Rock ‘n’ Roll Axioms
In the news today, Pete Townshend said he and Roger Daltrey will be playing a “mashup” of Who songs at the Super Bowl on Sunday. Now, aside from it being cute to see old Pete use a term like “mashup,” what this means is that they will be playing, simply, a medley of hooks.
And that brings me to one of my small collection of rock ‘n’ roll axioms, stated here before:
A band or artist that plays a medley of hits and/or hooks in public at any time may consider its artistic credibility irredeemably lost.
Now, the Who peaked artistically with Quadrophenia in ’73 and lost whatever remaining identity they had with Keith Moon’s death in ’78, and they have been more or less spinning their wheels ever since. But it is nonetheless inexpressibly discouraging to hear they plan to do a damn medley. Tom Petty’s an old rocker, too, but he knows it: Real artists don’t do medleys, they do songs.
But anyway. Here are a few more of Bridey’s informal rules of pop:
If a band is capable of producing two really good albums, consecutively or not, they will probably produce a third good album, but will almost never produce a fourth.
Speaking of albums, hardly anyone ever does anything that works all the way through.
Making a concept album and/or rock opera is a bad idea. That Ziggy Stardust and Quadrophenia are great concept albums only means that it’s possible, not that it’s a good idea.
There never has been and never will be a concept album and/or rock opera where the concept involves Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebels against the Establishment that doesn’t suck.
When your frontman or at least half of your founding members are dead, it is time to hang it up, or at least call the band something else.
Want to debate? Got your own rules of rock? Put ‘em in comments!
Categories: The News Today
1 Comment »
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February 22nd, 2010 at 4:07 pm
I’d add one, after watching half-time at the Super Bowl:
“Medleys of hits don’t work well”
they just leave the audience wanting more.
My two cents :)
Thanks Bridey