Welcome! Log In Create A New Profile

Advanced

Re: Good in memory, not in reality

Good in memory, not in reality
November 09, 2005 02:43AM
When I was in 7th grade, the first Ian Hunter-less album by Mott came out - DRIVE ON. My brother bought it on 8-track, and he and I both liked it just fine. The 8-track eventually was eaten by the player, as 8-tracks tended to be, but years later I found a copy of it on vinyl for 99 cents and eagerly bought it. I discovered it to be one of the worst pieces of crap ever released and I never listened to it again.

The weird thing is, though, that when I recall certain songs from it in my mind (most notably "Monte Carlo" and "Stiff Upper Lip,") they still sound damn good. Even though I know for a fact that if I were to actually listen to them I would poke holes in my eardrums with an icepick before they finished.

The opposite happened with Judy Tzuke, whose album SPORTS CAR I bought largely due to a series of photos of her that Creem ran as a running joke in 1980 or so. ("Largely due to," hell - it was the only reason. I was 16 years old and a pig, so buying an album based solely on the fact that it was recorded by a gorgeous blonde with a very, very impressive chest was a rational decision in that context. Apparently Elton John was quoted as saying you could throw her off a ship and she wouldn't sink because of her built-in floatation devices, which was what got Creem's attention in the first place.) I listened to it and was horrified by how awful I thought it was.

However, I found it in my stack of albums not too long ago and tossed it on the turntable and was amazed to discover it was a really nice, lovely little album. But still, when I summon up the songs in my head, they sound unlistenable.

Anyone else have any albums their memories insist were good even though they know for a fact they weren't? Or they remember as awful, even though they now know they're good? (Or bought an album only because Elton John proposed tossing its creator off a ship to see if she'd float?)
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 09, 2005 02:46AM
The Runaways first album I bought when I was 13 and almost got me beat up the first time I put it on at a party...............fucking CREEM!
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 09, 2005 03:51AM
I bought an ice pick from Elton John but put it in a unused cabinet for several years. When I finally found it again....

Sounded like crap now but good memories::
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Band on the Run/Venus and Mars
Adam and the Ants
ELO
Who (tommy, quad)
Curve - doppelganger
Flaming Lips - oh my gawd
King Missile
Visage
Loop
Nirvana - Nevermind
Pink Floyd - meddle, wall
Iggy pop - soldier
Simple Minds - new gold dream and previous lps
Sonic Youth - confusion
Squeeze - sweets
Mould - workbook
Ultravox - ha ha ha
Yes - 90125
Snatches of Pink
Smithereens
Michelle Shocked
Sebadoh - bubble
Come
Ed Hall
Verve
11th Dream Day - beet
Poster Children
most of my Neil Young collection

Sound much better than I remember::
1st Devo Ep and Lps
Billion Dollar Babies
B-52s 2nd LP
Big Audio Dynamite (1st)
Concrete Blonde (1st LP)
10,000 maniacs
Ultra Vivid Scene
Wipers - early stuff

honorable mention::how did I end up with every Grifters release? - none of it is the least bit enjoyable or memorable

Do all these lists qualify as memes?



Post Edited (11-09-05 04:55)
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 09, 2005 09:37AM
Some power pop has this effect on me, like the Raspberries sound great in my head from memory but when I play the actual recorded music it just sounds badly dated, and then it sort of bums me out because I want it to match the sound in my head.............. Wait, I just read that back and it makes me sound insane, Hmmmmmmmm.

Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 09, 2005 02:52PM
Do you suppose Elton was just jealous, because he can't swim?

Two albums come to mind, both second albums by their respective artists, both released in 1981: Gary Myrick & the Figures' *Living in a Movie* and The Kings' *Amazon Beach*. I absolutely loved the debut albums by these two acts, and still do. But the sophomore slump hit both of them hard ... or at least, I felt that way when I heard them. Twenty-four years later, I really enjoy both groups' second albums.

