Re: Rough Music

["Paul Vearncombe" <vearn@wo...co.uk>]

Sounds like a fair review to me, if a little harsh!  Just kidding...

Anyone still without a copy of LIT should
a) be ashamed and
b) email Sam Giles at polishfisherman@su...com who will no doubt be
delighted.

It's worth it, folks.

PV2


----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard" <paula@li...net.au>
To: <blueplanes@st...net>
Sent: Monday, August 25, 2003 2:09 PM
Subject: [Blueplanes] Rough Music


> Comments on the board led me to listening again, it was previously
> my least favourite BA's album and i was surprised at how badly i actually
> knew it. I think i'd just filed it away as "rifferama" .. but as ever
there
> is
> lots more to it.
>
> For a start the sleeve is terrific. Ann Sheldon's paintings are as
> distinctive
> and lasting as ever, esp the model plane in the red circle. The inner
photos
> capture the wigged out live experience so well, esp where they are all
> collapsed
> on the floor
>
> Detective Song is great, the lyrics elliptical ("Westron Wynde and total
> minus three"?),
> in a sense the audience becomes the detective. A great live opener at the
> time. Scared is classic Planes, all fireworks and dark atmospheres.
Sugared
> Almond, Contact High .. sorry the writing (chords) is too ordinary for 
> me.
> A Map Below - one of Gerard's best produced vocals - not too reverbed and
> rhythmically out there - try copying it! James sounds like its trying to
be
> What it Is .. but lacks the chorus. But nice, when the vocals stop it
sounds
> like a Fairport Convention bootleg. Golden Birds, again much better than 
> i
> remember it, quite disturbing actually. Saint Me and the Devil, nowt 
> wrong
> with this, again sounds like Fairport warming up with an English Lit don
> intoning over the top. Dark, hmm dont get this one, Secret Destination er
> why that 'orrible saxaphone, misguided decision that one. Dear though the
> Night, well i can hear what he was trying to do .. the guitars arent very
> well recorded really.
>
> I think it probably remains my least favourite BA's album .. the quality
of
> the writing isnt there, plus the flow of the album .. well it flows 
> badly,
> and is about 4 tracks too long. But lets face it Gerard is not capable of
> putting out a bad record. And sometimes the ones that dont work at first
> make sense at a later date. Certainly Rough Music sounds better now than
at
> the time. The band was in transition, struggling to write commercial
(rock)
> material to return them to heights of Swagger/Beatsongs, exhausted by
> touring, schizophenic through all the personnel changes, all underpinned
by
> Gerard's wilful folky experimentation (the original aim of the group
> remember) but which just wound up the industry people looking for
something
> easily categorisable.
>
> No wonder there was quite a gap between Rough Music and the next record 
> ..
> and why much of the music press began to write off the band. But what do
you
> do - record albums to order? Give them the flavour of the day? No way,
> follow your muse you might have a smaller audience but the respect is
> greater. I think the next release was the Wierd Shit cassette-only 
> package
> .. a more interesting piece of work than Rough Music, and truer to the
real
> Gerard vision.  And where he is now is also truer to himself. Gerard has
> become more arch, more difficult to follow, more stubborn.
>  Never apologise, never explain, just go forward one small step at a 
> time.
>
> Cant wait to hear LIT how do i get a copy anyone?
>
> Richard
>
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