Links: Why the Rolling Stones suck, “fake artists,” ’80s remixes of current pop, ABBA, Philip Glass and S-Express, YouTube Music.

6 August, 20185 September, 2018 David Gerard Dance, Links, mp3, Pop, Rock 2 Comments

Why The Rolling Stones Are Not Very Good by Andrew Hickey. And you know, I can’t say a word of this is incorrect. Certainly answers for me the question “why could I never get into this stuff?” — because they’re a singles band at best.

Music Business Worldwide is still trying very hard to make last year’s “fake artists” beatup a thing. By “fake artists” they mean “not signed to major labels,” so be glad that’s clear with everyone.

’80s remixes on YouTube — the vocal tracks from contemporary pop, with the music redone in ’80s orchestration. Some of these are, frankly, genius.

Philip Glass’s foray into acid house with S-Express. Here’s the song. Technically, this counts as classical.

Been prodding at YouTube Music. The “Your Mixtape” personal mix is really very good, but that’s not so surprising, given how many music videos I’ve watched on YouTube over the years — and it also fed me a pile of videos I’d linked in Rocknerd posts. I might write up a fuller review some time. I feel slight guilt that uBlock Origin still does the job on YouTube, but not sufficient guilt to cough up another £10 a month.

2 thoughts on “Links: Why the Rolling Stones suck, “fake artists,” ’80s remixes of current pop, ABBA, Philip Glass and S-Express, YouTube Music.”

Austin G Loomis says:

7 August, 2018 at 2:37 am

The best line in the Hickey is

These are the albums where they finally find their own voice — or at least, where they find Ry Cooder’s voice and decide to stick with it. Except where Cooder is possibly the least arch musician in the history of the world, the Rolling Stones are all archness.

The bit in the comments where Gavin Burrows explains why the Stones brought, indeed had to bring, archness into the equation may actually be better, but in the article itself? Those sentences.

Also too (TM Sarah Palin), Gavin’s point further down the page about the lyrics without the music is worthy. If you just read the lyrics, “Paint It, Black” is high-school goth poetry. Add the music, though, and it still rips my heart out and slam-dances with it for four eternal thunderous minutes.
Cat Mara says:

7 August, 2018 at 5:17 pm

For the full high-school goth poetry vibe, may I recommend ThouShaltNot’s cover version of “Paint It, Black”? Complete with loop from Arvo Pärt’s “Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten” for added melancholy: