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courtney
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by peterwhite
  • Type: Album
  • Release date: 09/02/2004
  • Label: Virgin
Screw the anticipation; Courtney is back on the stereo and she stole your converse sweating boyfriend and made him realise who was queen. It's over, deal with it. The darling of said masturbatory sub pop-screwing teen has made the record she's promised since we were wet and obsessed with 'Live Through This'. Her talk says Zeppelin sinking Abba covers and her walk delivers even more. She's sliding down the Sunset Strip with pop nous strangling choir-tainted punk rock.

'Mono' is just the beginning; the angry yell before she gets even. 'America's Sweetheart' is the confession of a woman gone mad, gone Les Paul shopping and gone hunting for celebrity endorsing songwriters. Her honesty's still apparent since she was last seen, having her parts waxed in print and humping donald duck ('I've got pills for my coochie coz I'm sore'). She's still a Pamela Des Barres novel wrapped up in a life of Jackie O black tie dinners. While her peers were growing tired of a lifetime of overdoses and plaid, she found the next generation of Ramones schtick beating punks, shagged them with the Bono talk and taught them the words to 'Sheena Is A Punk Rocker'.

'America's Sweetheart''s polished tone perfectly complements her own scraggy zeitgeist; the Linda Perry pop sheen comfortably sits next to the dirty hooker feuding rock pomp. 'Sunset Strip' throws up the catchiest refrain Courtney's ever sung ('Oh, Rock Star Pop Star, Everybody Dies') and swallows the 70s tourbus skank of 'All The Drugs' in a world where Marilyn Manson learnt from 'Exile On Main Street' era Stones rather than Annie Lennox and The Eurythmics.

She's learnt how to play Jimmy Page, the same way Kurt wrote 'Aero Zeppelin', swapping Seattle brown for California red.
She can write a four beat love song to piss on The Knack ('Uncool') and she can still recite the 'Pretty On The Inside' songbook.
And she still knows how to use the 'Teen Spirit' hook to piss off the Smashing Pumpkin fans.
But 'America's Sweetheart' is still more 'Celebrity Skin' than anything; it's still Hole setting out to live in a world complete with Michael Stipe mainstream credibility and homosexual xanex parties.

The 45 minutes of vinyl deserving Courtney loving ends like the movie made to accompany her dirrty death disco existence; a lemonhead trashing ballad of 'Doll Parts' proportion.

  • Courtney Love 9 / 10
Words: peterwhite

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Courtney Love......who fucking cares?

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

..Well, anyone who gives a toss about rock n roll, and largely the only person left in the world who personifies it as such.

It's like saying that East Enders is stupid because it's all made up.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

you obviously care enough to take the time & effort to moan about her!

get a life yourself!!

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

I dont like her because i really feel that shes hung on for too long. Even the solo lp isnt written by her soley.
Plus her face is fast becoming more botoxed and plastic each photoshoot i see.
how R'n'R.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

I agree...She is no Marc Ash!!!

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

how dreadful- someone not doing their ENTIRE own album! almost makes me want to cut off my own ears and lock myself in some sweaty dirty garret. Since when did everyone write every one of their fucking songs ANYWAY!? Shit, i'd better get back to wanking off over my oxfam jumpers a la badly yawn sex toy and be a real credible artist!! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Re: Surgery- who gives a fuck!! "i am so real i am beyond fuck"...make some money treat yourself! god knows courtney's spent aeons looking and acting like a beautiful mess...and i bet everyone thought she needed to sort out the way she looked then too and gave her enuff shit over it...shame she didnt turn into a lovely gwyneth paltrow...all nice and conservative like a nice wifey...sigh...apron and all....

its also such a shame about these fucking bitches who decided to "hang on" longer than they're needed. yeah girls really need to realise they're good for a record then get the picture and sod off once they've done the cover of maxim. Heaven forbid a WOMAN lasting more than ten years in the music industry!!! And god a woman over 25 aswell!! It's a good thing we got rid of Nina Simone the other year--but then again she was black and loveable in a nice old way....aww bless her....

being real's all in the fucking mind.....

