Ghoulish Delight
01-09-2005, 02:55 AM
Is there anything sadder than a young promising band with undeniable raw talent and creativity completely compromising their music for the sake of making it in the mainstream? And as much as it sucks when an established legend caves and sells their song for a car commercial, I find it even worse when they sell out at the begnning of their career, depriving the world of what they could have created.
My most painful example is No Doubt. At this point, it's almost depressing to hear their debut album. It's just so damned good. It's so incredibly unique, and impossible to pigeonhole. They got tagged with the ska label a lot because they had brass and lived in Anaheim, and were caught up early in the ska revival. But that doesn't even begin to describe their early sound. It had the ska undertones, but add to that punk, straight rock, and some seriously funky base (a-la the Chilli Peppers). There was nothing like them. And Gwen's song writing was stellar. That first album was as lyrically driven as it was musically. They didn't take themselves seriously. I mean, they had a song about Gwen getting her wisdom teeth pulled and another about masturbating to Paulina Petorskia (or whatever her last name is). Gwen's on-stage attitude was entirely her own. She single handedly opened my eyes to the fact that flat-chested can be damned hot! And she loved the crowd. She'd come out after the show. I had a few conversations with her, she was always friendly. One time she even said, "Hey, you were that guy over on the side in the front." Made my day!
Their second offering, Beacon Street Collection, was also solid. Nearly as good as the first, perhaps only missing the novelty factor. It still had that great sound and attitude, I love that album. But then Eric, Gwen's brother, left the band. At it seems he was the one driving that individual style, 'cause suddenly the brass went away, and the music became blah. Tragic Kindom's okay, but seriously lacks the spark. And then Just a Girl hit the radio. Whoo boy, that was the end of it. Suddenly, Gwen was yet another "girl power" star. Her unique stage presence was gone, losing her previous connection with the crowd. Instead she was trying to play the part of rock star. And now, that girl with incredibly song writing abilities and one heck of a voice, is shaping up to be yet another forgettable starlet, singing a horrific pop piece of crap glorifying the fact that she sold out.
I'm damned glad I saw them as much as I did when they were small. But damn does it suck that they became what they did.
My most painful example is No Doubt. At this point, it's almost depressing to hear their debut album. It's just so damned good. It's so incredibly unique, and impossible to pigeonhole. They got tagged with the ska label a lot because they had brass and lived in Anaheim, and were caught up early in the ska revival. But that doesn't even begin to describe their early sound. It had the ska undertones, but add to that punk, straight rock, and some seriously funky base (a-la the Chilli Peppers). There was nothing like them. And Gwen's song writing was stellar. That first album was as lyrically driven as it was musically. They didn't take themselves seriously. I mean, they had a song about Gwen getting her wisdom teeth pulled and another about masturbating to Paulina Petorskia (or whatever her last name is). Gwen's on-stage attitude was entirely her own. She single handedly opened my eyes to the fact that flat-chested can be damned hot! And she loved the crowd. She'd come out after the show. I had a few conversations with her, she was always friendly. One time she even said, "Hey, you were that guy over on the side in the front." Made my day!
Their second offering, Beacon Street Collection, was also solid. Nearly as good as the first, perhaps only missing the novelty factor. It still had that great sound and attitude, I love that album. But then Eric, Gwen's brother, left the band. At it seems he was the one driving that individual style, 'cause suddenly the brass went away, and the music became blah. Tragic Kindom's okay, but seriously lacks the spark. And then Just a Girl hit the radio. Whoo boy, that was the end of it. Suddenly, Gwen was yet another "girl power" star. Her unique stage presence was gone, losing her previous connection with the crowd. Instead she was trying to play the part of rock star. And now, that girl with incredibly song writing abilities and one heck of a voice, is shaping up to be yet another forgettable starlet, singing a horrific pop piece of crap glorifying the fact that she sold out.
I'm damned glad I saw them as much as I did when they were small. But damn does it suck that they became what they did.