Regrets, I've Had a Few
By Mr. Moderator on Jul 6, 2008
In round-robin fashion, let's share our rock 'n roll regrets. I'll start. Your regrets do not have to mirror my initial example in form or content. The regret could be over the buying of a particular album, like one of those Style Council lps. The regret could be about a public expression of rock beliefs among the wrong crowd. Just be honest.
I regret not buying Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols on vinyl within a few years of its release. For years I was content to listen to friends' and roomates' copies, saving my precious few dollars for buying other records that no one in my circle of friends owned. Then, by the time I felt I should own the album myself, CDs were out and I didn't want to be confused with some yuppie asshole who was coming late to the party. Cool record store clerks keep track of that stuff, you know. To this day I do not own Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. I keep thinking I'll find a used, worn copy at some out of the way location, where my latecomer purchase may not be recognized and reported by The Cool Patrol.
36 comments
I regret not having seen The Stones in 78 and 81. They were too popular for me, because I was 16 and I was "underground." I was really worried about The Cool Patrol back then. I would have had boffo seats in 81, too. They were fifteen bucks, though!
I regret not keeping track of some of my old albums. I traded some of them for more organic things, and gave some away because I thought I wouldn't listen to them anymore, or traded them in because I was sure I'd be forced to pick them up on cd that way. It didn't work.
For those who aren’t familiar with this guitar, it looks a bit like the batman symbol turned sideways and the version that I bought had a locking tremolo and no less than 11 different knobs and switches on it (seriously, 11) for, you know, getting the Right Tone and whatnot.
The irony of me having this high performance, shredder-type guitar is that at the time I was heavily into stuff like the Velvet Underground, the Stones and Muddy Waters.
Unlike the Mod’s tale however, my story has a relatively happy ending in that I traded the Bich for a Strat AND a P Bass a few years later, both of which I still have. But I’m still plagued by the fact that I exercised such poor judgment in the first place. You may be able to atone for your sins sometimes, but forgetting about them is a lot tougher.
It was also lame to think we could just drive to Baton Rouge to see the Sex Pistols without buying advance tickets, which would have been easy to do. And I have no Cool Patrol to blame for this.
I really regret not flying to England in 2002 to see Pulp on their forest tour. I decided to take a new job where I wouldn't have enough vacation time to make the trip. There would eventually be no American tour, and the band instead went into deep freeze at the end of '02.
http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Money/dp/B001AF87QS/ref=pd_ys_shvl_18
...and I regret not taking out my arch nemesis Van Morrison before he put out his gazzillionth album.
VAN MORRISKHAAANNN!!!
I also regret not flying in England on one of Bruce Dickinson's flights when he flew for Astraeus Airlines
Hey Mr Mod - the reason you never bought "Never Mind..." was that you had bought "The Clash" and I had bought "Never Mind..." the same day down in DC when were were college visting. We then exchanged tapes
I have no GV in my collection and decided that needed to be rectified and so went searching yesterday. Even I couldn't justify getting the Bear Family box but an amazon reseller had the other set for $56. I quickly went to half and eBay to see if there were any copies there. Nope. Back to amazon to get the set and it's gone and the next cheapest one was $113.
So, any suggestions on just what GV I need? And while you're at it, same question vis-a-vis Eddie Cochran.
My friends and I went down the road to the movie theater and laughed our heads off for 4 hours watching a double bill of "Take The Money & Run" and "Bananas". A great night but I could have seen those movies anytime.
Geo, how about a review of the Croce/Newman show? And how did you get home?
Speaking of which some guy has a 'very good' used copy of a 4-CD Cochran set up on Amazon for $2325.00! Wow.
When I get home to my collection, I can see if I still have the vinyl transfers of a couple of really excellent French pressings of Gene Vincent albums.
On the topic of those '82 "Schlitz and The Who Rock America" posters -- I stole a box of them from the liquor store where we used to buy our Wiedeman's, and I still have it in my basement. Folks are flogging the posters on eBay for, like, 10 bucks apiece. Like Chuck Berry and his fleet of worthless 1977 Lincoln Continentals, I plan to hold onto my poorly designed, shades-of-TRON , Kenny-Jones'-Head-is-Clearly-Airbrushed-Onto-Keith's-Body posters until they're worth thousands... then I'll sell them to *you*. Get that checkbook ready!
HVB
Al, 1 CD of Gene Vincent is enough for anybody. He runs out of steam after the first two Capitol LPs. Few of those 50s rockabilly dudes warrant a 27 disc Bear Family retrospective. The hands down, one exception, is the Buddy Holly 5 LP set that's no longer in print. Once every couple of years, I plant my ass on the couch with the Goldrosen biography with the phono blasting the LPs and remain in that position until I'm through with the book.
One could also argue for the Carl Perkins Sun box.
One more thing, a couple of weeks ago, a clean out guy showed up at the flea market with boxes and boxes of bootleg CDs that he was selling for peanuts. In that load was a Dylan box set with about 7 or 8 discs called "Genuine 1966 Live". Super awful shit but very fascinating.
