Friday, July 31, 2015
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Nuclear Burn
Play it loud!
I can remember at least two LPs back in the day that had some variation on that theme. "This record was designed to be played loud. Turn it up!" That kind of thing.
Well, that actually does go for this. A lot of the nuances, the ghost notes and such, get lost if it's not loud enough. Of course, depending upon how much you turn it up, that does mean that the louder sections might be uncomfortably loud, but hey, that's life, no?
Phil Collins no longer seems to be the automatic punchline he was for a while, and good. A reappraisal has been due for some time—pretty much ever since his critical rating went down, in fact. But beyond the fact that I'm a fan, it was always a little baffling to me, since I've probably listened to this album of his more than any of his solo works and maybe more than any Genesis album. For whatever reason, I find it remarkably easy to write to. It's a groovy kind of love.
(The song is only a bit over six minutes long, incidentally—for some reason, the uploader put it on there twice. Hey, double the fusion, same low price!)
I can remember at least two LPs back in the day that had some variation on that theme. "This record was designed to be played loud. Turn it up!" That kind of thing.
Well, that actually does go for this. A lot of the nuances, the ghost notes and such, get lost if it's not loud enough. Of course, depending upon how much you turn it up, that does mean that the louder sections might be uncomfortably loud, but hey, that's life, no?
Phil Collins no longer seems to be the automatic punchline he was for a while, and good. A reappraisal has been due for some time—pretty much ever since his critical rating went down, in fact. But beyond the fact that I'm a fan, it was always a little baffling to me, since I've probably listened to this album of his more than any of his solo works and maybe more than any Genesis album. For whatever reason, I find it remarkably easy to write to. It's a groovy kind of love.
(The song is only a bit over six minutes long, incidentally—for some reason, the uploader put it on there twice. Hey, double the fusion, same low price!)
Monday, July 27, 2015
There's No Way Out of Here
A question I read online recently: if forced to choose, whose solo works would you take to a desert island: Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright or Nick Mason?
(Even including "Lie for a Lie," I assume the final two were put on there for inclusivity's sake.)
The obvious answer: any one Dave Gilmour LP is better than all of Roger Waters' solo works (not including The Final Cut) combined. And—sorry, Syd—probably everyone else's combined.
Because while, yes, Dave can't come within a few timezones of Roger's truly amazing skill as a lyricist, his abilities as a musician are so far above those of Roger's it's not even amusing, much less to death. And as Peter Gabriel once said, "There have been many great songs which have had really appalling lyrics, but there have been no great songs which have had appalling music."
For proof I offer this:
I mean...that's a cover. And Gilmour still makes it his own, and makes it absolutely captivating, despite the presence of the poodle-haired sax player wearing his pantaloons tucked into his boots. I mean, come on: has that ever been a good look? Ever? Okay, fine, sometime around the War of 1812, maybe. But that's debatable and, either way, 170 years later? Just...no.
And yet the performance. I first heard this song on an MTV broadcast of a 1984 concert—this one, I assume, although I think I always though it was from Pittsburgh—and was instantly smitten. Far too many years later, that hasn't changed. Gilmour's smoky, surprisingly supple voice and his amazingly lyrical, liquid guitar playing match wonderfully the moody, atmospheric song with time changes that are far from obtrusive but in fact match the tone of the song perfectly. Right there is the difference between The Wall and The Final Cut, not to mention between The Final Cut and everything that came after.
(Even including "Lie for a Lie," I assume the final two were put on there for inclusivity's sake.)
The obvious answer: any one Dave Gilmour LP is better than all of Roger Waters' solo works (not including The Final Cut) combined. And—sorry, Syd—probably everyone else's combined.
Because while, yes, Dave can't come within a few timezones of Roger's truly amazing skill as a lyricist, his abilities as a musician are so far above those of Roger's it's not even amusing, much less to death. And as Peter Gabriel once said, "There have been many great songs which have had really appalling lyrics, but there have been no great songs which have had appalling music."
