Thoughts On Today’s Shuffle:
Novelty Songs
Heh. There’s not many comedy/novelty tunes/bands that stand more than two listens, once to get the joke, twice to knowingly smile and thrice fuck off, but, for me, Goldie Lookin’ Chain often succeed. Today’s shuffle arrival features the immortal line about that fella off Dads Army bumming Martin out of Eastenders. Only a certain type of mind can come up with that genius. GLC are not Timmy Mallett, they are not ‘The Birdie Song’, they are not even Chas & Dave. They have a stream of consciousness, a funny stream, more proper comedy than novel short-term amusement.
Johnny Cash
OK, imma bout to get all heretic. Sometimes I don’t like Johnny Cash’s voice. There, I’ve said it. ‘One’ is an example of this. Don’t get me wrong, I do like Johnny Cash, in general, in fact my problem with him is more about other people than the man himself. As he got older he was, very fairly, granted legendary status, as a lot of artists are as they show signs of slipping off this mortal coil. He was then, basically, abused by more modern artists, their record companies, his record company and the industry in general. OK, I know, he wanted to continue working and that’s fine but not the point. Yes, I said abused. Exploited.
It is alleged that the frailty in his voice on his later work and his covers album imbued certain songs with added poignancy, such as Personal Jesus. Bollocks did it, it was weak, read thin, wobbly and a shadow of it’s former richness. He wasn’t imbuing songs with poignancy, he could barely get enough breath out to form a note. It actually makes me angry. His legend bought him the acclaim for that and I don’t begrudge it HIM at all but, come on, let’s not patronise a sick old man just because he’s a dieing legend. That’s what annoys me. Rant over.
Trendy. Snow Patrol
A perfect example of how record sales affect your street cred. I haven’t yet figured out whether an artist becomes less trendy and more mainstream the more success they have, or whether they become more mainstream and less trendy in order to have more success. Snow Patrol. Several albums critically acclaimed, well received by their small army of fans and somewhat trendy, one big album later and they are tedious cunts. Fickle fan, I see you lurking there at the back, with your head down, gazing at your shoes and whistling. I actually never really liked them early on but now do. That is either telling or I am just contrary. Probably a bit of both, although I prefer the later albums as a whole but think their best songs are from their earlier period. So many people HATE Snow Patrol, seems like a perceived sell-out by the band, and I don’t quite get it. I get why people hate Boyzone but they never sold-in, they were marketed to satisfy a need from mainstream culture but Snow Patrol seem not to do that. I don’t know where I’m going here.
thebadphotographer 