Opinions on The Darkness

[Knightmeir]

Originally Posted by cerealk

AC/DC Back in Black

to compare bands with 30 year careers to one on their first album is questionable

Not to mention, One of Queen's first albums... self titled... such songs as "Mad The Swine..." A bit foolish, and not-so-straight sounding, especially in that day and age... they've got some freakish song on nearly every single one of their albums.

Queen said "SH!T" in a couple of their songs as well.


*ALSO*

If you've noticed a trend in music... they always play new music at weird hours of the night/morning. First time I saw the Darkness on tv was around 6 am on a crappy video show hardly anyone would be watching. I've slowly but surely begun to hear more and more people talk about them.

Remember Prodigy? Possibly not the best example, but I remember a while back, they only played their song "Firestarter" on MTV around 1 or 2 in the morning. Suddenly it caught on, and within a year they were huge. Might not have been long lived... but record sales don't mean a thing because all that will show you is that people haven't caught on yet.

I will say this... The Darkness will gain some notoriety... and even if they don't become the next Queen, they will open some people's eyes to 70's music and rock in general, because they're a "trendy" band that people will think are cool at first regardless of whether or not it's any good. That's how the music always moves... a band or group here and there begin a turn in the "popular music" and it takes over for a while until someone else stirs the pot.

[Jupiter]

Wow! There seems to be quite a range of strong opinions on this band... I found a copy of their CD at a local store for about $10, so i'll probably get it tomorrow... I'll post my opinions after i've listened to it a bit.

[mginty]

Hi,

Im about to set off to watch them tonight. My brother got a ticket in august when they sold out but he cant go. It should be worth going even though im not a huge fan. 3 of the songs on the CD are ok. The rest are filler. I dont think they will be around in a year.

BTW, the English charts are bad at the moment but at least we dont have as much of this horrible rap crap all over tha place. Hanging out of a Bentley wit' yo ho's. How can someone wear $10,000 of jewellery and look so cheap??

Mark

[Jem7RB MK]

Originally Posted by mginty

BTW, the English charts are bad at the moment but at least we dont have as much of this horrible rap crap all over tha place. Hanging out of a Bentley wit' yo ho's. How can someone wear $10,000 of jewellery and look so cheap??

Mark

InF***IngDeedlyDoo ... Could agree more,Rap music i'm sure has it's place,But really it's mostly lyrics over sampling ... Now freestyle rapping i quite enjoy,sometimes,Yes i own some Eminem,and Cypress hill,wu tang,Dre etc .

Any wanna be ganster can hire a car for a vid shoot,Contrary to what people believe,the majority of Rap stars don't own 30 mercs and a few ferraris and lamborghinis

Rob

[GuitarWizard]

Originally Posted by mginty

Hi,

Im about to set off to watch them tonight. My brother got a ticket in august when they sold out but he cant go. It should be worth going even though im not a huge fan. 3 of the songs on the CD are ok. The rest are filler. I dont think they will be around in a year.

BTW, the English charts are bad at the moment but at least we dont have as much of this horrible rap crap all over tha place. Hanging out of a Bentley wit' yo ho's. How can someone wear $10,000 of jewellery and look so cheap??

Mark

Mark!!!
Thank you for having ears!

You summed up in two paragraph's what my rambling on a$$ tried to say in in 3 chapters.

The Darkness cd has 3 decent songs.... tracks 3,4, and 10.

The rest is cussing rubbish.

The good news is, when the singer is not doing his poor Mercury impersonation......(that gives you a fingernail raked down chalkboard feeling) .... there is more guitar than usual songs lately.

The bad news is.... the Hawkins brothers don't really deliver a memorable solo.

If you think about songs from the classic rock era.... when you heard the guitar solo once or twice, it was in your head.

Eagles- Hotel California
Bad Company's- Can't get enough of your love
Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody
AC/DC- You shook me all night long

(I have all these solo's memorized in my head.... I did at 7 years old old, long before I was ever a guitar player)

I've heard "A thing called love" ....maybe 500 times in the last 8 weeks....I can't think of how the solo goes.

Its not memorable. It sounds like these guys are practicing their scales until their guitar teacher gets back into the room.

The lyrics.... which are stupid cussing ..... wouldn't be memorable even if they were good because you can't understand what the guy is saying 80% of the time.

