cobl04
45:33
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
Yeah, not the high point of Chris' career.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.
“I Know the End” is the best song of 2020.
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!
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.
Did anyone know that Eric Clapton and Van Morrison (!) recently put out an anti-Covid lockdown song?