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06 Sep 12 - 02:38 PM (#3400930) Subject: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle And it just becomes, as Son House called it, monkey junk? I think modern contemporary blues falls into the category of monkey junk. Rock and Roll, too. But not Country and Western. It's the real deal. Without deep, real feeling, it's all just monkey junk. (:-( ))= |
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06 Sep 12 - 03:10 PM (#3400947) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Claire M Hiya, When the cd I've got in stops. |
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06 Sep 12 - 03:20 PM (#3400948) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle And who's your favorite? (:-( ))= |
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06 Sep 12 - 04:27 PM (#3400981) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Wesley S Some contemporary blues singers are excellent. Steve James comes to mind. Geoff Muldaur too. |
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06 Sep 12 - 04:28 PM (#3400984) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Bill D " At What Point Does The Blues End?" When you're dead? |
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06 Sep 12 - 04:35 PM (#3400986) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle I mean contemporary electric blues. Robert Cray, the Alligator Records sound ( except for Hound Dog Taylor). (:-( D)= |
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06 Sep 12 - 05:31 PM (#3401013) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Will Fly This is the second time you've come up with a Son House quote about some modern music being 'monkey junk'. Well - so what? I love Son House's music, but that doesn't mean that the old geezer's word is gospel. Nor does it mean that you have to keep quoting it either. If you don't like any music after Son House, that's your choice. Music doesn't always have to have 'deep feeling' to be loved and enjoyed and to be significant in peoples' lives. I spent years playing 1950s rock'n roll - people danced to it, sang to it, met their partners to it, sang it to their kids. Don't be a snob. As Noel Coward wrote, "Extraordinary how potent cheap music is"... And if you want to hear a different, modern take on the blues idiom, have a listen to Pig In A Can. You may not like it - I do, and 'monkey junk' (stupid phrase) it ain't. |
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06 Sep 12 - 05:39 PM (#3401017) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: GUEST,Robert Fjord Well, one thing is for sure, as Son House said, it's all just monkey junk. Except for all country and western which isn't, as Son House said, Monkey Junk. My favourites are Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughan, but as Son House says, they're just monkey junk. I quite like Lightnin' Hopkins, but as Son House would say, he's not monkey junk. I wonder if Robert Cray did a country and weatern album, I wonder if it'd be, as Son House said, Monkey Junk? It's hard to know, these days. §O:-) |
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06 Sep 12 - 05:58 PM (#3401022) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: PoppaGator Blues don't never end. (I suppose, on the other hand, that Monkey Junk is finite, i.e., does end.) |
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06 Sep 12 - 06:06 PM (#3401024) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: JennieG Perhaps the blues ends when your woman done come home? or when the man you shot in Memphis recovers? Cheers JennieG |
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06 Sep 12 - 06:13 PM (#3401028) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: GUEST,leeneia As long as there are things to feel bad about, and as long as there are blue notes (the unexpected minor intervals in otherwise-major songs), there will be blues. |
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06 Sep 12 - 06:16 PM (#3401032) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: GUEST,Stim If you keep repeating that business about "Monkey Junk", then sooner or later we'll hear from "Chongo Chimp", and I don't think any of us wants that. |
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06 Sep 12 - 06:49 PM (#3401047) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle Everyone can jump in. Chongo, Cheetah, Magilla Gorilla, Lancelot Link, King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, Prez al-Obama, Ellie Mae's chimp, Bonzo, etc. (:-( ))= |
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06 Sep 12 - 07:15 PM (#3401058) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: gnu November 6. |
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06 Sep 12 - 07:46 PM (#3401071) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Big Al Whittle I'd say half way up Gravelly Road. Digbeth to Erdington - that's Blues territory. Aston to Handsworth via Perry Common - that's Aston Villa terriyory. When you get into Handsworth Wood - you're perilously close to West Bromwich Albion. |
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06 Sep 12 - 07:59 PM (#3401078) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Bee-dubya-ell The blues end where the violets begin. |
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06 Sep 12 - 08:24 PM (#3401091) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle Four more years of monkey junk? (:-( o)= |
