Things I've been listening to a lot over the last week - by Kos...
This week I have mostly been listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slipknot and Van Halen.
Red Hot Chili Peppers- Live in Hyde Park
Dear blokes
Please send money, you've got loads if you're hawking a live CD of a couple of gigs, I really like you, you've done some great records but this is live one is kind of annoying. 'Mothers Milk' and 'Blood Sugar...' were great records.
When I was in college they played a big part in the going out on a Friday night ritual and generally remind me of some great times, I mean I even like 'One Hot Minute' (yes I'm THAT person), there are some GREAT songs on it, you really should play 'Aeroplane' and 'One Big Mob'.
I was made up that 'Californication' and 'By The Way' did so well, they weren't your best records but John did some amazing stuff on them which is kind of surprising considering that he was basically dead a year previously so it was good to see you getting a big audience of mums and estate agents once the "kids" one dried up when they started getting into Nu metal.
I can understand you wanting to play something a bit different compared to 20 years ago (I mean what kind of market is there for cod funk/rock now?) and your shows are going to have the most recent stuff.
These are the records that are allowing you to fill enormo domes and venues like this (as well as charge £35 a ticket and get a live record out of it) but you're not telling me that however many thousand people who went to the gigs would rather hear you plow through a cover of 'I Feel Love', 'Throw Away Your Television' (quite possibly one of THE worst songs you've knocked out in the last 10 years, well after 'Emit Remmus' it is...) and a horrendous solo by John where he put one of Flea's trumpet solos through his effects pedals (what's THAT all about?) as long as 'Higher Ground', 'My Lovely Man' and 'Me and My Friends' are still handily available on "Digitally Remastered and Repackaged" CDs?
Fair enough, you might be a bit sick of playing 'Catholic Schoolgirls Rule' and 'Love Chump Sucker' after how many years but totally writing off the first 15 years or so of your history's a bit dumb.
What'll go down better, a pointless drum solo or Backwoods?
It's not like you've got THAT much to be embarrassed about (well apart from the day glo paint...). You don't have to just play 'Under the Bridge' and Give It Away' you know...
Anyway, cheers for listening and I'll buy your next record on the first day as usual as long as you send money as a priority...
Slipknot- The Subliminal Verses
Dear Slippyknot
Please send money, I'm one of your maggots and if you TRULY loved us you'd send money, I need it to buy a boiler suit and mask for when I go on a kill crazed rampage around work while listening to you on my walkman.
This is a GREAT record you've put out, I'll listen to it at least once over the course of the week, you still provide the requisite shouting and blast beats but then there's the accousticy tracks that give it a bit of depth, depth rocks, it makes me feel, like, intelligent and stuff. I can't believe I'd say that about one of your records, I'd even go as far to say that it had texture...
Whoah....
Later dudes (remember to send money) \m/
Van Halen- Best of Both Worlds
Dear Diamond Dave,
Do you want me to send money? I read that you're going to be a paramedic, that's all very cool and altruistic but like dude, you're DAVID LEE ROTH, you're meant to be hanging out with midget minders, wining and dinning beautiful women and hiking along the Amazon not cleaning the puke off some smackhead who's OD'd...
I guess with this new best of Eddie's putting out you might get a few dollars but lets face it Van Halen are nowhere near the force they were with you in the band, how can they go from 'Hot for Teacher' and 'Panama' to 'Why Can't This Be Love?'
Eddie's an amazing guitarist and all, 'Eruption''s still really cool but someone needs to have a word with him, we don't want Sammy Hagar, we want you, I mean I think I'd settle for Gary Cherone being dragged out of whatever bath house he's dogging in to make Hagar go away.
Anyway will $50 do? We need you to live our dreams for us...
Love ya