#roberts sexy little stance

[loveinhereyes-flowersinherhair]

i love this photo because of how they’re all so dripped out 😭

robert’s slutty little hand in the pocket, jimmy’s leg popping out, bonzo’s cigarette and jonesy’s sexy mustache and smile. oh yes.

[mediaevalmusereads]

A Natural History of the Romance Novel by Pamela Regis. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Genre: literary criticism

Summary: The romance novel has the strange distinction of being the most popular but least respected of literary genres. While it remains consistently dominant in bookstores and on best-seller lists, it is also widely dismissed by the critical community. Scholars have alleged that romance novels help create subservient readers, who are largely women, by confining heroines to stories that ignore issues other than love and marriage.

Pamela Regis argues that such critical studies fail to take into consideration the personal choice of readers, offer any true definition of the romance novel, or discuss the nature and scope of the genre. Presenting the counterclaim that the romance novel does not enslave women but, on the contrary, is about celebrating freedom and joy, Regis offers a definition that provides critics with an expanded vocabulary for discussing a genre that is both classic and contemporary, sexy and entertaining.

Taking the stance that the popular romance novel is a work of literature with a brilliant pedigree, Regis asserts that it is also a very old, stable form. She traces the literary history of the romance novel from canonical works such as Richardson's Pamela through Austen's Pride and Prejudice, BrontE's Jane Eyre, and E. M. Hull's The Sheik, and then turns to more contemporary works such as the novels of Georgette Heyer, Mary Stewart, Janet Dailey, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Nora Roberts.

***Full review below.***

I picked up this book because my friend and I run a historical romance novel blog, and like a good (former) academic, I like to read lit crit to give me more context when discussing my own hot takes. Regis's book is unique in that it's one of the few foundational monographs that seeks to trace the history of the modern romance novel AND do so without belittling the genre or its writers. The passion with which Regis defends the genre is admirable, and many of her insights are valuable.

Since this book is nonfiction, the structure of my review will be a little different than normal.

For example, I found the discussion on romance being a subset of comedy very enlightening. Comedy goes all the way back to Ancient Greece, and a number of great authors draw on its genre conventions; seeing romance writers as part of this tradition made a lot of sense to me, and pushed the discussion of genre well past a mere tallying of its conventions.

I also liked the in-depth look at works from Jane Austen to Nora Roberts. Having such a wide range of primary sources helped hammer home some of Regis's main points and illustrate that literary "geniuses" such as Austen, Bronte, etc are not writing independent of their influences, nor are contemporary writers creating stories without ties to the past.

However, I do think that because this book was published in 2003, much of its content has become dated. By this I don't mean that I fault it for only looking at romances written through the 1990s; rather, Regis puts forth some observations and arguments that simply do not account for the wide variety of romances that exist. For example, Regis defines the romance novel as primarily concerned with the courtship and betrothal of one or more heroines. While helpful for some romances, this definition excludes queer mlm stories as well as romances where betrothal is off the table. I understand that queer romances have grown in popularity over the last decade, as have romances that don't end in marriage (explicit or implied), so I don't know how much I can fault Regis. Still, it's worth acknowledging.

I also think Regis could have done a better job structuring her arguments in the first couple sections of her book. There are numerous times in parts 1 and 2 where Regis will make a claim and rely on general statements as justification. For example, part 1 of this book (rightfully) pushes back against unfair criticism of the genre, but justifies the pushback by making broad claims about fiction in general or by gesturing towards great works such as Pride and Prejudice. Granted, some of the more in-depth work comes later, when Regis does a deep dive into her selected "canon", but personally, I think the first couple sections of this book could have been much stronger.

Also, just as a nitpicky note: I'm not a fan of Regis's writing style. While it is accessible to a general audience and I appreciate that, the sentences are also choppy and somewhat uniform. The language is blunt and straightforward, which is great sometimes and tiring others, and I wish there was more flow to the writing overall.

TL;DR: A Natural History of the Romance Novel is a useful handbook for getting started in the romance genre. It provides a good introduction to the history and structure of the modern romance novel, though serious scholars will want to seek out additional resources to build on the knowledge presented here.

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 22

Chapter Summary -  Tom and Danielle talk online until Danielle is called away for work.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously.

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog  @jessibelle-nerdy-mum @nonsensicalobsessions @damalseer @hiddlesbitch1

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

Danielle Hughes is online.

TH – So, what’s this about you being a Safety Officer?

DH – Well hello to you too stranger, is there a reason you have not spoken to me in, say a month and a half?

TH – Communication goes two ways, Hughes.

DH – Touché. As for the job, I didn’t want you insisting you would try to help, because you know Irlam, and he is the guy to know. I wanted it to be off my hard work, no one else's.

TH - That’s fair enough, I can respect that. How is it going there?

DH – Well Coronation Street wasn’t really my sort of thing, I mean, the work was interesting, but I wasn’t invested, but now…I know what happens next season.

TH - Tease.

DH – I swear, if there wasn’t an NDA the size of most US states after being thrown down my throat, I would tell you.

TH – I know that feeling, Disney is the worst with the Marvel Franchise.

DH – Speaking of Disney, guess who is working on the Beauty and the Beast AND The Lion King!!!!!!!

TH – The number of exclamation marks kinda gave you away, just a warning. ;)

DH – Yeah, but I am just so excited, and I can actually half talk to you about this. You know Emma Watson, don’t you?

TH – Well I’m honoured, I know Emma a bit, she is another one of Luke’s clients so we have spoken a few times, very intelligent and professional.

DH – Shut up you twat, I haven’t met her yet, but no doubt I will soon, they are doing read over's already.

TH – No really Elle, I am so delighted for you. Did you tell mum yet?

DH – Not yet, I know she is going to go all “My adoptive baby is all gone” you know her.

TH – Yeah, I got that treatment already, but she will want this for you, Elle. How is Paul about it?

Tom cursed himself for typing it, he was so concerned with trying to talk to her, he had typed it before thinking it over. She did not respond for several minutes.

DH – I guess he wasn’t thrilled, but this is everything I have worked so hard for, I can’t give it up for anyone.

TH – I know that feeling too.

DH – I swear I am not trying to get rid of you Tom, but we have a scene I have to check over, I will talk to you soon okay? 6 Weeks is too long between chats.

Danielle Hughes has logged off.

Tom stared at the screen in front of him; part of him thought she was simply trying to get rid of him, but her inclusion at the end that she wanted to talk to him again soon lifted his spirits. He wondered what she meant regarding Paul, it did not seem like things were on good terms on that front; he knew he couldn’t press too much, that would not be appropriate, especially since she knew his stance on the doctor since the racial comment situation, but the fact that there had clearly been some form of issue regarding her new semi-nomadic lifestyle meant the relationship had not fallen at the first hurdle, much to his annoyance.

*

“Danni.” Danielle winced at the use of that name; she was never overly fond of it when Paul called her it, but when her new workmates began to call her it, she never corrected them, leaving her in the position now where she felt she had to leave it go. “A penny for your thoughts.” Robert Boake, the locations manager called. “If you heard them, you’d offer thousands for me to retract them.” She commented, putting down her phone and turning to him.

The older man chuckled. “You are Irish, right?” “Last I checked.” “Where can I get cliffs?” “It’s an island nation, you’re not exactly stuck for options.” He gave her a scolding look. “What kind?”

“Big, but not overly populated by tourists, no land off in the distance.” “Well Cliffs of Moher are too popular, getting them closed would be a terrible pain in the ass, I suppose most areas are good, there are some near Dublin, but that’s the main shipping lane route, up these areas Scotland is in the distance for a lot of it, South isn’t great for cliffs, I suppose you could go to Clare, Kilkee has some good cliffs if I am not mistaken, at least from what I can remember from when I was a kid, windy, vast, and easily as good as Moher.”

“How do you spell that?” Boake began typing into Google.

“K-I-L-K-E-E.” she stated, waiting for his reaction.

“Fuck me, they’re perfect.” He beamed. “How far are they from here?” “Couple of hours drive.” “Brilliant, pack an overnight, we are off to this place. Someone get my PA, we need rooms booked in a nearby hotel.” “Wait, I’m coming?” Danielle looked at him.

“We are going to be shooting there, of course, you are needed.” He stated as though it the most obvious thing in the world.

“Right, when are we heading?” “Tomorrow, at the latest.”

“Well then, I better go back to my hotel room after this scene and get a bag, you know my number to give me the details.” Danielle smiled as she went back to work.

“Thank you, Danni, I’ll have Sandra get onto to you when everything is sorted.”

* “I spoke to Danielle,” Tom stated.

“Hello to you too.” Benedict sat down across from him, his freshly ordered coffee in his hand. “And what says the object of your desire?” “Shut up.” Tom hissed, looking around, though no one seemed to be giving the two famous actors a second glance.

