Various Artists ‘Radio 1 – Established 1967’ Universal

[noby]

Well that's Lionel's Christmas present sorted. ;)

A very frank review on Playlouder.com:


Ok. Stop what you’re doing now and go out and buy this record. Seriously: you’ll thank me. You will spend the rest of the week enraptured by it. You will be like a self-loathing middle aged man who has been trapped in a traffic jam with the wife and kids that he hates for seven hours, when, suddenly, there is a particularly vicious accident to stare at.
Read on at http://playlouder.com/dhtml/#/content/show/15688
(although you may have to register)

[the 12 th man]

Well that's Lionel's Christmas present sorted. ;)

A very frank review on Playlouder.com:


Read on at http://playlouder.com/dhtml/#/content/show/15688
(although you may have to register)

Anybody have trouble opening this?I clicked on it and my computer went mad -opened up about 40 versions of it?:confused:

[CollegeTillIDie]

noby 1 kenobie

Can you post the piece on here? I couldn't open it either

[noby]

Well, if adam has no objections (posted from the author on another site:" Wrote this for my chums at Playlouder.com who are thinking of starting some kind of petition. Anyway they've been pestering me to put this up in a few different places)


Various Artists ‘Radio 1 – Established 1967’ Universal

Ok. Stop what you’re doing now and go out and buy this record. Seriously: you’ll thank me. You will spend the rest of the week enraptured by it. You will be like a self-loathing middle aged man who has been trapped in a traffic jam with the wife and kids that he hates for seven hours, when, suddenly, there is a particularly vicious accident to stare at. It’s hard to imagine how 2007 (or any other year in the near future) could throw up an artefact so distressingly devoid of value while simultaneously being so hilarious and depressing. It’s like ‘Threads The Musical’ as envisaged by Monty Python. It’s like John Paul Sartre’s ‘Being and Nothingness’ on audio book read out by Ronnie Barker as Albert Arkwright from ‘Open All Hours’: “Ger-ger-ger-Graville. We’re born from nothing into a universe that our extremely limited sensory apparatus can make no adequate sense of armed with little more than the false notion that we’re somehow different to animals but with no ability to alter the 100% fatal outcome of our brief and miserable existence that is blighted by us having no free will. We’re fer-fer-fer-fer-fer-****ed.”

Now as you’re all obviously women and men of taste, you’re already expecting this review to be a kicking (and unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how I slice it, I won’t be able to disappoint you on this score) at the very least I should point out the few genuinely decent points about it first.

Yes, like a handful of M and Ms floating on the surface of silage, there are about three songs on this compilation that actually have some intrinsic worth that has nothing to do with sado-masochism. Throughout this two and a half hour atrocity, there are miniature staging posts of redemption meaning that just as you’re about to kick the stool away, swallow the pills or cut upwards along the wrist into the bath of stinging hot water, there is a glimmer of hope that makes you continue with the whole sordid misadventure. Just when you’re ready to cash your chips in Girls Aloud come along and do a pretty good cover of Wheatus’ ‘Teenage Dirtbag’. Now stood next to ‘Sound Of The Underground’ it’s merely pretty good but in the context of this album it’s like getting unexpected early parole from prison on the same day you get the cancer all clear and the limo arrives to take you to a new experimental theme park called Narcotic Sex Land.

Likewise ‘Careless Whisper’ by the Gossip and ‘Like I Love You’ by Maximo Park have enough **** and vinegar to make them worth bothering with, despite both being relatively old songs. (There is a grey area of bands who manage to slink away without smelling too much of manure such as Foo Fighters, Franz Ferdinand and Kylie as well.) But are Radio 1 actually saying that they can only find three bands that are up to the challenge in hand?

The challenge is, of course, to celebrate four decades of the venerable pop and rock station by releasing a double album wherein: “40 of today’s greatest artists cover 40 years of hits”. To be fair this is exactly the album that Radio 1 deserves. Over 30 of today’s most superfluous acts dropping their trousers, gripping their ankles and spraying great arcs of liquid human waste through the ether and straight into your ear canals.

