Everything Counts in Large Cash Amounts

Now i'm not taliking about a certain Ex-Blonde Centre Forward who plays for LFC her, but it seems everyone really does have a price ... especially in music!

I was watching the telly the other night when a mate of mine text me and told me that one of the greatest Rock Front Men of all time – Steve Tyler from Aerosmith - was appearing in place of the great all-powerful Simon Cowell as a judge on ... wait for it ... American Idol! Hahaha, I nearly spat my fucking tea out!

Tyler, as we all know, recently ‘fell off the wagon’ and back into the dark clutches of hard drugs, drink and, of course, mainstream light entertainment television! I don’t know which is worse!!

Anyway, it got me wondering = everyone really does have a price as its plain to see that Tyler is obviously doing it for the money as there is obviously no kudos attached to appearing on some shit television programme ‘judging’ some pathetic spastic on their abilities to sing! Especially by a true Rock Legend

Now, if you add this rather absurd act by Tyler to the other rather absurd acts from Iggy Pop and his annoying latex alter ego puppet in the Swift cover adverts and Biffy Clyro’s allowance for one of their hit songs to be used by some biff from X Factor, its plain to see that financial gain has sadly replaced any form of musical licence or respect that artists used to wish for many many years ago. In all honesty, it makes me feel sick!

I remember reading a biography once about the late great Janis Joplin. In her own scatty way, she was something of a true, original great. She would regularly get lost drinking alone in bars, miss important appointments and gigs, and most precious of all – lose ALL her money somewhere. Now, when I say ALL of her money, I do mean thousands of dollars. But, it was shrugged off, replaced and simply forgotten about as in those days her music was the most important ‘factor’ not how many dollars she had in her bank account .

Can you imagine if someone like Coldplay, Girls Aloud or Take Splat lost thousands of pounds today? There would be a financial version of world war three! The stock markets would go into free fall and shares in the record company who represent the artists in question would fall so low the only way out would be bankruptcy (or thousands of job losses – starting at the bottom, of course)

So, have our ‘great’ artists of today taken more inspiration from out ‘great’ bankers and other spivs who feast on the anxieties of the poor and third world countries instead of the heroes of yester year that actually inspired their ability to take up/play music in the first place?

You bet your ass

As for Tyler, if he was ever offered the part in a film, the way he’s been action lately, I can see him playing an on screen version of Gordon Gekko instead of a washed-up old burnt out rocker

If the (begging) cap fits.............

Mol

The iPod Generation - An Idiot or Bored?

I often write about things and certain individuals who ‘ruin’ music, my beef this time is iPods and people’s use of them

I remember when I was a kid (and no, it wasn’t when telly was in black and white) and I bought myself a Sony Walkman to play my cassettes on (stop laughing!!). I was fucking made up as I’d walk to school listening to Guns N Roses or Maiden made up with my brand new music player the size of a house brick and earphone that looked like giants yellow versions of Ernie & Bert’s nose off Sesame Street! The dog’s bollocks – it really was. It was a pity though that I had a rather dreadful mullet to go with the headphones! The less said about my eighties hairstyles the better!

But, what was great about the Sony Walkman was that you could only ‘Fast Forward’ and not rewind. Another genius factor about it was that once the tape had finished it automatically switched to play the other side! Brilliant

Now, I’m not here to give you a walk down memory lane in a music nostalgia moment, but compare the rather beautifully simplistic world of the Sony Walkman to the rather annoying and complicated world of the iPod. There is a massive gulf! And, like the Guitar Hero and X Factor that I have previously Blogged about = its damaging music

Why? Well I’ll tell ye

Does anybody remember the last time they bought a CD? I do. It was a few weeks ago and I absolutely loved listening to every song on it! And I do mean EVERY song on the album

The problem with iPods is that people will skip the little ‘gems’ you find on albums at say track 8 or track 6 as people are too obsessed with what single was brought out from the album they just bought! Some people play the same single off the album over and over again time after time and simply forget about listening to any other song on the album. Apart from being extremely ignorant to the artist(s), in question, I also see it as a terrible waste of money on behalf of the consumer by just buying the album on the strength of the ‘famous’ single in question!

I feel the music buying public no longer have an opinion of their own anymore when it comes to what music they like. It’s a bit like going into a pub that (is lucky enough) has a jukebox and playing the most popular song by a certain band instead of putting something no one has ever heard of before!