“You are the one to even make reference to her, it’s how you greeted me,” Benedict argued. “And what had she to say?” “She is happy, really happy, and has a few jobs lined up.” Tom smiled.

“Good, I’m glad for her.” “But she is still seeing Paul.” “How did that come up?” “I asked her what he thought of her new busier lifestyle.” “And the response?” “None too pleased.” Benedict raised his mug. “Trouble in paradise.” “She is in Ireland at the moment; her Facebook said she was somewhere down Southwest, looks gorgeous, but wet and windy.”

“That could literally be a description of anywhere in that country or this.” Benedict scoffed. “I always thought it looked a lot like Scotland.”

“She is off to wherever they are filming Beauty and the Beast next.” “Right.” “And the Lion King after that.” “Is there any Disney Movie they aren’t remaking?” “Doesn’t seem like it.” “She is really going places.” Benedict smiled.

“What am I going to do?” “You really want my opinion?” “Yes; hence why I am asking you,” Tom stated as though obvious.

“Did you make any friends in Ireland when you were there?” “Irons, he has a castle there.” “Is it near where she is?” “I have no idea.” “I think it’s time you checked, and also see if Mr Irons is free for a small chat, preferably within a few meters of wherever it is that Danielle is working.”

“That seems a little stalkerish.” “You are the one stalking her Facebook page and seem to know her every move. If you leave it too long, she will reconcile properly with Dr Prick Head or be fair game to whoever in production thinks they can bag a young intelligent woman for themselves.” “You don’t think she is good looking?” Tom noted his lack of any visual term.

Benedict put his hands up. “I am not answering that, she is your crush and I am a married man, there is no way I can answer that without pissing off two very important people in my life.” “I’ll tell Sophie you called Danielle a younger sexy her.”

“If you do that, I swear to God, Hiddleston, I will fucking kill you.” “I can’t take that statement seriously from you, you’re a Buddhist.” Tom scoffed.

[saras-almanac]

What’s so frustrating to me is that there are kernels of good storytelling in Emmerdale currently but they either don’t trust themselves to write it, trust their audience to wait a little for it to happen naturally, or care to actually make it make sense within the narrative and the characters they’ve created. 

So Rebecca... it would be a lot easier to understand that she’s acting completely unlike herself if she, I don’t know, actually had a personality post ONS? Honestly, she came to the village as one person and over time she just changed to be whatever the narrative needed her to be. The problem with that is that she always feels out of character to me. As heartless as it might sound, this trend of Rebecca not caring for her son doesn’t feel as out of character as the show probably means it to be because to me her lack of character leading up to all this made it seem like she was having this baby out of spite for Robert and Chrissie. Of course, the show didn’t play that way, but like, they also didn’t really give Rebecca a voice post her demanding that she’s going to keep the baby because Robert wants her to terminate it. So in all honesty, this lack of care for Seb could just be her actual feelings manifesting because when you don’t want a baby 100% (*cough*Chas/Paddy*cough*), there’s probably going to be some resentment there. 

Of course, this is just one interpretation, but it’s something that could have easily been fixed if the show actually just allowed Rebecca to be a person instead of a plot womb. Everything still could have happened, but there could have been some comments on how Rebecca wasn’t a vicitm in this ONS. Let her own that a bit; the show completely forgets that she chased both before and after the ONS so like... where did her personality go? I’m just going to need more than Vic saying that things are bad and she’s not acting like herself for me to care more about what’s happening to Rebecca. 

Onto the Chas pregnancy thing... It’s so insulting that people have taken the stance to just “give it a go” because this will eventually be a baby? My thoughts are if you’re not 100% excited and sure of your decision to raise a child, then it has to be a no. All this talk of not wanting Chas to make a decision she’ll end up regretting. Not to be crass, but she could have a child after this even if she has an abortion now. The only decision she can’t undo is to actually have the child and decide she didn’t really want to raise it. On top of all that, Chas’s reasonsings for not wanting a baby stem from the fact that she messed Aaron up and doesn’t want to do that again. Why did we need this? She already had really good and valid reasons for not having a baby?? But those are not good enough because their selfish, apparently? It feels like we’ve been getting more of Paddy’s POV on why he wants a baby and not enough on Chas. 

It’s also incredibly rude and insulting that ED seems to think that the only way you can really have a bond with a child is through blood. 

Priya... I’m actually interested in where this situation is going. I can’t, in good faith, believe that ED is actually going to give us a child-abusing Priya because that’s really not something to mess around with. So I’m assuming that it’s not going to happen because I will be furious. 

But Priya’s had a bit of a rough time and all this pressure was bound to come crashing down on her eventually--welcome to the wonderful world of having anxiety my friend. Ever since her husband left, Priya has been trying to keep it all together and then she started an affair with Pete behind Leyla’s back (I’m still not sure why this was the route they went cause it came out of nowhere). Her break-down has been a long time coming in a sense. It’d be nice to see her and Robert maintaining that friendship they built the other week because if anyone knows what it feels like to hit rock bottom, my boy Rob does. 

Now the Laurel and Bob thing... I guess I get it? On one hand at least, but it feels incredibly out of character that Laurel would have slept with Bob to begin with and then is sneaking around Brenda’s back about it. 

That’s the thing with Emmerdale: they rely on cheating plots constantly because that’s Interesting and Fun and Sexy and Drama...but there are other ways to get there? The reason that Robert and Aaron worked so well as an affair storyline was because it was completely unexpected and they have such chemistry together. It doesn’t hurt that it all came crashing down around them when it all came out. 

Now, we have a BUNCH of cheating storylines (Moira and Cain while Cain was with Harriet, Leyla and David while David’s with Tracy, Laurel and Bob while Bob’s with Brenda). Those are just the ones from the past two months. 

Cain’s worked for me because of the emotional weight between him and Moria and then how it all came out to Harriet and she was allowed to feel whatever she was feeling. David’s doesn’t work because he’s an asshole who’s hiding it from his wife and then had the fucking gall to be an asshole to her for her past--from before she even knew him--while pretending like he’s husband of the year. While Tracy’s storyline lately was really good and well-acted, it lost so much of the punch because the entire time I’m like, David’s a dick girl, get out!

Now...Bob and Laurel don’t really have the chemistry to pull off this affair storyline. But you know what would have worked a lot better:  friends that are slowly developing feelings for each other. There’s no sex involved so there’s no actual cheating. It’s just the natural progression of some relationships that they have to work through. Bob’s worried that he just wants to try something new like a mid-life crisis or that he’s projecting onto Laurel. Laurel worried that she’s betraying Ashley and wondering if she’s latching onto Bob because he’s been there for her through so much. Are they really falling in love or is it something else? That could have gone on a bit and they would eventually have to come to some sort of decision. 

In summary, sometimes drama doesn’t have to come from cheating. It can come from other sources. Also... give characters personalities and you’ll be surprised how the story happens around them and to them. (It’s seriously like they’re trying to shove the circle block through the triangle hole and that just doesn’t work)

[cowboybuckleys]

How does this baby Robron thing really work for you? I mean Aaron hasn’t even had a chance to express his feelings about it. I know the baby is an innocent in all of this much like Alex but if the baby stays it has to put a dampener on the reunion surely? It would just be so much better if it was baby free and Robert and Aaron could put their time into each other rebuilding their relationship w/o the constant interruptions of a baby. Can’t see it as sexy or cute. A ons baby forced on poor Aaron!

i am answering this message now instead of in the morning, despite being exhausted, slightly buzzed, and a little annoyed at iTunes for feeding me bullshit on shuffle so… :D here ya go nonny! idk if this is what you expected but here we are anyways lol <333

tbh? I come from a line full of adopted and step kids who are considered 100% family despite not being blood related (i mean my last name is only my last name cos my great grandpa adopted my poppa so :\). There’s no “they’re my step/adopted _____” because that’s not how we work. they’re my cousin, they’re my uncle, they’re family, etc etc etc. am i frustrated by how this storyline happened? yeah sure, there’s a lot of issues with the way this has all transpired and i don’t deny that, but at the end of the day it’s a soap and i’m not going to be able to change anything about it with my frustrations. if i’ve learned one thing from watching soaps, it’s that yeah some of it’s gonna suck but if you don’t take the bad with the good, what’s the point of watching something that makes you unhappy??

i like Alex in the sense that he’s nice to Aaron, but outside of that i don’t really have any other feelings towards him. and honestly i’m not sure i’d classify him on the same level as Seb.. and yeah, i’m glad others can enjoy it cos i love when my friends are happy. but i also understand those who can’t. which is my stance on Seb btw. i love that there are others who love it, but i feel awful for those who don’t (which is why i tag everything as baby seb btw). my issue comes from how people talk about him cos i cringe at some of the stuff ppl say/write about it. which is not what you asked, jfc mel stay on topic lol

it works for me like this: i think Seb is cute. i love Robert holding babies, and I love Aaron holding babies. i am a shallow, bi human who likes what they like: adorable people holding tiny lil humans. I think they’d both be great dads, given that theirs were not the best and if anyone knows what NOT to do, it’d be them.

