Big Takeover

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What is this Big takeover thats being mentioned in other threads?
Is it any good?

― Craig, Thursday, 29 August 2002 16:27 (twenty-four years ago)

Very good indeed. Mostly the brainchild of Jack Rabid and his tastes, but there are a number of other writers as well.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 29 August 2002 16:30 (twenty-four years ago)

Guessing, its a track off of Rock For Light by Bad Brains, or it could have something to do with the goverment?

― Juan Marquez, Thursday, 29 August 2002 16:30 (twenty-four years ago)

It's indeed named after that song, Jack's a huge fan of the original band.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 29 August 2002 16:34 (twenty-four years ago)

Bloody incredle interviews in the magazine. Im tempted to reprint the Cat Power interview where she rambles on and breaks down describing the shadows that were trying to break into her house and bedroom and kill her and her cat shortly before going down under to record Moon Pix. I think I did at some point but was unable to google it.

Jack' also a fan of The Nils/Chino which Im all for.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 29 August 2002 16:41 (twenty-four years ago)

I was once in a computer science class with Jack Rabid at NYU. He was a total teacher's pet. Very smart, really. Anyway, Big Takeover's just great, it's a must for anyone interested in punk/post-punk/indie pop. The interviews especially, yep. I can't believe he remembers every single show he went to in the late 70s/early 80s. And in such detail. I sure don't. Perhaps I was more of a drunk.

― Arthur (Arthur), Thursday, 29 August 2002 16:53 (twenty-four years ago)

The Big Takeover was, without question, my BIBLE for a year or two. But I haven't been interested at all in new issues at all lately, mostly because my tastes have expanded greatly beyond the punk and indie the mag covers. Jack Rabid' still the man, though.. one hell of a writer.

― Justin, Thursday, 29 August 2002 18:29 (twenty-four years ago)

Jack Rabid remembers everything because he rarely gets (or got) intoxicated--he is one of the best documentarians of the American punk scene because he was there, was sober, and is more literate than the average scenester. Bad Brains lived in his apartment with him for a time back in their heyday.

If you've never picked up the Big Takeover, you should. It's available biannually at finer music outlets and the major bookstores around the States.

DISCLOSURE: I've contributed to the mag on many an occasion
DISCLOSURE, Part II: It's still a great read.

― Don Weiner, Thursday, 29 August 2002 21:55 (twenty-four years ago)

bt is cool but jack rabid's proclamations of music being dead every few months is tiresome. still he should be applauded for championing moose, house of love, trash can sinatras and booed for his cheers for swervedriver and late model catherine wheel.

― keith, Thursday, 29 August 2002 23:39 (twenty-four years ago)

What the hell's wrong with Swervedriver?

― paul cox, Thursday, 29 August 2002 23:44 (twenty-four years ago)

I forgot about the continuing Catherine Wheel lovin'.

In ILM terms its the closest thing I can think of to a physical embodiment of rockism.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 29 August 2002 23:48 (twenty-four years ago)

swervedriver's songs all have a 18000000 pound weight attached, when they fall and hit the ground it makes a terrible sound. i like 'the birds' though cause it was so un-swervy.

― keith, Friday, 30 August 2002 01:11 (twenty-four years ago)

BT is a fun read and, as said above, the interviews are almost always great (informed, focus on music, etc.) It's funny because I enjoy it even though I'd never buy a record based on a review in a million years -- totally opposite taste. JR's love of his subject matter is infectious, though.

― Mark (MarkR), Friday, 30 August 2002 01:29 (twenty-four years ago)

a friend forwarded all this to me, wanted to say thanks for all the words (good or bad--i don't mind criticism, can't please all), and to let folks know if they want to check out one of our 50 issues over the last 22 years or subscribe it can easily be done on our secure online store at www.bigtakeover, a good sample of what we do is there as well. aside from that, i wasn't always sober when i was at punk shows 77-82 (i just was often broke, being a teenager with little income and spent what little i had getting in, or buying records!), when someone else was buying i was as drunk as the next guy, but that just wasn't all that often!!! and yeah, bad brains lived at my house a while while recording their first (ROIR) LP, what an amazing band they were. Funny, i hear some of them in the harshest Swerverdriver songs. Working on issue 51 now. cioa and thanks again, it's always nice to find people talking about your hard work, again, good of bad--it makes you think it's not all for nothing!

― jack rabid, Monday, 2 September 2002 18:30 (twenty-four years ago)

I always wonder if that's ILM's own Andy K quoted on the subscription card in BT.

The interviews are fantastic, always, even if it's someone whose music I don't like or don't know. It just took me a while to realize that JR's tastes and mine don't always mesh even if his writing makes me want to go drop my whole paycheck on, like, the Ride boxset. I get all caught up in the rah-rah fervor real easy.

― adam (adam), Tuesday, 3 September 2002 01:03 (twenty-four years ago)

I always wonder if that's ILM's own Andy K quoted on the subscription card in BT.

That quote is from a letter I wrote to Jack about eight years ago. There was all of this coverage on bands that I loved and it didn't seem to have an agenda outside of covering what they loved with enthusiasm -- I really needed that. He turned me on to the Comsat Angels, and for that I am forever grateful. I did some small articles later on.

Jack has handed piles of his Big Takeover reviews over to AMG, and I've had the pain of having to whittle down some of his 1000+ word write-ups for the sake of space. I really hate having to lop off all of that information and all of that feeling. Nonetheless, it's an honor of some sort.

The only time I recall being genuinely upset by something he wrote was in 2000, when he said this: "Electronica has already faded, as I knew it would." I read this the same weekend that over a million people were going into Detroit to listen and dance to electronic dance music. And, of course, I love dance music, so...

― Andy K (Andy K), Tuesday, 3 September 2002 12:06 (twenty-four years ago)

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