'Unpopular' Opinions (That Are Secretly Popular)

[RenegadeScrew]

Bob Dylan is an overrated and undeservedly esteemed artist.

"Oh but he's such a wordsmith; he won the Nobel Prize for Literature y'know."

I'm a big Dylan fun but a gripe of mine is the whole 'poet' tag as if it makes someone better than just a songwriter.  Other good songwriters get the same thing (Morrisey, Mark E Smith).  It's tedious and pointless comparing poetry and song lyrics, even if there is a lot of crossover.    Irvine Welsh made a tit of himself when Dylan won that prize.

The poet thing also implies that the listener merely listens to their lyrics and that the 'poet songwriter' doesn't actually write any music.  Most of us hear the song first, then become endeared to some lyrical content if at all.

There is lots of Dylan stuff I like where the lyrics are imo nonsense and certainly not relevant (Blonde on Blonde for example).  There is other Dylan where he sums up in a rhymed verse what my rambling dad was trying to say about the BNP always standing in places like Oldham, in a song that is generally about the death of Medgar Evers.

When I heard Subterranean Homesick Blues in HMV at age 18 or so, I basically froze, all of time froze.  I didn't scratch my chin and muse about the line "better stay away from those who carry round the fire hose".  I only realised what that meant a year or two ago!

[wosl]

People who want to take "Yellow Submarine" off "Revolver" and replace it with "Rain" or something all have Paul Weller hair and secretly voted Leave.

Rain would wreck the balance of Revolver, wouldn't it; there's quite enough mordant existential discontent on there already with the likes of I'm Only Sleeping, Love You To, She Said, I Want To Tell You and Doctor Robert.  Yellow Submarine cuts through all that like a eucalyptus lozenge.  As Titmus says, it rocks in its way, and there's a lot going on in it; they clearly worked quite lovingly on it, with the sound effects, brass fill, subtly layered chorus harmonies and what-not. 

[hermitical]

I saw MBV twice in 1988 and they were very different to that - they were like my idea of a brilliant 60s psychedelic garage band, a beautiful dirty noise (though still song based). Though at one of the gigs, at Oxford Poly, they stopped during almost every song, I presumed at the time because of technical problems, though it was odd because they sounded great to me. It was only later that I learnt of their extreme perfectionism which was presumably the actual reason.

To my feeling they were one of those bands who didn't know what they were good at, and all their records were disappointing, most of the life and spirit drained out of them. I do realise this is an unpopular opinion that isn't secretly popular at all.

I saw them a couple of times in 1988 as well. Once supporting The Pixies in Nottingham and a few weeks later headlining at a club in Derby. I remember Derby better, a blissful noise, exhilarating stuff

[Jockice]

I saw them a couple of times in 1988 as well. Once supporting The Pixies in Nottingham and a few weeks later headlining at a club in Derby. I remember Derby better, a blissful noise, exhilarating stuff

I was at that Nottingham gig. Rock City. Kim Deal laughed at my hairstyle (or just my hair in general) afterwards you know.

[Rocket Surgery]

Pixies > Dylan

Lyrically, I mean.

(musically also)

[hermitical]

I was at that Nottingham gig. Rock City. Kim Deal laughed at my hairstyle (or just my hair in general) afterwards you know.

A woman of taste no doubt! I wonder if we've crossed paths at other gigs.....
I taped both sets that night, rough as fuck on a sony recording walkman, still have it tucked away somewhere. If I ever get it digitised I'll wing you a copy....

[Jockice]

A woman of taste no doubt! I wonder if we've crossed paths at other gigs.....
I taped both sets that night, rough as fuck on a sony recording walkman, still have it tucked away somewhere. If I ever get it digitised I'll wing you a copy....

Could have done. I used to go to an awful lot of gigs in those days and was also a regular visitor to Nottingham as one of my mates from school was at university there. I went to Rock City for the first time in many a year about a year ago (to see the Saw Doctors of all people - not my idea I can assure you) and was stunned by just how inaccessible the place is, which I didn't really notice as a 20-something with a limp but is blatantly obvious as a 50-plus type in a wheelchair.

And thanks. I have very fond memories of that night so it would be good to hear it again.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Never seen what all the fuss was about with The Pixies. It all sounds pretty middle-of-the-road to me.