So this frankly breath taking manifesto on how pop and rock can be literally destroyed, which has been conceived by, executed by and designed specifically for *****, opens, quite rightly, with The Kaiser Chiefs. They cover The Move’s disgusting hippy-wigs-in-woolworths anthem ‘Flowers In The Rain’. They once declared that they would happily **** off a tramp for success which is interesting because by appearing on this album, sonically that is what they have been reduced to doing already in order to keep their puny grip on the little fame they’ve still got left.

Like during an unexpected gang attack in a shopping centre in Stevenage, the blows and kicks rain down hard and fast. The Fratellis have taken the sensible move of covering Hendrix’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’ (it’s already a cover you ****ing muppets!). Now obviously, I don’t want them to die or anything but it is it too much to ask that the lead guitarist be pushed hand first into an industrial lathe? Before you have time to even vomit, the most despicable man in show business Robbie ‘Stop going on about how suicidal you are and just ****ing do it’ Williams turns up to cover ‘Lola’. Is that the song ‘Lola’ by The Kinks that describes getting off with a man dressed as a woman in Soho? Yes it is. Is this the same Robbie Williams who was in Take That, a band originally marketed as a gay cabaret band? Yes it is. Is this the same Robbie Williams who never ceased suggesting he was gay the second he slipped out of the tabloids for more than a minute a few years back? Yes it is. Is this the same Robbie Williams who sued a national newspaper for suggesting that he was gay, thus meaning that he sees same sex relationships as intrinsically being ‘a bad thing’? Yes. Yes, it is. Oh good. Glad we got that one sorted out. What’s that smell? It’s like a portaloo on the fourth day of Glastonbury? Oh, that’ll be the rank hypocrisy then.

After that bloated and vacuous melanoma on the skin of the record industry we’ve got The Streets managing the Herculean feat of being by far and away the worst thing on this wretched album. And by The Streets what we actually mean is a completely atonal Mike Skinner backed by some extremely bored session musicians. The latter would sound more at place on a cruise ship entertaining the blue rinse brigade, except that if the former were singing, the OAPs would throw him overboard to drown. No amount of cocaine will help Skinner get through this outrage against musical dignity. I feel very sorry for him. Just five years ago he was being hailed quite rightly as some kind of DIY visionary genius but now he’s outed himself as our generation’s Des O’Connor after partially successful throat cancer surgery.

It’s unfair to Skinner to single him out: the whole album reeks of the two day sweat of low rent session musicians. Interestingly this doesn’t just apply to the pop artists but to a lot of the bands as well. For instance anyone who has seen The Enemy, The Klaxons or The Twang play live will attest that they’ve certainly stepped their game up in the last two or three months. They’ve all come on so much as musicians it’s almost as if the singers have just turned up at the studio for an hour to add their vocals to some kind of karaoke backing track! What a preposterous thought! Even though about 50% of the songs here are all in the same key and are suffused with the same sense of ennui that only a failed musician can produce! Some coincidence.

Then we get to the second disc and the quality drops off rapidly.

Kasabian, a band so half-witted that they can’t tell the difference between Stoke on Trent and Manchester, take on The Specials’ ‘Too Much Too Young’ and put on Jim Davidson style ‘Chalky’ accents to sing back up. It’s left to us to guess whether they blacked up in the studio or not. The Editors totally miss the point of ‘Lullaby’ by a country mile. Robert Smith sings this song in a childlike voice because the narrator is a kid, half asleep, scared of what’s under the bed. The Editors deliver the words in the style of Vincent Price informing you that your entire family has been killed in a plane crash. The clue is in the title you ****ing dimwits.

Human language has not yet evolved enough to a sufficient degree to describe Razorlight covering Sting’s ‘Englishman In New York’. And still it keeps on building up like so much slag next to an open cast brain tumour mine. The Kooks, The View, Hard-fi . . .

