NW that was f**king censored

[jaybag]

Doesn't it just piss you off to get a CD and find that it's been edited for content? I'm not talking about modern discs where they'll often release a "Parental Advisory" version and an "Amended" version, I'm talking about one release only. Here were a few I can think of...

1. Sigue Sigue Sputnik - "Love Missile F1-11" was censored on the "Flaunt It" CD. They took the line "a Mondo teeno giving head" and did that really annoying thing where they take the section and play it backwards rather than editing the word. It makes the song unlistenable.

2. On Midnight Oil's "Diesel and Dust", the song "Gunbarrel Highway" was left off the U.S. release, and I heard it was because the song included the "s" word (this was 1987, not 1957). I didn't even know the song existed until I found a UK copy.

3. This was a weird one. Maybe Caviar's "Tangerine Speedo" isn't NW, but it's modern rock and still a great song. Anyway, I bought their CD and found that on the line "f**kin' get me a towel, Mr. Tangerine Speedo", the naughty word was censored. This was the only version of the CD that was released. I later found a promo copy of the CD in a used bin, and oddly it was unedited. So I keep the promo copy in my regular jewel case and tossed the original.

Anyone else have any others?

[andrewkstone]

On the English version of XTC's Black Sea album, Virgin made the band rewrite and rerecord completely different lyrics for the opening track -- Respectable Street, as the original was thought to be too edgy. This version is on the Rag and Bone Buffet collection, and is really kind of funny. Lyrics like "and which sex positions pleases best her old man" were changed (to "propsitions pleases") and "retching over our backfence" to "stretching over ..."

As a writer, I hate censorship of any time. But I truly adhor the double standards. XTC was never a big money-maker, and I wonder if that's why Virgin made them rewrite the lyrics. The Pretenders were able to release Precious with the dreaded "f-word" (true, many radio stations bleeped out). But the Pretenders were probably a more visible band when they hit, even though that was their first album (and a great on, IMHO).

It's the same today, when Bono can say it's fu**ing brilliant to get a award, but the FCC doesn't fine him because the context of how he used the word was sexual. You gotta love justifications...


Andrew

Andrew K. Stone
Author of
ALL FLOWERS DIE and DISAPPEARING INTO VIEW
read the first chapters at
http://www.sotherebooks.com

[design_femme]

Egg-roger's cd mix reminded me of the lyrical change in Voice of the Beehive's "I Say Nothing." Back in 1990-ish, I heard one version on the radio, but when I bought the cassette, it was another. Finally, I dug up this story on the net:

(from voiceofthebeehive.com)

In October 1987, London released "I Say Nothing" in a variety of formats (including two 7-inch variations, and three different 12-inches). Almost immediately, the band took flak from the prudes at the BBC, who demanded that the lyrics "she says I get it every night" and "he'll rip you right in two" be changed. The band obliged and the lyrics became "she says I see him every night" and "he'll rip your heart in two," but Radio 1 DJ Janice Long continued to play the original and the band eventually thanked her for doing so in the Let It Bee liner notes. The single quickly disappeared from the markets because of the offending lyrics and the band was none too pleased. Fortunately, they were able to keep the original lyrics on Let It Bee, and in live shows even changed one of the lyrics to "she says I fuck him every night" (this wily lyrical fix can be heard in the live version of "I Say Nothing" that appears on the "Perfect Place" CD single).

[Arcadia]

Holy Moly! I had no idea what a foul mouth those girls had Design_Femme. Thanks for the story. They always looked so innocent in their videos....

[jaybag]

Just a quick story here - I met Bruce Belland about 10 years ago - he was the lead singer of the 50's group The Four Preps. We were talking backstage at a show his group had just done. He told me his daughters were in a rock group but I'd probably never heard of them. When he told me they were called Voice Of the Beehive, my jaw dropped. When I said "I have both their albums - 'Let It Bee' and 'Honey Lingers'," HIS jaw dropped! Good way to make a papa proud [:D] He got me an autographed cassette of "Honey Lingers" from the girls [8D]

Anyway ... I'm with you Andrew. I hate censorship of any kind too. It's not like I demand swearing in my music, I just hate knowing something's been edited. It's like watching movies on TV. The dub jobs they do sometimes are horrible. I was watching "Valley Girl" on TV one time, and they got to the scene were Nicolas Cage's character was cussing out Deborah Foreman. They were trying to turn "f*ck you" into "screw you", but didn't even get the original word entirely out. It actually sounded like "FuScrew you! FuScrew you!" I'd rather they just bleep it or drop the sound out than dub it.

So who has more NW censorship? Any former PMRC members out there???

[Frank_Chickens]

Anti-Nowhere League - "So What". The original version was the b-side to "Streets of London" and the single was quickly withdrawn from sale
to be replaced by a heavily edited version of the b-side.

The original version can be found on the CD re-release of their first LP "We are the League".

