Music A to Z 10.23.09: Q & R are for…

Posted by Chris Crowing on 10.23.2009

Queen, Radiohead and Rammstein...



Yes I could have picked Queens of the Stone Age as well, but there is little to say, so have a video instead...





Living Life at Eleven

Last weekend, I read a most excellent column by my esteemed fellow 411 scribe Dan Haggerty which I heartily recommend you take a look at here. For those too lazy to click a damned link and give five minutes of your time, Dan makes a concise case for living your life at exactly the volume you want to, and not turning down for anyone else's notions of proper behaviour, not just in your musical taste but as a life statement in general. At least that is how I take it.

It strikes a chord with me, as various comments I have received from workmates and through the grapevine from former supposed friends have really riled me up. These comments have been along the lines that I should grow up and stop being so 'into the alternative scene.' I'll appreciate this is a somewhat personal angle, but I hope my long term readers

WTF?

For one thing, I barely go to clubs anymore, I don't dress like a little Goth anymore (not that I ever really did by my standards, and thank Gods for that!) and I pretty much spend most of my time outside of work or band practise with my girlfriend, or sharing a pint with some of my loyalty-proven friends, usually in a non-rock pub, because it's nice to actually TALK to each other.

Sure, I still have long hair and tend to dress in a slightly 'rock' manner (trainers, jeans, t-shirt, hoodie), go to lots of gigs and play in a band but IMHO that is intensely 'so-what' in this day & age. I'm hardly a doyen of 'the alternative scene*' and as to the 'grow up' accusation, my main concerns in life are paying bills, saving cash and spending time with the girl I intend to be my wife. Isn't that being grown up?

* What does 'the alternative scene' mean anymore anyways? I listen to all forms of music, and go to all kinds of gigs. Where is this scene, where do they meet? IMHO anyone who uses phrases like this only show themselves to be the kind of vacuous idiot who actually thinks being 'alternative' is a phase to be grown out of, and as such is a dishonest, backhanded kind of person

Secondly these comments comes from someone who is still intensely obsessed with the concept of being part of 'a scene' and has a woefully immature playground attitude to life. I'm a bit pissed to say the least.

Dan's column strikes a chord with me, as music has ever been my place of last resort - when the world is too damned inflexible and I feel the need to retreat, music is always there. Be it listening to Pearl Jam, Godspeed! You Black Emperor or Seth Lakeman of an evening, or whatever heavy or driving metal or dance music gets me to work in the morning or fired up for a night out, or whichever of my ever expanding catalogue strikes a chord with my mood at the time, it is one of those things which defines me as a person, as well as refreshing, healing and motivating me. It is my inner fire, my shield against an uncaring world and an irreplaceable part of my life.

To echo his point, you will always find people, be they the kind of person who is old before their time, obsessed with political correctness or whatever (you know the type) who will tell you to turn your music down, wear more appropriate clothes and grow up or even worse, the kind of vacuous scene-jumping tool who drops long term friends for reasons of social kudos, actually views 'that alternative thing' as a disposable lifestyle choice and is always looking for a way to raise their social status, usually at the expense of others. In short, these people are dull, have low horizons, no understanding of context, passion and will never be truly happy.

If you'll pardon me language. Fuck them.

Life your life with honesty, self awareness and no shame. If you like rock music, play it loud* and laugh in the face of the folks who look disapprovingly at you - they'll have that disfiguring scar of contempt on their face all their lives, and really they should be pitied.

* but not in the library or late at night, working folks need to sleep!

Of course, there is a big difference between indulging in a genuine passion, and attempting to be 'edgy' in order to gain attention, which is just another facet of the hollow self-hatred which leads another kind of person to tell you to be quiet. I have little time for those folks who dress and act provocatively merely in order to gain a reaction- how hollow is your life really?

On balance, I'd like to raise Dan's challenge, and in the true spirit of Spinal Tap, I'd ask all of those who feel the clarion call we are sending out to live their life turned up to eleven, and don't let any sneering faces pull you down.

The world is ours for the taking, and narrow, mean minded people just want to stop you, and trust me, those who try to stop you only fear and envy you.

Turn up that extra notch, smile, nod your head and go about your business.

In a similar vein, let me share a video of a awesome band one of my very best friend's recently recommended to me.





