So, does anyone here actually have the Merzbox?

[scouse_dave]

Originally posted by strange_one
haha. just stop talking. now

whilst, we're on the topic of narrow-mindedness....how much of his back catalogue have you heard?

[eyesbomb]

gotta love Merzbow.


since he's kind of a genius

[sawdust restaurants]

Originally posted by scouse_dave
whilst, we're on the topic of narrow-mindedness....how much of his back catalogue have you heard?

i've heard enough billy joel songs--i grew up listening to him--to know that while i like some of them, he'll never be nearly as relevant as merzbow.

[scouse_dave]

Originally posted by sawdust restaurants
he'll never be nearly as relevant as merzbow.

what does that mean?

[Harry Kellerman]

Merzbow is scary.

I listened to him and I can see where he's coming from, I just don't find that much pleasure in listening to his music.

[D.]

are there any pictures of this crazy box set?

i'd like to see some.

[eyesbomb]

to anyone interested in Merzbow's music, by the way, a GREAT live album is out since a few weeks

http://www.digitalhardcore.com/News_Item.asp?News_ID=92


you might well went to check it out

http://www.digitalhardcore.com/uploa..._Merz_CBGB.jpg

[strange_one]

Originally posted by David
are there any pictures of this crazy box set?

i'd like to see some.

there aren't really many pics of it around

http://www.wtm-paris.com/images/merzbox.jpg

[strange_one]

Originally posted by eyesbomb
to anyone interested in Merzbow's music, by the way, a GREAT live album is out since a few weeks

I haven't heard this one yet, looking forward to picking it up though

[strange_one]

Originally posted by scouse_dave
whilst, we're on the topic of narrow-mindedness....how much of his back catalogue have you heard?

my friend, mr joel was a good songwriter for his era, even though his scope is very limited. the difference between your argument and mine though is that I know what Billy Joel sounds like, you don't have any idea about Merzbow because you've never fucking heard it

[killed radio star]

see i don't know about all of this. it might just be my childhood speaking, but i feel that billy joel spanned a great deal of pop with his works. i certainly feel like he was quite relevant. hmm.

i don't know much about merzbow, but i'm very familiar with noise/experimental/avantgarde works (i get the feeling i'm going to be sampling some of his work soon). take an artist like fennesz, or hazard for example. are they really that varied in their scope?

i'm just curious what you folks think, i can't really argue about something i only know about half of

[Mason R Butler]

Originally posted by killed radio star
he was quite relevant. hmm.

Exactly.

[killed radio star]

Originally posted by Mason R Butler

Exactly.

but who's to say that merzbow is going to be more than a speck on the musical roadmap? what is the meter for relevance?

[sawdust restaurants]

Originally posted by killed radio star
but who's to say that merzbow is going to be more than a speck on the musical roadmap?

merzbow = noise. "pure" noise has been flourishing as a genre for a while now, and groups with major noise influences such as acid mothers temple, comets on fire and pretty much anything on load records (lightning bolt) are starting to break big into the indie world now. it's going to be an influential trend for a long time, and a lot of that can be directly traced to merzbow.

billy joel wrote some great pop songs, but i don't think you can say anything similar about his works.

[Harry Kellerman]

I can draw only one conclusion from this thread:

Billy Joel and Merzbow MUST collaborate.

[sawdust restaurants]

Originally posted by Harry Kellerman
I can draw only one conclusion from this thread:

Billy Joel and Merzbow MUST collaborate.

"and i've been waiting for the loooongest--"

*buuuuuuzzsnaptttssssss*

[scouse_dave]

Originally posted by strange_one
my friend, mr joel was a good songwriter for his era, even though his scope is very limited

my friend, you obviously don't know enough about mr. billy....his 'very limited' scope has allowed him to write pop, rock, reggae, jazz, 50's doo-wop, blues as well as an entire classical album; which was highly rated i might add.

the same 'limited scope' in his songwriting has taken in such topics as love, the music business, the vietnam war, unemployment, drugs, childhood memories, the iron curtain, catholicism, growing old, etc, etc...

he has one of the most versatile and emotive voices i have ever heard. sometimes it's hard to believe that two songs in comparison were sung by the same person.

it's absolutely laughable to say that joel had 'limited scope'

[Mason R Butler]

Originally posted by scouse_dave

it's absolutely laughable to say that joel had 'limited scope'

And it's absoultely laughable for anyone under 35 to get this defensive over BIlly Fucking Joel.

