1 post tagged “rage against the machine”
I've been meaning to start a "crooners" thread, but it just hasn't worked out yet; maybe soon. In the meantime I've been listening to The Pop Group's catalog, and wishing I hadn't missed it all by a few years. Through the 80s I was a fan of all the groups borne of the late Pop Group: Mark Stewart + Maffia, Rip Rig & Panic, Maximum Joy, Pigbag, Float Up C.P., and possibly more, but I never got around to tracking down the source of it all. Thanks to the Internet, though, I can do that now, and it's been a revelation. In trying to find one song that encapsulates all the aspects of The Pop Group, I've decided on "We Are All Prostitutes":
Listening to this song from 1980, I think, "This is the blueprint for Rage Against the Machine!" Mark Stewart is even more hysterical than Zach de la Rocha (ranting hysterical, not funny hysterical) (not intentionally funny, at least) , the guitarist (John Waddington or Gareth Sager, or both?) takes cues from Sonny Sharrock instead of Ron Asheton, and everything is a bit sloppy and anarchic, but wedding shouted, social-justice-themed lyrics over a funky rock beat is something both bands have in common. The Pop Group had disintegrated by 1981, before I even heard of them, but Mark Stewart continued to carry the torch of political paranoia throughout the 80s, and a little bit in the 90s, and apparently still plays live gigs even today. I was lucky enough to catch him at the 9:30 Club in 1987 on an On-U Sound bill with Gary Clail and Tackhead (with Adrian Sherwood himself on the boards). Stewart only did a few songs but he emanated a powerful vibe that made it clear that his lyrics really are his own fears and convictions, not just an act. Perhaps he'll come play in Ithaca someday. Hahahaha!