According to The Kings' web site, they hate *Amazon Beach* with a passion, rating it by far their worst album. Myrick offers his two albums with the Figures on a single disk, through his web site. I bought it, though, and it turned out to be a home-burned CD ... and not from the master tapes. Sound quality left a LOT to be desired. Caveat emptor.
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 09, 2005 05:31PM
The year: 1999. Napster comes on line. Hey, I can download those great songs from my childhood that I don't have copies of, like:

Blancmange: "Living On The Ceiling" - I used to think this song was a ingenius mix of exotica and modern rock. Can't wait to hear it...well, this ain't that great...cheesy '80s production, overwrought vocals...but that sitar-ish melody sounded so good in my head...

Delete.

I know, how about:
Burning Sensations "Belly of The Whale" - a fresh Carribbean breeze...that sounds pretty uninvolving now that I've heard a lot of real Carribbean music.

Delete.

On the other hand, I'd always thought of Nina Hagen as an amusing novelty figure but not a real, y'know "artist" or anything...til I got "Nunsexmonkrock" a couple of years ago. WOW. Absolutely spectacular. Always in complete control of her voice while giving the appearance of flying off into chaos. Great (if utterly insane) songwriting, and performances. Damn, why didn't I get this 20 years ago?!
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 10, 2005 03:05PM
it is dated but i still like lene lovich's 'lucky number.' there are plenty of songs that make me crack-up or the timing was just right for an apropo situation. then there is the older brother influence whose bias sometimes wore off after 20 years.
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 10, 2005 08:48PM
I actually had the LP version of Mr. Jaws which was a compilation of all Dickie Goodman tracks (Energy Crisis 74; plus tracks all the way back to the late 50s Flying Saucer craze).
I see it has been released on CD with a slightly changed cover::

and many extra tracks reaching up to the 80s or so.
My original vinyl sold to a hungry collector.
Goodman is now considered an early progenitor of sampling.



Post Edited (11-10-05 16:53)
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 10, 2005 04:09PM
Okay, I had lots of those experiences when I was "Drunk on Napster" in '99 and 2000. I Downloaded every goofy song from my childhood that I could remember. Here are two novelty songs from eons ago that I rediscovered as MP3's (I knew they were novelty songs so I was not expecting much):

A) Mr. Jaws by Dickie Goodman (#4 in '75!)- Cracked me up like nothing else in the 4th grade. Completely of its time and only something a smartalec grade schooler could enjoy (not recommended for new millenium adult consumption). If you are interested, it actually is of historic interest as a pop-culture time capsule of 1975.

cool smiley Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron by The Royal Guardsmen- Terriffic! Just as good as I remember. "Curses, foiled again!"

And one more from my teenage years:

C) Nightboat to Cairo by Madness- Pure British genius and one of the great obscurities offered up by early MTV to the Journey-loving American masses
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 10, 2005 05:05PM
Chris Rock has revived the "Mr. Jaws" concept more than once, using samples from fairly well-known rap songs as interview answers. The subjects of his interview/sample skits have included O.J. Simpson, Ike Turner and Monica Lewinsky. Worth a listen ... but not in front of your kids.



Post Edited (11-10-05 13:06)
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 10, 2005 04:28PM
Taco - I'd LOVE to hear that Mr. Jaws song again. I have fond memories of me and my buddy in 2nd grade making our own versions of that song by asking stupid questions into our handheld cassette recorder and then playing segments of songs on the fold-out record player in reply. You got an MP3 you could post or e-mail?
Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 11, 2005 02:42PM
I seem to have wandered into the Dr. Demento discussion board by mistake (not that it's a bad thing). Anyway, I remember having the first post-Jimbo Doors album, Other Voices, which I got from my older brother, who picked it up from a bargin bin. I remember that there was one great song called "Tightrope Ride", that I still remember nearly 30 yrs. later. I also remember having the Dammed's album Anything (their last for MCA, as I remember) & enjoying the title track & their version of Alone Again Or, which was the first time I had ever heard of the song.

Re: Good in memory, not in reality
November 11, 2005 07:43PM
The Shirts first album which when I got I played the hell out of it and tried to listen to it last night and couldn't get through the first song.
THINGS I ACTUALLY BOUGHT
Visage
Blancmange
the Orchids
the Flirts
Roman Holiday
Bruce Wooley and the Camera Club
The Fabulous Poodles (because I read about them in TP)
Dead or Alive
the Rok Kats
Berlin
ABC
but everyone of those I remember some great time in my life when I bought them and now long for those times as I approach geezerhood
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

Click here to login