[Closed] God only knows

****ing hell that's awful. Cannot believe how shite that is....

^^
[img] [/img]

It truly is awful !

Fasthaggis v good.. I thought it was wonderful. Really really good arrangement.

It always a bit weird when a different person sings different lines but I thought it was pretty inoffensive.

It's like being molested in the eyes and ears by a hundred disconnected and inflated egos. The music is merely incidental at this point, surely? It's just a soulless vehicle for the aforementioned egos. That could be why it sounds so awful.

As it's "our song" we are turning it off if (!)it comes on the radio.
There's no way on earth it could have been improved. ****ers.

It's not that bad; it's basically exactly the same as Perfect Day, just a different song and different artists.

At least Bono isn't in it

"At least Bono isn't in it "

Winner winner chicken dinner.

Perfect day was good this is awful.

Stevie Wonder was the only redeeming feature of all that. the rest of it was bland and soulless like the people singing

At least it's short.

Brian Wilson is the only good thing in it - so listen to the original!

Pet Sounds is one of the greatest ever albums, not sure how many people are aware of it so maybe this BBC thing will help with that?

Brian May really has done some shit since Freddie died.

Brian May may have terrific technical skills (I'm not a guitarist so this is an amateur assessment!) but he has absolutely zero 'soul' in his playing.

Ok,so someone has made a (shit) song but does it need adverts to tell you about it? Why the **** do they have to go so overboard about it.
I've had to switch off and won't be near a bbc station for at least 2 weeks.

Unimpressed Brian May is unimpressed

[img] [/img]

Never realised that Brian and James May seem to timeshare the same face!

It's not that bad - it is not a remake - it is a celebration of the original with a number of big name artists 'paying homage', plus some less talented artists like one direction, kylie minogue, etc...

I don't understand it. Why go to all the bother and expense to make something worse than the original? This version is disappointing, watered down and limp. With all of those musicians surely they could have written something themselves.
The Beetles did it for the first live global TV broadcast in 1967, with All You Need Is Love. A new song with a relevant message and including some of the most famous people of the day.
I think its a shame they didn't take a risk, they might have come up with something wonderful.

Turned it off as soon a Elton bloody John's fat face appeared. It can't be more offensive than the Perfect Day thing they did, because that was the most offensive thing ever.
Clueless old ****s

northernmatt - Member

At least Bono isn't in it

[img] [/img]

yeah yeah yeah yeah!

Lavish production, mediocre result...

Loved the first 20 seconds of the video. Started sounding horribly discordant and disjointed after that.

You guys are so cool.

[i]The music is merely incidental at this point, surely? It's just a soulless vehicle for the aforementioned egos.[/i]

That and raising probably a million or so quid for Children in Need.

Should I be proud to admit I don't even recognise >50% of the 'performers' in that video?

Does that make me officially old?

I know! Lets take something beautiful, and varnish it with a thick veneer of Radio 2 friendly blandness.

jekkyl - Member

Brian May really has done some shit since Freddie died.

Oh come on. Its not all been bad

Really didn't like it on the radio last night but made more sense in the context of the film. Don't know what that says about me 😉

mikey3 - Member
You guys are so cool.

Hmm, yeah, I like that it's cool to care about decent music. Thanks.

It's even cooler when you're the ones defining what decent music is.

mikey3 - Member
You guys are so cool.

Mikey, it's not about being cool. They have ruined an amazingly beautiful song - perhaps one of the most beautiful pop songs. I don't mind a cover but it could have been done wonderfully.

I like it.

IHN - Member
It's even cooler when you're the ones defining what decent music is.

No, we're expressing an opinion on what is [i]not[/i] decent. I'll also express the opinion that your post isn't half as clever as you think it is.

😀

I'll also express the opinion that your post isn't half as clever as you think it is.

Well, that's an opinion we do share.

Thing is, "Perfect Day" was an intelligent, literate classic with a sly, knowing sub-text completely missed by most of the people who liked it and, I suspect, the British Broadcorpsing Castration.

This other thing is just a weepy bit of nonsense based on a ridiculous premise by a writer of pretty little pop songs.

[i]British Broadcorpsing Castration[/I]

Ooh, clever.

Who's the lass after Elton Fatface?

EDIT: [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/16Pkb2PwbHJxjVhJmYwQBw6/whos-in-the-impossible-orchestra ]Ahhhaaaaa![/url]

It's my favourite song ever and the fact that - two listens in to this BBC extravaganza - I'm not disgusted by this cover, suggests I must quite like it.