The lyrics read like if you were looking at the liner notes of a 2pac cd.
No...thats not fair..... 2pac's lyrics are actually more thought out.

I understand where you guys are coming from who say "We like the Darkness".

Compared to the computer generated pop candy on the radio.... this is better. At least these guys are playing instruments, and taking mediocre solos.

But this is not going to be the band that brings back 1975-1989 era music.

Oasis, although not the Beatles, at least ripped Beatles songs off enough to where people took notice of bands of the 60's ...ie: Noel Gallager's "Don't look back in Anger" = Lennon's "Imagine" (think of the beginning riff).

The Darkness will be a novelty band here for a few months, then they'll fade away, leaving the scene as fast as they came on it.

Its not wrong to like them, thats your opinion.
I just caution anyone who has $20 to burn in their pocket that rather than buy this cd, maybe think of a more useful way to spend the cash flow....as this one has a high chance of getting played once, then chucked in the corner.

Jupiter- Please give us your honest review after you've listened through.

By the way... I am to assume the lovers of the Darkness here own, or at least have heard the cd all the way through. Right?

I hope those folks who disagree greatly with me aren't those who have seen the video twice on tv, and sampled 2 songs at Wal-Mart.

[welshpete]

I should leave it alone, but i ain't gonna. Sure one of our friendly mods will sort it if needed.

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

Pete,

No one in my area has had to listen to this cd more than me..... "Stuck in a Rut" is playing right now as I type this.


We are trying to play it....so we can sell some of the 12 cds we pre-ordered.

12? OK I would warrant that every major record store in the UK have sold that everyday for the past 3 months

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

But, I am convinced that because we are playing it, is why its not selling.

Everyone that walks in simply says "That's horrible".

Tell us again what you are selling? HMMM....and THAT is the height of music opinion is it?

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

Bands like Queen and AC/DC had funny stage antics, but Brian May, Freddie Mercury, and the Young brothers take their craft very seriously.

And if you had ever listened to or read an interview with The Darkness, you would see that they are DEADLY serious about their art. They held out on going "commercial" despite the offers in previous years so that they could get THEIR record released rather than what the record company wanted. As I said, I love Queen; but they leaned towards the radio friendly regularly and they had their tongue in their cheek far more often than people gave them credit for.

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

Angus Young and Freddie Mercury are the real deal.....Freddie was going to be Freddie...no matter what you thought of him. I don't think Malcom and Angus sit up at night "hoping teenagers like their new album".

Um, I totally disagree. Whatever point you are making, the same is true for The Darkness as it is for the older guys. In fact, Queen were a bunch of Art college and Science geeks who got their image IN ORDER TO GET NOTICED. If they were only going to be themselves, you would be watching Brian May giving lectures on astronomy, and freddie mercury would have been working for Georgio Armarni. As for the "hoping teenagers like them - I would say that the Darkness have more fans from my generation (I'm 30) than the hoodie wearing Linkin Park/Korn fans

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

The Darkness, to me, is to Queen.....Like the Backstreet boys are to The Jackson 5.

Nice analogy. I can't think what the point is though. They are the same from a different generation. The Jackson 5 just had better writers and pandered to an audience the same as BB. Just that the audience in the 70's had better taste and so they had to make better music

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

Oh yeah, and Pete.....Queen, nor AC/DC have ever said the F word on any recorded studio albums.

The F word does not offend me, in some cases it enhances the song.....however, as anyone with ears will agree.... the Hawkins brothers scream the word....just to scream the word...

Hmm...until about 1990; getting it on an album was hard enough - certainly if you wanted to get you MAJOR record label to release it. Did you see Queen live - notice something about Mr mercury's language being "fruity"....And the beeps on Queen Live Killers at the beginning of "Death on Two legs" - do you think he is saying "rather annoying person"? (i will make the point i love queen again here incase people think i am having a dig) . The Jazz album. Came with a free poster of about 100 naked chicks on bicycles - done for the purposes of artistic integrity?

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

There is nothing to enhance on this album...."Holding MY own" is the only song on the album that suggests these guys have a future..... but that future maybe as a Queen/Rocky Horror Picture show cover band.....

I would say that at least half of the ten tracks show the potential:
Growing on me, I believe in a things called love, Friday Night are perfect riff rock with great solos and enough for EVERY listener to grab onto; Holding my own and Love is only a feeling are great ballads; OK there are some weak tracks. Are you now going to tell me "Fun It"; "Put out the Fire" etc are great tracks? (If you dont know those tracks, you shouldn't even be arguing about it)

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

as the opening of the song "Holding My Own" even rips off Freddie's voice inflections.

