Regrettably, I seem to have missed the first of the two Today programmes that I wanted to listen to, the one edited by David Hockney, which was broadcast this morning. Which is a bit of a shame, as it looks quite good, and I'm not sure why the BBC can't put it on the iplayer, but never mind. There are some highlights to be listened to here:
David Hockney edited Today Show.
I think they might put it up in full tomorrow or something, as seemingly they can't put it up immediately afterwards because of interviews and possible changes to the schedule(?)
Anyway, the next one that I'd like to listen to, but which undoubtedly I will miss also, is edited by Robert Wyatt, and is being broadcast on New Year's Day. Not much hope of catching that one then, although I don't actually know what we're planning to do on New Year, although I'm quite sure alcohol will have some part to play in the proceedings.
In the mean time, here's Hibou, Anemone and Bear from Soft Machine's Volume Two:
And Robert Wyatt's cover of Elvis Costello's Shipbuilding, on The Old Grey Whistle Test:
Enjoy.
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Sunday, 27 December 2009
Yo!! Sweetness.
I was checking this out recently, and I got to thinking about some of the worse album covers from other years. By that I don't necessarily mean album covers that are just completely bizarre and obscure (but admittedly hilarious), rather albums that are actually relatively well known, by popular or respected artists. Some of the main offenders here seem to be rappers; older albums often have strange and ridiculous fashions on display, while some of the more recent efforts from the Wu Tang are pretty 'orribly designed, even if the contents are often excellent (unlike with the pitchfork article above, which seems to be suggesting that the artists who make or commission bad album art are necessarily bad musicians). So I guess you can't judge a CD by its cover (even if you can usually judge a book by its cover). Anyways, here's a few for your consideration, in no particular order:
Inspectah Deck - Uncontrolled Substance (1999):
A good album ("my style's so underground I write rhymes on fossils"), awful art. Inspectah looks like he's dressed as a bin man, and he's pulling a very awkward pose. The movement lines around the car suggest it's driving past him, and yet there's a dog leaning on it barking. Also, check the awful pic art magnifying glass, the bad font, and the awkward and unnecessary use of the Wu's "W" symbol, which is a recurring theme in Wu Tang solo albums.
Method Man - Tical 0: The Prequel (2004):
Extremely confusing and cluttered. Is the baby flying? Has it been dropped? It looks in pain anyway. More awkward "W" usage, this time it's been turned upside down. (Edit - just realised that it's a giant baby, wrecking a city)
GZA - Beneath the Surface (1999):
Another Wu Tang. Not sure what it is about this one that gets on my nerves; I think it just looks like a poorly made PC game from the late nineties, some sort of space related strategy game, but I can't really put my finger on it. The idea of imprinting a massive "G" on the world is a nice metaphor, but it looks rubbish in execution. Also, the "Parental Guidance" symbol is far too big, and it's guilty again of "W" manipulation. It's strange, because Liquid Swords has one of the coolest Wu covers, and yet this one is rubbish - perhaps he went to a different guy for Liquid Swords, and reverted back to the same crappy graphic artist that all of Wu seem to be friends with for this one.
GZA - Legend of the Liquid Sword (2002):
Pretty much the same deal as above, looks like a bad 90s PC game, except this one reminds me of this also:
GZA and the person he's with have been badly pasted behind that console they're looking at, so it seems as if they are just disembodied torsos without legs, just floating there above it.
Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams (2007):
Mortal Kombat.
Bob Dylan - Self Portrait (1970):
This one is pretty famously bad. Created by Bob himself, I guess by this point he was surrounded by sycophants and yes men who didn't bother to tell him he couldn't paint.
David Bowie - Earthling (1997):
I'm afraid to listen to this, because it contains the infamous drum and bass track he did. I'm sure I'm not missing very much, late Bowie tends to be pretty dull, but he's certainly not doing himself any favours by dressing up as Geri Haliwell's dad on the front cover.
Bobby Womack - The Poet II (1984):
Apparently tired of being of his image as a sexy sounding soul singer with big glasses, Bobby Womack decided to up his game in the mid 80s by dressing in pink leather. This seems to be part of a trend with soul and funk singers, who in trying to appear sensual and sensitive, sometimes cross the line into flaming homosexuality. I actually found this album in Groucho's once, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, I didn't buy it.
Isaac Hayes - Joy (1973):
Same as the description for The Poet II, although it's worth noting the tiny Isaac jumping for "joy" above his name in a nice ballet pose, as well as the back cover for this album:
How can someone wearing that have such a manly pose? Because he's Isaac Hayes.
MC Hammer - Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em (1990):
Bad cover, terrible (although unintentionally hilarious) title. This one runs against my "don't judge a CD..." comment somewhat.
