It saddens me to find myself stuck in the middle with Townsmen Hrrundivbakshi and E. Pluribus Gergely over issues of The Style Council and animality. I’m reminded of the words of founding Traffic member Dave Mason.
Before we turn the page on these issues, before we possibly reach the level of understanding and unity offered by the first-ever European International Pop Festival (go to about the 00:50 mark of the above video for a full explanation of our potential as a community of music lovers), let’s consider the following clip:
Now, how does that song compare with the next one, in which Mick Talbot works up quite a lather. (Do Style Council fans ever discuss the leadership role that Talbot played in this band? It’s clear from the videos that Weller wanted to give the man his due.)
Here’s another well-intentioned, relatively half-decent offering by The Style Council. No matter how well intentioned and how gussied up the video is with soft-core ’60s fanboy imagery, where’s the song? And what does this singer add to it? Shouldn’t this guy be singing “Eton Rifles”?
I challenge anyone to submit one Style Council song that’s a better single than Culture Club‘s – what – third biggest hit single? I’m leaving “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” and “Karma Chameleon” out of it. I ask you to honestly assess the roles of lead vocalist; clear, seamless arrangements; and even Look. Animality is not open to debate: Culture Club clearly has the upper hand in that department.
P.S. – What Weller vocal is as soulful as the following Boy George vocal?
Fuck the third biggest hit! What Style Council track is better than any filler track on ANY Culture Club LP or CD, and that includes any reunion effort they might have put out in the last five years?
E. Pluribus
George was obviously a better singer than Weller, a very underrated singer, but the songs suffer from the fact that the lyrics were written in a secret code, for obvious reasons.
But I can’t really concentrate on this Texas Death Match when you put up that awesome Beefheart video. I’d never seen that one before. But it strikes me that the music and the Look in that video are no less stylized than the 80s stuff we’re mass debating.
I’m glad that the Beefheart video is already having its intended unifying, healing effect.
My question for Gergs is, when does Beefheart get the respect he deserves for his animality? You’ve dismissed this guy for too long. On animality alone, how does he rank compared with The Seeds?
Walls Came Tumbling Down was okay.
Hey, give Weller credit for trying at least in that Long Hot Summer youtube video – he is chewing gum and playing a bass. Admittedly, he ruins it with the Tapeheads John Cusack Look and fugly bass choice. Perhaps he should have been wearing white gloves and a top hat.
Culture Club needed a lot more time in the agar.
Mockcarr wrote:
“Church of the Poison Mind” is better than “okay.” Is that the best The Style Council has to offer?