# Guilty Pleasures...



## Astus

Ok, 'fess up classical music lovers! What is a song or band that you secretly enjoy and classify as a guilty pleasure? By that I mean non-classical and usually considered by music lovers to be of dubious quality - for instance, if you've found yourself enjoying a song only to learn it was by Britney Spears or some such awful singer.

Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine


----------



## Ephemerid

I listen to quite a bit of non-classical (Beatles, U2, Sigur Ros, Coltrane, Mingus), but as far as a _truly _"guilty pleasure" goes ... hmmm ...

For sentimental reasons I have a soft spot for the early 80s new wave stuff: the Police, Men at Work (from Oz!), the Eurythmics, and a whole bunch of one-hit wonders. And there's a lot of sixties and early 70s songs I have a soft spot for.

~josh


----------



## Krummhorn

Mannheim-Steamroller, and classic rock of the 70's.
I could also listen to Frank Sinatra and anything from the Big Band Era.


----------



## david johnson

the B-52's...the songs 'love shack' and 'good stuff', madonna 'hanky panky', etc...
i have no shame! 

dj


----------



## Mark Harwood

"Fool" has a lot to feel guilty about.
My shameful vice is early Hawkwind. Un-musical Neanderthal riffing or visionary space-rock? You decide. I think it's wonderful.


----------



## Tré

Hah... 
I really like to listen to The Postal Service.


----------



## hawk

Jethro Tull  
I enjoyed him when I was a teenager. During the last couple of years I have revisited his (Ian Anderson) music and I have realized that this music was and is great!


----------



## Mark Harwood

Yes, Hawk, the Tull could play. As a teenager 30 years ago, listening to a little tape recorder, I thought the Passion Play was a mess, but I bought the CD last year and I think it's great entertainment, and very clever. Nothing to be ashamed of!
The "Spectacles" interlude is quite musical too, but it would be nice to be able to skip it properly.
Anyone remember China Crisis, "The Gates Of Door To Door" and so on?
OK, maybe that's not so embarrassing.
How about Lynsey de Paul's "Sugar Me"?
Time you 'fessed up, Astus.


----------



## shorteybear

Russian pop music...


----------



## World Violist

I like a bunch of sixties/early 70's stuff. The Hollies; The Mamas and the Papas; and Peter, Paul and Mary are my primary favorites, even though they do use repetitive chord progressions...


----------



## Astus

I am kinda ashamed to say this on a classical music board, but I do love love love Elton John. I think he's just wonderful  Nowadays, he is a bit of a caricature of himself, but in his day, with his early music, he was amazing. I don't mind a lot of the 50s doo-*** type music, either. Probably the most "guilty" of my musical pleasures is Michael Jackson  Yah he's a little insane now, but he was a great musician when he was younger. I think he's awesome! Well, was.


----------



## Mark Harwood

I see why you started this thread, Astus. You had a lot to get off your chest.


----------



## fox_druid

i feel sooo guilty last time when i tapped my feet unconsciously upon hearing a rubbish pop song ... i dont know what it's title, the lyric is "let's dance together", and it's haunting my mind! And i put a lot of hi-class gigues to bash that naughty dance away!

and i also feel so ashamed of myself when i unconsciously have an intention to imitate any simple phrase from any rubbish pop culture played on the TV. It must be a whisper from the evil spirit!! O.. Saint Hildegard von Bingen, protect me from those devilish music with your divine composition!  

i must conserve myself from those destructive pop culture!


----------



## CHasR

Steeleye Span
Fairport Convention


----------



## Rondo

I listen to Diana Krall on occasion. She is definitely not a favorite, but a pleasure nonetheless.


----------



## Mark Harwood

Hey, CHasR, don't feel so guilty about liking Steeleye Span! 
Their first three albums are on a 2 CD set called "The Lark In The Morning" and, despite not being much of a folkie, I'd be happy to recommend that title to anyone.
Perhaps they made other stuff that you'd like to keep quiet about...


----------



## anon2k2

I don't feel guilty at all listening to any music and enjoying it. Isn't the point of music (or any art, for that matter) the emotional connection between the work and the observer?

I, probably like most of you, have collected well over a thousand records & CD's over the years, and not all of them are classical. Some pop music that I own includes Fleetwood Mac, Rush, Metallica, Snoop Dogg, Outkast, Hank Williams Jr, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zepellin, Madonna, Prince, and on and on.

When I first met my wife and we went on our first date, she asked the standard question, "What kind of music do you like?" and my honest answer was "All of it."


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Hawk- I like Tull alot, especially Anderson's great folk song-prog rock mixes like Thick as a Brick.

As far as guilty pleasures, though, I'm a big fan of both Uncle Tupelo (an alt.country band that is not held in very high regard by music critics) and the _Nuggets_ box set from the 60s.


----------



## Celestite

Led Zeppelin. Fantastic group which my brother as a bass guitarist would be happy to front up to, but as a supposedly responsible piano teacher with classical background and two young children the image of a middle aged head banger is probably not one I would want too publicly displayed! Happy memories of a youth not nearly mispent enough!


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Cel, Zeppelin is definitely not a guilty pleasure . They are an absolutely terrific band (albeit, slightly overplayed) with two great frontmen (Plant and Page). In fact, _Physical Graffiti_ is one of my favorite works/albums, including classical compositions. It's just that good.


