The Drugs Do Work, But We Just Don’t Know It

It’s not often your beloved author gets a bee in his bonnet, but there’s an old saying in music “the best songs were written by people on drugs”.

In many cases, this statement is true (except for the odd few during the mid-nineties and mid-eighties, of course)

I’ve just been reading an article about criticism dished out to some Spastic X Factor singer who sang a cover of ‘Under the Bridge’ by Red Hot Chilli Peppers’. The criticism came as a result of the lyric contents of the song (It’s about Heroin use/abuse in a run down area of Los Angeles in case you were wondering) being sung on a family show. Truly shocking behaviour I’m sure you’ll agree (and I’m not talking about the singing). Then again, there are all types of abuse in society that are classed as unacceptable, but that’s another matter!

So, exactly who do these people come ‘under fire’ from? And, more importantly why?

The article I read was basically about singers and bands covering songs that are rather obscurely about drug use unbeknown to the covering artists. Take ‘There She Goes’ by The La’s for instance. You’d think it was a love song, but, I won’t bore you with the full story here, but its not! Take a few minutes to read into what it’s really about if you want

Another point to this whole Daily Mail inspired ‘outrage’ stems from a quote from Anthony Keidis from the RHCP when he was asked about All Saints doing a cover of ‘Under the Bridge’. His reply was “these people don’t know what their singing about”. And the truth is, he’s right

Once again, X Factor ‘contestants’ (and probably most of the ‘judges’) like their puppets to do covers of certain songs because “they sound nice” or “they appeal to the pop song buying public” (who they rely on to boost their bank balances).

It’s only when arseholes like the people who write for the Daily Moan and other Tory-based broadsheets get hold of the story that the penny finally drops with these ignorant idiots who would never go within a million miles of Heroin! And that is the real cut of my jib!

A lot of people who comment and complain on drug misuse and abuse within song lyrics are usually the type of boffins who have never been anywhere near (or ever will be) the stuff. Their standard of living will never even come close to situations the musicians who wrote the lyrics in question have lived in.

In a nut shell, there a hell of a difference with what these two types of people do with silver spoons! One is used to take drugs, and I’m sure you can guess where the other was brought up?

Finally I’d just like to talk about the whole publicity debacle surrounding this rather laughable story. There’s absolutely no doubt in the world that anyone involved in the rather seedy and murky world of pop music crave the attention from the press. Their relationship has been hand in glove since records (no pun) began. So I’d suggest the people who use the media as a tool to enhance their career to pay it a little respect as it does have the tendency to turn violently around and bite you on the arse!

Then again, there’s also another famous saying in music “any publicity is good publicity”

The way things are with X Factor at the moment, they need all the publicity they can get!

Mol

Pearl Jam - A Rare Breed

Every now and then a band comes along that are truly inspiring and make a real difference

The other night I was watching the superb film about the twentieth anniversary of Pearl Jam forming and watching the whole film made me realise what an amazing band of people they were

Now, I know the film I watched was obviously about a band who were at their peak fifteen to twenty years ago, but I realised this is/was a band of principles and standards who slowly got on with their music while bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden took most of the plaudits and accolades from the so called Grunge scene formed around Seattle. I felt I had to do some sort of ‘tribute’ to them

I remember reading a review years ago about Pearl Jam when the reviewer reported that Eddie Vedder (the band’s singer) sounded like a man who was about to throw himself off a cliff! I thought this was a brilliant description so went to the nearest record shop and bout “10” (not the film with Dudley Moore and Bo Derek)

Listening to the album for the first time absolutely blew my head off! I remember listening to the pure aggression of Vedder’s voice and stunning prominence of the duel lead guitars. But realising that the album (of course a debut for an up and coming band at the time) was not over-produced! Sometimes that can mean the best sound a band of the means can produce (think Led Zep 1 and Never Mind the Bollocks for a two examples)

Of course it wasn’t just the songs that made Pearl Jam an instantly stunning band, you got the feeling they were truly on the side of the kids who went to see them and bought their records. This is prominent in their action against Ticketmaster.

At the time (and for most of today’s gig going public) people had to buy tickets for gigs from organisations like Ticketmaster. This, of course includes a barrage of un-necessary and un-wanted booking fees that generally resulted in people having to pay $30 in the USA to see bands play live. Pearl Jam decided to select venues to play in that didn’t rely on them and their management and Ticketmaster getting into bed together.

