The official NMA board
General Category => New Model Army => Topic started by: Master Ray on November 25, 2012, 08:26:52 PM
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So... as a longterm fan of NMA (20 years plus!), I want to put a question out there with a silly opinion of mine.
I really, genuinely, think that NMA are putting their best music out there right now. 'High' and 'Today Is A Good Day' are bloody amazing albums. Looking forwards to the new one! I'll go one further... I think those two albums are better than what you might call the 'classic' albums... we all know what albums I'm talking about. Again, my silly little opinion.
My question is... is there any other band out there that are putting out the best music of their lives after so many years? I mean, we've all got our favourites from back in the day and they're putting out new music and we buy the albums and go to the gigs... but, deep down, we know the new stuff is a bit crap and we're only there for the old stuff...
I'd love to hear about a band who are still amazing after 30 years...
:(
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Not quite in the same musical sphere, but MACHINE HEAD are as strong or stronger than they were in the first couple of releases. The Blackening is a masterful display of metal/thrash....... Call it what ya like.
The latest GBH cd is another really really good release...... Unlike Rancid who've got totally bogged down in their own hype........ :-\
KILLING JOKE are still a force to be reconed with. The last cd took a few spins, but it's a slow burner..........
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I was first intoduced to NMA by their POTPs appearance. Bought the single shortly after (NRFTW - I was 13 at the time...). I think I 1st saw them with Moose Harris, around 1987, then again Reading Festival 91/92? - I saw them sparodically over the years but I thought the band 'gelled' with the Michael, Dean, Nelson, Marshall line-up. Haven't seen the new line-up, but watching them over the years, I thought (personally! - Justin seemed more confortable with the line-up, I just listed.) - That is not by any means to say the rest of the musicians were of 'rubbish', just seemed a better line-up, when I last saw them. I have also just back off a 3-hour train journey and may be waffleing 'bo[[ocks'! - but that is my opinon and you are entitled to agree/disagree/comment!
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Stoney, I LOVE Machine Head! Went through a big metal phase in the mid 90's, quite a few of those bands aren't going anymore or have become shadows of their former selves, but MH sound better than ever. Haven't seen them in a few years, to my shame, but 'The Blackening' was awesome.
ChristianS, don't know much about GBH but I've liked a lot of Killing Joke stuff over the years and I have to say I've fallen out of touch with them. Deffo something to investigate! I was thinking about seeing KJ when they were doing that tour with The Cult and The Mission recently... but, let's face it, those two bands were exactly what I was talking about in my original post, and I used to love both of them. But your comment about the NMA line-up..? I agree completely.
Anyone got anything else?
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David Eugene Edwards of Wovenhand / 16 Horsepower is getting better and better with each new album.
I went to their gig in Hamburg this year, and it was one of the best gigs I EVER saw...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLUUcMKZ4z0&playnext=1&list=PL90C99895E65CFB97&feature=results_video
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I think those two albums are better than what you might call the 'classic' albums... we all know what albums I'm talking about.
I think that "Thunder and consolation" and "The ghost of Cain" are NMA's best albums...ever.
My favorite era from the band is from "The ghost of Cain" to "The love of hopeless causes" included, "Thunder and consolation" being of course NMA's Gem among the gems!
After that, it is slightly more uneven, but of course there are still great tracks on each album...from the last era my fav album is "High", really good album from start to finish...also "Eight" is quite beautiful.
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I agree with Guillaume. I'm also not quite 'into' a lot of the newer material in the same way and it hasn't exactly grown on me with time. Much of the earlier stuff was an automatic hit right from the word go, and still sounds great today.
As for bands still amazing after 30 odd years - Rush, The Church, Dead Can Dance. Saw the latter recently and they were better than in their 'heyday' - not an easy task either.
And just for Guillaume - Indochine! :P Well, the latter albums are better!!
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I think NMA are as good as they ever were - but I love equally all of their line ups. I don't think they're better now than they ever were - just different - but equally outstanding. I love the early raw, lead bass sound of Vengeance and NRftW just as much as the fuller band sound of TiaGD - and every stage and album in between.
I've followed them live for 22 years now and still look forward to seeing them now as much as I did back on the Impurity Tour....there's a defintie 'magic' for me about their gigs. For other bands I'll often try to sneak an extra pint in the pre-gig pub and risk missing the start of the gig - but never for NMA.
I still eagerly anticipate each new release and they never let me down musically, artisitically or as a live act.....something I can't honestly say for any of the other 10 or so bands I really love. The most consistently brilliant band on the planet, for me.
