PaulMaul
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Posts
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Posts posted by PaulMaul
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I've been listening to this album repeatedly since I first got it over the summer, and I kept feeling like there was something very unique about the sound that I couldn't quite pin down. I now think it's the backing vocals.
The way the backing vocals are recorded, it's very hard to make out individual vocal lines within the harmonies (compared to, say, the early Beatles, where it's very easy). The impression is more of a backing vocal texture, that creates a very effective bed for the lead vocals without challenging the dominance of the lead vocal.
I can't really explain it properly, but I was wondering if the understated backing vocals were done that way intentionally, and if so, what the goal was. It sounds great and very unique.
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The eagle has landed...all 5 ELO CD's are on my dining room table. Will probably have to wait days for an opportunity to listen, but I did already devour the liner notes from "Third Day"....
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I know I'm in a very small minority here, but the "Boats" LP overall is far down on my EC list, and the title track is not even close to my favorite from that album. I much prefer the first solo LP and the bulk of the Raspberries EC songs.
If I compiled my favorite EC song list I don't think "Boats" would crack the top 20.
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Thanks for the reviews! I love detailed information. I also love Amazon.com! I just placed my order. I picked up all 5 of the ELO CDs at the top of LC's list...the Beatles' Please Please Me remaster (the last Beatles album I didn't own)...and a combo cd of Angel's first two albums...so that's a total of 8 albums: 5 ELO's, 2 Angels, and a Beatles...for $83 including sales tax. Free shipping, and I only have to wait 5-7 days. I'm psyched to check out all of this ELO stuff, I've always liked the songs of theirs that I heard, but I somehow never pulled the trigger on buying any of it. Can't wait!
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I plan on hopping over to Amazon and buying some ELO CDs tonight. What's a good place to start? I get the impression that the prevailing wisdom is that Eldorado, Face the Music, A New World Record and Out of the Blue are their best, but I know LC likes the earlier albums.
If I were going to buy 3, what should I go for? Are they all even in print?
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Pretty good. It's a shame these poor guys read all the wrong lyrics to this song splattered across the internet and published in liner notes and then perform the song that way. The internet really is viral when it comes to misinformation.
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It is very hard to compare albums from the different eras. I was always convinced that Revolver was my favorite, but I had never really given the early albums a fair shot. Now I'm addicted to the early albums because they feature so many great Lennon vocals. Unfortunately, from Revolver forward, Lennon lost energy due to all the drugs and his voice just didn't quite sound the same.
So, Hard Day's night is my favorite "early album"...during the "middle period" (1965-ish), I love many of the singles (Help, We Can Work it Out, Paperback Writer). This actually may be my favorite period of the band.
And Revolver is my favorite later album. Personally, while I love them all, I just can't put Abbey Road near the top of my list because songs like "She's So Heavy" and "Because" pale to me in comparison to Lennon's really energetic periods.
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After an intense and thorough scientific study, I have definitively concluded that the best Beatles album is "Hard Day's Night."
Really, as the only early Beatles album with all original material, it's kind of a shoe-in.
"I'll Be Back" wins the award for "Most McCartney sounding Lennon song." It took me multiple listenings before I even realized it's a John Song.
This album is so loaded it's scary. Factor in that it was one of three albums produced in 18 months, it's terrifying.
I spent years listening only to the later Beatles albums, starting with Rubber Soul. I never realized how much I was missing in the early Lennon material. Just one amazing vocal performance after another by John on this album.
The Beatles deserve every speck of their fame.
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In terms of how ones job affects others, there are a few different possibilities. They are exemplified by: songwriter, doctor, and teacher.
A successful songwriter (or architect, or chef) is providing people with something that makes them happier, starting from a neutral baseline. Seems jobs like this would lead to much satisfaction.
A doctor (or plumber) is called in because something bad and unpleasant is happening to a person. They are (best case scenario) able to turn that bad into good (I feel better! My toilet works!). On the other hand, failure to resolve the complaint can lead to feelings of inadequacy or guilt. Seems like jobs like that could arguably lead to the highest highs and the lowest lows.
A teacher (or drill seargent) provides a service that the customer rarely wants or thinks they need in the moment. Often, the customer feels less happy after obtaining the service than before, and it's only years later (if ever) that appreciation sets in. This creates a challenge in terms of job satisfaction.
As a teacher, I often feel that students I look out at would rather be anywhere else. It's very deflating at times. Why am I expending energy to give people something they don't even want? That occasional e-mail of appreciation that trickles in really is like bread to a starving man.
Which category (or a different one entirely) does your job fall in?
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"The Rock is supposed to be scared of you? Why, because you beat someone named Juventud?"