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06 Sep 12 - 08:42 PM (#3401100) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: dick greenhaus My God- Some folks can't seem to stick to the thread topic---even if it's their own thread. |
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06 Sep 12 - 08:44 PM (#3401102) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle I'm a rambler but not a gambler. Right gnu? (:-( ))= |
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06 Sep 12 - 08:55 PM (#3401105) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle Anyhow, when does it stop bein' blues and becomes jazz? R&B?Rock and Roll?Rap?C&W? (:-( 0)= |
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06 Sep 12 - 09:02 PM (#3401109) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: dick greenhaus For CRissakes, if you're going to pigeonhole music (or anything else) define your damn pigeonholes. |
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06 Sep 12 - 10:56 PM (#3401145) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Bugsy If we're going to go by quotes from old blues players, then if you consider the oft times quote of Brownie McGee, "I AM the Blues", Brownie's now dead so the Blues has ended. Nuff Said. That is, of course unless SON HOUSE said Brownie was "Monkey Junk" Cheers Bugsy |
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06 Sep 12 - 10:57 PM (#3401146) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Larry The Radio Guy When is the blues no longer blues? Maybe it's similar to the philosophy 101 question of when a car is no longer a car. When it has no steering wheel? tires? etc. etc. You keep taking things away and pretty soon there come a point when it's something else. Same with the blues. What is it's essence? I think that as long as it follows the basic 12 or 16 bar blues progression, it's still blues. The more it deviates, the more questionable it is. Modern contemporary blues is still blues. Even, if by Henry's definition it's not good blues and he doesn't perceive any 'genuine feeling'. So monkey junk may be another genre of blues. It might make a great title for a blues cd, actually. |
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06 Sep 12 - 11:24 PM (#3401155) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: GUEST,crazy little woman I understand the blues now. "Were this classical music being discussed, the dominant (major-minor) seventh chord on the tonic would almost certainly resolve elsewhere (rather than being resolved to), especially its subdominant (from C7: to F). While, at first, it seems to resolve well to the subdominant, this is merely a tonicization (brief leave to another key), because of the earlier emphasis on the dominant seventh (C7), and because of the dominant seventh that appears on the subdominant, an element found in the Dorian mode." Now we can all go out for a beer. |
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07 Sep 12 - 03:10 AM (#3401188) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle No. The earliest blues had no chord changes. It has to be something else. (:-( ))= |
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07 Sep 12 - 04:56 AM (#3401218) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: GUEST,MATT MILTON I'm really not into electric blues, and I really HATE stuff like Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Walter Trout and Joe Bonamassa, which is what most blues festivals, radio shows and magazines seem to think IS the blues today. So I kind of agree with some of the sentiment of the initial post. BUT there are nonetheless some really interesting acoustic (and even some electric) blues players playing today. Namely: Samuel James Duke Garwood Blind Boy Paxton Mr David Viner Bob Log III Jack Day Made For Chickens By Robots Bob Meyer Errol Linton Mark Harrison Possessed by Paul James Hank Haint Honkyfinger ...off the top of my head... |
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07 Sep 12 - 05:05 AM (#3401219) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Stanron Well I still recon that the 'Monkey Junk' comment was Sun House being grumpy because a load of snotty nosed white kids came along and made more money at it than he did. |
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07 Sep 12 - 05:12 AM (#3401223) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: GUEST,matt milton The other week I made a Spotify playlist to prove to someone that blues in Britain was not all people trying to ape Eric Clapton or Robert Cray. I cheated slightly, in that some people in the list are more "old-time Americana" than blues. But then again, you could say the same thing for plenty of Mississippi John Hurt or Rev Gary Davis or Pink Anderson material. Or Robert Johnson's song 'Hot Tamales'. The blues was never just about a 12-bar three-chord progression thing; it was only really electric blues that set that in stone. Proper old blues fingerpickers are much more harmonically sophisticated than they're given credit for. But I digress... have a clicky: Spotify playlist of new(ish) British blues |
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07 Sep 12 - 05:32 AM (#3401232) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle There are always great blues out there. But they promote mediocrity. And use it to sell cars and crap. Monkey junk sells. (:-( ))= |
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07 Sep 12 - 06:29 AM (#3401257) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Henry Krinkle Muddy Waters said that the blues are about one man and his guitar. Maybe after he went electric he was playing monkey junk. But it sure sounded good. I think alot of Willie Dixon's songs are monkey junk. (:-( ))= |
