Posted by Fleabit Peanut Monkey , Baby on May 04, 2000 at 00:16:53:
In Reply to: Next song on the Chopping Block... posted by Syph on May 03, 2000 at 14:40:14:
I guess someone needs to go to bat for this classic wedge of filth. I've always liked this song for just the reasons you've mentioned for not liking it. At this point in the Stones' career it was bandied about the press that Andrew had purchased the rights to "A Clockwork Orange" for the Stones' answer to "Help!", so their minds were already going in a futuristic, druggy, droogy direction. This song sounds like the kind of futuristic droog-rock Alex & his chums would listen to if they tired of old Ludwig Van. You know how back in the 50's when they pictured the year 2000 and they got everything sorta wrong? That's sort of what this song is. It's really more of a piece of art than a song - if you include the photo sleeve, and the 2 videos that went with it, (one of them dressing in drag for the cover, the other of fans rioting in the Albert Hall)and their performance of it on Ed Sullivan - Keith has a Wehrmacht jacket on and is pretending half-heartedly to play the piano, Brian's playing a cool-ass Gibson Firebird with his hand bandaged from punching Anita - they were living A Clockwork Orange right down to the old moloko plus.
Wow, did I laugh at that part about Charlie building a shed. Good stuff. I guess the mix was Andrew's idea about what rock records would sound like in the future. I like the guitar sound a lot. The lyrics, especially the parenthetic parent reference, are pretentious and cool. The tempo is such that the only way to really dance to it is to riot. I give it a 92.