Metal Reviews

So I'm going to delve into some nonmetal stuff because I want to expand my horizons. I've been reading some Henry Rollins and this is some stuff that he hyped. Any opinions on some of these bands would be great.

PJ Harvey
The Gun Club
Leadbelly
Lee Morgan
Coltrane (obv)
Hawkwind
Bill Evans
Joy Division
Link Wray
Scientists
Kim Salmon
Lou Reed
Die Haut
Roy Orbison
The Lurkers (punk supposedly more akin to Motorhead rather than the Ramones)
Skunk Anasansie

I started listening to Nick Cave through Henry Rollins so I figured this should be worth the try.

Joy Division is 100% emotion, they only released two albums of obscure post-punk goodness, but damn are they worth checking out!

Joy Division? Obscure? Not over here, that's for sure.

i've been really liking PJ Harvey lately. nice bluesy rock with a taste for the weird.

Hawkwind are almost the definition of heavy and psychedelic. repetitive, bassy riffs, lots of jamming, and monologues about space. Space Ritual is all i've heard and i need to be in the right mood to enjoy it.

PJ Harvey's done some great out-of-the-usual stuff, nothing avant-garde but enough to make her special. Coltrane is a Jazz genius, no question. Hawkwind are awesome, inventors of space-rock and the influence behind many a modern noisy prog band. Doremi Fasol Latido is a good start, like Noodles said, very hypnotic and jammy.

Joy Division are a classic band, lead to the modern crop of indie-pop bands that we have. Lou Reed and Roy Orbison are both great, although I have to be in the mood for Roy - he was in a supergroup with Bob Dylan called The Traveling Wilburys that's well worth a listen - their albums have just been rereleased as a double digipack.

So what albums should I start out with some of these bands?

I was looking at ordering Doremi and Hall of the Mountain Grill by Hawkwind. I think Adam mentioned the latter in a thread somewhere.

I haven't really listened to any of them before, but I'll give you some of my favorite non-metal bands:

Alice In Chains
Queens Of The Stone Age
Radiohead
Tool/A Perfect Circle
Primus
Queen
Billy Joel
Porcupine Tree
Weezer
Soundgarden
Monster Magnet
Bad Religion

And here's one band that somehow falls right between metal and non-metal:

Kyuss

PJ Harvey: Some good and some boring music... My favourite is Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea.
The Gun Club: Nice but just nice.
Leadbelly : the bluesman?
Coltrane (obv): I enjoy the Atlantic albums, the free jazz goes a little over my head.
Hawkwind: Great in the 70's, then crappy... Still a great live band though.
Joy Division: Can't stand it.
Link Wray: Enjoyable (and powerful) surf music... A compilation is enough in one's collection though.
Lou Reed: Love the Reflector album (maybe because Bowie & Ronson were the real brains behind)! Otherwise, Reed bores me.
Roy Orbison: Great voice, crappy music
Skunk Anasansie: No, no, no... Just no!

Alice In Chains: Dirt, great album!, is enough in one's collection.
Queens Of The Stone Age: overrated but still enjoyable.
Radiohead: Love 'em!
Tool: Never could get into their music but maximum respect bro!
A Perfect Circle: Love the covers album, the two original albums bored me...
Primus: Fun and very well played! Too bad they're no longer active...
Queen: Up to 1977, they were a great band.
Billy Joel: Great singer but, except for Turnstiles, crappy music.
Porcupine Tree: I loved when they sounded like Pink Floyd. Now, I think their music has lost its charm
Weezer: Hugely overrated. The only song I enjoy is Island in the Sun.
Soundgarden: Huuuuge! All albums kick ass! A band that good should have never called it quits!
Monster Magnet: I liked their early album but got disappointed when they turned to a more commercial sound. Still a good band, especially live.
Bad Religion: Fun to listen to. They once had great songs (up to the Generator album) they kind of lost their touch...
Kyuss: boring!

So I'm ordering:
Hawkwind - Doremi Fasol Latido
Hawkwind - Hall of the Mountain Grill
PJ Harvey - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea (I liked the Whores Hustle song a lot.
John Coltrane - My Favorite Things
The Damned - Phantasmagoria
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
The Gun Club - Fire of Love
a shitload of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

I really want to find some Lead Belly recordings now that I figured out that he sang 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night?". The lead singer of Skunk Anansie, Skin, did a kickass song, Meat, on Iommi's album so I guess I'll check out the Myspace.

Edit: You were right about Skunk Anansie.

Either Space Ritual (1973) or Canterbury Fayre (2001), both awesome live albums, will do as a Hawkwind introduction. Keep in mind that Hawkwind has always been better live than in the studio...
Great choice with the Van man! But you've got to like the trippy-folk side of his work to fully enjoy it. I know I do but there are friends of mine who dig more his RnB stuff...

Never heard of Nick Cave's music. Maybe I should give it a try.

Ho yes, you should.
My favourite is "Your Funeral ... My Trial", awesome album!

As for Nick Cave, his newest, Dig Lazarus Dig, is a good place to start but my favorites are "Let Love In" and "Tender Prey". Honestly, all of his albums I've heard are worth the time to check out.

Skunk Anansie - only heard a couple of songs, "Selling Jesus" is quite kick ass, imo.

heard of but hardly heard anyone else in the list, sorry.

my favourite non-metal band is The Prodigy. Music For the Gilted Generation is so-so, just 2-3 standout songs, while i could never get into Always Outnumbered... but The Fat of the Land is FUCKING AWESOME! seriously! i first heard it when i was like 13 or something and to this day it's one of my favourite albums. almost every song kicks ass.