The drumming and the soprano are lame tho'

For those that like it - do you think it's better than the original?

I remember my house mate hearing the BBC's Perfect Day all those years ago and getting excited about it - mostly it seemed because he didn't know the original. Maybe there's a place for getting old great songs on TV like this so that younger people hear them - and maybe realise that there's more to various boy bands who seem so popular these days.

Dad.

I heard it on the radio, I thought it was pants; because once you've got past the novelty of spotting singers, it's a bit of a 'too many cooks' because each singer only has 4 bars so no consistency - and as the others have said the delicacy is lost

and by the way.. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/bbc/10298691/BBC-Big-Band-cuts-are-shameful-mistake.html the BBC should be using their cash to generate content not adverts for content, if you say you love music you should support people who make it
I like the BBC but it shoots itself in the foot sometimes

Mr Woppit - Member
Thing is, "Perfect Day" was an intelligent, literate classic with a sly, knowing sub-text completely missed by most of the people who liked it and, I suspect, the British Broadcorpsing Castration.

This other thing is just a weepy bit of nonsense based on a ridiculous premise by a writer of pretty little pop songs

Not sure what the "thing is" there... They've both been shat all over.
Anyway, I won't be listening to either of them, ever, so they can shit on whatever they like.

do you think it's better than the original?

No, not even near. It's a rare cover version that is better than the original

British Broadcorpsing Castration

WTF are you on about this time?

It's just noise.
🙂

It really doesn't matter.

Not sure what the "thing is" there... They've both been shat all over

A day spent on heroin.

WTF are you on about this time?

Quoting Clive James.

[i]A day spent on heroin.[/i]

Ah. That explains your post.

What you on about?

Maybe there's a place for getting old great songs on TV like this so that younger people hear them

But there's always music from the baby boomers on TV. Couple that with other officially sanctioned blandness, most kids are plenty exposed to the acceptable canon of "old" music.

Now, there's no denying the simple beauty of the original God Only Knows, but that was absolutely execrable.

Just watched it.

Seemed a bit of a backslapathon, but has Dave Grohl in it, so gets a pass.

Difficult to get upset about.

Ageing people grumbling about how everything from the 1960s is unsurpassable is one of the most depressing things about today.

🙂

You mean stuff like this? (I am only 32 by the way)

[img] [/img]

Ageing people grumbling about how everything from the 1960s is unsurpassable is one of the most depressing things about today.

Nonsense, can't stand most sixties music, but will appreciate music with musical merit from whatever era. Even if there is true raw passion in it and no musicianship I'll admire it. Especially that! Yet this self-promoting circle-jerk of bland shite actually makes 60s poppy shit sound shittier for having inspired it! Can't knock them for raising worthy cash along with their look-at-me meters though. GrrrAARGH! I thought I liked Paloma Faith. Having word with self.

Mr Woppit - Member
This other thing is just a weepy bit of nonsense based on a ridiculous premise by a writer of pretty little pop songs.

And this is where you are totally wrong!

Pretty pop songs being incredibly hard to write and Brian having a huge amount more musical talent than Lou Reed - who incidentally though I also still think amazing either with or without the Velvet Underground. Brian Wilson was a musical genius with an ear and pen for harmony and melody which is pretty much unmatched in popular music. Who cares if the core premise of the song is naive and gauche. It is still an absolute masterpiece.

Quite liked it. Don't hate it anyway. Not an improvement on the original but then I got the original scratched into my soul a long time ago so I'm ok with other things being less brilliant, you know? And I didn't know David Coulthard can play violin!

But yeah, it kind of falls apart completely for a moment when Brian May turns up, and too many of the artists only get to say "God Only Knows". Poor ol Jake Bugg just gets La La La. Perfect Day worked better because everyone got something to get their teeth into. Dave Grohl might as well have stayed in bed. Maybe just not the right choice of song for this sort of thing.

Some good individual performances though, interesting the ones that are actually recognisable.

Northwind - Member
Quite liked it. Don't hate it anyway. Not an improvement on the original but then I got the original scratched into my soul a long time ago so I'm ok with other things being less brilliant, you know? And I didn't know David Coulthard can play violin!

