— Lenny Henry
Dear Mr. Henry,
Yeah, I know how you feel, mate. These singles aren't much fun, are they? Even the good ones. And, hey, I choose to do this blog every bloody week, you got roped in by Mark Ellen when you had far better things to do like Red Wedge tours and being at the forefront of alternative comedy and being a presence in the culture even when you were on hiatus from the telly. I respect your decision to bring in some chums to give you a hand, so much so that I'm taking a page from your "book" as they return to aid this humble blogger.
~~~~~
So, Depeche Mode: what do we reckon?
Delbert Wilkins: They're kinda uptight. They need to calm it down, let the tunes surround them, inhabit them. They're forcing it.
Winston: They're deep, ain't they? They got some heavy ideas.
Delbert: Shut up, Winston! That's rubbish. They're trying way too hard to sound like they've got something profound to say.
I know, right? When I was in high school I knew people who would print DM lyrics in their school exercise books with quotations from "Blasphemous Rumours" as some kind of motivational tool. I liked them, I had a well-worn cassette of Violator but most of their songs didn't mean a whole lot to me. Especially after "Walking in My Shoes" came out which was such a blatant re-write of "World in My Eyes": you can't have a whole lot to say if you have to keep saying the same thing.
Elfreda, the Radio 1 tealady: They look like lovely lads, don't they? I'm not sure I like those leather straps the blond one's wearing; if he's not careful, he could be sporting some of that horrible fetish wear before long.
Not to worry, miss, they really got into Armani suits soon after this.
Elfreda: What sort of horns are those three playing?
Delbert: They're not horns. It's a synth.
Elfreda: A what?
Winston: A synthesizer. A keyboard that has been computer programmed to...
Delbert: Shut up, Winston! It's a sound they created to mimic horns.
Elfreda: Why on earth would they do that? Can't they just play them?
Apparently not. They do a pretty bang up job pretending to though, don't they? Speaking of which, Lenny seemed pleasantly surprised about the real guitar and piano but what if they, too, were produced artificially? Does it take anything away from the song?
Julie: No, of course not. They're so deliciously talented!
Simon: Don't mind her. She fancies both the singer and him in the black shirt with the ginger hair.
Also not a fan of the leather straps, eh? Well, let's get this back on track. Lyrically what do you make of it?
Delbert: The singer makes the words believable. He doesn't put gut-wrenching emotion into his singing which gives extra gravitas to the song.
Winston: He didn't write the song, did he? Maybe that helps him keep his distance. If you're too close to your material, then...
Delbert: Shut up, Winston! The words are all right. What do you have against them?
Me? Nothing. I just can't take them seriously. They use big words which makes everyone think they really have something important to say. And they repeat themselves.
Delbert: Sounds like they're not the only ones guilty of that.
Fair enough. But they're just a pop group like any other. What makes them so special?
Delbert: So, is that why we're here today? To explain Depeche Mode's appeal to you? Well, all I can tell you is that the song's all right. Is that enough?
Sure, no worries. Thanks for helping out, Delbert. Anyone else?
Winston: Depeche Mode hail from Basildon and the new town aesthetic really informs their bleak, industrial dynamic with a passionless wilderness...
Delbert: Shut up, Winston!
So, in closing, what would each of you have picked for Single of the Fortnight?
Delbert: Herbie Hancock.
Winston: MJ.
Elfreda: Oh, that Bruce Foxton's a nice lad, isn't he?
Julie: Bucks Fizz.
Simon: Don't mind her. She fancies David Van Day.
And you, Simon?
Simon: XTC. Jules hasn't fancied any of them since the drummer left.
Is everything okay at home, Si?
~~~~~
Dear Mr. Henry,
Well, that was a laugh. Perhaps I shouldn't have loaded them up on drinks before we sat down for this session. I can't believe how much sherry Elfreda drank.
Best wishes,
Paul
~~~~~
Also Reviewed This Fortnight
Herbie Hancock: "Autodrive"
Here's a jazz great. Was part of Miles Davis' second great quintet and then went on to release some outstanding fusion albums in the seventies. He was still trying to be current well into the eighties as well which is where "Autodrive" fits in. I like that he got the Famous People Players to help with the video.
Delbert: Well hard tune. Well hard tune.
Yeah, you said that to Lenny thirty-six years ago. A lot of repeating going on. Anything other thoughts, Del?
Delbert: Hard then, hard today, hard tomorrow. HARD!
Kind of a waste of his considerable talents, wouldn't you say? Or are you sticking with hard? Never mind. The use of electro special effects was one that helped revitalise Hancock's career but at the price of his innate improvisational skills which barely get a look in here. The tune is present and correct and swims through the mind but the nagging feeling that he's lost his way somewhat diminishes...
Delbert: Shut up, Paul!