----------



## Edward Elgar

My guilty pleasure is the listening to and production of Dance/Trance/Euphoria music. However, my argument is; why struggle as a classical musician when you have the possibility to make millions by explioting the ignorant!


----------



## Quartet

That Right Said Fred song, "I'm too sexy" Do not judge, it's a catchy tune. 

In the classical music, is suppose 1812 Overture


----------



## BuddhaBandit

Edward Elgar said:


> My guilty pleasure is the listening to and production of Dance/Trance/Euphoria music. However, my argument is; why struggle as a classical musician when you have the possibility to make millions by explioting the ignorant!


Oh I don't think that trance music is "exploiting the ignorant"  . For me, an artist of, say, Moby's caliber creates as good music as some classical composers.


----------



## Celestite

Of course, whilst Led Zeppelin is widely acclaimed by those outside the classical world (and those of us within it not too proud to admit it!) the one true skeleton in my closet has to be the Slade concert I went to at the tender age of 17 with the then boyfriend. None of his mates would go with him and I felt sorry for him. The really embarrassing thing is, I actually enjoyed it - yo, Noddy!


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

Lots of amazingly  cool  artists in this thread! Sinatra (a Mrs. Philly favorite), Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin (Mrs. Philly once treated my to a rhythm analysis of _Kashmir_ [how great was that?!]), Fleetwood Mac (seen them in concert), The Police (ditto), the B-52s...

What this thread needs is a *true* guilty pleasure, the kind that can only be admitted from the anonymity of the internet- -

*Altered Images*. There. I said it. I followed them as much as a person on this side of the pond _could_ have. One of the bravura passages of Pop music criticism came from Paul Morley, who said about their music that it was (working from memory here) "as if to say 'rock has died too many pathetic deaths, let's start again.' As if to say 'read anything that you want into this (oh, I would, given the chance!), or read nothing at all.' As if to say 'you _could_ be happy.' As if to say 'as if!'" And further added that "[An] Altered Images song... trembles and tumbles [to a place] somewhere between knowing the facts of life and discovering one of the meanings of life."

Yeah, I'm a little less gaga than I once was, but there was a time that I could say of them what John Peel once said... "I'm hopelessly infatuated, I'm afraid."


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Pantera=I am a hardcore fan not ashamed at all just listen to cemetery gates its amasterpeice even though it is hard on the ears
Queen= love em'
Down=Love em'
Pink Floyd=Very original and talented


----------



## Morigan

The Spice Girls...


----------



## Edward Elgar

BuddhaBandit said:


> Oh I don't think that trance music is "exploiting the ignorant"  . For me, an artist of, say, Moby's caliber creates as good music as some classical composers.


What does Moby write? Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch

I've only listened to two of his tracks, so forgive me if this is a slightly reductionist opinion, but the basics are there!

For me, this doesn't come anywhere close to classical music. Where is the skill in telling a computer to manipulate sounds, when proper composers are meticulously studying the properties of the orchestra?

Mind you, if there's a profit to be had, I condone this art-form entierly!


----------



## Mark Harwood

Mr. Elgar, I'm no fan of Moby, but I've been subjected to much of his output because my wife Carol owns several of his CDs. There is a wide variety of styles, and he is a clever, sensitive and imaginative manipulator of sounds. Trance is only one of the arrows in his quiver. It seems you've heard him at his worst; he's actually very good at what he does. 
On the other hand, what he does doesn't interest me in the least.


----------



## RebLem

I don't feel guilty about any of my musical tastes, whether classical or otherwise. I despise rap and hip hop, but I love much ragtime, jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, doo-***, and early rock (defined as pre-Beatles--Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Bill Haley, Little Richard, Roy Orbison, et. al.), Tony Bennett, Patti Loveless, Dianne Reeves, show tunes and standards. I have four non-classical artists complete, or nearly so, on CD--Bessie Smith, Tampa Red, Billie Holliday, and Hank Williams.

I do have guilty pleasures--just not musical ones. Most of my guilty pleasures are TV shows. My Number One Guilty Pleasure is the old TV series _Lost in Space_. I cannot defend my taste for it in any rational way. It was poorly written, overly melodramatic, had really stupid story lines and characters, esp. Dr. Smith, and had really cheap *** production values that today would embarrass the program director of the public access cable channel in Kearney, Nebraska. I still love it to death.


----------



## missmaestro

The french band Kyo!!!! lol


----------



## Cyclops

Well, I used to like a band called The Penguin Cafe Orchestra, but its been so long since I heard any of their stuff I cant rememebr what it was like!
Also theres a band called Rondo Veneziano that my sister showed me ages ago, quite good.

Now at work they have piped music from a hard drive, all easy pop stuff, mostly cr*p but theres one or two I like, usually ones that have my colleagues looking at me strangely. One is Everything by Michael Buble. I never knew who it was but it grew on me. Then I found out he's a new crooner a la Sinatra ,but better in my opinion(Sinatra is way over rated!)


----------



## Cyclops

Edward Elgar said:


> What does Moby write? Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch, Boom, Ch
> 
> I've only listened to two of his tracks, so forgive me if this is a slightly reductionist opinion, but the basics are there!
> 
> For me, this doesn't come anywhere close to classical music. Where is the skill in telling a computer to manipulate sounds, when proper composers are meticulously studying the properties of the orchestra?
> 
> Mind you, if there's a profit to be had, I condone this art-form entierly!


