70s Cup Grand Final Match 7 *Diamond Dog 9- Ranking Ted 26*

[never/ever]

A

Don McLean - Vincent





B

Subway Sect - Ambition

[Dayodead]

B

[Diamond Dog]

The McLean track is wonderful - it tells a great story about an artistic genius with magical lyrics evoking that art. The simplicity is what makes it so special - the beautiful melody and sympathetic strings towards the end. Great selection.

The Subway Sect has that lovely 'Bontempi organ' sound - I love how it bounces along at the start. But it then really fails to develop any new ideas and becomes a rather simplistic thrash.

A.

[Purgatory Brite]

B

[The Modernist]

What a shame Subway Sect mark one never released much. 'Ambition' is a tantalising glimpse of what might have been. It never fails to thrill me: tight but shambolic, with an urgent desperation, as if they just had just two minutes to get everything down, which is incredibly exciting. As vital as any UK punk record.
The Don MaClean is pretty and sensitively done, but I've heard it way too many times to retain any goodwill towards it and now its cloying sincerity is just annoying.

b

[Loki]

[Darkness_Fish]

Ok, I have to say, if we're getting cloying gloop from the 70s, this is very much my kind of gloop. It may be cheesy and overplayed. It may well really overstretch itself lyrically ("With eyes that know the darkness in my soul, shadows on the hills, sketch the trees and the daffodils" is a car-crash). It may have yet another unnecessary saccharine arbitrary string section. But underneath it all I think there's quite a pleasant folk-based tune that could well have some kind of validity. And if you don't really pay attention, it sounds quite pretty. We need more songs about paintings, anyway.

Lovely bit of organ work lads, it sounds like a punk take on the cricket theme, and I actually mean that in a positive way. There is something properly fun about this, the slight bips and boops that pop around the outside of what might otherwise be quite an average new wave track are a touch of greatness. Yeah, I was all ready to give Don the nod in this tie, which is why I started out as an apologist for the guy, but this has won me over. Lovely bit of charming punk n' synth.

B

[naughty boy]

Easiest match-up yet.

'Ambition' is one of its era's coolest and grooviest blasts, a real knockout. I'd lay down on the tracks for Subway Sect

B

[Polishgirl]

I did listen to A, just to check I don't like it.

I don't.

B is pretty good.

B

[sloopjohnc]

A

Good match though. Better than a lot in this round.

[toomanyhatz]

A just...no. I still cringe every time I hear that final line. Sapometer just too high.

Subway Sect has always seemed a bit out of place in their era - they really presaged the 80s in a way. I'm not even sure I like B all that much, but I am sure it's easily the better of the two.

[C]

bouncebounceBounce

[Vincent is so-overlong and tedious. Lacking in music]






.

[WG Kaspar]

B

[the masked man]

A is just so cloying. B is decent rather than great, but it wins easily.

B

[Ranking Ted]

A is a 70s hit I have very little time for whereas B retains its effervescent energetic appeal, seemingly on the brink of collapse but pulling through regardless.

B

[Rayge]

Well here's an extreme rarity in this competition: two tracks I bought and played a lot when they came out (although Vincent was on the album I bought on the strength of American Pie, which, despite being overplayed, I still think is a pretty good track). I know which way the vote is going, but I'll listen to both again for form's sake
a - While American Pie introduced a new approach to the singer-songwriter genre, his follow-up reverted very much to type. David Ackles, Tim Hardin or James Taylor could have come up with this. I'm afraid it hasn't aged well at all. Never realized back then how infused with self-pity it is. The words may be 'about' VVG, but the imagery and emotion (such as there is) is all about how under-appreciated and suffering our Donald is. Well, he showed us, got a big hit out of it, but basically it's saccharine soup, and it sticks in the throat a bit now, makes me gag. Don't need to listen to it again. Ever. 3.5 / 10
b - this is one of those rare occasions when Moddie is right: this record came out as punk was in full force, but Vic Godard's skills as a songwriter were basically all about post-punk. I bought everything he released in the 20th century (which wasn't that much, considering - he never gave up the day job as a postman. This states its intentions in the first few seconds, with that blast of synth/fairground organ. It was a new and thrilling sound, full of bounce and verve. The B-side, Different Story, was nifty, too. Unlike it's opponent here, it has got better with age, still sounds fresh (although that 'vile evils are vile evils' line gets a little close to Objectivist territory for my personal comfort ). 7 / 10

B

[The Modernist]

this is one of those rare occasions when Moddie is right

How dare you!

[Rayge]

this is one of those rare occasions when Moddie is right

How dare you!

Apologies for suggesting you were ever right about anything.
Any consolation, you were as wrong as fuck in round 6

[echolalia]

B

[fange]

Sorry A, but this is a clear B. That DM is a bit toooo ....urgh.


B