[strange_one]

Originally posted by scouse_dave
my friend, you obviously don't know enough about mr. billy....his 'very limited' scope has allowed him to write pop, rock, reggae, jazz, 50's doo-wop, blues as well as an entire classical album; which was highly rated i might add.

good for billy, must have been difficult drawing from all those generic influences. merzbow has pioneered a whole genre basically by himself, making him more respectable than some 50-whatever-old coot that sings in stadiums to middle-aged women

[eyesbomb]

Originally posted by strange_one


I haven't heard this one yet, looking forward to picking it up though

yeah do it, it's totally brilliant

[smashingjj]

Originally posted by strange_one

I doubt that, he must be quite proud, how many artists can say they have a box set of that size...?

because if it was meant as a joke, releasing 40 cd's with just noise, I would have laughed as well.

[scouse_dave]

Originally posted by Mason R Butler
And it's absoultely laughable for anyone under 35 to get this defensive over BIlly Fucking Joel.

i don't see what age has to do with anything...

[scouse_dave]

Originally posted by strange_one
good for billy, must have been difficult drawing from all those generic influences. merzbow has pioneered a whole genre basically by himself, making him more respectable than some 50-whatever-old coot that sings in stadiums to middle-aged women

it's the old 'orginality vs quality' question isn't it...

personally, i don't care how innovative or original an artist is, i judge them on their musical output and its quality.

judging from your childish attitude towards Joel, seemingly you don't....

[Mason R Butler]

Originally posted by scouse_dave

judging from your childish attitude towards Joel, seemingly you don't....

Apparently you *do* see what age has to do with it.

Seriously, Dave, can you tell me that "River of Dreams" album is great. I'm not going to defend any Merzbow record in terms of "quality", because after all, it's just noise. Really, I could listen to either; Billy Joel is the shit they play in the waiting room, while Merzbow is the sound of the dentist tearing out your fucking teeth.

[scouse_dave]

Originally posted by Mason R Butler
Apparently you *do* see what age has to do with it.

explanation pls?

Originally posted by Mason R Butler
Seriously, Dave, can you tell me that "River of Dreams" album is great.

no, i can't. it's pretty mediocre....as is Glass Houses IMO as well. he's released some good stuff and some bad stuff, like most artists. however, i do own river of dreams...i'm somewhat of a completist. when i find an artist that i fall in love with i generally go out and buy everything they've done...usually in the vain hope that i'll uncover something to match their earlier heights. more often than not, i'm disappointed.

Originally posted by Mason R Butler
I'm not going to defend any Merzbow record in terms of "quality", because after all, it's just noise. Really, I could listen to either; Billy Joel is the shit they play in the waiting room, while Merzbow is the sound of the dentist tearing out your fucking teeth.

fair enough....maybe i just like waiting tho...

[Mason R Butler]

Originally posted by scouse_dave
explanation pls?
You said you didn't see what age had to do with anything, but then you talked about his childish attitude. Okay, that didn't make much sense.

no, i can't. it's pretty mediocre....as is Glass Houses IMO as well. he's released some good stuff and some bad stuff, like most artists. however, i do own river of dreams...i'm somewhat of a completist. when i find an artist that i fall in love with i generally go out and buy everything they've done...usually in the vain hope that i'll uncover something to match their earlier heights. more often than not, i'm disappointed.
So you own a bunch of albums that you don't even like just for the sake of having them? Sounds like you understand more about strange_one than you seem to think. Perhaps he's being completist about his noise collection. Personally, I'd rather listen to Merzbeat or 1930 than Piano Man or The Stranger.

fair enough....maybe i just like waiting tho...
Okay, than it's a difference of asthetic appreciation. I can accept that.

[scouse_dave]

Originally posted by Mason R Butler
So you own a bunch of albums that you don't even like just for the sake of having them?

well, i didn't know they were gonna be bad before i bought them...

besides, they're not 'bad' as such, just slightly disappointing when you compare them to other works by the same artist