Back in the day, I would collect as many REM live bootlegs that I could get my hands on. There was this one album where the band was clearly very drunk and they played a cover of Hootenanny.
I donāt remember the name of the album or in what city it was recorded, but it was gloriously awful. I would listen to it every so often and bask in the knowledge that my idols were human, in all their sloppy attempts at covering an already bad songā¦they clearly were having a lot of fun which made it fun for me.
I only right this instant realised that "The Complete Bang Sessions" was meant to be a bad album... I bought that CD years and years ago while exploring Van Morrison's work and just thought "wow.. thats a bit raw.. maybe it was just sketches.. and I cant believe I spent 15 quid on that"... And then never listened to it again.
I still have it and just threw it on.
It is properly shit.
But jokes on me as a customer and Van as an artist because that album is being sold to chumps like me and making money! I legit looks like it is going to be some sort of legendary session recording... š¤·āāļø
Thanks for bringing its true history to my attention šš„²
Do you, by any chance, listen to the āA History of Rock Music in 500 Songsā podcast by Andrew Hickey? Iām right in the midst of his episode on Astral Weeks - literally this afternoon, I was listening to him describe and excerpt Van Morrisonās contractual obligation kiss-offs. āMadame George,ā btw, predates both the bad song sessions, and Astral Weeks. Van had already recorded it and āCypress Avenue,ā with very different arrangements, for a previous Bang record.
I am not that familiar with Dylanās self portrait but in Chronicles Dylan said he purposely wrote bad songs, not sure which ones he was referring to but certainly Empire Burlesque has to fall in that category or is that a bad album?
I haven't heard Elenore since I was a kid but I was humming the hook again halfway through the first play after 50+ years in the mental vault.
In a similar vein, a great go-fuck-off managers and record exec's song is "Assholes" by Drive By Truckers. Patterson Hood is plain spoken if nothing else.
Why would Nick Lowe have thought the record company would hate that song? The Rollers were possibly the biggest band in the world at that point; from a strictly business standpoint, of course UA would rush this out.
Definitely not a bad song, but one that was written to give the middle finger to the execs: "Ticks & Leeches" by Tool, written to fulfill a demand for a shorter/harder rock song that might get airplay on metal stations before their "Lateralus" album could get released. Reportedly, the slow section in the middle of the song (knowing that the execs would never listen long enough to hear it) was intended to guarantee that metal radio would never actually play the track.
Iām a Phish fan, so I am well acquainted with loving bad songs.
Underrated comment š
Back in the day, I would collect as many REM live bootlegs that I could get my hands on. There was this one album where the band was clearly very drunk and they played a cover of Hootenanny.
I donāt remember the name of the album or in what city it was recorded, but it was gloriously awful. I would listen to it every so often and bask in the knowledge that my idols were human, in all their sloppy attempts at covering an already bad songā¦they clearly were having a lot of fun which made it fun for me.
I only right this instant realised that "The Complete Bang Sessions" was meant to be a bad album... I bought that CD years and years ago while exploring Van Morrison's work and just thought "wow.. thats a bit raw.. maybe it was just sketches.. and I cant believe I spent 15 quid on that"... And then never listened to it again.
I still have it and just threw it on.
It is properly shit.
But jokes on me as a customer and Van as an artist because that album is being sold to chumps like me and making money! I legit looks like it is going to be some sort of legendary session recording... š¤·āāļø
Thanks for bringing its true history to my attention šš„²
Do you, by any chance, listen to the āA History of Rock Music in 500 Songsā podcast by Andrew Hickey? Iām right in the midst of his episode on Astral Weeks - literally this afternoon, I was listening to him describe and excerpt Van Morrisonās contractual obligation kiss-offs. āMadame George,ā btw, predates both the bad song sessions, and Astral Weeks. Van had already recorded it and āCypress Avenue,ā with very different arrangements, for a previous Bang record.
You beat me to this post. In addition to Van Morrison and TB sheets, etcā¦.Hickey also has an episode about Eleanoreā¦.
See also: the entire genre of Italo-disco. Might just be the final boss of so-bad-it's-awesome music.
Great Article. MIghty I suggest you dig a little deeper into the "Hair-Metal" of the '80's. I challenge you to find one good song!
Can confirm after listening that Elenore is indeed A BOP.
I am not that familiar with Dylanās self portrait but in Chronicles Dylan said he purposely wrote bad songs, not sure which ones he was referring to but certainly Empire Burlesque has to fall in that category or is that a bad album?
In a way, it's good LPs and CDs are things of the past, record companies have fewer artists to squeeze dry
I've always loved Elenore! And please do a recording of Dracula's Daughter. Hahaha
I haven't heard Elenore since I was a kid but I was humming the hook again halfway through the first play after 50+ years in the mental vault.
In a similar vein, a great go-fuck-off managers and record exec's song is "Assholes" by Drive By Truckers. Patterson Hood is plain spoken if nothing else.
Why would Nick Lowe have thought the record company would hate that song? The Rollers were possibly the biggest band in the world at that point; from a strictly business standpoint, of course UA would rush this out.
I was sure I was the only person who still remembered the Ex Cat Heads. If you bring up Hellen Keller Plaid, my head will explode.
I have a 7' EP with Nick's two Rollers songs and two about going to a disco...
Here's the sleeve, if you've never seen it >>
https://tinyurl.com/ep2epcth
I just came here to say I have always loved loved loved T.B. Sheets and The Gift.
ā¦ok, and Elenore, tooā¦.!
Definitely not a bad song, but one that was written to give the middle finger to the execs: "Ticks & Leeches" by Tool, written to fulfill a demand for a shorter/harder rock song that might get airplay on metal stations before their "Lateralus" album could get released. Reportedly, the slow section in the middle of the song (knowing that the execs would never listen long enough to hear it) was intended to guarantee that metal radio would never actually play the track.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0BOpkA2Vs4