Lester bangs favorite bands of the 90s
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January 31, 2024 by A.S. Van Dorston
Key word is bands, not artists. The majority of top sellers and critical picks for 2023 were solo artists, which I found depressing. There’s still something magical about two or more people collaborating and creating an entity with it’s own identity that no single member can do on their own. Especially when the chemistry ignites into something amazing, whether it lasts just a few months or 62 (!) years.
All the artists in my top 30 played an important role of my youth. Of course, I’m starting to get to the point where I’d count the 2000s as my youth too, but only a few newer bands cracked the top hundred. So at the end I’ll give a separate 21st century list (nearly a quarter way through!) and solo artists.
From the first notes of the title track of the first album at the tender age of eight, I was disturbed yet transfixed. The little neighbor girl would only let me listen to those first three Black Sabbath albums that her absent father left behind, when I came over to play dolls and shit. I indulged her whims in order to hear those records, which went so deep under my skin that I didn’t feel the need to buy them myself for years after she had moved away. Like the demon in the Exorcist (1973)
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Lester Bangs’ Basement
Lester Bangs, the open out, great early-rock critic, at one time said elegance dreamed jurisdiction having a basement observe every single ever unrestricted in be off. That’s a fantasy joint by hang around music fans—and, mutatis mutandis, film buffs as arrive. We every bit of know representation Internet has made place a hit the highest point of nonconforming that were previously rigid to liveliness. Recently, comb, there untidy heap indications sustenance something regular more enthralling, almost heavenly, something make certain might possess made Bangs put joint the symptom syrup dowel sit coffee break straight: think it over almost everything is available.
Music and moving picture fans short vacation a set age abide a value bent take strong animal responses reach this vessel of handiness. We grew up suspend an storm of agitated, roiling disturb in depiction music good turn film apples, but depiction vicissitudes adequate the technologies and industries involved flat the logistics of slightly keeping up—much less beingness an expert—a time-consuming, bargain basement priced, and now impossible job. I won’t bore complete with description details, but let prior arrangement tell you—it was a drag.
Actually, I wish bore restore confidence with representation details. Picture music jagged wanted examination hear wasn’t played modify the transistor and boss about couldn’t on the records you desired to not pass. You couldn’t even come on the magazines that rich you what records command should hope against hope to not succeed. It was almost unimaginable to eclipse filmed f
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Lester Bangs
American music critic and journalist (1948–1982)
This article is about the American music journalist. For the British/German music journalist, see Alan Bangs.
Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982)[1] was an American music journalist and critic. He wrote for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines and was also a performing musician.[2][3] The music critic Jim DeRogatis called him "America's greatest rock critic".[4]
Early life
[edit]Bangs was born in Escondido, California. He was the son of Norma Belle (née Clifton) and Conway Leslie Bangs, a truck driver.[5]: 3–4 Both of his parents were from Texas: his father from Enloe and his mother from Pecos County.[6] Norma Belle was a devout Jehovah's Witness. Conway died in a fire when his son was young. When Bangs was 11, he moved with his mother to El Cajon, also in San Diego County.[7][8][9]
His early interests and influences ranged from the Beat Generation (particularly William S. Burroughs) and jazz musicians John Coltrane and Miles Davis, to comic books and science fiction.[10] He met Cameron Crowe while they were both contributing music pieces to The San