Re: Guitar good, DJ's bad, etc (was LOOPING PHILOSOPHY)

["T.W. Hartnett" <hartnett.t@apple.com>]

>> >> Will say, Art of Noise records be referred back to in twenty years 
>in 
the 
>> >> same way that Cream records are?  
>> >
>> >Only if there's any justice left.
>> 
>> Don't bet on it.  Influential as Art of Noise has been on people who 
>own 
>> and/or operatate synthesizers, I think they may end up in the category 
>of 
>> "Historical Significance Only".  I mean, I think that the third Peter 
>> Gabriel album (with the melting face cover, includes "Games Without 
>> Frontiers" and "Biko") is ENORMOUSLY influential, enjoyable and worthy 
>of 
>> praise, but I'm astounded at the number of people, even musicians with 
>a 
>> stated interest in unusual, electronic pop music, who are unaware of or 
>> indifferent to it.  If nothing else, this is the album that 
>> singlehandedly introduced the gated reverb drum sound to the world, but 
>> it doesn't really matter in the end.  Civilians hear it and say 
>> "Nice...but I prefer 'So'."
>
>Try applying this logic to Cream.  How many "civilians" have ever
>really listened to Robert Johnson?  All Cream did was electrify
>someone else's music.  It was enormously successful and popular, and
>for good reason.  That just shows that success is no measure of
>creativity or innovation, much less musical power. 

I suppose this is a reference to Cream's versions of "Crossroads" (Robert 
Johnson, the live Cream version is often described [not by me] as the 
greatest rock electric guitar solo, ever), and of "Spoonfull" (Willy 
Dixon).  I believe that Cream's lasting impact stems more from "Sunshine 
Of Your Love", "White Room", "Strange Brew" (yes, the solo is ripped off 
from Albert King), "Tales Of Brave Ulysses", and "Badge".  All of those 
songs were written by Cream (and George Harrison, on "Badge").  Cream's 
other historical note is that they brought Eric Clapton's instrumental 
prowess to the attention of the world at large (previously, the Mayall 
Bluesbreakers were a cult band at best), and legitimized the concept of 
jamming onstage, in a rock context.  So many rock guitarists have cited 
Clapton's work in Cream as a major influence that I think it's grossly 
inaccurate to say that "all they did was electrify someone else's music".

Additionally, Cream sparked a backlash against the idea of the heavily 
amplified band, endlessly jamming.  Clapton himself has said that he read 
a review of the the Band's first, acoustic based album, and realised in 
that moment that the concept of Cream was dead.  He quits, and puts out 
his first solo album, where he plays down the Marshall bombast that he 
instigated.

Travis