Liner Notes on Jibboom by Mr Vai "Hat tip to Stevie Ray Vaughan".
A rip off? or do you like it when other people do it?

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

Nothing wrong with falsetto singing.... God I love Queen records where Fred soars high. But Justin Hawkins is not Freddie Mercury. And I suggest anyone to sample this cd....and tell me the singing is not irritating.

I have heard it and i like it. The singing is not irritating. This point is now mute, by your own definition.

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

I have to shut this cd off when I am talking to someone, or making an order.....its that irritating.

Your opinion, now forced on to the consumer......

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

We all like different things I guess..... I can't stand Frank Zappa's music, so that was a bad example to use for me.

Lots of people don't like Zappa's stuff. Most of them who say that have heard maybe 1% of his output. And even if you have heard plenty, that is fine, though I doubt that you would give him a slating as you have here....I happen to think that FZ is about the greatest composer/musician of the 20th century. Some people agree with me on this point

Originally Posted by GuitarWizard

However, Queen, AC/DC, Kiss, and Aerosmith are all timeless....to even type or compare "The Darkness" to any of these bands is a pure insult.

Time will tell. I will be buying their albums, come what may.

Cheers
Pete

[GuitarWizard]

Greetings Pete!

Wow, I thought I had a lot of free time to type.....man, I hope you aren't on the clock somewhere.

Again, you may love them. No problem.

Last I checked, this topic was entitled "Your opinion on the Darkness".

MY opinion is...I think they are over rated, with minimal talent.

My customers tend to complain when the cd is on....I have no less than 250 people through the door everyday...from doctors and lawyers, to magazine editors, to punk high school kids.... no one I have encountered has said anything good about the cd.

I'm sure there is a store in the world where it sells well, and people like it.
The same can be said for a Milli Vanili cd as well.

Its all based on your opinion.

Just to answer some questions from above:

Actaully Frank Zappa is played alot here. One of my sales associates likes it. Apostrophe'/Overnite sensation is playing right now....I think its sucks just as bad now as I thought it did 10 years ago.

Queen says sh*t one time in their career on 1973's "Son & Daughter"....on 1979's Live Killer's Freddie is saying a person's specific name who was a writer for London's "The Sun" tabloid paper..... no cuss word was said.

I am not that concerned about cuss words in music....it works in rap....The Darkness seems to use it because they aren't creative enough to come up with something else.....read the lyrics on the liner notes...(You have to read, because you can't understand him)....tell me those lyrics aren't stupid.....I think Bernie Taupin's job is safe.

I am the biggest Queen fan you will ever talk to....so yes, I am framiliar with all tracks, on all releases, public and bootleg.

Bad mouthing Korn and Linkin Park will not offend me....as I feel they are also bands of a lot of hype...minimal talent.

You are saying Steve Vai ripped off SRV?? I am not framiliar with that.....but , like I've said before.......if we were to gather a 100 greatest guitarist of all time list....and Vai's name wasn't on it.....it wouldn't bother/shock/ or surprise me. I have no Vai shrines at my home, so this statement also effects me in no way.

You like the Darkness.... I don't. who cares??

Its just opinions....nothing to get your blood pressure up about.

[cerealk]

dont let this discussion get personal please

[babahi]

After Aguilera and the rest of the manufactured mass music being offered right now, I find it refreshing to have something handmade like this gain so much exposure. I like most of the songs on the album, although I wouldn't listen to the album over and over again for many years, I do find it enjoyable and will give it an occasional spin. I am happy to hear some guitars. Also, I got the cd for my cousin, who is 40, and he called me up, all excited; he raved on about it reminded him of when he first heard Thin Lizzy so many years ago. Now he's a huge fan.

The best part -- I like the fact that so much debate seems to be over The Darkness copping so much from their 70's. Being stuck in the past, in a way. Yet here we are, on a board created solely to glorify and keep alive a relic of the 80's pointy guitar phase...

[matt_cater]

the darkness are great.

