What are you listening to?

King King supported by The Damn Truth live in York last night.
My first live music since lockdown.

 

As good as it gets...



RCB

 

Gong : 2032

Among lots of other stuff.

Just got some Samsung ear buds. Amazing.

Gong - How To Stay Alive video clip - YouTube

 

Joy Division - Closer

 

Bad music, and/or good music played badly. Here is an unforgettable version of a classic. No point in trying to analyse it; just enjoy:



RCB

 

I had to turn that off after a minute. Truly butchered a classic thats for sure

 

D'you mean you didn't hang around for the first solo?

They've got some decent gear -- an SG, good amps, but they remind me of the rich blokes who buy Ferraris and Porsche 911s and the like, and promptly wrap them around lamp posts and trees because they have no idea how to operate such machines.

RCB

 

Morrissey - Vauxhall, and I

 

Absolutely. Superb band.

The Kursaal Ballroom in Southend was a fantastic venue to see bands. I grew up 20 miles away in Grays. I saw Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy and 10CC there in my late teens.
I never saw the original Feelgoods lineup, unfortunately, but I did see the Mk2 lineup, with Gypie Mayo in place of Wilko, in my first year at Bradford Uni in 1981.

 

I did wonder if you had managed to catch the Wilko lineup, being from down that way. There are some enjoyable videos on YouTube of Wilko in more recent years talking about his experiences -- the Ian Dury story is a laugh -- or his technique. He makes it seem so simple...but just try doing it yourself!



RCB

 

I know! There's a good reason why so few guitarists have that combination rhythm/lead technique that Wilko copped from Mick Green of The Pirates. It's because it's bloody difficult.

The Feelgoods Mk1 lineup once played a gig at the State Cinema in Grays - 15 minutes walk fro my house - in (I think) 1978. The show was promoted by friends of mine, who actually lost money on it. Unfortunately I was already committed to another activity (which I can't now remember) and wasn't able to go to the gig, which has always irked me.

 

Wilko and Lee Brilleaux were such a great combination. Utterly compelling stage presence.

 

OMG!
The guitarist in the blue tee shirt is truly appalling. Never mind the laughable solo, the worst part is his rhythm playing, which seems to be just a collection of random strums bearing no relationship whatsoever to the beat (such as it is) of the song. And whoever told the vocalist he could sing, much less front a band?

 

Indeed -- some units are just meant to be. Good musicians in their own right coming together to make a band that really is greater than the sum of its parts. Rockpile is another example.

A truly classic performance! It is perhaps a good thing that the rhythm guitarist is inaudible. The rest are divorced from the concepts of timing, tuning, playing as a band. As a bassist myself, I find that effort particularly painful; I probably shouldn't comment on SG man, as I've only been playing the guitar for a few years -- but what the heck, I can do better! The chords aren't difficult, and you've got plenty of time to make the changes, especially if you cut out the G/F# and G/B, though the first shouldn't be a problem either.

I think it's a bit unfair to put up clips of teens just starting out in bands and label them as the "Worst Bands Ever," but these guys are fair game -- they're old enough to know better.

RCB

 

Dr Feelgood used to play every year in Bradford,once the support was The Hamsters who were also very good, they also used to play Bradford regularly

 

I saw a later version of the Feelgoods, with just Brilleaux from the original lineup, at Queen's Hall. Also saw The Hamsters in the downstairs bar at Queen's Hall

 

Holy cow, that is spectacularly fantastic/awful. Thanks!

 

Inspired to flick through a few great cover versions by the Floyd video...
Comfortably Numb by Scissor Sisters (obviously had to go with that first on the playlist)
Slip Inside This House - Primal Scream completely reimagining the superb 13th Floor Elevators song on Screamadelica
Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Saint Etienne massively improving the Neil Young effort
Hanging On The Telephone - Blondie, not a very imaginative cover because it's very similar to the original but still a classic
Step On - Happy Mondays baggying up John Kongos
The Jaded Hearts Club - turning Reach Out (I'll be There) by The Four Tops all the way up to 11
All Along The Watchtower - Everyone always improves on a Dylan version of a Dylan song especially Jimi
Nothing Else Matters - I don't know the Metallica version but liked the Phoebe Bridgers effort on the Black Album 30th anniversary covers album

Anything else out there and I'm not accepting REM doing The Lion Sleeps Tonight or anything by The Flying Pickets.

 

Continuing a theme, I fell into a youtube rabbit hole and came across this.

 

Glad to be of service!

I think back to the first band I was in -- a mind-boggling 40 years ago now -- and I can't recall us being that bad even the first time going through a new song.

Going your own way with a cover:

- Husker Du's version of 8 Miles High -- I never tire of that
- Wall of Voodoo - Ring of Fire
- This Mortal Coil - Song to the Siren

Staying closer to the original:

- Nirvana's unplugged version of The Man Who Sold The World
- Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust
- The Primitives - Turn Off the Moon -- silly but cute, and Tracey remains a sight for sore eyes

A few other favourites: Emmylou Harris with The Boxer, and she along with Spyboy doing Hickory Wind

RCB