Volume 12 - Responses from the Commissioner

(all do respect to the other commissioner - he of football)

In order, but inevitably mixed and matched. An attempt at a new format, one that I hope leaves everyone feeling satisfied that I did justice to their most excellent comments.

The Intros:

Dan:

Vast amounts of space on the internets could be used up regarding the concept of youthful energy and rock bands. I would argue that it is most often the maturing of these bands that inspires the calls of 'sell out'. (raspy ballads not-withstanding). Is it possible to maintain the vigor of the struggling artist and pissed off youth when one attains a life of ease? There are few if any examples that it is possible, particularly among the 'supergroups'. If you still view the world the same way when your 40 as you did when you were 18, lord help you.

To say I was surprised at your positive reception of this collection would be a significant understatement. It's odd how I remain completely unable to gauge what floats your boat or not. "We All Go Down Together" from Volume 7 was perhaps the biggest surprise, but your zeal for this bunch was completely unexpected also.

Stephen:

For a man of your musical pedigree, or at least what seemed like a pedigree, as the man that introduced us all to Jane's Addiction, you coming late to the party is a surprise. I remember well the album cover of Nothing's Shocking, the disc passing from your hands to mine, and for me the sort of pants peeing Dan experienced at the mention of Zenyatta Mondata. Freaky nude woman on a couch. Ahhggg!

Sychronicity was everywhere, what with just about every song on that album being released as a single. One could not breathe and avoid it. It was ubiquitous. And it was great, though in a way that was very different from that presented here, though with Ghost in the Machine heading in that direction.

Mighty:

Your fear of 'intellectual' music ran deep. Only your hormones released the bond that exposed you to U2, and I suspect that was part of a cathartic period of time that opened your mind to so many bands that you might have avoided otherwise. Thank the hormones. Having only experienced Sychronicity, buying OdA must have been mind-blowing, and an almost unimaginable leap at that point in our collective musical experience. Nice job.

Clog:

With your chosen title, I suspected the worst, but having waded through Clog's accounting, chock full of charts, graphs and pies of every hue and shape, I was glad to discover the net effect was positive. Having you write 'what I like about number 2' leaves me in stitches every time.


The Songs:

Be My Girl - Sally

All generally positive on the novelty of this song. Clog likes it naughty - no surprise there. I agree with Dan that this was probably not really planned out, just an attempt to bring the two disparate bits together. Stephen has tapped into something a little darker (I always saw it as more funny and sad) and I think it adds a little depth to the song that was missing. Is Sally really a doll by the time this is done, or has his perversion driven him to a more sininster place? I could definitely see this fitting somewhere in the Tommy repetoire, perhaps Tommy was lonely before his break out pinball experiences, and clearly he was catastrophically affected by exposure to sexuality.

So Lonely

Short and repetitive is a hallmark of punk. Tight little tunes where verses are repeated all in the course of a song that's lucky to make it north of 3 minutes. This one stretches it out a bit with an extended musical interlude, but strip that away and you've got classic punk, though with that reggae vibe. And yeah, they sound like they were having a blast. If Clog is truly getting into the guitar on this song then god bless him, for it is a subtle guitar, gently wafting through this song while Sting's voice and the drums dominate. A good ear he may develop. It seems like they stretched out the So Lonely-s so they could have more fun with the music.

Can't Stand Losing You

Yes, it was a 'hit' but almost unimaginably so. Like In The Air Tonight by our friend Mr. Collins, it's clearly a lack of listening to the actual lyrics that makes people rush out and buy the singles of these songs. ITAT is much darker, and no theme for a prom, but still, goofing around with suicide. Eek. Great though, and still keeping up the punk repetitiveness which Clog is on the bandwagon of. Since this album was the first CD I ever owned - it was on sale when I bought the Sharp (as you may recall from the intro) - it would not be surprising at all that this was heard around the time of graduation, though I'm pretty sure I didn't buy it for a few weeks after actual graduation - that boombox and this cd were the fruits of graduation spoils. I understand the 80's producer thing generally, though it would have been an early use here, and so I suspect it was more the influence of Andy.

