Nevermind indeed!
I know what a lot of you are going to say and I don't care. I never "got " this band. They are on my top ten list of most overrated rock bands. And while I like Sucky CD Sunday to represent music that gets a bad name but people like anyway, I think the opposite is true of Nirvana. They get written up as one of the most important bands off the half century but I don't know anyone who actually listened to them past 1994. Let's explore why that may be:
- The Grunge Movement of which this album is the anthem was a depressing, no-style era which held up the little to no talent losers as its icons. Actually, that is the job description for being a "garage band - "no talent" and "loser".
- Kurt Cobain - oh Lord I am going to catch hell for this but the poor guy was a mental case. He was not Jesus, Buddha or the Shiva. He was a disturbed young man who knew no more than 3 chords on a guitar and owned a distortion pedal. Please don't let me see his narcotic blurred, unshaven face peer out of another T-Shirt. They guy should have been institutionalized. And no, his is pity-inspiring, not awe-inspiring.
- The best song that Nirvana ever did - in my humble opinion of course - was the cover or Bowie's Man Who Fell to Earth. Not exactly a testimony to the power of their own stuff. Don't get me wrong, "Teen Spirit" as ok. It was all OK. I probably wouldn't be picking on them if they were touted as being an "ok" band of the '90's. But they are not. They are treated like the Second Coming.
Next week on Sucky CD Sunday (unless I change my mind) the top ten most overrated musical acts of all time!!!! I have all week to think about them but beforewarned. They will be controversial! You can gear up to take your shots early on or be nice and provide me with suggestions.
Until next week! Keep it Sucky!
A love song has come into my mind
I don't know anything about this band. Surfing around to find this picture, I learned that the Little River Band is Australian. Go Figure! I pegged them for some midwest, moved to California, hung out with Air Supply and made history type of band. Imagine my surprise when this geographical twist was added to my very limited knowledge.
And hey! Did you know that the Little River Band had 13 top ten hits in the US over a 4 year time period including "Lady", "Lonesome Loser", "Cool Change", and of course "Reminiscing."?
This is one of the most unassuming, underrated, "easy listening" bands of the 70's. If you think that I am using "easy listening" as a derogatory label, think again! I love the entire genre and will put it up against many other musical genres of the time. Yeah, its easy listening. Yeah, your parents like it. So what! They like red wine with dinner and natural fibers in clothing - does that make wine and 100% cotton lame? No! Pog - 1 / People who use "easy listening" as a derogatory term - 0.
Their lyrics are good too. Really good. I mean, this was the era of the singer/songwriter like James Taylor and Jackson Browne, Elton and Taupin, so they had a lot of competition and probably couldn't be put in the same league but if you take another look at them now, they penned some pretty beautiful stuff.
For example ...
"And that Porter tune (night and day) made us dance across the room... it ended all too soon
And on the way back home, I promised you'd never be alone..."
Nice, huh? Then there is this one ...
If there's one thing in my life that's missing
It's the time I spend alone
Sailing on the cool and bright clear waters
There's lots of those friendly people
Showin me ways to go
And I never want to lose your inspiration
Time for a cool change...I know that it's timefor a cool change
Now that my life
is so pre-arranged
I know that it's timefor a cool change
Well I was born in the sign of water
And it's there that I feel my best
The albatross and the whales they are my brothers
It's kind of a special feeling
When you're out on the sea alone
Starin' at the full moon like a lover
Excuse me, I am going to the beach.