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I think the reason the NMA remain exciting is they firstly never stopped playing unlike all those cringe-worthy comebacks that we have seen elsewhere. Secondly unlike my second favourite band (Killing Joke) they have never produced a shit album. Even EIGHT has some great unmissable tracks on it.
As the for the more recent stuff I firmly believe that some of their best material has been produced more recently. States Radio, LA Push, One of the Chosen and Dawn all make it into my top 20. The gigs may have blown my mind more when I was a spotty 20 year old following the band for the first time on the Impurity tour. But that is down to age and experience rather than the quality of the music.
I just can't think of a better excuse for going deaf...
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My fave bands have mostly been going for many years and I still get excited by new releases, here are a few names... HAWKWIND, NEUROSIS, UK SUBS (new album out next year and after a few barren years in the late 80's early 90's have been releasing excellent albums since Normal Service Resumed - Quintessentials & Riot were as good as anything they did in the 70's and early 80's), KILLING JOKE, IRON MAIDEN & I'm sure a few others that at the moment I can't think of... ::)
I just got hold of the new OI POLLOI album, not listened to it yet, but I have high hopes for some good rabble rousing anarcho punk... :D ;D
Oh yeah, MOTORHEAD... still get me after all these years even if their albums all sound the same nowadays. Love Lemmy... :-*
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. The gigs may have blown my mind more when I was a spotty 20 year old following the band for the first time on the Impurity tour. But that is down to age and experience rather than the quality of the music.
I just can't think of a better excuse for going deaf...
There's a few of us still here from 90, and it seems we are much the same in the opinion stakes too! 8)
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I think NMA are as good as they ever were - but I love equally all of their line ups. I don't think they're better now than they ever were - just different - but equally outstanding. I love the early raw, lead bass sound of Vengeance and NRftW just as much as the fuller band sound of TiaGD - and every stage and album in between.
I've followed them live for 22 years now and still look forward to seeing them now as much as I did back on the Impurity Tour....there's a defintie 'magic' for me about their gigs. For other bands I'll often try to sneak an extra pint in the pre-gig pub and risk missing the start of the gig - but never for NMA.
Sir, those are exactly the words I was trying to find when I posted my original message! Thank you! And if I sound a bit dismissive about the older stuff, it is not out of disdain, it's just that I have spun those CD's so many thousands of times that I can pretty much play them in my head without touching a CD player. I want new NMA sounds in my head! Which is why I'm so excited about the new album...
I still eagerly anticipate each new release and they never let me down musically, artisitically or as a live act.....something I can't honestly say for any of the other 10 or so bands I really love. The most consistently brilliant band on the planet, for me.
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Agree with Guy about age and experience and the early days. I've been following since 87 and those first gigs just blew my teenage mind. But equally, the gigs of 2009, 2010, 2011 made a massive impact on the 40-something me. JS's lyrics reach out to me just as much now as they ever did, just in different ways and from different perspectives. TIAGD for me is possibly their best ever album. As I grow older, JS and the band grows older and the evolving sound is something I can constantly relate to. For me, where I am right now, they are as good as they have ever been.
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Dead Can Dance. Saw the latter recently and they were better than in their 'heyday' - not an easy task either.
And just for Guillaume - Indochine! :P Well, the latter albums are better!!
I'd like to see DCD live...Lisa Gerrard, what an amazing voice she has!!...i loved her soundtrack for the great Michael Mann movie, "The Insider".
About Indochine, yeah "Paradize" is a pretty good album, but i like some of their naive early tracks too. ;)
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I'd say that Therapy? still put out some really good new material. I've really enjoyed their last two albums. There's a couple on each that I'm not as keen on but then that's the same for me with NMA albums.
H
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I first started following the band on Impurity Tour in 1990 same as Mr Stone and Lot of others on hear and for me NMA have allways Been a great live Band .And still got Something about them which i think alot of other bands HaveNot.
I not seen the New line Live as yetDue to Not working ect But sounds like it Still as good as it ever was. I keep meaning to go and see Motorhead live but will it be as good as was in 79/80?
Take it easy :)
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I first started following the band on Impurity Tour in 1990 same as Mr Stone and Lot of others on hear and for me NMA have allways Been a great live Band .And still got Something about them which i think alot of other bands HaveNot.
I not seen the New line Live as yetDue to Not working ect But sounds like it Still as good as it ever was. I keep meaning to go and see Motorhead live but will it be as good as was in 79/80?
