deiseldave wrote:I can't say that I agree with all this, but I can certainly see why a person would say it. The problem is, that conviction is just zeal to sell “it”. But, “it” has to be there.
The Sex Pistols, for example (since you brought up punk) didn’t have much (if any) musical skill. But they weren’t selling musical skill. They were selling “it”, and in this case, I believe that “it” was: A perfectly timed “changing of the guard” middle finger salute to Boston StyxWagon and Disco + John Lydon’s wit and charisma + Steve Jones’ chunky Marshall tone + Sid Viscious name and look.
Speaking of lyrics, “Nevermind the Bollocks” has a butt-load of clever moments, like: “I didn’t ask for sunshine, and I got World War III, I’m looking over the wall, and they’re looking at me.”
Here's the way it works: If the artist believes it and the audience believes it it's magic even if the artist is Britt Knee Spears or Hannah Montana and the audience is a bunch of pre-pubescent girls. You and I know it's fake from the get-go but we're skeptics, we're non-believers.
If the artist believes it and you don't it's crap.
If the artist doesn't believe in it then it's tough to convince anyone.
Speaking of Boston StyxWagon: Shitwagon always had me reaching for the power switch on my radio, turn that crap right off. It's not the guitars, it's the vocals. Not the vocal content, the vocal style. Which is difficult for me to reconcile because I can listen to Geddy Lee, I even used to think he had something to say.
Shitwagon used to be a staple at tit bars.
For some odd reason any song I associate with a memorable physical display stays with me forever. I wuz gettin' over a breakup wif a woman who I had intended to hang on to for a while, "Blame It On The Rain" was at the top of the charts. Between the alcohol, the squack and where my sorry-ass head wuz at that particular moment "Blame It On The Rain" still moves me.
"Sunday Bloody Sunday" does about the same thing 'cuz I heard it once at precisely the moment the barkeep's wife grabbed me and stuck 'er tongue in me ear. Too much information...
I can wade through Styx just to get to What's His Face's scratchy Strat solos. From a classic rock perspective their compositions are pretty well put together. From a revisionist history perspective... maybe not. Van Halen hadn't come along yet and Grunge still lived in its daddy's nutsack.
Boston: Hey, don't diss those guys! They're Just Another Band Outta Boston! They're Smokin'!
Boston for me is about the guitar tone. I don't even care about the guitar harmonies, I can listen to The Allmans or Thin Lizzy for guitar harmonies. All I need to hear is Barry's old Marshall just haulin' ass and it
is Barry's old Marshall... or at least it was until Tom scratched his Social Security number into it.
That doesn't address the lyrics. Lessee, if I wuz 16 to 25 or maybe even 30 what would I write songs about? Gettin' laid and gettin' wasted, that's what! Every new generation thinks they invented the stuff.
Except for The Pistols. They sang about Thatcher era England. Must be they didn't get laid much!
