The most prestigious law school admissions discussion board in the world.
|
 |
 
|
If Elvis Costello didn't say "nigger" in Oliver's Army it would be on classic FM
Poast new message in this thread
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:27 PM Author: Jared Baumeister (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015150) |
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:32 PM Author: little ball of Hebraic rage ((zurich is stained)) hard agree (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015158) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:33 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) he actually called a well-respected black musician a nigger irl (can't remember who) and then some American Scumbag retorted by calling him a "sawed-off limey" (lol) and it tarnished his career quite a bit iirc. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015162) |
 |
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:35 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) it was ray charles btw (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015170) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:37 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) actually it was the other way around, they came at costello first and then he dropped the N-bomb so kinda justified (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015175) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:37 PM Author: little ball of Hebraic rage ((zurich is stained)) ray charles LOL. that story is hilarious. he was drunk at a holiday inn in ohio in the 70s. absolutely goated dude. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015176) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:38 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) it's hard to imagine now in our context but Costello was ballsy as fuck back then. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015182) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:41 PM Author: little ball of Hebraic rage ((zurich is stained)) i said this the other day but his first 3 (maybe 4) albums are 10/10, god tier rock. he fell off so bad after that. almost as bad as weezer after pinkerton. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015189) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:50 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) tbh I enjoyed all of his stuff up to Spike which is awful imo. yeah it's pretentious and overworked but I get it. if you are making a living as an artist you don't want to keep doing the same shit over and over. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015212) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 7:02 PM Author: Jared Baumeister He got a shitload more success than 95% of punk acts. He had big sales in the US even though he wasn't touring here. A lot of it was driven by positive reviews from music critics, who fell in love with him. He ended up with a bunch of singles that charted and he got rich off royalties, and then older musicians wanted to collaborate with him. Like I think he wrote Veronica with Paul McCartney. All that shit never never happened to The Clash or the Ramones (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015245) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 7:07 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) yeah and that's why he's able to do his folksy Americana-jazz retirement act now, kinda like Robert Plant.
Costello and his band were a lot more musically proficient than the typical "punk" band. Like dude could actually sing and play an instrument, while the Clash basically had a good bassist carrying the whole thing, |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 7:23 PM Author: Jared Baumeister Yeah his dad was a professional musician and he grew up in the studio, so he had Jimmy Page level of understanding but without Jimmy Page's taste in music.
What I find interesting is how American his early stuff is. A lot of it could have been done by the Ronettes or the Beach Boys. He did the same thing the Ramones were trying to do but with top notch musicians and producers. He must have listened to that stuff and knew when to borrow from it, but didn't want to make a career out of it |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 7:28 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) rock music is derived from american blues musicians. all rock music is essentially american. the British tradition would be more like English Music Hall which you can clearly hear in the Beatles and the Kinks. the Rolling Stones were essentially doing a minstrel act at times lol. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015287) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 7:37 PM Author: Jared Baumeister Yes but the essence of punk was that you got rid of guitar solos and the focus on individual musicians that came with the British invasion. Those weren't native to America, and they had a corrupting effect. The Beatles themselves are not blamed for this, but later British acts brought this kind of foreign taint where the drummer does a 10 minute solo at every concert.
If you look at who wrote good punk songs, Dee Dee Ramone is probably the king in terms of raw number of melodies that got stuck in people's heads, and he was yugely obsessed with the beach boys. I think he probably should also get credit for doing it first. But I don't begrudge English acts that immediately seized the opportunity to do the same thing. EC as a songwriter is probably the only other songwriter from that era that runs with Dee Dee Ramone in terms of quantity and quality of melodies. It would have been 180 if Dee Dee Ramone did an album with Paul McCartney |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:38 PM Author: Jared Baumeister He was really uninterested in America and never bothered to learn anything about it. He was laser focused on the UK and had UK white trash sensibilities. Even in his later years he would joke about "pygmies". There just never was never a time when he gave a fuck what Americans think of him. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015179) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:41 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) wasn't he like a single dad or something? he basically was UK white trash but obviously a lot smarter and more talented. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015187) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:45 PM Author: Jared Baumeister He was super talented and high functioning but also very provincial.
Funny story: his backing band on his first album is The News minus Huey Lewis. They were all American. Then Elvis Costello fired them and went on tour with English musicians he hand selected. The News was a good fucking band (obviously), but they were American so he probably couldn't relate to them |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:47 PM Author: OYT and the Indie Reprieve ( ) The Attractions were an incredible band in their own right though, especially bass and drums. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015203) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:55 PM Author: Jared Baumeister Yeah they became legendary studio musicians (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015222) |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 6:35 PM Author: The Penis Don't start that talking I could talk all night My mind was sleepwalking While I'm putting the world to right Call careers information Have you got yourself an occupation? Oliver's army is here to stay Oliver's army are on their way And I would rather be anywhere else But here today There was a Checkpoint Charlie He didn't crack a smile But it's no laughing party When you've been on the murder mile Only takes one itchy trigger One more widow, one less white nigger Oliver's Army is here to stay Oliver's army are on their way And I would rather be anywhere else But here today Hong Kong is up for grabs London is full of Arabs We could be in Palestine Overrun by the Chinese line With the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne But there's no danger It's a professional career Though it could be arranged With just a word in Mr. Churchill's ear If you're out of luck or out of work We could send you to Johannesburg Oliver's Army is here to stay Oliver's army are on their way And I would rather be anywhere else But here today And I would rather be anywhere else But here today And I would rather be anywhere else But here today Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh |
|
Date: July 21st, 2026 7:29 PM Author: richard clock great song. really spoke to me as an expat. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5884867&forum_id=2#50015288) |