Hard News: You've got to listen to the music
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This is my second Doobie Brothers post of the day. Hey, sometimes I just need some Doobies, brother...
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A moment for the great Teddy P
Yes, rest in peace Teddy. I love this one - eight and a half minutes of capital-D Drama:
(With *extensive* spoken-word interludes. I am such a sucker for a spoken-word interlude.)
It's a real pity that tosser Mick Hucknall covered 'If You Don't Know Me By Now', too, because the original is so glorious.
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I have to disagree with you on the Hucknall thing, Danielle. I love Simply Red et al. Anyway, just wanted to say Happy BDO peoples. Don't get too sunburned/wasted/lost. And enjoy milling in a sea of teenagers.
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It's a real pity that tosser Mick Hucknall covered 'If You Don't Know Me By Now', too, because the original is so glorious.
Heard the original on the radio yesterday and it wasn't the Simply Red version which popped into my head - it was this one:
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Anyway, just wanted to say Happy BDO peoples. Don't get too sunburned/wasted/lost. And enjoy milling in a sea of teenagers.
Oh, the sea parts for me and my buddies: that's how much rock 'n' roll we got.
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Hah!
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it wasn't the Simply Red version which popped into my head - it was this one
Heh. My favourite thing about the David Brent version is that he clearly has never even heard Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. So it's a derivative cover of a derivative cover. With white linen.
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Nice chaps, although I wouldn't have picked that they'd become Underworld.
I always thought that the real power behind Underworld's throne was Darren Emerson. Before he joined, they were wandering in the vague pop wilderness. After he left, they got lost in doof doof land. But while he was there, they made some of the most beautiful dance music I've ever heard. I remember hearing "mmm skyscraper i love you" and "cowgirl" back in '94, and just being blown away by the subtlety and poetry of it all, as well as how beautifully it could take the roof off at a party. Dubnobasswithmyheadman is still the one album that I would press upon strangers if provoked.
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They say it comes in 3's. Jay Reatard, Teddy Prendegrass and now Bobby Charles (See You Later Alligator, Walking to New Orleans, ran with Dylan, The Band, Neil Young, Dr John)
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Oh, the sea parts for me and my buddies: that's how much rock 'n' roll we got.
That's not rock 'n' roll. That's whiff of old person. They're hoping you had a sponge bath before you left the home.
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Rofflenui
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(guess who's not jostling with teeming teens)
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Are the kids still crumping?
I remeber trying to get a drink at one of the quieter bars (with noisey music) on the strip and this kid (15yrs I think) challenged me to a Crump-off.
As it was one on one I passed, but latter had to do my Pete Hodgson to get through to the loo. -
went to groove armada at the power station last night - kinda dragged along by the missus really, but man, have they changed tack, and in a good way. they've turned themselves into an electroclash group, mostly played live, with bass, geetar, keys and a really solid drummer. they've got a cool woman out front as well, kinda channeling Toyah Wilcox with a nice line in Kate Bush dance moves. tell you what, if I'd walked in without knowing who was playing I'd never have guessed right.
just felt the need to share.
oh, and total bummer about Teddy P.
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Mick Hucknall: I really don't like Simply Red and Hucknall comes across as a prize tosser / pratt in every conversation I've seen, but for all that it's a mixed prattishness as the dude actually has quite respectably good taste. I'm sure The Valentine Brothers and others were not unhappy with the large cheques Mick sent their way, and he funded and co-owned Blood & Fire, one of the truly great reggae reissue labels, which, once again, sent a few cheques in the right direction.
In the mid 1990s he was in Auckland for a tour or something and he approached us to DJ for a night in the Box. We agreed, not expecting too much, and yes he was very much the prize tosser / pratt, and totally full of his own self importance, but, using two DAT players, he played a stonking set of soul, funk, reggae and Rnb that completely bought the, queues down High Street, house down, without the whiff of an overplayed classic anywhere. And refused to take any payment aside from a lager or two, asking that we donate his fee to charity, which we did.
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Dubnobasswithmyheadman is still the one album that I would press upon strangers if provoked.
Testify, brother! Ride those sainted rhythms on the midnight train to Romford!
