Revisionist History?
Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 04:20PM There are 21 days until spring and here in southern Ohio, we are having a beautiful and unseasonably warm day. I went for a run outside in the sun and I felt happier than I have the past three weeks. The dark and cold of winter are really getting to me.
I opened the windows for the first time this year and my cat was able to jump in the sill of one for the first time ever in his life. He is mesmerized by the fresh air and being "almost" outside.
During my run, I listened to SiriusXM Rockbar. I have been listening to that station quite a lot lately. While running, Korn came on, which was unfortunate. It was "Freak On A Leash" if you were wondering. That is bad enough, but yesterday, "A.D.I.D.A.S." came on while I was working. I stopped what I was doing, sat and listened for a minute, and decided that the track must be the most immature song ever recorded by adults. I say this as a person who once owned the album Life Is Peachy and I have seen the band in concert, too. The thing is, the band never plays the song live anymore because singer Brian Welch refuses to do so. He is a born-again Christian now and does not approve of the song's lyrics or meaning. The track was a breakthrough hit for the band, and it is still played on the radio a decent amount.
This is sort of a sticky wicket, isn't it? The band earns money when the song is played on the radio or licensed by companies for commercial use, but has basically disavowed it. Is this an ethical gray area for bands? I suppose it is never possible to completely divorce oneself from personal history - the band recorded the song and people love it - but in the modern adaptation of Korn, the song doesn't really "exist." This is basically no different than the way Motley Crue treats the 1994 self-titled release. That album is full of some of the band's best work, but for all intents and purposes, the songs don't "exist" in the current (and original) Motley lineup.
This is the sort of stuff I ponder while working and running. Mildly interesting (to me, at least) and yet nothing I can really talk about to anyone, except here.
Reader Comments (5)
Obviously, there are other examples of this: WASP now refuses to play "Animal (**** Like A Beast) because of Lawless' religious views. Megadeth refuse(d) to play "The Conjuring" because Mustaine felt that it contained an actual hex. 'Tallica refuse(d) to play "Escape" because King Het thought it sucked (which raises issues about other songs of theirs, but I digress). As artists, they can do whatever the hell they want. If it went to far, fans would bolt. The examples above, include Kandy Korn, don't seem to lose any fans as a result. And standing on principle, even if you or I find that said principle is odd, wrong, or diva-like, strikes me as being a fairly metal thing to do.
Then there are the old singer/new singer issues. Dickinson, to his credit, plays songs from Blaze's days in the band. On the other hand, Priest don't play songs from Tim's era (though few of them, aside from "Cathedral Spires," past muster and even the mighty Halford admits that his pipes aren't quite capable of doing justice to some of his/their back-catalog).
For me, the Crue issue is a special case. Who would really want to hear Vince Neil sing the Corabi-era songs? Yes, for all intensive purposes (I am just joking), Neil _is_ the voice of the Crue. But I can't imagine that going well. So we got the next-best-thing: Corabi went out and did that album cover-to-cover. Fans of the album loved it. Those who don't like that album didn't have to go or pick up the live version that came out after the tour. Everyone's happy.
Then there are all those odd cases where bands re-record their own albums--sometimes with new members; sometimes not--to get out from under copyright issues or, in some cases, to put a 'fresh' coat of paint on the songs. Those things rarely work out. Diamond Head did it recently. That was okay, as far it went. But "Am I Evil?" is a classic, even if many of us turned back to the original after first hearing 'Tallica do it. Again, though, it is usually a dog's dinner: how often have you said "Did you love the original version? Well the new, updated, brick-walled version is even better!!!" Which could lead into the whole controversy over remastered vs. remixed albums, or even the 'where's the bass?" 'Tallica controversy . . . which are digressions for another day.
As for the Motley Crue self titled album, frankly they should’ve changed their name for that album. Ppl have their opinions on that album but in my opinion, if the material would’ve been that strong, it would’ve sold more copies & the tour wouldn’t had been such a disaster. And what has Corabi done since then that is relevant, besides look homeless? As a huge Crüe fan, I don’t wanna hear any of the Corabi songs when I see them live, they have such an extensive and amazing catalog of other songs(from the real “Mötley Crüe” band) that I’d much prefer to hear. Anyone that wants to hear those songs should go with the other 100 ppl to see Corabi live though, that’s most of his set these days from what I hear. Although The Scream was a great band and I wish that’s where he had stayed.
First, you are right: I wrote Ian and not Al. That is my bad. My mistake. I own it. But I think, contextually, you could see my point. If not, my bad again. I have no issue with the mistake or you bringing it up. Appreciate it. As I always say, I need a better editor! Like I said, I own it. Why hide from an error or the person who points it out?
The rest of this is easy, really. You like Korn. I don't. No problem.
You wish that the MC album with Corabi had been labeled something other than MC? I totally get that too. But it is what it is, insofar as it _is_ a MC album. We agree to disagree (or, at least, we have had this discussion before). And we have had this discussion before, so why recycle it? And I give you props too. You are often defending them. But you often criticize them too. So I guess your view on the Crue is pretty well set. As is mine. Cool, again.
In an earlier post, you asked me why I don't defend Neil (and I responded). Then you slag Corabi for his looks? That's cool too. I know your game . . . and I love it!!! But don't think I forget things. You pick and choose; I choose what I pick. Different styles, right? No problem with that.
You and I both don't want to hear Corabi songs sung by the Crue these days. So we agree, albeit for different reasons. And you are watching his live numbers? That is also cool Corabi never made it big. But he has fans. Many bands do.
And we agree about The Scream. So that is another point of contact between you and I.
Sooooo . . we agree on a lot. We like The Scream. You like Korn and I don't. The MC album remains controversial. John is rocking a hobo look these days (see what I did there? I actually agreed with a point that had nothing to do with the discussion, even as it points to a previous discussion where you unfairly maligned me for not doing something that I actually did?). And I made a mistake. So, yeah, that was great. I appreciate it again.
One last thing: when was the last time you made a mistake on this site? I asked you this previously. You got puffy-chested. This wasn't the time (at least I don't think it was) when you challenged me to a duel. But it is a fair question. We all make mistakes. Right?
And let's end on the right note: I hope you and yours are doing well. Thanks for the exchange.
KORN s*cks ...
Crüe should perform one Corabi era song in their set, “Hooligan’s Holiday” ... Keep in mind, the self titled release featuring Corabi is Mick Mars favorite Crüe album.
The Scream is awesome and, as I’ve mentioned numerous times here before, when I told this to Corabi himself a few years ago, the man kissed me in the cheek while we were grabbing drinks at the main upper deck outside bar on The MORC where he had just finished his set playing Master of Ceremonies to the ad-hoc group, Cinderella & Friends, he helped Le Bar and Cinderella throw together because Keifer never made it on the boat. Needless to say, I didn’t wipe it off, I ain’t gonna lie!, haha!!