Kool Moe Dee - How Ya Like Me Now (1987):
This is one of the few bad album covers that is both completely horrible and completely awesome at the same time. My brain is swinging between the opinions so quickly that it's making me feel sick. Kool Moe Dee famously feuded with this guy:
LL Cool J - Walking Like a Panther (1989):
This one is more baffling than anything else. How were they allowed to do this? Does the purchaser/listener really need to be shown a panther in a gold chain in order to understand where LL is coming from here? Also, is it just me, or does that panther actually seem to be somewhat weighed down by the chain? It looks like his head is drooping. And what does that briefcase with the handcuffs have to do with anything?
Anyway, that's enough for now, but I might come back to this. I found some of these just as I was writing this blog, like the Panther one, so I guess there are probably an awful lot more out there than I'm aware.
On a side note, hope everyone is having a good Christmas.
Inspectah Deck - Uncontrolled Substance (1999):
A good album ("my style's so underground I write rhymes on fossils"), awful art. Inspectah looks like he's dressed as a bin man, and he's pulling a very awkward pose. The movement lines around the car suggest it's driving past him, and yet there's a dog leaning on it barking. Also, check the awful pic art magnifying glass, the bad font, and the awkward and unnecessary use of the Wu's "W" symbol, which is a recurring theme in Wu Tang solo albums.
Method Man - Tical 0: The Prequel (2004):
Extremely confusing and cluttered. Is the baby flying? Has it been dropped? It looks in pain anyway. More awkward "W" usage, this time it's been turned upside down. (Edit - just realised that it's a giant baby, wrecking a city)
GZA - Beneath the Surface (1999):
Another Wu Tang. Not sure what it is about this one that gets on my nerves; I think it just looks like a poorly made PC game from the late nineties, some sort of space related strategy game, but I can't really put my finger on it. The idea of imprinting a massive "G" on the world is a nice metaphor, but it looks rubbish in execution. Also, the "Parental Guidance" symbol is far too big, and it's guilty again of "W" manipulation. It's strange, because Liquid Swords has one of the coolest Wu covers, and yet this one is rubbish - perhaps he went to a different guy for Liquid Swords, and reverted back to the same crappy graphic artist that all of Wu seem to be friends with for this one.
GZA - Legend of the Liquid Sword (2002):
Pretty much the same deal as above, looks like a bad 90s PC game, except this one reminds me of this also:
GZA and the person he's with have been badly pasted behind that console they're looking at, so it seems as if they are just disembodied torsos without legs, just floating there above it.
Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams (2007):
Mortal Kombat.
Bob Dylan - Self Portrait (1970):
This one is pretty famously bad. Created by Bob himself, I guess by this point he was surrounded by sycophants and yes men who didn't bother to tell him he couldn't paint.
David Bowie - Earthling (1997):
I'm afraid to listen to this, because it contains the infamous drum and bass track he did. I'm sure I'm not missing very much, late Bowie tends to be pretty dull, but he's certainly not doing himself any favours by dressing up as Geri Haliwell's dad on the front cover.
Bobby Womack - The Poet II (1984):
Apparently tired of being of his image as a sexy sounding soul singer with big glasses, Bobby Womack decided to up his game in the mid 80s by dressing in pink leather. This seems to be part of a trend with soul and funk singers, who in trying to appear sensual and sensitive, sometimes cross the line into flaming homosexuality. I actually found this album in Groucho's once, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, I didn't buy it.
Isaac Hayes - Joy (1973):
Same as the description for The Poet II, although it's worth noting the tiny Isaac jumping for "joy" above his name in a nice ballet pose, as well as the back cover for this album:
How can someone wearing that have such a manly pose? Because he's Isaac Hayes.
MC Hammer - Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em (1990):
Bad cover, terrible (although unintentionally hilarious) title. This one runs against my "don't judge a CD..." comment somewhat.
Kool Moe Dee - How Ya Like Me Now (1987):
This is one of the few bad album covers that is both completely horrible and completely awesome at the same time. My brain is swinging between the opinions so quickly that it's making me feel sick. Kool Moe Dee famously feuded with this guy:
LL Cool J - Walking Like a Panther (1989):
This one is more baffling than anything else. How were they allowed to do this? Does the purchaser/listener really need to be shown a panther in a gold chain in order to understand where LL is coming from here? Also, is it just me, or does that panther actually seem to be somewhat weighed down by the chain? It looks like his head is drooping. And what does that briefcase with the handcuffs have to do with anything?
Anyway, that's enough for now, but I might come back to this. I found some of these just as I was writing this blog, like the Panther one, so I guess there are probably an awful lot more out there than I'm aware.
On a side note, hope everyone is having a good Christmas.
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
I hope you choke on it.
It's been very quiet on this blog of late, I guess because I've been finishing coursework and whatnot, and because I've just had a bit of a block in terms of having anything to say. However, the opportunity arose last night, when I wrote a couple of reviews for Clash that were too late to be included in the magazine (the deadline was last Friday), so I thought I'd post them; not because the bands I reviewed are any good, but because they are spectacularly bad, so you might get some small amusement from reading someone slating them:
Sgt. Wolfbanger – Think Inside the Box.
