Here’s an extract from a review in the NME.
No clues: no year, no journalist name…
Which album do you think is being reviewed?
It’s a bit rococo/Pseud’s Corner – but great fun (the quote, that is…)
“It unfolds in arabesques and divaricating asymtotes, bespeaking an hermetic inspiration given only to those few for whom the head is in radiant and complete harmony with the heart and hips”
Is it Tell Us The Truth by Sham 69?
Huzzah! You’d think so, wouldn’t you?
I’m thinking Santana, possibly Caravanserai.
Interesting thought – I can see why…I think…
I get that a lot
Paul Young – No Parlez
arf!
Well done! Someone had to be first to post it…
Madonna – Ray of Light
Dunno why I’m guessing that. I don’t understand any of this: “arabesques and divaricating asymtotes, bespeaking an hermetic inspiration”.
NME, innit? The question is: were they being pretentious gits, or deeeeeply ironic?
Metal Machine Music
I have no idea which album, but I guess it was written by Ian Penman or Paul Morley.
I was going to say something along those lines! Must be something on ZZT…
Is it Kevin Rowland: My Beauty?
Is it Juju by Siouxsie and the Banshees?
Something worthy, noodly and complicated. Radiohead or TalkTalk.
Good Times – Chic
Scritti Politti – Cupid and Psyche
Magazine – The Correct Use Of Soap
Don’t know the album but that really reads like Charles Shaar Murray. It reminded me of Crosstown Traffic, his very good book on Hendrix.
Talking Heads – Remain in Light
(& David Byrne would love that review)
Taking a lead from Diddley’s first guess, I’m going with Santana, but taking it one step beyond in suggesting that it’s Welcome and the reviewer was Ian McDonald.
Having now read that three times, I’m still non the wiser as to what it actually means. Is it just me? Can anyone explain ?
I posted it, so I know to which album the quote refers: and even I don’t really know what it actually means.
What’s a “divaricating asymptote”?
Is it The F*cking C*nts Treat Us Like Pr*cks by Flux of Pink Indians?
One of these days, I’ll be right. Like when Alan Davies randomly says “blue whale” on Q.I.
Well, no.
Mind you, if you can find a review quote, you could post a quiz yourself. But people might guess that it was the rugby team, since you’ve been so, er, consistent.
Nobody want these things to drag on too long – so I’ll post the answer around lunchtime tomorrow (that gives me some leeway…)
Any more last minute suggestions? Answer due to be posted around 12:00 GMT…
I’ll give a clue – we don’t have a winner yet, although the journalist has been correctly identified in the posts above.
It’s not “Seven Songs” by 23 Skidoo, is it? (Review by Paul Morley)
The reveal:
The album being reviewed was (no pussyfooting)
The journalist was Ian MacDonald, writing in the NME in October 1973.
So @Carl walks away with half a trophy, for identifying the journalist!
Thank you for the 50%.
This all points to too much time being spent reading NME.
Where would I be now had I spent all that time on academic studies?
Dont know this LP but Wiki’d it and this part absolutely cheered me up no end!
“Peel played the entire album – backwards, . Eno had been listening to Peel’s show and phoned the BBC demanding to speak with him, but the receptionist took exception to his tone and hung up on him After the second track, Peel said on the air, “I’d like to see what they made of that on Come Dancing…Opinion in here is divided…I think it’s great, I really do, magnificent.”
The remastered set has a second CD, playing versions at half speed and reversed! Don’t know if it’s still available…
This forum has an NME complex.
Yep – ranges all the way from “this paper saved my teenage life” to “I need something for the bottom of the budgie cage” – and all points in between.