I don’t think Seb will put a damper on the reunion. I really don’t. If past soap history has taught me anything it’s that people in soapland can accept a lot of things and move on relatively quickly, including children (i mean good god look at Will and Sonny and Gabi and Ari from Days). And I don’t think Seb is being forced on Aaron, not in canon at least. i don’t and cannot understand that argument tbh, when it has not been supported on screen. I think we need to wait and see tho.. speculation is great and i love it i do, but in this case I think the wait and see option is the best. we don’t know enough to really speculate or make concrete opinions yet. 

[princess-zzuko]

Snow Film and the Sleeping Remake

This is a very opinionated post based on a class discussion. 

Evil step mothers. We have them. We love to hate them. Our favorite princess’s basic human rights may have been ignored by one. Actually, we might just love them. We’ve seen the evil step mother in most Disney princess films. If she’s not a step mom, she’s some hot witch who refuses to let her throne or powers be diminished by some young uncultured youth who her son met two hours ago. That or she’s mad cause a man cut off her wings.

But what about the codification of these “good” and “bad” characters. I’m gonna be honest I don’t know what codification means so give me one sec.

Alright. According to Google it is the processes of arranging laws or rules according to a system or plan.

So, if the good and bad guys are codified in these Disney princess films, or in fairytales in general what would their codification be?

Bad guy: dark colors, sexy, widow

Good guy: light colors, innocent, naïve, has little to no control over what happens to her

Maleficent and Snow White adheres to these rules quite well. Especially, Maleficent.

Before I jump into that let’s talk about Sun, Moon, and Talia by Giambattista Basilc. 

This folktale published in 1634 influenced the Sleeping Beauty we know today. But this one is a bit darker. A (married) man finds this girl cursed to sleep forever and apparently, she was so hot that he couldn’t help but do the devil’s tango with her dormant body. She wakes up with two kids. Those kids are eaten by the dude’s jealous wife. Plot twist the cook tricked the mean wife and the kids and the dude and the totally not sexually abused woman lived happily ever after.

This brings up some interesting topics.

Who is the villain? The man or his wife or both?…

The generational gap between the heroine and the cannibalistic woman…

The knight in shining armor archetype…

Whose voice is heard…

We noticed that monster goes from being the man (Sun, Moon and Talia) to being the oldest woman (Snow White/ Sleeping Beauty). A woman who cannot produce children and she is evil because she can’t do what women were made to do and that is to have children and never talk and be happy with whatever she’s got because she’s got a man now so all things are good.

Sorry I didn’t mean to go off there.

This not only builds a barrier between generations of women, but it silences the voice of the heroine. Good girls don’t talk. And if they do, they aren’t good. They are evil and full of hatred and greed because they have their own ideas and that’s not what women where made for. At least that’s what these messages are saying. Perhaps I’m exaggerating (although I doubt it). But consider the fact that instead of producing a conversation on the injustice of sexual assault these stories create generational conflict. Instead of watching out for men who can’t control their lust over a literal sleeping woman, women should keep their eye on older women because those old hags might be jealous of their youth and beauty.

And what about the idea that a woman is most beautiful when she is sleeping? We discussed that this is often the trope given to young heroines at the brink of their sexual awakening. Once they cross that line between child and adulthood it’s best they go to sleep. Let the men do all the work. Wake up with two bright eyed kids. Live happily ever after. Romanticizing the female corpses is odd but common.

Also, if you’re magically sleeping, frozen in time, you can’t age. You’re beautiful and young forever so double perfection. America seems to have this fear of aging that transitions over to the fears of evil step mothers. These women also associate youth with beauty and will do anything to maintain their beauty.

Maybe I’m being mean. Maybe these stories are inspiration, ground-breaking pieces of media that change hearts and purify minds.

Tracey Mollet wrote an essay titled, “With a Smile and a Song:’ Walt Disney and the Birth of the American Fairy Tale,” Marvels & Tales”. There she discusses the origin and impact Disney fairy tales had on the American nation.

Snow White came out during the Great Depression. And it was just what America needed. An escape from realism. It taught morality, as these nature loving heroines were kind and optimistic. It conveyed the idea that material wealth is not important, but it’s what’s on the inside that truly matters. It created what Mollet referred to as a, “idealistic utopian” (Mollet 123).

But what about the unrealistic portrayal of women in the media? What about our voices? Does modern media aid to fix this issue? Or is it another ploy to feed us once and empty our pockets?

Maleficent directed by Robert Stromberg in 2014 gives the villain a voice. We learn her origin, the reason for her evil, the truth of her good. But what. About. The heroine?

Still as optimistic and beautiful and as sleep as ever. Lacking in initiative, loving every breathing thing that crosses her path. And yes I am being kind of mean and people disagree with my stance but I see no difference between this heroine and the one from the cartoon, other than the fact that she doesn’t need a man. But I guess for those who disagree with me that is enough....

This is such an intriguing trope and I have mixed feelings. Yes, I do think these stories can inspire people to be hopeful and kind, but what if I find it inspiring because I’ve been conditioned my whole life to think that one set of stories is good? That this is what women should be like and I should just go with the flow? But there’s a shift. I think our voices are starting to be heard but I’m not sure if it’s just so these Hollywood producers can get our butts on those precious theater seats. I do think it’s getting better, but I don’t want it only at the hands of men either. Equality in the media is a great idea but when will that happen?

And if it does happen, will we know?

I don’t know but this new Maleficent might change some things. For the better? We can only hope.

 Thank you for reading.

Pictures used: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/626563366882540381/

[brownskinsugarplum76]

Gotta go with this as one of the main pics that sealed the deal for me, for pretty much the same reason @wholelottaplant said beautifully. One of the things I find so arresting about Robert is how uncommonly balanced his energy is, for lack of a less hippie way of saying it. The comfortable coexistence of the masculine and feminine expression, the extroverted confidence and introverted softness, even ambidextrous use of his hands. This pic captures it: the unmistakably masculine body, balanced with the beautiful hair and little top. The strong, sexy stance--the powerful thighs and slightly cocked hip, balanced with the protective arms and inward gaze. It's evocative from a primal standpoint, but also pulls at my heart for the tenderness on display. It is a visualization of his unique mojo.

[imagekeepr]