Have to say, I'm a fan of Moby. Doesnt matter if its a computer, its just an instrument, just like a digital is a camera. All tools of the trade. (I have a few tunes I made myself on keyboard and synth, and tho it was done on a computer I still had to play it real time and try to keep up, not easy!)

The mans a genious in my opinion!


----------



## Edward Elgar

Cyclops said:


> The mans a genious in my opinion!


He certainly makes lots of money, so yes he is!


----------



## Methodistgirl

Ever heard of Electric Light Orchestra?
judy tooley


----------



## Cyclops

Methodistgirl said:


> Ever heard of Electric Light Orchestra?
> judy tooley


Oh yes ELO were huge, and the band leader Jeff Lynne was involved with Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison on a collaboration called The Travelling Willberies. I believe Tom Petty was in there too.


----------



## Emilia

My guilty pleasure (muhahaha) would probably be hip-hop. Now, I know that some classical musicians consider this genre to be total trash, but I don't understand how we are supposed to connect with our modern audiences if we don't know what they listen to. Besides that, I enjoy some hop-hop and r&b, and I'm not afraid to say it. 50 Cent, Rihanna, Kanye, Eminem, Black-eyed Peas. . . Gnarls Barkley (so creative!) Danger Mouse and etcccccc

I don't know. I just think that we shouldn't turn our noses up. If you don't like it, take what you can and just leave the rest. Don't rant or rave about it.


----------



## Zeniyama

I guess I'll ressurect this thread just for the hell of it...

ELTON JOHN!!!

I'm sorry, that was uncalled for... But, I've always been a very big Elton John fan. I don't know what it is about him, but even during times when I've listened exclusively to Classical music, I'd pop an Elton CD in from time to time and just listen. He was my influence for playing the piano in the first place, believe it or not, and I accrued quite the collection of his CDs before my sisters ex took everything in the house that was laying around unsupervised and sold it, and my entire collection disappeared. So now, I'm saving my money, waiting for an opportunity to rebuild my collection.

I know I might have mentioned the incident a bit much, but it still bothers me to this day thinking of that little scoundrel stealing from me. The very thought of him incites me to rage and disgust.


----------



## Cyclops

Zeniyama said:


> I guess I'll ressurect this thread just for the hell of it...
> 
> ELTON JOHN!!!
> 
> I'm sorry, that was uncalled for... But, I've always been a very big Elton John fan.


Elton John isn't a guilty pleasure,he's a legend!


----------



## Zeniyama

Cyclops said:


> Elton John isn't a guilty pleasure,he's a legend!


Yeah, he definitely is. But it is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me because, for some reason, whenever I tell anybody my age about how much I love his music, I always get this response: "Elton John... isn't he gay?". So, I just quit telling people about it.

I never quite got how a person's sexuality affects the quality of their music, but apparently to alot of other people it does.


----------



## Cyclops

Zeniyama said:


> Yeah, he definitely is. But it is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me because, for some reason, whenever I tell anybody my age about how much I love his music, I always get this response: "Elton John... isn't he gay?". So, I just quit telling people about it.
> 
> I never quite got how a person's sexuality affects the quality of their music, but apparently to alot of other people it does.


Well Tchaikovsky was gay, as was Saint-
Saens. Doesn't stop me listening to their music or talking about them. If other people don't like them cos they're gay then they're the fools not you!


----------



## Zeniyama

Cyclops said:


> Well Tchaikovsky was gay, as was Saint-
> Saens. Doesn't stop me listening to their music or talking about them. If other people don't like them cos they're gay then they're the fools not you!


You are right there; I've never had a problem chatting with people about Saint-Saens or Tchaikovsky either. I don't know why with Elton, especially with how great of a musical artist he is, I've kind of hidden him away but not them. I suppose I just need to be less modest about my tastes in music.


----------



## Cyclops

I like music. 
'If they're gay,bisexual,black,white or red. 
If their music is good I'll take it to bed'


----------



## jhar26

I have no guilty pleasures. If I like an artist or band he, she or they must be good at least in my opinion, so I see no reason to feel embarrassed about it.


----------



## Celestite

*Guilty pleasures*

EJ was my hero when I was at school - I was learning to play the piano and was purely classically trained (I teach it these days) and I thought it was fantastic that someone could be so cool even though they had a classical training too. "Sorry seems to be the hardest word" still brings tears to my eyes **years later!


----------



## Padawan

Hmmm, this is going to be fun. 

Donna Summer: I have the 15 minute version of "Love to Love You Baby" 
K.C. & The Sunshine band.


----------



## Sid James

Mantovani. The orchestrations of his arrangers actually beats some of those of well known classical composers (I won't name names, as it'd be sure to start a bunfight!)...


----------



## Zeniyama

Sometimes, when I feel like just being loud and obnoxious, and nobody's around to fuss at me, I'll take my copy of "Never Mind the ********..." out and turn it up really loud. I don't know why, but sometimes I just like to listen to rude a Englishman shouting over two guitar chords being repeated over and over about how much he hates the Queen.


----------



## Mirror Image

I don't really have any guilty pleasures, because I've never felt "guilty" for enjoying what I like.