All of this I greatly applaud! Can you imagine any of the spastics from X Factor such as Alexander Burke or them four Super Queggs in Take Splatt refusing to play a concert these days due to extortionate ticket pricing? Er, I don’t think so. Chances are they’d be in serious breach of their contract (and sponsorship) and be banished to play in Butlins (then again, that’s where most of them end up anyway)

My final point comes courtesy of a mate who has genuinely superb taste in music (apart from some stuff he claims he used during his DJ years) who is also a fan of Pearl Jam. His words really do describe them to a tee – “one of the most criminally under-rated bands of all time”. Having lived in the shadow of the afore mentioned Nirvana and Soundgarden it was a bang on the money description that I have quite a few opinions on

I think I’ve done a previous Blog about bands in the mainstream who actually deserve to be there and bands who aren’t who do (if that makes sense).

Now, most bands think plaudits and accolades aren’t for them. Some of them actually shun them and refuse to attend and others such as Chumbawumba and Jarvis Cocker decide to vent their spleens in different ways that we won’t go into here.

Now i’m not talking about all the pomp and ceremony that usually go with award ceremonies as personally, in the highly unlikely scenario of being in a successful band, and i were nominated for some sort of award, I would also shun them as they are simply a load of bollocks. Pearl jam felt the same here!

But what really does disappoint me is the artistic credit some bands don’t receive compared to the tripe that is banded about these days and labelled as ‘influential’

There have been many many bands over the course of music history who have not received such accolade and praise where it is undoubtedly due, Pearl Jam are one of them bands

Their influence will have a much longer affect

Mol

Its Got To Be Perfect

Has anyone else noticed the world of music, like most things in life these days, has become too nice? Too perfect? Too well presented?

The other day I was listening to The Faces ‘A Nods as Good as a Wink (to a Blind Horse) and the album, as well as being an utterly stunning album of its time, I noticed it is also cluttered with ‘mistakes’ (or ‘extras’ as I like to call them)

If it’s not Rod Stewart’s “come on” being hollered in the background followed by the occasion cough (Rod’s addiction to ciggies at the time were probably responsible for them), or Ron Wood’s sometimes flimsy ‘coats’ (that’s what we used to say when someone messed up – usually Mart or Ben) on the guitar that makes it that more enjoyable to the ear

The Stones and The Beatles were also known for adding ‘extras’ to their albums. The Beatles used to have loads of them, The White Album being one particular album and if you listen to Exile on Main Street it has loads of ‘extras’. Also, if you get a chance, listen to Dead Flowers off Sticky Fingers and listen out for a phone ringing just at in the middle of the third chorus.

Now, if you compare this to the nice, shiny, gleaming, perfect world of today’s ‘musicians’ coming straight from the conveyer belt of Simon Cowell’s house, the difference is amazing with not a single mistake in sight!

This is mainly down to the restraints on musicians these days guaranteeing a nice lovely mistake free album that makes a commercial success and guarantees advertisement and investment from massive corporations like Pepsi, Sony, McDonalds and Sayers. A far cry from the dark days of corporate-free Sixties and Seventies when musicians released albums followed up by a tour when image wasn’t everything and the likes of hard living, drinking and taking drugs were pretty much the norm!

And that’s what everything is all about in music these days – image!

If you don’t have nice shining teeth that don’t look like a Witch Doctor’s Necklace or you have a face that takes eighteen hours in make up to cover even the slightest little zitt – the chances are you will not being making it in today’s music industry. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at the transformation that Susan Boyle undertook after she won Britain’s (Not) Got Talent!

One other thing missing these days is I get the feeling that when you listen to the likes of The Faces, The Stones and The Beatles, etc, etc, they were genuinely enjoying themselves instead of having to work in some sort of factory conditions (like X Factor) constantly churning out new ways to re-invent old songs and (rarely) writing original shit! The culture of “they’re song was raggedy and messy, ours is sooooooooomuch nicer” – gimme a break!!

So, as I think the world of music has gone completely mad and obsessed with quantity, greed and, of course, image, I thought I’d finish with a line from Pink Floyd’s ‘Have a Cigar’ (a tongue-in-cheek cynical look at the Music Business) ….

You gotta get an another album out, you owe it to the people, we’re so happy we can hardly count!

Perfect for today’s music lovers i think!

Mol

The Axe of The X And the Fall of The West

Isn’t it amazing how the shit always sinks to the bottom? Strange world isn’t it?

This week we’ve seen the return of The Stone Roses, the hilarious demise of Take Splatt courtesy of Robbie Williams doing yet another runner from his bum chums and Noel Gallagher at the top of the album pile.

