Monday, February 11, 2008

Reverse Randomizer




I’m all for the idea of the randomizer – shuffling your iPod/MP3 player and listing the first five tracks played, but these are five songs that definitely won’t be appearing on any of my randomizers. I can’t stand them, and wouldn’t let a single one within a mile of my MP3 player

‘Horse With No Name’ – America
Doesn’t it just grind along and drone on and on and on.

‘In the Year 25 25’ – Zager and Evans
Strip away the galloping urgency, the manic key changes and the dopey predictions - there isn’t really much of a song left.

‘Telstar‘- The Tornados
Not in anyway listenable. It sounds like the sort of music they’d shake a leg to on Tracey Island.

‘How Do You Do It’ - Gerry and the Pacemakers
This and the other one ‘I like It’ put me off discovering decent sixties music for years.

‘The Glory of Love’ – Peter Cetera
There aren’t many people I really could punch, but Pete qualifies with this song and that voice - so weedy and wimpy it makes Scooter from the Muppets sound like Lemmy.

9 comments:

BLTP said...

Not with you on Telstar which is ace especially the weird radio static noises at the beginining; it's the sound of the modern world.
Without being a total hippy I always find it easier to love songs than hate others. There are bands I don't like coldplay for instance, I just avoid their music. At a push I'd include Jamiroqi (but that's mainly because he's a tosser) the westlifes of this world (why are they so popular?). All those estuary posh/slumming it singers like Kate nash and Jack Penate. Oh and of course the Rolling stones.

Matthew Rudd said...

I like two of those - A Horse With No Name, which I think has an unusual chorus after the one-note verses. And I have always really enjoyed Glory of Love for its chivalry. I'm a sucker for stuff like that.

I do find Gerry and the Pacemakers most annoying though, I'll go along with that no question...

Tim Worthington said...

Agree with all of them except for Telstar, which is ace. Though Glory Of Love did at least have that hilariously awful 'clips behind sliding doors' video.

Cocktails said...

You don't like Telstar?! What is wrong with you?! It's fabulous and bltp is right - it is the sound of modernity.

I also love America although Horse with No Name, I'll agree, is not their best track.

You can have the others, particularly Peter Cetera. It took me a long time to take Chicago even remotely seriously as a band after that 80s introduction to the world of Mr Cetera.

On the same vibe as Peter Cetera I also hate 'Missing You' by John Waites and Foreigner's 'I want to know what love is'...

Mondo said...

I never knew Telestar had such broad appeal - I'll make an appointment to get my head/ears tested sharpish.

Cocktails those two have been firewalled from my gadget too.

Jon Peake said...

I think I'm with you on this, though I'm not completely averse to Cetera on th whole.

On mine, you'll not find:

Reet Petite/Jackie Wilson. My least favourite song of all time.

Shout/Lulu - again, it's bee done to death

Nights In White Satin/Moody Blues. A dirge.

Pride (In The Name Of Love)/U2. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

Liver Forever/Oasis. In fact, only one Oasis song is in my ipod, and that's Cigarettes and Alcohol.

Mondo said...

FC good calls - not one of those is on my MP3 player.

But there's a tip top version of Cigarettes and Alcohol by Rod Stewart, which sounds like he's joined Primal Scream.

Ken Shinn said...

Oops. Add me to the Fans Of Telstar as well (although you're right on the others, especially In The Year 2525 whose mopy Californian self-importance can piss right off).

As a sidenote, did you know that well-known musical loony Robert (Lucky Leif And The Longships/Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters) Calvert did a vocal version of Telstar?

Bonus points for the Frank Hampson homage in the opening lines...

Tell Dan Dare and Digby, we`ll be there
to fight the Mekon scare and free
the fabulous future
Telstar we salute yer
though the future seems to be
an Arthur C. Clarke mystery:
Quasars a sequined gown of stars
"Come Dancing" up on Mars
Telstar we know you did your bit
While twinkling in orbit
Telstar, I`ll tell you what you are
You`re a moon beam in a jar

We are in a monetary state
is it getting to catch up with you now?
All we`ve got is the silicon chip.
Are we losing our grip?
Will we make it somehow?

Here we are, a recessional mess
a black hole of stress
in a Valium trance
all we`ve got is the video boom
when we run out of the room
will he still have a chance

or do we stay
forever and a day
on this tiny ball of clay
called Earth?
Or will we escape it
and memory-tape it

to show our children so they`ll know
what some of it was worth

while twinkling in orbit
we know you did your bit
Telstar
I`ll tell you what you are
you`re a moonbeam in a jar.

Mondo said...

Ken thanks for the tip off about the Robert Calvert cover, tip top lyrics too. I'll have to track that one down.

Did you know Visage - yes, them of the early 80's electrickery tunes did a cover of 'In The Year 2525'?