RATM

Postmodern Fatigue wrote:

To be honest, I think they're just "weak." As in not particularly substantive or thoughtful.

I'm curious how much substance and thoughtfulness you expect from 2-3 minutes worth of song lyrics? Would you care to provide some examples of bands whose lyrics you do find "particularly substantive or thoughtful"?

Admittedly there are not many. Talking Heads is one of them.

I understand that 2 to 3 minutes is a short period of time, but the amount of words in a song is comparable to a work of poetry, so I don't think that's a good enough excuse.

I guess I meant to ask if you could provide an example of a specific song, so I could see what you mean by "substantive and thoughtful".

Talking Heads: (Nothing But) Flowers

Here we stand

Like an Adam and an Eve

Waterfalls

The Garden of Eden

Two fools in love

So beautiful and strong

The birds in the trees

Are smiling upon them

From the age of the dinosaurs

Cars have run on gasoline

Where, where have they gone?

Now, it's nothing but flowers

There was a factory

Now there are mountains and rivers

you got it, you got it

We caught a rattlesnake

Now we got something for dinner

we got it, we got it

There was a shopping mall

Now it's all covered with flowers

you've got it, you've got it

If this is paradise

I wish I had a lawnmower

you've got it, you've got it

Years ago

I was an angry young man

I'd pretend

That I was a billboard

Standing tall

By the side of the road

I fell in love

With a beautiful highway

This used to be real estate

Now it's only fields and trees

Where, where is the town

Now, it's nothing but flowers

The highways and cars

Were sacrificed for agriculture

I thought that we'd start over

But I guess I was wrong

Once there were parking lots

Now it's a peaceful oasis

you got it, you got it

This was a Pizza Hut

Now it's all covered with daisies

you got it, you got it

I miss the honky tonks,

Dairy Queens, and 7-Elevens

you got it, you got it

And as things fell apart

Nobody paid much attention

you got it, you got it

I dream of cherry pies,

Candy bars, and chocolate chip cookies

you got it, you got it

We used to microwave

Now we just eat nuts and berries

you got it, you got it

This was a discount store,

Now it's turned into a cornfield

you got it, you got it

Don't leave me stranded here

I can't get used to this lifestyle

[quote]Postmodern Fatigue wrote:

Talking Heads: (Nothing But) Flowers

Really.........can you please tell me what album you got this song from?

"Naked." It's also on their best of collection titled "Sand in the Vaseline."

I would not recommend that you draw all of your socio-political conclusion based on the lyrics of RATM, but they as a band have as much right to a political voice as anyone...including politicians.

I am reminded of what another "political" musician, Saul Williams, had to say about this. He said that musicians are given a stage and a microphone while hundreds, maybe thousands, of people listen intently. For that reason, it is a musician's responsibility to use that microphone to communicate important messages to people - to move people to action. Because sometimes, musicians are the only ones people are listening to. Alot of people don't care what George Bush has to say, but they do care what musicians have to say. Maybe people don't need to get all their socio-political education from music, but since people are listening, I don't see why musicians shouldn't seize the opportunity.

I personally think RATM sounds awkward now (goofy lyrics, guitar solos that often don't fit the song, formulaic tunes built of off weak riffs and weird noises, untenable political views) but they sounded fresh 12 years ago.

I remember that Tom Morello did have a nice insight about politics and music. He said something to the effect that all music is political, but most of it simply reinforces the status quo or urges you to tune out.

Political issue aside, does anyone know if these guys have any plans to release any new stuff?

Their latest news is besides the few shows in NY and Cali, they scheduled one show in Wisconsin.

Most people are waiting to hear that they're going to continue the tour with even more dates. The DJs on radio stations seem to be implying they're taking it one step at a time, but if things go well we could see more tour dates added and then a new album in furtherance of that.

To the poster who said they don't seem as hip and whatnot as they did 12 years ago, they also haven't been playing since 2001 when they broke up. As a matter of fact, they weren't really well known until the late 1990s anyway.