* Please note, all 'Best...' designations are merely this writer's opinion, and stand as a recommendation for new fans, rather than an attempt to make a definitive statement. I'll likely change my mind by next week anyway.

Queen

What: Rock Legends
From: London, England
In the Beginning: Formed as Smile and quickly signed to Mercury Records, the band changed it's name to Queen when Freddie Mercury joined the band. The classic line-up was completed when John Deacon joined in 1971, and the band's eponymous debut record was released in 1973. The band were hugely successful until the death of singer Freddie Mercury in November 1991.
Best Album*: As a rule their albums are spotty, but almost every single one has at least two killer songs. Buy the greatest hits (I & II but NOT III) if you must. I will almost never advise this… Apart from that Live at Wembley '86 (1992) is probably the best catch-all of their best work, not to mention Freddie in his full-on pomp rock persona.
Best Song*: "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Under Pressure", "The Show Must Go On"
Recently...: Following the release of the Cosmos Rocks as Queen + Paul Rogers in 2008 the band toured the world with Rodgers until the project dissolved in May 2009. There is no solid word on any future Queen projects.

Before Metallica, even before Oasis, I loved Queen. I got over it, but they will always be the first band I loved, even though I'm now powerfully apathetic to the band.

I'll get the bad taste out my mouth first and then we can get into the positive stuff.

Freddie Mercury was my first musical icon, and I had a poster of him on my dorm wall when I was thirteen years old. You will not belief the abuse I got for having a well-known gay figure as my poster of choice, and in retrospect I was a very naïve child. Mercury's death when I was but ten years old was the first musical tragedy I can remember, yet my affection for the band continued past his death until I became interested in other things.

However, my affection for them remained as a band I liked until recent years, and I have become increasingly annoyed at the way the surviving members have abused their legacy, with ‘re-imaginings' of classic songs such as the execrable Greatest Hits III and willingly mugging along with flavour of the moment pop acts like 5ive.



For shame…

I will not castigate them for continuing to record and tour with Paul Rodgers (as Queen + Paul Rodgers rather than just Queen) as I would not deny them a continued career, just because their singer died. However I would wonder why it took them fifteen years to mount their comeback – Alice in Chains were back on the road five years after their singer died, and had a new record (the awesome Black Gives Way To Blue) out seven years later. Freddie died in 1991 and it was not until 2004, some thirteen years later that a proper comeback was arranged.

Of course, I would never deny someone the right to a career but the time period seems excessive for grief, and I can't get away from the feeling that Brian May and Roger Taylor came back for the money, with little sense of their legacy or interest in being a continually interesting musical force.

Of course, this is just my opinion, but I feel that is enough bitching and it's time to let us get into why I think this band is worth talking about…

I could argue that it is Queen who eventually led me to my current heavy taste in music, and one of my earliest musical memories is loving "Bohemian Rhapsody" and being introduced to the concept of head-banging by the awesome Wayne's World movie…



Queen's first two greatest hits records were mainstays of my early music listening, pretty much commanding my Walkman between occasional compilation tapes, and the albums my friends played. There is a great deal of quality in their work, and a great deal of variety between some cheesy pop music, rock anthems and truly touching ballads. As I clearly wasn't a current music fan in the seventies or eighties (what with not being born and being a pre-teen) I can't really give the most objective breakdown of Queen's career, so what I shall do is break down their quality by category…

Cheesy Pop

While Queen are rightly lauded as one of the great rock bands of the seventies, known for their lush arrangements and the grandiose feel of their music, they are perhaps better known for the mainstream rock/pop music they had so much success with in the 1980s. Tunes like "A Kind of Magic" and "Radio Ga Ga" stand tall amongst the electro-pop of the era, with a sense of musical grandeur and heartfelt song-writing ability that IMHO sets them apart from the more soulless offerings from Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet.

EMI/Parlophone aren't being helpful by embedding most of their videos, but this is an awesome find...



Of course, not every tune was a classic and hits like "the Invisible Man" were well below par even in the video, which is an art form Queen were among the pioneers of, even in most disturbing fashion with "I Want to Break Free."



Awesome or dangerously inciting our youth into transvesticism? You decide?

