I Bloody Love This Band, But I HATE This Song

[DrGreggles]

This has been bothering me for a week now.

I saw Barenaked Ladies last week, and I absolutely adore them. Ever since I first heard 'Enid' 25+ years ago they've been one of the must-see bands every time they tour. Must have seen them at least 20 times now, probably more. Even after Steven Page left they have been releasing good stuff and, despite the albums now obviously being heavy on Ed's songs, Kev and Jim are contributing more to the writing.

Which brings me on to 'Invisible Fence' from the new album. Don't get me wrong, the album's great overall and mostly works brilliantly live. But this song is the exception. It's just so... AARGH! I can't even specify what's so bad about it. There's no real tune, Kev's lead vocal is flat, the famous BNL harmonies are so inaudible that they're virtually missing and the guitar riff sounds like it's being played by me.

Am I being too harsh? Or is it just shit?
There's no excuse for playing it on the tour though. Any of the other new songs would be preferable in its place.

[saltysnacks]

For me, it's Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl. It reminds me of shit parties in shit pubs with my shit family.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The Kinks are probably my favourite band, but Apeman is an embarrassment. Sure, it's catchy, and some of the lyrics are quite amusing, but Ray's cod-Caribbean vocals are excruciating.

Yes, I know, different times and all that, but a white man singing a song about apes swinging through the trees while affecting a comedy "black voice" is horrible. He presumably felt that a satirical, pseudo-calypso protest song about ecological chaos would benefit from an ironic Harry Belafonte impression; he was wrong.

It's not intentionally racist, but I wince whenever I hear it.

[Dr Rock]

I don't hear him affecting a cod-Jamaican voice in that song.

[Dr Syntax Head]

There's one or two Manics songs that fit the bill.

I absolutely adore BRMC, I mean I love them almost unconditionally but the single Weapon of Choice just sounds awful. Hate that song.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Blue Monday

[Dr Syntax Head]

Seven Nation Army

[alan nagsworth]

Ween. Greatest band who ever lived, but Candi is a fucking abomination. Even Deaner has disowned it.

La Cucaracha has some bad songs which are excusable as it's their last recorded album and they were obviously petering out, but Chocolate & Cheese is their breakthrough album and there's otherwise not a single bad song on it. Sandwiched between the dreamy Joppa Road and the epic tale of Buenas Tardes Amigo, it really takes a steaming shit on the flawless run of the end of the album.

What's interesting is the much more crass and stupid HIV Song comes right after Buenas Tardes Amigo, yet that doesn't feel out of place at all - in fact, it's perfect... but Candi can fuck off.

[jobotic]

A Tribe Called Quest - Hot Sex

[fat_abbott]

I don't hear him affecting a cod-Jamaican voice in that song.

Really???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEep67akIn4

[Dr Rock]

That's not what Jamaicans sound like.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

That's not what Jamaicans sound like.

Well, exactly. It's what a fey white bloke from Muswell Hill trying to sound Jamaican sounds like.

[Dr Rock]

I don't think he's trying to sound Jamaican.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

He's definitely affecting a "calypso" voice; he doesn't usually sing like that.

[Dr Rock]

Meh, I'm not convinced.

[Steven]

He's definitely affecting a "calypso" voice; he doesn't usually sing like that.

He bloody does, Ray Davies affects a calypso accent on a lot of their stuff, I assumed as a kid he grew up listening to calypso records and picked it up from there. Listen to Louie, Louie, You Really Got Me and countless others, that's not an American or Cockney accent he's putting on, there's a reson they covered stuff like the Banana Boat Song.

I always assumed Lee Mavers picked up his weird South American/Carribean singing from listening to The Kinks, too. I mean the first song he ever wrote is even half-lifted from Sunny Afternoon.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

For some mystifying reason, Ray decided to sing like that on quite a few post-Apeman songs; what I should've written earlier was that he didn't sing like that prior to recording Apeman.

I don't detect any traces of cod-Caribbean in his pre-1970 recordings, with the obvious exception of I'm On An Island. I mean, he's obviously affected several different voices throughout his career, but his "natural" singing voice mixes London vowels and crisp enunciation with a sort of lazy transatlantic twang.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Stevie Wonder and I Just Called to Say I Loved You.  Well, okay, I don't hate it, but it's infuriatingly banal in comparison to the brilliance of most of his other singles.  Ditto Electric Light Orchestra and Rock and Roll is King.

[Dr Syntax Head]

All U2 after Achtung Baby

[Dr Syntax Head]

Anyone that knows me on here knows my undying and complete love for Eddie Vedder but the whole of Ukele songs can fuck right off.

[Gulftastic]

All U2 after Achtung Baby

Same, but after The Joshua Tree.

[non capisco]

I adore XTC and I'm an unshakeable atheist but 'Dear God' is utter tod. 'Dear Tod'.

They chucked 'Mermaid Smiled' off Skylarking at one point for that sixth form rubbish. Jeez-oh.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Fleetwood Mac - Family Man.

[Jockice]

Fairytale of New York. Mainly through overhearing it. I would quite like to never ever hear it again in my life.

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Fairytale of New York. Mainly through overhearing it. I would quite like to never ever hear it again in my life.

Have always found that simply too lyrically depressing to rate it as it is commonly rated.

[Dr Syntax Head]

Anyone that knows me on here... etc Pearl Jam.... etc Spin the black circle. Stupid song.

[itsfredtitmus]

I adore XTC and I'm an unshakeable atheist but 'Dear God' is utter tod. 'Dear Tod'.

They chucked 'Mermaid Smiled' off Skylarking at one point for that sixth form rubbish. Jeez-oh.

great song, lyrics are a bit wanna be third rate ono band

[non capisco]

I don't even think it's a great song, especially not by their standards. It's got that tone deaf child stinking up the start for one thing.

[DrGreggles]

All U2 after Achtung Baby

Not sure you can love a band if you hate the majority of their output.

[Morrison Lard]

Human League - Don't You Want Me
Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough

Love pretty much everything they've done apart from those two bloody annoyingly shit songs..