Taking a listen to the Jefferson Airplane's Crown of Creation I have to again wonder if that's not the best studio rock album ever recorded, except for that stupid David Crosby song Triad, which I've edited off.

This thing has held up year after year, I keep thinking that I'll get tired of it, but then I give it a new listen and it still sounds as good as ever.

Jorma Kaukonen's playing was absolutely peak level, pun intended, Jack Cassidy totally solid, the rest of the band was all on the same page, for a sadly short period of time, but at least they got it down before they all drifted off into their own things.

there have been better live bands, or at least consistently better live bands, but I can't think of one album/cd that just keeps sounding good and fresh year after year.

The band may have gone on to sell-out mediocrity when they reformed as the star

Other great ones are the Byrds 'The Notorious Bird Brothers', not quite the kick but great in its own way.
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Er. I'm too old?
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I doubt it. I think it's more a matter of where you were, when you were there, and what you were into, I've met 30 year olds who are too old, but one of my best friends is about 70, another great guy I know, I'll be doing his website once I get back to California, he's a fantastic guy, an original Beat, the real thing, I'd never call him old.

But I would call some people already stuck in whatever rut they are in old, whether it's 25, 40, or 70.

and somehow I don't think you qualify for that, sorry ;-)
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Thanks. That's a nice thing for you to say.... musically though, I'm honestly too old. I don't do vocal music at all - drives me round the bend. I ADORE classical guitar, classical ANYTHING, antique music, and New Age. Plainsong is good though vocal, because it's all male voices in tight harmonics, and it's all ON PITCH. Biggest problem is I have perfect pitch, and a teensy slide to one side or the other in a vocal piece totally queers it for me. Listening to 5 or so voices and gobs of instruments, I usually come unglued in about 3 seconds.....

You should see me when someone does "The Star Spangled Banner" or "God Bless America" a capella on TV. Brings tears, and NOT of joy! [And am I the ONLY PERSON IN THE US who knows how to pronounce "perilous"?!! Sheesh....]
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It took me a long time to 'get used to' vocal music at all, getting acquainted with some early baroque cantatas (like Buxtehude) and Bach cantatas got me a lot more interested in choral music. A lot of recordings done before the late eighties of this kind of stuff are very 'romantic' sounding, which for baroque music is pretty bad - basically, not 'tight' enough, ensembles often much too large, lacking cleanness and precision, and a lot of vibrato and other antics which are more appropriate for something like a Verdi opera. To put it in our language: 'bloated.' If you get more recent recordings, the difference can seem like day and night - Herreweghe is probably the easiest to find ('Mit Fried und Freud' a great one), I also like the Ricercar Ensemble (my fave, their Buxtehude is absolutely tops), though Konrad Junghänel is probably easier to find (he actually started out with the Ricercars); Paul van Nevel is absolutely tops, but doesn't do so much baroque, mostly earlier stuff. If you've been semi-allergic to vocal music, these newer recordings can help. Pre-80's stuff in this genre can really kill a musically interested ear/mind.

Age or otherwise, I unfortunately don't know any Jefferson Airplane, so can't comment on the original posting, but I'll keep an eye out for it!

@vkaryl: how do you pronounce perilous?
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minck - you pronounce it "'pear - i - luss" , "pear" just like the fruit of the same name, short "i" (like "is"), and "luss" like "lustrous". I can't begin to count the times some bozo screams "pur - uh - liss" into the mike....

This must be the only country in the world which does not teach its children how to be kind to its National Anthem. *sigh*

Y'know, I have heard some things by the Ricercar Ensemble, and yes, they are FAR AND AWAY better than things I remember from 20 or so years back. When I was snapping about vocals, I was mostly meaning "modern" rock etc. AND that absolutely ATROCIOUS stuff known as country/western (and which my husband thinks is the only music there is.... *sigh*)
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DEATH METAL CANNIBALCORPSE DEATH SADUS SLAYER
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Death metal is ok, I listen to it, but it gets kind of boring after a while. Some of it is good though. Same for black metal, which I'm also fond of.

It's more like hiphop though, it's great when you're into it, but after a few years most of it just sounds kind of old fashioned, with a few exceptions. Doesn't age well, that is. Come back in 10 years and let me know if you're still into it the same way, and still think it's the best.

And these little white kids trying to sound all big/evil by using vocal affects processing, it's kind of silly after a while, although, as I said, I tend to listen to black / death metal more than most other music, I find it relaxing.

Too bad the Butthole Surfers aren't around any more though, they were the best live band I ever saw, by a wide margin.

Sabbath, now that's another story, there's a reason everyone copied them.
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