----------



## andruini

You know that hit disco single "Fifth of Beethoven" by Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band?? 
I love that song so much even though it completely bastardizes one of LvB's most awesome works..
That's the only guilty pleasure I can think of right now..


----------



## Argus

I like to think of myself as an eclectic soul. I enjoy classical, jazz, blues, folk, rock, metal, Indian classical and funk among other things. But, I normally despise throwaway chart pop but I have to admit to liking 4 new pop songs.

The first 2 are from La Roux.

Bulletproof






In for the Kill






And even more shamefully this song by the Saturdays.






It may however be that I am enticed by the beauty of the blonde girl.

And finally this Florence and the Machine song. Mainly because of the chorus.






These admissions are even more astonishing when you take into account that in my entire collection (about 150 CD's) I only possess one album with a lead female vocalist. My Bloody Valentine's _Loveless_. And I am not much a fan of that album anyway.

That Saturdays is surely the worst guilty pleasure admitted thus far. I blame the place where I work. We listen to top 40 radio stations playing absolute crap like Black Eyed Peas and JLS( If you don't know who these are be thankful) and when one of them 4 songs comes on by comparison they seem excellent. Anybody know any industries where classical/jazz music fandom is de rigueur or is it across the board bad tastein this country?

*Start Rant*

Is listening to terrible music for 8 hours a day detrimental to my mental health or against the Geneva convention or something. If I try and request anything that isn't pop there is an argument. Benny Goodman, no. Beethoven, no. Miles Davis, no. John Lee Hooker, no. Even rock music is frowned on. And the majority of my colleagues are middle aged and white yet don't like Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple. Too much UB40 and U2 can't be good for your system. And don't get me started on Smooth FM. The idea of a radio station devoted to an adjective is just silly.

*End Rant*


----------



## Cortision

I have a feeling this might just get me banned from this Forum, but...

No, I can't do it. But wait, If someone can confess to listening to Michael Jackson...

I like some Abba Songs.


----------



## Cortision

Argus said:


> *Start Rant*
> 
> Is listening to terrible music for 8 hours a day detrimental to my mental health or against the Geneva convention or something. If I try and request anything that isn't pop there is an argument. Benny Goodman, no. Beethoven, no. Miles Davis, no. John Lee Hooker, no. Even rock music is frowned on. And the majority of my colleagues are middle aged and white yet don't like Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple. Too much UB40 and U2 can't be good for your system. And don't get me started on Smooth FM. The idea of a radio station devoted to an adjective is just silly.
> 
> *End Rant*


As far as I know, it's not against the Geneva convention, *But it Sure should be!* Yes, there is no doubt is is slowly and insidiously poisoning your mind. It is a tribute to your resilience that you still have enough sense to like classical music!

In Australia I have unwillingly subjected to a station called 'Nova', which plays some songs five or six times a day . Furthermore, the songs they play are utter drivel. Compared to their normal fare, a song by Coldplay sounds serenely magnificent . Fortunately I now have a different Job. Maybe you should consider quitting, for the sake of your sanity!


----------



## Argus

Cortision said:


> As far as I know, it's not against the Geneva convention, *But it Sure should be!* Yes, there is no doubt is is slowly and insidiously poisoning your mind. It is a tribute to your resilience that you still have enough sense to like classical music!
> 
> In Australia I have unwillingly subjected to a station called 'Nova', which plays some songs five or six times a day . Furthermore, the songs they play are utter drivel. Compared to their normal fare, a song by Coldplay sounds serenely magnificent . Fortunately I now have a different Job. Maybe you should consider quitting, for the sake of your sanity!


If anything being subjected to poor pop music radicalises me against it and toward anything that doesn't sound like it, like classical, jazz, blues etc.

I know what you mean about repeating songs multiple times a day. We often have a station called Tower FM on and it play the same crap songs all day long and no one seems to care. Luckily, myself and a lad my age stay behind for 20-30 mins after most people have left and we get to blast out some proper tunes. I normally choose some avant garde classical or free jazz and he puts on some heavy metal. It's a kind of release after a day of hard listening.

I'd like to quit my job and study music but right now I have tendonitis in both wrists and haven't been playing much lately (mainly practicing sight reading and studying counterpoint), so I may as well stay on and endure the poor music, save up some money and then when I finally decide to quit I have enough saved up that I can study without having to worrying about a part time job.


----------



## nefigah

Padawan said:


> Donna Summer: I have the 15 minute version of "Love to Love You Baby"


Argghh... not only is it awful, it will now be stuck in my head for way more than 15 minutes


----------



## Sid James

Operettas? My mother calls them "destroyers of taste," but I disagree, I don't think that's the case if they are well-written, like Strauss' _Die Fledermaus_, for example...


----------



## Rasa

People who don't like operettas are, from what I have precieved, usually people who like serious opera, so they can act all intellectual about it... (although I must confess, I like to do that too)


----------



## Il Seraglio

I really enjoy Johann Strauss' waltzes. Come to think of it, I don't really understand why Strauss is regarded as being any more a part the 'guilty pleasure' category than the crowd-pleasing tunes of Tchaikovsky.


----------



## Air

I like Prokofiev. (This is often considered a sin... )
I also like Ravel. (Another sin!)
I'll top that off by saying that Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto is not virtuosic noise. 

