Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Creamtastic / National Skyline The McBastard's Obligatory St. Patrick's Day Post: Five Irish Bands that Rock Harder than U2
Posted by Sean Maloney on Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 11:02 AM
I have my issues with St. Patrick's Day. Nobody wanted to hang out with the Irish during 700 years of English oppression, but once we get a drinking holiday, everybody's "Irish" for approximately 24 hours, plus hangovertime. Kinda fucked, folks. I also have my issues with U2; I know Bono saved all those puppies from the World Trade Center or whatever, but his omnipresence over the last two and a half decades has become insufferable and the music was never that good to begin with. So as my Amatuer Night gift to you, here are five Irish bands that rock way harder than U2. "Get Your Boots On" indeed.*
Five Gaelic groups for guzzling green beer, after the jump.
Them - Greatest garage band of all time, plain and simple--they wrote "Gloria," the second greatest garage anthem of all time and a song of such brute force and raging hormones that it can only be trumped by Richard Berry's "Louie Louie." Van Morrison is one of record music's greatest vocalists and to hear him let loose over some primal garage stomp is to know greatness. If you can find a copy of the Story of Them double import CD, do not think. Just buy. You'll be happy you did.
Thin Lizzy - Duh and double duh. The Edge can keep all his fancy echo pedals and "atmospheric" bullshit, I take soaring guitar harmonies and a juggernaut rhythm section any day. For instance, let's compare the modern day acolytes of each band. On the Thin Lizzy side we have The Dirtbombs and Mastadon, and on the U2 side we have Coldplay and The Fray. I rest my case.
The Undertones - Is there a more perfect rock song than "Teenage Kicks?" John Peel didn't think so--and he was kind of an expert. But since it's a warm beautiful day, I posted "Here Comes the Summer," a near-perfect slab of jittery punk joy with fun, unpretentious lyrics and enough chintzy organ to get the point across. The keyword there being "unpretentious."
Stiff Little Fingers - U2 were a bunch of New Wave pussies. There. I said it. I'll take good ol' punk rock over sculpted-mullet arena pop any day. I'd much rather be a rowdy, violent drunk than that dude at the bar that's blathering on about the brilliance of a giant lemon all day.
The Commitments - Ya, I know it's not a real band. Hell, it's not even a real cover band. It's a cover band from a really good movie though, which is better than a certain real band from a really baaaad movie. *Cough* Rattle & Hum *cough*
That being said, everybody be safe tonight. Take a cab. Designate a driver. Whatever you do, don't get a D.U.I. tonight--that would be pathetically amateur of you.
*I know, I know. I've been pickin' on U2 a lot lately. Stuff it, Gold.
Comments (16)
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Where are the Pogues on this list? I've said it before, if U2 had broken up in 1985 they'd be getting their dicks sucked by every new wave obsessed hipster in Williamsburg. They'd have Echo and the Bunnymen cred and this list would be "5 Irish bands that rock harder than the Cranberries." At the very least there is no denying the "War" album.
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Technically the Pogues were formed in London, so their out. But I will concede Tobin's point and mention that I'm a dweeb for leaving Therapy? off the list.
"greatest garage band of all time"
Hmmm...a tough one. I'd have to throw Love, the 13th Floor Elevators, The Sonics, The Monks, the Shangri-La's, POSSIBLY but not really the Troggs, the Cramps, and the Oblivians in there as well. That's a post that could go all day.
Hells yeah on the Undertones and Thin Lizzy. But no Pogues? They've got some moments.
On a related note, who do you thinks gonna die first in U2? My bet is that Bono will outlive them all. Just like Ringo will with the Beatles.
The Pogues had more than a few moments, lad. Nobody mentioned above could have written lyrics as good as Shane's are on Rum Sodomy and the Lash. Does anybody remember My Bloody Valentine? If not, I won't even ask about Rory Gallagher.
As for the MBV thing, is Loveless better than War? I mean, to rock harder than U2 that's pretty much the record you've gotta beat, and that's a close call.
Oh oh, one more. Mastodon covering Thin Lizzy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTKYbATHHoQ
Lot of correct opinions in this post. Why do you suppose it is that Them are so much less well known than Sonics, Monks, 13th Floor Elevators, & other cult fave garage rockers? They kick ass, & have an incredible amount of first-rate material. It is a mystery. But Sean's right, get whatever you can of theirs.
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