Chord transcription by Mikayel Abazyan mikayelabazyan@yahoo.com
Playing tips
This song is probably the most complex one in this 3-chord 4/4-song album. The main picture
is created by organ and the rhythm section, with addition of sax, as if preparing the ground
for the upcoming VdGG album. So, what is presented here is just the result of my humble attempt
to try to follow the bass line, being mixed with the additional notes created by Banton's
excellent play on keyboards.
The capitalized letters denote the points where bass notes coincide with the base chord notes.
For example, E means that "e" bass note should be played here, and "E" chord can also be played here.
The dash symbol "-" denotes quick change of the chords. Definitely, all those notes'n'chords have
their specific durations which can be obtained by keeping correct count, but I am far away from
writing musicsheets, so bear with this please.
A special note on using asterisk symbol (*) is provided at its first occurrence.
Finally, note that there is an intro played by the band, for which similar notes/chords are provided
at the end of the transcript. In order to catch the idea correctly refer to the original recording
anyway - a MUST condition!
P.S. Initially, two transcripts were prepared: bass approximation and chord approximation. Soon after
both versions were prepared, in the sake of having both in one place a trade-off decision was made -
to merge them by using letter cases.
[INTRO]: spoken by Hugh Banton: "Oh, why didn't you say, more Stevie Wonder?"
E d d e d b d e A
"Sod the music," said the man in the suit,
E d d e a g e C D D#
"I understand profit and without that, it's no use.
E d d e d b d e a g
Why don't you go away and write commerce-al songs;
E d d e a g e C D D#
come back in three years, that shouldn't be too long..."
A a G E C D
He's a joker and an acrobat,
d- A a G E C D G-G#-A* (asterisked* letters following each other denote the same notes)
a record exec. in a Mayfair flat
A* a G E C D
with Altec speakers wall to wall,
d- A a G E C D G g#-g
a Radford and a Revox and through it all he plays strictly nowhere Muzak.
E d d e d e d e a
"Hey, listen, baby, this band's got a lot of soul...
a- E d d e g-a-g-a-g C D D#
if we can beat that out of them I see a disc of gold!
E d d e d b d e
Give them an image, maybe glitter, maybe sex,
A a- g E d d e
maybe outrage, maybe elegance -
a g e C D D#
how about as nervous wrecks?"
A a G E C D
Signs up the product at two percent,
A a G E C D
justified by vinyl shortage and the increased rent
g g#-A a G E C D-d
on the yacht he has to hire to make his pitch at Midem
a - A a G E C D
and all the press receptions for his business friends
G g#-g
who spill their Taittinger upon the floor
F# F E
while the band sip English lager just outside the door.
E e - G A
Treble, alto, bass clefs on the page,
A - C D
crotchets, quavers, minims all the rage
D-F B - B E
but you'll never find a pound note in the score -
E - F# G
it's there when it's strictly merchandise,
G - A A# A# C D
through all the propagated lies about what the whole thing's for.
D - E D - E D - E D - E D C
He'll make you a star, he'll make you so famous
C - D C-D C - D C -D C A#
that all you desire is to be left nameless,
A# A C A A# A C A-D-D#-D-D#
drained of all you felt you had to offer
A# A C A A# A C A-A-A#-A-A# Gm*
at the start.
Gm* d d# e# A - A# A - A# Gm d d# e# A-A# A-A# Gm*
He knows what eats your heart.
Gm* d d# e# A-A# A-A# Gm d d# e# A-A# A-A#
That's too bad.
E d d e d b d e A a
Not without blame, either, are the gentlemen of the press:
E d d e
you can talk about the state of music,
a g e C D D#
they will write about your dress.
E d d e d e d e
Play them the new album, they will say it's great (or not) -
A g E d d e
when the articles come out, they're all about
d-a-d e C D D#
how ma- ny dogs you've got.
A a G E C D
God to keep the human interest high,
d- A a G E C D G
and the hacks are only too willing to comply,
G-A a G E C d - D
pander to the ego, build up frail men as gods -
d - A a G E C D
but somewhere in the process, the prime purpose is forgotten.
G- g#-g
Now I bet you thought that was a hard line to sing
but I've done it anyway, it's my thing!
E d d e d b d e b b
Groupies offer their bodies, the hangers-on their coke;
E d d e b a C/b D/a
it's all very jolly what a joke!
D#/g- E d d e d e d e A
Fellini creatures cluster round the dressing-room,
g- E d d e a-g-a e C D D#
the heavenly bodies all got to have their moons.
A a G E C D-d
In the cult of the superman
d- A a G E C D G G#-A*
the music plays a supporting role and
A* a G E C d - D
far more important is the shape of his nose,
d- A a D E C D G
the size of his codpiece and the cut of his clothes...
g#-G
soul and feeling always take second place
F# F E
to the bump and grind of a Fender bass.
E e- G A
Frankly, most musicians bore me - but not as much as those
C D D - F B- B E
who chase the glory to bask in reflected light,
E E - F# G
making the man much more important
G- A A#
than his arpeggios and mordants,
A# C - D
when it's the other way that's right.
D-E D - E D - E D - E D C
On the values by which this world makes its heroes
C - D C-D C - D C - D C A#
then the best vi - olinist ever was Nero,
A# A C A A# A C A-D-D#-D-D#
because he had the most Press
A# A C A A# A C A - A-A#-A-A# Gm*
and his fire gimmick was simply the best.
{ Gm* D D# E# A-A#-A-A# Gm* } x4
E D D E D B D E A A
E D D E B b A g a-a
We got the live thing too,
E D D E E B D E A G
E D D E g-a-g-e-g C D D# E*
the Human Zoo:
E* D D E D B D E A G
E D D E g-a-g-a-e C D D# E*
E* d d e d b d e a a
Ten thousand arms are raised, just like the Hitler Youth -
E d d e b a g C D D#
Might think you were at Nuremberg, if it weren't for all the groove - ers.
E d d e d b d e A g
ten thousand peace signs mark the entry of the sax.
E d d e
Ten thousand peace signs,
b a g C D D# E
but they're different from the ba - a-a - ack.
(The song fades towards the end in {e* a-d-e*} sequence)