Dear Mr. Henry,
Yeah, I know how you feel, mate. These singles aren't much fun, are they? Even the good ones. And, hey, I choose to do this blog every bloody week, you got roped in by Mark Ellen when you had far better things to do like Red Wedge tours and being at the forefront of alternative comedy and being a presence in the culture even when you were on hiatus from the telly. I respect your decision to bring in some chums to give you a hand, so much so that I'm taking a page from your "book" as they return to aid this humble blogger.
~~~~~
So, Depeche Mode: what do we reckon?
Delbert Wilkins: They're kinda uptight. They need to calm it down, let the tunes surround them, inhabit them. They're forcing it.
Winston: They're deep, ain't they? They got some heavy ideas.
Delbert: Shut up, Winston! That's rubbish. They're trying way too hard to sound like they've got something profound to say.
I know, right? When I was in high school I knew people who would print DM lyrics in their school exercise books with quotations from "Blasphemous Rumours" as some kind of motivational tool. I liked them, I had a well-worn cassette of Violator but most of their songs didn't mean a whole lot to me. Especially after "Walking in My Shoes" came out which was such a blatant re-write of "World in My Eyes": you can't have a whole lot to say if you have to keep saying the same thing.
Elfreda, the Radio 1 tealady: They look like lovely lads, don't they? I'm not sure I like those leather straps the blond one's wearing; if he's not careful, he could be sporting some of that horrible fetish wear before long.
Not to worry, miss, they really got into Armani suits soon after this.
Elfreda: What sort of horns are those three playing?
Delbert: They're not horns. It's a synth.
Elfreda: A what?
Winston: A synthesizer. A keyboard that has been computer programmed to...
Delbert: Shut up, Winston! It's a sound they created to mimic horns.
Elfreda: Why on earth would they do that? Can't they just play them?
Apparently not. They do a pretty bang up job pretending to though, don't they? Speaking of which, Lenny seemed pleasantly surprised about the real guitar and piano but what if they, too, were produced artificially? Does it take anything away from the song?
Julie: No, of course not. They're so deliciously talented!
Simon: Don't mind her. She fancies both the singer and him in the black shirt with the ginger hair.
Also not a fan of the leather straps, eh? Well, let's get this back on track. Lyrically what do you make of it?
Delbert: The singer makes the words believable. He doesn't put gut-wrenching emotion into his singing which gives extra gravitas to the song.
Winston: He didn't write the song, did he? Maybe that helps him keep his distance. If you're too close to your material, then...
Delbert: Shut up, Winston! The words are all right. What do you have against them?
Me? Nothing. I just can't take them seriously. They use big words which makes everyone think they really have something important to say. And they repeat themselves.
Delbert: Sounds like they're not the only ones guilty of that.
Fair enough. But they're just a pop group like any other. What makes them so special?
Delbert: So, is that why we're here today? To explain Depeche Mode's appeal to you? Well, all I can tell you is that the song's all right. Is that enough?
Sure, no worries. Thanks for helping out, Delbert. Anyone else?
Winston: Depeche Mode hail from Basildon and the new town aesthetic really informs their bleak, industrial dynamic with a passionless wilderness...
Delbert: Shut up, Winston!
So, in closing, what would each of you have picked for Single of the Fortnight?
Delbert: Herbie Hancock.
Winston: MJ.
Elfreda: Oh, that Bruce Foxton's a nice lad, isn't he?
Julie: Bucks Fizz.
Simon: Don't mind her. She fancies David Van Day.
And you, Simon?
Simon: XTC. Jules hasn't fancied any of them since the drummer left.
Is everything okay at home, Si?
~~~~~
Dear Mr. Henry,
Well, that was a laugh. Perhaps I shouldn't have loaded them up on drinks before we sat down for this session. I can't believe how much sherry Elfreda drank.
Best wishes,
Paul
~~~~~
Also Reviewed This Fortnight
Herbie Hancock: "Autodrive"
Here's a jazz great. Was part of Miles Davis' second great quintet and then went on to release some outstanding fusion albums in the seventies. He was still trying to be current well into the eighties as well which is where "Autodrive" fits in. I like that he got the Famous People Players to help with the video.
Delbert: Well hard tune. Well hard tune.
Yeah, you said that to Lenny thirty-six years ago. A lot of repeating going on. Anything other thoughts, Del?
Delbert: Hard then, hard today, hard tomorrow. HARD!
Kind of a waste of his considerable talents, wouldn't you say? Or are you sticking with hard? Never mind. The use of electro special effects was one that helped revitalise Hancock's career but at the price of his innate improvisational skills which barely get a look in here. The tune is present and correct and swims through the mind but the nagging feeling that he's lost his way somewhat diminishes...
Delbert: Shut up, Paul!
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