Hope all is well,
E. Pluribus
Seriously, though, these stories are GREAT. I wanna hear about that Croce / Newman show, too, Geo. Lay it out there.
I regret sticking to my budget when I bought my first guitar. I told myself I wouldn't spend more than $300, so I walked home with a brand-new 1981 Washburn Eagle -- instead of the 1960 Stratocaster the store owner was willing to sell me for $350.
Explanation for the store owner's bizarre behavior: this was in Africa, where presumably word hadn't got out yet about the desirability of such things.
Here are some more:
I regret not going to the Camper Van Beethoven show Townsman Mockcarr tried to drag me to -- the one where they played "Harmony In My head" as an encore.
I regret not really caring all that much when my Dad introduced me to Stan Getz, Dave Bruebeck and Billy Eckstine back in the 70 and 80s.
I regret missing the chance to see ZZ Top at the Solomon's Island Aquatic Museum (?!) on the Buttfuck Eastern Shore of Maryland a couple of weeks ago. (I've yet to see them!)
I regret never actually going to see the mbaqanga stylings of the Soul Brothers, when I could have, in person, back when they totally ruled.
There are more, I'm sure, but those ought to do for now.
HVB
I used to regret not seeing the Who show at Vet Stadium (I even had a ticket), but then I saw footage of that tour with Kenny Jones and I ceased all regret. Kenny, you drummed so wonderfully on "Green Circles" and "Tin Soldier." What the hell happened to you, man?
I could've bought a copy of the "Butcher Cover" (still covered) from a friend for $50. But who had anywhere near that kind of scratch back then?
I regret not having cajoled either Gimme or the Shimmers record more (either live or in the studio). That's two bands I played in that had great songs and very little archival record to show for it.
I regret not seeing the J. Geils band when I had the chance.
I just hung out in front of the theatre where i ran into this cute girl i knew and kinda wanted to get with. She forgot to buy a ticket as well. As the security thugs were frisking people, someone from her high school saw her and tossed her a giant bag of weed. He said," I'll meet up with you later to get it back." Suddenly, everyone about to get frisked started handing us their drugs, knives, and brass knuckles(i swear) as if we were the contraband squad.
So instead of seeing the Beastie Boys right before they got HUGE(again), I did a bunch of free drugs and had sex with a hot 17 year old girl.
I somehow still regret not buying the ticket.
Something's wrong with me.
The Beasties played the Warfield on that tour and I worked at that show. I’m not a fan of theirs but the show was really good. Still, I would trade the experience for a nice set of brass knuckles and some of that other stuff.
So, my regrets are not catching Peter Gabriel in '04. Not flying to England and seeing Brian Wilson premier Smile (Who can afford that?). I did get see Brian on the U.S. Smile tour, but I think it would have been pretty special to be in that audience. Plus, I could have finally seen jolly old England, the land of The Stones and The Beatles.
Maybe my regret is not being born before 1975. But, that's not my fault. It would have been cool to be at Newport in 65. Leeds in 70. Hell, it probably would have been cool to be at Altamont, because despite the bad vibes and whatnot, The Stones looked like they were kicking some ass. But, what do I know?
TB
It's hard for me to think of any live show that changed my opinion of an artist in a positive manner. They either matched my expectations that I had via their records or they disappointed.
A live show regret was only if I ended up missing a good time with my mates, or if something extraordinary happened that I missed (they met the artist!, someone got laid!)
Concerts are such impersonal events for me(as opposed to listening to a record) that its hard to think anything special was missed. The stuff I usually remember most about concerts is: "all of my friends were there", we scored a good buzz, that hippie douche-bag that sat in front of us, we chatted up some cool ladies, etc. Not that the music took me somewhere new that I couldn't get to by spinning their disks.
The stuff I usually remember most about concerts is: [...] Not that the music took me somewhere new that I couldn't get to by spinning their disks.
O, Chicken! This is troubling. I need to pull up my virtual couch and ask you things like, "And when was the first time you knew concert disappointment? Had you at that time known the love of a woman?... or of any sort of mammal at all?" We need to have a drink over that one. But honestly, free associate or whatever, but I'm curious about that whole concept.
Anyone else here feel that way about live music in general?
Everybody funny, now you funny too.
I attend the live shows of local bands pretty frequently, so I enjoy and appreciate live music, and the company of some mammals. But while you may defend the idea of the "wisdom of crowds", can you vouch for the comfort or politeness of crowds?
I should have said concerts and not live music. I dare, no defy!, anyone to say there was something positive to draw from being among 30,000 people watching the parody of the Stones or the Who doing their puppet show from 200 yards away.
Love Costello, but some douche-bag screaming his/her head off at the first chords of Alison is going to bum me out. Worse, when they sing along. I'm easily distracted and quick to anger, sue me.
"Wish I'd seen the Who at the Enormo-dome", to me means wish I could say I was there.
Sticking to my guns: nothing to get musically from a concert than either a matched expectation or a disappointment. Feel free to convince me that being in the presence of a strutting Mick and his leg warmers and knee pads gave you a greater appreciation.
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