Spirit of St. Louis

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Dr. Medulla
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Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Dr. Medulla »

While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Wolter
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Wolter »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:11am
While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

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Wolter wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:35am
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:11am
While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
That's an entirely reasonable explanation, tho given how many keystrokes we've devoted to so many other topics, it still seems odd to me that there isn't some Heston-like figure here—i'm gonna say Inder—who's decided to champion it as the lost classic or means of deciphering everything else. We love entertaining goofball theses, yet nobody travels down that road with SoSL. It's just odd to me.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

Wolter
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Wolter »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:46am
Wolter wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:35am
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:11am
While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
That's an entirely reasonable explanation, tho given how many keystrokes we've devoted to so many other topics, it still seems odd to me that there isn't some Heston-like figure here—i'm gonna say Inder—who's decided to champion it as the lost classic or means of deciphering everything else. We love entertaining goofball theses, yet nobody travels down that road with SoSL. It's just odd to me.
Inder is a good choice, as he does seem to like inoffensive pop of the era... LOOKING AT YOU, MACCA
”INDER LOCK THE THE KISS THREAD IVE REALISED IM A PRZE IDOOT” - Thomas Jefferson

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matedog
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

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I didn't hear Torchlight until like 2012. What a trip to hear what is by all accounts, a very good, very much Clash song so far after getting into Sandinista.

I tried to listen to more, but it doesn't do much for me. Ellen's vocals have never been my favorite and that's a hard thing to get over when she is doing leads on every song.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by IkarisOne »

SOSL is a very strange record. Ellen Foley is way, way out of her depth on most of the material and the production is way too casual and soft-focus. There's a lot of interesting melodic development on a lot of the tracks, but it all needed a producer who'd be a bit more stringent with the performances.

I think Christgau put his finger on the problem:
Producer Mick Jones, dubbed "My Boyfriend," acts as if too many chops are Peter Asher's problem, but it's just the opposite--in studio-rock, every note has to be perfect and then some, which leaves Paul, Topper, Mickey etc. two steps short much of the time.
The Clash were really getting carried away with themselves and had no concept of how badly this record would have scotched their branding, which is why I think Columbia quashed it.

And Torchlight really, really, really, really should have been saved for a Clash album.

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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by IkarisOne »

I should mention that the nightmare i mention in the SoSL looked almost exactly like that stageshow David Byrne's been running around with the past few years.

Wolter
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Wolter »

IkarisOne wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 3:26pm
I should mention that the nightmare i mention in the SoSL looked almost exactly like that stageshow David Byrne's been running around with the past few years.
Oh yeah.
”INDER LOCK THE THE KISS THREAD IVE REALISED IM A PRZE IDOOT” - Thomas Jefferson

"But the gorilla thinks otherwise!"

Kory
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Kory »

Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:46am
Wolter wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:35am
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:11am
While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
That's an entirely reasonable explanation, tho given how many keystrokes we've devoted to so many other topics, it still seems odd to me that there isn't some Heston-like figure here—i'm gonna say Inder—who's decided to champion it as the lost classic or means of deciphering everything else. We love entertaining goofball theses, yet nobody travels down that road with SoSL. It's just odd to me.
I've actually never heard this. Maybe it will be me?
"Suck our Earth dick, Martians!" —Doc

Dr. Medulla
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Dr. Medulla »

Kory wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 2:01pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:46am
Wolter wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:35am
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:11am
While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
That's an entirely reasonable explanation, tho given how many keystrokes we've devoted to so many other topics, it still seems odd to me that there isn't some Heston-like figure here—i'm gonna say Inder—who's decided to champion it as the lost classic or means of deciphering everything else. We love entertaining goofball theses, yet nobody travels down that road with SoSL. It's just odd to me.
I've actually never heard this. Maybe it will be me?
Yes. You will be our Ellen Foley Heston.
"I never doubted myself for a minute for I knew that my monkey-strong bowels were girded with strength, like the loins of a dragon ribboned with fat and the opulence of buffalo dung." - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft

matedog
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by matedog »

Kory wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 2:01pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:46am
Wolter wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:35am
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:11am
While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
That's an entirely reasonable explanation, tho given how many keystrokes we've devoted to so many other topics, it still seems odd to me that there isn't some Heston-like figure here—i'm gonna say Inder—who's decided to champion it as the lost classic or means of deciphering everything else. We love entertaining goofball theses, yet nobody travels down that road with SoSL. It's just odd to me.
I've actually never heard this. Maybe it will be me?
You've never heard Torchlight?
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.

Heston
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Heston »

Wolter wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:35am
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:11am
While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
I'm signing this off.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

Kory
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Kory »

matedog wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 2:26pm
Kory wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 2:01pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:46am
Wolter wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:35am
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:11am
While re-reading CCS' piece on Ellen Foley, I was wondered why people don't fetishize that record as the lost, or at least an unofficial Clash album. Some bend over backwards to validate CtC even tho it's basically a solo Joe record and a wretched one at that. So why does Spirit not merit the same kind of energy to elevate its status?
I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
That's an entirely reasonable explanation, tho given how many keystrokes we've devoted to so many other topics, it still seems odd to me that there isn't some Heston-like figure here—i'm gonna say Inder—who's decided to champion it as the lost classic or means of deciphering everything else. We love entertaining goofball theses, yet nobody travels down that road with SoSL. It's just odd to me.
I've actually never heard this. Maybe it will be me?
You've never heard Torchlight?
Maybe once in passing but I haven't heard the whole album.
"Suck our Earth dick, Martians!" —Doc

Heston
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by Heston »

Kory wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 4:57pm
matedog wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 2:26pm
Kory wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 2:01pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:46am
Wolter wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:35am


I feel like part of it is that it isn’t (on the whole) strikingly terrible and an obvious scar on the official discography. There’s one genuinely great song, a couple of decent ones, and the rest seems forgettable. It’s neither exciting enough to sustain extended interest nor terrible enough to be a meaty area of contention.
That's an entirely reasonable explanation, tho given how many keystrokes we've devoted to so many other topics, it still seems odd to me that there isn't some Heston-like figure here—i'm gonna say Inder—who's decided to champion it as the lost classic or means of deciphering everything else. We love entertaining goofball theses, yet nobody travels down that road with SoSL. It's just odd to me.
I've actually never heard this. Maybe it will be me?
You've never heard Torchlight?
Maybe once in passing but I haven't heard the whole album.
Torchlight is pretty great.
There's a tiny, tiny hopeful part of me that says you guys are running a Kaufmanesque long con on the board

101Walterton
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Re: Spirit of St. Louis

Post by 101Walterton »

Heston wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 5:07pm
Kory wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 4:57pm
matedog wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 2:26pm
Kory wrote:
10 Jan 2020, 2:01pm
Dr. Medulla wrote:
09 Jan 2020, 11:46am

That's an entirely reasonable explanation, tho given how many keystrokes we've devoted to so many other topics, it still seems odd to me that there isn't some Heston-like figure here—i'm gonna say Inder—who's decided to champion it as the lost classic or means of deciphering everything else. We love entertaining goofball theses, yet nobody travels down that road with SoSL. It's just odd to me.
I've actually never heard this. Maybe it will be me?
You've never heard Torchlight?
Maybe once in passing but I haven't heard the whole album.
Torchlight is pretty great.
Yes good song but big drop off to the rest.

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