In a cruel and unusual twist they save up a particular nugget of evil for the penultimate track, The Enemy covering ‘Father and Son’ which is apparently by Yusuf and Ronan Keating. Not Cat Stevens, not Yusuf Islam and not even how it was credited on the Keating single to Islam/Keating. No, the man’s surname, Islam has been taken off. Presumably in case the CD blows itself up or guides a jet into a building or anything.

[noby]

So, this has been a bit unbalanced then? No. Not at all. This is the BBC a once fearsome organisation brought, creatively to its knees by focus group thinking, a surfeit of middle management and marketing ‘creatives’. No one with any love of music has had anything to do with the production of this CD on any level, as controller Andy Parfitt reveals when he thanks his media ‘partners’ in the sleeve notes, shorthand for ‘I am a cunt’ if ever there was.

Don’t get me wrong, Radio 1 has always been a festering pile of **** from Steve Wright in the afternoon’s ace habit of making AIDS jokes to school kids to the jibbering synaptic misfirings of human-cow hybrid Chris Moyles, the world’s most shootable man. It’s the radio station that is responsible for the death of John Peel (the late great DJ often complained that the station was “killing” him by moving his slots to the middle of the night – not the best thing to do to a man suffering very ill health due to diabetes. Something that was pointed out just after his death by his friend Andy Kershaw) and the sidelining of anyone else with any talent such as Mary Anne Hobbes or Annie Nightingale. Once a year they ‘allow’ listeners to have a request show where the list of records they can choose from goes up from about 50 to 200. During this time Parfitt and his apparatchiks have to be placed into medically induced comas in case the stress of the ensuing anarchy causes them to have heart attacks.

For once in 40 years I’d like a radio station that plays good music, that isn’t in pocket of major record labels and that isn’t condescending to the people that fund it. You pay their wages – I suggest you make a ****ing fuss about it like I just have.

The reviewer is obviously going off on one, but I thought it refreshingly frank. 40 of today's artists covering 40 hits from the last 40 years had so much potential. Seems it didn't quite live up to it.

[CollegeTillIDie]

If they wanted to celebrate 40 years of BBC Radio 1 why didn't they just put the originals out? :(. Or have songs from the past 40 years as selected by 40 of the best bands/artistes around today?

[Dodge]

I heard the Klaxons doing Blackstreet's "No Diggity" on the radio. Thought it was fun. Don't think its meant to be anymore than that (PS the Klaxon's cover of "not over yet" is brilliant!)

[noby]

I'm a bit of a sucker for a cover version, so there are a few on this album that I would be curious to hear. Then agai, looking down the track list on Amazon, I would feel a little cheated. The idea is a song per year, but they still managed to stick Madness' 'It must be love' in for 1992, and 'Father and Son' for 2005.

[razor]

Heard The Gossip doing Careless Whisper this morning on Ian Dempsey, sounded quite good.

Full Listing Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_1._Established_1967)

[Magicme]

God I thought it was dreadful. Turned off the radio pretty fast.

Ray Foley was playing some of it yesterday and it was dire.

[Lev Yashin]

i downloaded quite a bit of this album at the weekend (curiosity) and it is beyond bad...if you hear anything worse then hard fi's cover of toxic i will be very surprised....it is just flipping dire!!!

[stann]

Got the album on a whim yesterday as I was passing the record shop, as I do like a good cover too, and it's actually not that bad.
There's no startling re-interpretations, no-one making the song their own or any of that palaver, no 'Hurt' or 'Jealous Guy' to be found there, but there are quite a few decent, interesting or fun efforts, and on a compilation that's usually as good as it gets.
Also, it has to be borne in mind that most if not all of these tracks are presumably from Radio 1 Live Lounge sessions, where the bands in question might not have had a lot of time to hone their efforts. They're meant to just be a bit of dicking around.