And while we’re on the subject of opinions, I think Rich Hall summed it perfect a few nights back when I watched one of this marvellous programmes about country music. He mentioned the film ‘Walk the Line’ about Johnny cash and the people who said “it’s done a hell of a lot of good publicity for the music of Johnny Cash”. Hall went onto to say “if you’ve never bothered to go and search out the music of Johnny Cash YOURSELF, it’s not much good seeking it out after hearing about it in a Hollywood Blockbuster film is it” – I think he was right on the money with that reply I reckon

So, do me a favour next time you turn your iPod on? Turn off the ‘shuffle’ button and listen to a whole album in its entirety and listen out for the not so famous songs as I’m sure the artist(s) put just as much an effort into writing and recording it as much as the famous hit it sits along side

And, of course pending you pay for your music in a proper legal way, it’ll be a terrible waste of money if you don’t

Mol

Is The La’s The Best Album Ever?

Don’t you just love it when you re-discover a band?

I think I’ve come to a point in my life when I have finally realised there is actually a better album than Exile on Main Street – that album is The La’s one and only debut album

Maybe it is just a strong sense of local identity, fierce passion for true scouse music or Mavers’ ‘obsession’ on having Sixties dust inside his guitar amp? Who knows, I know that this gem is full of absolute classics, and worth blogging about

Son of a Gun – god knows who this song is about, but I get the feeling Mavers is writing a semi-autobiography here. “He was born to live like a mercenary” – it has been well documented that Mavers wrote EVERYTHING with regards to La’s songs. “Better run, rabbit run” – is this a message to anyone willing to challenge his song writing authority? You bet you are!

I can’t Sleep – is this a reference to drugs? God knows. What I do know is that this song has one of the most brilliant intros in music. Think “Start Me Up” by The Stones. Mavers’ voice in the background at the start of this song is simply stunning!! And that includes the “la la la la la la la la la la” in the background during the intro. He sounds like he’s just had twenty Lambert & Butler followed by a bottle of Bells! The only thing that gets me about this song is the fake “boom” from the drums that have obviously been over-dubbed (no doubt from the producer and possibly the constantly frustrated record executives, not the La’s)

Timeless Melody – “a melody always finds me” – is this Mavers’ way of saying he can write a song with his eyes shut? You bet your fucking life it is. Brilliant songwriter and a true great lyricist

Freedom Song – “I am the captain of the love you gave” – absolute no idea what Mavers is harping on about here. Power’s backing vocals are superb though on this track. Cast were always gonna be in fine company from here on in

There She Goes has quite possibly got one of the most recognisable intros in the history of music that is right up there with Whole Lotta Love, Satisfaction and Paranoid. The lyrics are very debatable with regards whether the song is about heroin or a young lady. “She calls my name, pulls my train” I personally think it has sexual content although many music ‘expert’ may well disagree

Doledrum is typical scouse humour about living a pretty shit post-Thatcher society ‘up north’ and brilliantly summed up in Mavers’ lyrics “oh no, don’t go down to Doledrum”. I personally think he’s issuing a message to all people who are willing to travel to Huyton. In other words – stay away! Utterly wonderful stuff!!

On Feelin’ Mavers sings “Woke up with a feelin’” – is Mavers talking about the possibility of having a good day or has he simply got an erection? Either way, this is a wonderful song with a massive Beatles influence and brilliant guitar work. Feel good factor of ten here i reckon

Way Out is another song with similar feelings to ‘Doledrum’ “a need a way outta this” “give it all ye got now” – desperate lyrics that yet again portrays a man who is either in a loveless relationship with a woman or needs a “way out” of that town he lives in that he doesn’t really like?

IOU = definite drug reference here. “On the street the knowledge, you must eat your porridge” – what is the porridge her? Is it drugs? It’s certainly not Quaker’s finest! “There’s no harm in greasing your neighbour’s palm” – yet another reference to local identity and also paying for your ‘gear’. One of the the best lines in the entire album

Every time I hear Failure I think of a mate of mine from years ago. He and his brother had just been nicked for stealing a few days before Christmas. On Christmas day they were both banished to the back room to eat their Christmas dinner (put the 2 potheads in the back room for sake of embarrassment). “So you open the door with that look on your face with, with your hands in your pockets with your family to face” – you just KNOW Mavers was busted by his parents when he was a kid don’t ye? Everyone – you can feel your childhood guilt can’t ye as I’m sure we all remember the first time we we’re collared smoking weed by ye ma’ can’t ye?

Looking Glass is without doubt one of the finest love songs ever written. I’m sure Mavers wouldn’t agree with this statement, but if you really listen to the song and its lyrics, it is utterly stunning “I’ve seen everybody, everybody’s seen me”. But Mavers goes off on a tangent with regards the 2^nd verse “oh tell me where I’m going, tear the pages open, turn the world around” – you could say he’s become a lost soul from the rather cock-sure worldly man from the start of the album. Almost an epitaph and a rather fitting ending to a great song and a great album

Sixties dust? Nah, more like late 80’s and early 90’s brilliance!!!!

Mol