Oh wups I denied Mozart three times. The rooster has crowed.


----------



## Guest

Just found this thread ? where have I been, I am very keen on Irish folk from both the Chieftains and The Dubliners,


----------



## World Violist

So now I've gotten two on my list:

1) a good recording of Shosty 7th symphony
2) Bernstein's '58 Sacre du Printemps


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> So now I've gotten two on my list:
> 
> 1) a good recording of Shosty 7th symphony
> 2) Bernstein's '58 Sacre du Printemps


Why would a good recording of Shosty 7th be a guilty sin ?


----------



## World Violist

Andante said:


> Why would a good recording of Shosty 7th be a guilty sin ?


It's that the end is so huge and loud and stuff, and is ridiculously intense. Maybe a bit too much so. I don't know how to explain it.


----------



## Argus

Shostakovich, Ravel, Prokofiev, Johann Strauss and the Rite of Spring are now considered guilty pleasures. Thanks for the info, I'll take note and remember to feel more guilty.


----------



## starry

No guilty pleasures, only innocent pleasures.


----------



## Guest

World Violist said:


> It's that the end is so huge and loud and stuff, and is ridiculously intense. Maybe a bit too much so. I don't know how to explain it.


It is so full of small windows and has passages that are perhaps not what you would expect from him, never the less I too enjoy it and do not have one bit of guilt


----------



## Ravellian

I know what he means about Shosty's 7th. In some places it sounds so unlike a symphony.. 

As for my own guilty pleasures, I really enjoy disco >_> It's just fun dance music.


----------



## emiellucifuge

Shostakovich 7th may be considered a guilty pleasure because it is similar and has the same purpose to the Carmina Burana:

"Shostakovich's contemporaries were dismayed, even angered by its lack of subtlety, crudity, and overblown dramatics. Virgil Thomson wrote that, "It seems to have been written for the slow-witted, the not very musical and the distracted," adding that if Shostakovich continued writing in this manner, it might "eventually disqualify him for consideration as a serious composer.[43] Sergei Rachmaninoff's only comment after hearing the American premiere on the radio was a grim "Well, and now let's have some tea."[44] Béla Bartók, frustrated with the popularity of the piece, parodies the ostinato from the "invasion" theme of the first movement of the symphony in the fourth movement, Intermezzo interrotto, of his Concerto for Orchestra (see Quotations and Allusions below)."

That of cheap shock and thrill. 
Dont think I doubt Shostakovichs mastery of the art, he is one of my favorite composers.


----------



## Il Seraglio

emiellucifuge said:


> Shostakovich 7th may be considered a guilty pleasure because it is similar and has the same purpose to the Carmina Burana:
> 
> "Shostakovich's contemporaries were dismayed, even angered by its lack of subtlety, crudity, and overblown dramatics. Virgil Thomson wrote that, "It seems to have been written for the slow-witted, the not very musical and the distracted," adding that if Shostakovich continued writing in this manner, it might "eventually disqualify him for consideration as a serious composer.[43] Sergei Rachmaninoff's only comment after hearing the American premiere on the radio was a grim "Well, and now let's have some tea."[44] Béla Bartók, frustrated with the popularity of the piece, parodies the ostinato from the "invasion" theme of the first movement of the symphony in the fourth movement, Intermezzo interrotto, of his Concerto for Orchestra (see Quotations and Allusions below)."
> 
> That of cheap shock and thrill.
> Dont think I doubt Shostakovichs mastery of the art, he is one of my favorite composers.


I'm a sucker for a good melody, but I don't even find the seventh symphony enjoyable, let alone profound. I guess it just goes to show how good the Soviet authorities were at forcing people to like whatever they threw at them.


----------



## Argus

A couple of admissions.

Firstly, I can safely say I prefer Collins-era Genesis over Gabriel-era even though I prefer Steve Hackett's solo stuff over both of them. This goes against my natural instinct of liking more weird proggy songs, but early Genesis just doesn't grab me. This is probably blasphemy to most proper Genesis fans but _Selling England by the Pound_ and _The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway_ seem too lyrically dominated and the music suffers from being secondary, in my opinion.

This is probably my favourite song by Genesis. I just dig the riff.






Secondly, this contest is closer, I would say overall I prefer Buckingham-Nicks Fleetwood Mac over Peter Green's version. I like a lot of the early songs like Green Manalishi, Albatross, Black Magic Woman and Oh Well but as a complete album, Rumours is better than all the Green stuff put together.

And this is one of the best examples of a great guitar solo a relatively mediocre pop tune. I often jam on the coda for hours on end. Great bass line and a nice economic pentatonic solo. Simple.


----------



## mamascarlatti

Queen. Where did Freddie get that voice? Is it a coincidence that I love opera arias sung by countertenors? Do I feel guilty? (No)


----------



## Guest

emiellucifuge said:


> Shostakovich 7th may be considered a guilty pleasure because it is similar and has the same purpose to the Carmina Burana:


 What is this purpose? I can't see the connection, no ravishing bod's


----------



## Rondo

Funny to see how this thread has progressed, starting with



Ephemerid said:


> ...the Police, Men at Work (from Oz!), the Eurythmics...


and



david johnson said:


> the B-52's...


and



Tré said:


> ...The Postal Service.


and



SalieriIsInnocent said:


> Pantera...


and



Morigan said:


> The Spice Girls...


to Shostakovich's 7th Symphony and Carmina Burana? I realize there are some rather "hip" recordings of classical music out there, some of which may sound atrocious to the more cautious listener, but...in the same thread?!