The reviewer is right about Girls Aloud doing 'Teenage Dirtbag' and Maximo Park doing 'Like I Love You', though it took a couple of listens to the latter to realise that. He's wrong, wrong, wrong, though about The Gossip's effort, it's awful!
Best on the album, by a country mile, are Foo Fighters doing 'Band On The Run'. Also quite the thing, though I've not listened to all of both discs, are The View (Don't Look Back Into The Sun), Kylie (Love Is The Drug), Franz Ferdinand (Sound And Vision), Keane (Under Pressure), Too Much Too Young (despite the rude boy backing vocals, and that it takes a while to get Kasabian-y), Can't Stand Losing You (more for Armand Van Helden's re-rub than that tool Mika, though he's bearable) and Corinne Bailey-Rae (Steady As She Goes).
He's also right about The Streets being the worst thing on there. Maybe it gets better half-way through, I couldn't wait that long.
More than half the album is just mehhhh, and that's a real shame. Why not do our own one? :cool:

[CollegeTillIDie]

stann
Do you want to do a best of 1967 to date using original artists or doing a Covers one based on the album you bought? Just to clarify please. Either Idea is worthy of pursuing for the record.

[stann]

Nah I was just thinking of doing our own version of that Radio 1 covers album, along the same lines but without the restrictions they imposed on themselves (session recordings, no previously released material etc..).
Maybe keeping the best tracks on the album and replacing the sh!te, maybe starting totally anew, open to debate on that one.
But, in the spirit of the album, the songs should be covers of popular originals (say UK Top 20 or 30 singles), and not ones that are now much more associated with the covering act than the original recording act. In other words, you're not allowed have Tainted Love by Soft Cell or Jealous Guy by Roxy Music. :D

[CollegeTillIDie]

stann

Does this one count?
'' Theme from M*a*s*h* (Suicide Is Painless) Manic Street Preachers

[stann]

Very much so, that's exactly the thing. Number 1 in 1980, covered by a current band, but not overly associated with them, ideal.
I'm going to volunteer Nouvelle Vague's delightfully delicate bossanova version of XTC's Making Plans For Nigel (released in 1979, reached No. 17).

And we should definitely keep Band On The Run from the CD, it just gets better and better! :) Will have a ponder on what else to suggest keeping.

So:
1967:
...
1974: Foo Fighters - Band On The Run (UK no 3 for Wings in 1974)
1975:
1976:
1977:
1978:
1979: Nouvelle Vague - Making Plans For Nigel (UK no 17 for XTC in 1979)
1980: Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless (UK no 1 for 'MASH' in 1980)
1981:
...
2007:

[CollegeTillIDie]

1982: Mad World by those two blokes from the Donnie Darko soundtrack (UK Top 10 hit for Tears for Fears)
1983: Borderline by Something Happens ( UK Top 40 hit for Madonna)
1977: Don't Believe a Word by Def Leppard( UK Top 20 hit for Thin Lizzy)

stann

If you send me the chart positions I shall insert them. My GUinness Book of British Hit Singles has gone missing.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Very much so, that's exactly the thing. Number 1 in 1980, covered by a current band, but not overly associated with them, ideal.
I'm going to volunteer Nouvelle Vague's delightfully delicate bossanova version of XTC's Making Plans For Nigel (released in 1979, reached No. 17).

And we should definitely keep Band On The Run from the CD, it just gets better and better! :) Will have a ponder on what else to suggest keeping.

So:
1967:
...
1974: Foo Fighters - Band On The Run (UK no 3 for Wings in 1974)
1975:
1976:
1977:
1978: China Drum - Wuthering Heights (UK no 1 for Kate Bush in 1978)
1979: Nouvelle Vague - Making Plans For Nigel (UK no 17 for XTC in 1979)
1980: Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless (UK no 1 for 'MASH' in 1980)
1981:
...
2007:

Arguably playing fast and loose with current band but nonetheless...

[endabob1]

Glen Hansard did a version of Toxic for one of the Radio stations in Ireland which is superb.
I'd also nominate the Futureheads version of Hounds of Love & Kate Bush's Version of Rocket Man no ideas of the years though.