Take it easy :)
Hey, I've only gotten back into Motorhead over the last few years, and I can guarantee to you that it's well worth getting a ticket. Never saw them back in the late seventies, I was quite a bit too young for gigs back then, but, from when I've seen them, they are still the best pure rock and roll band on the planet!
Wow... should have thought of Motorhead when I was doing my original post!
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Demented are Go, not everyones cup of tea I know but still here since 82 and the last album was quality.
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Demented are Go, not everyones cup of tea I know but still here since 82 and the last album was quality.
Couldn't agree more Mark! The last 2 cd's have been possibly their best ever I think...........
Sparky is a mad man, and a Keyside Strike friend n fan aswell! Obviously a visionary! lol
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Stiff Little Fingers still put on a cracking live show after 35 years on the road but their recorded output has been sparce over the last few years. Apart from that no-one I can think of has the longevity of NMA or as you say has continued to make quality album after quality album.
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The last AMEBIX album was as good if not better than their previous ones!
Also finally got to see them live a few times and was not disappointed.....😲
ARISE....,,..........,.,....
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Not quite in the same musical sphere, but MACHINE HEAD are as strong or stronger than they were in the first couple of releases. The Blackening is a masterful display of metal/thrash....... Call it what ya like.
I've tried so hard to get into Machine Head, but I can't help but think that both guitarists were in Vio-Lence. Vio-Lence were amazing and what they write/release now is nowhere near on par with that stuff.
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I wasn't sold on VIOLENCE I have to admit, BURN MY EYES is still my favourite Machine Head release I have to admit. It's ferocious and I love the production. The drums are especially mesmerising.......
Have a listen to the first minute and a halfof this to see what I mean............
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_MFfyevGks
My personal favourite track by them is this tho'.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=mR8FG_NJmp0&NR=1
The last couple of minutes sees me knock the tar out of my steering wheel n dashboard regularly. ;D At a minute 30 the drums do that huge tribal thing again aswell.
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I followed Spear of Destiny around the country until 5 or 6 years back. Then the music just stopped hitting the right buttons. I still keep an ear out and i'm pleased for KB that there appears to be a new lease of life. Maybe we change as we get older rather than the bands losing it, although of course they are getting older as well....
Those that continue to do it? NMA (obviously) Bob Mould, Mike Peters, Wedding Present. Reading Vive Le Rock is sometimes depressing - bands still living in the 80's, but still a good read! Saw Therapy? last year, bloody brilliant, still as mad as badgers. Spend 50% time listening to new 'stuff' now (Rise Against streets ahead of most things modern) .
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My personal favourite track by them is this tho'.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=mR8FG_NJmp0&NR=1
The last couple of minutes sees me knock the tar out of my steering wheel n dashboard regularly. ;D At a minute 30 the drums do that huge tribal thing again aswell.
Whoaaaah!!! That end section is the mutts nuts. I can see where you're coming from. I'll borrow the whole thing off a mate and give it a try.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-NgkLYbQ0U
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I followed Spear of Destiny around the country until 5 or 6 years back. Then the music just stopped hitting the right buttons. I still keep an ear out and i'm pleased for KB that there appears to be a new lease of life. Maybe we change as we get older rather than the bands losing it, although of course they are getting older as well....
Those that continue to do it? NMA (obviously) Bob Mould, Mike Peters, Wedding Present. Reading Vive Le Rock is sometimes depressing - bands still living in the 80's, but still a good read! Saw Therapy? last year, bloody brilliant, still as mad as badgers. Spend 50% time listening to new 'stuff' now (Rise Against streets ahead of most things modern) .
Two members of Rise Against used to be in 88 Fingers Louie. Saw them in Leeds years n years ago and they were pretty damned good. They put a few cd's out on FAT Wreckords. Well worth a look if you like Rise Against. =) See where they came from.
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Stiff Little Fingers still put on a cracking live show after 35 years on the road but their recorded output has been sparce over the last few years. Apart from that no-one I can think of has the longevity of NMA or as you say has continued to make quality album after quality album.
Just saw a couple of dates on the recent SLF tour – great sets, great nights, great times... but then I got to thinking that while some of the newer songs are undoubtedly good, what I really wanted to hear is Inflammable Material, a bit of Nobodys Heroes and the early singles.... which backs up the post at the top of this thread.
With the Army it doesn’t feel like that. Every album has had classic songs and personal favourites on it, including the most recent ones. It’s good to hear a mix of old and new in the sets, but I don’t spend all the time waiting for stuff off the first 4 albums which is what I might do with other bands and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they didn’t always play them.
