Saturday, April 24, 2004

"Biko"

The segue from "Nkosi Sikelele Africa" into the intro is totally compelling. The threat of the fuzzed guitar, the inevitability of the funeral drumbeat. And the lyrics: so simple, so effective. It's fascinating to listen to the various ways in which politically-active artists demonstrate their commitment: listen to this, and then play Little Steven's "Sun City". Peter Gabriel doesn't need to sloganise; he lets the images do the talking, while Little Steven has to keep reminding us that he "ain't gonna play Sun City". Which works better?

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