Dan: Make with the Commentary! Aaron: Fine Bitch!
1. Box Elder: Nice song. It didn’t knock me on my ass, but I like it. I can see Mixdorf’s point too though. I think I would have to hear more from this artist before feeling compelled to buy an album.
2. Kathy's Song: Like pat, I am most familiar with the live version from Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits. There is no doubting the prowess of PS, in any of his phases. I would mention that even in his world music, he is still deeply rooted in Folk, just not American Folk exclusively. "Obvious Child", and his other songs of this period are a wonderful amalgam of American Folk and African Folk music.
Is this the version from Sounds of Silence? Wondering if it is solo Paul, or S&G. No Garfunkel to be heard, but if I am not mistaken, his voice is absent on the live version as well. It makes me wonder what his harmony would add to the mix. I have said before, and will again, that there are no two voices that meld together in harmony better than Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
This song also brings me back to Pat’s "Box Elder" comment about “perhaps a thousand other similar 'folk' songs written every year that are good, worth acknowledging, but otherwise unremarkable.” I know what Pat is getting at, but I wonder if the comment is a bit contradictory. If there a re a thousand of these songs, and they are unremarkable, are they worth acknowledging? While there are many artists that go without proper recognition, there are many, many more that go without recognition for good reason (outside of Top 40 where the opposite is too often the case). Sticking to the singer/songwriter genre, there are only so many Paul Simons, Lyle Lovetts, and Townes Van Zandts. It is that next level down, those that fly under the radar to all but the truly hardcore fans of a genre that rarely get their due. But that is what I see as the greatness of this endeavor, to expose the others to the Guy Clarks, Patty Larkins, and Nick Drakes that we have happened upon, but of whom the others may be unaware. There will be great revelations, but there will also be songs that leave no impression, or a bad one. Which brings us to…
3. Almost: Boy Dan, ever since you leant me Pale Boy, urging me to listen to this song, I haven’t been a fan. I’ll even say I hate it. I hope this falls into the acceptable comments, because it should. I think my upcoming contribution runs the risk of such opinions, and if such are generated, so be it. I do think Dan is right, in that we should refrain from just saying “God that is a shitty song,” or even “It is my opinion that this is a shitty song.” From there we head into “What is art?” “I am right and you are wrong!” and long drawn-out debates about insider versus outsider art.
Now, why my distaste for this song? That’s tricky. Is it the enunciation? I don’t think so. It is not nearly as crisp and pronounced as it would be coming from one that has trained for years to be a stage performer, and I have been moved nearly to tears by performances with much sharper enunciation. Crisp enunciation does not preclude expressiveness and musicality. But to me the vocal here does lack that intangible something. The backing music leaves me flat as well. There are a couple of things that I do like. Bits of the melody occasionally catch my ear, and tease of something that might have been, and I like the way the phrases end with the “almost…”
4. Never Coming Back Again: Now is this a Fleetwood Mac song, right? Not a solo offering? Buckingham is indeed a great guitarist. I remember becoming aware of this while watching some sort of reunion concert (I think on PBS) and being amazed by some of the subtle things he did. I also think that Fleetwood Mac is too often dismissed by those of us under 45. Some of their stuff is truly great (even some of their stuff from the 80s isn’t too bad), and they are a band that is definitely better than the sum of their parts. Love the song, not much else to say.
5. Such Great Heights: LOVE IT. Amazing. I love the simple guitar, the singing (even the breaths in the middle of phrases), the melody, the lyrics, everything. This makes me want to hear more Iron and Wine, as well as more from The Postal Service. What a great contrast from their version. Did I mention that I LOVE IT?
On the soundtrack issue, I tend to agree with Pat here. If not for the Garden State Soundtrack (plus you got a cut from former Men at Work front man Colin Hay!), this version of this song may never have happened. A Wes Anderson, or Cameron Crowe soundtrack can be like a great mix tape from that guy you never see anymore. Hmmm.
(Another option would be to pay $0.99 for just the song. That is, if you are willing to live within the world of iTunes.)
6. Both Sides Now: Think I’ve heard this version more than the Joni Mitchell version. Can’t say that I am partial to one or the other. There are times that parts of this song can grab me, and other times it does nothing for me. That is it.
7. Cherry Tree Carol: Yep, hear the PHC thing, but it really does nothing for me.
8. The 4a: Great melody, and music. It didn’t blow me away, but I like it.
9. Guenivere: This one made little impression on me.
10. One Misty Moisty Morning: This one strikes me as a bit cheesy, but I like it (hey, I love the Costello/Bacharach album).
posted by Aaron at 1:26 AM
4 Comments:
Dan, I enjoyed every song. Good picks! My favorite is Boxelder. I said it once and I will say it again. I was going to do a comentary, but I don't think that I can break it down like Aaron and Pat can. I can tell you if I like it or not, but with no reason. I give you a five out of a possible score of five.
Thanks, Cor.
Thanks for the comments, Aaron.
It is certainly acceptable to say you hate a song on one of these collections, as hard as it is to hear it.
1. Box Elder-Nice words in defense of those "thousand other" folk songs/artists. For what it's worth-it's not like I'm in a cave, unaware that there are lots of folk songs out there. For whatever reason, I found this song singularly compelling and special.
2. Kathy's Song-Off the 'Sounds of Silence' album. AHA! I was waiting for someone to point this out, as well as the point with Lindsey Buckingham (see below). It was Paul's writing, and only Paul singing. I decided to credit Paul only, 35 years after the fact.
3. Almost-Wow. Hard to hear but the critics are speaking? What is it about this song that I love so much? Or that you all hate so much? (Cory excluded, presumably). Forget the voice, I think the arrangement and music are exquisite!
4. Never Coming Back Again-Yup. Rumours, but crediting only LB. A little more controversial, since the rest of the band may be adding in some "oooh"s. I, too, saw that PBS special and I, too, was amazed by their musicianship!!!
5. Such Great Heights-Well, this sure appears to the be runaway smash hit of the collection, thus far. Were you aware of it previously? Or did you do a little research? If I could go back in an egg-shaped time machine, I would have downloaded the song from i-Tunes, rather than get the album from "YourMusic."
6. Both Sides Now-For me, personally, not the greatest offering in the collection, but I do like it a lot and I felt it was a nice addition to balance out some of the "pure acoustic solo" songs.
7. Cherry Tree Carol-To be clear, this is an instance, for me, in which music completely trumps words. I love the tune, the harmony (mainly near the end), the musical progression, and the arrangement.
8. The 4a-I would not put this song quite at the level of my favorites from this collection, but I do like it a lot. And I thought that, since others would be less likely to have heard it than just about any other song, it might offer a chance for a rare new discovery.
9. Guenivere-It makes me a little sad to see how flat this one has fallen with you & Mixxy. *sigh*
10. OMMM-Not sure if I see the cheese, or maybe I'd use another word to describe it.
"Such Great Heights," sounded vaguely familiar. With your comment about having to buy the soundtrack, I checked the iTunes Music Store, and saw that it was originally by The Postal Service. I listened to the clip, and I think I had heard it on the current.
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