Big Music Talk, with Raymond Terrific

[MarkuzR]

I have to admit that I really didn't like Showbiz when it came out - gave it a listen but couldn't really get into it at all. I haven't heard Radiohead other than Creep, so I couldn't ever agree or disagree with the comparisons... still never heard anything of Radiohead! When I first heard Origin Of Symmetry though... fucking hell. Still my favourite MUSE album, and likely always will be. Knights of Cydonia though... I love that even more because Lorna hates it so much

[pix3lboy]

To be honest, there were quite a few similarities between Showbiz and Radiohead's stuff, but not so many that you could say Muse were just trying to be Radiohead, like NME did. Origin of Symmetery was one of the first 'grown-up' albums I ever heard, around the same time I was starting to get into nu-metal bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. I almost literally ran around school forcing everyone I knew to listen to it. It's an outstanding album but Resistance is by far my favourite Muse album for the sheer variety of sounds and techniques involved

[Markatansky]

Also, you can't say that all talented bands are 'good'. because it's still subjective. Take Dream Theater as an example again. Very talented band but I find them terribly boring, on CD and live. Avenged Sevenfold however are arguably as talented (The Rev is the only drummer I know that could give Portnoy a run for his money, so much so that when Portnoy was asked to step in after The Rev died, he said it was an honour. Plus Synyster Gates has amazing technical skill on guitar which ranges from crazy ass metal solos to intricate spanish guitar and M Shadows' vocals are stupidly powerful) yet they're one of my all time favourite bands.

I didn't mean to imply that talent automatically makes a band good, I'm trying to put across the point that:

...there are more people out there who will think a band is awesome because of the hype surrounding them rather than what music they're producing. As soon as a band is no longer in vogue, their sales drop dramatically... if people listened to them because of the songs rather than the marketing, that wouldn't happen.

...like MarkuzR accomplished much better than I did.

Maybe it's just me, but the bands that actually make the effort to be great musicians and entertainers are the ones whom the market ignores in favour of the more profitable.

Take the band Anvil for example: brilliant drummer, excellent songs and great showmanship - yet they're nowhere near as popular as they should be because record companies don't see them as a profitable enterprise. But that's just me.

[pix3lboy]

I don't like Anvil. Without trying to sound like an arse, I think their songs are dull. Again, how popular you think they should be is different from how popular I think they should be because I don't think they're as good as you do.

I get where you're coming from but at the end of the day I just think that how popular somethings should be is as subjective as how good something should be.

Edit: I have similar arguements to this with my room mate all the time lol. He thinks a band's shit and doesn't get why people like them whereas I like them and try to justify why they're getting such success and vice versa. The last bands being Youmeatsix (he loves them, I used to like them but went off them) and Steel Panther (I think they're funny and make excellent parodies of hair metal but he just thinks they're rubbish). Neither of us are right or wrong because it's all just opinion but it doesn't stop us arguing about it

further edit: I don't know why but this reminded me of a time when I was younger, around 13-14 when I was listening to Slipknot through my headphones in school and some jock (sporty, not scottish :p) areshole came up and asked what I was listening to. I said slipknot (who were getting quite big and were getting top 40 singles slots) and his reply was "why are are you listening to that shit, it's just a wall of noise". I could've said the same about the gabber bollocks that he was into but it was his opinion.