That should be interesting, will look out for Simon's selections.

Agree. Will be interesting.

I have recollections of questionnaires in pop mags (was prob Smash Hits) where stars of the time were asked in one of the questions about favourite artists and the choices never ceased to surprise me.

By that  I mean, for example, that a 'new wave' artist would very often cite someone poles apart musically from previous years and rarely if ever mention any contemporaries. Would need to dig out some evidence but you get my drift.

In summary, I expect this list to be more 70-75 than 76-79. I suppose a Feelgood track is to be expected, but will be interested if there are artists that we would never categorise as remotely similar to Rats or their peers.

That said, I suppose being musically accomplished puts Rats in a different camp to many of their peers anyway.

Just listened to this programme live on BBC Coventry/Warwickshire

Really good selection from Simon, some slightly predictable, but good nonetheless.

Two bands that I did not know very much about, Little Feat and Menessas, certainly for me seem worth checking out.I've included both songs here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4avZFZEKb6g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yra6M2nIGGg

Simon choose Little Feat's All That I Dream and Menessas Right Now. Menessas was an early seventies project for Steven Stills and these two songs for me stood out, maybe because the others were familiar.

Simon did not actually appear on the programme- it was just the presenter Clive Eakin doing the countdown, but the Rats got copious mentions. Simon's other choices includes Bowie's Sound and Vision, T Rex Get it On and Sex Pistols Anarchy In The Uk and Rolling Stones Rocks Off.

noelindublin wrote:

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Certain of the new wave bands the Rats got on with eg Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello ...

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Elvis Costello never got on with The Rats.  He was very scathing of them.

noelindublin wrote:

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Certain of the new wave bands the Rats got on with eg Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello and some of the others they didn't have much time for. I've got an interview with Geldof in which he says the Jam were 'crap', and he says there was bad blood between the Clash and the Rats, Geldof claims which was foisted on the Rats by the Clash management rather then the band themselves. Or that's Geldof's side of the story.

I supose at that time each band had to concentrate on their own career and songs and not to worry about what all the rest were up to. Paul Weller never liked the Boomtown Rats, nor did Morrissey for that matter but I think it may be more to do with Geldof's overbearing ,'loudmouth' personality than a proper analysis of the music.

I wonder which songs Simon will choose. Maybe we should all do a 'seven from the seventies' selection. Of course in choosing these songs there's the serious side and the more cheesy, flippant selections and I'd imagine Simon will have his serious head on in choosing today's songs.

 

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 I suppose that in same way we each have our preferences (Boney M and proud of it ) then we need to be careful not to assume Geldof's statements represent the band, whether he ever meant what he said or not. I can't believe that to a man they really thought the Jam were (always) crap.

The comment above about analysis of the music is the key one, and from what the BBC DJ was saying between tracks it seems Simon selected on that basis in the main. Was surprised Anarchy in UK was included though, as that was surely more of a catalyst than a musical highlight of the 10 years. Perhaps there's an acknowledgement that without it we wouldn't even have this forum. 

Seven from the 70s is something I could spend weeks considering, then still change my mind. For the sake of proving a point that we all love the Rats but beyond that we're probably incredibly diverse I'll venture a very very impromptu seven.

In no particular order, but using criteria from the show (i.e. include one from 'your' band)

1.  I Never Loved Eva Braun - my all time favourite song by anyone, ever. The notion of eliciting sympathy for Adolf, as if she used him and he was beneath it all an honourable man, is lyrical genius. Combine that with a composition that allows every other instrument to play a prominent part and even with tongue in cheek ironically echoes 'Let's Spend the Night Together', and for me it's Geldof's finest hour.

2. Teenage Kicks - complete opposite in terms of complexity, and therein lies the beauty. Simple song on the eternal subject matter. Simply brilliant.

3. Just What I Needed - for the way it builds instrument by instrument, and a good old tune to boot. For me this one couldn't be from any other time than 70s.

4. Complete Control - sums up punk in three minutes. React all you want, but always at the mercy of the suits ultimately, and they knew it from the outset. Just edges out London Calling from the list of 7.

