BOC: CotHM (long)

[Ted Jackson]

On 27 Jun 2001, at 10:04, Joseph Brooks wrote:

> Very true. My expectations may be unreasonable and if they were
> reading this, the band would get my most sincere apologies for this.
> You have to understand what an impact BOC had on my early years. I
> can't help but have unrealistic expectations. I was 14 when I first
> saw the band back in '74.. Those first few years of BOC fanhood left
> an indelible (excuse my spelling, still on first cup of coffee) mark
> on my musical soul more than any other band that I can think of. So
> much so that nearly 3 decades later, I'm still trying to recapture
> that feeling. It may not be fair to the band but there it is...
>
Oh, I knew all along the source of your discomfort--it's the same for
me.  I was 19 when I discoverd BÖC in earnest, and they had the
exact same impact on me.  I felt guilty in a way, because BÖC
caused me to rethink what music meant to me, and, as a result,
made me abandon a lot of other bands that I'd previously doted on!
And, hell yeah, they changed my life too, in a big way...

> Bad example (for me anyway). I consider even HF/CotHM or Club Ninja
> lyrics to be vastly better than any Lemmy/Hawkwind lyric I've ever
> heard (admittedly, I haven't heard that much. The hackneyed psuedo
> poetry of "Space Ritual" was enough to convince me of that.. Apologies
> to all you Hawkies out there...)
>
Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad!  CN's hard to defend, and I had feelings
similar to yours on CofHM when it came out.  Own up, Brian, are
you related to Rob Halligan--he's from Syracuse?

I like Lemmy's lyrics big time for their simplicity, humor and visceral
impact.  Granted nobody's going to confuse it with WooT!
Musically?  Not enough lead playing on Motorhead's stuff to addict
me, but I buy 'em when I see them in used shops...

 That being said,
> even live, I find the shows to be predictable and somewhat stale.
> Buck, Eric.. suprise us.. Drop the BIG 3 for a year and see how it
> goes...

No arguments here.  Quality of the performances live is boffo,
material selection isn't.  But if they keep Teen Archer and Flaming
Telepaths in the set, I'll go home happy even if I have to endure
Godzilla.  That song's a double problem for me:  not only do BÖC
keep playing it live, but I was in a band that did it to death, and I had
to play it about a hundred times when I was learning it, then playing
it at countless gigs...


> Pretty pathetic, I fear. And thats the crux of it I guess and why I
> get my ninnies all rigid about it. I want BOC to have a career (of
> Evil?). I WANT to like CotHM.. I really do. I'm trying. I just can't
> get away from the feeling that they're just going through the motions.

Hey, I totally respect where you're coming from, and appreciate it a
lot more than if you were some mindless fanboy saying that
everything BÖC touches is gold--it isn't...

Going thru the motions?  No, I don't think so.  I do think they're
somehow blocked on the lyrics [though HM's lyrics are as good as
anything the group's ever done] but the music's pretty sharp these
days...

> For that matter, BÖC in their heyday
> never came close to Secret Treaties, even when AB, JB, RM and
> SP were still aboard.
>
> Oh my god.. You've made me think that for all these years, I've been
> not a BOC fan but a Pearlman/Meltzer/Bouchard fan? Hmmm... Nah...
>
Well, it's possible...Al's had his share of misfires, but for sheer
musical output, he's mighty prolific.  RM?  Huge impact on the
band, and SP [ducking for cover]?  Well, the early stuff's always
been my fave, and it's got SP's stamp all over it.  Maybe we're all
bigger SP fans than we'd like to admit?


> Good post, Theo. Thanks for making me think.

Same back to ya, JB...


 I'm in such a different place than I was when I first
> became a BOC fan.  I've got two youngsters running
> around, a mortgage, two car payments, etc.  I'm not
> looking for rock and roll to fulfill my life in any
> way -- just make it a little more fun.
> -=snip=-
>
> Ditto on the adulthood thing. Maybe thats my problem? DO I expect too
> much from my music at this late date?
>
It's a tall order for a band to prolong our youth eh?


> My first though when Imaginos came out was.. "They're back!" and all
> was right with the world. I just love that album. To be honest, except
> for Imaginos which was sort of a psuedo-BOC album, I've been
> disappointed with everything they've done since CE. But I hang on for
> some demented reason (see above) and hope...
>
Imaginos blew my mind when it came out.  I was pretty crushed
when I found out it wasn't a BÖC album, and that the orig. group
played very little on it.  Still great stuff, and AB and SP's
vindication...
>
> BOC has its roots in my past. How can I do otherwise? Should we
> blindly accept without reservations or criticism? I know I'm negative
> but its not as easy as you think for me to rip into a band that has
> been with me for 30 years. Its a dirty job but someone has to do it...
> I'm just saying it how I see it. I can't help the way I feel about it.

Quite true.  We should not accept without criticism.  You have
nothing to apologize for.  It's obvious from your posts that your
reservations are rooted in your admiratioin for the band.  And,
anyone who's been a fan since '74 has earned a right to criticize!


theo