Pretty good.
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I am now optimistic about this category.
Never mind.
The only jazz I listen to are jazz vocalists and never instrumental jazz, so I have a skewed idea of jazz. I was tempted to submit some vocalese.
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fml. i loved this one. i guess i don’t know jazz at all :(
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Pretty good? I think it is missing a little something.
I mean, I talk a good game but there’s at least an equal chance it’s me who hasn’t a clue. (If indeed there is a clue to have.)
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Similar to the above I guess I almost never listen to jazz with vocals, so I may well be the skewed one.
In eighth place with five points
Cameron Graves - Red
Jazz is jazz? Not this jazz. Enjoy this fusion of jazz and hard rock.
This was the closest to jazz we managed given it pretty much is jazz (which is still jazz). As our submitter states it’s ‘fusion’, a fine approach, and someone in the comments overreaches and mentions the ‘Mahavishnu spirit’. This is all promising, but after three or four listens I realised that it made me anxious. It took a few more runs before I figured out why—I didn’t like it that much and that felt weird.
This sort of modern jazz (played by young, incredibly talented musicians who can seamlessly merge disparate influences as simply as they can breathe) should be right up my street. The issue is the main riff. It is enjoyably complex, but that was about the only really enjoyable aspect I found. They repeat it (at least to my ears) unchangingly most of the time, and while I have no problem with that compositionally speaking, given I don’t much like the riff it was curtains for the song.
(I did also think the piano lead breakdown in the middle was a bit dull, but I could live with that part fine as the drumming was fun.)
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Nah, what you listen to is what casual listeners think of when people say jazz. I don’t think a lot of people think of jazz standards in the Great American Songbook as jazz.
Now, tell me how you feel about “smooth jazz”.
Kenny G? I mean, that’s not jazz.
Apparently I’m too old for the internet so insert your own joke here
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try uploading it via the arrow above the reply box
In seventh place with six points
Megadeth - Tornado of Souls
Meh. punt.gif. This is easily a top 5 Megadeth song, but doubtlessly you’ve either heard it a bunch of times or have heard enough Megadeth to not be surprised by anything you hear. I feel I failed here, but maybe next time!
I never had a metal phase as a teenager so a lot of the ‘classics’ are totally unfamiliar to me. I’d guess that the right song/band combo could have been a cheat code to the top, so maybe you’re unlucky. Or maybe you’re lucky that I hadn’t heard this a million times and put you last. Take your pick.
I think this is still in the ‘decent’ pile, but maybe we’re actually in ‘really decent’ by now. This grew on me a lot and I went from forgetting it existed to happily humming it while I made a cup of tea. The tune is great and the craft in the playing and the arrangement is properly top drawer. Its failure to go higher is just that it isn’t my bag. Everything higher is stuff I might listen to of my own accord, and as much as I nodded my head along I will still likely never listen to Megadeth ever again.
5 Likes
Dave Mustaine’s biggest mistake (imho) is insisting to be a singer.
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Opening riff is pretty good!
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My first impression was, “oh, I think I always thought Megadeth were American”. The accent sounded a bit like English wasn’t his first language.
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And not a bad solo!
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I’ve never listened to a Megadeth track before, I’m never going to listen to one again
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In sixth place with seven points
Viva la Quinta Brigada - Christy Moore
OK, I agree with myself of a few minutes ago, let’s call this section ‘really decent’. If Megadeth nailed tune then Christy is GOATing it up with lyrics. The subject is Ireland’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and in a concise feeling 5 minutes he gives an informative, passionate, empathetic, subtle and moving masterclass. One reason to love folk music is that it gives a window into normal people’s historical experience, and the lyrics illustrate that very well.
But, but, it’s still only sixth? Well, yeah, I never pay much attention to lyrics, and so I only realised all the above when I listened needing to write this shite. Musically I liked his voice and I bet seeing him live is a great night out, but I found the arrangement and the guitar a bit ho hum and sort-of coming from nowhere. So for most of the life of this Walrus it felt like mid table stuff and that’s where it lands.
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This was me. I came to it via this song of the Spanish revolution which I wish I had had the nerve to stick with.
I have to say I did enjoy the history trail it lead me down
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That’s a good one. It was already submitted (by Twist) in the very first UP Walrus where it ended in 4th place out of 15.
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