Random Music Talk CXXIV: Axver's All Out of Ideas

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It's interesting... music is obviously super subjective. But for some reason time gives music more credence sometimes. I have no desire to discover any more B52 songs, and yet it gets a 9.0 on Pitchfork lol.
 
Obviously its age dependent, if you are over a certain age, the B-52's were very prominent for a time, just ask Martha's ex-boyfriend punk rocker. :wink:

I remember parties in the 80's where side 1 of the first B-52's album (back when we used to spin records at parties) was a staple (Planet Claire, 52 Girls, Dance This Mess Around, Rock Lobster).


My favorite songs have always been Private Idaho and Planet Claire.


Funny enough I saw the B-52's for the first time this past New Year's Eve...got free tickets at Foxwoods so figured why the hell not. They were decent. Worth the price of admission.
 
bono_212 said:
Very interesting other songs you went with there and didn't include Deadbeat Club.
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Yeah, fair call. I could easily have nominated Deadbeat Club too... although to be honest, I don't really care for that one so much. Still, if you go to their first two, maybe three albums, and chuck in some of Cosmic Thing (Roam, Love Shack, Bushfire, Topaz et al), you've got a pretty sweet catalogue. The B52s were more than just a gimmick.

As far as I'm concerned, what made them more than a gimmick, was the spooky, sexy female component in the form of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. Their vocals were a hell of a lot of what gave the band its character. Fred, you know, Fred is Fred. But the call and response dynamic works for me.

Here's an oldie but a goodie, gone from the charts but not from our hearts...

 
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That's interesting you say that about the women of the group and then not enjoy Deadbeat Club, since that's basically the exact reason it's (far and away) my favorite song by them. But it's almost like because it has the least amount of Fred on it, his presence can almost be worse in a way. I had a friend in college who despised the song because he felt like Fred was ruining what was otherwise a perfect song.

Although come to think of it, is Fred on Roam at all? I can't remember at the moment.
 
bono_212 said:
That's interesting you say that about the women of the group and then not enjoy Deadbeat Club, since that's basically the exact reason it's (far and away) my favorite song by them. But it's almost like because it has the least amount of Fred on it, his presence can almost be worse in a way. I had a friend in college who despised the song because he felt like Fred was ruining what was otherwise a perfect song.

Although come to think of it, is Fred on Roam at all? I can't remember at the moment.
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Fred isn't in Roam at all. He's in Deadbeat Club a fair bit as I recall. I suppose for me it's a bit downbeat and less energetic than some of the other stuff on that record, and the nostalgia grinds my gears a bit. I suppose it's the difference between singing about the old days, and channeling them (Love Shack). Like how I don't like Bob Seger's Old Time Rock And Roll... but I do like Night Moves.

I don't mind the tension and interplay between the ladies and Fred on some of their material... but Fred himself is best taken in small doses (although I love Love Shack! go figure.) Somewhere in the nineties I remember Q or one of those magazines reviewing a solo record by him. 'Just Fred'. Yeah... no.
 
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I wish I could have avoided Rock Lobster all this time, but alas I have not been so lucky.
 
Lol, no thank you.

In Deadbeat Club all he does is join in the refrain saying/singing, "deadbeat club" in his usual way. I think the song would be a little boring/repetitive without him. With him, like I said, it'd my favorite song of theirs.

But yeah, because their was less of him on the song, it made me forget there are songs he's not on at all for a moment.
 
bono_212 said:
That's interesting you say that about the women of the group and then not enjoy Deadbeat Club, since that's basically the exact reason it's (far and away) my favorite song by them.
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I've probably said this before (seem to recall a fairly recent discussion), but same.

I think Fred is pretty funny in general and he certainly doesn't ruin their material in the way Einar Örn ruins Sugarcubes songs.
 
bono_212 said:
Lol, no thank you.

In Deadbeat Club all he does is join in the refrain saying/singing, "deadbeat club" in his usual way. I think the song would be a little boring/repetitive without him. With him, like I said, it'd my favorite song of theirs.

But yeah, because their was less of him on the song, it made me forget there are songs he's not on at all for a moment.
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This post was in response to Kieran's response to me. I didn't see there were more posts afterwards.
 
Just throwing it out there that my favorite B-52s song is Channel Z, with Topaz after that.
 
the one with the "royal albert hall" gig (which was actually in manchester and was the show where someone infamously yelled "judas" at him for going electric) was the best bootleg series release by far.

but i will listen the shit out of anything to do with blood on the tracks :drool:
 
iron yuppie said:
This is the first entry in the bootleg series I have looked forward to in quite some time (Blood on the Tracks alternates):


https://www.bobdylan.com/news/more-...g-series-vol-14-to-be-released-on-november-2/
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DaveC said:
the one with the "royal albert hall" gig (which was actually in manchester and was the show where someone infamously yelled "judas" at him for going electric) was the best bootleg series release by far.

but i will listen the shit out of anything to do with blood on the tracks :drool:
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I love that Royal Albert set, but I prefer most of the others:

1. Another Self Portrait - one of Dylan's most maligned albums reveals a treasure trove of great material, often without some of the questionable production and arrangements from the studio versions, as well as more stuff from the sessions of New Morning, one of my personal fav Dylan LPs. His take on the traditional "This Evening So Soon" and Tom Paxton's "Annie's Going To Sing Her Song" would make a Top 10 list of this period. Plus, the Deluxe Edition contains the 1969 Isle of Wight concert with The Band, so you get the best of both worlds here.

2. The Rolling Thunder Revue - I just love everything about this era and tour, and some of the Desire tracks really hit a new level, like Isis and Romance in Durango. And while they may not be as great as The Band, a lineup consisting of T-Bone Burnett, Bob Neuwirth, and Roger McGuinn ain't too shabby.

3. Tell Tale Signs - an outtakes and b-sides collection highlighting Dylan's Oh Mercy through Love and Theft late period. So much gold here, the outtakes Red River Shore, Marchin' To The City, and Cross The Green Mountain are staggering. You can also piece together how much better Oh Mercy could have been, had Dylan included the original versions of Born In Time, Dignity, Series of Dreams, and God Knows.

4. The Basement Tapes - I haven't had time to wade through the super 6-CD set, but what's on the Deluxe edition alone is fantastic. Not really a surprise considering the combined talent of Dylan and the members of The Band.
 
OMG

A band with the dreadful name Cigarettes After Sex is putting us to sleep right now at the Forum.

If you watched towels drying on the line in the back yard, you'd have a more emotional engaging experience. You'd hear a bigger variety of sounds as well.

Holy fuck these guys are boring.
 
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I play one of their songs at the end of yoga class to get everyone super chill and relaxed. Can’t imagine seeing them live.
 
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