ROCK Sex: "Boredom"/ "Rip It Up" - Buzzcocks > Orange Juice

ROCK Sex lives a strange stray line.

Today, why all Indie bands exist because of The Buzzcocks.


_______________

The Sex Pistols bulldozed the way for anyone to be a band. But The Buzzcocks proved you could record and release your own record.

The "Spiral Scratch" EP (1977) was self-recorded and released on their own label, the first Punk indie label ever. 'Do-It-Yourself' was the new revolution. Every upstart DIY act since owes them a debt of gratitude.

Here's their first single "Boredom", a deadpan and dead cheeky blast of energized ennui. Singer Howard Devoto makes sly puns while guitarist Pete Shelley subverts guitar heroes with a bored one-note solo that enthralls!

BUZZCOCKS -"Boredom" (1977)



The Punk ethos was to fearlessly try anything. Beyond the classic sound, the scene flourished into myriad styles with as many names.

Scotland's Orange Juice were wringers of the New Pop, which brought sunny melodicism back into the mix with askew angles. Amid the Disco chops and arch lyrics, they throw in lines from "Boredom" and a playful vamp on the guitar solo (at 2:10).

ORANGE JUICE -"Rip It Up" (1982)



The phrase "Rip it up and start again" perfectly summarized the PostPunk explosion of musics, and was used as the title to author Simon Reynbold's crucial overview, "Rip It Up And Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984".



© Tym Stevens

---

See Also:

• DON'T TREAD ON ME: The Original Punk of 1960s Garage Rock, with Music Player!


• The Kinks > Sex Pistols > The Kinks

• "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" - Paul Revere > The Monkees > Sex Pistols

• "Don't Gimme Me No Lip Child" - Dave Berry > Sex Pistols


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

---

ROCK Sex: "Can You Get To That?" - Funkadelic > Sleigh Bells

ROCK Sex is gonna reap what's sowed.

Tday's pop culture relay song is "Can You Get To That?".

_______________.


Here's the fearless Funkadelic with some Funky Folk.

FUNKADELIC -"Can You Get To That?" (1971)



And here's Sleigh Bells popping up from the underground with their own demented take.

SLEIGH BELLS -"Rill Rill" (2010)



© Tym Stevens

---

See Also:

• FUNK, The True History: 1970-1974, with 3 Music Players!


• BEYOND COOL: Pedro Bell, Funkadelic's visionary!

• "Let's Dance" - David Bowie > George Clinton > Craig David

• "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego!" - Funkadelic > Sly Stone > Beastie Boys

• "California Dreamin'" - The Mamas and The Papas > Eddie Hazel

• "Sing A Simple Song" - Sly Stone > Jimi Hendrix > James Gang > P-Funk > Chili Peppers > Public Enemy

• "Follow The Leader" - Bob James > Eric B + Rakim > P-Funk

• "If You Want Me To Stay" - Sly Stone > Bootsy Collins > Red Hot Chili Peppers > Prince > Nikka Costa


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

---

ROCK Sex: "I Fought the Law and I Won!" - The Crickets > Bobby Fuller > The Clash > Metric

ROCK Sex joins in fighting the power.

_______________

Today's musical relay is all about the pinball journey of "I Fought the Law".

It was triggered by Buddy Holly, with his zigzag guitar rhythms and galloping delivery, as heard in songs like this one.

BUDDY HOLLY -"Rave On" (1958)



In the wake of Buddy's tragic death, his band The Crickets carried on the legacy with this very Holly-esque raver, the original verison of "I Fought the Law". It was written by member Sonny Curtis, who also wrote perennials like "Walk Right Back" (Everly Brothers, Anne Murray), "More Than I Can Say" (Leo Sayer), and "Love Is All Around" (The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme, Bob Mould, Joan Jett):

THE CRICKETS -"I Fought the Law" (1959)


But it was The Bobby Fuller Four who made it a smash hit. Tragically, Bobby Fuller died soon after in strange circumstances. While many people believe it was a murder, the legal verdict that it was a suicide despite clearly botched evidence lent a deeper resonance to the lyrics of the song.

BOBBY FULLER FOUR -"I Fought the Law" (1965)



Soon after, the all-female rockers THE SHE TRINITY put another slant on it.

THE SHE TRINITY -"He Fought the Law" (1966)



For many people the definitive version is by The Clash. They were recording their second album in San Francisco when they heard Fuller's single on a local jukebox. In some ways this song sums up their whole rebel stance and puckish humor more than their own.

THE CLASH -"I Fought the Law" (1978)



Meanwhile the San Francisco Punks DEAD KENNEDYS had their own take on it, recorded in the wake of the brutal murders of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Singer Jello Biafra defiantly changes the chorus to "I fought the law and I won!":

DEAD KENNEDYS -"I Fought the Law" (1978)



Because of The Clash many current punk bands like Green Day have covered it.

But Canada's Metric brought another new dimension to it. In the wake of the massive public outcry and bitter frustration against Bush's engineering of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, they summed it up with "I fought the war but the war won't stop, for the love of god/ I fought the war but the war won."

They also allude to the symbolic death of Bobby Fuller: "Daddy Warbucks up against Bobby Fuller/ and it beat him hands down..."

METRIC -"Monster Hospital" (2005)



Bite the hand that beats you!


© Tym Stevens

---

See Also:

• BUDDY HOLLY: Rock's Everyman and His Disciples, with 2 Music Players!

• "That'll Be The Day" - John Wayne > Buddy Holly > The Beatles > David Essex

• "Police and Thieves" - Junior Murvin > The Clash

• "Straight To Hell" - The Clash > Alex Cox > Lilly Allen > MIA


• REVOLUTION! - A 'Fight The Power' Music Player


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

---

Cool Indie Band: BOYSKOUT

________________

BOYSKOUT are an undersung indie band I really recommend. They have traces of Television, Devo, The Cure, Throwing Muses, Elastica, and Gossip in a blend that becomes uniquely theirs.


I especially love this song...

Boyskout -"Jesse James"


Boyskout -"You Act Strange"


Boyskout -"Fantastic"


Show them some love at:
MySpace



© Tym Stevens

---

See Also:

• DOCTOR WHO Theme - Delia Derbyshire > Gary Glitter > KLF > Human League

• "Girl U Want" - Devo > Soundgarden > Polysics > Boyskout

• LADIES FIRST: "Mind Your Own Business" - Delta 5 > Chicks On Speed > Pigface

• LADIES FIRST: "Kultes Klares Wasser" - Malaria! > Chicks On Speed


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

---