I don’t buy the line that every NMA album is unquestionably faultless and an instant ‘hit’ (eg it took me some time getting into Carnival), but they are prolific writers and continue to come up with the goods. So if something comes out that is a bit more ‘difficult’ or ’adventurous’ then I think, well, give it a go, and if you get into it then that’s great, but if you don’t like it so much, well fine there’s still a whole catalogue there that other bands could only dream of anyway.
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What he said and a lot of the rest of you said.
As I gradually dropped a lot of back in the day bands off the back of the (Red Lorry Yellow Lorry) van, the band I always came back to were NMA.
I like a number of the 'newer' albums at least as much if not more than the older ones. T&C is and always will be a classic. But then Impurity is just such a great album. As is TGOC and NRFTW etc etc. But then so are Carnival, High and TIAGD.
So they pretty much all dropped off and every so often I see a band that can briefly ignite something more than the amorphous pack (Sonic Boom Six live in front of 40 people in a tiny subterranean bar in Bournemouth as a warm up for Sonisphere ranks right up there).
But noone, for me, writes songs like the ones JS writes. NMA live are just awesome, who else not only gets you outta the pub on time (Barty!) but makes you feel like you're about to watch a major cup final - night after night?
That's why we all do what we do I guess.
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Pazza and NickyG, you have put it into words far better than an idiot like me ever could. ;D
The old stuff is great. The new stuff is great. Not all of it hits the spot for all of us (prsonally, 'Love Of Hopeless Causes' is an album that didn't exactly float my boat... I'll take some brickbats for that one, I'm sure...) but we're all still here and we're all as passionate as we ever were...
And I hope a lot of us will be there at the Christmas gigs, dying to hear what the lads have come up with next... and even if it doesn't meet our personal tastes, we know damn well we'll be getting that album!
I can't think of another band that inspires that passion after over 30 years...
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Yes New Model Army is still as good as when I 1st saw the White Coats video on MTV a very long time ago. That tells you how far back I remember them ;).For the longest time I never got the chance to see this great band live until 2005 from that point on whenever they play NYC I try to catch the show and I have never been dissapointed ;D.
As for other bands that have lasted as long as NMA well not to many bands can last 30yrs in particular with the changing sound and times and still sound as fresh and put out New material without them being labeled as their reunion tour or their comeback where they play only their classics or all their old stuff.
Having said that at least from the bands I have seen here Rush still kicks out new stuff and sound just as great as they did 30 yrs ago. We have the WHO coming in a few days and they are going to play Quadrophenia in it's entirety and they are also putting out New material.
The Thing is that a lot of British bands do not come here anymore to play. it's very expensive to bring the group, the managers. the roadies etc,to play a gig in NYC then pack up and head to the next show maybe Philly or Boston. Touring the US the country is so big that at the most some bands can only do a few gigs here and those will mostly be in or near the big cities.
Groups that I would love to see play here. I am a giant Hawkwind fan but they have not played the US in very long time. I understand because their music is not played on the radio so no one has heard them and really it would only be die hard fans that would go to see them. others that have not been in the states for a while Killing Joke, Fields of Nephilim,The Fixx these bands are still active in Europe but very rarely do I see them with a US Tour :( 8)
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Another long time survival is Madness, although there has been, unlike NMA, a 'sag' of several years. The new album though has some classic tracks.
Would be nice if the Mission could stop looking back so much and do some new material. Finally, try as I might, I just can't see what the fuss was about with the new PIL offering, just don't get it.
Right, time to leave work, off to get me euros and to pray the snow stays the **** away from Gatwick next weekend.
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Paranoid Visions an Irish punk band have 30 years + behind them and some great tunes. Sound wise not as diverse as NMA but there are some similarites in their single minded determination to do things their own way etc.
Am with you all the way on Gatwick Neilly flying in Friday night to catch the red eye to Koln Saturday morning. See yoursef and Pazza for pre gig pints in Amsterdam Sunday evening all going well
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Pub round the corner from Melkweg? ;)
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To answer the original question: James.
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Good topic this.. After Rock City the other night, I agree they just seem to get better and better. At this rate they will be up there with the Stones celebrating 50 years before we know it! The Stones could actually be one act who have made a renaissance. Throughout the 70s and much of the 80s and 90s they have done patchy shows and albums but since The Scorcese 'Shine A Light' documentary film they are now sounding very good and raw and great for their age. Live clips from the recent 02 shows look great. This is good news for 'old bands'.
