Read Us the Book of the Names of the Dead.
August 22, 2016 5:55 PM Subscribe
Christopher Knowles (author of Our Gods Wear Spandex) has a remembrance of rock producer Sandy Pearlman (Blue Oyster Cult, The Clash), who died July 16, on his Secret Sun blog: Read Us the Book of the Names of the Dead.
Among the speculations included are that Pearlman was the anonymous author of the Simon Necronomicon.
Among the speculations included are that Pearlman was the anonymous author of the Simon Necronomicon.
Wow, that guy has some unorthodox opinions on both of his main subjects.
My impression is that most punks consider Give 'Em Enough Rope to have been a production mistake, drenching the Clash's pure, clean rock assault in heavy metal prog sludge. But to the author, that's the "real Clash," while London Calling is merely "Stonesy." I think to Pearlman, the band were a means to produce a weapon of sonic warfare in the studio, whereas the myth of the Clash nowadays is that they were "the only band that mattered," i.e. they were perfect as-is. (But really, studio production is like makeup; you only think it's better without.)
Imaginos is the mythology that underlay most of the great and esoteric BÖC songs of the '70s. There were always rumors that they were going to record a concept album explaining the whole story. But when a county-fair version of BÖC put out Imaginos in the late '80s, the result was distinctly ... underwhelming. The back cover spelled out the beginning of a complex, unfinished, and confusing mystical secret history, while the music was hard for even a progressive rock aficionado to find much meat in.
7 7 7 7 7 7 7! 7 7 7 7 7 7 7! Some things are better left hermetic.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 3:21 AM on August 23, 2016 [4 favorites]
My impression is that most punks consider Give 'Em Enough Rope to have been a production mistake, drenching the Clash's pure, clean rock assault in heavy metal prog sludge. But to the author, that's the "real Clash," while London Calling is merely "Stonesy." I think to Pearlman, the band were a means to produce a weapon of sonic warfare in the studio, whereas the myth of the Clash nowadays is that they were "the only band that mattered," i.e. they were perfect as-is. (But really, studio production is like makeup; you only think it's better without.)
Imaginos is the mythology that underlay most of the great and esoteric BÖC songs of the '70s. There were always rumors that they were going to record a concept album explaining the whole story. But when a county-fair version of BÖC put out Imaginos in the late '80s, the result was distinctly ... underwhelming. The back cover spelled out the beginning of a complex, unfinished, and confusing mystical secret history, while the music was hard for even a progressive rock aficionado to find much meat in.
7 7 7 7 7 7 7! 7 7 7 7 7 7 7! Some things are better left hermetic.
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 3:21 AM on August 23, 2016 [4 favorites]
BOC's first three albums:
1972 Blue Öyster Cult
1973 Tyranny and Mutation
1974 Secret Treaties
were inventive both lyrically and sonically. from my mom's album collection they - after the Beatles - were my intro to rock music.
posted by vapidave at 2:58 PM on August 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
1972 Blue Öyster Cult
1973 Tyranny and Mutation
1974 Secret Treaties
were inventive both lyrically and sonically. from my mom's album collection they - after the Beatles - were my intro to rock music.
posted by vapidave at 2:58 PM on August 23, 2016 [2 favorites]
[Mr. Pearlman] claimed to have been the first writer to use the phrase “heavy metal” to describe music.
I thought the term was originated by rock critic (and later vocalist of the Angry Samoans) "Metal" Mike Saunders in a 1970 Creem review of a Humble Pie record.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:36 AM on August 24, 2016
I thought the term was originated by rock critic (and later vocalist of the Angry Samoans) "Metal" Mike Saunders in a 1970 Creem review of a Humble Pie record.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 5:36 AM on August 24, 2016
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