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Revolutionary Suicide
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Andfurthermoreagain
Andfurthermoreagain
696 posts

Edited Jun 12, 2013, 12:20
Re: Revolutionary Suicide and recommendations please
Jun 12, 2013, 12:14
Moon Cat wrote:
I think Black Sheep would appeal to you quite a lot.


It is definitely on my list to get next (it seems to disappear from the merchandiser every now and then but I can track it down quite easily).
The other thing I meant to express was that given that I haven't bought any 'new' (as opposed to reissues) Cope-related release since the second Brain Donor album is that I can probably understand - from a lot of what has been written on this thread - is that there are possibly certain melodic, conceptual or lyrical themes (or explosions) that people are beginning to find repetitive or tiresome now. I think coming in at this stage means a lot of these are still quite 'new' to me. Religion, politics, neolithic concepts, Norse mythology and revolution were already pretty strong from Peggy onwards (and the monthly Drudions from the past decade atest to the fact that these are certainly continuing passions/concerns in Cope's output), so I can imagine that having this 15 year gap in my listening means I've missed out on a lot of potential repetition which has probably acted in my immediate advantage with the new record.
I do however feel that Cope tackles such subjects honestly (sometimes contradictorarily - contrariness is something I am quite used to with Julian) and often with a sense of humour lacking in many of his more po-faced peers. I'm thinking particularly of Steve Mason in this respect whose last album - the political/revolution themed concept album Monkey Minds In The Devil's Time is quite thrilling musically but quite tiresome lyrically - a little self-righteous and very very serious about itself. Sure, Cope gets deadly serious when he needs to but I think his unique humour and wordplay makes for a more thoroughly enjoyable experience (to these heathen ears anyway). Perhaps this is because Cope at least has the benefit of first-hand experience in terms of protest/revolutionary action added to the gift of being a skilled storyteller, whereas Mason (a self-confessed armchair-anarchist) is merely an introverted and embittered onlooker.
I remember my partner (at that point a 'live-Cope' virgin) turning to me at the 2011 Liverpool gig and asking (in the most respectful sense) "are you supposed to take this seriously?".
My reply was simply "possibly not as much as you might think".
Cope then played Julian In The Underworld and I think she understood.
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