However, if it's cheese you want, what better (or worse) than their theme for the Flash Gordon movie...



Brian Blessed with wings and in gold hot pants, that would only be better if it was Oliver Reed....

Rock Anthems

Before they were mainstream pop heroes, before Freddie cut his hair and grew a moustache to reign his teeth in, Queen were one of the bands at the forefront of rock, tangling with T-Rex, Yes and others at the top of the UK rock tree. Many of their songs have slipped into the public consciousness, used as sound-bytes on shows like Gladiators, covered a few hundred thousand times etc. Everybody knows them...



Heartfelt Anthems

Queen also have a few songs which have the capability to genuinely move me. While "Who Wants To Live Forever" is just a movie tie-in, it is done with exceptional grace and pathos (though some might say hubris.) Of course songs like "Somebody to Live" are perhaps more cheesy than heartfelt, but they are very much beloved in any case. However their very best song was their last single, "The Show Must Go On." Even stripped of it's contextual meaning given Mercury's fragile health at the time the song was recorded, the song is a compelling tale of an ageing journeyman performer. I love it…



Queen will always live in my heart as the first band that lit up the fire of ‘I want to do that…' in me. While I've moved onto other things since, and tend to find Queen a bit like a side-order of fromage for daily listening these days, I feel that their place in musical history, both in the development of rock and electronica as well as their landmark status as one of the iconic live bands is merited. My best friend hates them with a passion, and will spew forth vitriol on this topic at the drop of a hat, and while I understand many of his point, I simply can't agree…

Radiohead

What: Alternative Rock Icons.
From: Abingdon, England
In the Beginning: Formed in 1985, their first single "Creep" was released in 1992, but only became a hit following the release of debut record Pablo Honey in 1993. The bands success increased with every succeeding record, even though their records have become increasingly experimental.
Best Album*: The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997), Kid A (2000)
Best Song*: "Creep", "High & Dry", "Just", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Street Spirit (Fade Out", "Talk Show Host", "Paranoid Android", "Karma Police" "Everything in It's Right Place", "Treefingers"
Recently...: In Rainbows released as a ‘pick your own price' digital download on 10th October 2007. The band returned to the studio in August 2009, and while a full album is set for 2010, one single "Harry Patch (In Memory Of)" was released to mark the passing of Harry Patch, the last British survivor of the First World War trenches.

It's been fashionable for longer than I can remember to be a Radiohead fan, gaining some kind of intellectual kudos from ‘getting' this most cerebral and eccentric indie band who despite their own wilful disregard for mainstream success, are arguably the most lauded and consistently successful British band of the last fifteen years.

I'll freely admit that to my eternal discredit I haven't paid much attention to Radiohead's more recent records, and from the excellent portions which I have heard that is most assuredly my loss. In an attempt to forestall the rampant abuse from those far more loyal Radio ‘fucking' Head fans (I can't see that catching on…) here is a recent video for you…



STOP PRESS: I've just investigated my music library and realise that I actually have every single record they've released, much to my surprise. That's what happens when you let friends hook their music library up to your PC at a party. Awesome. That's my homework for the next few days right there...

...(a few hours later) Oh. It appears I HAVE actually been listening to all Radiohead's post-OK Computer stuff quite regularly, just without the focus being that it is actually Radiohead, largely mixed up in my various background-at-a-party playlists. As such I'll try and separate the songs out into proper historical significance and such. Thus for the albums after Ok Computer you'll be reading my thoughts after only a few run throughs of the albums as a whole, while I'll recognise most of the songs from my ever evolving soundtrack...

For just about everyone, Radiohead's story starts with the timeless single "Creep" which remains one of the most iconic songs of the 90s (although I'll say that about at least another three Radiohead songs) - witness Britrock at it's sleazy, self-deprecating best...



It took a while for Pablo Honey and "Creep" to make Radiohead a name band, but they capitalised with two stunning, and impressively successful albums to follow, cementing their place in rock history in a relatively short space of time.



1995's The Bends was wall-to-wall atmospheric, emotive brilliance, containing the stunning songs "High & Dry", "Fake Plastic Trees", "Just" and "Street Spirit (Fade Out)."

