The Sad Death of a Lioness

I don’t know about the rest of you, but is your wife/husband/affectionate other one of those people who doesn’t open their Christmas presents until the Christmas period has well and truly passed? Mine is! It’s not a bad thing like, but it ‘niggles’ me

Anyway, the Christmas present in question (that I bought her) is the Amy Winehouse album she, sorry, her record company hurriedly released on news of her premature and tragic death.

The album is entitled ‘Lioness – Hidden Gems’ and, as I always do in these cases, have a few issues with the title and indeed the content

Firstly, these are not ‘hidden gems’ – they are simply shoddy out-takes that have been given to some hot shot producer to try and ‘polish up’ (a bit like when you watch 24 and Jack Bauer is trying to recover data from a lap top that been blew up). There are also a load of re-takes of old songs that appeared on Back to Black (most people call them demos), which kind of pisses me off as the words money for old rope spring to mind!

I remember watching No Cure for Cancer years ago by Bill Hicks … sorry … Denis Leary. In the routine he does a sketch about Elvis dying on the bog and comes up with the idea of shooting Elvis dead in 1959 when he was young, good looking and, most of all, talented so people can remember him that way! Instead, they wheel him out every week fat, bloated and high on drink and drugs onto a stage in Las Vegas making a tit out of himself!

When I think of that sketch I think of this latest album released by Winehouse’s record company when I listen to some of the songs! You can also see that it won’t be the first of these out-take albums courtesy of Winehouse’s record company in a way similar to Elvis! A ‘new Elvis’ you could say. Personally I think that’s pretty sad and a blemish to a singing legacy that was, in my opinion, truly inspirational

But, once again, money talks and bullshit walks! Death sells! Famous dead people sell! I know I previously wrote about this at the time, but look at the death of Michael Jackson! Within a week of his death he had numerous albums at number one on both sides of the Atlantic with a film in the pipe line (a demo film, I suppose you could say due to the quality of it). Ring any bells?

I personally see these actions as extremely ghoulish and very creepy especially if you are close friends and relatives of Winehouse (who have probably gained financially no doubt)

So, to be blunt, who wants to listen to a bunch out-takes and demos from a young girl who was off her head on drink and drugs? Not me that’s for sure! Sadly, my wife does. But that’s her choice I suppose

Then again, when is Adele’s new album out?

Mol