Specialist Music

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VikingBlues
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Specialist Music

Post by VikingBlues »

Did anyone here realise that with The Blues we're listening to "Specialist Music". :think:

I was in one of the HMV stores in Edinburgh yesterday. Idly wondering if this branch had more than the usual CD store half a dozen titles in a very small "Blues" section, I stumbled upon quite a big section called "Specialist Music".

And there I found Joe Bonamassa ... and BB King ... and Oli Brown ... and Joanne Shaw Taylor. Though also in that section wrere a very varied selection including, if I recall right, The Coors, Rolf Harris (!), and quite bizarre - Bruce Forsyth :eye_rub: . Those of you who aren't in the UK and don't know Bruce Forsyth ... don't ask! The Bruce Forsyth CD was "Didn't He Do Well?: The Collection" which, if you want to have nightmares has previews on Amazon.co.uk. Ummmm ... not a lot in common with BB King, Joe B and company!

It turned out the branch had no Blues section at all. But then if the nearest HMV branch is anyhing to judge by, they have a Blues section but the prices they charge (£12 to £15 range for any new current blues artist) make them a no-buy area for me anyway. And Blues is supposed to be in a relatively healthy state just now! :wall:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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MikeJackal
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by MikeJackal »

I suggest you send a strongly worded letter to Simon Cowell, he'll just add it to the pile. While ever there are mind numbing singers like Lady BaaBaa or Cheryl "Silicon Implants on a broom stick" Cole, then our wonderful genre of music will be shoved to the back out of the way with "The Best Of The Wurzuls".
It really is sad to see that the blues and it's derivative R&B have turned into the crap it is today, I thought evolution was a good thing. Once the last few original bluesmen have gone we are really going to have to fight to keep our music alive. Thankfully there are quite a few young members of our group so that gives me some hope that there are others out there of my age and younger that will keep the blues alive. And with the advent of sites like YouTube they will still be readily available for future generations to discover that you don't have to endure the pain of earbleeding from the likes of Bieber fever.
"You Only Live But Once, When Your Dead Your Done...So Let The Good Times Roll" - B.B. King
"I'm So Lonesome I Don't Even Have Me No Friend, I've Done So Much Crying Will I Ever Laugh Again" - Peter Green
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12bar
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by 12bar »

There isn't even a "CD store" in my hometown anymore. Two big electronic stores with a small CD section, where you'll find a few artists under "Jazz". That's all. :icon_whoknows:

I get mine from Amazon or similar. I can listen there, use the search function, buy online.
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Strummer07
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by Strummer07 »

I just wonder how long HMV can hang on to be honest ......I would have thought that with the demise of Zavvi's ( Formerly Virgin ) in 2009 and Borders in 2010 ........I rather thought and hoped that HMV would improve in terms of Blues and Jazz music ....but it hasn't.

My prediction is that unless HMV really raise their game substanitially in the next 6 months....and do something different that they will go bust in the next 18 months
Play.com and Amazon will then just take over via on line sales of CD's and DVD'd

However, I then think that in small towns the old specialist cd/dvd shops may make a return. Small privately owned shops selling specialst stuff, Vinyl , and specailst stuff Blues /Jazz / Classical and hard to get stuff... .with folk serving who know about music and will get stuff in at the drop of a hat.

I hope so !! .

One of may all time favorite 'escapes' when forced to go shopping .....was to step into a Virgin store or a Borders and brows through music and stuff.

Entering HMV is, in my experience, a disppointing experience all around.
"Death is just a heartbeat away"
lyric from "Out in The Fields"
Gary Moore 1952-2011
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VikingBlues
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by VikingBlues »

Amazon get some stick, but I do get a large % of my CDs from there. Being able to sample CDs helps, as does not getting your eardrums blasted by music you don't really want to hear - an HMV customer treat that is. The huge range of product is welcome too - especially when you're interested in a minority genre.