----------



## Aramis

I don't feel guilty while listening to some rock bands that I still enjoy: Deep Parple, Cream, Jefferson Airplane or others. It doesn't make me feel like I would do something... wrong? When I feel this way it's because I listen to something obvious and overplayed. I never listen to Beethoven's 5th while someone can hear it =O

Or Shostakovich's 5th. I feel guilty that it's still my fav symphony of him and that I love it's ending. DOM DAM DAM... DOM DAM DAAAM... *<dum-dum-dum-dum>*. Heeeeey \m/. Mostly because I know that this ending has second bottom and it's not musically literal. And I enjoy it in most simple way.


----------



## Mozartgirl92

I feel guilty while listening to Ashley Tisdale, I mean she doesn´t even write the songs herself, but she does have a few good songs.


----------



## graaf

I have just listened Martha Argerich's performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concert No1, but I have no problem saying that I liked Robbie Williams' song "Feel" when I first heard it (and it surely wasn't the last time I heard it!). But when I saw this topic, I remembered a nice post on Paul Graham's blog, and here comes the excerpt:

_Another way to figure out what you like is to look at what you enjoy as guilty pleasures. Many things people like, especially if they're young and ambitious, they like largely for the feeling of virtue in liking them. 99% of people reading Ulysses are thinking "I'm reading Ulysses" as they do it. A guilty pleasure is at least a pure one. What do you read when you don't feel up to being virtuous? What kind of book do you read and feel sad that there's only half of it left, instead of being impressed that you're half way through? That's what you really like._

source:
http://www.paulgraham.com/copy.html


----------



## Tapkaara

Why would anything in classical music be considered a guilty pleasure? If it's too colorful, too passionate or too loud?

Are people that like classical music really that staid and easily offended? No wonder others think we are stuck up sticks in the mud.


----------



## Lukecash12

Actually, it's not much of a guilty pleasure at all, but this seems like the thread to put it in. I love Santana, and thought their performance at Woodstock was incredibly expressive.


----------



## Argus

Lukecash12 said:


> Actually, it's not much of a guilty pleasure at all, but this seems like the thread to put it in. I love Santana, and thought their performance at Woodstock was incredibly expressive.


Santana is excellent. Abraxas, Santana III and Caravanserai are probably my favourite's of his. What I like about Carlos Santana's playing is that he has his own distinct style and has stuck with for nearly 50 years. A good example would be his collaboration with John McLaughlin covering Coltrane's _A Love Supreme_ from this album:










Even playing in a totally different kind of music he keeps the same sound on his solo's.


----------



## Taneyev

I were listening classical for the last 50 years, but also love american songs and ballads from the 40s, IMO the most beautiful ever written, and Argentine tango, Piazzolla et all.


----------



## Polednice

I don't have any musical guilty pleasures, as I exclusively listen to this single genre. However, just to join in, I take literature just as seriously, so one of my guilty pleasures was actually liking _The Da Vinci Code_  However, when I soon after discovered that Dan Brown uses the same plot for all of his books, I rightfully hated it once more


----------



## Argus

Polednice said:


> I don't have any musical guilty pleasures, as *I exclusively listen to this single genre*.


There's something to feel guilty about. Limiting your musical listening based on genre labels is, well frankly, _irrational_.

Do you not feel like you're missing out?


----------



## Polednice

Argus said:


> There's something to feel guilty about. Limiting your musical listening based on genre labels is, well frankly, _irrational_.
> 
> Do you not feel like you're missing out?


Absolutely, positively NOT. Classical music houses so many styles and attitudes and is constantly trying to address the meaning of life and art that, above all, I will die before I've heard all I will want to hear. But, as well as that, I just don't get the appeal of non-classical music. It's more trivial to me than Mozart, plus I _cringe_ at the sound of non-operatic singing. It's disugsting. So that closes down a lot of options!


----------



## Argus

Polednice said:


> But, as well as that, I just don't get the appeal of non-classical music. It's more trivial to me than Mozart, plus I _cringe_ at the sound of non-operatic singing. It's disugsting. So that closes down a lot of options!


I'm the exact opposite in that regard. Operatic singing grates on my nerves after a while. I prefer some Skip James, Brian Johnson or Neil Young over any classically trained singer. I even prefer the howls and screams of Robert Plant or Geddy Lee over the quasi-operatic style's of Freddie Mercury or Meatloaf(ughhh).

Also, you're lumping all non-classical music together which just shows you really haven't listened to much outside of classical. I'd hardly call Coltrane's _A Love Supreme_ or the songs of Leadbelly 'trivial'.


----------



## Polednice

Argus said:


> Also, you're lumping all non-classical music together which just shows you really haven't listened to much outside of classical. I'd hardly call Coltrane's _A Love Supreme_ or the songs of Leadbelly 'trivial'.