All of the above I can take or leave to be honest as Take Splatt are nothing short of an over-camp cabaret act hell bent on creating an entire arena full of damp crotches (male and female underwear applies by the way), Noel Gallagher has always been good for a quick, witty quote, but in my opinion has always had something ‘of the night’ about him (maybe he is a grumpy arld git after all) and The Stones Roses I could take or leave so I wasn’t really jumping through hoops about there inevitable (cash inspired) reunion.

By the way, if you’ve just bought a ticket for six million pounds to see them play when they eventually embark on their rather ambitious World Tour, have a look on YouTube at some of their liver performances. The words terrible, out of key and out of time spring to mind! But, maybe it is a victory for Indie Music so the best of luck to the Mancs on that one!

But, (and it’s a real massive BUT) most pleasing to myself had to be the rather splendid news about the death of Westlife (sadly not violent) and, most funny of all, X Factor slipping into obscurity and (hopefully) off country’s psyche for good!

First off, I’d like to mention the picture at the top of this blog. YES! It is a poster I put up over my desk in word! An NO! It hasn’t worked!

But, the most significant result about Westlife and X Factor decaying into the bowels of history is that people are maybe becoming pretty sick of people singing cover versions which, basically, is what the two of these entities have lived off for the last decade and a bit!

Another (far fetched) theory I have with regards people turning off from X Factor to turn over to watch a bag of shit period drama such as Downton Abbey is that there has been a lot of tension simmering in this country since our beloved gang of merry millionaires ceased control of the country last year. You only have to look at last years ……..

But, I’m afraid it’s not all good news! A few months back when X Factor started up with the ferocious Gary Barlow, the ever increasing camp Louis Walsh and two other birds I’ve never heard of in my like, I commented to Mrs Mol that if (even when) their ratings goes down, Cowell will be immediately on the blower to Ms Cheryl (“ah luv ye”) Cole-Tweedy to boost the ratings! And, there is even the chance the Prince of Darkness Cowell will make an appearance himself! In a sense, I think it’s very clever if that is what he resorts to as one thing it’ll guarantee is that it’ll boost his TV ratings

Then again, you really can’t polish a turd can ye?

Mol

Balmy Bono And His Shady Lyrics

As well as music being extremely enjoyable, I’ve always took a keen interest in what people are actually singing about. Whether they are about love, hate, war or good old seedy shag, I’ve always enjoyed lyrics

So, having rather bizarrely got back into U2 in a sort of biggish way lately as I used to be quite into them when I was in school, (and yes, I did have a Bono-style mullet minus the sideys) I have, as you can guess, been questioning the forever young Bono and his rather outrageous lyrics and asked myself one question:

Have U2 made a career out of nonsense?

Now I know all bands that have spanned a good few decades during their careers do go on to develop and ‘experiment’ with their music (unless you are AC/DC of course). It’s their right of course, but in the case of U2 it seems they are either running out of ideas or having a mid-life crisis (no doubt Bono is browsing through a Porsche catalogue as we speak)

Now, as most avid readers of Mol’s Sound Words know, Bono isn’t really my favourite person in the world. This is mainly down to the fact that he still insists on wearing leather kex and his sunglasses in doors even though he is shaking hands with the Pope or other worldly dignitaries (I’ve often wondered if he wears them while he’s having a Michael Knight, but the less said about that the better). But, in the early eighties U2 were without doubt a fine band with their main topic of lyrics obviously about the troubles that surrounded Ireland/Northern Ireland. Very interesting stuff I’m sure we all agree

“And so we're told this is the golden age and gold is the reason for the wars we wage” – New Years Day

“And the battle's just begun, There's many lost, but tell me who has won, the trench is dug within our heart, and mothers, children, brothers, sisters Torn apart” - Sunday Bloody Sunday

Now, if you compare some of the above older lyrics to these examples you can see what I mean when I say the art of writing good lyrics have sadly (in U2’s case) gone by the wayside!!

“The future needs a big kiss, wind blows with a twist” - Get on your Boots

“Scorch the earth, set fire to the sky, and you reach so low, to reach so high – Red Hill Mining Town”

“Car alarm won't let ya back to sleep, You're kept awake dreaming someone else's dream Coffee is cold, but it'll get you through Compromise, that's nothing new to you” - Electrical storm

So, as I said before, have they ran out of ideas is or are they, quite frankly, not arsed any more? I personally think they have become ‘too big’ and instead of taking their time in writing deep and meaningful lyrics like they did in the early days, they have resorted to what can only be described as something you’d expect from a fat and bloated Elvis in his latter Las Vegas days with pathetic offerings such as Sexy Boots and other assorted crap from their last offering! (and yes, I do have thoughts of Bono dying on the bog while he’s strangling a massive fucking brown one!!)