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

See, these are the kinda posts that make me want to hate what we've created here at DiS towers. I'm sorry, but I dunno whether this is naievity or just plain ignorance.
Just about every great record ever, had more than the sum of the people holding the mic's imagination, specialism and creation gone into it. Producers make a huge difference. Once upon a time A&R kept things in check. Managers. People whose second opinions and external ears make suggestions, all go into a record. As do things read in books, things heard on other records.

Courtney wanted to create a record with the pop suss someone of her status needs. How does one person, with so much anticipation, and so much exageration, ever hope to acheive that without (ab)using someone elses talents?
At least she is honest about the co-writes. And it's better than all these bands who just steal other peoples ideas and call 'em their own. This isn't cheating, it's using what you've got and having the ability to know when to ask for help, rather than possibily letting yourself down. Genius is about theiving - from Robin Hood through Grokster.
RnR is breathing again - here lies thee proof.
Hanging on, because you can, is punk rock.
Did anyone respect Joe Strummer any less because he was older?
Or Tom Waits?
Or Pj Harvey?
Is it better to burn out or keep stoking the flames, with beauty, dignity and hard lessons learnt?

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

but that doesnt hide the fact the albums rubbish? I to have heard it.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

but the album isnt rubbish.. and oh yes, i too have heard it.
it's the album that should have been made in that transitional period between LTT and CS. raw and cathartic but still wish the appealable edge - which, lets face it, has to be there to sell records to those who are curious. (be them pop fans, rock fans, nirvana fans... whatever.)

the thing i like about courtney is that she has maintained curiousity and has evolved musically. from POTI to LTT there was a huge difference, and with every cd she has grown and grown, AS is no different. and hey, everyone likes a good sing-along happy-go-lucky song.. at least she isn't afraid of the critics (and hey there are TONS of them) to explore both her angry aggressive side but also her love of a good pop song.

blah blah blah... the cd is amazing, basically.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

well opinions are opinions,no one wins. I thought it was blatent pap. Zeplin song made me cringe, and mono and hello (think thats the song), sounded too similar.
You must say it almost has a pop punk edge to it, very appealing for the young 'uns. I'll stick to LTT and her husband.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Good Point! LTT was worth listening to - America's Sweetheart is Lash over Substance

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart


It's just thickshit stupidity. It doesn't matter who writes a tune, who co-wrote it, who the producer is, who supplies your bass strings, where you buy pizza from, it simply doesn't matter a fuck. The only thing that matters is the quality of the music produced. So what if she plays around with Linda Perry or Bernie Taupin? Just review the music produced at the end. It's not a bad album, it's going through my speakers right now. I readily admit that I can't think of anything more boring than listening a rich widow talking about her life but that's no reason to damn her. It's probably true that the 'anticipation' around this record is majoritorially PR-created anticipation and not any great fan clamour for new material.

Sideline: Sean, do you consider Courtney Love to be a genius? It almost feels like you're saying it's OK to crib from other sources as long as you're honest about the source. And what do you consider COurtney's status to be?

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

She's a genius at manipulating the media and twisting contexts and creating things for people to talk about, in much the same way Madonna through Ryan Adams have figured out what it takes. And that makes her an icon. How many self-made icons do you know?

She's not quite up there on a Micheal Jackson level, but that isn't the point.

Would I consider Jonny Rotten a genius? Would I consider Conor Oberst a genius?Would I consider Charlie from Busted a genius? Genius is all in the eye of the beholder. Does it matter who I consider to be a genius?

The record will fire some rockets of excitement and inspiration into the music world, and that is exactly what we all need. End story.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart


It doesn't matter whom you consider a genius, what matters is the criteria that you apply when giving out such plaudits as that criteria will be the determining factor as to whether you look vaguely rational for giving out such plaudits or an absolute prick. To apply genius status to someone based on their ability to get in the tabloids and manipulating the media seems pretty damn tawdry and ultimately as facile as the argument given by some people about Pop Idol ie. they must be the best because they sell the most records... to say that Courtney is self-made is absurd. Do you really think that she would have gotten so much attention had Kurt never existed? I agree she has taken control of one side of her but it's ludicrous to say that she's self-made and that her late husband's visibility in the media didn't help her immensely. Try a comparison with another blonde master of media manipulation, the late Princess of Wales, who surely wouldn't have made it into the papers quite so much had she remained Lady Diana Spencer. You say that Michael Jackson is a self-made icon like her: fucking nonsense, the man's musical career was (and still is) inspirational to millions. How can you compare his musical ouevre to that of Courtney, whose last semi-decent album was a decade ago? Has she come up with her 'Off The Wall' yet? No she hasn't.

