Entertainment For Lively Minds
Rubbish songs by otherwise good artists
Posted by Humphrey Plugg on 21 October 2009 - 11:42am.
As an alternative to the debate on "good songs by bad artists". I hope no-one compiles a spotify playlist of these...
A few to start you off
Knockin' Lost John - The Band
Know Your Rights - The Clash
Get Behind Me - Scott Walker
Your Cover's Blown - Belle and Sebastian
Feel the Groove - Little Feat
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Eh?
I love Know Your Rights, and Get Behind Me is one of my favourite Scott vocals, especially on the chorus with that bass running behind it.
Meanwhile I was listening to ABC the other day and I realised that, even though I love the Lexicon Of Love with a passion I never ever want to hear When Smokey Sings ever again.
I just find the lyrics of
I just find the lyrics of Know Your Rights to be really fifth form, and sung in an irritating "outraged schoolboy" voice.
It was a great struggle to nominate Scott (as you'll detect from my username, I'm a big fan) but I do think that Scott4 peters out over the last 2-3 songs and Get Behind Me is - imo - the poorest of the three. It's not unlistenable, just way below the standards he had set in the rest of his late 60s albums
You're not wrong about Know Your Rights
in that respect; Primal Scream did a version of it a while back that did sound like some 6th formers jamming and trying to be 'political'. But I like the rattle of the track. It's one of the best on Combat Rock, although that's not saying much.
Meanwhile, Scott 4 is actually my favourite of the 'classic' SW albums funnily enough.
You are wrong about Know Your Rights
It is a top tune albeit of it's time
track 1, side 1
my all time fave,well maybe Watcher of the Skies from Genesis Live
call it a draw
Agreed on both counts re.
Agreed on both counts re. your first paragraph
Plenty to choose from in Shakey's catalogue
But I nominate Daddy Went Walkin' off Silver and Gold, if only for the lyric:
Brown leather boots and an old straw hat
Daddy's getting wood with the barnyard cat
Got a little dirty but that's all right
Hey now, hey now
Go on then I'll do it
In 4 decades an more RT is bound to deliver a few duffers, but I don't think many people will be rushing to defend Modern Woman or Baby Talk.
More surprisingly, to me, some of my least faves have their rabid devotees. Step forward the mawkish How Will I Ever Be Simple Again, and the clunking Persuasion (though to be fair RT only wrote the inoffensive tune, the cliche-by-numbers words were Tim Finn.)
wow
this thread only goes to support the "to each his own" argument..I love "Persuasion", great tune and a decent set of lyrics..must rush back and play it again to reaffirm ..love and peace Bingham
Peace to you as well, Bingham
I'm well aware of Persuausion's popularity - not least with RT who plays it regularly. I think the thing which gets to me is the grating .................. pause before the word 'persuasion'.
for the record
I love "How Will I Ever Be Simple Again" - I'd describe it as "affecting" to mawkish
I do skip Fast Food and most of First Light, though.
You have to be a bit careful with RT - I thought "Business on you" was a real dog, but sung live, it was excellent.
"Most of First Light"?
How very very dare you! Since I think most of First Light is one of the best albums ever made (TM), what is it more precisely you don't like? I mean, it definitely ain't Sunnyvista.
I like Sunnyvista...
...There. I've said it. Do you know, I couldn't put my finger on what it is about FL. I'm an RT'aholic and have more albums than I care to count, but I can't bring myself to ever play it - I think it's been on twice. It's been categorised as "dull" :-)
Right
The first song ain't much good, but the rest of the first side is all fantastic, including the Pointer Sisters's song (Don't Let A Thief...), finishing on the awesome Died For Love.
The second side is relatively disappointing, but it ends well. I simply love that title song. But as a whole it's all damn good. Even the cover is better than *ack* Sunnyvista. A terrible cover for which to judge an album by, I do not know.
Sunnyvista
was a bit of a let-down after London Calling, but it's still good.