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I haven't followed wrestling for over a decade, but my absolute
favorite was Chris Jericho when he was still in WCW. He is the
best of all time on the mic. I still remember when he came out
to be interviewed holding a sign above his head with an arrow
pointing downward, reading "conspiracy victim."
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whatcha gonna do.....??guess
Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania and the largest arms in the world run wild on you???
(Phrases such as "brother", "saying the prayers and eating the vitamins", "24-inch pythons", etc., can be sprinkled in as desired.)
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Thanks everybody! Evening started out a little rough driving home through a fluke snowstorm but improved in the form of a spinach and artichoke pizza, a glass of Malbec and a chorus of "Happy Birthday" from the kiddies! All's well that ends well!
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Whoops - should have posted this in "Come Around and see Me." My bad.
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When I'm feeling a little blue, I always seem to want to listen to songs I remember hearing when I was 8-12 years old. This one I remember very clearly:
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He really does have a great voice in any genre.
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John Denver is another artist who seems to have enjoyed great popularity in Japan. John Denver was the first musical artist I was really interested in as a child of about 8 or 9. I had most of his albums on cassette.
In trying to reacquire his CD's years later, I was pleased to find that, while several albums were never released in the USA on CD (Take me to Tomorrow, Whose Garden Was This, Aerie), they were all available as Japanese pressings. I'm impressed at the completeness of the Japanese releases compared to the domestic ones.
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And it just so happens, every one of these is a great song too! Anybody know any others??
Well, since we're sticking to great songs only, The Jonas Brothers have a song called "Tonight," and Jennifer Lopez has one called "Starting Over."
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As everyone knows, the Beatles' "Any Time At All" features an instrumental bridge. From what I've read, it was intended to be a regular lyrical bridge, but time was too short. Not sure if that's true, apocryphal, or somewhere in between.
I thought it would be fun for wannabe lyricists to try to write lyrics for that bridge. Here's my attempt:
Call on me
I'll make you happy, you'll see
Wipe the tears from your eyes
You'll forget about that other guy
Just call me tonight
Anybody else care to take a crack at it? This is just intended in fun, hopefully no one finds messing with such a great song to be sacrilege.
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..I like "Great Expectations" a lot. It's outside the box creative and underrated, IMHO.
James
I didn't like it as much at first, but it has really grown on me. It's funny as hell. It's different to see a whimsical take on the vicissitudes of the record biz.
"Seems everyday I'm gettin' harder pressed to find a reason to shave..."
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My new favorite is:
Life is just a game of chance
I think somebody said so
Sometimes you get a hula hoop
Sometimes you get an Edsel
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"Wasting my youth chasing dreams, testing truth, taking turns being deceived and deceiving...
Bound with a rope made of heroes and hope, 'til I found nothing left to believe in..."
Not sure exactly what the "rope" part means, but I know I love it!
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After having listened to all three albums multiple times, I can say with confidence that the eponymous first solo LP is by far my favorite of the three! Really a masterpiece, 8 of the 10 songs I absolutely love, and the other two are not bad either.
"Sunrise" is my favorite, followed closely by "My Girl." "Everything" is a succinct beauty (any insight on the inspiration for the lyric?).
As for the other two albums, there are songs I love on both (Marathon Man, She Did It, Someday, Desperate Fools). Neither of these albums is as complete a package for me as the first. With "Boats," I absolutely respect and admire the blood, sweat and tears that I know went into it. Maybe the more ambitious songs require a longer time to digest, but at the moment, tracks 2 and 6 are by far my faves. I also love "Nowhere to Hide." I'm always amazed by the perfection of EC recordings. Whether I love a given song or not, it always seems like it's an exact replica of the original vision.
I thank the gods of music for making this package available. $25 for all of these amazing tunes has got to be the bargain of a lifetime!
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Let's see...
HDTV gives the greatest picture ever available...but TV programs are worse than ever.
We have ITunes, MP3, IPods....but new music is worse than ever.
We have Kindles....but the only books with any profile these days are written by celebrities.
We have communications devices by the score....but (overhearing people's conversations) there seems to be less being said than ever.
Something tells me we need a little less style and a little more substance....
ELO Recommendations?
in Cruisin' Music
Posted
I haven't had much of a chance to listen yet, but I did pop in "Out of the Blue" because I LOVE "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and wanted to listen to it a few times.
It made me think of EC's definition of a good song. By that standard, this probably isn't one, as I can't imagine that if I strummed the chords on an acoustic guitar and sang the song, that anyone would be terribly impressed.
What's great about this song is the meticulous orchestral arrangement and the flawlessly executed vocal harmonies.
So I guess it can be great to listen to a great song, or it can be great to listen to a great arrangement of an OK song. Either way (to quote Tony the Tiger), it's GGGRRREEEAAATTT!!!!!