[randy]

Knacks-Good Girls Don't had lyrics changed from "Wishing you could get inside her pants" to something like "Wishing that she would give you a chance"
Yeah-Not new wave but close enough.

[andrewkstone]

Hi Randy -- I didn't know they changed that Knack lyric. I've got the song and the "pants" lyric is there. (We had been thinking of playing the tune in my band, so I've heard it recently) Did they change it after the album, maybe for a single version?

When that song came out, that line always got to me -- actually, it still does lol! The Knack -- between their lyrics and the cover for the My Sharona single -- the pic of the beautiful girl with the shock of black hair and tight, white tank top ... man. Evey teenage boy's fantasy.

Andrew


Andrew K. Stone
Author of
ALL FLOWERS DIE and DISAPPEARING INTO VIEW
read the first chapters at
http://www.sotherebooks.com

[randy]

The single version =at least as it was released in ultra Catholic Rhode Island. Remember them editing Billy Joels Only The Good Die Young?

[marie3]

[quote][i]Originally posted by design_femme[/i]
<br>Egg-roger's cd mix reminded me of the lyrical change in Voice of the Beehive's "I Say Nothing." Back in 1990-ish, I heard one version on the radio, but when I bought the cassette, it was another. Finally, I dug up this story on the net:

(from voiceofthebeehive.com)

In October 1987, London released "I Say Nothing" in a variety of formats (including two 7-inch variations, and three different 12-inches). Almost immediately, the band took flak from the prudes at the BBC, who demanded that the lyrics "she says I get it every night" and "he'll rip you right in two" be changed. The band obliged and the lyrics became "she says I see him every night" and "he'll rip your heart in two," but Radio 1 DJ Janice Long continued to play the original and the band eventually thanked her for doing so in the Let It Bee liner notes. The single quickly disappeared from the markets because of the offending lyrics and the band was none too pleased. Fortunately, they were able to keep the original lyrics on Let It Bee, and in live shows even changed one of the lyrics to "she says I fuck him every night" (this wily lyrical fix can be heard in the live version of "I Say Nothing" that appears on the "Perfect Place" CD single).
[/quote]

I didn't know that! I have the original version of I say Nothing. I see the video on VH1 classics from time to time. I have to check it out more closely and see which version they use.

[andrewkstone]

[quote][i]Originally posted by randy[/i]
<br>The single version =at least as it was released in ultra Catholic Rhode Island. Remember them editing Billy Joels Only The Good Die Young?
[/quote]

I don't remember the edit of that, either! And, as you know, I'm from Rhode Island. But I didn't really pay attention to Billy Joel, anyway.

I DO remember when John Lennon died, and WBUR played Working Class Hero, without bleeping out the 2 "f-words." Then again, it was John Lennon who just died, we were all in shock, and the DJ did give a "disclaimer" saying there had been requests for this song but we want you to know that "here at BRU, we son't speak this way." Boy was my father pissed off when he heard it, but for my benefit, he kept his cool!

I apologize -- that wasn't NW censorship, but censorship, nevertheless! The PMRC -- Tipper Gore. Too much time on her hands ... wife of politician needing an "issue" ... ? I don't know, but too much ado about nothing, IMHO.

Andrew


Andrew K. Stone
Author of
ALL FLOWERS DIE and DISAPPEARING INTO VIEW
read the first chapters at
http://www.sotherebooks.com

[skinnytie]

The word "ass" is bleeped out on "Rebels Rule" by the Stray Cats, from the "Rant and Rave" album.

Speaking of which, anyone heard the song "The Bleep", by Graham Parker? It was the b-side of "New York Shuffle", and on it, he took his song, "The Raid" (with references to drug use), and bleeped out those references. As the song continues, the bleeping becomes ridiculously random. I guess this was Mr. Parker's take on censorship.

[randy]

"You Catholic girls start much too late" were the deleted lyrics from Billy Joel-at laest on stations such as WPRO.
Also, if you recall, I think it was Govorner Noel (for Xmas-not for Govorner)that prohibited the Catholic Girls from playig in RI one year due to the song "God Made You For Me"!!!!!!

[jaybag]

Yeah Randy sometimes radio stations can be weird about things like that. Anyone old enough to remember that Olivia Newton-John's song "Physical" was banned in Utah? A slightly more recent example was one of our local stations (KIQQ in L.A. - R.I.P.) - it was a pretty forward-thinking station ... yet when they played Bowie's "China Girl", they deleted the line "visions of Swastikas in my head" from the song (instead all you heard was the background music where the words should have been). To this day, I can't hear that song without thinking about how that line got chopped out of the song.

[SomebodySomewhere]

No censorship thread would be complete without The Boomtown Rats' Columbia U.S.-mandated butchering of "Dave" ("Rain"). I never understood why The Rats even bothered to go through the trouble of trying to appease them, considering they were at the end of their rope in 1985.