If they come out with a new album, you have to at least judge their sound on that, rather than say that 9-12 years after their first albums they don't sound as new and fresh.

Le Foolio wrote:

I personally think RATM sounds awkward now (goofy lyrics, guitar solos that often don't fit the song, formulaic tunes built of off weak riffs and weird noises, untenable political views) but they sounded fresh 12 years ago.

So what your saying is that YOUR perspective has changed, because from what I can tell the music they play now and the music they played 12 years ago (when they sounded "fresh" to you) hasn't changed.

Tom Morello was quoted not too long ago as saying that they (RATM) plan on putting a dent in the Bush administration. But the problem with RATM is that their fanbase is primarily comprised of high schoolers that just want to put a dent in each others foreheads in the moshpit.

(yes, in case any of you noticed, I ripped that from buddyhead.com)

how about:

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

The best is the video for that one.

Nope, not true.Morello studied liberal arts at Harvard, either majoring in "social studies" or "political science" according to sources I've read. Also, unless he changed his rig during his Audioslave days, he's been using the same off-the-shelf stuff for years (Marshall head, Peavy cabinet, original Digitech Whammy), which was made by good ol' capitalist devils.You're probably confusing him with Tom Scholz from Boston, who has a master's from MIT and started Rockman, a company that made electronics for musicians.

Believer......In Justice wrote:

As someone stated earlier Morello is in fact a Harvard grad in engineering. The guy makes his own sound boards for christ's sake.

Yep, sorta like looking back in your high school yearbook after ten years.

midwaste wrote:

Le Foolio wrote:

I personally think RATM sounds awkward now (goofy lyrics, guitar solos that often don't fit the song, formulaic tunes built of off weak riffs and weird noises, untenable political views) but they sounded fresh 12 years ago.

So what your saying is that YOUR perspective has changed, because from what I can tell the music they play now and the music they played 12 years ago (when they sounded "fresh" to you) hasn't changed.

If you guys don't like their music or political views then don't listen to them. They could give a f*** that you have a problem with them.

How many roads must a man walk down?

For everybody that thinks that music and politics don't mix, consider this:

Would the politicians have ever gotten us out of Vietnam? Or at least would they have done so if there wasn't a huge popular groundswell, urged on at least in part by the singers and songwriters of the time?

Know Your Enemy wrote:

If you guys don't like their music or political views then don't listen to them. They could give a f*** that you have a problem with them.

I could give a f*** what Zach Delarocha or Tom Morello think about politics or anything else. They made great music, I get enjoyment from listening to it. Lyrics are way, way overrated anyway. A band's lyrics or "message" mean nothing to me when I listen to their songs. I disagree with the political viewpoints of 99% of the idiot musicians out there, and in the rare cases when the lyrics coincide with what I'm feeling it's like a little bonus.

That said, when musicians put their feet in their mouths repeatedly a la Dixie Chicks, Eddie Vedder, Sheryl Crow, etc. it does make me a little less likely to buy their albums. Not that I'd ever buy a Dixie Chicks album in the first place, mind you.

The biggest problem people have with music is that they take it far too seriously. Think of Rage as a great band with a campy act, like KISS or Marilyn Manson, only with actual talent.

Yea, RATM first album just blew me away when it first came out. I remember the video to "Freedom" as a buzz clip and it sounded like nothing else out there. The hard riffs and rapping. and then the screaming which i hadnt heard in music to that point. Anyway, i didnt enjoy the next two albums to the same degree and the politcal rants just get old and stale after a couple of albums. They have a set formula that works with their songs, but it gets a bit old.

At least they have been political since the beginning though. i hate when a band tries to gain credability as an artist by suddenly making their same shitty music have political lyrics. That seems to be a big trend during the bush administration. GREEN DAY is perhaps the best example as they completely suck ass and all the trendy liberal music magazines act as if they are the greatest thing since dylan or the beatles.