Does “Great” Still Apply?
28 April 2007
Rage Against the Machine’s “reunion†has excited me, because I thought the band broke up when they were still relevant. What they’ve done could be genius if things come off okay, because they’ve been away for 7 years. The return to the scene has people interested because they missed them and some people just want to see who the band is who could be credited for pioneering the thrash metal sound. But like the summer before Jordan came back a second time, you have to wonder “Do they still have it?”
There are some bands where you are thinking about the Wizards years when you listen to their current music. They “had it” back in the day, but now it’s like watching a Wizards game from 2003 going “Wait, didn’t Jordan dominate games? Why is he looking so slow and old? He really should have retired after the Bulls won #6, right?” A few bands that used to be big, are easy to look at now and say “They really could have hung it up after that last album.” All you’re doing is remembering the “good times†and cringing at the “new directions†the band’s taking. Here are some bands that came to mind first that should take a cue and stop the charade:
Dave Matthews Band – It was almost a feeling of betrayal that after hearing all of these great new songs on the 2000 tour, they came out with the Everyday album. I’m not sure what part of “hey, let’s scrap all these songs and work with Alanis’ producer†made sense at the time, but maybe it was a delayed Y2K reaction. The Lillywhite Sessions was their last great album, and it was only available on Napster. Their subsequent albums have been awful compared to their older stuff, and they excuse it by saying they’re “growing as a bandâ€, which most times means “we’ve lost whatever magic we had and can’t remember how to write songs that showcase our strengths.†They’ve managed to work with producers on the last three albums that had no idea how to maximize the band’s strong points. Since when is a hip hop producer going to realize the greatness of fusing violin, saxophone, and guitar? No offense to the producer, but really, what is the band thinking? They should either patch things up with Steve Lillywhite, or just put out a Greatest Hits record that’s actually good and tour in support of that for the rest of their careers. People would still go see them every summer, so really, what’s the harm in giving the people what they want?
Pearl Jam – Between 1995 and 2000, I was a huge Pearl Jam fan. I traveled to shows ridiculous distances and would buy the maxi singles just so I could have a studio version of Yellow Ledbetter or Alone. The band grew older and instead of putting together more rock albums, they’re tried to “grow as a bandâ€. As previously explained, that is not a good thing. Their last great album was 1998’s Yield, but since then, we’ve got nothing but 5 or 6 good songs per album on Binaural, Riot Act, and self-titled. I want to say it’s a shame, because there have been great songs on those three albums, but the band should know by now how to group songs together. I assume they still put on a good live show, but I noticed comparing shows from the 1998 tour to 2000 and 2003, they had lost some of their edge. They decided to get pretty political, which hasn’t really improved their music, and I think made them kind of annoying. Their VH1 Storytellers episode focused on their “message†now and not their career or music. They’ve always been known for being a very liberal band politically, but now that is spilling over more into their music, which it seems they’re allowing to degrade.
Velvet Revolver – Who are they kidding anymore? The concept was good for an album, because really, what else was Weiland doing other than frequent visits to rehab? The VR music is okay, but honestly, if I went and saw them live, I’d want to see them play “You Could Be Mine” or “Interstate Love Song”, not “Do It For the Kids”. There’s the problem though, most people want to hear the music of their old bands (probably not Slash’s Snakepit though), not the new VR stuff. I’m sure a lot of people are wishing Slash would reunite with Axl and finish Chinese Democracy, and Weiland would just fade into oblivion. Obviously after his solo record, it’s apparent he needs to play with a band, but he should go find his old mates in STP and try to work it out with them. If Simon and Garfunkel can find it in their hearts to be BFF again, then Scott Weiland and the DeLeo brothers can too. They need to take a page from Audioslave and realize super bands don’t really work when everyone still misses the old bands.
(picture credit to nba.com)
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