From: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org (idealcopy-digest) To: idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Subject: idealcopy-digest V7 #197 Reply-To: idealcopy@smoe.org Sender: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-idealcopy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk idealcopy-digest Monday, July 5 2004 Volume 07 : Number 197 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [idealcopy] The Great Dichotomy of Pop ["j.hobson" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 16:50:38 +0100 From: "j.hobson" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] The Great Dichotomy of Pop - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Astbury" To: Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 6:37 PM Subject: [idealcopy] The Great Dichotomy of Pop > Came across this great quote from Neil Tennant of the PSB's. > > > > "It's the great dichotomy of pop. The songs that are written for commercial > purposes always last longer than those that seek to transcend fashion and > become great art. What do people remember most from the early 1970's? Is it > Tarkus by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Or is it Wig Wam Bam by the Sweet?" > > > > Can I just say - at the risk of upsetting those people who somehow gain > pleasure from listening to a man playing lengthy warming up exercises and > calling them Piano Improvisations - I am most definitely a Wig Wam Bam man out > of the two!! Problem with is view is that it ignores completely groups like, dare I say Wire, who have had a continuous influence out of all proportion to their sales. And at the moment Lou Reeds Satillite of Love is on almost continuous radio play but I doubt if many Radio 1 listners would now who Reed is, yet his music (from the same period of Sweet and ELP) lives on. Personally I found nearly every record from Glitter era until Punk godawful at the time and still do. Apart from the ABBA revival the whole lot is thankfully stuck in sewer. As to the PsB, I quite liked them in the eighties but curiously what is fast becoming their classic song "Boring" wasn't a hit on release. Hindsight is a great leveller. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 17:44:52 +0100 From: "j.hobson" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Re: wonderful radio one/DLT - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: ; ; Sent: Friday, July 02, 2004 12:01 PM Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Re: wonderful radio one/DLT > I recall another occasion when a prime radio one idiot - Peter Powell - was forced to announce on the chart rundown, with much distaste in his voice - that at no. 38 there was ' a record by a band called the Dead Kennedys". > > The record in question was Too Drunk to Fuck and surprisingly he didn't play it. Those with longer memories may remember the glory days of Radio 1 when Tony Blackburn's breakfast show had no competition so listners no choice. Tony was/is an old sixties soul man and the hippie era passed him by because he didn't play the records (this eventually polished him off when punk arrived). Tony always had to play the number one so imagine his utter disgust in 1971 when Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix got to the top and he had to play it. His only comment "When I think of the records Dionne Warwick has made which aren't hits" It's difficult now to understand how loathed Blackburn was at the time. When he broke up with his then wife (who he namechecked daily) we had a celebration in the Student Union bar. So imagine my horror on meeting him at a Pop Press meets Radio One c 1979 bash (I was a ligger by then) and I discovered that he was actually a very pleasant man and good company. I felt a bit guilty for the celebration. DLT was there, a complete an utter arrogant prig. His complete downfall was well deserved. Edmunds tried a comeback on Radio 2 last September but his old format of scripted jokes just died a death and his contract was dropped. Hurrah! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 18:43:19 +0100 From: "Keith Astbury" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] The Great Dichotomy of Pop > > "It's the great dichotomy of pop. The songs that are written for > commercial > > purposes always last longer than those that seek to transcend fashion and > > become great art. What do people remember most from the early 1970's? Is > it > > Tarkus by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Or is it Wig Wam Bam by the Sweet?" > > > Personally I found nearly every record from Glitter era until Punk godawful > at the time and still do. You don't like George McCrae's Rock Your Baby? Shame on you! > Apart from the ABBA revival the whole lot is > thankfully stuck in sewer. As to the PsB, I quite liked them in the eighties > but curiously what is fast becoming their classic song "Boring" wasn't a hit > on release. Hindsight is a great leveller. Interesting you should mention Abba. Quite apart from from actually 'remembering' records, it's funny how our tastes change, and how some records date and some don't. I couldn't stand Dancing Queen at the time, but now - when I hear that grand swirling intro - I have to admit that it's a classic pop single. Whereas some of the stuff that I rated higher at the time - like ELP and Genesis (which I mistakenly thought at the time meant I had a more sophisticated taste than the Abba fans!), generally smell worse than a stinky poo. IMO, of course!! One recent example of a pop record that already sounds better than it did (again IMO!) is that DB Boulevard single from a few years ago (Another Point of View?). I heard it again recently, and what sounded like an ok single at the time, is already starting to sound like a bit of a standard. Of course, none of this automatically means that in twenty years time I'll be saying that the last Blue single sounds better than Lali Puna, but who knows!! Time doesn't just heal. Maybe it plays a few tricks, too ; ) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 18:48:54 +0100 From: "Keith Astbury" Subject: Re: [idealcopy] Days of Jumbo Records > Incidentally, a while back I mentioned to a non record shop going friend > that "I was in Jumbo when I found out..." (can't remember what, but it was > good news). He thought 'in Jumbo' was some kind of term for being extremely > pleased - which amused me no end. Reminds me of when I was going record shopping with a mate many years ago. As usual we were talking about what we fancied and as I wanted the then new Zoo compilation, I said "I want to get 'To The Shores of Lake Placid". My mate, who had anticipated an afternoon in Chester, suddenly looked concerned and said "Where's that?" K. np Morrissey - you are the quarry ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 18:25:12 +0100 From: "Clements, Bruno - BUP" Subject: RE: [idealcopy] The Great Dichotomy of Pop J.Hobson wrote: Personally I found nearly every record from Glitter era until Punk godawful at the time and still do. Apart from the ABBA revival the whole lot is thankfully stuck in sewer. As to the PsB, I quite liked them in the eighties but curiously what is fast becoming their classic song "Boring" wasn't a hit on release. Hindsight is a great leveller. - ---Well, I didn't think much of Bowie during this era but I'd say Ziggy and Diamond Dogs (just off the top of my head) still sound fresh, punchy and challenging. Almost a template for punk, really, when you consider the lurid stage costumes. I still like Floyd from these years (Meddle, Dark Side, Wish you were here - which has some very Kraftwerk-like electronics - and even Animals - which is slated by many critics). I liked Abba at the time, but it wasn't something you bragged about! Bruno ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. www.mimesweeper.com ********************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 18:27:13 +0100 From: "Clements, Bruno - BUP" Subject: [idealcopy] DLT v Clash Howard wrote: What exactly did the hairy sandwich say then? - ---He said it was the worst record he'd ever heard, if my memory serves. >>>This was during an afternoon show, rather than the Radio 1 chart countdown, so he had TWO goes at Complete Control. Bruno ********************************************************************** This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the system manager. This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses. www.mimesweeper.com ********************************************************************** ------------------------------ End of idealcopy-digest V7 #197 *******************************