I Love the Bunnymen, Hate the Vampires

No argument with using "The Killing Moon" in an advert. But vampires are lame.

Why Didn't You Just Play Louder?

Given that Soundgarden has drums, bass, and guitars and that Kanye has flutes, whistles, scratches and moans, why the hell didn't Soundgarden break into one of their older, faster, and louder songs and just rise to the challenge? If you want to get the crowd on your side, take the opportunity to do something spontaneous and different. Believe me, if you make an effort to deal with adversity, they'll follow you there.

Instead of complaining and using an ill-considered reference to retarded children, Chris Cornell should have acted like a musician and dealt with the issue at hand. This is why I have never gotten on board with Soundgarden. They simply aren't a band worth following and no one knows when that thing will fall apart again.

A Tale of Three Album Covers

These are probably the three most famous U2 album covers; they represent the early, earnest days of the band.

How is it that they survived the October album? Most bands would have been utterly bankrupt and chased from the music business with a cover like that. Many have. And yet, they persevered. This was because they could play live. That is what people do not understand about the appeal of U2. The songs were good, but they became great live.

U2 hasn't had a decent album cover in twenty years.

Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 Goodnight Oslo

A very intriguing package from Yeproc Records arrived in the mail a few weeks ago. I had missed this release due to being an idiot or whatever. I usually don't miss a Robyn Hitchcock album, but I think this came with a slew of other things and his box sets and all that.

My enthusiasm for the Venus 3 projects wanes considerably when I consider the inclusion of Peter Buck. I realize he's there to help Robyn add some guitar to the tracks and provide some contrast, but I prefer Tim Keegan or pretty much anyone else. In fact, I'd rather just have Robyn playing guitar. I don't know when I began to realize that Peter Buck is just a talented guitarist who just can't be bothered to try anymore. Fifteen years ago, maybe?

This package is wonderful, nonetheless and in spite of my complaints. The songs are the most important part of it, and a batch of Robyn's songs are always worthwhile. I think the design of this works quite well.

The Stranglers La Folie Covers

Every time I think I've run out of ideas, I remember that there are, literally, thousands of posts out there that are waiting to be written.

The Stranglers were accused of running out of ideas numerous times but that was never really proven true. They are still at it, getting ready to release a new album this spring called Giants. Hugh Cornwell continues on a tear--producing fantastic solo work and touring Europe this spring as well. If you can, support these artists wherever possible.

La Folie arrived as a transition album; they were leaving the 70s well behind them and they were escaping the punks. The punks evolved and a few even followed the band into the pop era of the 1980s. And, no wonder--the Stranglers owned a significant chunk of the charts whenever they released something, no matter how it was received. They could tour Europe and play to appreciative crowds whenever they felt like it.

And so, this album smacks of the collision between commerce and art. The cover is difficult, but not too difficult. The dreamy, watery portraits and the nearly illegible writing would probably make a marketing student complain, but oh well. It worked then, and it works now. This is the reissue package; I would think that there will be a more comprehensive set of reiussues in the future. The Stranglers think nothing of dropping triple albums on their fans, and their fans eat them up.