Criminal Records
Last night I found myself (much to my surprise) watching the 100 Greatest Albums on Channel 4. I was surprised at this partly because it was repeat and I remember being furious watching it when it was on originally, but also because as a rule I hate programmes like this.
I don't mind so much the likes of favourite TV moments (though these are now becomming tiresome. You can only watch Del Boy fall through the bar or Basil Fawlty beating his car with a stick so many times) but its the music ones that get me riled. There seems to be so many of them, all voted for by the public, and they always end with any viewer with an ounce of intelligence despairing of said public.
They never fail to disappoint. Anything to do with singles or videos will have Bohemian bloody Rhapsody at number one, Angels by Robbie Williams top 5 and probably something reasonably good at about number 24, just so everyone can moan to their mates about how its a 'travesty that X was above Y' etc. The album ones are equally poor and generally end (as with this one yesterday) with the dull Radiodead topping the poll. Yawn
Anyway, after I eventually switched off the TV in disgust and went to bed it got me thinking about these shows, and what they are about. Basically, Channel 4 ask the public what they think, then tell us what we think. They spread it out over about 3 to 4 hours and pad it out by getting the likes of Jimmy Carr, Phill Jupitus and Justin Lee Collins to provide 'witty' comments. So simple, its possibly verging on genius. Unlike Radiodead, who wouldn't know genius if they were trapped in a lift with Einstein, Hawking and Mozart.
I don't mind so much the likes of favourite TV moments (though these are now becomming tiresome. You can only watch Del Boy fall through the bar or Basil Fawlty beating his car with a stick so many times) but its the music ones that get me riled. There seems to be so many of them, all voted for by the public, and they always end with any viewer with an ounce of intelligence despairing of said public.
They never fail to disappoint. Anything to do with singles or videos will have Bohemian bloody Rhapsody at number one, Angels by Robbie Williams top 5 and probably something reasonably good at about number 24, just so everyone can moan to their mates about how its a 'travesty that X was above Y' etc. The album ones are equally poor and generally end (as with this one yesterday) with the dull Radiodead topping the poll. Yawn
Anyway, after I eventually switched off the TV in disgust and went to bed it got me thinking about these shows, and what they are about. Basically, Channel 4 ask the public what they think, then tell us what we think. They spread it out over about 3 to 4 hours and pad it out by getting the likes of Jimmy Carr, Phill Jupitus and Justin Lee Collins to provide 'witty' comments. So simple, its possibly verging on genius. Unlike Radiodead, who wouldn't know genius if they were trapped in a lift with Einstein, Hawking and Mozart.
posted by ChiefMoaner at 11:50 AM
1 Comments:
C4 make these programmes for no other reason than they're cheap. "Best Album" polls are notoriously fickle and based on the short memories of people who vote for them; when "Q" did one in 1997, "K" by Kula Shaker was rated the 6th best album ever, ahead of anything by The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Clash (etc etc etc).
You'd be better off imagining a "Best Album" list in your head, then looking up some clips on Youtube - at least that way, you don't have to listen to Stuart bloody Maconie.
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