IN MUSIC BANNED

*** VIDEOSS A "A Day in the Life" – The Beatles (1967) ... BBC - suggestive line, "..we’d love to turn you on..” "A Pair of Brown Eyes" - The Pougues ... BBC's Top of the Pops - a music video ban "A Rose and a Baby Ruth" – George Hamilton IV (1956) ... BBC - thought to be advertising, although the candy bar Baby Ruth was not sold in the UK "A Russian Love Song" – The Goons (1957) ... BBC - ridicules the cold war "A Theme from the Threepenny Opera (Mack the Knife)" – Louis Armstrong (1956) ... banned by: NYC radio, BBC - bloodthirsty words *** "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" - Procol Harum (1967) ... Top Of The Pops - the usage of Vietnam War newsreel footage. "A Worried Man" – The Kingston Trio (1959) ... BBC - didn’t like the word “closet” being used for “cupboard”. "A-huggin' and A-chalkin'" – Johnny Mercer (1946) ... BBC /USA - offensive to fat people ** "All For You" - Janet Jackson (2001) ... Singapore - lyrics to 'Would You Mind', were too sexually explicit and not acceptable to their society "Anarchy in the UK" - Sex Pistols (1976) ... BBC - banned following their controversial appearance on the TV news programme, Today. "Annie Had A Baby" - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters (1954) ... banned for radio play by the FCC. overtly sexual lyrics "Annie's Aunt Fannie" - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters (1954) ... banned for radio play by the FCC. overtly sexual lyrics "Angels in the Sky" – The Crew-Cuts (1955) ... BBC - Thought too offensive by the head of religious broadcasting "Answer Me" – Frankie Laine (1953) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting as a "sentimental mockery of Christian prayer" "Armchair Anarchist" - Kingmaker (1992) ... BBC/others - offensive lyrics "Bomb the idiots" and "Viva Dynamite" ** "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" (1989 album) - 2 Live Crew ... USA - Southern District of Florida ruled that the album was legally obscene. B "Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix-A-Lot (1992) ... MTV - briefly banned the outrageous video about women with big butts, and men who like them. "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down" – Bob Dylan (1962) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Cher () ... BBC - banned during Gulf War "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" – Kirby Stone Four (1958) ... BBC - "pop" version of classical piece, Alexander Borodin's String Quartet in D "Be Prepared" – Tom Lehrer (1953) ... BBC - sexually suggestive "Beep Beep" – The Playmates (1958) ... BBC - the mention of Cadillac and Nash Rambler considered advertising, also promoted dangerous driving. "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" - The Beatles ... BBC - the phrase "Henry the Horse", contains two common slang terms for heroin. "Big 6, Big 7,Big 8, 10 etc" - Judge Dredd (1972-75) ... BBC - sexual references and swear words. "Big Boys Bickering" - Paul McCartney ... BBC - overtly political message "Bitch" - The Rolling Stones ... many radio stations - sexual content and outrageous title. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" – Ella Fitzgerald (1958) ... BBC - content where considered objectionable. "Be Chrool To Your Scuel" - Twisted Sister (1985) ... MTV - banned the video for excessive violence and gore "Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke (2013) ... YouTube - banned the music video featuring nude models. (a new video was shot with clothed models) "Bobby Brown" - Frank Zappa (1979) ... USA - sexually explicit lyrics "Bring The Boys Home" - Freda Payne (1971) ... American Forces Network - fear that it would "give aid and comfort to the enemy" "Body Language" - Queen (1982) ... MTV ... music video blatantly sexy and too racey "Boom Bang-a-Bang" – Lulu (1969) ... BBC - banned during Gulf War "Burn My Candle" – Shirley Bassey (1956) ... BBC - risqué connotations C "(Celebrate) The Day After You" – The Blow Monkeys and Curtis Mayfield (1987) ... Australia, BBC Can't Stand Losing You - The Police (1978) ... BBC - morbid content (teenager who commits suicide) Cardiac Arrest - Madness (1981) ... BBC - lyrical content, "gasping for the hot air, but the chest pain it won't go" etc "Charlie Brown" – The Coasters (1959) ... BBC - the "disgusting, delinquent word" spitball "Come Together" – The Beatles (1970) ... BBC - product placement with the lyrics "He shoot Coca-Cola" "Come Again" – Au Pairs (1981) BBC ... refers to orgasms "Cop Killer" - Body Count (1992) ... USA / New Zealand - vile messages and promoting anti-police sentiment. ”Cortez The Killer” - Neil Young (1975) ... some Spanish speaking countries/stations - criticism of one of their national heroes "Cradle Song (Brahms' Lullaby)" – Frank Sinatra (1944) ... BBC - disrespectful to classical music "Croce di Oro (Cross of Gold)" – Joan Regan (1955) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting as sentimentalisation of religion "Crazy Horses" - The Osmonds (1972) ... South Africa - "horses" is a slang term for heroin there, so it was thought to be referring to drugs. "Crying in the Chapel" – Lee Lawrence (1953) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting because it was "nauseating". "Cuddle Me" – Ted Heath ft Dennis Lotis (1954) ... BBC - lewd and suggestive D "Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" - Sophie B. Hawkins (1992) ... MTV - rejected the original version of the video on grounds of erotic content. "Danny Boy" – Conway Twitty (1959) ... BBC - Conway Twitty holds the distinction of having recorded the only version of “Danny Boy” to have been banned! "Deep in the Heart of Texas" – Bing Crosby and Woody Herman (1942) ... BBC - too infectious "Devil Woman" - Marty Robbins ... Eire - adulterous theme ** "Devils and Dust" - Bruce Springsteen (2005 album) ... Starbucks, USA - concerns about adult content and his stances on corporate politics "Diggin' My Potatoes" – Lonnie Donegan (1954) ... BBC - lyrics not suitable "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" - Judy Garland ... BBC - found it disrespectful when a Facebook campaign and other anti-Thatcher camps tried do make the song a No.1 hit after the sad death of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. "Dinner with Drac" – John Zacherle (1958) ... BBC - lyrics considered despicable "Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans" – Noël Coward (1943) BBC ... WWII reminder of Germany "Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)" - The Outhere Brothers ... BBC / others - shockingly explicit "Disarm" - Smashing Pumpkins (1994) BBC ... banned the song from appearing on Top of the Pops, because of the lyric "cut that little child". E "Ebeneezer Goode" – The Shamen (1992) ... BBC - drug fuelled song, "Eezer Goode..." in the chorus sounds like E's are good. "Ebony Eyes" – The Everly Brothers (1961) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Eight Miles High - The Byrds () ... USA - drug connotations in its lyrics. ** "Electric Ladyland" - Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968 album) ... many retail stores - the cover depicted nineteen nude women lounging in front of a black background. "Eve of Destruction" – Barry McGuire (1965) ... BBC - on the restricted list, for its bombast; USA - "it was an aid to the enemy in Vietnam" F "F--k tha Police" - N.W.A (1988) ... USA / other countries - encouraged violence against, and disrespect for, law enforcement officers. "Fairytale of New York" – The Pogues ft Kirsty MacColl (1987) - BBC/UK MTV - banned the words "faggot" and "slut" "Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen (1978) ... Shops and Stores - the cover featured a nude woman riding a bicycle; the new version was the same image with panties drawn over the woman. "Feel Good Hit Of The Summer" - Queens of the Stone Age (2000) ... many radio stations / Wal-Mart - the lyrics list drugs: nicotine, valium, vicodin, ecstasy, marijuana, alcohol and cocaine "French Kiss" – Lil Louis (1989) ... BBC - too much heavy breathing G "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)" – Bessie Smith (1933) ... BBC - unsuitable content "Girl Don't Come" - Sandie Shaw (1964) ... Because of this song although it reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, Sandy was unable to do US promotion – including a Shindig! appearance scheduled for March – due to the U.S. Federation of TV and Radio Artists refusing her a US work permit "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" – Wings (1972) ... BBC - political, references to Northern Ireland. "Glad to Be Gay" – Tom Robinson Band (1978) ... BBC - refernces to the gay community "Gloomy Sunday" – Billie Holiday (1941) ... BBC - just.. bad taste! "God Bless the Child" – Billie Holiday (1942) ... BBC - unsuitable for broadcast because of its title - prayers in popular music were not allowed. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys (1966) ... Some USA radio stations - deemed as blasphamy having a pop song with God in the title. Because of this, it was released as the B-side of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" in the United States. In other countries, "God Only Knows" was the single's A-side. "God Save the Queen" – Sex Pistols (1977) ... BBC - vulgar and offensive Goodbye Earl - Dixie Chicks (1999) ... Some radio stations - stirred controversy for its take on spousal abuse and banned by several male radio programmers. "Great Balls of Fire" - Jerry Lee Lewis () ... Some radio stations - sexual innuendoes "Green Jeans" – The Flee-Rekkers (1960) ... BBC - mutilation of the classics, "distortion of melody, harmony and rhythm" "Greensleeves" – The Beverley Sisters (1956) ... BBC - mutilation of the classics, "distortion of melody, harmony and rhythm" "Guess Things Happen That Way" – Johnny Cash (1958) ... BBC - objected to by head of religious broadcasting "Gypsy Roadhog - Slade (1977) ... BBC - references to drugs H "Hall Of The Mountain King" - Nero & The Gladiators (1961) ... BBC - the banning of pop versions of classical tunes policy. "Have a Whiff on Me" – Mungo Jerry (1971) ... BBC - drug references "Hard Headed Woman" – Elvis Presley (1958) ... BBC - religious theme, BUT it could be played, only with special permission "He" – Al Hibbler/Robert Earl (1955) ... BBC - objected to by the head of religious broadcasting as being solely for commercial gain. "He Bought My Soul At Calvary" - Jo Stafford (1951) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting as a 'misguided' presentation of the Gospel "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Wings (1972) ... BBC - explicit sexual lyrics "High Class Baby" – Cliff Richard and the Drifters (1958) ... BBC - considered to be advertising Cadillac cars "Hold My Hand" – Don Cornell (1954) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting, a girlfriend cannot be compared to the "kingdom of heaven" **"Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death)" - Marilyn Manson (2000 album) ... many retail stores - refused to stock the album, the cover art, depicting Manson on a crucifix "Homosapien" - Pete Shelley (1982) ... BBC - banned because of the line "Homo superior in my interior" "Honey Hush" – The Rock and Roll Trio/Johnny Burnette (1956) ... BBC - sexual lyrics and promotes violence. "Honey Love" – Dennis Lotis (1954) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting, lewd and suggestive "Honeycomb" – Jimmie Rodgers (1957) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting "Honky Tonk Angel" - Cliff Richard (1975) ... Cliff found out a "honky tonk angel" was a hooker he withdrew the record. "(How Little It Matters) How Little We Know" – Frank Sinatra (1956) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting, lewd and suggestive "House Of The Rising Sun" - Josh White ... BBC - lyrics about prostitution I "I Am the Walrus" – The Beatles (1967) "I Can't Control Myself" – The Troggs (1966) ... BBC - sexual reference "I Hear the Angels Singing" – Frankie Laine (1954) "I Leaned on a Man" – Connie Francis (1957) "I Want To Be Evil" – Eartha Kitt (1953) ... BBC - title and content where considered objectionable. "I Want You to Be My Baby" – Annie Ross (1956) "I Want Your Sex" - George Michael (1987) ... BBC - banned between the hours of 5:50am-9pm "I Went to Your Wedding" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1953) "I'll Be Home for Christmas" – Bing Crosby (1943) "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" – Perry Como (1949)/Ken Dodd (1963) ... BBC - "pop" version of a classical piece, Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu. "I'm Nobody's Baby" – Frankie Howerd (1948) "Imagine" - John Lennon (1971) ... BBC - banned during the Gulf War "In the Air Tonight" – Phil Collins (1981) ... BBC - banned during the Gulf War "In the Beginning" – Frankie