Its not memorable. It sounds like these guys are practicing their scales until their guitar teacher gets back into the room.

in my opinion that is utter crap
the solos on growing on me are stuck in my head all the time, they sound amazing, and work with the rest of the song so well.

the darkness are doing something great for music right now, i believe in a thing called love has at least 3 solos!
The xmas single is purely hilarious too
Don't let the bells end.. (bell end)
Just let them ring in piece (ring piece) hehe

someone said about the "sk8er boys" liking them, to be honest from what i've seen its quite the opposite actually. From what i've experienced the punk rockers/skaters etc don't actually appreciate guitar playing (other than power chords) trust me, i used to be in a punk band, but I wanted to actually play my guitar, and the darkness could actually give people this motivation too.

all in my opinion.
the only comparison with queen/aerosmith etc would be the outfits imo too.
hope they are around for years to come.

[the.godfather]

If its any concelation.......

The Darkness are gonna be a HUGE band in the future. Especially after they get xmas number1. They are a big band already but.....

Everyone knows that they will, its just some dont wana admit it!
Gary - The.Godfather

[Anton]

I went to see these on thursday night in liverpool wow!! they rocked

[hamand]

WelshPete, excellent excellent response to GuitarWizard, my sentiments exactly.



As I intimated before: people, everyday normal people who listen to the radio...are BEING EXPOSED TO ROCK!


!This is a good thing!


We need diversity in the world, musical or otherwise.

[Dead Roman]

Originally Posted by welshpete

Any/Every/All rock bands use that naughty f word....guess that means they can't write lyrics.

Paul gilbert, tell the truth



"i dont, want to , sit here, and, talk.

all I, want to , do is, FU**"

[GuitarWizard]

Originally Posted by hamand

WelshPete, excellent excellent response to GuitarWizard, my sentiments exactly.



As I intimated before: people, everyday normal people who listen to the radio...are BEING EXPOSED TO ROCK!


!This is a good thing!


We need diversity in the world, musical or otherwise.

His responses made sense... if you like The Darkness.

Someone up above mentioned "manufactured Aguilara"

Aguilara may be pop candy, but in 10 years, when the chain smoking and tanning bed has caught up with her, she at least will have a voice to fall back on.....The Darkness....well.

I love 70's music.
I Love 80's music as well.

I have had several pm me wanting to know why "I hate 70's music".

Let me clarify by saying that , in my personal opinion, I feel that more of the greatest albums of the last 100 years came from the 1970's, than any other decade.

Being that I am so studied in 60's and 70's rock maybe why I don't care for bands like "Jet" or "The Darkness".

Just as many of us on here feel Timberlake, and Spears are computer generated pop candy (which they are), I feel that 99% of these bands like the Darkness are generic copies of the bands they are trying to imulate.

Don't get pissy guys. This is simply an opinion poll.

I am around music 24/7 , its my life, its my store. I hear a lot of bands in a days time, and I have no repect for the Darkness.

I appreciate say, U2 , much more than the Darkness..... when U2 came out 20+ years ago, they sounded like no one else. Some loved the sound.... some hated... but they were original.

Jemsite is probably the website that has more Steve Vai fans than anywhere else. While I like Steve Vai, he's not my favorite... but I do appreciate that 95% of the time, he will try new things. Granted, unless its a X-Mas song, you'll never Vai on the radio.... but who cares?

At least Vai is playing music on his terms.

I am somewhat disappointed that so many of you like this band... as they are using nostalgia as their own form of "selling out" if you ask me.

The Darkness, however , is playing music on terms of AC/DC song structure, based on "borrowing" a Queen like sound.

Not only do I find it un-original, and un-inspiring..... but I find it somewhat insulting.

We all borrow..... but don't make it so obvious.

The Darkness sounds like one of our many bad local bands to me.

If you LOVE the Darkness, don't come burn my house down, or get your blood pressure up.... just accept this as one opinion.

I also hate the music of.... Cradle of Filth, Tool, Korn, Limp Biscut, Linkin Park, Slayer, Drowning Pool, Pantera, Black Label Society, Deftones, Perfect Circle, Good Charlotte, Blink 182, Dream Theatre and 95% of Metallica albums.....

Yet these bands sell all day long in my store.

I'll give you.... The Darkness cd, although contains many hoaky B-sides (about , isn't as bad as most of bands I just listed.....but lets be honest. This isn't a classic album that you play over and over again.


If there was one perfect band that we all loved, then we'd only have one band in the world.... thankfully, we all think differently..... and we have a choice.