Music Banter - View Single Post - Singles That Don't Represent the Band Well

Screen13 · 07-17-2014, 09:45 AM

A couple more, starting with one I like -
A Flock of Seagulls - Wishing (1983) - This is a classic case of "Far better than the rest of their work" as if the Music Gods decided that for just one ultra fine moment, this usually dire band had the song to match Mike Score's hair and Future Now image instead of the usual cheese whiz Sci Fi Pop that screamed One Year Wonder (at least in the US). One beep going through the song which hypnotizing the listener, Nice Synth sweeps, a melody you can whistle to, Paul Reynold's guitar (the only thing that made their first three albums listenable) hitting the notes perfectly with no filler or solos, and Feather-Do himself sounding quite well. This is a choice of a New Wave Era Music Snob ready to admit to the skeletons in the record collection because it is good song...and then you turn to something like "I Ran" and the other moments that they earned their wings as Another British Band That Did Better in The States and wonder what caused such a great moment, which actually turned into their homeland hit. After Reynolds left, they flew south for the sad Dream Come True, making at least their first three albums sound like masterpieces - this from the second and best, Listen. Damn them, in a good way.

The Damned - Alone Again Or (1987) - From the ill fated Anything album, which to be fair had a couple of nice tracks turned into singles (the title track being the very good one), this was the sound of a band trying to be too respectful in their cover of a Psychedelic era classic - this one from Love's Forever Changes album. I never connected The Damned with tasteful respect with their covers as they were either thrashing it up ("Help", "Ballroom Blitz"), soaking the song with 80's Punk Acid ("White Rabbit", their Naz Nomad and the Nightmares album), or going full tilt Wind Swept Gothic Epic ("Eloise", a well deserved UK Top 10), but this is the sound of a band who sound great going over the top sounding like they were trying to be professional - and this also went for the cover of "LA Woman" on the Whistle Test. Going Pro sounded good on the originals, although they were not Classic Damned by a long shot, but this cover showed that the move was a serious oil and water combination which almost ended their story with a disappointment in the end (although the worst was yet to come in The 90's) no matter how good of a move it was in a business sense and how well it worked the first time.

Julian Cope - Five O Clock World (1988) - Working with the Greedheads can lead to some rather sad decisions for even the best of performers, and this was possibly one of his most over-produced moments. Changing the lyric for this cover of The Vogues hit a bit, making this more of an end of the world situation than the simple "guy goes home from work" song, the production has all of what one hates the My Nation Underground album for - Synth Orchestra, flatulent horns, and the treble filled production of The 80's all changing Julian's then-characteristic Neo-Psych Cool into The Jetsons and The Great Gazoo go to The Swinging Sunset Strip - it was that cartoonish. Reading Guitar Army could have not came at a better time.

Another one I like, but...

The Ramones - Baby I Love You (1980) - If this were a Joey Ramone solo single, it would have been perfect, but it was part of the Ramones' ill fated album with Phil Spector and was a very ill fit for the rest of the album. Their biggest hit in the UK, this was possibly one of the major reasons why people hated that era a lot. Although charming in a Grease Goes to the Other Side of the Tracks kind of way (and I would have preferred it that way instead of the wonder bread musical), it's certainly one of those WTF moments until you get used to it. "Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?" and "Rock 'n' Roll High School" were much more like it.

ADD ON: I would like to add on something by a solo performer legend named Chuck Berry, who's work usually is a collection of influential songs such as "Carol", "Rock 'N' Roll Music", and too many more to list here. To some, he's still best known for the juvenile sloppy throw away of "My Ding a Ling".

07-17-2014, 09:45 AM	#27 (permalink)
Screen13 Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1,388	A couple more, starting with one I like - A Flock of Seagulls - Wishing (1983) - This is a classic case of "Far better than the rest of their work" as if the Music Gods decided that for just one ultra fine moment, this usually dire band had the song to match Mike Score's hair and Future Now image instead of the usual cheese whiz Sci Fi Pop that screamed One Year Wonder (at least in the US). One beep going through the song which hypnotizing the listener, Nice Synth sweeps, a melody you can whistle to, Paul Reynold's guitar (the only thing that made their first three albums listenable) hitting the notes perfectly with no filler or solos, and Feather-Do himself sounding quite well. This is a choice of a New Wave Era Music Snob ready to admit to the skeletons in the record collection because it is good song...and then you turn to something like "I Ran" and the other moments that they earned their wings as Another British Band That Did Better in The States and wonder what caused such a great moment, which actually turned into their homeland hit. After Reynolds left, they flew south for the sad Dream Come True, making at least their first three albums sound like masterpieces - this from the second and best, Listen. Damn them, in a good way. The Damned - Alone Again Or (1987) - From the ill fated Anything album, which to be fair had a couple of nice tracks turned into singles (the title track being the very good one), this was the sound of a band trying to be too respectful in their cover of a Psychedelic era classic - this one from Love's Forever Changes album. I never connected The Damned with tasteful respect with their covers as they were either thrashing it up ("Help", "Ballroom Blitz"), soaking the song with 80's Punk Acid ("White Rabbit", their Naz Nomad and the Nightmares album), or going full tilt Wind Swept Gothic Epic ("Eloise", a well deserved UK Top 10), but this is the sound of a band who sound great going over the top sounding like they were trying to be professional - and this also went for the cover of "LA Woman" on the Whistle Test. Going Pro sounded good on the originals, although they were not Classic Damned by a long shot, but this cover showed that the move was a serious oil and water combination which almost ended their story with a disappointment in the end (although the worst was yet to come in The 90's) no matter how good of a move it was in a business sense and how well it worked the first time. Julian Cope - Five O Clock World (1988) - Working with the Greedheads can lead to some rather sad decisions for even the best of performers, and this was possibly one of his most over-produced moments. Changing the lyric for this cover of The Vogues hit a bit, making this more of an end of the world situation than the simple "guy goes home from work" song, the production has all of what one hates the My Nation Underground album for - Synth Orchestra, flatulent horns, and the treble filled production of The 80's all changing Julian's then-characteristic Neo-Psych Cool into The Jetsons and The Great Gazoo go to The Swinging Sunset Strip - it was that cartoonish. Reading Guitar Army could have not came at a better time. Another one I like, but... The Ramones - Baby I Love You (1980) - If this were a Joey Ramone solo single, it would have been perfect, but it was part of the Ramones' ill fated album with Phil Spector and was a very ill fit for the rest of the album. Their biggest hit in the UK, this was possibly one of the major reasons why people hated that era a lot. Although charming in a Grease Goes to the Other Side of the Tracks kind of way (and I would have preferred it that way instead of the wonder bread musical), it's certainly one of those WTF moments until you get used to it. "Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?" and "Rock 'n' Roll High School" were much more like it. ADD ON: I would like to add on something by a solo performer legend named Chuck Berry, who's work usually is a collection of influential songs such as "Carol", "Rock 'N' Roll Music", and too many more to list here. To some, he's still best known for the juvenile sloppy throw away of "My Ding a Ling". Last edited by Screen13; 07-17-2014 at 03:36 PM.