For proof I offer this:
I mean...that's a cover. And Gilmour still makes it his own, and makes it absolutely captivating, despite the presence of the poodle-haired sax player wearing his pantaloons tucked into his boots. I mean, come on: has that ever been a good look? Ever? Okay, fine, sometime around the War of 1812, maybe. But that's debatable and, either way, 170 years later? Just...no.
And yet the performance. I first heard this song on an MTV broadcast of a 1984 concert—this one, I assume, although I think I always though it was from Pittsburgh—and was instantly smitten. Far too many years later, that hasn't changed. Gilmour's smoky, surprisingly supple voice and his amazingly lyrical, liquid guitar playing match wonderfully the moody, atmospheric song with time changes that are far from obtrusive but in fact match the tone of the song perfectly. Right there is the difference between The Wall and The Final Cut, not to mention between The Final Cut and everything that came after.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Backstabber
This is a hysterically accurate dead-on parody of early 80s rock videos, up there with "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Separate Ways." The fact that it's real just makes it all the better.
A pal sent it to me. Shocked that I—such an avid MTV viewer—had never seen or even heard of it before, I went looking for more info, and found this, which sums it up perfectly in the comments: "what the hell?"
A pal sent it to me. Shocked that I—such an avid MTV viewer—had never seen or even heard of it before, I went looking for more info, and found this, which sums it up perfectly in the comments: "what the hell?"
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Jack of All Trades
This isn't the first time we've written about this song, not by a long shot. But what with the Greece debacle, it felt like it was time for it yet again. Only this time, things seem even more uncertain than ever.
Tuesday, July 14, 2015
Friday I'm in Love
Our love here at RtB for "Friday I'm in Love" is well-established. Our love for Yo La Tengo, sadly, is not as well-documented but is just as pure and true. Which is why this is such a delight. Also, easily the sweetest, most romantic video we've seen since "Pop! Goes My Heart."
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Amelia
This is 14 years old now. I'm not sure why I thought about it today, but for whatever reason I had to see it again.
I hadn't seen this clip since it aired during a Joni Mitchell tribute concert way back in 2001. I was mesmerized then and remain so, following my long-awaited second viewing, today. I remember watching the whole show and loving pretty much every inch of it, but even through it all this was, for me, the unquestioned highlight.
Shawn Colvin + Mary Chapin Carpenter + one of Joni's prettiest songs = Yes please!
Mayhap you agree.
People will tell you where they've gone,
They'll tell you where to go,
But till you get there yourself you'll never really know.
Where some have found their paradise,
Other's just come to harm.
Oh Amelia it was just a false alarm.
I hadn't seen this clip since it aired during a Joni Mitchell tribute concert way back in 2001. I was mesmerized then and remain so, following my long-awaited second viewing, today. I remember watching the whole show and loving pretty much every inch of it, but even through it all this was, for me, the unquestioned highlight.
Shawn Colvin + Mary Chapin Carpenter + one of Joni's prettiest songs = Yes please!
Mayhap you agree.
People will tell you where they've gone,
They'll tell you where to go,
But till you get there yourself you'll never really know.
Where some have found their paradise,
Other's just come to harm.
Oh Amelia it was just a false alarm.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Face Dances, Pt. 2
I had neither heard this song nor seen this video in several decades, and yet I was amazed at how well I remembered so much of it, from the melody to some of the lyrics to a lot of the visuals: I always especially loved the screeching guitar part at 2:25, neverminding the fact that his hands should be moving down the neck and not up.
But what I don't remember ever knowing is that the song is in 5/4 but that during the choruses, the drummer—either Mark Brzezicki or Simon Phillips, the credits aren't clear—plays as though the signature has switched to 4/4.
Also, are guys really supposed to use that much aftershave?
But what I don't remember ever knowing is that the song is in 5/4 but that during the choruses, the drummer—either Mark Brzezicki or Simon Phillips, the credits aren't clear—plays as though the signature has switched to 4/4.
Also, are guys really supposed to use that much aftershave?
