I am currently listening to the album, “No Talking, Just Head.” It is very bad. I hope the Shaun Ryder track is the worst one, because there are six songs to go. The Debbie Harry track was embarrassing. “Yeah, Debbie, sing “fuck” it sounds so rad!” The Richard Hell track seemed an attempt to recall “Take me to the river,” with its feel and the effect on the snare drum. The sound is there, but the songs aren’t – I guess they needed Bryne after all.
The other day I listened to the Minutemen, a band I know is seen as legendary but somehow I have never heard. I remember when Double Nickels came out, it seemed to be hailed as an instant classic. To be truly fair, I’d have to listen again, but it seemed like a lot of bass noodling with some ranty vocals atop. Am I wrong? This is a sacred cow, right?
Watch out for tear gas everyone, keep those masks on and wash them hands!
You say “a lot of bass noodling with some ranty vocals atop” as if that’s a bad thing.
I’m not sure what you listened to, but I think they were a band not always best served by the album format. I like Double Nickels, but it’s got a bunch of stuff on it I don’t need to hear again. They also tended to release anything they recorded, no matter how slight.
An EP like The Punch Line is a better listening experience. The short songs tend to lose impact when piled one after another for too long.
I’m in the camp that Double Nickels is a classic. I think all three of them were excellent and highly original musicians working in that genre. The production on that album is crisp and exciting. Songwriting and D Boon’s shout/singing are the weakest links (granted those are always very important links), but I find the end result captivating. I love the high volume, high energy burst of songs. “Take that, Huskers!”
A reminder to other Townsfolk who might want to be minor league Medici patrons of the art like me (that’s my rationalization and I’m sticking with it) that today bandcamp£ is giving 100% of their sales to the artist.
Sadness Stan touching base today, with the death of Steve Priest, the bassist from Sweet being announced. Apparently Bowie told him to tone down the make up once backstage at Top of the Pops. I loved that band when I was growing up, their run of hit singles were as good as anybody’s at the time of glam. Found this great clip of Teenage Rampage on the kids programme Crackerjack, which appears to have been played live, something practically unheard of on British telly in the seventies. The musicians Union had agreed some rather peculiar restrictions with the BBC, requiring acts to rerecord their backing tracks for shows and, if I remember correctly, singers would need to sing live. None of them were ever used, on Top of the Pops they always accidentally played the record for acts to mime to, and on Old Grey Whistle Test the tapes would go missing and the bands would play live, it was on so late they probably thought nobody would notice. It all had to do with session fees.
I liked it more than I expected to, is have preferred it if the arrangement wasn’t quite so busy. It’s a very long time since I’ve heard anything new by him, probably since Veronica which must have been, what, 1989?
Al, thanks for the tip. I agree with your comment about the production, Stan. It sounds to me like a leftover from Mighty Like a Rose. Not the best thing. I was actually surprised that the link mentions that EC won a Grammy in 2018. Who knew? Good on you, EC.
Back in ancient times (by RTH standards; it was September 2012) there was a thread on distinctive opening notes to songs, really songs instantly identifiable with their opening note/chord. Think “A Hard Day’s Night” or “The Kids Are Alright”. I heard a song today which was never mentioned in that thread but fits the bill and is deserving of mention even 7 1/2 years later – “We AIn’t Got Nothin’ Yet” by The Blues Magoos – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jNXRr2aINw
Sorry I haven’t been up here as of late. What’s going on? Lots of stuff in and out of the house.
I did get a chance to revisit Positive Touch by the Undertones. It was and still is pretty boring.
While you were away, EPG, we met and decided that you were still pretty annoying. Don’t ever change!
Some of us wanted to make that “really annoying.” We also figure that telling you “Don’t ever change,” is pretty much a waste of breath. Fat chance.
I am currently listening to the album, “No Talking, Just Head.” It is very bad. I hope the Shaun Ryder track is the worst one, because there are six songs to go. The Debbie Harry track was embarrassing. “Yeah, Debbie, sing “fuck” it sounds so rad!” The Richard Hell track seemed an attempt to recall “Take me to the river,” with its feel and the effect on the snare drum. The sound is there, but the songs aren’t – I guess they needed Bryne after all.
