New Wave Outpost Forum

I should start off by clarifying that this a music thread (the titles of recent threads have been confusing lately).

A recent discussion of The Flesheaters inspired this question. What bands of the era do you think would be considered acquired tastes. You know, bands that would not be an easy listen for most the first time through.

The Flesheaters certainly fit this category as does, in my opinion, The Residents, Throbbing Gristle and Fad Gadget.
Who else comes to mind.



We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

(old) Cabaret Voltaire
Durutti Column
Eno's ambient albums

Cabaret Voltaire
Severed Heads
Dead Can Dance
Cocteau Twins
Kate Bush
Laurie Anderson

I agree with every artist on your list KYYX except Kate Bush, I don't believe her music requires an acquired taste.

Not trying to sound sexist or anything, but honestly? All female-fronted bands. I don't know what it is, but I think it's just the natural diversity in womens' voices. When I used to hear about new bands and I heard that the lead singer is a woman, I cringe. "Hmmm, not sure I'm going to like this" I think to myself, and I get worried.

Again, I'm NOT sexist!

It took me awhile to fully "get" The Fall and now they're one of my top 10 bands.

[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>It took me awhile to fully "get" The Fall and now they're one of my top 10 bands.
[/quote]

I agree with a lot of the bands here but none more so than The Fall. I love The Fall too. Funny story. While in college, my car broke down one day and my father gave me a lift to school. They had a guy who sold records outside the bookstore every Thursday. I paid him my weekly visit and picked up The Fall's Totales Turns. Well...my father picked me up and I left it in his car. He thought he would "try" the record to see if he could get into my kind of music. To make a long story short, he never tried again! If I were to have made a list of bands that might "ease" him into my musical world, The Fall would rank right near the end of my list.


We didn't sell a lot of records, but somehow we left an impression.
-Johnny Ramone-

I did not know Severed Heads and Cabaret Voltaire were both fronted by females. Guess I never hear them in the vocals. You learn something new every day here I tell ya.

[quote][i]Originally posted by CounterCircular[/i]
<br>I did not know Severed Heads and Cabaret Voltaire were both fronted by females. Guess I never hear them in the vocals. You learn something new every day here I tell ya.
[/quote]

Yes, you can learn something new here every day. For tomorrow's assignment, maybe you could work on learning how to read a thread properly because nobody said Severed Heads and Cabaret Voltaire were fronted by females.

[quote][i]Originally posted by Yachtingtype[/i]
<br>I agree with every artist on your list KYYX except Kate Bush, I don't believe her music requires an acquired taste.
[/quote]

I'm a big Kate Bush fan, and I personally was instantly captivated by her voice the first time I heard her ("Hounds of Love"). I thought now this is cool, in an ethereal operatic way. But---many old friends and current friends that aren't into her will say, when pressed, "it just doesn't grab me." Why? "I dunno, it's just not my style." or something like that. To me, that's indicative of [i]could-possibly-grow-on-you-if-you-listen-to-it-some-more[/i].

Oh! I thought of another artist for this topic anyway:
Klaus Nomi !

I am a big fan of Kate Bush and get the same reaction from most people I have listen to her. One of the English teachers I know thought Wuthering Heights was a parody song when she first heard it. I get the similiar "not my style" when I play David Sylvian's solo stuff (which bewilders me because I think he is so good.)
Most of Julian Cope's post Saint Julian work is also an acquired taste.

I'm a big fan of most of these bands, but I definitely avoid playing these bands before the uninitiated:

Birthday Party
Captain Beefheart
Daniel Johnston
Funkadelic/Parliament/George Clinton
Sun Ra
The Shaggs
Pere Ubu
Sun City Girls
The Cramps
Gun Club
Rocky Erickson/13th Floor Elevators
John Fahey
Martin Denny/Esquivel
Can/Faust
Michael Hurley/Pete Stempfel/Holy Modal Rounders
The Slits
Nurse with Wound
Red Krayola
The Modern Lovers
Wire
Frank Zappa
Sonic Youth
Beat Happening
Tom Waits
Velvet Underground

A lot of these bands are fronted by eccentric geniuses (Zappa, Beefheart, Ra, George Clinton), but that often doesn't make them any more approachable.

Female-fronted bands like Severed Heads and Cabaret Voltaire, especially their box sets titled 'learn to read a post about female-fronted bands for your next assignment'

[quote][i]Originally posted by SallyLightfoot[/i]
<br>
Beat Happening
[/quote]

That is a [b]PERFECT[/b] band for this category ! I LOVE these guys so very much. Whenever I play them, my husband shakes his head and wonders why anyone could sit around and listen to them voluntarily. Hah ! Good one, Sally.[:)]

Pere Ubu is #1 on my list.