It seems from this point onward, all indie bands who came through with a more grandiose or intimate feel to their music were saddled with the often unwelcome and grossly inaccurate label of 'the new Radiohead.' While this is undoubtedly a complement which bands like Muse managed to twist to their advantage (arguably filling the gap Radiohead left when they departed for more experimental fields) it often proved an unfair weight on a young bands shoulders, and surely can't have helped bands who have failed to quite reach the same heights, yet are pretty awesome in their own right, such as My Vitriol, Doves, Turin Breaks and Elbow.



Arguably Radiohead's magnum opus is the quite bewilderingly beautiful OK Computer. Perhaps it's too obvious a choice for my overwhelming praise (not many albums I like are rated #1 for their release year on www.rateyourmusic.com) but the album manages that comparatively rare feat of containing awesome singles ("Paranoid Android", "Karma Police" and "No Surprises") and also being one of those albums which is great to just throw on, find a comfortable seat and let the sheer awesomeness of the music float you away.



Sadly, the official video is 'embedding disabled' but if you haven't seen it, please check it out, as it's one of the most awesome ever...

However the titanic success of these records is almost ironic as they are founded on some of the most desolate soundscapes ever found in popular music, and in Thom Yorke's feelings of isolation and disgust. Like Cobain, Yorke found that selling a few million records doesn't stop you feeling isolated from and horrified by the bulk of humanity, in fact it simply makes you feel less understood.

So Radiohead decided to explore their ever-present but now pressed to the fore electronic influences and really take a step away from the compilation-friendly indie anthems that made their name, with the result being Kid A.

For the first half of the album it is a stunning step away from their previous success, drawn down by some concessions to 'the Radiohead sound' at the tail end of the album, as if they were afraid to completely alienate their fair-weather fans. Nonetheless it is a signal step, a classic album and it's always laudable when a band who were initially scene-mates with Suede start sounding more like a laid-back Nine Inch Nails or even aspiring to sound like Godspeed! You Black Emperor or Boards of Canada



Amnesiac was a full step further and with the fanbase duly warned Radiohead swiftly unleashed the darker, more ambient and idiosyncratic sibling onto them. This seems to be the most divisive of Radiohead records, with some calling it the final step in their move away from rock, and as such a classic, while some seem to think it's a step too far and is just self-indulgent crap. As usual it is horses for course, and I have to say that it is far more of a 'background' record for me, compared to the records on either side of it. Still it's a damned fine record, and one truly inscrutable release from eight isn't that bad going...

2003's Hail to the Thief was seemingly intended to merge the ambient electronica of the more recent albums with the indie anthems that made their name, and the result is...awkward. Lacking the stark beauty and sparseness of Kid A (or even OK Computer), and lacking the bite for the 'rock' numbers. It's still a really good record, but it lacks the awe-inspiring awesomeness of what has gone before. The best track is easily "There There (The Boney King of Nowhere)" which is how the later days of the Smashing Pumpkins first incarnation SHOULD have sounded. In fact the whole record sounds like it should be a movie soundtrack, to some eastern European avant garde horror movie, shot like one of those old stop-motion animations, as are so regularly pastiched in Cradle of Filth videos or (for folks of my age group and geographical references) the old adverts for Metz - beware the judder man...

...yes I appreciate that virtually none of you will get that. Sorry.



At last we come to 2007's In Rainbows which resolved many of the issues that plague Hail to the Thief by sounding completely different. By Radiohead standards, this record is relatively jaunty and compared to Kid A and Amnesiac it's quite accessible. In places it puts me in mind of a strange synthesis of Jack Johnson and VAST, and while it's a good record, it doesn't twist at my heart like their early anthems or the awesome depth of the first half of Kid A. Of course, the Bends, OK Computer and (it transpires) Kid A have been long term friends of mine, and perhaps this record just needs more time... It was feared this was their last record for some time, but it seems there is a new record in the works. Where will they go now?



Rammstein

What: German Metal Titans
From: Berlin, Germany
In the Beginning: Formed in 1994, debut record Herzeleid was successful in Germany, but their international breakthrough came when Trent Reznor placed two of their songs on the soundtrack for David Lynch's Lost Highway
Best Album*: Mutter (2001), Reise Reise (2004), Volkerball (2007)
Best Song*: "Du Hast", "Sonne", "Feur Frei"
Recently...: New record Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da is due for release in late October, and lead single "Pussy" is already out. The band are set for a large scale world tour, which annoyingly does not include Scotland. I am NOT amused…

In a week where I'm covering two of the most beloved bands ever, i feel the need for some light entertainment, and Rammstein fit the bill.

