i guess that was his plan.
― a.b. (alanbanana), Friday, 26 May 2006 12:43 (seventeen years ago) link
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Friday, 26 May 2006 12:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― Konal Doddz (blueski), Friday, 26 May 2006 12:50 (seventeen years ago) link
Did he say "who don't like my music" twice because he came in too early for his backing track?
― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 26 May 2006 12:57 (seventeen years ago) link
the pussy bank, that is.
― Emily B (Emily B), Friday, 26 May 2006 13:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 5 June 2006 16:59 (seventeen years ago) link
― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 5 June 2006 17:33 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 5 June 2006 17:50 (seventeen years ago) link
you can saee them now can't you - staring moodily into their coffee in the mountain fastnesses of Kosovo, haunted, not by what they did during the war, but by what they didn't do........ as 'you're beautiful' comes on the radio.......again
― sonofstan (sonofstan), Monday, 5 June 2006 19:51 (seventeen years ago) link
― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 08:02 (seventeen years ago) link
― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 09:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― DJ Martian (djmartian), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 10:41 (seventeen years ago) link
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 11:54 (seventeen years ago) link
― gekoppel (Gekoppel), Tuesday, 6 June 2006 15:52 (seventeen years ago) link
"We will license these records, in movies, TV and commercials...Trust me, you will hear these records."
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 04:36 (sixteen years ago) link
Good thing President Bush doesn't negotiate with terrorists who make threats like this. A black helicopter is hopefully on its way to Warner Music Group right now.
― Cunga, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 04:51 (sixteen years ago) link
so awful.
― W4LTER, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 04:58 (sixteen years ago) link
I quite liked his version of Young Folks.
― Alba, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 08:29 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't hate the recent single. Quite like it, even.
― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 08:41 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh, I do hate that because it's tarnished my year of birth forever.
― Alba, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 09:11 (sixteen years ago) link
i haven't heard his new stuff. wake me up when it disappears.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 11:27 (sixteen years ago) link
Looking forward to that 18-month coma then?
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 11:31 (sixteen years ago) link
i'm slightly scared that i don't find 1973 utterly execrable. i'm either over the hill or he's actually got better.
― CharlieNo4, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 11:37 (sixteen years ago) link
i kind of feel that gwen, justin, and xtina all undershot last year and maybe mankind will luck out and blunt will also fade sooner than anticipated.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 11:37 (sixteen years ago) link
rockismgonemad.com
― Noodle Vague, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 11:44 (sixteen years ago) link
There are a huge number of acts that annoy me more, and I don't understand the outright hatred.
That being said, I'm pretty indifferent towards the entire guy, and there are numerous musically similar acts that would have deserved his success way more.
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 12:36 (sixteen years ago) link
Man, if even Geir isn't going to defend the guy....
― Pashmina, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 12:40 (sixteen years ago) link
...then it means ILM has a consensus.
That's fucking dead set frightening.
― King Boy Pato, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 12:49 (sixteen years ago) link
The weird thing about that NYT article is that they talk to Linda Perry about how he had a huge song that everyone hated without even bringing up that she wrote fucking "What's Up."
Charlie's right that "1973" is unsettlingly OK.
― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:06 (sixteen years ago) link
Someone who knows about these things told me recently that he doesn't even write his own material, which surprised me. But then, given that Blunt probably wasn't even born in 1973, that kind of makes sense.
"You're Beautiful" is definitely this decade's "What's Up" though, ie the worst song of their respective decade.
― harveyw, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:27 (sixteen years ago) link
Are there people who now champion 70s soft-rock who wanna argue that this kinda stuff in its 70s incarnation was good but Blunt is bad? Just curious
― J0hn D., Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Are you arguing that there were no 70s soft-rock acts that were substantially better than James Blunt?
― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:47 (sixteen years ago) link
Did the question mark at the end of my sentence fail in its mission?
