Boogie Friday
I never had a good word to say about Ronald Reagan when he was alive and I didn't have a good word to say about him when he died either. But one thing I will give the old bastard is that he did inspire some damn great records like The Valentine Brothers' "Money's Too Tight Too Mention," Gil Scott-Heron's "Re-Ron," and this funky cut by Donald Banks that came out of Washington DC in 1985.
"Status Quo" sounds like a slowed-down Go-Go record with a rap over the top. The words run through a litany of Reagan-era problems and issues: unemployment, welfare, homelessness, addiction - it's a regular laugh riot! - and the groove is suitably dark and urban. It's like a DC version of "The Message" (but not as great). I'm surprised at how little information I've been able to find out about this though, ie: bugger all. Donald Banks doesn't seem to have done anything else, it was produced by Natures Creation and mixed by Bob Blanks if that means anything to anyone. It was originally released on the Kapital Sity label in DC and then on 4th & Broadway in the UK where it became an underground club hit danced to by Soho hipsters in ripped 501s trying to be edgy and "street" (yes, I was one of them).
Sorry about the slightly poor sound quality on this, I had a hard time getting a good copy off the vinyl. You can get a pristine digital version on Washington Go-Go Second Attack, Vol. 2.
(Note to the kids: The "Bush" they're referring to in the song was Reagan's Vice President. He went on to become President himself and is the father of the current occupant of the White House. So when your teachers tell you America doesn't have an aristocracy you know they're bullshitting you.)
[Download]
Status Quo - Donald Banks
5 Comments:
The funny thing--and this is funny in the way that, say, it might be funny to rob a nun to pay some gambling debts--is that I thought Reagan was screwing up the country, then H.W. came along, and now here's W. He is going to be hard to match.
The next Worst President Ever will have to cuckold another head of state, threaten war against a nuclear power, repeatedly soil himself in public, dismantle *all* public services including school fundings and road pavings. And then maybe we will have outdone ourselves.
Yes, I was going to add something about W making Reagan seem almost benign.
Never heard of Donald Banks, but that's Chuck Brown doing the raspy backing vocals.
Well I guess we could do a lot worse as far as our 'leadership' goes-just look at the Clinton disaster.
Nice to see a music/political blog.A rarity these days...
Yeah, Clinton was a real disaster. Booming economy, peace, respect abroad. But he got a blow job didn't he? That's far, far worse than anything Bush has done.
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