Reading Eagle, March 6, 1983: Difference between revisions
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1982 will also go down in history as the year ''Rolling Stone'''s audience finally caught up with the Clash. Both readers and critics named the Clash band of the year who else was there?, and "Rock the Casbah" was the readers' single of the year. | 1982 will also go down in history as the year ''Rolling Stone'''s audience finally caught up with the Clash. Both readers and critics named the Clash band of the year who else was there?, and "Rock the Casbah" was the readers' single of the year. | ||
to | That this was a great band's weakest year to date is one thing. It's the lack of serious competition that makes this a hollow triumph for the Clash. | ||
''Rolling Stone'''s critics (22 cast ballots, chose Springsteen's ''Nebraska'' and Richard & Linda Thompson's ''Shoot Out the Lights'' in a tie for album of the year. But for a more accurate sampling of the nation's critical response we must turn to Robert Christgau's annual "Pazz & Jop" poll in ''The Village Voice''. | ''Rolling Stone'''s critics (22 cast ballots, chose Springsteen's ''Nebraska'' and Richard & Linda Thompson's ''Shoot Out the Lights'' in a tie for album of the year. But for a more accurate sampling of the nation's critical response we must turn to Robert Christgau's annual "Pazz & Jop" poll in ''The Village Voice''. | ||
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For example, Elvis Costello's ''Imperial Bedroom'' was this year's winner by a respectable margin (more than 100 points separated it from No. 2, ''Shoot Out the Lights''). But Elvis is this and every other year's model for rock-crit respectability, like Dylan was in the '60s — or like Sinatra has been for the Grammys. | For example, Elvis Costello's ''Imperial Bedroom'' was [[Village Voice, February 22, 1983|this year's]] winner by a respectable margin (more than 100 points separated it from No. 2, ''Shoot Out the Lights''). But Elvis is this and every other year's model for rock-crit respectability, like Dylan was in the '60s — or like Sinatra has been for the Grammys. | ||
''Nebraska'' came in third, almost 200 points behind Costello, but it still seems a far more adventurous and satisfying album. The impressiveness of Costello's songwriting in certain instances can't be denied, but his | ''Nebraska'' came in third, almost 200 points behind Costello, but it still seems a far more adventurous and satisfying album. The impressiveness of Costello's songwriting in certain instances can't be denied, but his arrangements and performing have become predictable and coldly unremarkable. So in a sense, his victory is a fluke, an across-the-board selection by critics of varied persuasions, few of whom considered it the year's best album but which, when the votes were tabulated, came out higher than expected — or warranted. Christgau's thoughts on Costello vs. Springsteen bear repeating: | ||
"''Imperial Bedroom'' ... has its formally progressive rep, but when the best line any of my normally loquacious correspondents can feed me on the album of the year is Roy Trakin's 'Tongue-twisting puns for the post-Porter generation,' things are obviously desperate. I know, it's all about emotional fascism; I know, it's even got a lyric sheet. Try reading the damn thing — the words are almost as hard to follow on paper as in the air. I say it's Elvis at his fussiest and I say the hell with it. | |||
"In fact, ... I much prefer (and was rooting for) the album that handicapped as its chief rival: Bruce Springsteen's ''Nebraska''. ... Risky, eloquent and ''successful'', ... ''Nebraska'' cut Reagan to ribbons with a dignity that screamed no joke and broke AOR without a hook or a trap set. | |||
"Only problem was, it was — and I use this term advisedly — boring. ... It was so monochromatic that even as it screamed no joke it whispered no exit — and maybe no future. ... But it wasn't quite a pop event, because (its) very terms impelled Springsteen to negate the rock and roll hope he's always traded in. Next time I hope he puts it all together." | |||
Ignoring the Grammys, as they deserve, ''Shoot Out the Lights'' seems to be the year's least disputed contender, and a most worthy one. The ''Voice'''s top 10 is rounded out by King Sunny Ade's amazing ''JuJu Music'', Lou Reed's ''The Blue Mask'', Prince's ''1999'', the English Beat's ''Special Beat Service'', Marvin Gaye's ''Midnight Love'', ''Marshall Crenshaw'' and X's ''Under the Big Black Sun''. | |||
Andy Warhol's maxim that everybody in the world will be famous for at least five minutes seems truer today than ever. Any would-be celebrity with a good agent should be able to get enough airplay to guarantee some sort of recognition. Meaningless awards have proliferated to epidemic proportions. | |||
That's why Christgau's poll is so refreshing. Most awards are only concerned with the present, but this one opens a window on the past and the future as well. Long after the hype is forgotten, when ''Toto IV'' sounds to everyone like the antique piece of sterile studio rock it is, these other records will continue to speak to us with their wisdom, craft and beauty. | |||
Indeed, despite the attitude of Grammy's hopelessly out-of-it decision makers, there is an art to rock music and, yes, it does involve black music very deeply. And it will survive and it will be heard, despite the negligible attention it receives. | |||
The big "winners" like Toto will also live forever, on Muzak systems in better hotels everywhere. | |||
{{cx}} | {{cx}} | ||
{{Bibliography notes header}} | {{Bibliography notes header}} |
Latest revision as of 18:16, 19 August 2015
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