LC Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Bernie's posting of Eric's live performance of "Boats Against the Current" on Christmas day was a revelation for me. It's been my favorite song for a long time but I'd never seen it done live. So that was a thrill... a heartfelt thanks to you, Bernie. In honor of "Boats," here's a quiz. If you get 8-10 correct, you're an expert.1] What was Eric doing while he wrote the song "Boats Against the Current"?2] In the original LP jacket, there's a typo in the "Boats" lyric. Did anyone else ever notice it?3] Re: the Boats album.... On another song, Eric mentions a certain ship by name. What is the name of that vessel? 4] What was the song Eric recorded and planned to put on the Boats album that got left off? 5] And why was it omitted?6] Which songs were singles?7] The first of those singles had a "B" side that wasn't on the album. What song was it? 8] A line in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night refers to the "dead white hours in Zurich." Where does that image seem to turn up on the Boats album? [Thanks to a Trindy post on our 2007 Boats blog , where many of these answers are found....]9] Eric describes the feeling of "...blowin’ down some windy street/Feeling so alone and incomplete†on one of the album's songs. What real-life observation prompted him to write that line? 10] And finally, is the song "Boats Against the Current" optimistic... or pessimistic? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy McLintock Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 I played Boats again after Christmas when somebody posted a link to it, can't remember who that was, but it was very very nice hearing it again.I would fail your quiz LC but I want you to know that I share your sentiment/revelation with the song. It's truly an inspirational song.Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Larry great questions. Where do you want us to post our answers (I got 7/10)? You should add, "What song is Eric playing during the intro of 'Boats.'?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 Marv, I didn't post the answers yet.... Should I wait a while? Or let Eric post the answers?(Of course, No. 10 might be kind of a trick question, right?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Yeah #10 is the all in the ear of the listener. I'd wait a few more days and then post the answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darlene Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 These *are* great questions, Larry! Fantastic quiz! I had to think hard about some of them. (I think I have 9 out of 10 but there's one I can't get).I hope more people take this. It's fascinating.Kudos, Larry! --Darlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannoman Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 To me #10 is optimistic but I think Eric did not perceive it that way when he wrote it and was somewhat surprised when he heard that it was perceived as optimistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elle4ec Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Quote: Originally posted by LC: Bernie's posting of Eric's live performance of "Boats Against the Current" on Christmas day was a revelation for me. It's been my favorite song for a long time but I'd never seen it done live. So that was a thrill... a heartfelt thanks to you, Bernie My sentiments exactly, LC. You probably saw my post telling Bernie it made me cry when I saw the live clip. Being a relative newbie around here, I am by no means an expert on the history of BOATS. I know some of the answers,(read the Boats blog soon after I joined EC.com), and am looking forward to learning more about the song that started my "love affair" with EC's music! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raspbernie Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I was there and hearing Eric perform it live did make me cry. (Just a softie at heart!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Hmmm I have never listened to it so I'd say I failed the quiz lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny S. Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I was on Stage Left handing out guitars...I wish I could have been out front for that show...what a great little room at the Rock Hall..wow 8 yrs already... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkpat Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 I was fortunate enough to see him do it on the tour when it first came out (he was backing up Hall and Oates here) and unbelievably fortunate enough to see him do it on the Ringo tour in Chicago. (God, I would kill for a video of that show! All the DVD's Ringo puts out and not THAT tour!)Hey, Eric, let me give you some trivia. Do you remember what happened when you started playing "Boats" on that tour in Chicago? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Carmen Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted December 31, 2008 Author Share Posted December 31, 2008 BHPat... I don't know that story, either. He forgot the words? Technical difficulty? Power outage? Fill us in.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Carmen Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 We played the Chicago HOB, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Larry...those are great questions. Boats will always be my favorite song and album. The best question not on your quiz may be, "Why was "Boats Against The Current" not a Top Five hit?"...of course, there's no logical answer to that question... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Hmmm I have never listened to it so I'd say I failed the quiz lol. MJ...you've never listened to Boats the song or Boats the album? Either way, that is sad...I feel bad for you. I'll buy you a copy if you'll listen to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelina Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 10] And finally, is the song "Boats Against the Current" optimistic... or pessimistic? LC...this was one very difficult quiz for me. Great job! As far as "Boats Against The Current" being optimistic or pessimistic....I'll opt for realistic. I've always been amazed at the complex, mature lyric of this song written by a 25 year old kid. One of my top five songs of all time.John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 We played the Chicago HOB, right? Eric I believe Pat is referring to your solo tour, so HOB probably didn't exist back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Carmen Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 I don't remember what happened on "Boats" during my solo tour, either. Somehow, when you've been on tour for a long time, the shows seem to become a bit of a blur, unless something REALLY GREAT or REALLY HORRIFIC happens.We did 90 shows on the "Dirty Dancing Tour." I couldn't tell you much about any of them, except for a handful. I remember Radio City Music Hall sounded acoustically dead as a doornail, and I think there was some guy leaning on the stage with his elbow and I went over and harassed him.I remember owning the show at Blossom Music Center in Cleveland. Great audience in my hometown. Wally was there and came backstage. That was nice.I remember slamming my dressing room door so hard it came off the hinges after the show in Columbus, Ohio because someone draped a jacket over my mic and mic stand backstage and I stood onstage playing the intro to "Make Me Lose Control" over and over again for five long minutes before anyone in the road crew figured out that I didn't have a mic. Duh.I remember the last L.A show the Raspberries played because everything was going perfectly for the first six songs, and then when I sat down at the piano, my in-ear monitors went crazy and it pretty much ruined the rest of the show for me. It was just horrible.Plus there was a really cute girl with a low cut blouse, dressed like the "Swiss Miss" standing right in front of the stage. She had braids and looked like she'd just come down from the Alps with a herd of goats. None of us could quite figure out the outfit.That's the sort of stuff I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 9 out of 10.Pat's trivia answer: Applause! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Eric, you're right about the first 6 songs at the last L.A. HOB show- they were perfect! Trivia from the "Boats" tour with Hall and Oates in L.A.- Eric, do you remember telling the audience to "Get off their asses"! That was great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 Same thing in Columbus, OH - St. John Arena, the tour with America in 1976. Before the last song, something like: "Allright Columbus, last chance to get off your ass".The line actually came off quite cool.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhawkpat Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 The show I was talking about with Hall and Oates was at the old Uptown Theatre on the north side of Chicago (I had to take four busses to get there, as it was before I drove!)in 1977.EC was wearing a white jacket with a dark shirt and pants. I was in the fourth or fifth row.He started playing "Boats", beautifully, of course, and just as he was about to start to sing, the lid on the grand piano slammed down and made a THUNDEROUS noise. Eric, and just about everyone in the first few rows, jumped out of their seats at the shock.EC said, "do you guys mind if I start that one over?" and everyone laughed and gave him a rousing ovation! He took a deep breath and smiled, which got some more laughs and then absolutely kicked ass and moved not only only me, but just about everyone I could see around me to tears! Everyone stood up when the song was over. One of the greatest and moving performances I have ever seen and something I will never forget.That was the fourth time I had seen him as a solo artist in Illinois in less than a two year period (oh, for those days!).As far as the Ringo show many years later, I'm pretty sure I had read that most of the tour, the players took turns rotating doing an extra solo song (Eric, true of false?) but the night in Chicago, Ringo was somewhat ill, so they did all of the solo stuff to help him out. Eric was incredible doing "Boats" that night. I'd pay big bucks to have a video of THAT show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 ... Plus there was a really cute girl with a low cut blouse, dressed like the "Swiss Miss" standing right in front of the stage. She had braids and looked like she'd just come down from the Alps with a herd of goats. None of us could quite figure out the outfit.Ha! She was with the group that I was with! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.