I don’t have the world’s longest attention span, especially when it comes to rock ‘n roll. I tend to get fidgety during long intros, slow songs, and the like. Sometimes even the opening minute of a generally fine meat-and-potatoes pinky rock song by a band I really like on an album I love tests my patience. For years this was the case with “The Have Nots,” the closing song on X‘s fantastic third album, Under the Big Black Sun. The song was never a needle lifter for me, but if I had to get somewhere while spinning the record, I never felt compelled to listen past the penultimate side 2 song, the energetic “How (I Learned My Lesson).”
Then, one day, my close personal friend, Townsman Andyr, told me how much he loves “The Have Nots.” I’d already spent a few rockin’ nights in the presence of this music lover, and although I knew he shared my love for this album, I had no idea this was his favorite cut on the album!
“Why?” I asked. He told me he liked the way it built up steam. He told me to wait for the verse with the handclaps and to follow the progression of Billy Zoom’s guitar parts. I tried it, and damn if he wasn’t right! I’ve since loved that song too and now consider it one of my favorite songs on that album. However, even knowning the payoff that’s to come, to this day when “The Have Nots” starts off I get a little fidgety. I know the song is a slow burn, but something inside me wants to douse it with lighter fluid.
What’s your favorite slow burn? I don’t necessarily mean a song that’s constructed as a slow burn, such as Otis Redding‘s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” I’m looking for your personal slow burn.
This is a slow burn of a topic, isn’t it?
I’ll bite. The opening track of the Fraser & Debolt album, “All This Paradise” fades in over at least 30 seconds. Even half way through you still might be asking, “Is this thing on?” It also has a very slow fade out which is finally interrupted finally by the loud strumming opening chords of “Gypsy Solitaire”. It’s a pretty neat one.
“Memphis, Egypt”, which opens the Mekons Rock’n’Roll album builds with some sort of noisey, feedback guitars, with some little guitar figures from the song over a cymbal ride and rises in volume until the frums and basskick in full strength. That’s another of my favorie openers, and the first three songs, “Club Mekon” and “Only Darkness has the Power” come up next, are one of my favorie album openings.
I listened to The Have-Nots when this first ran. I see what Andy means about the build-up, but the ending of the song is completely unsatisfactory. It just fades out and pisses away everything cool that’s been developing. And it goes on too long.
After reading Geo’s post, I immediately thought of Reuters, the first track on Wire’s Pink Flag. It takes a full 30 seconds before the band kicks in.