Friday, September 25, 2009

A Cannibal Drought Ends



I bought a Fine Young Cannibals CD many years ago. I knew nothing about them in the 1990s when I first sparked up this tune. I still know nothing about them. But I do know I really, really like this tune. I was like a teenager when I first heard it. Sat through it umpteen multitudes of playbacks in a row, tapping my feet as only an aging White Boy can. Happy as if I had a brain.

As I sit here and drag us both down memory lane, I realize I have played this video over and over for 20 minutes or so. I have good reason. You see, for the last 2 or 3 years, I have been suffering a Fine Young Cannibal drought. That CD I played so wantonly without a care in the World shit the bed. And it shit the bed the day I decided to rip it to the safe haven of the record shelves in my hard drive. Died the one day I was going to place it in a secure dust free environment and then wait patiently for me to fire it up whenever the mood struck me. But now it was junk. I waited one playback too many I guess.

Did I just go down to the local record shop about 20 miles away and pick up or order a new copy? That's what most folks would do I imagine. Not me. I had to first attempt to rip it to my library again. And again. And again. Eventually I figured it out. There was no way this CD was ever going to load into my computer. Even worse, it quickly became clear that CD would never spin "Good Thing" again. I had flippin worn out the digital grooves. Or some evil poltergeist from the inner Internet world had decided to take up residence in that copy. On the chance it was indeed an evil presence that had settled in, I carefully discarded the CD with a quick toss into the metal bucket full of metallic trash bound for the recycling monster down to the Acton Dump. I almost said a a few words a day or two later as I dumped that bucket into the 30 cubic yard container that was really nothing but a mass grave for the steel and aluminum we have no use for anymore.

So when I happened upon this video somewhere else while looking for something else, I knew I could get my fix. And fix I did. Fired up the spoon and delivered the rush I used to get from this tune. Funny thing though. The rush is not how I remember it. It seems now years later no rush is as good as when I first tasted them. My neck hairs twitched, but didn't stand on end. It's still a damn fine tune. As is this one.........................



And this one also........................



The drought is over!

(484 / 8029)

3 comments:

Randal Graves said...

Ripping is an alchemical art. I've had first-generation CDs scuffed to hell that rip without incident, fresh ones take a dozen tries or more to avoid reading errors.

I remember when these guys were big and I was only about the metal, angrily scoffing at such poppery. Now that I've aged (I won't say matured 'cause, yeah, right) I appreciate non-power chord stuff more and these are some catchy good tracks.

BBC said...

I bought a Fine Young Cannibals CD many years ago.

Never heard of them.

Snave said...

They are indeed a Fine, Young band. While mostly known for "She Drives Me Crazy" they definitely had some other good tunes, and you posted video links to my other favorite songs of theirs. Roland Gift has/had a great voice. Maybe I ought to get one of their CDs; thanks for the great post and for reminding me about them!