Sunday, May 31, 2009

The First Great Post-Clash Song 2


I took some upbraiding for suggesting that "Love Kills" is the First Great Post-Clash song, with the dissenters saying either it isn't a strong enough Strummer work or (more frequently) that the song cannot match the inventiveness or the tunes of the early singles of Mick Jones' B.A.D. (Big Audio Dynamite).


The story goes that before the sun had set on the day in 1983 he was fired from the Clash, Jones already had an early B.A.D. line-up (then called TRAC) in place. B.A.D. (Mick Jones - guitars and vocals, Don Letts - sound effects and vocals, Dan Donovan - keyboards, Leo Williams - bass, Greg Roberts - drums) created a sound fit for the eighties; with high-tech instrumentation, hip-hop accents and traditional pop song-writing.


Having this single on Def Jam does gives further credit to the fascinating role of the Clash in early hip-hop history, particularly their influence on the fierce, political work of Public Enemy.



As a Huge Clash Fan (Strummer Division) I've never felt comfortable with B.A.D. It's likely the sampling, the lengthy songs, the lack of guitar and the abundance of keyboards but mostly it's that infernal synthetic drum sound. That hollow-sounding, programmed beat tied Mick's very impressive work to the worst of eighties' production excesses.


All my biases (a result of having survived the eighties) aside, "The Bottom Line" is clearly excellent - the tune is unforgettable, Mick's guitar still rings out and those dopey lyrics are kinda charming. The best argument for this being the Last Great Clash Song is that the Clash did rehearse it, under the title "Trans Cash Free Pay One" before they self-destructed. Makes you wonder what could've been...




THE BOTTOM LINE (Jones)


The horses are on the track

Theres a new dance thats going around
When the hits start flying you gotta get down
All the young people dance round the square
That old time groove is really nowhere

When you reach the bottom line
The only thing to do is climb
Pick yourself up of the floor
Don`t know what you`re waiting for

A dance to the tune of economic decline
Is when you do the bottom line
Nagging questions always remain
Why did it happen and who was to blame?

When you reach the bottom line
The only thing to do is climb
Pick yourself up of the floor
Don`t know what you`re waiting for

They`ve been doing it down at the zoo
And I can show ya heres what to do
All of the States and over UK
Even the Soviets are swinging away

When you reach the bottom line
The only thing to do is climb
Pick yourself up of the floor
Don`t know what you`re waiting for

The road aheads` clear as a motorway
Give us this day our daily bread and send us on our way
Perchance to dream or take a holiday
Romeo oh Romeo
You gotta have your say

So when you reach the bottom line
The only thing to do is climb
Pick yourself up off the floor
Anything you want is yours

When you reach the bottom line
The only thing to do is climb
Pick yourself up of the floor
Don`t know what you`re waiting for

So when you reach the bottom line
The only thing to do is climb
Pick yourself up off the floor
Anything you want is yours

Part two - Part two
I`m gonna take you to part two part two


{MRML Readers: What claim does this song have to being first Great Post-Clash Song?}


Remember if you like what you hear, not only are most of the B.A.D. albums in print there are also a multitude of compilations available from Amazon, Itunes or your local retailer.


Live version are often better, however those syth drums are omnipresent...



7 comments:

  1. I can appreciate early B.A.D. in smaller doses... but I can never get past or overlook that horrendously synthetic and compressed 1980s production quality. Sonically speaking, it's unpardonable.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well I have to say I love B.A.D. crap drum sound ta boot.

    I have remixed the first album because it lacked any real bass, it is being re-released soon but I doubt it will be remixed. If you want a copy of my mix Jeff just PM me over at IMCT.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It took me a while to "get" B.A.D. but I have to admit I liked them alot.

    Is this better than Strummers Love Kills? In my opinion,yes it is.

    Nothing beats the extended version of V Thirteen on the Bad Files though!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It has no claim at all.

    Next song, please!

    ReplyDelete
  5. In reading these last two posts I am reminded of a telling critical assessment leveled at Black Flag's two major post break-up spin-offs: Gone and Rollin's Band. It went something like, "these two groups are seen as an acceptable replacement by most Black Flag fans in much the same way that The Plastic Ono Band and Wings were to devotees of The Beatles."

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mark

    I pretty much agree with every syllable of that but I have gotten more forgiving (or more senile) in my old age so I'm appreciating slightly larger doses (i.e. a couple of songs in a row)

    P.S. I'm liking the Sour Jazz stuff.

    Marky

    Yeah that drum sound is something that you either hate or choose to love I think.

    P.S. I left a PM re the BAD link.

    Longy

    I'm getting BAD more these days but I'll always prefer Strummer stuff,though it's not hard to see why others wouldn't.

    bio
    You made me laugh out loud - don't worry more to come plus a poll (I think...)

    CPB

    You're like Hawkeye Pierce, you just have to get the last word in.

    Very fitting quote.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've made it to the point where I can listen to most of the first BAD album in one sitting, which I definitely credit to growing more forgiving with old age! And many thanks for the kind words about Sour Jazz, Jeffen... coming from a man of taste such as yourself, we're honoured!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for clicking the COMMENTS link.
Now that you're here,I should mentions that
without reader feedback blogs slowly wither and die