I remember when Borders first opened in Edinburgh - they had a big range of books, some with pretty good deals and they had quite a large CD section, and there were headphones which meant you could hear, via a scanner and the CD barcode, samples of a lot of the CDs in the store. I purchased quite a few due to the headphones - more inclined to take a punt at an unknown artist if you can hear a bit of them first. Unfortunately the local yobbo fraternity broke the headphones too often for them to be a viable option for Borders to keep repairing. The the recession started to bite and over the year or two before it shut it spiralled rapidly downhill - quite sad to see the slow decline.

I hope you're right Strummer about the specialist shops. Fingers crossed. :thumbsup:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
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rocknroll93
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by rocknroll93 »

see im kinda lucky... over here we have a store called JB hi-fi. these guys not only cover cds, but do computers, tv, games, ect ect.. their blues cd section is pretty good, and if you hunt around a little you coupld probably find what you are looking for.. if not you can get it ordered in.

another plus about JB hi-fi is that as an unsigned artist (or signed) you can walk into the store and get them to sell your cds
"Playing the blues is like being black twice. Stevie Ray Vaughan missed out on both counts, but I never noticed" - BB king
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Blackhorse
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by Blackhorse »

I became a fan of the Doors, Pink Floyd and Hendrix as a teenager in the 80s, and it was through their music that I became aware of the Blues. I listened to a lot of music back then, indie, rock, goth, but blues was always there too. Steadily my appreciation of the blues grew, through John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson, BB King, the Allman Brothers Band and others, which led me to players like Clapton, Stevie Ray, Rory Gallagher.

It really doesn't bother me where blues cds are in shops, or how it's perceived by record stores. Through the internet, the greats are easily available, and I know from the current generation of blues players like Bonamassa, and pop icons like John Mayer bringing blues-influenced music to the masses, that blues is still very much alive. There are regular blues gigs here in Ireland, by young bands who have discovered the music of the blues for themselves, and open jams where young blues musicians and older guys can trade licks all night. The annual Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon attracts huge crowds to listen to blues music by some great musicians and new acts too. Blues is very popular all over Europe, Australia, and of course back in the US.

The Blues is still in a good place. Music stores may not recognise that, but music venues do. So what if it's considered by some to be specialist music? That just means we're special :cool:
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VikingBlues
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by VikingBlues »

Blackhorse wrote:There are regular blues gigs here in Ireland, by young bands who have discovered the music of the blues for themselves, and open jams where young blues musicians and older guys can trade licks all night. The annual Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon attracts huge crowds to listen to blues music by some great musicians and new acts too. Blues is very popular all over Europe, Australia, and of course back in the US.

The Blues is still in a good place. Music stores may not recognise that, but music venues do.
I wish the Edinburgh Festival had the good sense that you have in your part of the world. The Edinburgh Festival has what it calls a Jazz and Blues Festival. What it should be billed as is a JAZZ and (blues) Festival. Wade through a few pages of Jazz and you might encounter something bluesy. :sad:
An improv a day keeps the demons at bay!
Bluesidae
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by Bluesidae »

Rather than "Specialist" I would prefer to think of Blues music as 'Special". Just like other music that is probably in the "Specialist" section (Jazz??). Think back to how hard Eric had to search for Blues music when he started out. By comparison, Blues music is relatively easy to find :clap:
kidtwist
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by kidtwist »

Hey guys I've posted a few gear-related questions before, but I decided that if I'm gonna read the forums I may as well contribute to the discussion :)

The internet's made it so much easier to find a lot of blues music. I love just going on YouTube and listening to the old blues guys. That's how I was introduced to Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. I've even gotten some good deals from iTunes offering a few of their albums packaged together for $10 (U.S.). But at the same time, I love a small record shop. There's one in my town a few of my friends showed me with a whole back room of vinyl for only a few dollars a record. It's mostly classic rock but I found a copy of BB Live at the Regal there and a few other blues gems. I personally like the sound of vinyl much better. It's got so much more character. I'd love to see a revival of small-time record shops.
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12bar
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Re: Specialist Music

Post by 12bar »

kidtwist wrote:I love just going on YouTube and listening to the old blues guys. That's how I was introduced to Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf.
Oh man, the times are changin'... :oldie:

:lol:
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