But it’s not all bad!

Which bring me to what I would regard as U2’s finest album – The Joshua Tree. Now don’t get me wrong here, it is, as I have said, a damn fine album.

Musically it really can’t be faulted! Not just because of the more famous hits like Where the Streets Have No Name, With or Without You and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, but more of the songs on the B Side like Red Hill Mining Town, One Tree Hill and Tripped Through Your Wires. They are fantastic songs.

BUT! As the topic of this blog states, the lyrics on The Joshua Tree are utter and total nonsense!! Maybe Bono had spent too much time in The Joshua Tree searching for the soul of Gram Parsons or Jim Morrison while drinking the juice from a few moody cactus trees! Who knows!

What I do know is this: some people you’d expect to write utterly shit lyrics, their usually the pathetic factory-processed pop stars who finish 18^th on X Factor, not the likes of seasoned pro’s like U2

They are capable of much better

So, Bono, see me after school!

And take them stupid FUCKING shades off!!

Mol

There Ain't No Sex Without the Sax!

Having recently been on my honeymoon (or holiday as I liked to call it) I have had to, sometimes during rare spells indoors nursing a hangover (and a semi), had to endure the rather unpleasant foreign music channels that play songs by the likes of Katie Perry, that annoying beaut from The Black eyed Peas (Will-I-Am-A-Knob-head) and Lady Gag Gag

But, one thing I noticed when a certain song by Sade appeared is that there seems to be no place these days in modern pop or rock music for the humble Saxophone!

This is an outrage!!!!

Now, as I have mentioned, my ‘holiday’ was of course supposed to be about romance and stuff like that (that doesn’t of course my eyes being pre-occupied by certain Swedish Ladies scantily dressed in bikinis that resemble a handkerchief), but I couldn’t help thinking about the instrument of love (and I’m not talking about my Carrots and Onions)

So, in honour of the SEX-aphone, here are a few beauties for you to listen to (with your bird/fella, of course) to maybe re-ignite your deep rooted (ahem) affection with the wonderful brass section carthorse to help you along during a hot session of sexy time with your nearest and dearest

Miss You – the Stones

Money – Pink Floyd

Never tear us apart - INXS

Avalon – Roxy Music

Modern Love – David Bowie

We don’t need another hero – Tina Turn-Off

So, there you have it. All hail the marvellous Saxophone! The most alluring, under-rated, sexy and sometimes downright outrageous instrument to ever grace music!

Better than playing the double bass any day of the week

Mol

X-Rated Dirty Gary

So, Gary Barlow is the new ‘Hard Man’ of pop! So hard, in fact, that you’d think he was the new Ken Barlow throwing a few punches at Mike Baldwin in the Rovers Return Inn!!

Barlow, in case you didn’t know, has taken over from the tight-kex-wearing Simon Cowell (big trousers to fill as well) and turned into the nasty one who rips into the occasional X Factor spastic who sings like Chewbacca having his shells waxed! (All for the cameras, no doubt)

This one time Softy and all round raging quilt of a Manc who you would gladly take home to your while she was watching Downton abbey has now developed a tough shell (and attitude) with a good old Chuck Norris beard to boot!

Personally I think he’s about a scary as a gerbil wearing a skin-tight pink nappy!

But what gets me about this new ‘image’ Barlow has suddenly developed is, in my opinion, to maybe score a few brownie points with the Indie and Rock crowd as x Factor has always had some sort of ‘Rock Act’ within the ranks of the afore mentioned spastics desperate for fame!

So, what suddenly prompts these pop stars to shed their teeny bopper skin and turn into a raging grizzly bear? No doubt money and sponsorship are behind these decisions taken by them (and their team of advisors). Just look at Iggy Pop for example with his rather embarrassing Swift Cover adverts, Ozzy Osborne with his even more ridiculous series recorded for MTV a few years back, and, as I noticed a few weeks back in Madrid Airport, Julian Casablancas’ after shave called ‘decibel’

Personally, I think if you have an image that millions of your adoring fans love, I think you should stick to it as the words “sell out” will hover over you for the rest of your career no matter how successful you go on to be

So, do us a favour, Gaz, put away the new found ‘act’ you’re putting on as we all know you’re a big pussy cat deep down and we simply don’t buy it for one minute as we all know: “Everything changes but you”

Anyone?

Oh well, at least get a shave ... Chuck!

Mol