Aug 102010
The key is to know one’s holes.
Let’s face it: Mr. Moderator has exquisite taste in music, but I’ve know the guy for a long time. I know he’s got a few holes in his game. While he’s away, see if you can determine the five most egregious holes in Mr. Mod’s otherwise exquisite taste in music. His holes can be big or small, from entire genres or artists to specific albums or tracks. If he were here he would ask that you hold nothing back. On his behalf, I thank you.
1- Captain Beefheart, 2-Pere Ubu, 3-Between the Buttons, 4-The Faces, and 5-all that solo garbage from Stephen Malkmus.
Easy as pie.
E. Pluribus
Non-love of The Byrds.
Non-love of Sticky Fingers.
Pere Ubu.
Doesn’t Mod have strange love affair with “Kokomo” in addition to a general disdain toward anything The Beach Boys recorded post-Pet Sounds (with the exception of his beloved “Kokomo”)? In the words of Shatner, “I can’t get behind that!”
TB
His disdain for most of Exile on Main Street and his lack of interest in pre-rock.
Classic country: Hank, Merle, George, Buck, et al.
i can’t talk about anyone’s taste.
mine’s terrible!
Dude likes:
Pere Ubu
Motown (I mean, too much of it)
Be-Bop Deluxe
Dude doesn’t like:
The Word
XTC’s “Nonsuch” (this, I think, is his most cowardly position on any band he claims to love)
Bonus thing Mod has wrong:
Dude doesn’t like rug harmonies
Yes, hankfan, I remember the shock of hearing Mod say he didn’t like Hank Williams. I didn’t realize he was opposed to country in general.
Get a rope.
Hey Hankfan,
I too am a Hankfan. So much so that I recently forked over 200 big ones for a clean copy of his first outing on Sterling. Yup, sheer insanity, but I justified the buy by convincing myself that I was somehow preserving his legacy by finding a safe and decent home for his treasure. Whatever. That is indeed complete nonsense, but it’s that kind of irrational behavior that keeps things interesting.
Not only does the moderator give Hank the thumbs down, but Chuck Berry gets it as well: “Carol”, “You Can’t Catch Me”, “Almost Grown”. . . .instant goosepimple music to anyone who truly loves rock and roll. Imagine being in skin that has no physical reaction whatsoever to that wondrous stuff. The best the Moderator can do is give Chuck an intellectual nod of approval for his talents as an innovative songwriter, his roving teenage reporter shtick. Very disappointing, to say the least.
Concerned,
E, Pluribus
Most egregious is his stance on Exile on Main St, but like shawnkilroy, I know I have lousy taste in music. Everything I like all sounds the same, so I hope this doesn’t become a regular feature. I know I have holes in my musical taste, so pointing out someone else’s shortcomings (besides Exile, it’s my job in Rock N Roll to make sure everyone is assimilated into Exile fandom) seems like it could possibly lead to a future intervention on my behalf some day.
I really don’t want to listen to any more Ethiopian music than I already have.
Yes. Mod’s dislike for The Word and Wait in his “Lennon ruined Rubber Soul” thread doesn’t get enough play in attacks on his character.
We do need to hammer out a glossary entry for the Kokomotion phenomenon at some point.
Mod says “no” to The Mighty Chuck? Say it ain’t so, Mod!
I understand this need to rationalize buying overpriced records for the sake of “preserving them.” The lies we tell ourselves in order to own a piece of vinyl.
Didn’t John Lennon once say that if we could give rock n roll another name it would be “Chuck Berry?”
TB
Some great ones have already been mentioned. Allow me to add Mr. Mod’s disdain for the following: Radio City, The Ramones, The Beach Boys’ “Till I Die.” Troubling stuff.
Congrats on finding a few holes in my game. It’s not that I dislike Hank Williams; I simply don’t like that kind of music. He’s excellent for a country musician, kind of like the Bob Dylan of country, from what I can gather. My inability to *feel* country music is probably my biggest hole. I know there’s good stuff going on there, but it’s so foreign to me.
Although I’m not a fan of Chuck Berry, “Almost Grown” is a stone-cold winner! I also like a lot of his songs as done by the Stones.
“Kokomo” gets a bad rap from you guys; that’s a hole in your collective game.
It’s a shame more of you don’t get Pere Ubu. I’m putting that one back on you, too.
Nonsuch is a terrible album. I’d kick Andy Partridge in the nuts for that one, if I ran into him on the street (after I got done hugging him for all the music that’s lit up my life).
I admire my stance on “The Word,” but alexmagic’s right, I don’t get enough hell for it.
1. His utter disdain/disapproval of The Fall.
2. His refusal to accept Wire’s 154 as anything but OK stoner music and not the brilliant album that it is. See also: not getting Wire’s 1st 2 albums, either.
3. The aforementioned Beach Boys faux pas. I don’t have as much of a problem with “Kokomo” as some of you do, but not liking ’67-’73 Beach Boys is a serious error in judgment IMO.
4. The Ramones.
5. Chuck Berry (unbeknowest to me before today)
He’s kinda right about Nonesuch, though my actual opinion is somewhere between his and Fritz’s. I just think it’s one of their weaker efforts.
I have a greater affinity for Nonsuch than many here, but being that taste is subjective, I think the Mod’s actual blind spot here is not recognizing that Moulding is the one who dropped the ball for that album.
If you replace “The Smartest Monkeys” and “War Dance” with something of the caliber Moulding was turning out as The Red Curtain a few years earlier, I bet Nonsuch would suddenly vault way up in Mod’s favorite albums list to sit alongside Still Cruisin’ and the soundtrack from Cocktail.
All right, Alex, you just made milk come out of my nose…Bravo!
