Prog is a dirty word to some. Indeed, Holdsworth is a bit more highbrow than George Thorogood. “Good Clean Filth” is certainly lacking the fat-bottomed Midwestern choogle found specifically in dross like “Bad to the Bone”. And I’ve never heard of Yelawolf until just now, but I really like that flannel shirt dude is rockin’. But to each his own.
No doubt I’ve taken a few older brother beatings for my tastes in progressive rock; however, it was my pugnacious older brother who sat me down with Velvet Darkness and said, “That Eddie Van Halen shit you love so much? This is where it came from.”
And I was telling @Rocket not too long ago about my relationship with my brother, who would administer beatings for such infractions as gleefully listening to Grand Funk Railroad, or any artist that wasn’t up to his technical snuff. I don’t know that I liked King Crimson as much as I desperately learned to like them, or else. Even now, the vast majority of prog is tedious, ruler-to-cock sword-fight showboating.
I’m listening to Supergrass today, if that’s any consolation. This song (“Alright”) was the first thing I heard and thus, I’m in a great mood. I can see myself rolling through all of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society at some point in the day.
True story. However, I read in subsequent interviews that he was unhappy with the overall production, sound quality, and the duplicity of the record company; not necessarily the music per se. I saw him in the late 80s/early 90s (during his Synthaxe period) and he did half of Velvet Darkness, so he hadn’t distanced himself from the record. The problem with guys as good as AH is they seem to be hyper-critical of nearly everything they’ve done prior to the present moment.
Nevertheless, if Velvet Darkness is nothing more than a throwaway rehearsal tape, just imagine how fuckin’ good this cat was when he was trying. (Check out I.O.U. for some gnarly jazz-fusion shit - not my thing, but it is stunning.)
Errrrggggh.
I haven’t heard that in a long time.
Which was working out pretty good for me, TBH.
I keed, I keed.
It’s OK, but it sort of leaves this nasty taste in the back of me mouth like if Andy friggin Partridge remade the Hard Day’s Night movie or something.
But I can see the appeal.
I usually try and stay out of here because sooner or later it starts feeling like this:
But OK.
As brother @super_lucky is well aware, the only real reason Sammy Fuckgar is still walking around and not permanently bedridden and eating through a friggin tube is because I’ve never met him face to face.
But yesterday I totally randomed across this.
Which, of course, I’d heard a bazillion times, but not recently.
I was charmed by Edward’s having painted the drill like his guitars, that was cute.
Otherwise, there’s still enough stuff going on that you kind of wish they’d recorded it with a singer whose IQ exceeded his inseam measurement.
Fuckin Sam.
You know it’s a bad sign when you make Alexander Van Halen look clever.
“Poundcake” has a solid groove - for Eliminator-era ZZ Top. Coincidentally, I had the same feeling; wishing DLR was on the mic. Dave might have turned it into a palatable jam - at least one with a hook. I do not hear a hook. All I hear is Alex doing Four-on-the floor and Mike’s incessant throbbing.
Hagar Hate Party, now in full swing!
Anytime somebody says they hate Van Halen, I think of Hagar and say, “Of course you do.” There’s so much to dislike about the band and this video. AND - AND, I’ve read multiple guitar magazine interviews in which EVH bemoans the lack of “intelligence” in Sammy’s lyrics, particularly on this song. He said something like, “My kid [Wolfgang, aged 7 or so at the time] could have written better words than Sammy.”
There’s also an easily-cribbed story about the band writing a song for the movie Twister, (“Humans Being”, easily their WORST song ever) and they had the music done; it was up to Sam to do his bit. So he flew in from Hawaii or wherever and they said, “Listen, Sam. Do your thing, but whatever you do, don’t mention tornadoes or twisters in the song, OK? We’re trying for an indirect reference type of thing? You get the drift?”
Sam gets in front of the mic and the first words out of his mouth are: “Sky turning black / knuckles turning white / headed for the suck zone”.
He left the band not long thereafter.
Sometimes ham-fisted rock is just what the doctor ordered. There is a place for Bad Company, however slight, in my life. Despite being a hardcore DLR-VH fan, even the brightest moments of the Van Hagar period flicker and fade. One of the guys I look up to as a guitarist kneels before the altar of 5150 and I just. Don’t. Get. It. Sure, maybe the guitar playing is hotfire, but don’t you hear Sammy in there? Don’t you hear that? Apparently not.
All true, all true.
I’ve heard that Tweester story many times, with Edward’s side being, like, “What part of ‘no weather lyrics’ did you not get, Sam?” and Sam’s side being, like “I was…hey look! A bug!!”
For this raccoon, the most interesting things Edward was doing during those dark days had a lot more to do with composition than guitar work.
Thanks @Charlie_Jack! A personal Top 100 album. The 2005 reissue is now today’s hot track list. Keith Moon and Jimmy Page on “Beck’s Bolero”. Rod destroys “I Ain’t Superstitious”. “Shapes of Things”. Beck is crushing it. Transcendent music. Thanks again. Truth.
You’re welcome, @super_lucky! I wasn’t sure anybody would dig that one.
I thought about posting “Beck’s Bolero,” but I think I may have posted that one in the past, and I didn’t wanted to risk revealing the extent of my senility.