A gloriously camp metal band (arguably their music is "Neue Deutsche Härte" which translates as 'new German hardness' and is apparently a very teutonic form of industrial metal, but seeing as I've never heard another band from this genre, i tend to ignore the distinction. However as the genre-label is in German, it sounds awesome...) who sing about whatever they want, and do so in German, which would make the soppiest love song sound manly and awesome, but in fact they tend to sing about sick sexual fantasies and all manner of perversion as well as more cerebral fare, which is all the more awesome.

Like most people in the world, I discovered Rammstein through the comparatively large airplay that the song "Du Hast" received (it was on the Matrix OST) as well as Kerrrang! magazine's breathless tales of their awesome live show.



Ever since I've been a big fan of Rammstein for their dependably head-bangable riffage, huge choruses and completely non-politically correct outlook. They seem to get away with things because they are German, which history tells us is a very bad idea indeed. Except that it is awesome.

One of the best examples of their non-PC tendencies, alongside titanic, infectious riffage is the song "Sonne" which was apparently written to give boxer Vitaliy Klitschko some more apt entrance music, which is nice...



Of course, Rammstein are not the most musically demanding band, with virtually every song following the same pattern of big riff, downbeat verse with a spoken vocal part, then the riff comes back with Till allowing his impressive vocals to soar out, with the keyboards adding texture throughout. Rinse, repeat = Rammstein.

As such, I guess they are more of a 'fun' metal band as opposed to the considered musical awesomeness and lyrical passion and insight I look for in other acts - not to say that Rammstein aren't intelligent, and their overt perversion and anti-PC ness evidently comes from an intense intelligence and awareness that many social taboos and norms were clearly put in place by the powers that be (church, state, financial institutions, nWo...) to control, contain and constrain our thoughts and actions by making us obsessed with what we mustn't do, rather than what we could do...

...but I digress. Whatever the intellectual basis behind Rammstein's excesses (which as is now obvious, I support) the truth is that I cannot understand most of their lyrics and as such, can't be quite as behind them as a political musical entity as Pearl Jam or System of a Down - for example I have been earnestly told that "Du Hast" is both "You Hate" and "You Have", I understand that "Mein Teil" is about the case of the guy who killed and ate another man's....um...man-ness (translates as "My Part") but the rest is mostly conjecture.

One awesome Rammstein song which is under no doubt as to it's intent, seeing as they sing largely in English is...



"This is not a love song..." that's just AWESOME.

One of Rammstein's most enduring appeals is their simply MASSIVE live show, with all members of the band dashing about the stage with impressive pyrotechnic devices, and I am aware that at least singer Till Lindemann and possibly others in the group are now qualified pyrotechnic engineers. How cool is that? you may think you have seen excessive pyro at a rock show, but until you have seen Rammstein, you haven't seen the half of it. For this reason alone, I would recommend the Volkerball DVD release ahead of any of their actual CDs. The music is good dumb rock fun, but the audio-visual spectacle is something else entirely!



Their more recent records have been less impressive than the high-water mark for their formula (Mutter & Reise Reise) and while the likes of "Benzin" and "Mann Gegen Mann" are fun, I'd rather listen to "Ich Will" or "Moskau"... New album Liebe ist für alle da is out now, and the lead single "Pussy" is more of the same, with a reliably non-PC theme, which the kids will love...



If you are looking for virtuoso guitar playing, songs about dragons, seven minute opuses, metal music to convince people you are NOT a Neanderthal or something your parents might like, Rammstein are NOT the band for you. If you want undemanding, danceable metal that verges on being EBM (or vice versa depending on your PoV) to dance, shout and mosh along with, then there are few better bands. If they are coming through your town, whatever your taste in music, you will be knocked over by their live show, so take a risk, trust me.....



