PANTHEON: SOUNDS 1979

Showing posts with label SOUNDS 1979. Show all posts

Thursday, January 2, 2025

Dave McCullough - The Raincoats debut / The Mekons - The Quality of Mercy is Not Strnen - Sounds - December 8 1979

Continuing the series of crits wrong-footed in real-time, unexpectedly harsh reviews from Dave McCullough for the Raincoats self-titled debut and the Mekons not-self-titled debut.

Yet I seem to remember him writing positive stuff about both earlier on?

The Mekons debut I can see perhaps an early supporter feeling that something had been lost - a certain exuberance in the early singles that hasn't survived the transition to the major label and big studio situation. But the Raincoats is so gleefully free, it's hard to see how someone - especially at that juncture in history - wouldn't get caught up in its unruly energy. Especially if that someone was a champion of messtheticians Scritti Politti, as Dave McC was.

But McC seems to dislike both groups for being too right-on as we called it back then (the woke of its day). The review is a bit like a critic counterpart to the song genre of studentphobia. Or perhaps the subgenre artschoolstudentphobia

See also Kevin Rowland's loathing of The Au Pairs.

Sunday, December 15, 2024

Garry Bushell - The Clash - London Calling - Sounds - December 15 1979

Resuming the series of reviews in which a critic is wrong-footed in real-time, with Garry Bushell giving a measly two-stars to the record that Rolling Stone would later anoint as Best Rock Album of the Eighties (even though technically it came out in the 1970s, at least in the band's native land, and at the very end of the decade, the last weeks of '79).

But, thinking about it, I don't even like London Calling. And all the reasons why Rolling Stone would rate it so high are exactly the reasons why Gazza finds it so boring - the relapse into Presley-Stones-etc rock's rich tapestry-ism.

And within five years Strummer himself would be in resounding agreement with Gazza and would attempt to restage The Clash debut with Cut the Crap.

Yes, despite various attempts over the years, I've never clicked with London Calling, apart from the title track single, and "Lost In the Supermarket," which I find affecting.

The rest bypasses me.... it's like the Clash submitting belated candidacy to be part of the Last Waltz line-up.... a truce between New Wave and Old Wave. (Getting Guy Stevens to produce - the man who more or less created Mott the Hoople - is totally the Old Wave into New Wave truce move).

I prefer Sandinista... on points.... but also because they sound confused and dispirited...

The spiritedness of the Clash is one of the things I find least appealing about them - probably why I never clicked with the debut either.

(That's why I'm endeared towards "Lost in the Supermarket" - a Strummer song, and Strummer sentiment-admission of frailty - even though it's Jones who sings it, with trademark wetness).

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Garry Bushell - Gang of Four - Entertainment! - Sounds - October 6 1979

Not quite an example of critics totally missing the significance of an epochal record in real time, as this does get a measured 3 and a half stars out of five from Gaz, with Entertainment! further described as "erratically brilliant".

Included in the series more because the critique comes from a well-informed position (SWP member conversant with Brecht etc) yet advances a stance contrary to the now historically sanctioned viewpoint (here it is arty postpunk that's deemed is the wrong direction out of punk, the diversion of energy). Instead of "rip it up and start again", it's more like "reiterate it and stay street".