Three Words
The. Laughing. Gnome.
Comedy value perhaps, but really...
But surely not his worst..?
Isn't that really early Bowie stuff a bit neglected? 'When I'm Five' is a splendid piece of work.
Lots of gems from the Deram years
"The London Boys"
"The Gospel According to Tony Day"
"Uncle Arthur"
"Sell Me a Coat"
"Rubber Band"
"Love You Till Tuesday"
"There Is a Happy Land"
"When I Live My Dream"
"Little Bombardier"
"Silly Boy Blue"
"Come and Buy My Toys"
"Did You Ever Have a Dream"
"Karma Man"
"Let Me Sleep Beside You"
Clearly stylistically indebted to Anthony Newley, but some sharply observed vignettes of weird suburban characters and experiences, drawn with a wistful, sometimes melancholic tenderness.
totally agree with that
the Bowie Deram years have great things, and I've been meaning to do a thread on this very subject; I'd rather listen to 'The laughing Gnome' than 'Modern Love' any day of the week. Those songs have a fantastic atmosphere to them, and you missed the truly bizarre 'We are hungry men' and 'Please Mr. Gravedigger'. Fantastic stuff, which I listen to these days far more than his later stuff. Mind you, that says more about me than Davey Jones I suspect.
Early Bowie....
... is at least as good as late Bowie (which I loved too I hasten to add).
Agreed about early Bowie - I
Agreed about early Bowie - I prefer it to most of the later stuff
Five
"When I'm Five" is a really peculiar song
The Who - Squeeze Box
Some time ago a thread on this site inspired me to check out Who By Numbers, a generally terrific album I had vastly underrated. The inclusion of this song, however, is probably why it had been previously neglected.
Yep...
...apart from Squeezebox, it's my favourite 'oo album. Well, maybe after Quadrophenia.
Trouble Boys
by Thin Lizzy. The original by Dave Edmunds was great but the Lizzy version, incorporating dodgy synth percussion, was truly a career low!
Fab Macca
I think this had been mentioned before..but "Freedom" by McCartney is an embarrasment!
The Clash
Their nadir was Red Angel Dragnet.
Who's worst was the mini rock opera A Quick One.
Springsteen gave mawkishness a bad name with Pony Boy
Franz Ferdinand
Do You Want To...It was their comeback single from their second otherwise excellent album. My heart sank when i first heard it and i've never warmed to it. It sounds like Go West.
he's the keeper - the first track on...
Heliocentric by paul weller, was probably the worst thing i'd ever heard him do at that point.
i say it was the worst, because after hearing the rest of the dire album, in 30 minutes i went from being a life-long fan, to no seeing the point in anything he did after "heavy soul"(an amazing album - firing on all cylinders etc...).
"wolfgang's big night out" by the brian setzer orchestra, which they wisely kept under wraps for as long as possible, before releasing it. didn't put me off his music afterwards though.
Pretty I know
but Big Yellow taxi by Joni is bloody horrible. Conversely Clouds from the same era is equally simplistic but somehow lovely.
The Smiths
Panic.
Japan - Suburban Berlin
...to be honest, they were completely rotten for half of their career.
Afterwards, like a different band entirely
Steely Dan
Er..
Um..
...anyone..?
Through With Buzz is a bit duff, I suppose..
I'm still somewhat gobsmacked by...
Mr. Moonlight whenever I hear it. I mean, WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?
Your Covers Blown
One of my favourites!
(Now where did I leave my coat...)
At least I didn't nominate "Beyond the Sunrise"
which I quite like but is so hated by some of their fans that it is known solely as Track 3.
You can keep your coat off
Your covers blown is one of my favs as well. Track 3, now that is poor.
How about a word article on god help the girl - could tie in with the shows in a couple of weeks.
Re.God Help The Girl
Just checked up on that, gutted there are no dates in North West England! It's a good album, I have to keep an eye out for more.