This is the first album by the band released in the UK in 1977. It was not released in the US until 1979. The US version has 4 tracks removed from the UK version and adds 5 different tracks. In the UK the singles were White Riot and Remote Control. White Riot was the first ever single released from the band. It was based on the Ramones style with three chords in the song. It is a fun punk song about giving the white youths a reason to start a riot. The song was written after members of the band were involved with the riots at the Notting Hill Carnival in 1976. The second single, called Remote Control, is about the bands bad tour called the “Anarchy Tour”. The record company that they were signed with, CBS, pulled the plug half way through the tour. CBS then decided to release the song as a single and did not bring it up with the band. Needless to say, they were not very happy with this. The band wanted to release Janie Jones as the second single. The song Remote Control became a symbol of what the band was fighting for because of this. The song that was later released on the US version called Complete Control gives mention to this issue between the record company and the band.
The US version of the album had different singles released. The first single was Complete Control. As I already stated, the single was written about the way that the record label released the song Remote Control and how the band was furious about said release. It is also about how the band managers want complete control of what the band does and how laughable the idea is. The next single is called Clash City Rockers. This song has a riff similar to The Who song called Can’t Explain. The song is about dead end employment and having direction in life. The next single is called (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais. The song takes the group in a new direction. That direction is called reggae. This song alienates a lot of fans at the time. The Clash are a punk group. Punk groups are supposed to have big fat riffs. This song broke that mold. The last single from this album was the US favorite called I Fought The Law. This is a cover song originally written by Sonny Curtis and first recorded in 1959 by Curtis with The Crickets, of Buddy Holly fame, backing. The Clash’s version of this song is one of the most famous versions released.
Aside from those singles there are also some really great songs on these two albums. Some of my favorites include the songs London’s Burning, I’m So Bored With The U.S.A and Career Oportunities. All of which could have been singles in their own right. This is a really great album that everyone should hear if they like punk or not. Yes, the album is that important in the history of music.
My parents were not into the punk music scene when I was just a toddler but I remember hearing some of these songs on the radio, especially the cover of I fought The Law. There is something that is just super catchy about that version. Everybody knows it and everybody loves it.
Korn – Issues
This is the fourth album from the band. It was released in 1999. The cover art for the album was from an artist who won a contest that was held by MTV. There were three additional covers that were from the contest as well. They were obviously from the second, third and fourth prize winners in the contest. There were three singles released from this album and a video for each of these three songs. The first was Falling Away From Me. This song was given away as an MP3 download on the internet from the bands web page. The page sited that this download was for the fans of the band. The video for this song starts out like it left off from a video on the previous album. It then converts from a cartoon to real life. After this change the video depicts a young girl getting beaten by who I assume would be her father. Then shows tens of hundreds of kids that come to her rescue as the band somehow appear in her bedroom to stop her father from future beatings and help the girl escape from the horrible situation that she was in. This is a very painful video to watch but this exact thing happens in some homes around the country/world. I think that the band just wanted to bring awareness to the people of the world that this kind of thing still happens to children. The next single is called Make Me Bad. This song may or may not be about the lead singers decision to stop his drinking and drug abuse. His decision to do this happened about a year before this album was released. The way that the lyrics are written this could very well be fact or fiction. The video for this song is very interesting. It depicts the band having some type of alien creature in each of their bodies. There is a doctor that seems to be able to control when the alien is able to be active. At the end of the video it shows what this alien looks like as a doctor is extracting one from the singers’ body. It is some kind of fish looking being. It is a very strange and interesting idea. The third single is called Somebody Someone. This is a really great heavy thumping alternative metal song. This was not as popular as the previous two songs. There is some great screams from the lead singer in this song too. The video, for the most part, is a performance video with CGI additions. They seem to be playing in some kind of concrete shelter, possibly a fallout shelter that hasn’t been in use for a very long time. As the band is playing the camera seems to be shaking from the heavy vibrations created by the band. The viewer is also placed inside the head of a common house fly and we see from the perspective of said fly as it flies around the room. It is an interesting take on a performance video but it is still a performance video. The only other standout track for me is a song called Let’s Get This Party Started. I like this song because of the music in the chorus. It is heavy and melodic at the same time. I would not recommend this album or any of the others to anybody under the age of 16 though. There are some topics and words that are used in the music that the band creates that are just inappropriate in my opinion. It is a great album that needs parental guidance.