But hey, this is the fun of it. We can discuss Courtney for what and who she is or isn't because it's ultimately way more exciting than talking about her music, yes?

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Shit! this is exactaly my fucking point its been nearly 10 years since kurt died people, what exactaly do you expect courtney to do?
The only reason courtney is so hated is because she was married to kurt cobain, how dare she have a carrer of her own? wasnt that what people were accusing her of being a NANCY SPUNGEN.
Face it the album is not bad

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

...and I said that the album's not bad elsewhere. It's not some bolt from the heavens but it's OK. It may have been nearly 10 years since Kurt had that whole shotgun-face incident but it's also been nearly 10 years since Live Through This was released, the last semi-decent record she was involved in (it's better than America's Sweetheart). She had a career of her own pre- and post-Cobain. I'd personally like Courtney to release a decent record and focus less on trying to be so wock n' woll (sic) man. Rich people talking about their cwazee life ain't thrilling.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

courtney love. malcolm mclaren. not all that dissimilar.

both pretty fucking dislikeable characters really.

and yet i love her so.

am VERY much looking forward to hearing this album.

x
gen

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Do you own any of Malcolm's albums?

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart


"..Well, anyone who gives a toss about rock n roll, and largely the only person left in the world who personifies it as such."

That's true if you believe that rock n' roll can only be stupid and airbrushed and that a hellraiser image is more important than the actual music. Rock n' roll is also about life and vitality ie. something more than just Sunset Strip, drug ingestion and fucking.

But of course, we should respect her for who she is and not ever suggest that she's a publicity hungry lady at all. Comparing her to Dylan in any way in absolutely ludicrous.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1484748/20040202/love_courtney.jhtml?headlines=true

Peter, do you really know any guy who would consider Courtney to be a wank fantasy?

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

I reckon she'd eat most guys for breakfast... and most guys definitely fantasise about that!

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Dr. Furry:
Yes. Plenty. And that's just in Stoke Newington.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart


Presumably the Stoke Newington translation guide for tourists left out the sections based around 'quality control'.

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

"make some money treat yourself! " Inane or what?????

Courtney is the greatest thing in Mock 'n Roll.


Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

its pretty fucking typical that all the people who've complained here about courtney love are boys. you all really need to grow up and accept that she kicks most white boys with guitars in to the gutter. at least pete had the fucking intelligence to acknowledge it.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart


Uh-huh, of course it's institutional sexism that makes me think Courtney's shit. Remind me to destroy all my PJ Harvey records along with my Kim Deal adoration too. Now you don't like the Distillers so all good credit to you. The simple thing is that Courtney hasn't been involved with a semi-decent record since Live Through This was released nearly a decade ago and is way more famed for her tabloid moments than any musical endeavour. Many pro-Courtney people are the same people who'd say that Liam Gallagher was a Neanderthal tabloid licking lunkhead. What's worse: someone who is a bit dumb acting up or someone who does possess intelligence making themselves look stupid? I don't think Courtney's an evil psycho Cobain murdering bitchqueen from hell, she's clearly got some intelligence up there, I just don't think she's worthy of any huge musical attention. Anyhow, anything she can do to promote this album will be inferior to Janet Jackson's clever Superbowl act.

Sexist Male Geek Pig of Ontario.xx

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

bless you dear, at least you have a good arguement (compared to most people on the subject) and surprisingly i agree with most of what you say. i don't normally get involved with the board but i just got fed up with the 'evil psycho Cobain murdering bitchqueen from hell' as you marvellously put it or the 'she's a fucking crack whore' bollocks thats normally posted here. its just typical easy insults to aim at a woman who's achieved tons in a massively male dominated industry.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart


It seems like it's an American way of doing things to take potshots at any woman who is a little feisty and headstrong. Take the current case against Martha Stewart for alleged insider trading, the media has gone on serious attack mode with her despite her crimes being less substantial than those high up within Enron. She's suffered the same way that Yoko did and most of it is undeserved. As I said elsewhere, she is a difficult lady to work with, both male and female collaborators/potential collaborators from Billy Corgan to Kathleen Hanna have had problems with her so I don't think it's just a 'men have problems with Courtney' thing. The album's not bad, I had my first listen to it yesterday afternoon after work and it's OK in a pop-punk way. It's not exactly my cup of tea as hearing a rich lady talking about her life isn't something that touches my heart and head and, as the dear Moz sang, says nothing to me about my life but it's not a festering piece of shit. I still stand by my comments on the Mono single ie. that Avril Lavigne does that whole pop rock thing far better.