Regatta de Blanc

I don't feel the U2 vibe the way Dan does, perhaps because this song has been on my radar for so long, perhaps because he and I seem to hear music in almost entirely different ways. 1981 was the year the Christopher Cross won Best Song for Sailing. Competition might have been weak all around. Their competitors in the category included Dixie Dregs, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Jean-Luc Ponty, and The Pretenders performing songs I've never heard of except ELP were doing the Peter Gunn Theme. I amazed The Police won over that. For a moment at 1:58 I hear the B-52's harmonies, though as I said the two bands were virtual contemporaries and moved in the same circles (CBGB's et al). I love the image of the 70's audio superstore - everything was big - amplifiers receivers speakers - you name it. Put your hi-fi with quadrophonic sound in your wood panelled basement and rock out mother fuckers!

The Bed's Too Big Without You

Probably the best of the reggae inspirations, really getting the feel of a reggae tune without just being iterative. Once again, the experimental nature of Andy and perhaps also of Stewart comes through. This doesn't feel like a Sting song to me, though he could adapt his lyrics to fit the need, but it's clear when it's a Sting song through and through. This is not that. Clog's a fan to be sure and everyone else seems happy to be along for the ride.

Bring on the Night

I can see the MAW connection, though to my ears it's a consequence of how they recorded the harmonies - probably Sting/Sting and subtle. Definitely a song about more than the end of a particular day and indeed this song was used in a 'vampiry' movie - Brimstone and Treacle (both very sinister) with Sting in the lead and providing some other soundtrack songs, along with The Police and The Go Go's. I don't really feel the ska vibe here, though I do LOVE the guitars in this song. Clog not digging the reggae vibe in a classic case of associating music with experience. Too bad, though the basketball in a lonely gym is definitely the sound the bass drum is giving us. And to Stephen, to me this is definitely a Sting song, with the others doing great things to push it to another level, and possibly marking the beginning of the reign of Sting. A reign that brought the world some great music, but like Caesar crossing the Rubicon to wrest sole power from Pompeii, the empire was never the same again.

Man In a Suitcase

To Dan, it would certainly depend on the rock musician, though generally no. And yes, this is Sting really learning to bend words to his will. There are some phrases that work in this song that most would be too timid to bring together (bird in flying cage....hotel room's a prison cell) is some evocative great writing. They weren't overproduced at this point and their sound is crisp crisp crisp, like the fall evening outside as I write.

Canary in a Coalmine

Way more ska for me than Mighty's thoughts on BotN with the accelerated lyrics and skippy guitars. Seems the most ska to me. The piano Dan mentions may be in fact the producer's phallus in this case, for it seems entirely out of place from any of these guys. Interesting to have been 'haunted' by this song. See here on related thoughts about The Police's brain versus Van Halen's brawn. Again, Sting definitely sowing his lyrical oats. And CLOG! Damn man! If you can't get jazzed about the vibe in this song than your dancin' boots must need some polishing.

Secret Journey

It was from this blind man that Sting was introduced to Tantric Sex. Or something. Yes, we've launched into the Reign of Sting in full force on this album. Both Dan and Stephen definitely feel the same as I do relative to this song being out of context. It fits nicely in with SITMW and Invisible Sun as part of a very moody album, perhaps a mood inspired by the beginnings of the band's disintegration, or perhaps because Sting thought it sounded more serious. Or both. But it's tough following the exuberance of the last two. Clog digs it the most, and so probably he would like Ghost in the Machine the best of all the albums here presented. He may want to seek it out - it's probably gettable for $6.

Hungry For You

Dan's pretty much got it. Hopefully Andy and Stewart weren't too miserable at this point, with another whole album to get through and a shit load of touring. Good paycheck though.

The Wraps

Dan:

Surprised and glad that you got so much out of this collection. Their first three albums are pretty damn solid all the way through and would be well worth adding to the long and winding queue. Excellent batch of comments as well.

Stephen:

The newby, and so far so good. Welcome and keep up the good work. I eagerly await what lies in the far off frozen January.

Mighty:

Comments excellent and uniquely from the mind of MT as usual.

Clog:

Glad to be keeping you entertained and enlightened. Don't give up on the poor Canary however. He needs your love and support.


With a plurality of votes, So Lonely seems to have won in the BS category with Bed's Too Big Without You and Bring on the Night coming in a close tie for second.

Thanks to all and bring on the Countrypolidan.