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And for those enjoying their Big Day In, something completely different
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...and to get back to the Depeche Mode covers, I suspect this may disturb some people on a number of levels...
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Well that was that then. There'll be many deconstructions on here, and Moses will be back from parting the sea of teenagers any moment I'm sure. But since I'm awake (kids!), here's my brief two cents.
I found it very difficult to get inspired by anything after Minuit and Kora, which finished at 5pm. I mean Ladyhawke had a good crowd, but it was bigger than the allowable area, so watched from the side, which was the same for Gin Wigmore. Dizzee was, well Dizzee, and the crowd went wild, and I went to the Lilypad, where a guy in a gimp suit channelled his grandfather and James Brown. That's what my friend told me in any case, cause after they struggled with the drum kit for 30mins, I'd gone to watch Lily in Pink on the main stage. 'FU, FU very, very much. Cause we hate what you do and we hate your whole crew, so please don't stay in touch'. A veritable chorus of teenage mutagenisity sang with great aplomb.
Then Led Zeppelin let loose with the hair, waistcoats, tight pants and ear splitting vocals, followed by Queen singing 'I Want it All', complete with lasers and mass hysteria. Actually I like both Mars Volta and Muse, but at the point I said, 'yip, seen it', and looked at the map for what to do next, things got a bit listless and I found myself wondering around between Gin Wigmore, the Boiler room and the Lily pad looking for traction.
It is possible I'm officially no longer the target demographic for this festival, and that would be a great shame, as I have spent many an excellent afternoon there in the past. Without a 'I would pay the cover charge just to see that band' act in future, think I'll be sticking to reformed 80s bands saving for their retirement.
Bring on Echo and the Bunnymen and The Pixies.
Oh, and yes I did catch some Groove Armada, but by that stage I'd had enough of standing in the 'World's largest Bong', so stood outside under the tent pegs, with the other quadrogenarians.
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Dizzee Rascal was my highlight -- being down on the floor of a stadium full of kids going bonkers was great fun. The sheer energy in that music is extraordinary.
We covered the Girl Talk-Ladyhawke-Kora clash by seeing a bit of each, ending with Kora, who I thought were tremendous on the big stage. Ladyhawke pulled a big crowd but didn't project to it all, and Girl Talk were breakbeats and a Classic Hits station full of samples -- it got old quickly.
The Checks were good on the main stage early on, and Dimmer really pulled it off in the Boiler Room. The last 15 minutes of their set was 'Seed', and it was nice to see the kids arriving for Concord Dawn going nuts for that.
Lilly Allen was good without being great -- awesome pink Jackie O dress though -- Sasha was better than I thought, but kind of austere and Groove Armada were a mixed bag before we had to retreat from the heat and crush of the tent.
My friends and I did have a brilliant time at, of all places, the Silent Disco -- the Dutch DJ was most entertaining, and it's quite a novel feeling dancing to music inside your head.
But yeah, far from the best BDO musically, and the heat and the sold-out crowd made it uncomfortable at times. But hey, survived another year!
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Anyone see Devendra Banhart? He's the one I was most curious about.
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Dizzee Rascal was my highlight
A couple of friends thought Batacuda Sound Machine were impressive also.
But yeah, far from the best BDO musically
Let's hope that leads the way for something fantastic next year. Glad you survived RB, what would we do without you :)
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Anyone see Devendra Banhart? He's the one I was most curious about.
Didn't see him, but the alternative stages didn't seem to work very well this year: big crowds, poor sound -- not helped by bleed from the relocated Local Produce stage.
Jeez, Campbell Smith was trying it on a bit when he told Mikey yesterday morning that they'd created a great environment for Local Produce -- it was more Guantanamo Bay than Hawke's Bay.
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An interesting piece in today's Weakend (sic) Herald ' Counter-culture' BDO a triumph of capitalism (C2). Some of the points it makes are blindingly self-evident (eg 'alternative' is just another genre or marketing slot) but it is interesting that these view are expressed by a marketing type.
Apparently we may well be 'followers of Russell Brown rather than Russell Crowe'. Where you may go, we will follow... -
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