BOC: A "dizzying excursion into [3OC's] world"

[Jon Jarrett]

On Tue, 14 Sep 2004, Jason M. Scruton wrote:

> Chart burning (with rock and roll) aside, it'll bever be
> re-established in the old mold even if Miranda and (insert new drummer's name
> here...or at least the name of a drummer who sticks around for more than tour
> obligation purposes) go "hi, don and eric. let's jam and find our sound."  One
> of the things that contributed to the "classic" sound is born out of the
> "bandhouse"/SFG jamming telepathy methinks.

        I admit to kind of hoping, although I thought Danny was a fabulous
bassist in his own right, that the new one will be slightly more
metallised than Danny is. I don't hold out much hope of the sound changing
dramatically for the new rhythm section because ultimately it will remain
Buck, Eric and Allen (in about that order?) setting the pace, but when
push comes to shove Danny's virtuosity, welcome though it be, seemed to
drive less than, for example, Jon Rogers's simpler playing. I don't mean
that the tendency I've mentioned for the band to become, don't know,
softer and more comfortable, is actually down to Danny, but I can't help
thinking that a change of bassist and possibly also drummer might be one
way of halting or reversing it.

        You know? Bring back the raw edge!

        I know it won't be like the first three albums, of course not. But
as I said at the time we were all waiting for CotHM in Britain still, I'm
not hoping for another _Secret Treaties_; but I wouldn't mind another
_Cultosaurus Erectus_... This does rather assume that we get another album
at all, but again in that respect, if stagnation has set in, change has to
be a first step towards solving that problem.

> Sadly, I don't get the sense that the weight of the band's past catalog will let
> them go far afield from what's comfortable, except for the inclusion of Allen's
> jamming in Last Days of May and the drum/bass solo in Godzilla.

        We surely can't be the only fans thinking that's been there too
long by now; I'm amazed it continues.

> I don't know if eric is capable of evil freaking without lyrics referring to a
> biker/convict/stranger out for revenge.

        Of course, we who think we could do better could always fling
lyrics at them ourselves. I've got this sub-Clutch set I've been working
on for ages now with no real will because they'll never be as good as whom
I'm trying to rip off :-) If they'd be any good to BOC, I bet I can do
better than John Shirley :-) Though the issue did seem partly to be what
the band did to Shirley's original lyrics, as I remember. Ah well, never
that simple eh? Yours,
                        Jon

--
                Jonathan Jarrett, Birkbeck College, London
    jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk/ejarr01 at students.bbk.ac.uk
  "As much as the vision of the blind man improves with the rising sun,
       So too does the intelligence of the fool after good advice."
       (Bishop Theodulf of Orleans, late-eight/early-ninth century)