This isn't cool

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It's payday! So I just hotfooted it to my local bookshop (The Owl, Kentish Town - I recommend it) on my lunchbreak, and caught sight of a book entitled THIS ISN'T COOL - the 500 greatest singles since 'Anarchy in the UK'. It's a very lovely object (it's published by Cassell) and has some nifty, well chosen sleeve images throughout(Josef K, Scritti, and them Smiths, among others). As far as I could see, it's a self-conscious attempt to complement Dave Marsh's The heart of rock and soul or whatever it was called, for post-punkahs.

B-b-but it's written by Gary Mulholland, who Brits and Londoners will know as the pedestrian journeyman rock critic from Time Out and the Guardian! :((( Flicking through it for 5 minutes, his prose and insights seemed rigorously useless, as expected. What a wasted opportunity - they should have given it to someone good like David Stubbs or Peter Paphides or Tom Ewing. Has anyone else seen this book? Am I being cruelly unfair to Mr Mulholland? Who else would be a thrilling, informative, useful guide to pop singles since 1977?

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 13:28 (twenty-three years ago)

the pinefox!!

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 13:32 (twenty-three years ago)

Of course, for a competitive fee I would be more than happy to correct the legions of inexactitudes which dot this tumbledown tome. Wouldn't that perhaps be a stimulating idea for a notoriously hidebound journal, e.g. the Wire?

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 25 September 2002 13:54 (twenty-three years ago)

nigel @ golden days.

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 13:57 (twenty-three years ago)

YEESSSSS! but then again doesn't he only go up to 1984?

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 25 September 2002 14:05 (twenty-three years ago)

true. he believes that music peaked with live aid and died the day "jack your body" hit number 1. perhaps it could be a two-parter. not sure who takes up the baton from 84-02 though, maybe mark goodier?

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 14:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Oddly enough I remember Peter Powell saying exactly the same thing when "Jack Your Body" got to #1 and he was still doing the Top 40 rundown. Nigel = PP? Surely not.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 25 September 2002 14:21 (twenty-three years ago)

the sucide attempts = anthea turner. it all starts falling into place.

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 14:26 (twenty-three years ago)

the suicide attempts = anthea turner. it all starts falling into place.

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 14:26 (twenty-three years ago)

can *you* spot the difference?

― michael wells (michael w.), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 14:27 (twenty-three years ago)

Me (well, since 1997 anyway)

― Graham (graham), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 15:16 (twenty-three years ago)

'Jack Your Body' at No.1 = the day [chart] music really got going, surely?
Yeah, I'm going to buy 'This Isn't Cool' on friday, it looks good. But isn't Whigfield's 'Saturday Night' one of his choices? Hmm, getting carried away with his oh-so-contary self there, I think.

― DavidM (DavidM), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 16:13 (twenty-three years ago)

"Saturday Night" is a good single, though not as good as "Think Of You", which is just adorable.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 16:15 (twenty-three years ago)

i saw whigfield get married to dominic diamond

― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 17:34 (twenty-three years ago)

one month passes...

Got a copy of this just yesterday. Mulholland is a pretty awful writer ("Bland? Escapist? Black dance music has always meant more to a greater variety of people than rock, and it always will," from a Sister Sledge/Earth, Wind & Fire/McFadden & Whitehead writeup--that's tellin' 'em, you pedant!) but what really gets me about it is that after an intro decrying the Marsh book's blinkeredness re: anything after 1972 he seems so blind to his own golden-ageism: exactly 40% of his book come from the first five years covered (nb 1976 is represented solely because Mulholland's start point is "Anarchy in the UK," which came out in December; his other '76er is Rose Royce's "Car Wash"). There are dozens of punk/postpunk singles in here (most of the ones I've heard, about 60%, are indeed terrrific, though "Another Girl Another Planet" doesn't even get Honorable Mention) but breakbeat hardcore--the most punklike genre of the '90s in terms of fecundity and consistency--is ignored completely, unless Shut Up and Dance's "Raving I'm Raving" (which I don't know) counts. (Prodigy's first single is "No Good (Start the Dance)," which doesn't count.) The only jungle is "Inner City Life" and Krust/Saul Williams's "Coded Language" (cue derisive snort for latter). And the Lemonheads' "Big Gay Heart" is apparently a better record than any Nirvana single bar "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which I think would strike even folks generally unmoved by Nirvana as odd.

