OK.My credibility was damaged by yesterday's admission of a love for a mid-period single by Simple Minds. Now here comes another bombshell.....
I never ever took to Big Audio Dynamite.
They were formed not long after Mick Jones was ousted from The Clash and between 1984 and 1989, released four critically acclaimed LPs, all of which went Top 30 in the UK and ten singles. One of their albums, No.10, Upping Street was even a sort of mini-reunion of The Clash as Joe Strummer came on board as a co-producer and co-writer.
I just cant properly explain why I never took to the band. There was a great smorgasbord of musical sounds and influences within their songs and many other acts who followed a similar trail years later have been given space in the cupboard full of vinyl or the shelves stacked with CDs. But not BAD.....other than a budget-priced CD which brings together eight of their singles along with two other singles from 1991 when BAD II was formed (Mick Jones being the only member of both combos). I'm not saying I didn't like their stuff....but I just didn't like it enough to buy it.
It was recently announced that BAD are reforming in 2011 and touring. Thinking that I might want to go along and pay my respects to both Mick Jones and Don Letts as two of the most influential musical figures of my generation, I've tried again in recent weeks to listen to BAD to see if I liked things any more than before. Sadly, I don't and so I wont be making any special efforts to catch them live this year.
But I know that many of you will be fans, while other maybe some younger readers (if I have such a thing!!!) might be curious about them, so here's a single from each of the four BAD LPs:-
mp3 : Big Audio Dynamite - The Bottom Line
mp3 : Big Audio Dynamite - V. Thirteen
mp3 : Big Audio Dynamite - Just Play Music
mp3 : Big Audio Dynamite - Contact
And here's live clips of what were their only Top 30 hits in the UK singles charts:-
Bring On The Brickbats
14 comments:
For shame!
They are (or were, anyway) stunning live, you owe it to yourself to go and see them.
The first lp is a classic - E=MC2 is a great single - I thought the second lp was okay and didn't much take to the third and then gave up after that - as it is the original line up touring I guess the playlist will be driven by the first 2 lps so def worth going
friend of rachel worth
Never lived up to the hype, for me anyway.
Patchy output, some of it rather good but much of it just washed over me. Bought the first 3 albums then forgot about them.
Love BAD, listen to the first two albums especially very regularly. At times I (whispers) think I prefer those to The Clash....
I know, I know...
I know what you mean, it's take it or leave it with some of their material. They weren't consistent.
Good to read that they are taking it out on the road again though.
The Clash is to our generation what Dylan and Neil Young are like to the hippie generation; it's sacrilegious not to proclaim everything they've ever been involved with as profound and entirely worthwhile. But that's false on both counts. B.A.D. released some good tunes but hardly left a trail of fantastic albums. Nothing Jones did afterward was especially exciting. Strummer did have some interesting releases and was fun live up until the end, but I don't imagine kids or anyone who didn't grow up with the Clash would have considered him a Major Cultural Figure of Extreme Significance like we would. So, no, not taking to B.A.D. isn't anything to regret -- they weren't that good. (And the Simple Minds tune was and is still great.)
Most of the first album is top quality, especially E=MC2, Medicine and The Bottom Line,great tunes and groundbreaking stuff. The 2 after that have got their moments. I also really like most of the last one (F-Punk) despite it's muddy production and poor reputation.
Never really 'got' B.A.D. either ,although 'Medicine Show' is one of the finest tracks I've ever heard.A shame they never came anywhere near as good as that one track.
Yes, BAD were just rubbish. Then again, The Clash are totaly over-rated too. Are the Clash to my generation (48 y.o.) the Dylan/Nel Young? Don't think so. I was lisgtening to Dylan and Neil Young then.
With you, JC. And I wasn't that impressed with them live either.
Great first LP, shite second one when Strummer Jones got together and their was no chemistry. Rather fond of the last three LPs too. Oh well.
I think the later stuff stands up better - 303s and a state of euphoria.
Don't think that's Just Play Music by the way.
First album: great singles.
Second album: fun to hear Strummer trying to meet Jones on his turf.
Third album: utter dud.
Fourth album: best thing any lineup ever did.
Saw them first proper gig at Kentish T&C and followed them ever since before emigrating. The last few gigs when they were BAD I and II werent that much cop but their first four albums and stuff jsut fan-******-tastic. Live no one even came close.
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