I whole-heartedly admit that. I'm quite happy to stand forward and proclaim my immense ignorance of any music that falls outside the realm of art-music, but it doesn't matter to me. I'm happy enough with an endless supply of the music that I already know I enjoy, and the prospect of finding music with the same outlook that I know I will enjoy, so I just leave the rest of 'music' to get on with itself. It's probably partly to do with my experience of music growing up as well - my mum would always listen to generic pop, which I didn't enjoy, and my dad's favourite band was Iron Maiden. So, growing up, I wasn't exposed to music that I enjoyed. Then, when I was at school, people took the **** out of me because I didn't listen to any kind of music at all when they were all going through their adolescent phase of establishing a self-identity through music and other popular media. Then, I found the world of classical music and it was all mine! My own secret musical world and my own to enjoy. So not only did I never search or have the desire to search other types of music, but I was practically conditioned to _resent_ other types of music, so I stick my fingers up at it all even though there may be some 'good' things I'm missing out on, because I know I can find whatever I'm lacking elsewhere


----------



## starry

Taneyev said:


> I were listening classical for the last 50 years, but also love american songs and ballads from the 40s, IMO the most beautiful ever written, and Argentine tango, Piazzolla et all.


That's interesting, I thought the 30s were more acclaimed than the 40s, certainly alot of well crafted ballads.


----------



## Argus

Polednice said:


> So not only did I never search or have the desire to search other types of music, but I was practically conditioned to _resent_ other types of music, so I stick my fingers up at it all even though there may be some 'good' things I'm missing out on, because I know I can find whatever I'm lacking elsewhere


Firstly, what's wrong with Iron Maiden.

Secondly, Brahms couldn't dream of being a millionth as cool as this dude.
















Bonus coolness:































And the king of cool:






Learn and return.


----------



## Polednice

I don't know if I'm going to even dare click any of those links  Maybe when I'm really, really, _really_ bored I'll come back, but I'm scared!


----------



## Argus

Polednice said:


> I don't know if I'm going to even dare click any of those links  Maybe when I'm really, really, _really_ bored I'll come back, but I'm scared!


Quickest reply ever.

Don't worry I wouldn't advise trying to absorb that much coolness all at once anyway. After years of classical music your immuno-cool system will be too low to cope with the sheer brain crushing hepness of those cats. Ease yourself in with some Miles.


----------



## graaf

Nice links Argus, thanks for introducing me to Link Wray and reminding about Jose Feliciano.


----------



## Il Seraglio

I think this is will be relevant to the 'Guilty Pleasures' topic.

I am starting to realise how much my tastes for conductors and orchestras in playing Beethoven and Wagner is more towards the loud and brash (dare I say it bombastic) end of the scale. Listening to more restrained performances (Zubin Mehta's Rheingold, Osmo Vanska's Symphony No. 7, Bernard Haitink's Eroica) can be a highly frustrating experience as I find myself waiting for the loud, dramatic crescendos that never seem to come and the dynamic range seems ridiculous. The pianissimo sections are virtually inaudible unless you crank up the volume to full blast. Maybe this is why I am developing a preference for Karajan as a Beethoven conductor and Barenboim as a Wagner conductor.

Does anyone else find this? Is there a way to train your ears to develop a broader appreciation for different conducting styles or have I just been unlucky with coming across bad recordings?


----------



## Aramis

Il Seraglio said:


> I think this is will be relevant to the 'Guilty Pleasures' topic.
> 
> I am starting to realise how much my tastes for conductors and orchestras in playing Beethoven and Wagner is more towards the loud and brash (dare I say it bombastic) end of the scale. Listening to more restrained performances (Zubin Mehta's Rheingold, Osmo Vanska's Symphony No. 7, Bernard Haitink's Eroica) can be a highly frustrating experience as I find myself waiting for the loud, dramatic crescendos that never seem to come and the dynamic range seems ridiculous. The pianissimo sections are virtually inaudible unless you crank up the volume to full blast. Maybe this is why I am developing a preference for Karajan as a Beethoven conductor and Barenboim as a Wagner conductor.
> 
> Does anyone else find this? Is there a way to train your ears to develop a broader appreciation for different conducting styles or have I just been unlucky with coming across bad recordings?


Do not let them mislead you, 
enslave your feets with chains of poisoned conscience.
Bravely they march in right direction.

Don't let them convice you,
that the sparse rain,
could ever irrigate the fields of your heart, 
as fruitfully and greatly as deluge!
Or that miserable waves of laughable storm,
could crack and sink the ship of your enemies, 
as surely as the rage of Poseidon himself!


----------



## Il Seraglio

Aramis said:


> Do not let them mislead you,
> enslave your feets with chains of poisoned conscience.
> Bravely they march in right direction.
> 
> Don't let them convice you,
> that the sparse rain,
> could ever irrigate the fields of your heart,
> as fruitfully and greatly as deluge!
> Or that miserable waves of laughable storm,
> could crack and sink the ship of your enemies,
> as surely as the rage of Poseidon himself!


I'm sorry, I'm afraid this is a joke I don't really get. What are you trying to say?


----------



## Aramis

Il Seraglio said:


> I'm sorry, I'm afraid this is a joke I don't really get. What are you trying to say?


Now, you see, the first part warns you of posts which will tell you that your approach is incorrect and will change in time, and that you should listen to Beethoven performed by period ensamles because they catch the essence.