[stann]

1982: Mad World by those two blokes from the Donnie Darko soundtrack (UK Top 10 hit for Tears for Fears)
1983: Borderline by Something Happens ( UK Top 40 hit for Madonna)
1977: Don't Believe a Word by Def Leppard( UK Top 20 hit for Thin Lizzy)

That first one I'd be a bit iffy about, as Gary Jules had more success with his cover than Tears For Fears did (Number 1, and Christmas at that, as opposed to 3 or something). But that's mainly 'cos I don't like it. :D
The other 2 couldn't really be classed as current bands, but I think that criterion will make the job next to impossible to complete so could be relaxed on occasion, ditto with Lionel's one.
As an aside, Borderline barely charted in 1984 (single released February, album was 1983), it only did well when re-released in 1986 and we have a good one for that year already. Up to yourselves really, but having it represent 1984 is good enough for me for the minute. :)
Endabob, given, given, and given. Not heard Glen Hansard's one but it must be better than Hard-Fi's. :)

1967:
...
1973: Kate Bush - Rocket Man (UK no 2 for Elton John)
1974: Foo Fighters - Band On The Run (UK no 3 for Wings)
1975:
1976: Def Leppard - Don't Believe A Word (UK no 12 for Thin Lizzy)
1977:
1978: China Drum - Wuthering Heights (UK no 1 for Kate Bush)
1979: Nouvelle Vague - Making Plans For Nigel (UK no 17 for XTC)
1980: Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless (UK no 1 for 'MASH')
1981:
1982:
1983:
1984: Something Happens - Borderline (UK no 56 in 1984, re-entry no 2 in 1986)
1985:
1986: The Futureheads - Hounds Of Love (UK no 18 for Kate Bush)
...
2004: Glen Hansard - Toxic (UK no 1 for Britney Spears)
...
2007:

[CollegeTillIDie]

Don't Believe a Word Charted in 1977 if I am not mistaken

[stann]

You are not sir, charted in January of that year my gnomes have informed me. :)

Added a few extra, some that are not from what you'd call current bands either, oh well. Plus a couple that should stay from the original CD. Anyone remember the Gorehounds?

1967:
1968:
1969: The Gorehounds - Ruby (Don't Take Your Love To Town) (UK no 2 for Kenny Rogers - and I know that was a cover too!)
...
1973: Kate Bush - Rocket Man (UK no 2 for Elton John)
1974: Foo Fighters - Band On The Run (Wings - already on the CD)
1975:
1976:
1977: Def Leppard - Don't Believe A Word (UK no 12 for Thin Lizzy)
1978: China Drum - Wuthering Heights (UK no 1 for Kate Bush)
1979: Nouvelle Vague - Making Plans For Nigel (UK no 17 for XTC)
1980: Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless (UK no 1 for 'MASH')
1981:
1982: Big Black - The Model (UK no 1 (as an A-side) for Kraftwerk)
1983:
1984: Something Happens - Borderline (UK no 56 in 1984, re-entry no 2 in 1986)
1985: Laibach - Live Is Life (UK no 6 for Opus)
1986: The Futureheads - Hounds Of Love (UK no 18 for Kate Bush)
1987:
1988: Flat Pack - Sweet Child O' Mine (UK no 24 for Guns 'n' Roses)
...
1991: The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain - Smells Like Teen Spirit (UK no 7 for Nirvana)
1992: The Moog Cookbook - Even Flow (UK no 27 for Pearl Jam)
...
2001: Girls Aloud - Teenage Dirtbag (Wheatus - already on the CD)
2002:
2003: The View - Don't Look Back Into The Sun (The Libertines - already on the CD)
2004: Glen Hansard - Toxic (UK no 1 for Britney Spears)
2005:
2006: Corinne Bailey-Rae - Steady, As She Goes (The Raconteurs - already on the CD)

[stann]

And one more after seeing it last night on Transmission, brilliant live cover, hope they've done it properly and there's an mp3 floating about out there somewhere.

1981: The Young Knives - Stand And Deliver (UK no 1 for Adam and the Ants)