Free Form Cup Round 4 Match 2 *Mike Boom 6- Hatz 14*

[never/ever]

A

Big Star - Motel Blues





B

Ian Dury – The Body Song

[Andrews Sisters Conundrum]

I presume A was something Big Star put out during their 90s reformation. It's really nothing special, not that I can hear on this first listen. It lacks all the melodic charm of what they put out in their heyday. Strange choice.

I like Ian Dury a lot - great lyricist, loved his vocal style, awkward bastard, often had great bands behind him. This one is another lesser-known release (at least I'd never heard it before) and it's hardly setting the joint alight - but it easily beats the limp offering of A

B

[toomanyhatz]

A is a Loudon Wainwright cover that was part of their repertoire from the first. The recording is from the Radio City era, I believe. It's a fine version, but yeah- Big Star originals were good enough at that point that I'd rather hear Big Star do the Big Star stuff and Loudon Wainwright do the Loudon Wainwright stuff.

I'm not huge on Dury, but that's a nice modest and very charming song from him. Great lyrics. And Sly and Robbie. B pretty handily.

[Santa C]

I know nothing about Big Star but feel I should

I enjoyed this track very much

I used to love Ian Dury and went to see him on his Christmas tour about three years running.

A tremendous performer. A nice track which appeared on a mid-90s compilation album think

Anyway, delightful. Nice choice


--B--



.

[fange]

Oh another good match, yes. Both are the sorta thing i am happy to hang on the walls of my wheelhouse to enjoy when i feel like them; today, the gentle acoustic, melodic beauty of A is hitting me the most.


A

[trans-chigley express]

Two more enjoyable tunes. Like C, Big Star are band I know little about but feel I should check out. This was nice acoustic number that I was not really expecting, but was good both musically and lyrically.

Ian Dury is usually good value and it's nice to hear something from him I'm not familiar with, from the Lord Upminster album I believe, which I've never heard.

Close but B just.

[Jimbly]

A was nice but B has Dury on firm and Sly and Robbie.

B

[Hightea]

yikes B was horrid and I like Dury.

A

[Rayge]

I liked the Box Tops and solo Chilton, but I never really got Big Star. Bought all three abums, but nothing really stuck. It's all a bit slight.
Ian Dury was living and teaching in Canterbury when I was at Uni there, although I never met him, and I later in life I lived in (well, very near) Kilburn High Road, so there was a kind of connection ... The first record of his that I heard/bought, though was S&D&R&R, and I kept up with him after that - it was the words, Guv - but I must have lapsed before this was released. I know I'm supposed to worship Sly and Robbie, but I never got the appeal. I would have preferred the Blockheads. That said, the organ on this has a pleasing tone, a throwback to the ’60s and I lied the outro a lot. I wasn't particularly taken by the song, but the playing makes it a more substantial experience than A

B

[Darkness_Fish]

I know Big Star have a large reputation around these parts, but there's something about the tone and style of guitar here that reminds me of when hair metal bands do earnest acoustic numbers. Every rose has its thorn, some people would say. For all the offense that might cause, it's not too bad, quite slight, but just has that whiff about it, teetering on the edge of cringe.

Another big reputation, matched up with the even bigger reputations of Sly and Robbie. So for all that bigness, it's a very slight snog with a horrible keyboard sound. I like his vocal style, but the sparse backing and cheap sounding production doesn't do it any favours. Not sure there's much wit and wisdom being dispensed to make it worth the effort of sitting through.

A

[Neige]

I really wonder who thought that such a lazy and non-descript Loudon Wainwright cover would garner any votes just because it's bloody Big Star. Meh!!

B is Ian Dury, grooves along nicely and at least it's an original.

[Nick Danger]

I never have connected with Big Star, always found them kind of boring. I'll take my Chilton with the Box Tops. B is pleasant and enough to win here.

B

[Mike Boom]

A

Its Alex Chilton solo in everything but name, jeez its just him and an acoustic, but it came out on the Big Star live album , so anyway, A all day along and then some ... not even Ian Dury liked Lord Upminster.

[The Fish]

I'm with Hatz. Playing that I kept hearing the Loudon version and that's the one I want to hear.

B

[Lord Rother]

Meh.

A

[GoogaMooga]

I like both, but Dury is just more fun. A doesn't really take off. I find it's a damp squib compared with the rowdy Dury track. Perhaps if A was more fleshed out, but as it is now, it sounds like a demo.

B

[never/ever]

Gonna see Jodie Stephens in a couple of weeks. This will do nicely as a start.

A

[pcqgod]

A is a Loudon Wainwright III song isn't it? Anyway, nice performance, good lesser known Big Star track. But since I generally pick something new to me that I enjoy over the familiar, I'm going with


B.

[Purgatory Brite]

B

[Good Night Austin, Texas]

Good obscure Ian Dury pick. i'm not familiar and i like it.

B