TV Moments - L7 on The Word

This was fun television. L7 meets The Word, two forms of entertainment that both thrived on shock value. One, a late night British television show that regularly courted controversy through it's content and the behaviour of it's guests, the other, an all girl grunge rock band from Los Angeles. It was the first time I had either seen or heard L7, they played what turned out to be the biggest hit they would ever have, 'Pretend That We're Dead', a reasonable pop song which followed the pattern previously laid down by their male counterparts in the currently popular grunge rock movement spearheaded by Nirvana. So far, so what, nothing new here. But towards the end of the song as it, rather predictably, began to break down, lead singer and guitarist Donita Sparks seemed to be struggling with her guitar. In fact she was wrestling down her own trousers and underwear. Then, much to the delight of thousands of males tuned in that evening, myself included, her guitar swung aside to give us that now infamous and hairy view. If you thought that was bad, that same year in response to heckling due to to sound problems at the Reading festival, Miss Sparks threw her used tampon into the crowd. Surprisingly this has never shown up in any rock memorabilia auction to date.

Live - Suede at the Brits

Prior to 1993 the Brit Awards was seen as a yearly tribute to long established multi million selling stars such as Annie Lennox and Phil Collins. In 1993 Suede were the British band of the moment, seen as an answer to the domination of American grunge rock acts like Nirvana. They had appeared on the cover of Melody Maker under the headline 'The Best New Band In Britain' before they had even released anything and their first two singles had been critically lauded, the second, 'Metal Mickey' made the top twenty. Many commentators at the time believed Suede should have been a foregone conclusion for best new act at the Brits but they were not even nominated. 

The NME began a campaign which eventually led to a last minute invitation for Suede to open the show at the Alexandra Palace, London on 16th of February 1993. Hosted by Richard O'Brien of Rocky Horror Show and Crystal Maze fame he introduced the band almost reverently as the 'already legendary Suede'. Cue polite clapping and quite possibly the best performance by a British band ever on the Brit Awards.

It was the first time I had seen Suede or anything like this for that matter. I was hooked instantly. Quite apart from the fact that the song performed, Animal Nitrate, was and still is one of the best songs of all time, it was the performance that blew everyone away. Lead singer Brett Anderson personified androgynous sexuality with his girlish bobbed haircut and practically bare, pale torso, snarling the sexually charged lyrics with ferocious energy, literally whipping himself with the microphone. Joined at the very front of the stage by Butler and Osman it looked like they were about to launch themselves into the crowd and fight them. It was jaw dropping stuff to me at the time. Suede went on to become one of the most popular and influential English bands of their time but they would never be this good again.

Music On Film - Snatch

There are times when an average song meets an okay movie and the sum of their parts becomes something special. Never has this been more true than in the final fight scene in 'Snatch' which used Oasis' 'Fucking in the bushes' as it's backing track. The opening track on Oasis' fourth studio album 'Standing on the shoulder of giants', 'Fucking in the bushes' was an almost throwaway instrumental to open the album, featuring a few samples from Murray Lerner's 1991 documentary, 'Message to love - Isle of Wight 1970' and a nice tight guitar line it was used as a walk on track in their subsequent tour, not even bothering to play it live themselves seemed to indicate the unimportance of the song to the band as well.

When it was first released I would often skip this song on the album eventually skipping the whole record. But then I saw 'Snatch', Guy Ritchies follow up to the relativly successful 'Lock stock & two smoking barrels'. Now don't get me wrong I like 'Snatch' as a whole but this scene was awesome and in the end a pivotal moment in the film. Preceded, in fact almost introduced, by a killer line from Alan Ford's Bricktop, the music and images gel instantly with the initial rowdy jostling on the way to the ring and the swaying rhythm of the fight itself. I also like the way it fades in and out of the scene to finally return with, literally, the knockout punch and then both scene and song descend into a chaotic mess.

I love it

Room for everybody here
Yes, all are welcome
Yes indeed, I love them
Fun, Nice, Life, Youth, Beautiful
I'm all for it

The Song - Love Like Blood

Released in January 1985 the lead single from their fifth album "Nighttime' was recorded in Berlin's Hansa studios and co-produced by Killing Joke bassist Martin 'Youth' Glover and Chris Kimsey, 'Love Like Blood' was Killing Joke's biggest hit peaking at number 16 in the UK charts. They even appeared on Top of the Pops sharing the show with The Smiths who performed 'How Soon Is Now'. Now that was a show.