However a renaissance is different to being consistently good and better each time. Having seen NMA band since 1984 in all the line ups I have to say the atmosphere at their shows is still amazing and they now have a fuller sound are just as a vital and brilliant and relevant to now. Its a great machine to witness. These days NMA remind me of Pearl Jam a bit - in terms of longevity and stubbornness and disregard for a need to be media darlings. I really love Pearl Jam but have not seen them live other than clips so can't comment on their shows but PJ just keep doing their own thing in their own way with a great loyal fan base and that's very similar.
Counting Crows similarly had too this until recent years but their pay for membership website and lack of as many albums and shows seemed to have dented the sense of fan community.
Thankfully we are lucky in that we to get to see NMA in intimate venues rather than arenas and that's what keeps it more amazing for us fans and the value of sense of community is indeed great with folks from all over the world now coming to shows - and many bringing kids along now to shows where they can hopefully sparking a new generation of fans and respect.
Yep they do indeed get better and better. And there is no one like them.
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Just wanted to add, that the last 12 months has seen at least 3 of the gigs scream straight into my top 10 ever NMA gigs...... Melkweg was absolutely fantastic as vital as ever I've seen them, Strummercamp was so fired up and empassioned for obvious reasons and Rock City was on a mission............
It'll be a HAPPY NEW YEAR for all of us I think.............. :D
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Another long time survival is Madness, although there has been, unlike NMA, a 'sag' of several years. The new album though has some classic tracks.
Would be nice if the Mission could stop looking back so much and do some new material. Finally, try as I might, I just can't see what the fuss was about with the new PIL offering, just don't get it.
Right, time to leave work, off to get me euros and to pray the snow stays the **** away from Gatwick next weekend.
It's on the way.
:)
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I first saw NMA about five years ago (yes, must have been, as High had been released and they opened with Wired) in Wolverhampton, so I can't claim to have any long-standing experience. That said, I first heard them back in about 1994 / 5 and bought B-sides.... and Impurity when I was at university in 1998. After a good few wilderness years (from NMA and going out) I came across the CD's again, listened to them, fell in love with NMA immediately and wondered what else they had done, and a few months later saw them live for the first time. Since then I've seen them in Swansea, Nottingham, Cardiff, and Nottingham again. I have to say that they seem to be getting better and better every time - I can't wait for the next gigs. They are the best band I know of, and certainly have the best fans and a great sense of community.
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Well said Jack. Does not matter how long you have liked a band. all bands big and small need people to be out there buying records and going to see them. At the end of the day, they are doing this for a living as well as a life style. I too have been off the scene for a long time, what with work, and being a Dad, but I know what I like, and in terms of buying quality music, they cannot be beat. I have been a fan of many a band, but always liked the NMA. Throughout my time as a music fan, the NMA have always been a constant favourate through constant quality . As for live, I cannot imagine anything better than what I saw in Nottingham Rock City last week. And if you suggest, they are continually getting better, then wuppy-doo, good times ahead.
Happy New Year
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I'm not sure the comparison works given that the lineup is wholly different to the 'classic era' and the songwriting team now are light years away from, if not ahead of, Heaton/Morrow. The singer and some songs are the only real perennials, and by that measure, neither Justin nor, say, Spirit of the Falklands (blinding in Nottingham) seem to have lost anything over the years.
But to compare the last couple of albums to the first few? Apples and oranges... and that's entirely before my personal tastes about the recent stuff come into it.
One of the main reasons the band still has my ear is that I don't have to worry about whether they're better or worse or the same now.
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Hi everyone. I found this forum after searching for like minded souls after Rock City Until that day I had not seen the band since 1987 (much to my shame)! All I can say is that it totally blew me away and brought tears to my eyes.
After losing my way with guitar music and drifting into acid house I recently and inevitably started listening to the bands from my youth again. NMA still being my favourite. I lost a few people really dear to me last year and i I think its no exaggeration to say without such amazing music I would still be in a really dark place.
I think the new music is equally as good as the old, just different. I cant wait for the Northampton gig, i was on a high for a week after Nottingham , think i am gonna have to go to Sheffield as well or I will kick myself. Looking forward to the new album!!! :)
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Completely agree. I am still buzzing after that Rock City gig. What a top night.
