Friday 9 January 2009

The Boys

Peter has a bag of pennies, as any band with a harmony of more than two parts is compared to the Beach Boys, and somebody somewhere seeks him out and gives him a penny. The same happens when The Alarm are compared to U2, or somebody somewhere confuses Cliff Richard with Elvis Presley.

I am not a liker of The Beach Boys. Other boys should be given as much attention. No, not the Pet Shop Boys and their anthemic albino anemia ridden pop, nor the Backstreet Boys (although the Backstreet Pet Shop Boys would be worth a look simply for rare animals). I'm tempted to put forward The Oakridge Boys, just for William Lee Golden's glorious beard, or possibly Badly Drawn Boy for being able to include the words ipso facto (a certain effect is a direct consequence of the action in question, instead of being brought about by a subsequent action such as the verdict of a tribunal) in a song. The Beastie Boys deserve a special prize simply for still being around 22 years after the release of their first album, although none of them can match The Blind Boys of Alabama., who got together in 1939. Of the founding members, Clarence Fountain still plays when his health allows.
Higher Ground by the Blind Boys of Alabama

1 comment:

  1. You've overlooked the seminal band of the last 20 years.

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbszjo99JAc

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