Random Music Talk CXXVIII: Cobbler's 42 Hat Sucks

[cobl04]

Xmas party today. Last day of FT work. Listening to my all time fav guilty pleasure to get psyched: Bryan Adams’ Wakin’ up the Neighbours

 

[bono_212]

I have to actually order this playlist I made for you (and others), before it's Christmas and no longer serves a purpose.

 

[Hewson]

In the spirit of listening to notorious albums that were considered bad and whatever.. after listening to Chinese Democracy I’m now diving deep into Chris Cornell’s 2009 Timbaland produced album “Scream”...


Oof.

Yeah, not the high point of Chris' career.

 

[david]

That album (Scream) was a tough listen. The production just didn’t mesh well. There’s a couple ok tracks. But damn.

 

[david]

The new McCartney album isn’t horrible.

 

[bono_212]

I'm really excited to hear it, actually. I'm working my way through the last few albums I have left of albums I want to hear from the year, but I'll find a way to sneak it in there.

 

[lazarus]

I'll find a way to sneak it in there.

 

[lazarus]

“I Know the End” is the best song of 2020.

It pains me to say this, but Cobbler vindicated??

The One Song We Clung to Tightest in 2020

 

[bono_212]

YouTube Music links crash interference, so you'll have to remove the space, but true to my word, here is a Christmas playlist of songs that don't really sound like Christmas Carols (mostly):

https://music.yout ube.com/playlist?list=PLtIJFujfZ3gjXSsLTrAjcDjXFOCXol91p

 

[cobl04]

Will give it a spin - however it needs this song, my favourite Christmas song (posting this one day early!)

 

[bono_212]

, should've known.


I honestly have no idea what YouTube Music playlists are going to be like. I think it's going to work like the app and there'll be ads every once in a while if you don't have YouTube Premium. this is the post Google Play Music world and I'm just living in it.

 

[cobl04]

U2: Zooropa Album Review | Pitchfork

 

[cobl04]

I suppose I should have put this in Cock, but oh well, too late. It's a fine review in terms of contextualising it and the tour, but makes very little mention of the music, which is the #1 factor in my love for the record, and also goes with the lazy 'Pop was a flop' thing.

I also think that U2 should get more credit for the Sarajevo broadcasts and the phone calls from MacPhisto. If those things were done by literally any other act, they'd be heralded as among the most powerful, iconic moments in live music history. As they are, it reads like grudging respect. Can you imagine the love that, say, the 1975 or something would get if they sent a reporter to Yemen and did live calls during their concerts?

 

[namkcuR]

Yeah, it's a well-written review, but I agree there could've been more about the music. Not one mention of Stay, probably the most remembered song from that album?

Also irritated that even when they're singing the praises of an older U2 album, they can't do it without talking shit about about later U2.

 

[cobl04]

I mean, they deserve it for forcing the album onto people. That was fucking stupid.

The no mention for Stay, nor for the transgressive sound of Numb relative to their previous music, or the suite of Zooropa, was odd.

 

[LemonMelon]

U2: Zooropa Album Review | Pitchfork

Oh yeah. That's the good stuff.

 

[lazarus]

Do they mention how it was made 7 years before Kid A?

Anyway, that they got a Sunday retro feature at all is good news, I guess.

 

[lazarus]

I also think that U2 should get more credit for the Sarajevo broadcasts and the phone calls from MacPhisto. If those things were done by literally any other act, they'd be heralded as among the most powerful, iconic moments in live music history. As they are, it reads like grudging respect. Can you imagine the love that, say, the 1975 or something would get if they sent a reporter to Yemen and did live calls during their concerts?

As much flak as Bono gets for modern U2 aspiring to punk rock or whatever, it should be said that this tour was about as punk as you could get while embracing the more experimental side of rock & roll. Harassing world leaders, getting involved with people on the ground of a civil war, mocking fascism and media manipulation. I'd think a forward-thinking band like The Clash would be proud--and it's no coincidence Mick Jones's Big Audio Dynamite was one of the openers on this tour. Zooropa is the logical extension (and maybe conclusion) to something like Sandanista!

 

[gump]

That was a surprisingly good read, and more positive than the score itself. A bit puzzling that they failed to mention Stay while going deeper into a number of other tracks, but as one of the most conventional songs in the album it’s not surprising (though it would have made for a nice link to Win Wenders and cross-medium experimentation). I liked the discussion of some of the samples used in the record, which I wasn’t aware of. The point about the vacuous activism (nice expression) that followed that era was pretty resonant too.

 

[lazarus]

I think that criticism is still reductive though. It’s not like they have only dealt in political generalizations since the 90s; I think on most of the tours and albums you can see attention being paid to very specific causes.

Acting like the One or Red campaigns were useless or going through the motions is also disingenuous. That’s like disregarding Rock The Vote or something.

We can bemoan the fact that the band (or Bono at least) took on a less-confrontational form of activism in the 2000s, but when you have direct access to powerful politicians and can actually affect policy change directly, pragmatism is going to take over. You don’t get a commitment to funding HIV relief for Africa from George W. Bush by making fun of him like they were doing with his father 10 years earlier.

