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Posted by The Storm on September 30, 1999 at 00:49:45:
In Reply to: Re: Bridges To Babylon-September 30, 1997 posted by Blue on September 29, 1999 at 23:59:57:
"Brand New Day?" Isn't that the title of the new Sting CD? So you're
listening to Sting as well? I hear he uses a lot of drum machines and synthesizers and
crap on that album, along with--yes--a rap segment. It strikes me that this is Sting's own
"Bridges to Babylon." So the Stones aren't alone at grasping frantically at
technological straws in a frenzied, undignified attempt to stay popular with the kids.
It'll fail for Sting just like for the Stones, I predict. Remember: VL sold 8 million
worldwide and B2B only 3 million. Hell, even Stripped outsold B2B, and that was a live
album. September 30th, 1997 was truly a dark day in the history of the Stones, a day when
they cut off their own balls and offered them in bloody, shameful sacrifices to the twin
gods of Popularity and Trendiness. They sold their soul to pretty boy pop producers. They
flushed their dignity down the toilet. They crapped all over a burning blues
("Juiced.") They looped Charlie. They dumped Darryl. They grabbed any jackass
they could find on the street to play bass and play guitar. They even used kiddie-porn
freak Waddy Wachtel. Keith didn't play on Mick's best cut "Saint" (and neither
did Charlie or Ronnie). Mick totally blew off Keith's songs, as well, not giving a good
goddamn. They tried desperately to stitch two solo albums together and it came out
sounding like a grotesque, hideous monster: drum loops, rap, self-conscious trend-seeking,
trying to hard to fix what wasn't broke, crashing-and-burning on the charts, Keith's songs
a joke, "How Can I Stop" a pathetic piece of trash, "Thief" unfinished
(even by Mick's account), "ASMB" unlistenable with its drum machines, the
pop-boy Dust Brothers using computerized rhythms to "suggest" how they might
kraftwerk their songs. This is the anniversary of the death of the Stones. Sure, the tours
were fantastic, since after all they couldn't loop Charlie for those (though Mick probably
would be perfectly satisfied to let computers run the whole show). But that's all
afterglow--at least until some new CD far off in the future suggests otherwise. The Stones
began their final slide into a oblivion two years ago today. It's certainly not worth
celebrating. Yes, indeed, a "brand new day." Because now we're living in a
post-Stones world.