But yeah, it kind of falls apart completely for a moment when Brian May turns up, and too many of the artists only get to say "God Only Knows". Poor ol Jake Bugg just gets La La La. Perfect Day worked better because everyone got something to get their teeth into. Dave Grohl might as well have stayed in bed. Maybe just not the right choice of song for this sort of thing.

Some good individual performances though, interesting the ones that are actually recognisable.

Maybe just not the right choice of song for this sort of thing

I think this, it's a passable homage but ultimately feels a little soulless.

Music buy committee.

Although, as per Jamie:

has Dave Grohl in it, so gets a pass

[img] [/img]

I am unable to criticise Sir Dave of Grohl

So what's more fun/better? Newly written songs, such as Do They Know It's Christmas?, or covers like this? Perfect Day was quite fun I thought.

So what's more fun/better?

Nothing wrong with the song, just a completely crap composition that completely misses the soul of the song.

But they could have been a bit more original, instead of just trawling the 60's why not something by the Jam or Nirvana or a hundred great groups that came after the 60's. They have done the 60's, now do something else, and something that the performers understand at least musically, on perfect day 90% of the performers seemed to get the song on this they are just trying to show their "talent"and ****ing up the overall effect.

Having taken another look at Perfect Day, I notice it had some bloody awful warbling by Lesley Garrett on it, plus Bono, obviously, so I'm mystified why I liked it at the time.

Perhaps I'm just older and grumpier now.

Yeah, the Lesley Garrett was the low point, but this time round it's a collection of Lesley Garrett's with very few of the better balanced performances.

awful warbling by Lesley Garrett

I'm no hater of opera, but God Only Knows why people insist on opera singers singing on pop records. It's worked once and once only

The title of the piece is, of course, a notable oxymoron.

MSP - Member

But they could have been a bit more original, instead of just trawling the 60's why not something by the Jam or Nirvana

I'm not sure that word means what you think it means 😆

mudshark - Member

So what's more fun/better?

'Better' doesn't apply to music.
It's just noise, you either like it or you don't.

Your taste doesn't make you a better person.

martinhutch - Member

Having taken another look at Perfect Day, I notice it had some bloody awful warbling by Lesley Garrett on it, plus Bono, obviously, so I'm mystified why I liked it at the time.

Perhaps you weren't as much of a snob back then?
😀

[i]Your taste doesn't make you a better person.[/i]

You try so hard to be un-snobbish! In your heart you know the BBC things are piles of steaming excrement 😉

That's true. Contact with the STW massive over time has increased my feelings of superiority. 🙂

DezB - Member

You try so hard to be un-snobbish!

Just let it go Dez, free your mind and musical tranquility will follow.
🙂

If you need to get to a Music Snobs Anonymous meeting, just let me know.
I take my responsibilities as a sponsor very seriously. 😀

I'm not sure that word means what you think it means

I'm sure you don't understand context.

I liked some of it and TBH I am not that bothered if it works or doesn't work as a complete song/cover.
A long time ago Yello brought out an album ([url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Second_%28Yello_album%29 ]One Second[/url])that turned me on to the notion of small perfect sounds. How many times do you hear a perfect intro ,then the rest of the song/tune just doesn't deliver ,or the part of it doesn't quite work and almost spoils the whole thing ?
For me,those little perfect moments of sound are fantastic,even if they are trapped in something bland.

Couldn't agree more.

I liked the Perfect Day cover for all the litte touches in it, the timing changes, vocal contrasts etc.
And the subversion of the original delighted me, as it annoyed the snobs.

[i]Just let it go Dez, free your mind and musical tranquility will follow.[/i]

I just can't. I have to exercise my right to be offended!

DezB - Member

I just can't. I have to exercise my right to be offended!

I had it bad.
No synths, no drum machines, no suits etc.
I was frothing at each fresh platitude spouted by the NME, angry at the ignorance of others, stifled by the rules I'd imposed on myself.

Then I realised that I was never going to get laid at that rate, 'cos chicks think snobs are sad, so wisened up sharpish.
🙂
The last 30 years have been a lot easier than the first 15.

Alternatively, imagine a whiny teenager sat at the dinner table seething with injustice at the indignity of being served fish.
Fish that his loving parents have paid for.

That's you that is.
😀

I love fish

ALL fish?

😀

I do miss it now and then.
When drunk I can still sometimes be coaxed into a lusty rendition of 'See I TOLD you Oasis were shite at the time'.