The Vatican's top ten countdown
Wednesday February 24 2010
BONO once famously called Pope John Paul II 'the funky Pontiff' as he presented him with a pair of wraparound sunglasses – but certain reports in certain places last week painted a picture of Benedict XVI being one who knows how to get down with it too.
The official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, printed a list of what it regards as the top ten albums of all time, and some of the ensuing coverage gave the impression that they were the Pope's own personal favourites. But these weren't recordings of Gregorian chanting by monks or Christmas hymns by the Vienna Boys Choir, as the list instead included some seminal works by many of the hardest-living and most drug-addled and/or sex-crazed musicians of all time.
For example, there was (What's the Story) Morning Glory by Oasis, a collection of songs with countless references to hard drug-taking, spearheaded by a couple of lads (the Gallagher brothers) who you wouldn't really think the Vatican would be holding up as role models for young Catholics. There was The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, one of the trippiest albums ever conceived anywhere, and one which will forever be associated with dropping acid or smoking dope.
And speaking of acid, topping the list was Revolver by The Beatles – the first sign of their entry into psychedelia, when they were all so wacked out of it that they thought it would be a good idea to include Yellow Submarine on it. Come to think of it, it was around that time that John Lennon said the band had become bigger than Jesus – maybe all these years later, he's been proven right, for while the Fab Four top the list, there's no sign of anything by JC and the 12 Disciples.
Others that raised an eyebrow were Rumours by Fleetwood Mac – the product of a legendary ninemonth recording session that featured more drugs than a pharmacy and more bed-hopping than the Flea Olympics (again, not behaviour you'd expect the Vatican to condone). And bizarrely, there was Thriller by Michael Jackson, making you wonder if the Pope ever tried to do the moonwalk while wearing those famous red shoes. Or what about the zombies in the video of the title track? How could such godless creatures feature in one of the Pope's favourite tunes?
It turns out though that the list never purported to be one of the Pope's own picks, and instead just reflects the view of some columnist working at the paper (who ever thought that a columnist would come up with something wacky, eh?), with the editorial line being that it should only be treated 'semi-seriously'.
Still, it's a right funny old mix of stuff to get the Vatican seal of approval, particularly as it's only a generation or two since the same music would surely have been denounced as the devil's work, with satanic messages apparently audible if you played the records backwards. Bob Dylan may not feature on the list, but what he sang about the times, they are a-changing comes to mind. Maybe it's only a matter of time before there's a disco held in St. Peter's Basilica, or a rock festival in the square outside?
That really would be worth praying for tickets for...
- COLMlambert
