The one thing we can always be sure of here in the UK is the Christmas No.1 single is gonna be grim. For the past 20 years they've constantly turned out to be boy bands, girl bands or X-factor winners/losers, although there are two exceptions to the dreary list- in 2000 a TV children's character called Bob The Builder, which was slightly less objectionable as it's that kiddie time of year but just as annoying after it's saturation airplay. The other being slightly more perverse with- Rage Against The Machine and their song "Killing In The Name" which was the top seller in 2009. Seasonal it was not, a relief from all of the above mentioned it was.
Which wasn't to say a whole load of the mainstream public suddenly started to rage on but the combined effort of a large amount of anti X-factor thinking. Actually it was the first really recognisable time the internet had been used to rage against mainstream pop in the UK. Fans of the group were plenty motivated and it seems all their mates joined in as well. They got it to No1 and we all had a good laugh over that.
This year a similar plan was put into operation by the fans of AC/DC who made every effort to secure a No.1 slot for the bands old song "Highway to Hell". Apart from being an excellent subtitle to the whole Christmas commercial fiasco it was another attempt to keep an X-factor winner from securing full seasonal control of No.1
It should be said it's not so much the singing housewife Sam Bailey who anyone is trying to keep down but the continued smug domination of popular music by Simon Cowell. The final result of the anti-Cowell vote in 2013 was AC/DC fans did secure the bands first ever top 10 hit, and on their 40 year anniversary, but sadly it was only to get them to No.4 in the top ten on Christmas week. It seems in 4 years the age of the internet has managed to seep into more homes happily buying an X-factor winner than in 2000. And in the same way that yesterdays post exposes Country Music's 2013 woes we take a moment to wave goodbye to a similar if not identical load of crap heaped on us by all in the media. 'The Underground' has never seemed more under ground.
So here's AC/DC in their pomp in Holland, 1979, with their singer then Bon Scott.
We're sure we can all agree on the sentiments expressed in the first line of "Highway To Hell" summarising the whole mainstream music fiasco not only at this time but throughout the year... all together now.
"wellauheezzuh... lellauhzfeee...."