Laine (1955) ... BBC - objected to by the head of religious broadcasting "In the Hall of the Mountain King" – Nero and the Gladiators (1961) "Invisible Sun" – The Police (1981) ... BBC - due to the content of the song, violence and turmoil in Northern Ireland "It Is No Secret" – Jo Stafford (1954) "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" – Kitty Kallen (1962) "It Would Be So Nice" – Pink Floyd (1968) "I've Come of Age" – Billy Storm (1959) J "Jackie" – Scott Walker (1967) ... BBC - refers to "authentic queers" "Je t'aime... moi non plus" – Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg (1969) ... BBC - sexual references "John and Marsha" – Stan Freberg (1950) ... BBC - sexual, too suggestive "Johnny Remember Me" – John Leyton (1961) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Jungle Fever" – The Chakachas (1972) ***"Justify My Love" - Madonna (1990 video) ... MTV - sexual content . K "Keep Me in Mind" – Lita Roza and Al Timothy (1955) "Killing an Arab" – The Cure (1979) ... BBC - banned during the Gulf War "Kodachrome" – Paul Simon (1973) ... BBC - would not play the trademarked name. L "La Petite Tonkenoise" – Josephine Baker (1930) "Lazy Mary" – Lou Monte (1958) ... BBC - Italian lyric deemed objectionable "Leader of the Pack" – The Shangri-Las (1964) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Let the People Go" – McGuinness Flint (1972) "Let's Spend the Night Together" – The Rolling Stones (1967) ... BBC - encourages promiscuity "Light a Candle in the Chapel" – Frank Sinatra (1942) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting, the song was "so nauseatingly sentimental that it debased the Christian religion". "Light My Fire" – Jose Feliciano (1968) ... BBC - banned during the Gulf War "Lili Marleen" – Lale Andersen (1939) "Little Star" – The Elegants (1958) ... BBC - objection by head of religious broadcasting to use of God in a pop song. "Louie Louie" - Kingsmen (1957) ... Indiana USA declared it pornographic "Lola" – The Kinks (1970) ... BBC - banned for advertising coca cola, until they changed the lyrics. "Louie Louie" - The Kingsmen (1963) ... USA - FBI investigation supposed obscenity of the lyrics, an investigation that ended without prosecution. "Love for Sale" – Cole Porter (1930) / Ella Fitzgerald (1956) ... BBC - sexual references, prostitution. "Love Is a Word" – Alma Cogan (1965) "Love Is Strange" – Mickey & Sylvia (1956) ... BBC - the line "love is money in the hand" would encourage prostitution "Love to Love You Baby" – Donna Summer (1975) ... BBC - too much heavy breathing, grunts and groans. ** "Lovesexy" - Prince (1988 album) ... Shops around the world - nude photo of Prince on cover "Lovin' Machine" – Wynonie Harris (1951) ... BBC - crude implications associated with a "lovin' machine" "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" – The Beatles (1967) ... BBC - drug refernces M "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959) ... banned by: NYC radio, BBC - bloodthirsty words "Made You" – Adam Faith (1960) ... BBC - sexual references "Maggie May" – The Vipers Skiffle Group (1957) ... BBC - song is about a prostitute "Maybellene" – Chuck Berry (1955) "Mighty Mighty Man" – Bobby Darin (1958) "Minnie the Moocher" – Cab Calloway (1931) "Miss Morse" - Pearls Before Swine (1967) ... USA radio - Tom Rapp was singing F-U-C-K in Morse code "Miss You" – Bing Crosby (1942) ... BBC - The War Office felt that it too sentimental and might lower morale at home "Monster Mash" – Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (1962) ... BBC - it was offensive and in poor taste. "Moonlight Love" – Perry Como (1956) ... BBC - mutilation of the classics, took it’s melody from Debussy "My Christmas Prayer" – Billy Fury (1959) ... BBC - religious grounds. "My Friend" – Eddie Fisher (1954) "My Friend Jack" – The Smoke (1967) "My Generation" - The Who (1965) ... BBC - initially refused to play the song because it might offend people who stutter. "My Little Ukulele" – Joe Brown and The Bruvvers (1963) ... BBC - "too rique" N "Night of the Vampire" – The Moontrekkers (1961) "Ninety-Nine Years (Dead or Alive)" – Guy Mitchell (1961) "Nobody Loves Like an Irishman" – Lonnie Donegan (1958) ... BBC - Line about the Quran deemed to be offensive to Muslims O "(Oh) Pretty Woman" - Van Halen (1982) ... MTV aired the video very sparingly - too racey and distasteful "Old Man Atom" – The Sons of the Pioneers (1950) ... BBC - Controversial topics such as the atom bomb "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)" – Jimmy Wakely (1948) ... BBC - encouraged adultery "Open Your Box" - Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band (1970) ... BBC - banned because of the line "Open your legs" "Original Prankster" - The Offspring (2000) ... HMV stores - refused to stock the record after the band decided to give the track away as a free download on their official website, prior to it's release. P "Paper Doll" – The Mills Brothers (1943) ... BBC - theme of feminine unfaithfulness. deemed unacceptable during war time. "Peaches" – The Stranglers (1977) ... BBC - too "woman baiting" "Peaceful Street" – Ernest Butcher (1936) **"Permission To Land" - The Darkness (2003 album) ... Wal-Mart - the album sleeve featured a woman's bottom. "Plastic Jesus" - King Earl Boogie Band ... BBC - on grounds of blasphemy. "Please No Squeeza da Banana" – Louis Prima (1963) Q R "Radio Times" – The BBC Dance Orchestra (1935) "Randy Scouse Git" - The Monkees (19--) ... BBC - title was "actually somewhat taboo to the British audience" it was re-released as "Alternate Title" "Reefer Man " - Fats Waller () ... BBC - drug references "Relax" – Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1984) ... BBC - sexual references "Rock You Sinners" – Art Baxter and His Rock 'n' Roll Sinners (1958) "Rockin' Through The Rye" - Bill Haley and His Comets (1956) ... BBC - the song went against traditional British standards and used 50's hip slang. "Rum and Coca-Cola" – The Andrews Sisters (1945) ... BBC - advertising Coca -Cola ”Rumble” - Link Wray (1959) ... USA certain stations - although an instrumental the title was thought too suggestive of teen violence. S "Sad Affair" – Marxman (1993) ... BBC - contains IRA slogan "Saturday Nite at the Duckpond" – The Cougars (1963) ... BBC - "pop" versions of a classical piece "Say a Prayer for the Boys Over There" – Deanna Durbin (1943) "Send Me to the 'lectric Chair" – George Melly (1953) "Shall We Take a Trip" – Northside (1990) "She Had to Go and Lose It at the Astor" – Johnny Messner (1939) "She Was Only a Postmaster's Daughter" – Durium Dance Band (1933) **"Sheryl Crow" - Sheryl Crow (1996 album) ... Wal-Mart - The song "Love Is a Good Thing" contains the lyrics "Watch out sister, watch out brother, watch our children while they kill each other with a gun they bought at Walmart discount stores". "Sincerely" – Liberace (1955) ... BBC - "Sixty Minute Man" – The Dominoes (1951) ... BBC - sexually suggestive "Song of India" – Tommy Dorsey (1938) ... BBC - because it was based on a classical work, Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko. "So What?" – Anti-Nowhere League (1981) ... BBC - obscene, contains the word fuck countless times, references to drugs, bestiality and STIs. "Soldier" – Harvey Andrews (1972) ... BBC - lest feelings be exacerbated in the nationalist community of Northern Ireland, or the British public be incited to attack innocent Irish people. The Ministry of Defence still advises British soldiers not to sing the song in pubs "Somebody Up There Likes Me" – Perry Como (1956) ... BBC - head of religious broadcasting objection . "Spasticus Autisticus" - Ian Dury (1981) ... BBC - deemed the lyrics offensive "Statue of Liberty" – XTC (1978) ... BBC - the lyrics "In my fantasy I sail beneath your skirt". 'Star Star' - Rolling Stones (1973) ... BBC - it contained the word "Star-fucker" in the chorus a dozen times. "St. Therese of the Roses" – Malcolm Vaughan (1956) ... BBC - head of religious broadcasting felt it was contrary to Catholic and Protestant beliefs "Stranger in Paradise" – The Four Aces (1953) ... BBC - "prohibited from broadcast due to unacceptable performance" disrespectful to the classics. "Street Fighting Man" - Rolling Stones (1968) ... several radio stations in Chicago, IL. - Authorities feared it might incite public disorder. "Such a Night" – Johnnie Ray (1954) ... BBC - lewd and suggestive "Summer Smash" – Denim (1997) ... EMI self-banned - the planned release date was in the same period when Princess Diana died by a car crash. T "Teen Angel" – Mark Dinning (1959) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Teenage Prayer" – Gale Storm (1955) "Tell Laura I Love Her" – Ray Peterson/Ricky Valance (1960) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "Terry" – Twinkle (1964) ... BBC - death song, too morbid. "The Ballad Of John and Yoko" - The Beatles ... Spain/USA various radio stations - mention of crucifixion offended radio listeners. "The Battle of New Orleans" – Johnny Horton (1959) "The Blue Danube" – Spike Jones and His City Slickers (1945) ... BBC - takes liberties with a serious work of music "The Christening" – Arthur Askey (1943) "The Cover of Rolling Stone" – Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (1973) "The Deck of Cards" – T. Texas Tyler (1948) "The Devil Is a Woman" – Herb Jeffries (1957) "The Foggy, Foggy, Dew" – Peter Pears (1950) "The Garden of Eden" – Frankie Vaughan (1957) ... BBC - song is "fairly blasphemous" "The Heel" – Eartha Kitt (1955) "The Man with the Golden Arm" – Eddie Calvert (1956) ... BBC - although it's an instrumental, the BBC objected to the sordid nature of the film!! "The Mocking Bird" – The Four Lads (1952) "The Monster Mash" - Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers (1962) ... BBC - too morbid *** "The Next Day" - David Bowie (2013 video) ... Youtube (temporarily) - its graphic content "The Old Dope Peddler" – Tom Lehrer (1953) "The Reefer Song (If You're a Viper)" – Fats Waller (1943) "The Sabre Dance" – Woody Herman (1948) "The Shag (Is Totally Cool)" – Billy Graves (1958) ... BBC - the shag is a dance, but also it is slang for sexual intercourse "The Silver Madonna" – Kirk Stevens (1957) "The Sky" – Petula Clark (1957) "The Story of a Starry Night" – Glenn Miller (1954) ... BBC - distorted representation of the original Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony "The Story Of My Life" - Alma Cogan (1958) ... BBC - too morbid, refers to death "The Story of Three Loves" – Ray Martin (1957) "The Test of Time" – Robert Earl (1959) "The Tommy Rot Story" – Morris & Mitch (1957) "The Unbeliever" – Guy Mitchell (1957) "The Voice in My Heart" – Eydie Gormé (1958) "The Winker's Song" - Ivor Biggun (1978) ... BBC - sexual references "They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Haaa!" – Napoleon XIV (1966) "Three Stars" – Ruby Wright (1959) "Til the Following Night" – Screaming Lord Sutch (1961) "Till the End of Time" – Perry Como (1945) "Ting Tong Tang" – Ken Platt (1958) "To Keep My Love Alive" – Ella Fitzgerald (1956) "Toll the Bell Easy" – Les Hobeaux (1957) "Too Drunk to Fuck" – Dead Kennedys (1981) "Tribute to Buddy Holly" – Mike Berry and The Outlaws (1961) U ”Unknown Soldier” - The Doors () ... USA - political, the song’s anti-war stance. "Urban Guerrilla" – Hawkwind (1973) V W "Wake Up Little Suzie" - Everley Brothers ... USA certain stations - would influence and corrupt teenagers. "Walk Hand in Hand" – Tony Martin (1956) ... BBC - religous reasons, disrespectful to God. "We Call It Acieeed" – D-Mob (1988) "We Can't Let You Broadcast That" – Norman Long (1932) ... BBC - made fun of the BBC's policies of 'banning' recordings "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" – Heaven 17 (1981) ... BBC - concerns by Radio 1's legal department that it libeled Reagan. "We Have to Be So Careful" – The Beverley Sisters (1953) ... BBC - because it ridiculed BBC policy "We Will All Go Together When We Go" – Tom Lehrer (1959) "Wet Dream" – Max Romeo (1969) ... BBC - due to its lyrics which are of an explicit sexual nature "When I'm Cleaning Windows" – George Formby (1936) ... BBC - Sexual innuendo, too racy, "A disgusting little ditty" "Whoa Buck" – Lonnie Donegan (1959) "With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock" – George Formby (1937) "With My Little Ukelele in Hand" – George Formby (1933) "Woman Love" – Gene Vincent (1956) ... BBC - lyrics offensive and can't be understood. "Work With Me, Annie" - Hank Ballard & the Midnighters (1954) ... banned for radio play by the FCC. overtly sexual lyrics "Worried Man" - Kingston Trio (1959) ... BBC - didn’t like the word “closet” being used for “cupboard”. X Y "You'll Get Yours" – Frank Sinatra (1956) *** "You're All I Need" - Mötley Crüe (1987 video) ... MTV - because of the level of violence.