Just to play devil’s advocate (sorta), one might argue that “Kokomo” was a number one hit. ONe might also point out the fact it was The Beach Boys’ first (and only) number one since “Good Vibrations.” Of course, I put zero stock in these sorts of things because GREAT music is GREAT many times in spite of sales and charts. Its GREATness cannot be measured. I’ll even go another step and state that I’ll take twenty “Kokomos” for every “Student Demonstration Time.” Surf’s Up is a gem of a record, but that turd takes that whole album down several notches. When people say that Surf’s Up is flawed, they can only be referring to that one track. Now Mod can tell us how that is the one standout on that album…
TB
The Fall is your hole, berlyant. As for Wire, I owned and sold the cool 154 album and the bearskin rug-quality first album before you owned your first Bon Jovi record:) I’ve given Wire more time than they’ve ever given me. We’re cool with each other, though.
By the way, over lunch with two lurkers, we briefly discussed this topic. When I told them of the opinion some of you have over me and my beefs with Exile, one friend said, “The reissue of Exile (or any Stones album) is among the least-anticipated events in rock I can think of.” Or something to that effect.
Yo moderator,
What’s the deal with all these “I don’t need this shit” posts? Believe me, my friend, you absolutely and positively need ALL these posts. Welcome to your intervention. Take off the Peter Fonda Easy Riders sunglasses and the motor cycle jacket. Fuck your new found friends. They know nothing about the Stones. If they know so much, send them around to me or 2000 man. Believe me, they’ll crumble in seconds. No true Stones fan would EVER utter something so sacreligious as the above. And shame on you for taking the thoughts of someone you’ve known for less than 15 miinutes and turning them into ammo to fire at Berlyant. Berlyant, regardless of the fact that his rearend remains a constant home for Costello’s tool, is family. Family my friend. We’re talking Hrundi, Big Steve, Chicken Frank, 2000 man Mysterioso, Lately David, CDM, etc. And yeah, they’re all alarmingly disturbed, but they’ve been there for you time and time again regardless of the fact that you’ve made and continue to make an ass out of yourself time and time again. To think that you of all people would rely on the company of strangers for support makes me want to bark
As I have stated earlier, I too have my problems with “Exile”, but it is indeed, with its plethora of warts, thee number one cultural artifact of bad ass rock and roll.
I look forward to your return from a culture and climate that has done nothing good whatsoever for your tortured soul.
From one who truly cares!
E. Pluribus
I’ve gotta jump in on this one. You’re ALMOST correct here, latelydavidband. I agree completely re: “Kokomo” vs. “Student Demonstration Time”, but my bigger problem with Surf’s Up is that its highlights are some of the best things the Beach Boys ever did like the title track, “Til I Die” and “Long Promised Road”. Oh and “Feel Flows”, too! That record was Carl’s finest hour as a songwriter given “Long Promised Road” and “Feel Flows”. The lesser tracks like “Don’t Go Near the Water,” “Take a Load Off Your Feet”, etc. are fine, but they just don’t measure up to that level of brilliance.
And just to clarify: I love Surf’s Up as an album. It’s pretty strong for me. “Student Demonstration Time” makes me thankful for the skip button on the player. It’s a total needle lifter for me. I like Sunflower better, but Surf’s Up, Holland, and Carl and the Passions all have some GREAT moments for me. And, yes, Carl and Dennis both shine on those records. I’ll add Wild Honey and Friends to my post-Pet Sounds list of records I listen to way more than the early stuff.
TB
I waver between Friends and Love You as my favorite Beach Boys album, but I also find Sunflower, So Tough and Holland to be great albums. I actually think that So Tough is the most consistent of all of them, though Holland is weighed down (similar to how Surf’s Up is weighed down by “Student Demonstration Time”) by “The California Saga” (or whatever it’s called). If you take that out, it’s a perfect record.
Jesus, I don’t get the love for post-Smile Beach Boys records. The ones I know pretty well–Wild Honey, Friends, 20-20–seem to have about 3 really good songs each, a bunch of so-so songs, a few Smile leftovers, and several cringe inducers (“When a Man Needs a Woman,” “Bluebirds Over the Mountain,” “How She Boogalooed it”). Been years since I tried Holland, Sunflower, Surfs Up, etc., but my sense of them was the same: that a good, solid record could be culled from every, say, 3 they issued. “Disney Girls”? Is the reverence these albums get in some circles some sort of perverse backlash against the Church of St. Brian?
Well, I hesitated on professing my love for Love You precisely because I do worship at the alter of Brian. I can see why people have hatred for Love You, but I adore that record for several reasons.
20/20 doesn’t count for me because I think it was just a leftovers/contract fufillment thing. It does have some SMiLE outtakes and some cool tunes, but I can’t count it as a proper album.
TB
Rock on, misterioso! With each post lauding those post-Brian meltdown albums I feel stronger about my stance on “Kokomo.”
Mod, if anything I said can be taken to provide encouragement towards anything less than a death penalty stance for all involved in Kokomo, then I may have to recant.
To be totally honest, yes and no. Yes in that (IMO at least) the best moments on those albums are proof that Brian wasn’t the ONLY super-talented Beach Boy in terms of songwriting and more to the point, that they could get on without him or with him making a minimal contribution. There’s also the tendency to perhaps overvalue their overall quality based on them being so underappreciated even today. You know what, though? Ultimately playability and how much I return to them is what counts and I can honestly say that I listen to the ’67-’73 stuff and Love You more than the earlier stuff.
With all that said, my appreciation of post-Smile BBs doesn’t take away one iota from my appreciation and love for Brian’s golden era (as well as Love You) and particularly Pet Sounds as well as side 2 of Today and a lot of earlier stuff, too.