depeche Mode, the first techno band to hit big, were getting their start 
in England about the time WAY came out.

>That theory ignores a LOT of other bands, like ELP for instance. I'd 
say No to that.

Emerson Lake and Palmer isn't exactly a prominent new group, and wasn't 
in the late seventies, no more so than The Who.  It's true they tended 
to electronic music, but again we must be hearing different things--they 
sound heavily classical to me.  I didn't care for their later stuff, 
which may be where you're hearing the influence on techno.  I heard 
Emerson on a Saturday cartoon show last year and he still sounded 
classical to me.  I don't care if he does blow up organs.

>But none fit into the concept of Lifehouse, as described so far anyway. 
And DOES WAY have a concept?

It does seem to harp on that retread theme.


>It was not considered a concept album at the time it came out. If it 
is, then WBN has the same concept and did it better.

I dunno.  Sounds like WBN is more about general cynicism and 
disillusionment--something that was showing up in Quad, as well.


>Given Daltrey's songwriting "ability," I just might have a breakdown.

<grin> Watch out.  Did you hear he wrote a song for a movie soundtrack 
just recently?  


>>What do you mean?  TED might not have reached their peak yet.

>HA! You're SUCH an optimist!

I'll admit to that.


>Although I will conceed that it's Rog that's the weak link at this 
point. Pete is a better guitarist and as good a vocalist as ever, and 
while John has lost his voice he's still the best bass player in the 
world.

RD sounds fine.  His voice will last as long as John's hands.


>No, it seems you don't. I was disappointed for one reason and one 
reason only, the same one I stated when the discussion started: after 
waiting for three years, this album wasn't even as good as the one that 
came before it.

I thought it was better, though, a development of ideas that started 
with WBN. 


>I said IMHO QUAD was not only the best Who album, but greatest
>Rock album of all time (so far).

There are some people, you know, who think PT will never do anything 
better than "My Generation."  Does that mean he should have continuted 
doing MG for the rest of his life?  It would mean, of course, that he 
never got to Quad.


>Or are you saying you think the WAY material is as good as or better 
than that of WN? THAT would be a radical opinion, but one you have a 
right to of course!  It's hard to beat WN, but I think to a serious 
musician WAY would be comparable.  They're different, so in a way it's 
like comparing the proverbial apples and oranges.


>your time asking...but you see, my little plan worked! I said that TED 
was over forever, and "Abracadabra!" they're back! Only took one day, 
too!

Uh, I think they've been working on it a while.


keets

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