Monday, July 6, 2015
You're the One That I Want
I loved this damn movie. I did. What can I say? I was 9 and even dumber than I am now.
But I was so unhappy with the ending. I could not believe that Sandy sold out. I mean, I get that Danny did too—except he immediately went back to his "real" self for her, and she had to stay as the "new and improved" her...and the new and improved her was absolutely no improvement over the original her because you cannot improve upon the perfection that was the original version of Sandy.
Or so I thought. Until I saw this.
h/t: the great Dangerous Minds
But I was so unhappy with the ending. I could not believe that Sandy sold out. I mean, I get that Danny did too—except he immediately went back to his "real" self for her, and she had to stay as the "new and improved" her...and the new and improved her was absolutely no improvement over the original her because you cannot improve upon the perfection that was the original version of Sandy.
Or so I thought. Until I saw this.
h/t: the great Dangerous Minds
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Hey Blue Eyes
Who we are, what we'll do and what we won't.
They’re holdin’ a committee, of treason and lies
Doublespeak and sedition, then somebody dies
From the hill the smell of lilacs, the repeat of guns
She closes the window, draws the blinds
Her first touch sucks the air from my lungs
Hey blue eyes, what’cha doin’ tonight?
Hey blue eyes yea it’s all right
She says in this house we’ve abandoned history
In this house there are no laws
Just the false taste of paradise, and then the fall
In this house the guilty go unpunished, blood and silence prevail
Here the dead remain nameless, the nameless remain jailed
Hey blue eyes, what’cha doin’ tonight?
Hey blue eyes yea it’s all right
In this house there’s just the dust of bones
The basement’s filled with lye
In this house our son’s and daughters, are spilled like wine
So come close my pretty darlin’ and let me feel your disease
Tonight I’ll have you naked, and crawlin’ at the end of my leash
Hey blue eyes, what’cha doin’ tonight?
Hey blue eyes hey it’s all right
She says, in this house it’s so easy
To set a world on fire, all you need is a name, the money
And a soul full of reckless desire
Now upstairs the landlord is dining with all of his very close friends
Don’t worry they’ll have their bags packed and be long gone
Before the real fucking begins
Hey blue eyes, what’cha doin’ tonight?
Hey blue eyes hey it’s all right
Hey blue eyes, what’cha doin’ tonight?
Hey blue eyes yea it’s all right
The 50 States Song
I love this song. (Even if Cali gets a tiny bit shortchanged.)
It's a part of the act
The fifty states
Pack up your bags
It's never too late
From Alabama to Arkansas
Follow Alaska, say what you saw
Swim in the ocean, Maryland, Maine
Then Massachusetts, what a great place
Go to New Hampshire, Missouri too
It's not Virgina but it will do
Take a drive to Ohio
We went running through the oil
And my favourite avenue
I tried it all my favourite choose
There's Mississippi, Kentucky blue
Rhode Island rage
And a Tennessee too
See Oklahoma or Michigan
There's a Nevada, see Washington win
Or Arizona, Colorado
Connecticut Yankee, love Ohio
Louisiana, Delaware who
Go Minnesota, we're thinking of you
When we came to Washington
We went running through the rain
In my favourite city park
In my favourite time of day
Oh California, Wyoming too
Go to Wisconsin, New Jersey loves you
Fly in to Georgia, Idaho Bay
Or Indiana, they all seem the same
Flordia voting, Montana chew
Visit Nebrasksa, there's nothing to do
North Carolina, Oregon arms
Illinois people, Illinois farms
If I lived in Rhode Island
Or if I lived in Michigan
Or if I lived to be a man
Will you comfort me again?
There's West Virgina, gold in Vermont
Visit Hawaii or New Mexico
Iowa, Texas, take it all in
The Mormans in Utah, the money in gin
There's Pennsylvania, driving at night
South Carolina, what a delight
Dakotas and Kansas
Piggy and pork
Jump on a train, head back to New York
It's a part of the act
The fifty states
Pack up your bags, it's never too late
God bless America
Land that I love
God bless America
Land that I love
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