Punky tracks by non-punk acts

[pcqgod]

[Charlie O.]

Does this count?

[trans-chigley express]

[trans-chigley express]

Apart from the widdly keyboards the verses on this are quite punky

[toomanyhatz]

The king - or rather Queen - of them all:

[The Modernist]

The king - or rather Queen - of them all:

Dreadful. What an embarrassing band they could be at times.

[frimley_greener]

"Seven and seven is" Love?

[Quaco]

[toomanyhatz]

The king - or rather Queen - of them all:

Dreadful. What an embarrassing band they could be at times.

Not dreadful at all. Quite good, in fact.

Not that I expect this to be accepted or agreed to by someone who likes any old 80s shite as long as the singer is wearing black and at least one non-primary color, but here's why:

The impetus for it is not in any way trying to be trendy. It was a one-off like all the other dozens of one-offs they did. They were an eclectic band, at least then. Lost it entirely after Hot Space (the only Queen album you're likely to like - give it a listen if you get a chance), but in 1977 when this was recorded, they were basically (a much more superficial version of, undeniably) the White Album Beatles - if anybody's doing anything we haven't done, we need to do it too.

They didn't do a single even vaguely punky tune after this - leaving it behind well before everybody else had to try it. Famously, the Sex Pistols were recording their album in the next studio over - my fictionalized "Bohemian Rhapsody" scene has Chris Spedding flitting between the two studios and giving recording advice to both - but I digress.

Brian May has a very identifiable guitar tone - the guitar on here sounds absolutely nothing like it. That's 'cause he's (gasp!) serving the song. His guitar has imitated orchestras, horn sections, cats, vocals, and on and on - yet this is the only time it's an ugly squall of feedback. To me it sounds a lot less watered down than what was happening next door over.

The whole thing is almost like a parody - the lines about feeling inarticulate, the DNA making me this way, etc. But it doesn't come across smarmy at all (at least to my ears) - Taylor's living it. Think of the expectations of some of the biggest rock stars in the world recording their tribute to (or parody of) what's "on the streets" and the expectations of that - they confound every last one.

I'll take it over "Rapture" any day of the week - now that's what a band trying to sound "tuned in" sounds like.

[toomanyhatz]

Similarly:

[Charlie O.]