Save Godzilla

[Joseph Brooks]

Ok, I guess I should clarify. The song doesn't suck. I just got burned out
on it. Its so expected at their shows. The band *must* be as sick of it as I
am and it shows.. EB seems almost bored to tears when he introduces it. From
the time it was released (ok, what year.. 76?) to oh, mid-80's it was played
incessantly on the radio in my area (and I assume elsewhere in the country)
to the point where I began to change the station when I heard that familiar
riff. You still hear it fairly regularly on the "classic rock" stations
here. Ok, that's fine. Good for the band.. except.. Many younger music fans
I know only know BOC through that song. They get the joke (that's joke as in
humorous not as in "a laughing stock"...) but they assume that that is what
BOC is about.. and so they never bother to go any further. Just as many of
the younger crowd I've known only know Zappa through "Yellow Snow" which
while being a great tune, is hardly a hint at what Zappa could do.

That is why I've grown to dislike the big guy...

JB

                -----Original Message-----
                From:   John A. Swartz [mailto:jswartz at MITRE.ORG]
                Sent:   Wednesday, March 10, 1999 5:24 AM
                To:     Multiple recipients of list BOC-L
                Subject:        BOC:

                >
                > Whoo hoo! If they left off Godzilla, I'd buy it for that
reason alone,

                I dunno - Albert had some interesting solos on some of
those.  Then
                again, Albert's solos were often "visual" as well as
auditory - first
                the lasers, then the Godzilla mask and strobes, then the
"use anything
                in the bar as part of the drumset" approach.

                > nevermind what else was on there. I'm of the belief that
that song
                > hurt the
                > band more than anything, big hit and money maker, yes but
it also
                > caused
                > many people to write them off as a joke or novelty band.

                Maybe.  I never thought of it so much as a joke.  Actually,
the recent I
                first picked up a BOC record was because they did a song
called
                "Godzilla" - I was (and guess I still am) a big Godzilla
fan.  The idea
                may have been a little silly, but it was a pretty cool riff.

                >
                > I suppose I could live with "Reaper".. great song but over
exposed and
                > over
                > played. And as far as "Burnin' for You" is concerned,
didn't the KBFH
                > shows
                > predate that album?

                There was at least one "post-Burnin'" KBFH show - in Santa
Monica in '86
                (captured on the *Into The Crypt Of Rays* boot - BFY is on
that CD).



                > JS>2. King Biscuit live CD will consist of tracks from the
(I believe
                > 7)
                > KBFH broadcasts of BOC shows - this spans the years '75 to
'86.
                > "Wings
                > of Mercury" was done in the '86 broadcast, so this tune
*might* be
                > included.  Bolle is of the opinion that there will be less
of the
                > "hits"
                > on this CD, and more obscure stuff included.  Some tunes
captured
                > during
                > these concerts (which may or may not be on the CD)
include: Stairway
                > to
                > the Stars, Morning Final, Divine Wind, Lips in the Hills,
Unknown
                > Tongue, Wings of Mercury, 5 guitars (mark II and III
versions).
                >
                > ...Hmmm interesting.  A fairly obscure band playing
obscure numbers on
                > a
                > live album they expect to sell?  Not!  Sure the big three
will be on
                > there
                > along with a fair number of songs that people may
recognize.  I like
                > your
                > "may or may not" list but will the casual BOC fan
recognize many of
                > those
                > songs?  Sheoot just give me a couple of those and a bunch
I've heard
                > 10
                > times, its live BOC so I'd be happy.

                Well, remember that this is NOT being released by Sony, and
KBFH plays
                more to niche markets.  Their releases are aimed more at
longtime fans
                of the band than the casual listener.  Most folks looking to
get
                introduced to BOC aren't going to grab a live KBFH disc -
they're more
                likely to pick up one of the (ever increasingly many) BOC
compilations
                that Sony puts out.

                Then again, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if some of the
"big 3" made
                it onto that release.

                John


                --
                John A. Swartz - The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA -
jswartz at mitre.org

                "Fear is the path to the Dark Side.  Fear leads to Anger.
Anger leads
                to Hate.
                Hate leads to SUFFERING."  -- Yoda (Star Wars: Episode 1 -
The Phantom Menace)