For anyone who’s ever seen the mockumentary (more or less everyone), there’s a glorious montage early on as Spinal Tap cycle through the ‘sixties. The moptop phase, the psychedelia, the proto-heavy metal. And not that far from the truth either. The Rutles also did it well. But it is hard for bands to be sure what their sound actually is. And the minute they do have it nailed, they’re already playing catch up as the world endlessly mutates.
Most bands start off being inspired by their heroes. Every band who saw the Velvet Underground or the Pistols thought – we could have a go at that. Then bit by bit some of them start incorporating new sounds, start listening to other genres, fiddle with their guitar tunings, get a new member in who’s been listening to something else, and before you know it, a band starts creating a whole new sound of their own.
There are some lovely quasi-Tapesque moments on this episode. Status Quo discovering what an effects pedal does and having a go at psychedelia; The Flaming Lips convinced their thing will be noise wig outs; Blondie cosplaying a punk band playing disco; The Cure reading out cake mix instructions; Adam and the Ants without the tribal drums. It seems obvious in retrospect what their thing is, but that’s Captain Hindsight talking. Tyrannosaurus Rex coughed up 5 albums celebrating elves and mushrooms before they found lasting fame with glam rock stompers.
You might wish Robert Pollard had stayed in his Dayton, Ohio basement or Primal Scream had remained indie purists or New Order had never gone to Ibiza. But at least we have these fragmentary glimpses of the roads not taken. And, after all, there’s art and there’s money. Do you want to be schlepping round Wyoming in a transit van in your mid-30s?
There is another category of group that, not to put too fine a point on it, sell their souls to the devil. No one wants to listen to Red, Red Wine by UB40. I don’t even know what late-period Simple Minds sounds like, but I’m virtually certain it’s not good. But long before that those bands sounded interesting and innovative. Honestly, To Cut A Long Story Short and New Year’s Day aren’t that bad. Spandau Ballet and U2 could have gone in more than one direction from there.
One Direction? Didn’t they start off as industrial goth?
Tracklist:
Talk about the passion, REM
Deborarobed, T Rex
Once I had a love, Blondie
Run into flowers, M83
14 cheerleader coldfront, Guided by Voices
Velocity girl, Primal Scream
With you, The Flaming Lips
See Emily play, Pink Floyd
Pictures of matchstick men, Status Quo
So what, The Cure
Zerox, Adam and the Ants
ICB, New Order
King, UB40
Seeing out the angel, Simple Minds