Ciao!

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Thank fuck I left Stoke Newington. Ugly woman makes dull record. So what? Ugly in every way, dull in every way. A desparate ego (thought only men had those?) with nothing to say.

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Ho-hum. Courtney Love just isn't very good people. As Shotkey said, who cares? Her utter irrelevance to the musical landscape in 2004 is startling. And what's even more shocking is that people still fall for the preening publicity-seeking, the depressing staple-myself-to-someone-famous routine and the same old boring shock tactics. With Brody and the Distillers beating her at her own game, and homegrown, genuinely engaging talent like PJ Harvey and Carina Round continuing to interest on a much higher plane, I'm amazed anyone remembers who she is. Oh yeah, Kurt, shit, forgot about that…

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

have you actually seen the distillers? they are shocking. being a girl i really really wanted them to be good, but i just felt let down. the sad thing is much as i don't like them i know at some point in the future the same shit said about courtney will be said about brody cos she goes out with the singer in a band that geeky boys idolise. probably when qotsa release their next album and its not as good as everyone wants it to be, the words "yoko ono" and "courtney love" will start being mentioned. its just so pointless.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

The thing is, notice how John Lennon went on to make the best music of any of the solo beatles, and Paul McCartney (whose arrogance is the real reason for the Beatles split) made a pile of shite.
Courtney Love is not one hundredth of the artist or the woman that Yoko Ono is.
The difference is yoko was an artist before she met John, whereas Courtney has never been an artist, either before or after Kurt.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart


If anyone can get their hands on a copy, watch the video of Sonic Youth's "The Year That Punk Broke". It's a tour video from their 1991 European tour featuring a pre-Teen Spirit famous Nirvana and one very shy acting Courtney Love, at that time playing with Babes in Toyland. Even with MTV cameras around, she acts in a manner that would surprise many who only know her as that crwazee rock lady. It's that image of Courtney that should balance against her wild tabloid image. She is an artist but an artist who has lived off of reputation rather than her body of work. She's difficult to work with, that much is clear. Anyone who says she pisses just men off clearly forgets the bad words Melissa Auf Der Maur had to say about her as well as one true woman of rock who does have a musical body of work, Kathleen Hanna.

Lennon may have produced the best 'solo Beatle' work, mainly because he's hardly faced with great competition. Personally I prefer George Harrison's stuff but never mind...

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

i'm not entirely sure what your point is. its not whether courtney or yoko are comparable as artists. its just the stupid 'the wife ruined the band' mentality, people find it very easy to blame the wife/girlfriend when really the band are capable of fucking things up all by themselves. its just the women are an easy scapegoat.

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Ho-hum. Courtney Love just isn't very good people. As Shotkey said, who cares? Her utter irrelevance to the musical landscape in 2004 is startling. And what's even more shocking is that people still fall for the preening publicity-seeking, the depressing staple-myself-to-someone-famous routine and the same old boring shock tactics. With Brody and the Distillers beating her at her own game, and homegrown, genuinely engaging talent like PJ Harvey and Carina Round continuing to interest on a much higher plane, I'm amazed anyone remembers who she is. Oh yeah, Kurt, shit, forgot about that…

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

i've got to give credit here- the article actually talks it better than Courtney does - it's re-hashed Hole- bearable, but only just.

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Brilliant she returns and gives us all something to talk about again. Thats why she exists and as was mentioned before in that way she is a little like eastenders... i bet even her kidneys fucked.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Be the record good or bad, the music world's a better place with her in it. Period.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

I'm not convinced of the 'exclusive' nature of this review. Was I imagining reading a review of it in X-Ray a week or so back>? Without a copy to hand, I can't check.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

they were lying... they pretended they had it, but some streamed them links to seven songs....


Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

I've never really been much of a fan really to be honest, although 'Celebrity Skin' was OK. Though I find it difficult to understand that many people can't see through Brodie Doyle's 'Courtney Idol' impersonation!

Looking forward to the Auf Der Maur album a whole lot more. From what I've heard that sounds very special.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Brody Dalle.

What Courtney should have been


Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Ooops! My mishtake!

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Never been that big a fan of Courtney. Though I find it hard to understand why so many people don't seem to be able to see through Brodie Doyle's 'Courtney Idol' impersonation!

Far more looking forward to the Auf Der Maur album. What I've heard sounds very special.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

aufdermaur are good until you hear them live, she has no passion, no heart and no fucking stage pressence, shes stiff. At least courtney is passionate. i love the album and i love the fatc that she doesnt give a fuck wat anyone thinks about it.

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

I've not heard the record, so I can't pass any judgement on it. I only wish to say how worrying it is that people are still so obsessed with her. I just don't see why everyone gets so obsessive about everything she does, every move she makes, every record she releases. It beggars belief that people blame her for Kurt Cobain's death; likewise this sudden move towards regarding her as some sort of demi-god figure is just completely incomprehensible.

I also don't like the way everyone justifies her every musical action by aid of the cringe-worthy "rock and roll" tag. It's an image, people: I'm not going to be so trite as to suggest that her "contributions to pop culture", no matter if you think they exist or not, are completely worthless, but surely calling her "rock'n'roll" doesn't make the music any better?

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Heard America's Sweetheat

Was a hard ,strong and rocking Cd ..Courtney Love did well on this one..As she does on all her recordings ..For a chick pushing 40 .. She rocks and truely is the Queen of Grunge

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

i agree with the compliments on the album but grunge is dead sweetheart, it was never alive it was sumthing MTV made up.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

why did u waste your time posting that addled bit of nonsense? you do pass judgement, a weak kind. of course what we get is an 'image'. this is commercial rock! what do u expect, 'truth'. fucking hard to find mate. this image is of course her own making but also it is comprised of a number of prejudices towards female artists that have their roots in pre-christian history. u are either a drudge from the dido stable, a happy home maker with a soul as substantial as a ricecake or a harridan wreaking havoc on a civised society. her music, up to a while ago wasbeautiful i.e we got the little girl, the magnificent bitch, the rock critic- just very rich and multi-faceted. she is freaky, amazing, entertaining, a landmine in a versace dress and creates a collective dialogue on the state of music and the position women hold within that penile sphere. what do u listen to? slipnot, system of a down? now they're plastic

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Courtney Love. Whatever. How come you don't have any articles on probably THE most exciting band in Britain: DOGS?

Thanks for a fab website DiS, but where are the DOGS!?

Step on.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

er, there is a live review here: http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/8198.html

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

The thread on the new Easyworld album is at least as long as this thread. Official: Easyworld's new platter causes as much debate as Courtney's new album :)

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Hole were great back in the day and Courtney love deserves another crack at an album. The person who wrote tunes (or part of tunes) like violet and doll parts deserves her place in the rock world. Im sick of people writing of her music simply because they dont like HER. Just listen to the album, either you like her music or not. I will certainly be looking forward to hearing it.

Keep on rockin' courtney!

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Having listened to the album through twice I have two words in my head: 'grand' and 'folly'. However, this being Courtney, the record is still damn impressive. It veers (with requisite excess) in between greatness and absolute insanity more than anything I've ever heard.

With Celebrity Skin, her voice was packed too tightly into the mix, but on this record it sounds too separate. Which is annoying and the main bad point. A lot of the songs are great, though. As NME said, it sounds kinda derivative, but in an adrenaline-packed, purposeful way.

Put it this way: if you like Courtney's Hole stuff lots, you'll probably grow into this one and learn to love it, but unfortunately I can't see it winning over many new fans from scratch. It's very much what we've come to expect from her - the unexpected.

Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

I'm sorry, but did you just crap on your keyboard and hit 'post'?

Upon hearing the single I reached for the nearest sharp instrument and sideways head-banged it into my skull.

Auf Der Maur is far superior. Ok, it's an obvious comparison, but I think a fair one.

Re: Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart

Auf Der Maur's album is boring and pointless compared to this.
Melissa's sounds like a really average, middle of the road, rock album and this doesn't.