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Psycher than Psyche (classic rock radio Related)

mrmatthewmrmatthew 1,575 Posts
edited August 2005 in Strut Central
So on my way into work this morning, im scanning the radio dial and I come across our mega-corp owned "classic rock" station. They are playing a 3-fer (or whatever they are called. triple-shot?)of Jimi Hendrix and they play "Are You Experienced" and i started thinking. That is a really "out" song is you stop and think about it, yet it is an accepted part of the cannon that has become "classic rock". As far as I can tell, that particuliar song is about as "far out psyche" as I think the "classic rock cannon" goes. Can anyone come up with any other examples of tunes in the "classic rock cannon" that are as outside (or more so) as "are you experienced"? And by the "classic rock cannon", I mean songs that you might have a chance to hear if you tune into one of these stations, NOT 50 Foot Hose or United States Of America.

  Comments

  • dCastillodCastillo 1,963 Posts
    the whole 45 minutes of nights in white satin
    they also play the whole hour of rare earth's 'i'm afraid i'm losing you' out here.
  • DJ_NevilleCDJ_NevilleC 1,922 Posts
    The Byrds - Eight Miles High
    The Chambers Brothers - Time Has Come
    Arthur Brown - Fire
    The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows and A Day in the Life
    CSN - Deja Vu
    Rolling Stones - Paint it Black

  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    I know that this isn't really the kind of "outside" you're talking about, but "Eleanor Rigby" is pretty ill: there's not one bit of form or bit of instrumentation in that song that's not at least a few centuries old; it's all strings and vocal polyphony and shit. And yet it's considered "rock."

    When Tori Amos had a moderate hit off of "Silent All These Years," my man Andy was like, "Oh shit--there's no drums!" In '92, that was--as Shirley Bassey would say--really something.

    I know those are both pretty soft examples, but still--saxifrage splits stone, you know?
  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    When Tori Amos had a moderate hit off of "Silent All These Years," my man Andy was like, "Oh shit--there's no drums!" In '92, that was--as Shirley Bassey would say--really something.

    Thats what had me bugging on "Ordinary People"... esp on the rap station, to hear it go to NO beat is crazy...

    Unfortunately the rest of the CD is regular ole bullshit...
  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    As far as Hendrix- he's in a class of his own, both in the realm of 'classic rock' and psychedelic rock

    But I wouldn't say 'psycher than psych' by any means- beautiful songs with awesome arrangements/sounds/etc but still in the realm of 'pop'

    Though I did just read that "Purple Haze" was originally much longer than the single we know...

    You will find occasional hits (mostly one-offs from otherwise unsuccesful groups) from the late 60s that are psychedelic garage rock, i.e. Count Five, Blues Magoos, Baloon Farm, Music Machine, etc... but you're only going to hear on the oldies, not classic rock... classic rock generally starts after the psychedelic age was over in the public's eye... it was based on shit like Zeppelin and Yes...
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    You know, I don't think it's all about "Are You Experienced?" being too out-there for classic rock radio. You're kinda forgetting that Hendrix, the Moody Blues, etc. were popular artists of their generation. It was far-out, yes, but it SOLD. Hendrix was not a starving cult hero. He was appreciated in his day. Not only that, but the first Hendrix album was concurrent with rock on FM radio. A lot of what you hear now on these classic rock stations were played on these so-called "underground" stations 36-37 years ago. So you can expect to hear things like this because it was the popular music of the time. Nothing shocking. Late 60's rock fans were buying psychedelic albums like biscuits, so naturally the classic-rock stations are gonna reflect that.



    Shoot, I'm surprised United States Of America AREN'T in the "classic rock canon." No, they weren't exactly superstars, but at least their album made the bottom of the Billboard charts, so SOMEBODY was buying that fucker!
  • dCastillodCastillo 1,963 Posts
    The Byrds - Eight Miles High

    I was gonna mention this one too. always catches me off guard when I hear it on the radio
  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    A lot of what you hear now on these classic rock stations were played on these so-called "underground[/b]" stations 36-37 years ago. So you can expect to hear things like this because it was the popular[/b] music of the time.