The second part is anthem to Karajan and other conductors that perform music of those composers as it should be performed, it tells that large instrumental forces and dramaticism are necessary, it puts forth the comparison of sparse rain and deluge, little and great storm to show that there are no "bombastic" and "overblown" performances, there are only those that hit the point (by reaching the highest possible peaks) and miss the point (by frugal approach and restraint).


----------



## Aramis

This is, of course, a basic transcription of my great poetry and it doesn't show all of it's richness.


----------



## Il Seraglio

Aramis said:


> Now, you see, the first part warns you of posts which will tell you that your approach is incorrect and will change in time, and that you should listen to Beethoven performed by period ensamles because they catch the essence.
> 
> The second part is anthem to Karajan and other conductors that perform music of those composers as it should be performed, it tells that large instrumental forces and dramaticism are necessary, it puts forth the comparison of sparse rain and deluge, little and great storm to show that there are no "bombastic" and "overblown" performances, there are only those that hit the point (by reaching the highest possible peaks) and miss the point (by frugal approach and restraint).


Nicely put, now that I think about it. 

I see where you're coming from and it's not as if Barenboim or Karajan aren't highly respected conductors for a reason.


----------



## graaf

Il Seraglio said:


> I think this is will be relevant to the 'Guilty Pleasures' topic.
> 
> I am starting to realise how much my tastes for conductors and orchestras in playing Beethoven and Wagner is more towards the loud and brash (dare I say it bombastic) end of the scale. Listening to more restrained performances (Zubin Mehta's Rheingold, Osmo Vanska's Symphony No. 7, Bernard Haitink's Eroica) can be a highly frustrating experience as I find myself waiting for the loud, dramatic crescendos that never seem to come and the dynamic range seems ridiculous. The pianissimo sections are virtually inaudible unless you crank up the volume to full blast. Maybe this is why I am developing a preference for Karajan as a Beethoven conductor and Barenboim as a Wagner conductor.
> 
> Does anyone else find this? Is there a way to train your ears to develop a broader appreciation for different conducting styles or have I just been unlucky with coming across bad recordings?


Since time is kind of a "quality filter", I can't be sure how many "not so good" music they had then and if someone back in those days tried to be impressive/magnificent/epic/you-name-it by simply being loud. But today, too many "empty loudness" is being sold in music, that we actually forgot that some music is supposed to be loud. It is intended to be loud. Composer wanted us to listen to it loud.

I want Beethoven's Ninth to be as epic as orchestra can make it. Same with Fifth. And that, among other things, means loud. Really loud. Just like I want Moonlight sonata to be as quiet and touching and weeping as possible.

By running away from "empty loudness" we, along the way, condemned loudness itself! It is simply incredible how none of us is immune to some of those psychological mechanisms... The question is - do we recognize them? And if we do, what do we do next.


----------



## Argus

Play the game.

Boys of Summer

Evil Woman

God Gave Rock and Roll to You

Any Way You Want It

Enola Gay

Roll Over, Lay Down

Kennedy

Stand and Deliver

Taste

Setting Sun

I actually bought albums by the last two bands based on those single songs. They were the best songs on the album by a mile.


----------



## Argus

More

Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City

What a Feeling

More Than a Feeling

Take Me Home Country Roads

You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet

Run to You

BBC Snooker

SKi Sunday

Wimbledon

Black Beauty(A Partridge favourite)

My ultimate goal in life is to compose music that is featured on BBC Ceefax in the early hours of the morning:

Ceefax


----------



## Argus

More

Don't Bring Me Down

Moonlight Shadow

Doctor Doctor (might be a bit too good to belong here but it needs a proper Schenker solo)

I Feel Love

Dayvan Cowboy (Another one that is really quite good and a great video to boot)

Motorcycle Emptiness

Little Green Bag

Big New Prinz

What Do You Want From Me

Smalltown Boy

Don't Go

Cars

I Want More (Great band but probably one of their cheesier offerings. Still fantastic though.)


----------



## Argus

I think I'll just post some more even if a lot of these aren't really guilty pleasures anymore.

Nag Nag Nag

Love Missile F1 11

Got My Mind Set on You

The Touch

Mr Sandman

Space Face

Popcorn

On The Road Again

E2-E4

Together in Electric Dreams

Oxygene 4

Camels

Roxette

Theres some others I wanted to post but can't remember the names of the tracks or artists.

The first used only samples of things like chainsaws and other deforestation tools, and aboriginal style singing. The music video featured shots of Amazonian lumberjacks. I think it was called Hex-something.

The second had a music video where a car is driving down a very long road with sheep in a field to the side of it. The whole video uses one camera shot looking straight down the middle of the road as the car drives down it.


----------



## James clerk

Beat this... Don Omar


----------



## TWhite

Okay, I'll bite. 

Delightful Guilty Pleasures: 
Bette Midler
Harry Connick, Jr. (especially the early Barrelhouse recordings)
Cat Stevens

Carmina Burana (it can actually convert kids to classical music)

Tom


----------



## Grosse Fugue

Hits of the 20's-40's


----------



## Guest

Grosse Fugue said:


> Hits of the 20's-40's


No need to feel guilt, some of the best melodies and shows came from that era


----------



## James clerk

Porn, man, porn.


----------



## Aramis

the idle shaft horse by the fireside warmth of the fire to beat me with spurts neck


----------