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Vol. 3, No. 1

Robert Millis

We begin our third year of Dust with, as usual, more good music than we can hope to write about, making the difficult transition from albums we were unable to get to in 2016 to albums that we really ought to say something about in early 2017.  There’s a little of everything here -- artists as well known as Justin Broadrick and as little celebrated as Philadelphia lo-fi outsider Brandon Ayers, albums that are coming out for the first time next week and albums that have moldered undeservedly in obscurity for decades, music of many genres from free jazz to Iranian-flavored electronics to vintage Ohio fuzz.  Contributors this time include Bill Meyer, Patrick Masterson, Jennifer Kelly and Ian Mathers.  Happy new year, and onward to whatever music 2017 brings. 

Robert Millis—The Lonesome High (Abduction) 

Some people can sum up their lives on a business card; Robert Millis needs a whole deck, full sized, both faces of each playing card, and you’re still liable to miss something while he shuffles. Filmmaker, photographer, guerilla ethnographer, collector and sharer of 78 RPM records, weaver of multi-layered ambiences, improviser, annotator, jokester, traveler — and now comes The Lonesome High.

It turns out that Millis is also a sardonic troubadour, quite capable of bending verse/chorus song forms to his will. While he’s definitely played plenty of tunes with Climax Golden Twins and AFCGT (that’s the A-Frames + Climax Golden Twins), his commitment to working within that form sets this record apart from anything else he’s done. Millis sings them with a gruff and knowing delivery that effectively imparts the faithlessness, guilt, and befuddlement of his protagonists. He sounds like Howe Gelb might if he weren’t so comfortable with desert spaces. There’s something rather claustrophobic about these tunes, a sense that the characters are closed in, and even the guitar solos that punch through the songs’ walls can’t knock them down.

The record’s production plays up the entrapment described in the lyrics. Millis uses Foley artistry, musique concrete backdrops, and some good old-fashioned echo to imply that beyond his character’s myopic enactments, there’s a lot of less-bounded action going down. But the people in the songs don’t know that; they’re as trapped as some mope in a Twilight Zone episode.

Bill Meyer

Waldemar — Visions (Self-Release)

Another missive from the northern woods that produced Bon Iver, Gabe Larson’s Waldemar builds big anthemic songs around personal reveries. This four-song EP is mainly about his grandpa, and yet, its layered vocals hint at shared euphoria, its giant rock crescendos lift off towards universality. “Brotherly” stirs to life in misty threads of drone, cymbal rolls, silence and Larson’s voice cresting upward with a Jonsi-ish mix of religious chant and pop. Folksy jangle intersects with mysticism, a la fellow Wisconsites in Megafaun, and, as you may have come to expect from Eau Claire outfits, there are infusions of brass and band instruments from the jazz talent nearby. “Visions” is, maybe, the most striking of these four cuts and the one that will remind you most of Justin Vernon. It takes shape slowly and sparely, mostly mournful vocals at first, then bursts into locomotive life with drumming, guitars, counterpoints and brass. This is the biggest, most fully realized, most ready for prime time self-release I’ve heard in a while.

Jennifer Kelly   

John Lindberg Raptor Trio—Western Edges (Clean Feed) 

Despite the album’s name, this trio has deep roots in New York City. Bassist John Lindberg first encountered baritone saxophonist Pablo Calogero in the 1970s when they were both teenagers eager to break into New York’s loft jazz scene. Lindberg has gone on to accompany Billy Bang, Anthony Braxton and Wadada Leo Smith, as well as lead his own ensembles, but he hasn’t forgotten his old mate. Calogero moved to Southern California, so when he moved to San Diego to teach at CalArts he called up his old buddy and the drummer who played next office over from his. The combination of 40+ years of friendship between two members and utter newness between Calogero and drummer Joe LaBarbera likely contributed to this session’s combination of empathy and freshness. Both old buddies contribute compositions, and they cover a fair bit of ground. On “Ashoka” the trio adopts an early 60s Coltrane stance, stately and heavy; “Twixt D and E” is an intricately tied post-bop knot; and “Raptors” flies free, but with oft-glimpsed melodic intent.

