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When should legends retire?


Mickeyboro

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Quite a few years back, I witnessed a double header of Brian Connolly's Sweet and Les Gray's Mud at the old Guildford Civic hall.

 

Brereft of any of their old bandmates, Messrs Connolly and Gray stumbled through greatest hits sets backed by musicians half their age; Gray was like the leery old uncle that parents warn you to avoid at family gatherings and Connolly was body ravaged and in the throws of Parkinsons, led on and off stage and glued to spot in front of his mic-stand.

 

These two aside, I suppose the other bands I think should have retired with dignity are Kiss, who are probably 20 years into their farewell tour and Motley Crue, who tore up their Cessation of Touring contract pre-pandemic.

 

I suppose everyone wants to remember their favourite bands when they were young, lithe, thin and not bloated, grey, middle-aged and not being able to hit the notes (viz. Vince Neil).  

 

Reckon Noddy Holder got it right.  And probably a few of the old punk bands bailed before their time.  Keep 'en hungry.

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Pains me to say I couldn't listen to Geddy Lee murdering the Rush back catalogue towards the end as his range deteriorated (I feel almost unclean for writing this such was my reverence toward him).

 

A truly phenomenal musician, I don't think he ever really got enough credit for his vocals during their heyday: pitch perfect, unique, and just so on point.

 

Ironic that they gained mass acceptance in the twilight of their career ...

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3 minutes ago, White Cloud said:

Pains me to say I couldn't listen to Geddy Lee murdering the Rush back catalogue towards the end as his range deteriorated (I feel almost unclean for writing this such was my reverence toward him).

 

Exactly the same with me - i had the oportunity to go and see them on my birthday in London a few years back, and I decided not to as they were pretty well unlistenable then, speaking as someone who got into rush at 14 and they were my number 1 group for most of my life.

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On 22/09/2022 at 21:43, Stub Mandrel said:

 

If someone has inspired and excited people with their music in their heyday and still live and breathes music, who has the right to say "you've lost your edge mate, time to pack it in"?

 

Why should only us average musicians have the right to carry on as long as we enjoy it?

 The Tena Man rule should apply to all

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On 11/11/2022 at 09:31, Bassybert said:


Punk is/was all about challenging convention and having a do it yourself attitude rather than it being about a  boyish and skinny image.

 

Age has nothing to do with it, just happened to be that the punk movement was full of young skinny people in the 70s when it emerged. 

I respectfully disagree. Those brilliant bands I loved as a teen 45 yrs ago are now fat balding grandparents living in the shires....How can that be the same vibe. I mean Billy Bragg lives in Dorset on a farm. Toya lives in the South West in a bloody great manor house....the vibes gone and most of their voices have gone too. 

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On 11/11/2022 at 10:00, Rich said:

Perhaps I should retire then, if that's such a bad thing.

Its not a bad thing at all, If its fat blokes doing covers, its when you pay lots of money to see a much loved band and they have simply become fat blokes doing covers. 

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The problem with this stuff is it’s all subjective. My daughter is going to see Pixies live. I wouldn’t bother seeing them live anymore as I saw them several times during the Surfer Rosa and Doolittle years and for me that is what they look and sound like.

 Another generation just get to enjoy the current line up warts n all and don’t have the same expectations.

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On 12/11/2022 at 16:16, MoJoKe said:

That will probably have been me with Mr Gray! I'm not half his age now... 

 

Blimey!

 

I have no idea what year this was, early 90s?  Nothing on the internet. 

 

Saw this show with a couple of mates - we were all Sweet fans as kids - it was just a truly harrowing freak show; Connolly got through it somehow, he was being heckled by a group of people.  It was just awful.

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On 14/11/2022 at 09:45, tegs07 said:

The problem with this stuff is it’s all subjective. My daughter is going to see Pixies live. I wouldn’t bother seeing them live anymore as I saw them several times during the Surfer Rosa and Doolittle years and for me that is what they look and sound like.

 Another generation just get to enjoy the current line up warts n all and don’t have the same expectations.

Pixies are possibly my fave rock band, based on their first four albums and I too saw them live back in their Kim Deal days. I don't want to tarnish the memory by seeing them as they are now. I was actually quite disappointed when they reformed and started releasing albums again. 

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