“After the news,” said Chris Hawkins, sitting in for Craig Charles on BBC 6 Music today, “We’ll have The Clash and Goat.” I sighed to myself, muttering that, “I hope it’s not Should I Stay Or Should I Go or London Calling,” because actually The Clash did a hell of a lot more than those two admittedly epically great songs. I’d expect Radio 2, or particularly any of the many shitty commercial stations to play to play nothing but the most well known songs. 6 Music, I thought, wrongly it seems, were better than that. But this example is hardly unique to most radio stations. After the news, we were greeted to Should I Stay Or Should I Go. Told you so.
I appreciate that for many people, music is something that happens in the background and that it is comforting to hear songs you already know well. It is probably just music obsessives like me who like to explore deeper into an artist or band’s catalogue.
Take Blue Oyster Cult for example, a favourite band of mine since their eponymous debut album of 1972. They have made a total of 16 albums in their long history but you might be forgiven for thinking they’d only ever recorded one song, 1976’s (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. Sure, it’s a classic song but then they have made loads of other classic songs that never see the light of day. Instead, every single time, the DJ will say, “Let’s have a bit of Blue Oyster Cult” and you just know for certain what’s coming next.
It’s a similar story with a lot of bands I know and like. The Doobie Brothers have been around, off and on, since 1971 but all you will ever hear is Listen To The Music and Long Train Runnin’. And it’s like that with Toto. All they ever did, apparently, was Hold The Line and Africa, plus, if you are very lucky, Rosanna. With these bands, I’m sure the millions who have never seen them live imagine their setlists to comprise of three songs, maximum.
I was more disappointed and surprised by 6 Music’s music choices than anything else. The station is surely the most diverse and interesting in the land, combining brand new music with some of the best older stuff and I love it for that. I just wish the producers would even more imagination and play me something a bit different when it comes to an artist I know well. London Calling is a truly great album and the title track is arguably the most well known Clash song. But why not play Train In Vain (a song I fell in love with the first time I heard it, before Mick Jones started singing), Spanish Bombs or Lost In The Supermarket from a record boiling over with sheer quality? It may well be sufficient for the heritage rock stations to stick with the favourites, which will have been sound-tested to death with listeners, but some of us do like something a little leftfield?
How about The Captain And Me, Another Park, Another Sunday or even the rather well known Take Me In Your Arms (And Rock Me) by the Doobies? Or Stop Loving You, Hydra or Spanish Seas by Toto? It’s certainly worth hearing Then Came The Last Days Of May, Harvester Of Eyes and Before The Kiss, A Redcap by Blue Oyster Cult. Hey Mr DJ put a record on, preferably one I don’t hear every hour on the hour.
There’s nothing wrong with Should I Stay Or Should I Go or London Calling but it’s just to easy and far too lazy to limit one’s choice by only playing the same songs all the time. If I wanted that, I’d listen to Radio 2 or a heritage radio station, although in the case of the latter, I’d rather drink my own urine. Actually, I’d probably rather drink yours. So, don’t take the piss. Play something a bit different. Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt but it does piss me off sometimes.