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07 Sep 12 - 06:42 AM (#3401260) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Big Al Whittle as soon as they've found a way to classify it, they'll tax it.....then ban it. |
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07 Sep 12 - 02:23 PM (#3401399) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: John P When Henry Krinkle goes away. |
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07 Sep 12 - 03:00 PM (#3401412) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: radriano When you feel happy again. |
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07 Sep 12 - 03:27 PM (#3401422) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Claire M Hiya, Who's my favourite?? I like Son House, a dear friend gave me one of his cds. I like Robert Johnson too. Gary Moore, & later Joe Bonamassa, made me sit up & take notice, & in the case of the former, really embarrass myself. If it was possible (it's sadly not) I'd move to the Mississippi Delta & stay there. I even wrote my own blues song once, but unless you know who Gene Hunt is/was it won't make much sense. |
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07 Sep 12 - 06:15 PM (#3401470) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Rusty Dobro Who is this junkie monk, anyway? |
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07 Sep 12 - 08:45 PM (#3401534) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Joe_F When you've been down so long it seems like up to you. |
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07 Sep 12 - 09:23 PM (#3401542) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: GUEST,999 I haven't posted to this thread because I know little about blues. Well, maybe a bit. But it is not a music I play in the house. Different head space I guess. I really dislike stock stuff like "Well, I woke up this mo'ning, feelin' uneasy in my head [do as you wish with 'uneasy in my head' but be sure you do it in five syllables]" because I have always felt any real blues man would have awakened after 2:00 pm. But you listen to the voices of the masters--they who will be different for all of us--and ya just know that man or woman has been there, done that and probably didn't have the business acumen to print the damned t-shirts. Blues seems to me to be an unending cycle (or spiral, or helixical structure, or tornadoes from the ground up) of new people entering the genre. The ones who make it into modern folklore--maybe they ain't got the blues, but they definitely know about it. From a listener's point of view, a terribly mixed metaphor from a guy who don't know what a meta is, I can live with that. There are some heavy-duty knowledgeable people here, and I am enjoying following this thread. |
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07 Sep 12 - 09:51 PM (#3401548) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Don Firth I've heard Lightnin' Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb, and Mississippi John Hurt in person, so I think I have a fair idea of what constitutes "blues." "Monkey junk?" I have no idea what Henry Krinkle is talking about. I don't think he does, either. Don Firth |
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07 Sep 12 - 11:26 PM (#3401577) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Little Hawk For me the Blues ends when I get tired of it and walk out the door. Generally speaking that doesn't take too long, although there are some people who do it awfully well, that's for sure. But it's not really my taste in music. |
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08 Sep 12 - 12:40 PM (#3401674) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Don Firth During the Seattle World's Fair in 1962, while I was singing in the UN Pavilion concerts, Bob Clark, who ran "The Place Next Door" where I usually sang, hired Jesse Fuller to sing there for two weeks. While he was here in Seattle, I had a chance to sit and swap songs with him at a private party one evening. Fantastic!! Here he is, in action: CLICKY. Don Firth P. S. I'm not quite sure if Jesse actually qualifies as "blues." His stuff is usually pretty up-tempo and sort of "perky." But he's for real. One evening at The Place, as he was introducing "John Henry," he commented, "I hafta kinda smile at some of these college boys these days singin' about being a 'steel drivin' man.' 'Cause I have drove some!" |
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08 Sep 12 - 12:56 PM (#3401681) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Don Firth Yeah, Little Hawk, I enjoy blues when it's done by good practitioners thereof, but with some folks, it can wear kinda thin after a bit. I don't do blues myself, not because I don't like it when it's well-done, but because I stink at it. Ballads, sea songs, lyrical-type folk songs make up most of my repertoire. Plus a few selected poems that have been set to music (Richard Dyer-Bennet's setting of Byron's "So We'll Go No More A-roving," for example). In fact, I do a lot of the same stuff the R.D-B does, but my singing voice is entirely different. I'm a low bass-baritone. Don Firth |
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08 Sep 12 - 01:15 PM (#3401691) Subject: RE: At What Point Does The Blues End? From: Little Hawk I'm not much good at Blues either. I think my basic tastes and repertoire are fairly much in the same ballpark as yours. Now, Bobert, HE can do the Blues! |