― J0hn D., Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:49 (sixteen years ago) link
I dunno, it just seemed like an odd rhetorical stance to make unless that was your implication. Aren't there obviously tons of people who would make the argument your asking for? Were you trying to get a show of hands?
― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:51 (sixteen years ago) link
James Blunt is not Mondeo Pop. No way.
― acrobat, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:51 (sixteen years ago) link
Alex get a cup of coffee or a something, it's a question
― J0hn D., Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:52 (sixteen years ago) link
if I'd known I was writing for professorial scrutiny instead of asking a question on a fuckin message board though maybe I'd've been extra careful about the "rhetorical stance" I'm taking by wondering something out loud
― J0hn D., Wednesday, 19 September 2007 13:55 (sixteen years ago) link
I think the issue is clearly that I've already had a cup of coffee.
― Alex in Baltimore, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 14:47 (sixteen years ago) link
I remember some interview (Linda Perry?) where she says something about "ah, he'd pretty much finished it" about her contribution.
So, why was her contribution necessary? It's not like it's a wonderful song afterwards either.
Is he still 'not completely writing songs' now?
― Mark G, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 15:59 (sixteen years ago) link
there was another songwriter employed on 'you're beautiful'. suzy knew her.
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 16:03 (sixteen years ago) link
this suzy knows a lot of lame people huh
― omar little, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 17:24 (sixteen years ago) link
I utterly detested 'You're Beautiful' but, nevertheless, I do think James Blunt has talent. The only other song of his I know * is 'Wisemen'. Although it has that multi-writer, corporate pop/rock stamp to the arrangement and production, I think it's a great song (especially for some evocative, unexpected chord progressions - from the verse, into and through the chorus). It's spoiled by an acoustic guitar solo that doesn't end on the right note (and which also feeds into the wrong section - ie the chorus - lacking a feeling of chordal twist at that point); also suffers from slightly annoying Natalie Imbruglia/'Torn'-style, 'hip hop-influenced sessionman' drumming. But, still, a lovely song.
* actually, reading the favourable comments above about '1973' I had a listen to that as well, just now, but I didn't like it.
― dubmill, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 18:53 (sixteen years ago) link
I can actually see where you're coming from re: 'Wisemen'; some of the chord progressions are nice, even if the vocal delivery/instrumentation/concept are utterly repellent.
― Just got offed, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 19:02 (sixteen years ago) link
When you say 'the concept' do you mean the lyrics? I haven't actually sat down and tried to work out what they mean. Maybe I'm scared that if I did I'd end up hating the song. There's a reference to someone living 'in a semi by the sea' (which sounds a bit dodgy * but just reminds me of 'The Sea' by Morcheeba, a reference compounded by the bleepy mid-90s keyboard twiddles in the background of the chorus).
* there being nothing wrong in living in a semi by the sea, in my opinion.
― dubmill, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 19:09 (sixteen years ago) link
The concept = the cynical AOR marketing, and all the baggage that comes with it. I know you should judge music purely by its sound, but I can't help but hate what Blunt stands for.
― Just got offed, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 19:13 (sixteen years ago) link
I know think you should judge music purely by its sound
― J0hn D., Wednesday, 19 September 2007 20:08 (sixteen years ago) link
Sorry, I need to be more scrupulous sometimes!
― Just got offed, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 20:35 (sixteen years ago) link
also suffers from slightly annoying Natalie Imbruglia/'Torn'-style, 'hip hop-influenced sessionman' drumming.
hi geir
― That one guy that hit it and quit it, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 20:46 (sixteen years ago) link
Wrong (not geir).
I've nothing against actual hip hop. I just have never liked that corporate session drummer style that is vaguely shuffley and 'hip hop influenced', but somehow too tasteful and technical sounding (especially when the actual drums have that nasty, hard, grainy, ambient-mic-ed 'live' sound very common today and over the last ten years or so).
― dubmill, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 20:59 (sixteen years ago) link
That'd be "The Ketchup Song" and "Macarena".
― Geir Hongro, Wednesday, 19 September 2007 21:19 (sixteen years ago) link