The probably inevitable Lady Gaga thread

[Johnstone McGuckian]

Most of you will probably know what my music taste consists of. It's mostly Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, New Order and Muse. However I am almost ashamed to admit that I'm also a Gaga fan.

Like it or not she is one of the few genuine musicians left in the charts, in the sense that she writes her own material and actually knows how to play an instrument. I saw her live last June and I have to admit that before I went I was somewhat skeptical. However seeing her onstage and more importantly, hearing her music played by a full band (and Gaga herself on multiple occasions) my opinion of her changed greatly. A lot of her music is very reminiscent (and is indeed inspired by) Bowie, Queen and so on.

Like it or not I think she's going to stick around for a while as she's got a new album on the way in a month or two.



For an example of what I meant by saying that she's better with a full band, see here.

[Sid Seadevil]

You might be surprised, Johnstone, but I actually agree with you. I do believe she's genuinely talented; and I fully expect her to stick around for possibly more than a while.

[Rich Flair]

I enjoyed this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgd5xGJAv4w

[Lee Carey]

Telephone (both the video and song) is a towering work of pop genius, but I find a lot of her other material very hit and miss. My personal jury is still out over whether she's a new Bowie/Madonna and able to forge a long lasting career while adapting to changes in pop culture while looking as though she is spearheading those changes.

[Rich Flair]

Maybe I'm getting old, because I thought the video to Telephone was self-indulgent twaddle!

[Lee Carey]

Maybe I'm getting old, because I thought the video to Telephone was self-indulgent twaddle!

Of course it was self indulgent twaddle-- but that's why it was so good! Telephone was doing things that only pop videos should do, in a way that, while much of it has been seen before, no-one has thought to put together quite like it.

Isn't that what pop music should be about?

ETA: Give me the obvious artifice of the Telephone video any day over any self important 'soft indie rock' video of a band playing 'live' while showing off their well worn jeans and t-shirts that their stylists have spent hours agonising over so as not to annoy their sample demographic,

[Patrick]

I'll give the Lady this: she is a brilliant marketer and self-promoter. But I'm not a particular fan. Maybe it's because I'm in my 40s, but I just feel like I've seen this all before.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Put Madge & The Scissor Sisters into a blender and you get Lady Gaga. But even though I'm a fair bit older than The Fast Aging Mod, unlike him I reckon she's good value. You need a bit of pizazz and Gaga has it in bucket loads.

[Sid Seadevil]

Isn't that what pop music should be about?

ETA: Give me the obvious artifice of the Telephone video any day over any self important 'soft indie rock' video of a band playing 'live' while showing off their well worn jeans and t-shirts that their stylists have spent hours agonising over so as not to annoy their sample demographic,

Put Madge & The Scissor Sisters into a blender and you get Lady Gaga. But even though I'm a fair bit older than The Fast Aging Mod, unlike him I reckon she's good value. You need a bit of pizazz and Gaga has it in bucket loads.

Agreed with the both of the above. There's very little genuinely new under the sun, and even moreso when it comes to pop music: so the lady in question's entertaining "tweaking of the wheel" rather than reinventing it, certainly provides good value in my book.

[Johnstone McGuckian]

Agreed, she's doing what's been before but in a different way. I listen to Dance in the Dark and can't help but compare it to New Orders True Faith.

[Zoltar]

Can't say I've heard anything from her other than "Telephone". It's catchy as hell. Beyond that, I am completely out of the loop.

[Sid Seadevil]

Get in the game and get hep, daddio!

[Zoltar]

Get in the game and get hep, daddio!

I think that was the last time I was hep, when people called each other "daddio".

[Sid Seadevil]

Uncool, cat. Uncool.

[stanmore]

She's great and so far ahead of her peers it's unreal.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Are you not aware of "Poker Face" Zoltar? It's a near genius 3 1/2 minutes of modern pop music in my opinion. Having said that I do have the advantage of my kids educating me on this sort of thing!!!

[Zoltar]

Are you not aware of "Poker Face" Zoltar? It's a near genius 3 1/2 minutes of modern pop music in my opinion.

I'll check it out.

Having said that I do have the advantage of my kids educating me on this sort of thing!!!

[Sid Seadevil]

Agreed with the C=O over "Poker Face", Zoltar. I'll also throw a nod towards "Bad Romance" while I'm at it.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Agreed. Another absolute belter.

[Sid Seadevil]

Hmmm...funny how the Fast-Ageing Mod never returned to hep up.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Patrick wouldn't know the cutting edge if he sat on it and ended up in the ER.

[Sid Seadevil]

Well that's most certainly true. I bet his musical tastes began and ended with Al Jolson.

[Johnstone McGuckian]

Not so much on her first album but certainly the second, her album tracks are better then singles. I'd choose So Happy I Could Die or Monster over Bad Romance and Alejandro any day.

[Sid Seadevil]

Which is exactly why I think she's potentially the real deal - the fact that her second album does show actual development from the first rather than just delivinering up more of the same.

[Starfighter Pilot]

She's mental and gorgeous - what more could you want?! Couldn't quite bring myself to declare herself "best thing to happen to music ever", but she is awesome. I'd love to see her in concert one day!

[Sponsored content]