    I'm not sure I follow.
  • DubiousDubious 1,865 Posts
    Crimson And Clover
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    A lot of what you hear now on these classic rock stations were played on these so-called "underground[/b]" stations 36-37 years ago. So you can expect to hear things like this because it was the popular[/b] music of the time.



    I'm not sure I follow.



    Okay...when rock music first started getting played on FM radio back around '67, it was the more progressive-type acts like we've been talking about on this thread.



    Back then, they called it "underground" because it was supposed to give you something heavier than the pop music you heard on AM radio, like Tommy Roe or the 1910 Fruitgum Company. It was mainly the Beatles, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, yadda yadda yadda. You know, sort of like in the 90's when they used the term "alternative rock" to differentiate from Michael Bolton.



    Now, 38 years later, the Beatles, Hendrix and Pink Floyd are all staples on classic rock radio. The bands that were played on the FM rock stations between '67-'77 are the heart and soul of that format (although there are some who came well after that time frame). These artists were popular with that crowd, so it shouldn't be shocking to hear "Are You Experienced?" on classic rock radio. That is what that format was ABOUT.



    Hope that halfway made sense.
  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    A lot of what you hear now on these classic rock stations were played on these so-called "underground[/b]" stations 36-37 years ago. So you can expect to hear things like this because it was the popular[/b] music of the time.

    I'm not sure I follow.

    Okay...when rock music first started getting played on FM radio back around '67, it was the more progressive-type acts like we've been talking about on this thread.

    Back then, they called it "underground" because it was supposed to give you something heavier than the pop music you heard on AM radio, like Tommy Roe or the 1910 Fruitgum Company. It was mainly the Beatles, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, yadda yadda yadda. You know, sort of like in the 90's when they used the term "alternative rock" to differentiate from Michael Bolton.

    Now, 38 years later, the Beatles, Hendrix and Pink Floyd are all staples on classic rock radio. The bands that were played on the FM rock stations between '67-'77 are the heart and soul of that format (although there are some who came well after that time frame). These artists were popular with that crowd, so it shouldn't be shocking to hear "Are You Experienced?" on classic rock radio. That is what that format was ABOUT.

    Hope that halfway made sense.

    Okay, I think I understand what you're saying about the stations: That this stuff wasn't commercially "underground," just aesthetically "underground." Not, like, howling-weirdo white-noise shit, but rather just--as somebody described R.E.M.--"the acceptable fringe of the unacceptable."

    Whatever the case, the reason I asked is because I suspect that you and I are seeing the issue (said issue being, I guess, "out-ness") differently: I'm not sure that anyone in this thread is saying that it's "shocking to hear 'Are You Experienced?' on classic rock radio"; I think everyone so far recognizes every song listed as having acheived a fair amount of popularity, so radio play only makes sense. Rather, I think the shock (to current ears, anyway) is that weird tunes like these--feedback-laden, acid-drenched, half-hour-long, drumless, whatever--were ever a part of popular music in the first place, enough so that they survived the great leveller that is commercial radio and still pull enough Clear Channel play a few decades after the fact that you can accidentally hear them on your way to work.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Okay, I think I understand what you're saying about the stations: That this stuff wasn't commercially "underground," just aesthetically "underground." Not, like, howling-weirdo white-noise shit, but rather just--as somebody described R.E.M.--"the acceptable fringe of the unacceptable."

    Yeah, that's pretty much what I meant.

    Whatever the case, the reason I asked is because I suspect that you and I are seeing the issue (said issue being, I guess, "out-ness") differently: I'm not sure that anyone in this thread is saying that it's "shocking to hear 'Are You Experienced?' on classic rock radio"; I think everyone so far recognizes every song listed as having acheived a fair amount of popularity, so radio play only makes sense. Rather, I think the shock (to current ears, anyway) is that weird tunes like these--feedback-laden, acid-drenched, half-hour-long, drumless, whatever--were ever a part of popular music in the first place, enough so that they survived the great leveller that is commercial radio and still pull enough Clear Channel play a few decades after the fact that you can accidentally hear them on your way to work.