The other day I listened to the Minutemen, a band I know is seen as legendary but somehow I have never heard. I remember when Double Nickels came out, it seemed to be hailed as an instant classic. To be truly fair, I’d have to listen again, but it seemed like a lot of bass noodling with some ranty vocals atop. Am I wrong? This is a sacred cow, right?
Watch out for tear gas everyone, keep those masks on and wash them hands!
You say “a lot of bass noodling with some ranty vocals atop” as if that’s a bad thing.
I’m not sure what you listened to, but I think they were a band not always best served by the album format. I like Double Nickels, but it’s got a bunch of stuff on it I don’t need to hear again. They also tended to release anything they recorded, no matter how slight.
An EP like The Punch Line is a better listening experience. The short songs tend to lose impact when piled one after another for too long.
I’m in the camp that Double Nickels is a classic. I think all three of them were excellent and highly original musicians working in that genre. The production on that album is crisp and exciting. Songwriting and D Boon’s shout/singing are the weakest links (granted those are always very important links), but I find the end result captivating. I love the high volume, high energy burst of songs. “Take that, Huskers!”
A day late, but HAPPY BIRTHDAY to E Pluribus Gergely!
A reminder to other Townsfolk who might want to be minor league Medici patrons of the art like me (that’s my rationalization and I’m sticking with it) that today bandcamp£ is giving 100% of their sales to the artist.
I just ordered some live Robyn Hitchcock, Emma Swift’s (Hitchcock’s partner) all Dylan covers CD, a CD from friend of RTH Martin Newell, the Captain Wilberforce digital catalog (for a whopping £7.20), and Daniel Romano’s Outfit (doing Infidels as if it were Dylan and the Plugz as on Dylan first Letterman appearance – check it out https://outfitdoesinfidels.bandcamp.com/album/daniel-romanos-outfit-do-what-could-have-been-infidels-by-bob-dylan-the-plugz)
Do I need any of this? Probably not but if you use the Medici rational many things are possible.
Sadness Stan touching base today, with the death of Steve Priest, the bassist from Sweet being announced. Apparently Bowie told him to tone down the make up once backstage at Top of the Pops. I loved that band when I was growing up, their run of hit singles were as good as anybody’s at the time of glam. Found this great clip of Teenage Rampage on the kids programme Crackerjack, which appears to have been played live, something practically unheard of on British telly in the seventies. The musicians Union had agreed some rather peculiar restrictions with the BBC, requiring acts to rerecord their backing tracks for shows and, if I remember correctly, singers would need to sing live. None of them were ever used, on Top of the Pops they always accidentally played the record for acts to mime to, and on Old Grey Whistle Test the tapes would go missing and the bands would play live, it was on so late they probably thought nobody would notice. It all had to do with session fees.
I would have loved to be there when they played this
https://youtu.be/u7pEGJ9sJu4
A new Elvis Costello song – https://ultimateclassicrock.com/elvis-costello-no-flag/
Do I really like it as much as I think I do? Or do I just want to really like an Elvis Costello song again?
I liked it more than I expected to, is have preferred it if the arrangement wasn’t quite so busy. It’s a very long time since I’ve heard anything new by him, probably since Veronica which must have been, what, 1989?
Al, thanks for the tip. I agree with your comment about the production, Stan. It sounds to me like a leftover from Mighty Like a Rose. Not the best thing. I was actually surprised that the link mentions that EC won a Grammy in 2018. Who knew? Good on you, EC.
Back in ancient times (by RTH standards; it was September 2012) there was a thread on distinctive opening notes to songs, really songs instantly identifiable with their opening note/chord. Think “A Hard Day’s Night” or “The Kids Are Alright”. I heard a song today which was never mentioned in that thread but fits the bill and is deserving of mention even 7 1/2 years later – “We AIn’t Got Nothin’ Yet” by The Blues Magoos – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jNXRr2aINw