The lovely Klah, Queen of Books, tossed out a challenge to me in her comment on yesterday’s oh-so-controversial post: What do I consider the five worst bands of all time? Lost in the all the snark and musical puppy kicking of my previous post was the point I was working toward but never got around to directly stating. It’s all relative, and the finger of condemnation can find pointing room in any direction. I just happened to direct it toward some targets with extremely defensive fanbases.
If I were to make a list of the five worst bands, I could just dig into the archives, pull out some regional 45’s or compilations, and finish up in the space of five minutes. The entertainment world isn’t exactly lacking in the area of painful ineptitude. Sturgeon’s Law, and all that jazz. It’s the unimaginative triteness of “worst of” list that galls me. Picking a track by some terrible 80’s hardcore band from Connecticut might be too insular for the general public, but seriously, does the world need another cookie cutter joke about Starship?
So I’m not taking up Klah’s challenge. It would make a great conversation topic among friends, but wouldn’t you rather hear some music I do like? Because that’s what you’re getting today, a little palate-cleansing mix of some tracks that have given me some listening enjoyment lately.
Louis Jordan – Let the Good Times Roll (from Let The Good Times Roll: The Anthology 1938-1953, 1999) – Classic blues: the perfect antidote for a cold, dark, and damp November afternoon.
808 State – Cubik (from 808:88:98, 1998) – Is it possible to get nostalgic for a scene one hardly remembers? This 808 State retrospective album has got me flashing back to memories I never knew I had. I only brushed up alongside the early acid house/rave/dance material back in the day due to a minor flirtation with the industrial scene.
Lush – Mannequin (from Whore: A Tribute to Wire, 1996) – Better than Wire’s original version? Definitely, and that’s no small praise.
Mint Royale – Don’t Falter (from On the Ropes, 1999) – For the past few nights I’ve been listening to this album in bed while reading Ken MacLeod’s The Star Fraction. The resulting dreams have been…unusual.
The Clash – Capital Radio One (from The Essential Clash, 2003) – Just because. It's everything I love about the band boiled down into a two minute punk stomper.
Finally: "Skippy"? What's that about? Like choosy moms, I choose Jif. Stay away from the low fat stuff, though, it tastes like peanut-flavored chalk.
Monday, November 13, 2006
you only live but once, and when you’re dead, you’re done
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6 comments:
It all depends where you stand regarding Wire, I guess. (How's that for stating the obvious?) Plus, I have a weakness for female vocalists.
Also worth tracking down is Lush's cover of "Outdoor Miner," that appeared on 1992's For Love.
My theory is that every band ever formed is somebody's favorite band. That doesn't mean there aren't 5 worst bands out there, it just means that worst is probably a more relative term than best.
Exactly. It's why I think "cheesiness" is a better metric to use than "worst."
I've given up on determining the bodies of work I like least, as I seem to return to them years later with different ears. Then they land on the ever-evolving favorites list.
Thanks for the pekk into the tribute Wire CD. I'm adding it to my list. The original songs are ingrained so deeply after decades, but I was impressed by the Lush cover. Thanks again!
Carter USM also did a pretty good version of "Mannequin" as one of their mandatory b-side cover versions. There's an unofficial compilation, Covered by the Unstoppable Sex Machine, of all their covers floating around the internet.
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