Surely there has to be something more to a band than just being competent players?

Yes there should be - Midnight Oil's sound melodic instincts and flair for arrangements fit in with the normative decency of their politics.

Ugly motherfuckers though.

I suppose you could say that Peter Garrett is no Midnight Oil painting.

Gramsci,

Two questions:

1) What is the name of Austrailia's greatest ever band?

2) What is the name of New Zealand's greatest ever band?

1) the Birthday Party
2) HDU

Any more questions?

steve wrote:2) HDU

Any more questions?

Yes, what about the Dead C?

1) What is the name of Austrailia's greatest ever band?

2) What is the name of New Zealand's greatest ever band?

1. I'd Agree with The Birthday Party

2. But I think The Clean are NZ's "greatest ever band". Without them there propably wouldn't be an HDU or Dead C or Bailterspace etc. They kicked off Flying Nun as a label and have influenced far more local bands than any other.

Midnight Oil's sound melodic instincts and flair for arrangements fit in with the normative decency of their politics.

I still think there has to be more than this too. By your standards a band is good if they are techically 'correct' & they've got a some kind of 'message'. I don't really care that much about either.

1. Birthday Party
2. Bailter Space

I still think there has to be more than this too. By your standards a band is good if they are techically 'correct' & they've got a some kind of 'message'. I don't really care that much about either.

This is what you seem to have inferred from what I've posted. Technique and a "message" are not the criteria by which I judge music. I believe that Midnight Oil are NOT CRAP just as I believe that Franz Ferdinand, !!!, The Killers and The Corrs are CRAP.

What do you care about in music? I am not asking this to be provocative, I'm curious about what qualities you value in a band.

I agree with the choice of the Birthday Party as Austrailia's best band and admire all of the NZ bands listed.

HOUSTON_M wrote:I believe that Midnight Oil are NOT CRAP just as I believe that Franz Ferdinand, !!!, The Killers and The Corrs are CRAP...

Well, if you put it that way...

I LOVE Midnight Oil. I really do. They were one of my favorite bands. No waffle factor.

They were a bunch of regular looking guys (except for Peter Garrett) who played rock and roll.

I don't care for Mr. Garrett's political positions and rather ill-informed environmentalist jinga, but the band he fronted was rather bad-arsed and
they put it all out there when they played live.

Also, Bones Hillman is your fellow countryman, Craig.....give him props for abandoning his Kiwiness to join with The Oils.

Before I forget, here's my widdle "tribute" to Midnight Oil. All instruments were recorded and performed by me. Click on the first song you see on that page.....parody.....change. I didn't tune up, or practice for that matter:

Things used:

Fender Stratocaster
Gibson ES-333
Fender Bassman Reissue, Crate VC50.
Ampeg SVT
Mosrite Bass
DOD Overdrive/Preamp
Boss Tremolo
Tama, Pearl, Ludwig, Sabian, Zildjian drums
My voice

steve wrote:1) the Birthday Party
2) HDU

Any more questions?

AC/DC! The Birthday Party is a damn fine band, but few approach the NOTCRAPness of AC/DC.[code][/code]

matthew wrote:I don't care for Mr. Garrett's political positions and rather ill-informed environmentalist jinga

Maybe you should, it's the only thing they've got going for them. But you're rather looking forward to the end of the anyhoo, eh Matty?

Question:

Do you expect Jesus to return within your lifetime?