Bill Meyer 

Pari San – Frozen Time (Pari San) 

“Pari San symbolize [sic] a collision of two worlds.” This is how Iranian-born, Düsseldorf-raised vocalist Pari Eskandari and Berlin synth hound Paul Brenning collectively describe the Pari San project; the worlds presumably colliding here are Eskandari’s rural singing styles and Brenning’s thoroughly urban European electro influences, though it’s also worth mentioning the contrast between Berlin and Parisan, a town that consisted of 37 people for the 2006 Iranian census. Working in the capital for their self-released Frozen Time EP – the duo’s first official release as best I can tell – Eskandari and Brenning revive a strain of mid-2000s electronic music almost singularly cornered by The Knife’s Silent Shout. This shouldn’t feel noteworthy in 2016-17 given the wide-open landscape FKA Twigs, Aïsha Devi and even The Knife’s own Shaking the Habitual have pillaged since, but Pari San succeeds in part because its two members aim for a more pop-oriented sound – each of Frozen Time’s five songs is in the three-minute neighborhood and the hooks are plainly evident, even addicting, despite the substantial electronic gimmickry. “In the Smoke” is the most brazen Silent Shout descendent and “Polyhorns” features co-production from Bpitch Control and Monkeytown Recs vet Robert Koch (aka Jahcoozi’s Robot Koch) for a spot of relative star power, but “Two Perfect Lovers” is the duet to die for here, a slow-moving serenade gracefully threading the needle between 1960s teenage love ballad and contemporary electronic abstraction. Extremely promising EP from a group mining territory you might’ve previously thought exhausted.

Patrick Masterson

Hexa — Factory Photographs (Room40)  

FACTORY PHOTOGRAPHS by HEXA

Hexa is Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart and Lawrence English, who after meeting in 2009 decided to collaborate in ways which would take them beyond their usual musical practices (which, yes, means this sounds little like Xiu Xiu or English’s drone work); Factory Photographs sees them issue a “sonic response” to David Lynch’s photographs of, well, factories. All three artists have distinct enough oeuvres that you can pretty much tell whether you’re interested just from the resumes, but Stewart and English have definitely offered a distinctive and worthwhile slate of roiling industrial noise, whether it’s the more overtly aggressive likes of “Ring Bark” or the slower building waves of “Sledge.”Factory Photographs is consistently bracing but climaxes with the best and most interesting tracks here; first the restless, anxious washes of “Over Horizontal Plains” and then “Body”, which just barely lets some sort of brighter melody peek out from behind the relentless grinding of the rest of the song. 

Ian Mathers  

Warhaus — We Fucked a Flame into Being (Self-release) 

We Fucked A Flame Into Being by Warhaus

Arch, urbane, a bit decadent, here’s an album that slithers in on the scent of foreign cigarettes, insinuates sex, betrayal, bare shoulders and drunken tangos to late-night jazz combos. It’s an album that makes you feel like a blockheaded rube who’s been let in on a joke, still hopelessly literal and stupid but for once seeing irony and ambiguity and the primacy of style over sincerity. Warhaus, you should know, is the solo project of one Maarten Devoldere whose main gig, the band Balthazar, has sold a surprising number of records in Belgium (without raising much of a ripple outside Northern Europe). Here he sings in a voice that makes everything sound like an indecent proposal (and honestly, some of it is). A younger, less whispery Leonard Cohen with a slightly wider range might be the best point of reference, and like Cohen, he’s found of spare yet varied accompaniments, a Sinatra band pared down to essentials, a choir of bored girls singing something like gospel. The single “The Good Lie” with its twitchy guitars, tense hand drums and murmured imprecations is good, sexy stuff, but my favorite remains “Against the Rich,” which both is and isn’t a rallying cry contra income inequality. Instead it finds ambiguity in a life that has acquired the trappings of success, an accountant, a nutritionist, a girlfriend with a law degree, and asks, “When my friend did I make this switch, how I tried to be against the rich.”

Jennifer Kelly

Council Estate Electronics – Arktika (Glacial Movements)  

Arktika by COUNCIL ESTATE ELECTRONICS

Riddled with implication, Godflesh and Jesu lifer Justin Broadrick teamed up with frequent collaborator and Jesu bassist Diarmuid Dalton under the Council Estate Electronics banner for the first time in four years this past October to pay tribute to the Russian nuclear-powered Arktika class of icebreaker (helpfully, the liner notes clarify that this is for the new LK-60YA Arktika class rather than the outgoing Arktika ships first launched in the 1970s). The eight songs herein are a rusting hulk of open arms for crudely constructed boats in two halves – “Urals” opens with nearly 11 minutes of minimal dub-techno throbbing and the kind of immersive (submersive?) white noise with which Jesu fans will no doubt be accustomed. It continues through songs like “567 foot 33,500 ton” and “Rosatom,” which could easily double as field recordings of the vessels’ construction from inside the hull. Reminiscent of material you’d find on Blackest Ever Black or Janushoved rather than Milan’s Glacial Movements, a label that’s served up Loscil and (most recently) the celestial sonic icescapes of Aria Rostami and Daniel Blomquist, this seems headed for a dark, industrial turn into the far reaches of the frigid north... But with “50 Let Pobody,” the vibe of the record suddenly shifts to a still-unsettling yet considerably more subdued tone. By the end of “60 megawatts,” you’re left thinking this release is most in line with the eerie, engrossing electronics of Pye Corner Audio. Chilly and chilling, Glacial Movements has hit another one out of the dry docks.

Patrick Masterson 

Tommy Jay—Tommy Jay’s Tall Tales of Trauma (Assophon) 

You can’t live down the past, so you might as well blow it up, and in the case of Tommy Jay’s Tall Tales Of Trauma, more turns out to be more. Harrisburgh OH resident Jay is a longtime mate of Mike Rep and Nudge Squidfish, and he shares with them a contradictory aesthetic. On the one hand, his homemade recording and unexpurgated song writing are serious barriers to any sort of mainstream success. But his reference points, as indicated by covers of Joni Mitchell’s “Dreamland” and Lou Reed’s “The Ocean,” are ambitious ones, and he does his best not to dishonor them. Sometimes, anyway — Jay’s muse might inspire him to make a low-rent, early Who-style epic about the Battle of Fredericksburg one moment (“I Was There”) and a cheap rhyme-stocked portrait of a “Village Idiot” the next. If early 1990s Guided By Voices tended more towards finished songs and uncomfortable truths, they might have made a record like this one, but James made it instead. In 1986 he could only get it out on tape, and it took two decades for it to make it to LP. That first pressing is long gone, so Assophon has stepped in with a 30th anniversary edition that includes thirteen more songs close enough to the first 12 that collectors sitting on an early copy will probably want  this one too.

Bill Meyer             

Brandon Can’t Dance — Graveyard of Good Times (Lucky Number) 

Graveyard of Good Times by BRANDON CAN'T DANCE

Brandon Ayers is the classic lone wolf bedroom troubadour, a Philadelphian who works nights as a security guard, cares for an elderly relative during the day and lives a rich creative life within his own head and home recording space. Brandon Can’t Dance dabbles in fuzz-rock, lo-fi disco, anti-folk, regular folk, synth pop and noise, refusing to settle anywhere, yet all reflecting a highly individual talent that has not been sanded down too much by contact with other people. Sequencing feels a little haphazard, so that the superlative shoegaze romantic blare of “Headspace” sits right alongside an excruciating dance-pop falsetto cut called “Smoke-Drive Around” (which, weirdly, is one of two downloadable singles, so it’s probably not a parody). Much of the album gives off a 1990s lo-fi aura – GBV is the obvious reference, though “Fuck Off and We’ll Get Along,” has the undercooked poetry of certain Sic Alps songs, the synthier bits recall Blank Dogs and “Freak of the Freaks,” sounds fragile and surreal like a Tobin Sprout off-track. “Angelina,” the other single, has a country swagger to it, a brash, abrasive acoustic vamp with a fuzz guitar solo bursting through it. It feels like the most finished, structured song on the disc, and so stands as a highlight. That’s not to disparage the beautiful fragments, half-pursued ventures and jotted messy impressions that surround it; these are integral to experiencing Ayers’ alienated, discontinuous but intermittently lovely world. If you flipped over Car Seat Headrest or just harbor a fondness for melodic hiss and fuzz, you’ll like this.

