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Reading Music

Last night, by coincidence, I stumbled across a link to the home page of Judas Priest. For those of you that name doesn't ring a bell, Judas Priest was one of the leading Metal bands in the late 70s, early 80s of the last century (heavens, that sounds like ages ago!). In fact they are called the fathers of NWOBHM, the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, which made bands like Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Saxon, even Def Leppard was ruled in at that time.

I saw a lot of them bands live at that time, a lot of bands that left deep impressions and memories on my mind. There was Motorhead, probably the loudest noise I ever paid money for to be exposed to. There was the perhaps best concert I ever was allowed to attend by Canadian Trio Rush. Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, just to name a few. And there was Judas Priest.

I saw them 3 times. And each time I left the venue in deep confusion. I mean, besides the usual bedlam after being exposed to something closer to personal injury than music, there always was something else. It was the fascination and disgust at the same time the personality of the singer Rob Halford caused in me. Its hard to describe, if you never witnessed him for 2 hours+. This guy on stage was a mix of Hitler and Frank N.Furter. I've seen few vocalists with a stage presence like Halford. He didn't need to jump up and down the stage, shout at or piss off the audience to get their attention. He was just there. Standing as a rock, moving his hand, an arm at most and still he was playing the people in front of him like an instrument, like puppets on strings. He was strangely manipulative, fascistic and the danger about it was the fact there was no escape. More than once I caught myself staring at him in fascination and admiration just feeling as a humble servant to him. And I'm not talking about his voice (some may call a squeaking hinge). It was just his presence, his charisma, a perfect actor on stage so many bands of today try so hard and never even come close to.

Needless to say I own one or the other album of Priest, but my enthusiasm ceased in the late 80s, when they changed their style to the more mainstreamy direction adding synths and sound effects to their music. Actually that killed the flair of Judas Priest. Obviously I was not alone with that opinion, cause they split up in '92, with Halford forming a new band called, surprise, surprise, Halford, which tried to sound like the early, successful Priest, but were lacking of course the genius Guitar twins Downing and Tipton.

Anyway, I lost them out of site for a long while, actually till last night. Only to find them guys reunited, having released a new album and being on extensive world tour as we speak. I watched a few teaser videos and I must say, alright, another bunch of those old daddies back on the road. They sound great, modern and yet typical Priest, and Halford... gained some weight, but sounds as good as ever.

Which finally brings me to the point of my post (gosh, seems like the tangential writing style of some people here is infectious!): Why are all those old men entering the stages of the world again? I mean, hey, they must be way beyond 50, some over 60 already. Motorhead played Berlin last Thursday celebrating their 30-years-on-stage-anniversary, and Lemmy was still wearing the same old black shirt he did in 1977. Ozzy, Robert Plant, Ritchie Blackmore, Ted Nugent, Sabbath reunited, Maiden reunited, now Priest, hell, what's going on here? Either those guys are pissed the same way as I am about todays music, or they just spent all their money they made during the 80s and now HAVE to do the only thing again they've ever learned to make a living. At least it releases a lot of nice memories and feelings in me again. Who knows, may be I even should my hair grow again? :)

NP: Judas Priest - Grinder from "British Steel"

After decades of construction my website is finally up an running: www.kkds.de

Why are all those old men entering the stages of the world again?

I've always suspected that it's either end-life crisis, a sudden lack of money or just post-retirement boredom. But hey, as long as the reunions gives younger generations like mine the chance to see bands like Black Sabbath live, I won't complain :-)

One thing I've always asked myself is how such bands (re-)build their fanbase. Of course there are the loyal fans who will just buy anything from their favourite bands, but besides them, many people just regard such bands as "yet another bunch of pensioners that reunited to make pensioners music" (today's teenies/twens) or "they don't sound like they used to 20 years ago!" (former fans with fundamentalist tendencies). Especially in today's fast-paced consumer world where there are not "fans" anymore but a "target audience" indeed, old-school artists must have a terribly hard time if they don't get a damn good and overly enthusiastic manager. Is it just me, or do most reunited bands (besides legends like Sabbath and, hm, do the Beatles count?) never even get the chance to live up to their former glory... and musn't that be hard on some egos?

Consider yourself hugged.

. Of course there are the loyal fans who will just buy anything from their favourite bands, but besides them, many people just regard such bands as "yet another bunch of pensioners that reunited to make pensioners music" (today's teenies/twens) or "they don't sound like they used to 20 years ago!" (former fans with fundamentalist tendencies).

I think you might be wrong with this. I've been listening to bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Guns'N'Roses and Metallica when I started into Metal - and still listen to them, but it is the same way today: the kids start with the 'less' harmful stuff. And later on, they develop music taste and change over to bands like Sepultura, Arch Enemy, Cannibal Corpse and more. Once again some time later, they'll explore strange sound like Aborym, Ulver, Graveland oder Immortal just to find out it's the stuff they not/gonna stick with.

But then and then, they really like to listen to the old classics, Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Venom, Alice Cooper, Kreator , Black Sabbath and whatever the rest may be called. And then they find out that Judas Priest are going to re-unite, buy some new CDs and finally get the chance to see them live like some older folks did before, back when you yourself were too young to go there, too.

cu, w0lf.

NP: Ewigheim - Leiche zur See

Fuck off the 30 seconds posting limit!

This post was edited by ginsterbusch on Oct 25, 2005.

That, or they find out that rock sucks and Trance music owns all. *ducks*

Nah, I never got into the metal scene. I should prolly explore a lil' bit.

I should be ashamed of myself.

Oh, you should. Dump that CD collection of computer-generated electronic farts and get yourself some quality, hand-made music. Always remember, everything was better when I was young :-)

Consider yourself hugged.

Hand-made music is always better. Even if it sounds lotsa worse than that computer-generized crap ;)

Some of the following web broadcasts might give our fellow NAOis a tiny hint:

Death.FM (currently my favorite one; except sometimes for those fucksacks who request 'Umbra et Imago' - waargh!)
Roth Metal Radio
Darksoul VII
Radio Demonweb (good one for beginners)

cu, w0lf.

Fuck off the 30 seconds posting limit!