I have to keep listening to this on YouTube because I'm not willing to spend $30 to buy an apparently rare album. Anyway, the combination of acoustic guitar and Foreigner/Bad Company sounding vocals is perfect. Also, acid trip synth.
"Crystalised" by the xx (2009)
I love their vocals.
"Throwing It All Away" by Genesis (1986)
I can't even express how much I can't stop listening to this song. So catchy, so pop perfect, so heartbreaking if you ignore the melody.
Much like everything else that was good in fashion, film, and ethics, the 80s swept away the rock flute. The flute now remains a forgotten relic of folkier times in rock 'n' roll, laying waste in the hands of gossipy girls in the high school marching band. Let's reminisce about the good times, and prove that this is an instrument that deserves to come back.
"Forty-thousand Headman" by Traffic (live in Santa Monica 1972)
A flute can make a story sound old school campfire legendary.
I love everything about this band: the silk shirts, Steve Winwood's blank eyes, the blue sports jacket, the maracas, and most of all the flute.
"Song for Jeffrey" by Jethro Tull (1969 performance)
When used with gritty vocals and a slide guitar, a flute sounds incredibly earthy.
I'm pretty sure I see this guy on the street daily in Seattle, so where's the rock flute?
"The Musical Box" by Genesis (1972 on Belgian TV)
A flute can make a creepy fairy tale even more haunting. The (prog) rock flute starts at the 1:20 musical break. I recommend sticking this song out to the end. It is transcendent.
Did you stick around for grope-y Peter Gabriel?
"Everyone" by Van Morrison (off the 1970 album Moondance)
Last, a rock flute can make a song sound madrigally celebratory.
This is probably the most ridiculous connection I've made yet. Mostly, I wanted to use bands I hadn't used before in making a connection through rock's past and present. Please enjoy the result of me searching the internet and racking my brains.
Genesis "The Musical Box" (I believe this is a truncated version)
Peter Gabriel was a big fan of dressing up, negating the positive, upbeat, only mildly strange music of Genesis during his era and making it super-weird. But you've got to love it. Here he is in a Fox mask (and red dress). Whether it was because he was shy or just trying to make some sort of statement, who knows? But I do know that I kind of love how mismatched his outfit seems to the rest of the band and the music. To be fair, he's kind of weird without the mask, too.
Slipknot "Psychosocial"
Before today, I had no idea there was a band out there that wore Michael Myers masks. But then again, I don't like screamo very much. At least Slipknot gives me the relief of a sung chorus. Anyway, with the masks, notice that they're all different. Much like BSB, you can pick your favorite one. My favorite is is the zanni inspired executioner mask--adorable! Or absolutely frightening. I can't decide.
Questions to Ponder: 1. While I understand that Slipknot is attempting to make their hard core even hard corer by wearing these masks, does Peter Gabriel have any good reason for wearing one? 2. Is Slipknot scary or just hilarious? How does the choppy editing and quickly changing focus of the video help the scariness or hilariousness? 3. In fact, who would be scarier to encounter: the 9-masked-man band Slipknot or Peter Gabriel in a fox mask?