OK, as I went over my limit last week and I got roughly no comments last week, these is the response for two weeks ago...

skineadbufty gets us started with this Billy Connoly instead of Opeth :O

I agree utterly on the MOBO rant. If you want to have an Urban music awards then on you go, fair play but don't try and sell me the fallacy that you need to have certain skin pigmentation to get it or create it. Its patronising and actually more offensive than the BNP in its sublter sneering way. Lets have a music of gay origin awards for dance, disco and synth-pop shall we? Utter nonsense!

Ah Ozzy..... Time for a rant of my own I think. Indeed he is second rate and worse, Ozzy is the worst rock frontman ever. He has a knack for appearing with talented guitarists but as a vocalist and stage presense he relies entirely on image and off stage reputation rather than any genuine charisma or talent. I am convinced that he is almost single handedly responsible for metal being regarded as a joke and not a proper musical artform by the mainstream due to his cheesy nonsensical videos and lyrics during his solo career. Everything you claim to hate about scenes and fashion and superficiality and corporate rock is embodied in Ozzy.
ahem.

We'll have to agree to disagree on Muse as well I think. I'll get myself a copy of The Resistance and get back to you :)

So I'm guessing Pantera, Placebo, Portishead next week. Oh wait you said 5..... hang on, you said Scottish Troubadors? I'm warning you right now Mr Crowing if you feature that absolute abortion of wedding singalong pish that is the Proclaimers I'm ignoring you next week! :D

For some reason I still like Ozzy, largely because of the evident Zakk Wylde influence on songs like "No More Tears" and "Thunder Underground" but I guess you have a point with him being part of the reason behind metal's less than serious reputation with the bat-eating, wife attacking, and mumbling nonsense.

Then again, you have to throw a lot of blame at the Black Metal guys... Burn a church!....ahem... as well as bands like Motley Crue, Whitesnake and Poison, because believe me - THAT is still the vision of metal that many people have, some bizarre amalgam of glam/hair metal and the over serious, politically and morally worrying edge of extreme BM. Ozzy's eccentricity is pretty small beer compared to some of that, but yeah, he is a guilty little scene jumper which always deserves a flogging.

Oh, and you misread the end, it's five bands and some added value from some Scots troubadours, I never said anything about a Scots band starting with P. But since you reminded me....



Hdj360 continues to testify with New Breaking Benjamin album is worth it! If you liked their last album and the heaviness from their 1st album than you'll love this one! I think they've out done themselves on this new record or maybe I'm just being too much of a fanboy! Lol

P: Poweman 5000, Pearl Jam, Parkway Drive, Protest the Hero!

In all honesty, I think I've heard about 2 Breaking Benjamin songs, ever. Then again, I am ever open to new things and shall seek out this new record you extol so passionately, if you promise to check out Biffy Clyro, the Hazey Janes and This is Menace. Deal? All are available on iTunes and on youtube for your delectation and delight.

Likewise, Powerman 5000, Parkway Drive and Protest the Hero! mean absolutely nothing to me - well I think Powerman 5000 had some club hits back in the nu-metal days, but I can't remember the names for the life of me.

lev contributed with a damned good idea...P = Pink Floyd, people!

Plus Pearl Jam, Pantera, Prodigy and ... um, P.O.D? Yeah, I know you too well, Chris.

But how about throwing something really surprising in there and having a truly mainstream act like Pink, Paramore or the great one, Prince?

Guilty pleasures indeed, but it would be interesting to see you do pure pop for the first time and get people really bitching.

As you can see, I took your words to heart and made the Pop thing my uber-rant of the week. Thankyou Lev.

I would explain that I never picked Pink Floyd, because I'm not much of a fan, just a massive respecter of their work, and hence any piece on them would be a bit cold. Truly awesome, influential band, but not a lot more for me to say about them really.

I'm sure I waxed lyrical about the Prodigy in a column on dance or electronica before as well as my live review of their show in the spring and again, there isn't much to say apart from consistently awesome Hi-NRG tunes. Their most recent record Invaders Must Die is one of my albums of this year so far, but there is no greater insight.

By way of apology, here is a video...



However, I think P.O.D are a bit shit, from the bottom end of the nu-metal spectrum, quite one dimensional in their music and the whole Christian metal thing never sat that well with me. Their version of Rey Mysterio's theme music is absolutely atrocious as well.

I do like nu-metal, but it has to be GOOD nu-metal!

Slainte,
Chris Crowing

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