 

[gump]

I think it is a fair point to say that Bono's activism tended to become of the generic sort in the 2000s (especially if you are not following his every move but listening to him speak, say, during Streets or One). Like their music, his instinct was to be safe and not to offend anyone. Was it helpful in some areas? Probably. AIDS might be his most impactful area. But I think he - and Western philanthropists in general - take way too much credit for the changes in policy compared to what non-Western government were doing: breaking patents to offer universal treatment (Brazil, then India), putting tremendous pressure in international fora (African governments), etc. As far as I know, he was never vocally in favor of the more radical solutions that had proven to be successful - breaking patents, which Western governments hated as it would affect the profitability of pharmaceutical companies. Even something like Red makes me pause. I'm not entirely sure if it does more for the companies themselves ("corporate social responsibility" is such a scam) or the recipients of their causes. It raises such a small amount of money (like less than 1% of the annual budget of the Global Fund Against AIDS/TB/Malaria).

I don't mean to be overly critical. Bono does nice work, sometimes really misses the mark (his naiveté re. Aung San Suu Kyi, for example), but is far from groundbreaking or radical. Feels like I'm describing their recent output as a band.

 

[cobl04]

I utterly agree with Gump. I will never run in to defend Bono's activism since 2000. He's stinking rich and many miles removed from reality. I have no doubt that these big corporate non-profits do some good work, but I would also argue they help perpetuate the problems.

I think it's reflected in their music, too. In the 80s and 90s, their activism came through very strongly in their music - Bullet the Blue Sky, Please, Miss Sarajevo, Where the Streets Have No Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, Mothers of the Disappeared, the list goes on. There's not a single song they've released since Pop that is even one-tenth as powerful or important as any of those. He & they got rich, and in my eyes, they don't really deserve to be lauded. They've done some cool shit re activism in their 00s live shows, and I'll give them credit for continuing to push a political message when other bands of their ilk just trot out the hits and collect their cheques, but the 90s was the last time it felt truly real and legitimate.

And Laz, I think you've got blind spots. I get your point about Dubya, but if it was any other band, like let's say Coldplay, you'd be holding them up as evil.

As much flak as Bono gets for modern U2 aspiring to punk rock or whatever, it should be said that this tour was about as punk as you could get while embracing the more experimental side of rock & roll. Harassing world leaders, getting involved with people on the ground of a civil war, mocking fascism and media manipulation. I'd think a forward-thinking band like The Clash would be proud--and it's no coincidence Mick Jones's Big Audio Dynamite was one of the openers on this tour. Zooropa is the logical extension (and maybe conclusion) to something like Sandanista!

Well said

I thought of you the second I saw they'd reviewed it and awaited your FB post haha.

It will be interesting to see how they reinvent ZooTV if they do indeed decide on a 30th anniversary tour.

 

[bono_212]

Shuttlecock XXV: Cool Hats Club

(Am I doing this right?)

 

[lazarus]

I utterly agree with Gump. I will never run in to defend Bono's activism since 2000. He's stinking rich and many miles removed from reality. I have no doubt that these big corporate non-profits do some good work, but I would also argue they help perpetuate the problems.

I think it's reflected in their music, too. In the 80s and 90s, their activism came through very strongly in their music - Bullet the Blue Sky, Please, Miss Sarajevo, Where the Streets Have No Name, Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day, Mothers of the Disappeared, the list goes on. There's not a single song they've released since Pop that is even one-tenth as powerful or important as any of those. He & they got rich, and in my eyes, they don't really deserve to be lauded. They've done some cool shit re activism in their 00s live shows, and I'll give them credit for continuing to push a political message when other bands of their ilk just trot out the hits and collect their cheques, but the 90s was the last time it felt truly real and legitimate.

And Laz, I think you've got blind spots. I get your point about Dubya, but if it was any other band, like let's say Coldplay, you'd be holding them up as evil.

I'm not totally in opposition to your guys's general sentiment. Pragmatic policy making is never going to be cool as rebellious satire. But my point still stands, when you're rich enough or popular enough or, to be fair, old enough, you have avenues that weren't available before. And as I said, I think Bono wanted actual results on some of these issues. Clearly AIDS/debt relief in Africa became his main priority. There was nothing to be gained by thumbing his nose at Bush, and a lot to gain by finding common ground with him. We can argue about where the money went or the better approaches to these things, but Bono knew he was useful in this particular area, so I can't fault him for it. Also keep in mind that back when U2 was politically active, few major acts were. By the time you get to the 2000s, it's not all that unique to be a band with a conscience and a big platform. So not a surprise they would shift into a more "executive" gear.

As for the songs themselves, I won't argue that Crumbs From Your Table or Peace On Earth are on the level of those classics you're mentioning, I'm just saying that they didn't abandon actually writing about specific issues.

 

[cobl04]

oooooOOOOHHH Darkside Announce New Album Spiral, Share New Song “Liberty Bell”: Listen

 

[LemonMelon]

Yesssss

There are so many releases slated for 2021 that I'm looking forward to already. Madlib & Four Tet, Rhye, Slowthai, The Hold Steady, Mogwai, Cloud Nothings, The Notwist, Kiwi Jr., Julien Baker, Teenage Fanclub, and then of course we're all waiting on something from Kendrick.

 

[gump]

Annie Clark is disappointed at your list, LM.

 

[LemonMelon]

I went off the Metacritic list and it wasn't included because there isn't a solid date yet. Soon!

 

[iron yuppie]

Did anyone know that Eric Clapton and Van Morrison (!) recently put out an anti-Covid lockdown song?

 

[Hewson]

Did anyone know that Eric Clapton and Van Morrison (!) recently put out an anti-Covid lockdown song?

I saw that the other day. 2 guys in a high risk age group...not the brightest of bulbs.