How can music be "once-relevant"? Music is a timeless art form, and, generally speaking, the bands I love are not seeking to make records that have as their chief interest the fact that they mirror the sociological aspects of a certain era.

I guess I could see how one could consider Sonic Youth "once-relevant" if you're talking about their novel approach to guitar tunings. That was something that hadn't really been seen under the sun until they came along (at least in the context of a rock band); though I may be wrong, and I welcome any other examples of that sort of thing occurring before Sonic Youth's advent. Of course, since the '80's, a number of bands, most notably Pavement, have utilized different tunings.

But I still go back to Sister and EVOL, and the music sounds just as fresh to my ears as it must have once sounded to people who grew up seeing them live. They truly were a unique band at that point.

Having said that, I do feel like they slipped badly for a number of years after those records. A Thousand Leaves, however, is a great album.

[quote="steve"]I'll make it meaningful:


This Heat v Television : UK
quote]

What??!?

I think we've strayed a bit far from from the original "70s Brit Punk or 80s US Hardcore" question:

PIL? Sonic Youth? Television?

Motorhead vs. Winger: US
Cinderella vs. Nuclear Assault: Uganda
Sade vs. Charles Mingus: Pluto
Bow wow wow vs. Adam Ant: Burma
Daft Punk vs. Perrey and Kingsley: Dick Hyman

We should have about 4 or 5 other threads in dissecting this debate. See someone else has already started a "punk vs. post-punk" thread, which seems to be more about what this thread has disintegrated into.

It's hard to do. Pigeon-holing and subjectivity and what not...











...live to geek.

same wrote:

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:The Fall vs. Void: Yanks win, 4-4

no

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:Sex Pistols vs. Bad Brains: Yanks win, 10-7

no

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:The Slits vs. Meat Puppets: Yanks win, 11-9

no


And how about PiL vs. Pere Ubu? I'd have to go with PiL.

Brits win.

I agree with the 1st three, But PiL vs/ Pere Ubu? That one's tough, but I think I would go with Pere Ubu.

Looking at the list again, I think I would give the Sex Pistols the edge over the Bad Brains, partly because HR (I think it was HR) turned out to be such a bigoted jerk.

I don't go out of my way to listen to either of them anymore, though.

I still like the 1st two PiL albums. I still like a lot more of what Pere Ubu has made, including "Why I Hate Women" which is excellent and right up there with anything else they have ever done.

I liked alot of American Hardcore at the time, and compared to examples of British punk at the time (The Exploited really really sucked big time, there were many Brit bands just as bad) most of it was better. Although there are plenty of examples of shitty American hardcore as well.

I do feel a lot of the British bands that came through had a more off-putting attitude towards there audience as well, whereas a lot of American hardcore bands came of more as regular people off the stage.

I do agree the whole scene ended up becoming very stale after a while.

If it's up to 70's English punk, and 80's (good) American hardcore, I have to go with the US.

steve wrote:...
Sex Pistols v Ramones : US
Throbbing Gristle v Suicide : UK
Crass v Bad Brains : US
Rudimentary Peni v Void : UK
Flux of Pink Indians v Die Kreuzen :US
Gang of Four v Sonic Youth : UK
Mekons v Minutemen : US
Discharge v Black Flag : UK
...

I gotta go with Throbbing Gristle over Suicide, though. I have to add

The Adicts vs. Misfits: US

Dead Boys vs. Dead Kennedys: US

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:Buzzcocks vs. Husker Du: Brits win, 3-2

no no NO.

80's win.

The Wipers anyone?

yesh...

essential.

Skronk wrote:Dead Boys vs. Dead Kennedys: US

These are both US. Maybe Soft Boys vs. DK


The Brits win for me.

I'm selling a bunch of hardcore garbage now to finance future purchases of Brit stuff to fill in the gaps. When I was going through my singles, most of the hardcore ones made me cringe. But the Brit shit had me at the turntable until about 2 last night.

More melodic, less testosterone.

steve wrote:

Brett Eugene Ralph wrote:If The Birthday Party recorded a single bad song, I have not heard it. They are, after The Stooges, the second greatest rock band of all time.

You really do need to hear a couple of the Jesus Lizard's albums.

My dear friend Ace turned me on to the Jesus Lizard. Fucking amazing. Goat and Liar. Two wonderful albums...can't decide which is better.

itchy mcgoo wrote:

Skronk wrote:Dead Boys vs. Dead Kennedys: US

These are both US. Maybe Soft Boys vs. DK

Oops, my mistake. I was thinking of Sham 69 and wrote the Dead Boys.