S.A.C Records.
The quality of Sgt. Wolfbanger's debut album is, sadly, easy to predict without a single listen; they've supported McFly. They have a song called “Ctrl Alt Retreat”. If you were to buy their album, you'd find the lyrics for this song printed inside, which include the rhyming dictionary fest, “now pull me from the mire, my eyes are pits of fire, never will I aspire, you've nothing to admire, not the type to inspire...” (it goes on like that, but I won't bore you further). Whether or not these points put you off, there's probably little purpose in reading the rest of this review; it's a foregone conclusion. If this description sounds appealing to you so far, chances are you aren't going to listen to reason. However, suffice to say, the music is the type of dull, uninspired and idiotic pop punk that you'd expect.
0.5/10 (for bravery).
Three tracks: If you want a laugh, listen to Take Me Away, which includes the line “when he buys you a drink, I hope you choke on it”.
Dig this? Dig Deeper: McFly, Busted, Noise Next Door.
Hadouken! - For the Masses.
Surface Noise Recordings.
In the press release for this album, Hadouken's lead singer James Smith name checked the Prodigy, admitting that he feels Hadouken! are due some chart success as they are “cut from the same cloth.” Immediately, listening to this album, alarm bells began to ring in my head; it seemed like Hadouken! aren't similar to the Prodigy; rather, they are actually trying to be the Prodigy, in the most cynical, shallow and brainless way possible; remember the part in Peep Show, where we hear the song Jeremy has been working on (“This is outrageous! This is contagious!”)? Well that's kind of what this album sounds like, except that along with the dumb chanting about drumming drums and cracking craniums, shouted over the generic dance music, James Smith also seems to be aping Dizzee Rascal's vocal style, to give the album the best chance of popular acceptance.
1/10.
Three tracks: It doesn't matter, they all sound the same.
Dig this? Dig Deeper: The Prodigy?
As well as ripping into horribly unconsidered music, last night I watched Hunger, which was excellent, if not particularly Christmassy. It was very quiet and reflective, and the parts that were noisy seemed absolutely deafening, in sharp contrast to the silence of the rest of the film.
The quote from Thatcher at the beginning of the trailer is particularly interesting; I find it hard to believe people swallowed her bullshit so easily. Obviously I'm not advocating the bombings in London and elsewhere by the IRA, but how can she justify the Falklands War if she thinks there is no such violence as political violence, only criminal?
Anyways, check that fillum if you get the chance.
Sgt. Wolfbanger – Think Inside the Box.
S.A.C Records.
The quality of Sgt. Wolfbanger's debut album is, sadly, easy to predict without a single listen; they've supported McFly. They have a song called “Ctrl Alt Retreat”. If you were to buy their album, you'd find the lyrics for this song printed inside, which include the rhyming dictionary fest, “now pull me from the mire, my eyes are pits of fire, never will I aspire, you've nothing to admire, not the type to inspire...” (it goes on like that, but I won't bore you further). Whether or not these points put you off, there's probably little purpose in reading the rest of this review; it's a foregone conclusion. If this description sounds appealing to you so far, chances are you aren't going to listen to reason. However, suffice to say, the music is the type of dull, uninspired and idiotic pop punk that you'd expect.
0.5/10 (for bravery).
Three tracks: If you want a laugh, listen to Take Me Away, which includes the line “when he buys you a drink, I hope you choke on it”.
Dig this? Dig Deeper: McFly, Busted, Noise Next Door.
Hadouken! - For the Masses.
Surface Noise Recordings.
In the press release for this album, Hadouken's lead singer James Smith name checked the Prodigy, admitting that he feels Hadouken! are due some chart success as they are “cut from the same cloth.” Immediately, listening to this album, alarm bells began to ring in my head; it seemed like Hadouken! aren't similar to the Prodigy; rather, they are actually trying to be the Prodigy, in the most cynical, shallow and brainless way possible; remember the part in Peep Show, where we hear the song Jeremy has been working on (“This is outrageous! This is contagious!”)? Well that's kind of what this album sounds like, except that along with the dumb chanting about drumming drums and cracking craniums, shouted over the generic dance music, James Smith also seems to be aping Dizzee Rascal's vocal style, to give the album the best chance of popular acceptance.
1/10.
Three tracks: It doesn't matter, they all sound the same.
Dig this? Dig Deeper: The Prodigy?
As well as ripping into horribly unconsidered music, last night I watched Hunger, which was excellent, if not particularly Christmassy. It was very quiet and reflective, and the parts that were noisy seemed absolutely deafening, in sharp contrast to the silence of the rest of the film.
The quote from Thatcher at the beginning of the trailer is particularly interesting; I find it hard to believe people swallowed her bullshit so easily. Obviously I'm not advocating the bombings in London and elsewhere by the IRA, but how can she justify the Falklands War if she thinks there is no such violence as political violence, only criminal?
Anyways, check that fillum if you get the chance.
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