    I understand what you're saying. I guess the reason it doesn't faze me is because (a) Hendrix and the rest are such institutions by now that I don't question their Clear Channel rotation, and (b) the late sixties was kinda the time for that stuff to happen. Had a Hendrix broken through ten years earlier or ten years later, then it would stop me in my tracks.
  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    Fair enough.

    What kind of stuff have you heard on mainstream radio that did make you say: "Wow--how did that one get past the door?"
  • dCastillodCastillo 1,963 Posts
    Fair enough.

    What kind of stuff have you heard on mainstream radio that did make you say: "Wow--how did that one get past the door?"

    captain beyond - voyages of past travellers
  • dCastillodCastillo 1,963 Posts
    Fair enough.

    What kind of stuff have you heard on mainstream radio that did make you say: "Wow--how did that one get past the door?"

    captain beyond - voyages of past travellers

    do the james.

    what's good?
  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    Fair enough.

    What kind of stuff have you heard on mainstream radio that did make you say: "Wow--how did that one get past the door?"

    captain beyond - voyages of past travellers

    you did NOT hear that on mainstream radio

    did you???

    the 50s bo diddley stuff melts my fucking face off, i know i've heard once or twice on the oldies...
  • dCastillodCastillo 1,963 Posts
    Fair enough.

    What kind of stuff have you heard on mainstream radio that did make you say: "Wow--how did that one get past the door?"

    captain beyond - voyages of past travellers

    you did NOT hear that on mainstream radio

    did you???

    I know. that would be too good to be true.
  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    I know. that would be too good to be true.

    but like USA, it was a popular 'underground' record in its day so it probably got play on AOR stations... wonder if theres a 45???
  • jamesjames chicago 1,863 Posts
    Captain Beyond on the raid-joe? Eh, if you say so.



    That identity-crisis stuff that Puffy put out a while back--specifically, that remix of "Fix" (Blackstreet, Puffy, ODB, Fishbone, and motherfucking Slash!) and the Godzilla "Come With Me" jernt ("I wanna fight you / I'll fuckin bite you! / Can't stand nobody like you!"--and this was pretty much peak-period Puff, when dude was, like, white America's teddy bear)--sounded pretty nuts coming out the radio.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    but like USA, (Captain Beyond) was a popular 'underground' record in its day so it probably got play on AOR stations...

    you know, the first time i heard capt. beyond was on an oldies show on an FM rock station in the eighties, so that's not so far off!

    they had some measure of fame back then, but as we all know oldies and classic rock radio is very selective. just because somebody was popular doesnt always mean that radio will still play their music. if that were true, we'd be hearing more captain beyond, bloodrock, dust, sir lord baltimore, united states of america, sea train, sweetwater, crow, circus maximus, rotary connection, hell, even the velvet underground - all had minor success and made the lower half of the charts, but classic rock radio wont give em any house room.

    there are forgotten famous people in soul music too (hello, howard tate!) but thats another thread for another time

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Fair enough.

    What kind of stuff have you heard on mainstream radio that did make you say: "Wow--how did that one get past the door?"

    first things that came to mind:
    Lou Reed - "Walk On The Wild Side"[/b]
    Even with the line about "giving head" edited out of the single, that was still kinda weird for 1973. And it was a hit, too!

    Chakachas - "Jungle Fever"[/b]
    Ever heard this song? This was some racy porno funk from 1972 - just a woman moaning and grunting while some Belgian studio cats vamp on one chord. And it was a hit, too! On both black and white stations! Not that the seventies was an uptight period, but even so, this shit (and the Lou Reed) was pretty blatant for the time. More typical of 2005 than the early 70's.
  • DJBombjackDJBombjack Miami 1,665 Posts
    Two that spring to mind are 'Incense and Peppermints' and Donovan's 'Wear Your Love Like Heaven'.
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