A mate of mine had this on seven inch vinyl and it was a thing of beauty, a super cool picture cover with a beautiful typeface and the lyrics printed on the back. Wonderful, mysterious words that intrigued and mystified. The opening keyboard strings are amazing but its the guitar line that makes this song for me, just 3 notes ringing out twice over the ethereal keyboard before the pounding, rhythm section kicks in. I think its the fact that they employed live instrumentation that set them apart from many of their contemporaries. 'Eighties' is the only Killing Joke album I own and it's because of this song. I know little about the rest of their back catalogue and I don't need to, this song alone, for me, cements their legend.

We must play our lives like soldiers in the field
But life is short i'm running faster all the time
Strength and beauty destined to decay
So cut the rose in full bloom

'til the fearless come and the act is done
A love like blood, a love like blood

Everyday through all frustration and despair
Love and hate fight with burning hearts
'til legends live and man is god again
(and self-preservation rules the day no more)

We must dream of promised lands and fields
That never fade in season
As we move towards no end we learn to die
Red tears are shed on grey

Live - Jay Z at Glastonbury

The 28th of June 2008 saw a radical departure from tradition at Glastonbury. Twelve months previous had seen the accepted norm in the shape of the Arctic Monkeys, four skinny white english boys in jeans with guitars and if there was an exact opposite of this it had to be the self proclaimed greatest rapper in the world - Jay Z. When first proposed as a headline act for Glastonbury the idea was dismissed as wrong for the traditionally rock festival by critics and fans alike most notably and infamously by Oasis' Noel Gallagher. I must admit I initially agreed with Noel's assertion that Jay Z was wrong for Glastonbury but then I saw this. Opening with the perfect tounge in cheek riposte to Gallaghers criticism he strode on stage with a guitar slung around his neck and a huge grin across his face and proceeded to sing (badly) Wonderwall by Oasis. Practically an anthem at this festival, the crowd soon took over vocal duties and were instantly won over by this brash American and his thick skinned good nature. Jokes over, lights down, eyeball the crowd and BOOM, exploding into '99 Problems' signaled his intent to show the world just how he could 'rock the house' - awesome.

I'll admit I soon bored of him after this, hip hop doesn't do much for me, but as an opener it's well up there. I'll bet even Gallagher grinned when he saw this.

Rolling In The Crowd

The title of this blog and a great song by a great band - Blue In Heaven. The first band I ever saw live, bottom of a bill headlined by Simple Minds in Dublin's Croke Park in 1985. They only recorded two albums, the Martin Hannett produced 'All The God's Men' released that year and the slightly more successful 'Explicit Material' released a year later which contained the closest thing thing to a hit single they ever had in 'I Just Wanna', it also featured the aforementioned 'Rolling In The Crowd'.

It was as a live act that BIH really worked. Lead singer Shane O'Neill was as charismatic as they come and as crazy a frontman as you could hope for, once even controversially appearing, pubes out, on the cover of Ireland's national music paper, Hot Press. But it was on stage that he thrived, whipping a crowd into a frenzy with ease, even in an afternoon show I saw once in the now defunct McGonagles of South Anne Street in Dublin.

A live favourite of mine and most of their following was the Stooges track 'Loose'. It was a beast of a track, visceral, gutteral and guaranteed to cause a riot. Later BIH gigs were punctuated with incessant calls for this song that wasn't even their own. It featured on their last vinyl release, fittingly titled 'Rock N' Roll RIP' and you can hear the strength of their live performances encapsulated in this recording.

They called it a day soon after this, briefly resurfacing as The Blue Angels with a single called 'Candy' and their last release was the single of their version of - oddly - 'Loose'. Perhaps acknowledging it's importance to their fan base, maybe a cynical money making ploy, it turned out to be a rather tepid affair further underlining the difference between their recorded output and their live work. Rock N' Roll RIP.

Arguments Concerning Music

Music is the most divisive topic in the world excepting perhaps politics, or love, or religion, or many things now that I think of it. Anyways music is the subject of this blog, created by - and essentially for - me. I love music in its many varied forms. I listen, write, hate, love and above all pursue music with a passion. Hearing something that is fresh to my ears is a delight. If it was released or written yesterday or 100 years ago is completely irrelevant as long as it's good, as long as it evokes a mood, triggers a memory or just lulls you to sleep I want to hear it.

Arguing about music is not something I enjoy or do. It's pointless and pretty much impossible if you think about it. Beauty is in the ear of the listener as much as it is in the eye of the beholder.

So here it is, my thoughts and opinions on the most divisive topic in my world. Stay tuned....