By the time they released their second full length album the war between Run D.M.C. and the Sucker M.C.’s was in full swing! Those Sucker M.C.'s will never learn!
Last month I
wrote about NIN’s Pretty Hate Machine and how in the early 90’s I never would
have guessed that a record like that would gain mainstream appeal. In
1985, me and my jerkoff friends where the only people I knew who listened to
Run D.M.C., they weren't on the radio and I never would have thought in a year
this band was going to break through to the big time!
King Of Rock definitely has its moments, but at points it doesn't know when to shut up. The great irony
of “You Talk Too Much,” and the problem with most of this album is that the songs are too God damn long!
Six minutes to tell some guy to shut up really defeats the purpose and that cheesy synthesizer! It's grating. Although that song did give us the best line in a rap song
ever! “You told the Cavity Creeps... to watch out for Crest!” I remember the Cavity
Creeps!
 |
| Thanks to the pud from "You Talk Too Much," the Cavity Creeps were able to plan this raid on Enamel City! |
“Rock The
House,” “King Of Rock,” and “Can You Rock It Like This” are all really solid,
but damn could this album use some samples and/or a real musician to kick some of the backing tracks up a few notches. Obviously, Run and
D.M.C. are the stars here and they can carry a song, but years later much of King Of Rock sounds like a dated, lazy mess.
I would like
the record to clearly show that I always thought “Roots, Rap, Reggae” was fuckin’ wack!
I jumped
ahead to Beggars Banquet from The Rolling Stones because I wanted to get into
the meat of their work. Beggar’s is the beginning of the brilliance.
It's amazing how
utterly amazing “Sympathy For The Devil” is, and yet, Beggars Banquet is kinda ho-hum
as an album. It's very bluesy, but not really overflowing with smash hits.
I’d agree
with anybody that says “Sympathy” is one of the greatest Rock songs ever recorded.
Top five, for sure! Doesn't sound like it's 45 years old, does it?
“No
expectations,” “Jigsaw Puzzle,” "Stray Cat Blues," and “Factory Girl,” will all have an increasing
appeal to me given more time, but outside the other smash, “Street Fighting
Man,” “Parachute Woman” was the only other song that jumped out to me. (Pun not intended.) How awesome is "Street Fighting Man?"
I'm not a fan of "Salt Of The Earth," for some reason.
My friend Joe
Bagodonuts is really into The Courteeners and for a little while I thought “Not
Nineteen Forever” was a great song, but I grew tired of it. I’m actually just
realizing now this is the band’s third effort. I completely missed the second,
Falcon. I’ll have to go back and check that one out.
I love
British music, so I’m always willing to give new stuff a listen. I wanna say I
liked this album. I didn’t hate it. “Lose Control,” was memorable, but I don’t
know if I’ll ever be clamoring to hear it. Reminds me of something from the 80’s,
but I can’t quite put my finger on it. “Welcome To The Rave” has the same
reminds-me-of-something-I-can’t-place feeling.
Sadly, this
is one of those records I need to be exposed to in order to digest, accept and
grow to like. I don’t see myself voluntarily throwing Anna on all too much and I
certainly don’t see it having a couple singles that will be getting played over here in ‘Merica.
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