Preview of 'Sink or Swim' B-side (called Dynamo)...

adchelle wrote: Can be streamed here...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0026TSQTK/ref=dm_sp_adp

Only a short 30 second clip.

Bad LEF-tenant? Sounds like Mike and the Mechanics to me...

Bad Bernard!

noorder wrote:

adchelle wrote: Can be streamed here...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0026TSQTK/ref=dm_sp_adp

Only a short 30 second clip.

Bad LEF-tenant? Sounds like Mike and the Mechanics to me...

Bad Bernard!

Is this what it's come to? Really? Really?

Shit.

Don't get me wrong, I do like Swink or Swim (at least musically), but that second track is just ridiculous. It sounds like a Get Ready outtake, almost as absurd as "Player in the League."

cairns wrote: Good Point. I have always wondered why your dad sat with those dudes in dresses in NewOrderStory.

Who you mean? Shug, Don and Mick? They are nice blokes

Ya Nuh Ordah fans complain about everything fuckin' thing! I am very happy to know that my heroes are still around playing music

[orange]State of Love and Trust [/orange] wrote:

cairns wrote: I agree with the lyrics, its crap - just like Free Basses stuff.

Yeah, the lyrics to that first Freebass single are shite aren't they? Really really crap!!

Oh wait.. There isn't even a single to talk about yet.

Unless you know something I don't...?

ok its not great, but its better than 'stalingrad' - now that is really awful...

Maybe it's the wine, but I'm enjoying both. Except during my listens to "Sink or Swim," hubby keeps calling in from the other room "hey, is that Jimmy Buffett? Why are you playing Jesus Jones?" So clever...

mmm. sounds pretty poor to me. sink or swim isn't really growing on me. i got a bad feelin' about this!

You guys whine and nitpick more than the people on the Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails fan boards combined.

It's hilarious that you are all ragging on Bernard for writing bizarre nonsensical lyrics....he's been doing it since 1982, for god's sake.

Zachery Starkey wrote:

It's hilarious that you are all ragging on Bernard for writing bizarre nonsensical lyrics....he's been doing it since 1982, for god's sake.

I don't know how to articulate it but his nonsensical lyrics of the past had meaning and (perhaps an illusion of) depth when viewed as a whole. Somehow he was able to put across emotion and, god help me, a 'vibe' that overcame any lyrical shortcomings. That was part of his genius. These days he's become a charicature of himself, and his lyrics are a shadow of what they once were.

Can you really compare something as banal as:

What's the matter here? Something ain't right Tell me it's not true tell me it's all right (Dracula's Castle)

with

I like walking in the park When it gets late at night I move `round in the dark And leave when it gets light (Subculture)

Subculture is just an example - chosen because it cops a fair bit of flak. Neither are Shakespeare but the point is Barney used to make an art form out of banality. Lately it's just a will-this-do nothingness that grates and detracts from arguably half-decent tunes. Musically I quite enjoy WFTSC for instance but just can't get past those lyrics. I fear BL is going to be more of the same.

M1 wrote:

I don't know how to articulate it but his nonsensical lyrics of the past had meaning and (perhaps an illusion of) depth when viewed as a whole. Somehow he was able to put across emotion and, god help me, a 'vibe' that overcame any lyrical shortcomings. That was part of his genius. These days he's become a charicature of himself, and his lyrics are a shadow of what they once were.

Can you really compare something as banal as:

What's the matter here? Something ain't right Tell me it's not true tell me it's all right (Dracula's Castle)

with

I like walking in the park When it gets late at night I move `round in the dark And leave when it gets light (Subculture)

Subculture is just an example - chosen because it cops a fair bit of flak. Neither are Shakespeare but the point is Barney used to make an art form out of banality. Lately it's just a will-this-do nothingness that grates and detracts from arguably half-decent tunes. Musically I quite enjoy WFTSC for instance but just can't get past those lyrics. I fear BL is going to be more of the same.

Spot on. Well said

Seconded.

It's alright to say Barney's lyrics have always been banal, but they've been simple and lyrical and rhythmic and conveyed an emotion.

These threads all remind me of the Emperor's New Clothes, except nobody's listening to the little girl, they're so determined to love the kings new clothes.

He's not wearing any. That's his bollocks you're looking at.

Hope this helps.

Biginoil

Barney's lyrics have gone from cryptic and awkward with interesting emotional music to back it up, unique... to now the lyrics tend to be banal with unclever wordplay, the music less interesting, less emotional, mundane.

Maybe he has some epic gems on the upcoming record, suppose it's possible. But I fear the record will border on embarassing. Might be a mean assessment, but I feel at this point people will just have to be polite in respect for his history. Being a traditional style frontman with conventional sing-songing songs was not his strength in the first place.

Toolbox wrote: Seconded.

It's alright to say Barney's lyrics have always been banal, but they've been simple and lyrical and rhythmic and conveyed an emotion.

These threads all remind me of the Emperor's New Clothes, except nobody's listening to the little girl, they're so determined to love the kings new clothes.

He's not wearing any. That's his bollocks you're looking at.

Hope this helps.

Biginoil

Sad, but a fair assessment of the situation.

It's hilarious that you are all ragging on Bernard for writing bizarre nonsensical lyrics....he's been doing it since 1982, for god's sake.

...except for Technique, which sets the standard (unusually) high. Republic ain't too bad either...whatever you think about the music. Bernard's lyrics and vocals on those two albums (and Electronic's first) are pretty much faultless, aren't they? It seems it only went downhill once he started taking singing lessons in 1993...