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... I cant wait for the Northampton gig, i was on a high for a week after Nottingham , think i am gonna have to go to Sheffield as well or I will kick myself. Looking forward to the new album!!! :)
It sounds like you really need to come to Preston, as well ;)
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He he, sounds like you could be right , dunno how i missed that. Will make a hell of a week that's for sure.. ;D
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I'd nominate Kings X as another band still putting out stuff that excites my senses, and who are still fantastic live. Admittedly, their last bona-fide new studio album, XV, came out in 2008, but it was easily a match for their old stuff. Hopefully, there'll be something new before too long.
I realised after thinking about this that I hadn't actually looked up any news about them for a while, and was shocked to read that their drummer, Jerry Gaskill, had a massive heart attack in Feb 2012, and was in a coma for a couple of weeks. However, he recovered, and was back on tour with the band in the Summer. He then got married in September, but in November, he and wife Julie, lost their house in New Jersey and virtually everything they owned in Hurricane Sandy. Blimey, what a year for him !!!
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totally agree
the point is how many bands can last that lomg making greta music and writing great songs?
I discovered them when I was 17 or 18 now I am almost 40. I follow them when I can sure but finacial crisis and unemploymmnet make it the more and more difficult.
but sure..........they are bit diffferent (i mean even justin s voice......listen to the 80s demos included in the last edition of Vengeance) and as justin said the last 2 albums were like a rock band in a room or something..............well they changed but they are always so fantastic people and musicians.
i lived in bradford during one year and something for studying met justin the 1st time there and joolz..................beside the artistic side..............fantastic people.
So... as a longterm fan of NMA (20 years plus!), I want to put a question out there with a silly opinion of mine.
I really, genuinely, think that NMA are putting their best music out there right now. 'High' and 'Today Is A Good Day' are bloody amazing albums. Looking forwards to the new one! I'll go one further... I think those two albums are better than what you might call the 'classic' albums... we all know what albums I'm talking about. Again, my silly little opinion.
My question is... is there any other band out there that are putting out the best music of their lives after so many years? I mean, we've all got our favourites from back in the day and they're putting out new music and we buy the albums and go to the gigs... but, deep down, we know the new stuff is a bit crap and we're only there for the old stuff...
I'd love to hear about a band who are still amazing after 30 years...
:(
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Definitely good as they were but very different.
I first heard NMA during episode 3 of 'Edge of Darkness' (discovery of Terry Watts body in the bath by Jedburgh - can't find a clip for it - but see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_of_darkness ) in or about 1985 (probably after it won a raft of BAFTA's and so made it to Australian TV).
At the time I think the impression was almost zero because the film was so amazingly suprising & good.
Nearly 25 years on, while watching the DVDs of Edge of Darkness, I couldn't believe how good 'Christian Militia' was. It had everything I wanted, sensible lyrics (although they are silly: who would honestly not choose a Christian Militia over any other sort), a kickarse base line, a memorable guitar and that American prejudice that goes down so well in all the English speaking world saving the obvious.
After buying pretty well all the NMA albums (T&C, 8 and High are the major exceptions) and while I don't listen to CM as often, I still think their stuff is what all popular music should be.
Just for reference I especially like
Poison St
States Radio
Long Goodbye
Bad old World
Rumour and Rapture
BD3 (what an EP, at least the American one)
Curse
La Push
Carlisle Rd (!! who on earth writes a song setting the police in a good light ?)
and so on and so on.
One of my younger (by about 30 years) colleagues also likes NMA (to my suprise, since he likes Metallica and so on).
While I have gone off things I really enjoyed earlier (Lib Ed, Spirit of the F, Look at me) it's only because at the moment I prefer the later plusher sound (exemplified by States Radio and even Carlisle Rd). What an amazing bunch of musicians to make sounds ranging from CM to CR to SR to Gigabyte Wars, Knife & Brother. All with Lyrics that don't make one puke.
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I agree. They are as good, and are now different to their early days. Today is a Good day has a different sound to it than Vengeance, and there is a distinct different tone in the vocal that must just come with age. What is still important for me, is although the subject matter may change, the lyrics are still strong. It has never been a case of what ever rhymes will do, lyrically, there has always been great song writing that fits to the melody of the music. Different is not a bad thing, its development. :)
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I have to mention Bad Religion in this categori. I am a huge fan of BR and their brand new album True North is their best in many years [among many great albums], and they have been around since 1979.
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VNV Nation gets my vote!
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To answer the original question: James.
Wow! I saw James last week in London! And you're right, they have truly kept up their standards! Good call, as the OP on this thread, I should have thought of this band...
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Totally agree. there is not one single akbum or lyric I do not like since 20 years. or actually even more.