Jónsi – Go Out EP
This EP was originally released for record store day 2011 on vinyl in the UK and Europe only. On the web page it was released in limited quantity on vinyl after record store day and you can get download copies still. I wanted to get a copy but I was too late. I then found out that it was getting a US release. I was very excited about that but disappointed that I was not informed by the web site that there was going to be a US release. I ended up ordering from a record store that I local to where I live, The Electric Fetus. There are four tracks from the album Go that are all remixed to perfection. The two A side tracks are Go Do and Tornado. The first is a reinvention that follows the animalistic/organic sound that Jónsi put on the album Go. The second adds to the existing song a strong punchy techo drum track with some great synth sounds that put an urgency into the song. It is a remix that makes me what to get up and do something, maybe dance. There is also a classic techno breakdown that I really like a lot. For those of you who do not know what a breakdown is, it is where all of the music just stops and slowly builds itself back up to the full song again. In this case the vocals are the only part of the song that continues in the breakdown. It is really beautiful to hear just Jónsi’s vocals by themselves. The B side tracks are Around Us and a different version of Go Do. Around Us has that paper thin sampled drum kit with a beautiful music box sounding melody. There is also a really cool sounding synth part that floats between the drums and the melody. The thin sounding drums sound really nice next to the music box sound. Although the music gets repetitive it sounds really nice with Jónsi’s vocals on top of all of it. This song also features a really nice sounding breakdown but after the breakdown the drum samples become a little fuller and push the song on through to the end. It is really a lovely version of the song. The last song starts off with strings and a synth version of a wood xylophone. Then a saw tooth sounding synth bass part is added to the song. The one thing that I don’t like is that there is an additional synth part that follows the vocals as jonsi sings them. The song drags on a little because of the over simplified drum track. I think that this song could have been left off of the EP all together. It is not a good slow version of the song and does not leave the listener where they left off. I think this song leaves off on too low of a mood. Like I said, it is too simple and drags on. Jónsi’s vocals are great but the music on this last track leaves something to be desired.
Radiohead – Little By Little/Lotus Flower Remixes
This is a two track vinyl release of the songs from the new album, The King Of Limbs. The A side of this LP has a super deep drum track with a thumping bass drum and the light tinkle of a Harp. The vocals are really the only thing that remains from the original track and they are cut up to fit the new sounds on the track. The vocals are also sent through a processor of some kind because they do not sound the same as what is on the original track. I love this remix. It makes me proud to have a stereo that can handle the output. This song would sound so muddied coming from a car and the listener would be missing so much of the punch that comes from the drums if it was listened to on a stereo that could not handle the out put. The B side track is good too but it does not have that kick that the A side track has. The B side is pushed on by some really cool synth sounds though. The drums are more thin and lacking in the bass section. The vocals are also run through a processer to make it seem more like they should be a part of the song. All in all it is a good song but lacks the punch that was added to Little By Little RMX. This is surprising to me since Lotus Flower was released as the actual single from the album. It is an interesting turn of events I think.
I am excited for the next three remix singles that are scheduled to be released. The next one will contain three remixes and should be released in a week plus a few days. I believe that the tracks to be remixed will be Morning Mr. Magpie, remixed by Nathan Fake, and Bloom, Remixed by Mark Pritchard. Bloom will have two different remixes making the next vinyl three tracks. The US release dates are Tuesdays and everywhere else is Mondays.
I would like to bring to your attention that the last two albums, Jónsi and Radiohead, are extremely limited in quantities but can both be downloaded from the bands sights for little monies.
No comments:
Post a Comment