Lyricism

A word in your shell-like...

In a recent discussion about 70s music, that astonishing split between music eras rose it’s (often ugly) backside. As one act leaves the charts, to some people, that which follows is vulgar to say the least. The point in case was Hendrix v Bolan, but it encapsulates just about all musical debate that involves taste….

Mike O’Brien of the Sixty Odd Poets and other excellent output suggested that while Jimi Hendrix was the man with the guitar, Marc Bolan was a better lyricist. So I got to splitting hairs. It seems Mike is of the age that had T Rex, David Bowie and perhaps Slade as heroes. Who are in sharp contrast not only to the Cream, Experience and Floyd fans. In Marc Bolan’s case, however, he had been popular in the 60s underground with his Tyranasaurus Rex outfit.

There is a phenomenon called ‘selling out’, where an artist (in any field) creates commercially-orientated work - designed to please audiences. Thus guaranteeing sales in huge volumes. To many Tyranasuarus Rex fans, this is precisely what Marc did by changing the act to T Rex. Their first hit single, ‘Ride A White Swan’ was deemed patacake - just a copied melody line in a jaded rock and roll format. But many younger music lovers hadn’t heard rock and roll - or their take on it wasn’t quite as hackneyed as older music fans - whom, ironically, saw rock and roll as old hat... And, as an aside, much Tyranasaurus stuff had a bluesy essence, among other things; same trick, different plates juggled. Blues, in case you didn’t know, begat rock and roll (along with country, skiffle and others) but that’s another story.

We next arrive at what Mr O’Brien noted, regarding Marc’s lyricism being superior. Not that we were measuring up a “mine’s got knobs on” sort of contest, just a like for like comparison. Despite my thinking it had gone downhill with the selling out, Ride A White Swan was redolent with hippy-loved material, about the old ways and mystical mages etc. Apart from the da di di daaa bit that is. But, as Longinus and others noted - a humble phoneme or word fragment like la, de, do or even wop can be attractive to make and actually say more than lyricism could - in a given circumstance. Singalong may sound a bit boy scout, but it’s enormous fun, even to old armfoldy grumps like me.

The ancient Greeks also noted how correctness can be dull whereas some skit skat skiddly wop do wow can be catchy and draw you in - wake you up even. And that is actually clever lyricism. Marc one, Jimi nil? Not quite. Jimi almost did the opposite. Songs like ‘Fire’, with love themes - or rather intimated sex themes and lyrics like ‘move over Rover’ seemed almost incongruous until you realised how lewd his accompanying guitar work was. It was, well, way-out. Had a key change, chorus ‘let me stand next to your fire’ and brisk tempo. Shame all the soul and mod fans didn’t get it; in fact some fans of R&B (the proper one) like The Animals and Rolling Stones weren’t sure about the plodding ‘Hey Joe’ or dischordant ‘Purple Haze’. A gentleman on the Antiques Road Show recently remarked (about similar R&B Rolling Stones music, in 1963) “People just didn’t know how to dance to it”. Jimi was ahead of his time, Marc nailed the pulse. Despite what old hippies thought.

But look next please, at Hendrix’s ‘1983 …a merman I should turn to be’ from the ‘Electric Ladyland’ album. A sweet, soft centred and contemplative Hendrix takes us on a futuristic sci-fi adventure and excels in embracing space-age material - still very underground . Unlike perhaps the giddy “Urban Spaceman’ of the Bonzo Dog Dooda Band. At this jump-off point, we can actually get back to Bolan’s duality.

In T Rex mode he had other hits like ‘Get It On’. Quite a groovy soundbite and indeed most people fancied getting something on most of the time. It was on the ‘Electric Warrior’ album. A brilliant title, even for an allegedly sold-out act. But slip back just a few short years from 1971 to 1968 and check this album title from Tyranasaurus: ‘My People Were Fair and had Sky in Their Hair but now they’re content to wear stars on their brows’. It’s not snappy, it’s not dance music… It’s art actually and expressionistic. Yes that’s an obvious point to many reading this - but perhaps not to others who weren’t aware of Bolan’s previous incarnation (and I’m fully aware he had one before that).

There was much wit as well as fascinating stories on this and his ‘Prophets Seers and Sages’ album. Characters like Robard De Fontleroy and Mole live in our mind’s eye, and lyrics like “bugadee-ahhh, carburettor” amuse even if we can’t find meaning. Some of the vocalisations remind me of similar noises my mother made (born 1916) when talking or singing utter tosh. Some might opine that Bolan was politically incorrect (Scenescoff then became a midget - accompanied by midget noises) but we didn’t have that then. We had a moral compass and Bolan wasn’t vulgar in that sense - he was poetically descriptive and his stories came to life. How many sold-out eejits can live up to that?

Let’s get some more relevant perspective. In 1968, the so-called Fab Four brought out a song called ‘O bla-di O bla-da’ with a story that made no sense compared to, say, graceful fat Sheeba working with a meat cleaver (from the ‘My People’ album). Indeed, in 1969 Donovan Leitch, a lyrically engaging folkish songster released ‘Barabajagal’, with a chorus about ‘koo koo, koo koo Barabajagal’ and thusly, we might belittle any who care to belittle Bolan as nonsensical. Because it’s more about catching attention. Do it wrong though, and you might call your band “Kajagoogoo”. I think in sumation, depending on your age and therefore your take on pop/underground, your opinion of diferent Bolan eras will vary. The fact that Tyranasaurus were deemed underground made them exclusive and therefore in demand. Documentary programs seem to suggest that Marc was hip to changing perceptions. The hippy dream was dead/not looking great under a cloud of skinhead and other violence. Maybe the greater public needed some levity. So going ‘overground’ if you like, was a smart business move.

So as to Mike O’Brien’s suggestion that Marc’s the better lyricist - well, maybe more prolific and versatile, but I’d say an equal match, even given they both died far too soon. However what makes a good/better lyricist is the listener’s taste, regardless of subject matter. No matter what is said here, it will remain inconclusive; but that’s one of the joys of discussing art. If I may refer again to Aristotle and ancient histories, the school of thought regarding poetry back then felt it superior to simple ‘music’. Regular, simple rhythms were frowned upon. You might for example be a Bob Dylan and just talk your way through clever lyrics, as he did and does. But put them to a tune and it’s getting low-brow, vulgar even. It got called ‘opera’ in the end, though I reckon musicals are a parody of fine art. Times have changed since then you might think, but in another two thousand years, will people still read and listen to Jimi or Marc - or will we only have the classics like Homer or even Shakespeare?

My worry is that the way the English language is going, we might barely be able to speak. I still love Tyranasaurus and Hendrix both. And to be honest, I wouldn’t have put them in the same arena let alone compared them, had Mike not commented. It is all the rich fabric of sociological as well as lyrical and musical history. So, on with your duffle coat, slip a vynil album under your arm and some Vonnegut/Castenada/Peake on the bookshelf. You have arrived, man.

OOps, it was all blokes. So just for balance, Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega and Bridgette St John

Cheers,

Alex