Clash more pretentious than Yes

Only hippies and nerds listen to music with more than three chords anyway.

And if you're listening to Eno, you migt get away with only one chord.


Chords are boring. More indescriminate noise please.


Edited by Lost Follower - April 09 2009 at 03:11

Yes never pretended; they were the real deal.

Sacred 22 wrote: Yes never pretended; they were the real deal.

What is that even supposed to mean, beyond the totally obvious aspect?

debrewguy wrote: All true. If you're not looking for attention, you stay in your basement & keep your art to yourself. And even Johnny Rotten has said that getting your ass on a stage, or your music on a record (CD nowadays) requires some pretension  on your part. LIke why you and not someone else. Mind you, he did speak out about the quick conformity that punk soon engendered - mohawks, leather, spikes, spitting. What had started as a DIY, be you rself whatever that is scene became another "club" defined by its' dress & politics. HE even referred to the Clash's lyrical approach as being too "politics 101". He rather preferred to write about whatever came out - angst, anger, ridicule, art , whatever. If you have to force it , F it./ As for glory periods and radio, the era of radio's relevance and rule as an arbiter and dissimilator of good music are long gone. The mainstream is no more, the niche rules, and the internet, community radio, and the alternative press (i.e. the small mags that aren't Rolling Stone, Spin, NME, and the like) offer enough to support a vibrant music scene like we have not seen since the 70s. Whatever it is that you like, you can find out about, then find it, and then find out that you're not alone in being interested in it. Sounds great for finding great sounds ~

One thing that Rotten/Lyndon still doesn't admit to was the fact that Pistols were actually designed by Malcom McClaren to promote his girlfriend's clothing designs for his sex shop. I always found that irritating with the Pistols, they claim they are as honest as hell, but them keep denying that they were a manufactured boy band.  For a band that had an album called Never Mind the Bollocks, they spoke a lot of bollocks, especially on that doco the Filth and the Fury, and also to this day deny being influenced by the Bay City Rollers.
But all the same, even though I take what the guy says with a grain of salt, I think there is truth in what he is saying in your quote.


Edited by Cheesecakemouse - April 12 2009 at 01:04

ExittheLemming wrote: Interesting discussion certainly. Reductio ad absurdum: Even at the very basic level of private communication between individuals, the very act of articulating your ideas can be dismissed by the other as 'pretentious' In the public domain, surely esoteric ability has to exist before anyone can perceive a differential merit in a communication? It's scarcity alone that confers a value to any phenomenon be it coal, diamonds or triple albums from UK rock bands... Yep, 'Sandinista' was poo in it's triple guise, but could have been condensed down into a killer double album just on the strength of the music alone. The risible concept re empathy and identification with South American revolutionaries was complete and utter hollow cant unrivalled even in the fantasy primer output of those gritty realists 'Yes'. Furthermore: Why is it that an individuals social origins are construed as contradicting a political orientation formed over time as they approach maturity ? Surely the son of a diplomat is entitled to have left wing views if his life experience tells him this is a just perspective ?

I agree  about that communication, prog and punk at the basic level just forms of communication. As for my mention about Joe Strummer's upbringing that is more  to  point out the flaw in that statement that most  critics  make about punk being the expression of the frustrations of the lower class and prog just being upper class. I am pointing out that these statements are baseless generalisations, but yet put forth by so called 'experts'  - Rolling Stone magazine etc.




Edited by Cheesecakemouse - April 12 2009 at 02:06

debrewguy wrote: Petrovsk Mizinski wrote: Sacred 22 wrote: Yes never pretended; they were the real deal. What is that even supposed to mean, beyond the totally obvious aspect? You mean someone thought they were make-believe ?

Sean Trane wrote:     mmmmmmmmmhhhh............     Punk was already over by 78. It lasted from Aug 76 (and the Mont De Marsan festival in France) until end pf 77. Most punk purists will tell you do. The next groups were called new wave (sort of inveted by Melody Maker, in response to NME launching Punk as their "thing ">> Sounds will invent NWOBHMB in 70), even if in Northern America New Wave meant early 80's electro-pop groups.     The Clash were seen as mega sell-outs already after London Calling's success. Real punk groups did not release albums, they releasqed singles and EP's.     Now why would NME shooy its own punk baby, right????

As someone who was there (My first Clash gig was November '76) I can confirm that by early '78 a large portion of the UK punk scene (which was still pretty small in terms of numbers) considered 'PUNK' the movement (as opposed to punk rock the genre) to be finished.

I hated 50% of London Calling, I thought it was Karaoke Clash, this is our Rockabilly tune, this is our disco tune, this is our pnk tune etc etc... Instead of staying with a vision and creating something of their own, they just copped a lot of other peoples styles. Mildly entertaining but hardly inventive.

The term 'New Wave' was coined by Malcolm MaClaren early on. He took it from the early 60's French film movement of the same name, considering the new scene (4 groups at most) to be comparable. But of course, what it came to represent was people like The Cars and The Knack. Dreadful middle aged musicians who thought that wearing a skinny tie made them hip. The very people who would have bemoaned the early punk scenes lack of technical ability.

One of my favourite responses to the musicianship debate at the time was from Glen Matlock at an early Sex Pistols gig... "You can't play" yelled the hippy in the front row.."Yeah, so what?" was the response. Magic.

Frankly, when it comes to attitude, I'm amazed that The Clash and YES can even be mentioned in the same breath, let alone the same subject of a thread.

To quote the great man "Like trousers like brain".

Lost Follower wrote: I hated 50% of London Calling, I thought it was Karaoke Clash, this is our Rockabilly tune, this is our disco tune, this is our pnk tune etc etc... Instead of staying with a vision and creating something of their own, they just copped a lot of other peoples styles. Mildly entertaining but hardly inventive.

Oh my god... finally someone who feels about London Calling exactly the same way I do. Last year I bought it only to be really perplexed by how good it was seen as for the very reason you mention.

If I want some artsy, weird punk rock I'll put on later Black Flag, thank you!

Lost Follower wrote: Toaster Mantis wrote: Lost Follower wrote: I hated 50% of London Calling, I thought it was Karaoke Clash, this is our Rockabilly tune, this is our disco tune, this is our pnk tune etc etc... Instead of staying with a vision and creating something of their own, they just copped a lot of other peoples styles. Mildly entertaining but hardly inventive. Oh my god... finally someone who feels about London Calling exactly the same way I do. Last year I bought it only to be really perplexed by how good it was seen as for the very reason you mention. If I want some artsy, weird punk rock I'll put on later Black Flag, thank you! I'd suggest Wire myself. One of the greats to come out of London in '77. Still making great music to this day.

When it comes to top albums you just can't trust critics can you!
So Black Flag is artsy eh? I'll have to check them out one of these days.