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From: Benjamin@his-phoenix-multics.arpa (Paul Benjamin)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: \"USA for Africa\" trash...
Message-ID: <9887@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 11-Apr-85 13:51:07 EST
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.9887
Posted: Thu Apr 11 13:51:07 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 14-Apr-85 03:28:08 EST
Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA
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> First off, it really pisses me off that they did this first in
> England, and the American artists copied the English and NOW the only
> version you hear (not to mention that pit of video dreck, MTV) is the
> USA for Africa one.  Grrrr...

The main reason that you no longer hear the British "version" (and
version it's not as it is an entirely different song, is that the
British disc was a Christmas song.  It DID get a fair amount of airplay
around Christmas and probably will again this year.

> Secondly, and more to the point, I am not at all impressed by the fact
> that these artists got together and pressed a disc - so that the poor
> American consumer is left actually footing the bill for whatever aid
> we send to Africa....why didn't these rich slobs (read especially
> folks like M.  Jackson Inc.) just GIVE some of their millions?

Your glass is clearly half empty.  What these people did, like it or
not, is a positive thing, at least in that money will go to famine
relief, and consciousness has been raised over the problem.  So you are
ticked off that they didn't do more.  Clearly no one is forcing you to
buy these records.

> The worst thing is, the music is pretty pathetic...and the video
> reminds me a lot of the self-indulgent Police junk - a 'gee, isn't it
> neat to see us at work?' sort of attitude!

Can't argue with that one, really.  Obviously someone likes it though.

> Anyone else disgruntled by this shit?

The only way I'll feel disgruntled is if it gets played so often that it
gets tiring, but that happens with a lot of stuff that is wholly
commercial.