Peter Shapiro's review in The Wire, which alerted me to the book's presence (sorry Jerry, didn't see this thread till I'd started my own: This Is Uncool) points up Mulholland's American problem: apparently no U.S. indie bands made any great singles in the '80s, which is news to fans of Husker Du's "Eight Miles High" and the Replacements' "I Will Dare" for starters. And he's one of those people who put intentions over results: "Big Gay Heart" and the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy's "Language of Violence" are lauded because they're anti-homophobic--as if the music is therefore great as well. (In both cases, it's not.)

And blah and blah and blah....

― M Matos (M Matos), Saturday, 2 November 2002 10:18 (twenty-three years ago)

I think I'll give this a miss: I've *always* disliked Mulholland

― robin carmody (robin carmody), Saturday, 2 November 2002 14:54 (twenty-three years ago)

flicked through this book briefly in town the other day,and it looked like the sort of book that would be good to flick through now and again,although i probably wouldn't be arsed buying it...however,i think to say "but it doesn't even mention the baha men/pavement/boston/kid 606/etcetcetc" is to miss the point...surely even without the title,it's clear that the book is an attempt to present a highly subjective view of music,similar to the approach of a lot of ilx/ft writing?
i mean,there's no point claiming you're going to write a book that will unite all music fans by evenly covering every genre,according to what,"importance"?this is an exercise in futility,as everyone will say "but what about...?"
it seemed clear that the point was to look at singles from a personal point of view,disregarding "the canon""influence"etc
to criticise it for not covering breakbeat hardcore seems odd-maybe he just doesn't like breakbeat hardcore?
surely the book would only have been damaged by the inclusion of a few token breakbeat hardcore tracks?his heart wouldn't really be in it,which would make it less interesting...i'd prefer to read someone who genuinely likes brian adams talk about this and why,rather than hear someone pretend to like gabber or whatever because it "should" be included in a book,for whatever reason....

― robin (robin), Sunday, 3 November 2002 21:57 (twenty-three years ago)

eight months pass...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,992091,00.html

Burchill's piece sold me on this.

I agree with Robin L. It's a overtly subjective book, like an ILM song list tarted up and costing £18 so it seems petty to get up in arms about the lack of your favourite drill'n'bass track. Other writers could've done this better but Mulholland's enthusiasm delights me in most cases.

― Ian SPACK (Ian SPACK), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 00:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Burchill is getting so boring lately. "Blah blah anybody who cares about anything except my sex life is an overgrown boy playing with toys, blah blah, everything in the world is naff and pathetic except MEEEEEE," etc. She needs a holiday, or to write about something important for a change. Maybe a weekly column is too much for anyone. I liked her war stuff (Serbia as well as Gulf II), wouldn't mind seeing more of that, just forget about Madonna OK?

― dave q, Tuesday, 15 July 2003 09:49 (twenty-two years ago)

nine months pass...

I bought this yesterday - it's reduced to £6.99 at HMV.

Today, I spent an enjoyable morning (and most of this afternoon) reading and downloading. I must say, I think it's all rather good fun. The book reads like a blog (a good thing) and its lack of pretention is wlecome in an off-line read. Recommended spending some time with, especially for the sake of 2 and a half pints.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Friday, 16 April 2004 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Currently in Selectadisc Brewer St for £5.99 (hbk) - worth it for a weekend read. There seems to be a bit of a lack of reggae. Most entries: PSBs, Jam, Clash, PE, Smiths etc.

A lot of what he clearly thinks is clever criticism is wide of the mark, fr'instance: in nearly every Smiths entry he mentions how Morrissey hates black music & how ironic it is that eg This Charming Man has a Motown bassline, How Soon is Now borrows Bo Diddley

― bham, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:11 (twenty-one years ago)

i thought this was going to be about embrace.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:12 (twenty-one years ago)

do you need a hug, doomie?

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I think that might count as entering UNSAFE SPACE

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:19 (twenty-one years ago)

yes, please.

― doomie x, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 08:25 (twenty-one years ago)

two years pass...

Sequel!!

Can't wait for this.

http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-33235/Fear-of-Music.htm

― pisces (piscesx), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 11:43 (eighteen years ago)

Me too, I really liked "This is Uncool", and I have faith that the sequel will be good too.

― Neil Stewart (Neil Stewart), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 13:17 (eighteen years ago)

OMM editor recommends book by OMM contributor...

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 13:20 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, I saw that. There was a disclaimer of sorts included in the article, but even so...

― Neil Stewart (Neil Stewart), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 13:23 (eighteen years ago)

I've had a look at the new book - as with the previous one, unexceptional consensus-fuelling writing which seeks to reassure its presumed 35-54 demographic rather than genuinely challenge it.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 13:25 (eighteen years ago)

Quick summary: he reckons Oasis were as good as it got.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 13:29 (eighteen years ago)

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