5. Down in the Tube Station at Midnight - possibly the finest story song I've heard, and the music supplements it perfectly. Train on the track drumming, punchy bordering on violent bass, and plaintive guitar.  Still think of it on the platforms waiting for a late tube out of town. 

6. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - not altogether sure what it represents, ostensibly about the insincere and arrogant nature of high society I guess, but cracking choon! Never could hit those high notes.

7. Wild West Hero - for similar reasons to above; not significant lyrically, but the crescendo choruses blow me away.

As suspected, thought of another 20 or so even in the half hour putting this together. Can't believe there's no Queen or Bowie, or Boney M .

At least half a dozen 'new wave' tracks that would be in a top 20 list, and having to leave 'Ernie' out was a tough call.

So how diverse are we??

I just chose these seven songs because they have always impressed me and that's all I can say, really.

1 Pentangle- Light Flight 1970

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCavqkBihoM

2 Shelagh Mcdonald- Stargazer 1970

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMusN39Acx0

3 The Only Ones - Deadly Nightshade 1979

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlaae6_FNqI

4 XTC - Life Begins At The Hop 1979

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEQfzEqk2Qs&feature=related

5 Television - See No Evil 1977

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7L0IYPXKj8&feature=related

6 Magazine - Shot By Both Sides 1978

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ul_vTkwgs4

7 Al Jones - All My Friends Are Back Again 1973 (weird psyce-folk song)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ul_vTkwgs4

ArrGee wrote:

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noelindublin wrote:

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Certain of the new wave bands the Rats got on with eg Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello ...

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Elvis Costello never got on with The Rats.  He was very scathing of them.

 

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 Bob must have been thinking, just like Kenneth Williams 'Infamy, infamy, they've all got in informe'.

Lisa wrote:

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OK, at the risk of being accused of being innumerate, here's some faves from the seventies...

Ghost Town - Specials

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Ghost Town is from the 1980s.  

Seven songs is a bit limited, but here are a seven

1. Rat Trap - Boomtown Rats
2. The Ballroom Blitz - Sweet
3. Hot Love - T. Rex
4. Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello
5. C'mon Feel The Noize - Slade
6. Won't Get Fooled Again - Who
7. Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult

Also had  Bowie, Ramones, Pistols, Damned, Stranglers, Buzz****s, Dr. Feelgood, Lou Reed, Blondie, Squeeze, Thin Lizzy, Sparks, Alice Cooper, Roxy Music among others.

Lisa wrote:

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Oops!  Well maybe I am really innumerate!  In my defence, it was still a long time ago - and, well, erm, obviously didn't research it properly - due to my intense work ethic and not wishing to distract myself for too long away from my important work duties

...

Re: Blue Oyster Cult - blast from the past.  Had to listen to them a lot due to hubby's musical tastes.  Some of it was good - and at least it made a change from Pink Floyd .......

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Fair enough, idlers like me have nothing better to do than being pedantic.

I'm not really a fan of neither Blue Öyster Cult nor The Who, but those two songs are more or less perfect.   As for Pink, I've never understood all the fuss about him (sic).  Likewise Led Zep.  Both totally overrated

Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty is one of the great singles from the 1970's- great lyrics about giving up the booze and the one night stands.

Stuck In The Middle With You, also by Rafferty when he was in Stealers Wheel again stands out as a great single.

Bully For You by Tom Robinson was a great song.

If I was to choose one song as overrated I would choose Anarchy In The UK. It's wheeled out almost anytime punk in mentioned. The lyrics are rubbish and how can one want to 'be anarchy'. Reminds me of the lines from Macbeth about life being 'a tale  told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing'. Starting to think that the 1980's illegal partying/rave scene was more important than punk in that people put their money where their mouth's were and went out and broke the law and took illegal drugs whereas punk was all about wearing badges and token rebellion.

Magazine produced great punk singles with really great lyrics to match but as usual the plebs win out. The Boomtown rats and XTC again are almost written out of punk history while the Pistols are totally overrated in my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oOoFw-T7Y8  This is a performance from Bingen, Germany. Very amusing!

Favourite 'pt' of a song is Mike Flowers Pops version of Wonderwall from back in the nineties. A loungers paradise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy1ueZf1WMQ

Swear I heard somewhere of a Radiohead On The Panpipes CD, which sounds fun.