“What Are These Drug Addicts Going On About?”
Not just another list of overrated albums to argue with! This is a list of individual opinions by musicians about overrated albums to argue with. Not a bad idea at all.
By coincidence, I was listening to The Velvet Underground and Nico after Julian wrote about it the other day: what a fucking snore. There’s a really good EP in there, but that’s it.
Comment by mb —
June 15, 2007 @ 7:59 am
Can’t agree with you on the Velvets, but what really has my head spinning is the slam on Television from the Franz Ferdinand guy. In the first place, this whole “I’m neo-punk/post-post-punk/new-new wave, ergo I hate jam bands” shtick is played out. But has he ever listened to the album? It starts out with two
Comment by Dave W. —
June 15, 2007 @ 8:10 am
Great link!!!
I agree with most of waht they said.
Was esp. glad to see The Hold Steady guy quoted. I am only catching up with that band now, but the band’s 2005 and 2006 albums have been kind of single-handedly restoring my faith in music for the past couple of months. Its been ages since I have been struck by a band like this. Good band for youngish middle aged people like me. Of course, he is right about the Doors, too, fwiw.
Comment by Uncle Kvetch —
June 15, 2007 @ 11:27 am
1) Another reason to love Scritti Politti! (Not that I needed one.)
2) Another reason to hate Art Brut! (Ditto.)
3) And finally, a reason to think that maybe the Hold Steady aren’t so bad after all. (Doubt that I’ll ever go so far as to like their music, though.)
I’m more or less with Jim on the Velvet Underground & Nico…I guess the noise jams were revolutionary in their time, but they’re really no fun to listen to. The more conventional songs are really good though…and I actually *like* Nico’s singing.
Comment by IOZ —
June 15, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
One more reason to love Wayne Coyne.
Comment by Mr. Ziffel —
June 15, 2007 @ 1:47 pm
Some of the writers, especially Wayne Coyne and Craig Finn, make good points against the conventional wisdom that sanctifies those particular albums (even though I actually like Nevermind and LA Woman).
But some of that stuff is typical, hipper-than-thou contrarian bullshit. Sgt. Pepper “represents the death of the Beatles as a rock’n'roll band…” Uh, Billy Childish? You’re a moron. And Tjinder Singh may be amazed that Dark Side of the Moon is up there in the pantheon, but I’m amazed Cornershop even had one hit (Brimful of Assholes, or something like that). Of course, the idea behind pieces like this is to generate arguments, so…I guess we can say it’s successful!
Comment by brucedene —
June 15, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
That was fun to read. Can I take up mb’s post in mid-sentence?
…concise statements of purpose with no jam-band filler. “See No Evil” still gets me revved up 30 years later, and the hook from “Venus de Milo” is just as strong as the one from “Marquee Moon.” From there it just gets better.
I do agree that it’s a short trip from LA Woman to the Catskills. Morrison clearly timed his death for maximum canonical impact.
Comment by Uncle Kvetch —
June 15, 2007 @ 4:32 pm
…concise statements of purpose with no jam-band filler. “See No Evil†still gets me revved up 30 years later, and the hook from “Venus de Milo†is just as strong as the one from “Marquee Moon.†From there it just gets better.
I hate guitar wankery…I have an ear that reflexively tunes out 99% of all common household guitar solos…and yet I love Marquee Moon from start to finish.
I happen to like Franz Ferdinand…and Alex is hot, which excuses all kinds of failings…but the “jam band” calumny is ridiculous.
Comment by MQ —
June 15, 2007 @ 4:40 pm
Boy, that was a thoughtful and articulate bunch of rock stars. It seems almost unfair.
VU was the Velvet Underground’s greatest album. But I find it hard to deny the best songs on Velvet Underground and Nico too, even if I agree with a lot of what was said about it.
Comment by brucedene —
June 15, 2007 @ 6:34 pm
Agreed, Uncle K. Maybe it could apply to some of Verlaine’s “soundtrack” stuff, but not TV. Here’s hoping that Franz Ferdinand still has something to say in a couple years.
Jim, any thoughts on the Hold Steady track on that CD? Or had you heard it already?
Comment by Matt Weiner —
June 15, 2007 @ 6:47 pm
No no no. No no NO no NO no NO!
Ahem. What I mean is, Ian Rankin’s slams on VU&N (except for the one about the lyrics, and I even get a kick out of those) are the worst kind of muso wankerdom. “[P]ut it on a modern hi-fi and you’ll think: this sounds like shit”? Dude, Boston rawks. And of course Nico sings in English like you sing in German! That’s the point!
Also, ABBA is cheating. Wasn’t so long ago they were on lists of supposedly crappy albums that are really great.
Comment by Kip W —
June 15, 2007 @ 7:09 pm
Well. I never heard the majority of those albums, and for the ones I did, I have no recognition of their detractors, so I guess that means… (checks something in wallet) …Jesus God, I’m FIFTY!