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Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

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IanB
IanB
6761 posts

Edited Sep 26, 2008, 12:53
Re: Generic Supersessions
Sep 26, 2008, 12:35
keith a wrote:
IanB wrote:



That's what I mean by "lucky". It's not a negative it's just a fact that he lucked out to have been in three great bands in the exact same way that Geoff Hurst was "lucky" that Jimmy Greaves got injured in 1966. Doesn't take anything away from him but it points up both the disposable genius and the fatal weakness of rock and roll. It's glory is fleeting for all but a very few because only a very few have anything worthwhile to say for more than a very limited period of time. Five years, three albums. That's about the limit for 99% of even the really good bands.


I know you like a good analogy, Ian. And I like most of them, but this one doesn't work at all. Lydon didn't get lucky and fit into a winning team. That would be like Howard Devoto getting injured after Real Life and Johnny stepping in with a musical hat-track of 2nd Hand Daylight, Correct Use Of Soap and MM&TW (not suer if that one actually crossed the line though!).

If anything JL was the Sir Alf who put his winning team, PIL, together.

Does this make Album his Mexico '70 - quarter finalists who should have done better?

; )




I do like a good analogy it is true! Maybe this wasn't the best. You also know I like a bit of shake up in the old rock and roll museum every now and again. It gets kind of dusty in a Syd-was-responsible-for-the-only-good-Floyd kind of a way.

Though I stand by the thought that the Pistols was not JL's idea and he wasn't the driving musical force in PIL either. He was the focus sure but the other three determined almost entirely where the music was going. True also of the later band. That's not conjecture btw.

I would also contend that almost anyone could have fronted the Pistols with McClaren behind the scenes. Maybe not successfully but it was possible that anyone could have filled that slot and the band would still have been a musical juggernaut yet JL couldn't possibly have come up with the Pistols aesthetic on his own or anything like it. The Pistols tried a load of singers before they settled on Lydon. Nick Kent fronting the SPs would have been crap but it would still have been a simulcra of the Pistols we know. A bit more Iggy and a bit less Arthur Askey but sonically the same band and with McClaren's political spin the same marketing ploy.

How about Serginho for Brazil in 82? Or is that going too far?!
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Re: Generic Supersessions (keith a)		 Replies:
Re: Generic Supersessions (keith a)
Re: Generic Supersessions (dave clarkson)
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