Rampop II wrote:

Also clapped back at last year's woke denunciation of Grease.

What?  Is this about that line in "Tell Me More"?

Re: War & Eric Burdon: 

Ahhh. Nice grooves. 


Re: "Is this about that line in "Tell Me More?"

I think so, if you're talking about "Did she put up a fight."
For that line, they called it "rapey."
They also called it:
"sexist" because Sandy changes her image to impress Danny (despite the fact that Danny does the same for her),
"slut–shaming" because of Rizzo's preggers predicament,
"racist" because there's only one Black couple at the dance contest, and...
"homophobic" because all the couples in the movie are straight. 
All this, of course, despite the movie being set in 1950s small town America.
Also there was some complaint about Rizzo being a bully because she makes fun of Sandy for being a goody–goody. News flash, right? Rizzo is a bully! That's part of her character arc!

I don't think this particular cancel–cry really caught on, though. A couple of private high schools cancelled their productions of Grease when some students complained. The Twits got wind of that and it became the social media outcry du jour for a few months, which then led to a bunch of tabloid headlines blowing it all out–of proportion for another round of freaking out about Gen Z and cancel culture. Olivia Newton–John basically said everybody needed to lighten up and enjoy the movie for what it was. 

So it looks like a brief gust of mere hot air from the confused and exploitative, and maybe not worthy of letting them sully the moment. But I brought it up, so that one's on me. Bad Rampop. 

Last edited by Rampop II (8/08/2022 9:31 pm)

Rampop II wrote:

Rock wrote:

If you're looking to get into Venom…

 

I’m having a ball with these! I had no idea how much fun these guys were going to be. It really is party music, isn’t it! I’m not sure I see the connection between this and the Norwegian “black metal“ of later years? This definitely does not feel like “serious” music for a metal–faced meanie. Maybe I didn't understand that the church–burning Norwegians were only having a good time, because Venom feels like true hedonistic metal levity for revelers sweatily celebrating the death of disco.
 

There's a humourlessness in a lot of more extreme metal that I find a little offputting, so when you go in expecting black metal to be a bunch of dullards who take their lyrics way too seriously, the goofy good vibes of Venom is extremely refreshing. Like, I found myself unmoved by Cannibal Corpse (outside of a few songs) because their devotion to extremity feels so airless and masturbatory, while I have a lot of fun with Autopsy's Severed Survival and Impetigo's Ultimo Mondo Cannibale. They're technically scratching a similar itch (extremely heavy, dense, abrasive soundscapes with gory lyrics), but they have a certain looseness that makes them easier to enjoy.

I am quite a bit younger than you guys and didn't live through the hair era, but I actually found myself gelling to that more than I expected, because the predominant mode of metal when I was getting into it was that humourless, wanky bullshit, so music by a bunch of dumbasses singing about partying and gettin' it on didn't seem so off putting in comparison. Power ballads though, no thanks. (I generally prefer the stuff from the earlier half of the decade, when things didn't get sappy. Just a bunch of hairy dudes on the verge of tears. Embarrassing.)

I should note that I'm probably not the best person to make the case for the Norwegians, so perhaps I am not doing them justice. I liked Darkthrone, but have avoided delving further as a lot of the musicians seem like objectively terrible people. Not something that always bothers me, but with difficult music like this, I can't be bothered to make the effort.

Meanwhile, intelligent female rockers struggled to be taken seriously. The few that braved the raging waters put up with all kinds of crap. Doro Pesch, "Queen of Metal," was apparently criticized for what was perceived to be sexualized imagery, accused of pandering to male chauvinist fantasies or some shit. 
So guys like Rob Halford and David Lee Roth could gyrate all they wanted (Halford being openly gay, no less), but if a female showed up in tight leather, she oughta be ashamed of herself. There's that fear of female sexuality, again. 
Then straight–ahead female rockers like Girlschool just went largely unnoticed. I admit I had never heard of them until I saw 2005's Metal: A Headbanger's Journey  (truly good documentary covering the evolution of the genre through the decades). 

Both of the above–mentioned female artists retained spots on the list I made for my niece, by the way. 

And people be talkin about Vixen. wtf? Is there some Vixen I haven't heard that is metal? Cuz the only Vixen music I've heard is about as metal as Pinocchio's nose. People want to pad the 80's female metal roster with shit like Vixen, Heart, Bananarama... Nothing wrong with Heart or Bananarama, but, metal? 

Maybe I digress...
 

Rampop II wrote:

Oh, and GnR's unforgivable cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," so deplorable that Dylan disavowed the song... if I'm not mistaken, Jinnistan?

I don't think so.  I'm pretty sure that Dylan still plays it.
 

Jinnistan wrote:

And also (you tease) list the actual list as well.

I'd better hurry before the momentum is lost entirely. I really wish I could provide a playable version of this list because I put a lot of effort into ensuring one track would flow effectively into the next, but I do not know of a way of doing it. Dropbox invariably re–arranges mixes according to actual track numbers. Spotify ruins the flow with commercials. Posting 18 YouTube videos would kinda work, but it might get a little cluttered? I guess I could list these as links. Like I said, though, it's pretty standard fare, so I think there will be few surprises. 

OK, what do you guys think? Shall I post YouTube vids for each song? Or just post the songlist?

Jinnistan wrote:

Rampop II wrote:

Oh, and GnR's unforgivable cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," so deplorable that Dylan disavowed the song... if I'm not mistaken, Jinnistan?

I don't think so.  I'm pretty sure that Dylan still plays it.
 

Oh. 

Glad I asked.

Rock wrote:

I admit I'm not at all familiar with Doro Pesch. A subject for further study, I'm sure.
 

Oh, I can help with that!

Introducing...
Warlock



This 1985 TV appearance from the UK may be hilariously fraught with tuning and technical difficulties (instruments randomly cutting in and out), but don't it just burst with energy and pyrotechnic 1980s glory.



This is one of my favorite tracks from their album Triumph and Agony (1988), which also features their huge hit single "All We Are."



A cut from their first album Burning the Witches (1984)



One of many audience videos that can be found on YouTube; skip ahead to 1:20.








I wonder if whoever wrote that bit about Doro being criticized for sexual imagery wasn't confusing her with Wendy O. Williams:









She was also down with Lemmy...


 

Last edited by Rampop II (8/10/2022 3:38 am)

Somehow I missed all of this metal. The perils of living in a fog.

Very nice. I'll need to check all of that out. And it seems I'm not the only one who overthinks the mixed tape to the point of near paralysis. I found the only way to move forward is just to make one after the other and keep piling them up in the room of whomever is my recipient.

"Does music ever end?", they would ask hopeful

"Never", is all I could reply handing them another bag full of cassettes.

Currently though, this is where I am at.









 

Last edited by crumbsroom (8/15/2022 2:59 pm)