It's February, take down the tree for Christ's sake
1. Some Are - David Bowie
This first track alone makes me glad that I did not rush these comments. I know that I have heard this song before (when Gibbons all but forced Low on me after it was used as a prop in one of his photos), but I did not remember it.
The first few listens had me wondering about this one, but it grew on me. Whatever the lyrics, this song is haunting and beautiful. Wonderful melody, and harmonic structure. The piano, mixed with the synthesizers and ambient sounds come together (right now, over me) for one powerful track. Low just made it onto my “to-get” list (yourmusic.com has it, but "Some Are" is not listed).
2. That's the Way - Led Zeppelin
I like this one, but I’m not blown away by it. This is often the case with Zep for me. I like most of their stuff, and some of it is truly amazing, but a lot of it doesn’t go much beyond “Hey that was a good song.”
"Immigrant Song" though…
3. Most Peculiar Man - Simon and Garfunkel
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. In the history of the world, no two voices have harmonized more perfectly than Art and Paul.
I don’t own Sounds of Silence, but this song has some strikingly similar elements to "Sounds of Silence". Parts of this song are wonderful, but there are parts that leave me cold. Specifically:
He lived all alone within a house,
Within a room, within himself,
A most peculiar man.
and the other similar parts of the song. I can see what they were going for, but it just doesn’t work for me. It is one of these things I feel I should be able to get past but cant.
4. Caroline Says II - The Velvet Underground
This is the fist track that I was familiar with, but I had not listened to it often, or closely. I am really digging this song. I love the spare instrumentation, and the way the music builds and changes throughout the song. Reed’s vocal style is no problem for me. In fact, I have wondered if that is where Gibbons learned to sing.
5. Photograph - Ringo Starr
I love this song. It is a musical departure from the tone so far, but lyrically it does fit. I am not crazy about some of the orchestration here though. I’m also not a huge fan of the saxamaphone solo, a little too Billy-Joel-sounding. I have a live version in my iTunes library from VH1 Storytellers that I think is much better.
Ringo has been overly maligned in my opinion. He is a good drummer, and performer. My college percussion instructor/jazz band director (and Gibbons’ jr. high band director) said of Ringo “he’s not a great drummer, but he was the best drummer in the world for the Beatles.”
6. Thorn in My Side – Eurythmics
I love Annie Lennox's voice, and I like the song, even if it is a bit dated. As Mixdorf and Dan both mentioned, the sax (as with the previous track) in particular. This is one that I like, but it doesn’t blow me away.
7. Thinking About You - Radiohead
This is not the Radiohead that I am familiar with. Not a bad song, but I really cannot get into it. I’ve been meaning to pick up more of their albums, but this one song doesn’t inspire me to rush out and get Pablo Honey. I am really more a fan of their later stuff
8. the end of the "Spoon" - Dave Matthews Band
To be fair, I don’t believe that this is a partial song. If I remember, it is simply on the same track as "Spoon" (I have yet to replace Before These Crowded Streets, which was irreparably damaged in the critical bungee failure of 2002).
I love the echoing vocals, and instrumentation. The ethereal screams (or creams?) at the end, which I am guessing come from Tinsley’s violin, are wonderful, and what’s not to love about Bela Feck on Banjo? I too might have placed this one at the end.
9. We Live Again - Beck
Dan, so long I have been trying to get you to see that Beck is a genius. Beck and Bjork may be the only two contemporary artists who’s work I would purchase unheard.
The lilting harmonic structure and melody, and lush sound form a stark dichotomy with the subject matter.
Pat’s comments remind me of an episode of Futurama. Bender becomes a folk singer, and ends up on tour with beck. Here are two quotations:
Beck: You know, when I'm upset, I write a song about it. Like when I wrote Devil's Haircut, I was feeling really... what's that song about?
Bender: Yeah! I could write a song - with real words, not phony ones like "Odelay."
Beck: Odelay is a word, just look it up in the Becktionary.
and
Bender: Hand me the Becktionary. (Bender is handed Becktionary) No! I want the rhyming Becktionary.
Yes Dan, a fucking perfect song. It is a consensus of two, though I was already familiar with this song.
10. Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin
Hmmm. There are some great elements to this song, but as a whole, meh. I do love the “I ain’t jokin’ woman, I got to ramble” lyric. Anyone else catch the "25 or 6 to 4" progression at 2:23?
Overall a great collection. Least favorite (though I don’t dislike any of them) I think would be A Most Peculiar Man. BS? We Live Again. BS that is new to me? Some Are.
posted by Aaron at 5:04 AM
5 Comments:
on #3: This may sound shocking from a guy who is inordinately into both Paul Simon and vocal harmonies, but I have to say his & Garfunkel's harmonies are quite far down the list of things that I love about Paul Simon. I'm not sure if I want to throw out the "overrated" term with respect to them, because they're definitely dead-on; but I think that the world of popular music is FILLED with wonderful, "perfect" harmonies, from artists such as Neil Sedaka and Alice & Chains, for which they were bread and butter, to an almost limitless array of other artists, who use them sparingly, but effectively enough to make my heart flutter and sweat. I love them all and don't really elevate S&G above the fray.
#5: In my opinion, Ringo Starr has NOT been overly maligned. At least, not in the end equation, when balanced versus his apologists. I think that critical and popular opinion, as the years have gone by, have definitely softened and met in the middle to the point where a majority of music fans have a pretty similar opinion of "He was a great drummer for the Beatles." I agree, and would suggest that it had as much to do with personality as with drumming.
On #9: If you've been trying to get me to realize that Beck's a genius, I've not necessarily been denying it. I just haven't jumped into the gorge to start purchasing albums (I do have Odelay now). I would probably like him even more if tendency was just a TAD less towards funkiness, though.
Not one to say anything about a man's comments, but after waiting two months I thought that there would be some meat on those comments.
Not to say it, but to say it, that is the question.
It is not so much the particular harmonies used, as the way tonal qualities of their voices blend.
I apologize for the brevity of my comments, but most of my commenting is terse anyway. Combined with a number of the tracks not moving me one way or the other, and the fact that I was up past 3AM on Saturday to get these done, and it is what it is.
Understood, I think, on the harmonies. The tonal quality, or timbre, or whatever, doesn't particularly stand out to me, relative to a lot of other harmonies. But I seem to be in the minority. In any event, another example of the subjective nature of music.
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