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Best MUSICAL GIMMICK band/artist

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Big Country played guitars that sounded like bagpipes. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull played a flute. The Stranglers pooh-poohed punk convention with Dave Greenfeld's signature keyboard fills. The White Stripes have no bass player. Korn occaissionally play bagpipes live. Ned's Atomic Dustbin had two bass players.

What was your favorite *MUSICAL* gimmick employed by an artist?

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Personally, I always applauded Cop Shoot Cop's original eschewing of guitars in favorite of two basses, one played "low-end" for a bottom- heavy foundation and one played "high-end" for unconventional noise- making. Coupled with a standing drummer who also played on odds-&-ends pieces of kitchen metal for extra percussive clamour.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

doesn't jon spencer blues explosion do similar things without basses

― born clippy, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i like all the early riot girl bands who never used bass like bratmobile, sleaterkinney and others. they just get that super infectious one note guitar sound.
a while ago i checked out vancouver's 'operation makeout' who are clearly influenced by that scene and was not too surprised to notice that their bass player plays trebly and high to get the same sound!

― ddd, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Very good point, born clippy.....the irony being that Jon Spencer used to be in a band with Tod [A]shley of Cop Shoot Cop called Shithaus.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

wow what did shithaus (that could be one of the best names i've ever heard) sound like - did they release anything

― born clippy, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

EPMD's lisps.

― Jacob, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The only music Shithaus recorded was for a depraved Richard Kern film -- just disconcerting noise, really.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

oh well - at least they had a great name (i bet the bauhaus movement were kicking themselves that they missed that one)

― born clippy, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The all-bass thing.. Paisley Jungle did it in the mid-80's. Dianogah also does it.

Favorite musical gimmick ... No keyboard player!

― Dave225, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ringo on drums ahhahahahaahhahahahhahahhahahhahahahhahhahaa classic

― born clippy, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

kraftwerks robots has to be the best - i think this also applies to non-musical gimmick as well

― born clippy, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Rahzel of the Roots. Beatboxing taken to its most ridiculously intricate level.

― Nate Patrin, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

How are we defining 'gimmick' here?

My favourite - The post-Cher vocoder, as used by everyone!

― Tom, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hugo Largo -- two basses, violin, and NO DRUMS!

― Colin Meeder, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

morrisseys hearing aid and flowers.

― Chris, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ronald Mael's mad eyes and hitler tash.

― Microkomputer, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Peter Frampton 'coming alive' on the talkbox: "do you feeeeeeeeeellll..."

― RogerFascist, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I liked when gentle Giant usedta all play recorders (the flutey kind, not the tapey kind).

― Matt Riedl (veal), Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Rick Lee's little red wagon of junkyard percussion in Skeleton Key. cute idea, but it does sound great and fit the band.

― al, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I think having an electric jug player in the Thirteenth Floor Elevators was a pretty good gimmick.

The Silver Apples entire setup with all of those old miltary oscillators is another good gimmick.

Suicide going with just an organ and early analog synth with a vocalist was definitely a unique gimmick for its time.

The Contortions had a person playing slide guitar like a percussion instrument which was a pretty good gimmick.

― earlnash, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Mission of Burma having a person dedicated to playing "tapes" is also a pretty good gimmick.

― earlnash, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Are the Silver Apples/Burma ones really gimmicks? Aren't they just unique ways of making music?

― Yancey, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Marduk in "Those Of The Unlight" performing a blastbeat on cymbals & bass drum - no snares!

― Lek Dukagjin, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Are the Silver Apples/Burma ones really gimmicks? Aren't they just unique ways of making music?

Nothing here is actually a 'gimmick', Yancey! What you mean is "Aren't they respectable?"

Examples of actual gimmicks: Senor Coconut, Langley Schools Music Project.

― Tom, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I disagree, Tom. To defened my example, pointedly having no guitarist is *certainly* a gimmick, Tom. They actually brought a guitar player in for their last two albums, but the no-guitar-thing was the defining lynch-pin of their sound.

― Alex in NYC, Friday, 2 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Deja Voodoo: guitar with only the low four strings, and a drum set with only half the drums and no cymbals! (Plus Gerard used to wear a rubber bat in place of a bowtie.)

― Sean Carruthers, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Wasn't the vocoder post Daft Punk Around The World?

Surely bootlegs are the greatest musical gimmick of all time.

― Ronan, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In that nobody else is doing it now, the Persuasions: I'm not sure how many albums they have made over the decades, but they've not used any instruments yet. I think when they started there was still an acapella genre, but they are all that has continued to thrive. I have never listened to them as if it is a clever gimmick though - I'm hardly aware of it when hearing them sing.

― Martin Skidmore, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Dread Zeppelin: Plays Reggae versions of Led Zep 'choons, while backing up an Elvis impersonator.
Speaking of Elvis impersonators: El Vez! Essentially a Richie Valens who didn't die in a plane crash, but with a bigger pompadour and a cool studded jumpsuit.

― Lord Custos III, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

(cough) ROCK OPERA!

― Aaron G!, Saturday, 3 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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