For God's sake! You compare Ian's lyrics to Bernard. Sacrilege!

For God's sake! You can't compare Ian's lyrics to Bernard's. That's sacrilege!

It's funny. Since English is not my first language I will never assimilate NO music like you guys do. I really never pay attention to the lyrics. I mean, I get them, but to me they're just a groups of words flying around. For example: (don't laugh) I only realized that Love Vigilantes was about a guy who went to war and died by reading stuff posted here.

Let's wait for the album and maybe there will be songs talking about "buying/selling love",doesn't Barney love that one too?

LOLOL..Hey jack ..LOL..remember when ur in bed rubbin one out tonight ..just remember who s "lyrics"helped to put that roof over ya head ..LOL..hmmmm dont knock the hand that feeds ya ..not a bad lad yer Uncle barney eh .....LOLOL...LAGERRRRRR!!!!!!!!!

thanks for that...

Don't worry about it, Barney's written some of my favourite lyrics of all time. Personal favourites being Love Vigilantes and Regret. With regards to Bad Lieutenant I was merely pointing out that the first lines of each song are similar... which they are. :\ohwell: I think a lot of people have been a lot more harsh than that!

It's a free country anyway. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLLL as you might say. :)

Actually, changed my mind my favourite lyrics of his are True Faith. Awesome lyrics.

A free country it is ..at times doesnt feel like it .. but thats another issue ..no ..i kno what you meant regarding his lyrics ..theres no artist out there whos lyrics cant be pulled apart ..but we are all here coz yes we love the music ..the lyrics ..the band ..sooo i suppose they did summat right ..sometimes i come on here and all people seem to do is just that ..pull it apart ..thats all ..nothin personal ..andddd im sure jack if you asked your father ..do you enjoy writing lyrics dad ..? im sure it will be a big and resoundin NO!!!!..Bass yeah ..lyrics ..er hmm nah ...oh ..LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

M1 wrote: I don't know how to articulate it but his nonsensical lyrics of the past had meaning and (perhaps an illusion of) depth when viewed as a whole. Somehow he was able to put across emotion and, god help me, a 'vibe' that overcame any lyrical shortcomings. That was part of his genius. These days he's become a charicature of himself, and his lyrics are a shadow of what they once were.

I think another part of it is that in the 80's one could expect a new album every 18 months with various singles between. The pace with which the band put out music was fast enough to excuse the corny lyrics ("they were in a hurry/on a deadline, etc."). With Bad Lieutenant being the first new music Barney has put out in almost five years, it's like "really? You don't have anything more than that to say?"

All those "hey you, what're you doing?" lyrics come across like an old man trying to impart wisdom to someone much younger, when we all know there's never been wisdom in his songs. I'd rather he sang "you there, get off my lawn!"

£50 Note wrote: I'd rather he sang "you there, get off my lawn!"

The Stones would sue!

hey now what you doing knock my lyrics and I'll be sueing You had the brightest future Then you post nasty threads on your computer I use to like to rhyme show With the first word that I know Then turned sideways to the sun And think of a number that is one Stop your fooling Hey now what am I doing

Even if some of Barney's lyrics from the 80's seemed a bit nonsensical, lots of them remained somewhat cryptic, vague and left open for interpretation. Usually it was a series of lines that seemed to fit together. Even with the more predicable and obvious lyrics, he at least attempt to sing them in different ways to cover up the lyrical shortcomings.

With Get Ready, WFTSC and even the last two Electronic albums, the lyrics leave nothing to the imagination and follow the same rhyming structure and vocal melody for nearly EVERY single song. He practically sounds deadpan on WFTSC. Perhaps it was the Prozac or him cutting back on drinking (less sub-conscious thinking) that made him less interested in lyrical content, but I do give him a little credit on Sink or Swim since it sounds like he's attempting to sing with some kind of emotion again.

NO Regret wrote: hey now what you doing knock my lyrics and I'll be sueing You had the brightest future Then you post nasty threads on your computer I use to like to rhyme show With the first word that I know Then turned sideways to the sun And think of a number that is one Stop your fooling Hey now what am I doing

Hee hee

Re-Member wrote: but I do give him a little credit on Sink or Swim since it sounds like he's attempting to sing with some kind of emotion again.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!

M1 wrote:

Re-Member wrote: but I do give him a little credit on Sink or Swim since it sounds like he's attempting to sing with some kind of emotion again.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!

Emotion? Shallow as a puddle maybe.

Barney has had the sorry breakup of his longterm band of 30 years, and dealing with reaching the age of 50... both subjects could be very personal subjects for song writing. Morrissey and Mark E Smith are still doing the same thing they have done for years, and still stay fairly interesting. Wire is not groundbreaking anymore, but makes a respectable attempt at age 50. Miracle Cure, Dynamo (fragment), and Sink and Swim seem like songwriting101.

Maybe Barney is too happy. It's nice he is still making music, but hopefully it won't get to the point that everybody will have to patronize Grampa Barney by saying he is a genius and he is great no matter what he does, because he did too many drugs.

0_o wrote: Morrissey and Mark E Smith are still doing the same thing they have done for years

See that's interesting, I would lump Mozzer in with Barney (and Michael Stipe another glaring example) as someone whose lyrics - and consequently songs - have lost all mystique and obtuseness in exchange for plodding literalism and bad poetry.