Jennifer Kelly 

Andrew Pekler — Tristes Tropiques (Faitiche) 

Tristes Tropiques by Andrew Pekler

Pekler’s work here feels like some deliberately uneasy mix of remix, field recording, the kind of ethnographic forgery that Can used to do, and abstract electronic music. Certainly the cultural history of white people playing/homaging/being fascinated by the music of other cultures, whether it’s called exotica or ethnography or anything else, is a tricky one. Pekler titling this album of original compositions (which just sounds like it’s maybe the products of aliens messing with and bouncing back various jungle-based music and natural sounds, although it’s really just him working with what he calls “the electronic means that I have at hand”) after Claude Levi-Strauss’s ambivalent and searching book that’s as much about the author’s own methods and engagement with the natives he’s studying as it is about the study indicates that he’s aware of that, even if the work doesn’t directly engage with that history. Pekler’s more interested in getting something interesting and evocative and he’s constructed a rich, broadly constituted stew to do so with (as a song title like “Humidity Index/Khao Sok (Chopped and Screwed)” indicates).

 Ian Mathers 

 Greg Kelley/Bill Nace —Live At Disjecta (Open Mouth)

Now here’s a name we don’t see enough these days. When trumpeter Greg Kelley (nmperign, Heathen Shame, and Cold Bleak Heat) moved from Massachusetts to Washington State a couple years ago his touring profile east of the Mississippi took a hit. But this proved to be the West coast’s gain, since this record is an artifact of an eight-date tour, which is a substantial number for any noise combo these days. His partner here is guitarist Bill Nace (Vampire Belt, Body/Head), and the zones of broad amp protest and brittle brass fatigue that they explore together will likely awaken pleasant memories of Heathen Shame’s hellish squalls. But while the sound is similar, the dynamic is very different; where even the Shame’s most free-falling moments embraced rock gesture, this set’s energy is more elemental. At some points the two men’s waves of sound attract and repel like magnetic fields, at others they arc like two bolts of lightning headed for the same weathervane. The jolts are welcome indeed.

Bill Meyer

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Don't Let The General Electric Noise Distract You From The Bigger Picture

New Post has been published on http://indolargeprints.com/dont-let-the-general-electric-noise-distract-you-from-the-bigger-picture/

Don't Let The General Electric Noise Distract You From The Bigger Picture

Calling a spade a spade, all the suggestions that General Electric (GE), could, and probably should, cut its dividend aren’t off base. The company’s a train wreck right now. On a mathematical/GAAP basis, it can’t justifiably afford to maintain its current payout, which is only half of what it was a year ago.

Equally obvious is activist investor Nelson Peltz’s recent suggestion that GE is seriously considering a significant breakup. Nobody really doubted that’s at least one of the things new CEO John Flannery had in mind when in January he said all options were on the table. (Observers weren’t thrilled with the idea then, but have warmed to it now, but that’s a different story.)

And, if we’re being honest, nobody was truly shocked when Flannery said last month that the company’s energy division wasn’t on the road to recovery yet; most investors know there’s no quick fix to what really ails General Electric.

So why all the wild swings to news that really isn’t news? Because the market doesn’t “get” GE right here, and right now. It’s little more than an instrument of speculation, which is anything but normal for the iconic blue chip.

The good news is, the unusual situation the company – the stock – is in actually sets up an opportunity for long-term investors that can look past the headlines d’jour.

Perspective

It’s maddening how overused the Benjamin Graham axiom “In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run it is a weighing machine” is used, so it’s with great trepidation I invoke it now.

On the other hand, if the shoe fits and the cliché applies… well, you get it. GE shares remain mired in hysteria, and that’s preventing long-term-minded investors from seeing what’s plausibly in store one year from now, let alone three years from now. In the end though, where GE is likely to be three years from now is in better shape than the market’s giving it current credit for.

Analysts think so anyway. Take a look.

Source: Thomson Reuters/image made by author

But cash flow? Yeah, that’s a hang-up, though not as much as one might fear. A closer look at General Electric’s books clarifies that on an operational basis, GE is cash flow positive. It’s just not cash flow positive enough right now to service its pension and debt obligations and also make meaningful, much-needed investments in growth that will supply more cash flow in the foreseeable future.

Maybe that’s in the cards sooner than we’re being led to believe though.

Yes, the power division is a liability. There’s at least a path to profitability in the arena though. Flannery explained during the first quarter call:

“First, we continue to have leading technology, deep domain, digital solutions and broad and deep customer relationships. We continue to be viewed as a go to provider in our industry and we are fighting for every opportunity in the market.

On the cost side, in an industry that clearly has excess capacity, we are aggressively moving to right size our footprint and base cost. We took out $800 million of structural cost in 2017 and an additional $350 million in the first quarter. We are on track to exceed our $1 billion target for 2018 and headcount and sites are coming down….

…We are driving out cost and addressing the quality issues we had last year. The team has introduced a new sales force compensation program specifically aimed at driving transactional services and margins. We have a new leadership team in our supply chain and they are reinvigorating the use of lean and Six Sigma to drive better execution. The H cycle time is down 20%. Ultimately our goal is to cut this another 50% or more…

… we are also exiting non-core assets as we simplify the business.”

OK, it’s not sexy, but it was never going to be. It’s a multi-year project, and a long-term project that becomes increasingly viable each day crude oil prices linger above $60 per barrel. Corporations aren’t fully opening their wallets until they know capital expenditures on GE’s power wares make sense.

In the meantime, aviation and healthcare are still performing well, and growing. The IATA forecasts that air traffic demand will double over the course of the coming 20 years, and the need for healthcare equipment is never going away even if that market is ever-changing. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reckoned that healthcare spending would grow 5.5% per year through 2026, largely driven by the 10,000 baby boomers that are retiring every day.

Meanwhile, the decision to shed its locomotive business is a big step towards the streamlining of the company that will ultimately unlock the value Flannery and Peltz (among others) have been talking about for a while.

Baby steps.

Green Shoots from GE Stock

To that end, some bulls are occasionally peeking their heads out in the meantime, planting seeds for a few green shots from the stock.

This is where things get interesting, and tricky. All of the technical recovery efforts made thus far have been up-ended. Even the best technical rebound we’ve seen in months – the one from last month – was largely wiped away. Take a closer, second look at the chart though. The tumbles are hurting less and less, and the rallies are making more and more progress.

Source: TradeStation

It’s still a fits-and-starts process, but the tide is turning.

It’s also turning more than you might guess with that second glance. The rising Chaikin line (bottom) says there’s a good amount of volume behind the recovery effort. Those bulls aren’t terribly vocal, but they’re putting their money where their mouth isn’t.

It’s largely a matter of greater confidence that will get – and keep – the stock back on track.

That confidence will be built on someone else being willing to stick their neck out, by the way. Moreover, that confidence will be built on the heels of certainty that the company is indeed going to unlock value by selling pieces of itself. Again though, that’s a multi-year process. The market is slowly starting to digest this reality, which old-school GE shareholders never had to chew on in the past.

Patience

It’s still more of a trade than an investment, to be clear. But, it’s one of those trades that could slowly morph into an investment… that rarest kind of stock picks.

Fanning those would-be-bullish flames even more than getting better income out of the company’s revenue-bearing assets will be, as was noted, more apparent progress on the breakup front. As Stifel analyst Robert McCarthy recently put it, GE is only rated a hold “absent a more material, dynamic breakup.”

That stance puts Peltz’s comments from late last week back in the spotlight, reminding investors that Flannery wasn’t just blowing smoke a few months ago when he alluded to the same. It’s coming, even if investors can’t fully see it yet, and even if they can’t fully appreciate the fullness of the prospect. Melius Research estimated late last month, when General Electric shares were priced at $13.28, that such a price “likely undervalues the assets by 25 percent or more” were the company broken into marketable pieces. With a current price of still less than $14, the bulk of Melius’ upside is in front of the stock.

It’s also possible that even Melius’ outlook underestimates how well GE’s aviation and healthcare arms could perform.

As for a target, Melius effectively says a post-breakup value would make GE stock worth around $16.60, at least. The chart wrestled with the $17.35, as support, and resistance, late last year and early this year. The figure is still within Melius’ “or more” range.

The toughest part of such a trade? Sticking with it even when the headlines are terrifying. They’re taking smaller and smaller bites out of the stock, as investors understand the situation better and better. It’s a process though, and GE shares aren’t fully out of perception-purgatory just yet. They’re getting closer though, and may be worth the risk of getting into before it fully happens.

The risk profile plunges dramatically if-and-when GE shares hurdle the converged 20-day and 50-day moving average lines at $14.39.

If you’re looking for stock picks that are less speculative and better-founded investments, take a test drive to The Well-Rounded Investor service. You’ll get top-down sector analysis and bottom-up market analysis that identifies the market’s best bets… names you may have never found on your own.

Want to know if we add General Electric to The Well-Rounded Investor portfolio? Better yet, want to know if we like a particular pick more than GE? Take a free two-week test drive to see what this new kind of newsletter is all about. There’s a new pick cued up for later this week.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a long position in GE over the next 72 hours.

I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

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