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Underground > Radio & Music >

Performing some old favorites

17:18 / 20.02.02

Been thinking about this DK stuff, and for some reason it reminded me of an old arguement that I had with a friend years ago. His stance was that Paul Westerberg shouldn't be performing the songs he wrote as a member of the Replacements. I remember him mentioning how Sugar (to date the arguement) wasn't doing Husker Du tunes. I didn't buy it.

What's your opinion? Are all the songs a performer has ever written open game for anything they do in the future? Or should they drop the material when they move onto a new project? I can see the arguement for dropping. But, having missed the Pogues, I'm glad that Shane MacGowan's still doing the old tunes with the Popes.

So, what's the consensus?

17:31 / 20.02.02

Hmmm. Conflicted on this.

I mean, last night I saw Ian Brown, and his band kept playing snatches of Fool's Gold all night (and then about half a minute after that.)

It got the biggest cheer of the night, and I was cheering too. But I can't shake the feeling that doing this is is kind of an admission your new stuff is not as good.

Which is stupid, I know, but I can't stop thinking it...

19:11 / 20.02.02

His stance was that Paul Westerberg shouldn't be performing the songs he wrote as a member of the Replacements.

Beleive me, Paul would agree. I saw him during the "Eventually" tour & everytime he played a 'mats tune, he had this "Christ, the shit I'll do for money" look on his face. Which explains why he didn't tour after his last album. However, there are rumors that he's gonna tour for under the alter ego of Grandpaboy. Of course, rumors are abounding that he'll play with everyone from Tommy to Dave Pirner & Bob Mould. I'll believe it when I see it.

I remember him mentioning how Sugar (to date the arguement) wasn't doing Husker Du tunes.

Speaking of Bob, he's got his own record label now & is touring again. And Grant Hart is doing some gigs, too! Saw him do a great solo gig a couple of weeks ago. I don't know how his Husker Du material managed to sound fresh w/out a backing band (shit, he even played "Data Control", if you can believe it), but it did. As someone in the audience shouted, "Best 5 dollar show ever!"

But, having missed the Pogues, I'm glad that Shane MacGowan's still doing the old tunes with the Popes.

Turns out you missed out more than once. Shane joined the origional line-up of the Pogues for a few UK gigs last December. That bastard Jack the Bodiless was lucky enough to see one of these gigs, which really makes me green w/ envy. Luckily, someone in Germany was gratious enough to archive the entire Dec 23rd, 2001 Brixton Academy show in the MP3 section!!

<Telly Savales>Who loves ya, baby?</Telly Savales>

19:16 / 20.02.02

quote:Originally posted by Margin Walker:
Luckily, someone in Germany was gratious enough to archive the entire Dec 23rd, 2001 Brixton Academy show in the MP3 section!!

THANK YOU!

Matthew Fluxington

02:27 / 21.02.02

I think that it's fine for people to play songs from their old band, at least when they are a solo act. I saw David Byrne last year, and it was a fabulous show, he played a career retrospective set, playing a little bit of most every record he ever played, with or without the Talking Heads. Of course the biggest cheers of the night were for "Once In A Lifetime", "And She Was", "Naive Melody" and "Life During Wartime" - but those are brilliant songs, and it would be worse for David Byrne to never play those songs again than be very stubborn about it.

Frank Black wasn't playing Pixies songs for quite a while after he broke them up, but has gradually been bringing them back, first it was just "Wave of Mutilation" and "Holiday Song", but now he's been playing 5 or 6 Pixies tunes in any given 25 song show that he plays, and that's great - everyone loves to hear "Where Is My Mind?" and "Monkey Gone To Heaven", and he was obviously having a lot of fun revisiting those tunes.

I just think it's a bad idea to reject/deny yr past catalog - I'd rather people throw in greatest hits into their shows, I'd rather see career songwriters represent their catalogs as best as they can.

That said, I'm in no rush for Stephen Malkmus to be playing Pavement songs live with The Jicks - I think that The Jicks are best at being their own band, separate from Pavement. I do hope that someday in the future a truly solo Malkmus (he's not solo now, he's a Jick.) will play songs from all over his catalog.

13:25 / 21.02.02

quote:Originally posted by Margin Walker:
Turns out you missed out more than once. Shane joined the origional line-up of the Pogues for a few UK gigs last December. That bastard Jack the Bodiless was lucky enough to see one of these gigs, which really makes me green w/ envy. Luckily, someone in Germany was gratious enough to archive the entire Dec 23rd, 2001 Brixton Academy show in the MP3 section!!

THanks for throwing it out, but the songs are already downloaded. Wish the recording was better though.

Now currently waiting to see what's going to be made of extending the reunion tour. Rumors are circulating that there might be more, and possibly a US leg. Also waiting to see if the US shows around St. Patrick's Day for Shane get extended beyond the Philly and NYC shows that've been announced.

For those interested, info on the Friends of Shane Mailing List, (email discussion group for Shane/Pogues stuff) can be found here

To get back on track though.

Flux, personally I agree with you. That said, I think the Westerberg story above holds some weight.

If the songs are being performed out of love for the songs, then I'm all for it. But, when it's just being done for a, "it's what they came to see" mentality, then I've got a problem with it.

Matthew Fluxington

13:44 / 21.02.02

I don't know, I wouldn't put too much on the Westerberg story, if just because he's a submediocre songwriter/performer, and it wouldn't shock me that most anything the guy would do would be hackwork.

Also, I must stress that I disagree with the feeling that bands shouldn't play songs that the audience wants to hear - I think it's a bit ridiculous to play sets comprised only of greatest hits in many cases, but I think that if an audience pays to see you, you should make some effort to give them their money's worth. And if that means playing a hit or two by yr old band or one of yr oldest records, then so be it. For every one person who will say "Ah, I really respect that guy for not doing the old stuff", there's going to be about 200 people who will say "ah, he didn't play anything that I wanted to hear. I won't ever see him play live again, and maybe not buy future records by them".

Ideally, I think artists should try to play at least one song for every release they've got in their album discography, try to represent a career of songwriting, and have it so that if you only have one record they've done, you'll at least hear one song that you know.

[ 21-02-2002: Message edited by: Flux = Rad ]