I Think I Found Myself

[Kirk]

I'm really digging this thread. I think I'll read Darlene's post a couple of more times before I go to bed...

[LC]

I've always been amazed at the "tightwire dance" artists have to perform to remain true to their intellectual/emotional self whilst still having to "move product". That was true AND a point of focus in ec's career where the two efforts met thus framing most of the future angst in ec's career (IMHO). Is he an intelligent songsmith channeling Sergei Rachmaninoff and F. Scott Fitzgerald...or is he a pop guy toiling within the narrow framework that the record company suits wanted out of a pretty-boy singer? Of course ec showed you can be pop, pretty AND DEEP!

"To me, "Boats" is one of the most mature albums through and through save for "She Did It" which was sort of the sorbet course at a luxurious meal set aside to clear the palate in a light manner for the rest of the intense meal.

I loved "Boats" upon its release when I was 17 yrs old....and I still love (and relate) to it at age 52. The song "Boats Against The Current" remains so mature, introspective and deep...that I am blown away that a 26 yr old could have written it. I bet...when Elton John heard "BATC" he noted that "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" seemed like a little brother to ec's masterpiece. He probably thought....."now THAT'S what I meant to do".

I could count on one hand the number of songs that have resonated with me throughout my adult life. "Boats" is one.

BTW Tony et al......I agree with "Nowhere To Hide"...I wanted the full musical impact earlier and longer!

Booyah! One of your finest posts ever, my friend. I was also 17 when Boats came out, and no doubt it hit you and me (and others here) the exact same way.

I understand those who say that Boats Against the Current as a whole eluded them at first (and maybe still does). In fact, I can't say I "got it" the first listen through. But damn, there's no doubt it gripped me right off, starting with that first listen. In fact, it was so powerful that I actually remember — very vividly — the moment I put it on my old turntable in my bedroom in August 1977, late in the afternoon, just after coming home from my job. (How many albums can affect you that way?)

I was just weeks away from starting college and had been waiting for Boats for months when it finally arrived at the local retail store. My folks owned the store and I worked there, so I got to receive Boats with the week's new releases carted in by the delivery guy, and I signed in the shipment, bought a copy of Boats, rushed home with it, ripped it open, plopped it onto the turntable, and opened the jacket to start reading the lyrics. I actually remember that process like it was yesterday. (That in itself makes me wonder, What the hell is wrong with me?) (Er, no need to answer that!)

I cued up Boats and waited for, I dunno, a "Go All the Way"-type riff to open things up. It was a shocker to instead hear the opening strains of "Row, row, row your boat..."

By the time that first song finished, I was left kind of in awe and kind of surprised, and maybe even a tad disappointed that something like "That's Rock'n'Roll" hadn't led off the album.

As the album played on, I kept waiting for a "smash single" ("She Did It" notwithstanding) that would provide the instant gratification that all teens want in every aspect of life, whether it's girls, food, money, or music. But Boats isn't an "instant gratification" album. It's way deeper than that, and way better than that. Heck, we've heard any number of Top 40 songs in our lives that are instant but about as "deep" as a reality TV show.

Boats demanded attention. It's like I've noted before (I think in one of my posts at Bernie's Boats blog): You don't so much as listen to Boats Against the Current as study it. You absorb it.

Back to August 1977 in my room... I think I played Boats all the way through two times that first night, then had to go to a graduation party. I left my room thinking, "Man, what was that?" I wasn't over-the-top impressed, but I wasn't disappointed either. I just wanted to hear it again and study it some more. So... Boats became my one-album playlist for those weeks leading up to my first day at college and for weeks afterwards.

I don't think I've ever felt that way about another album. There are others I might rank as "better" — I'm thinking of the usual suspects: Rubber Soul, Pet Sounds, Abbey Road.... But really, there's nothing quite like Boats — a thematic album with brilliant lyrics (poetry, really) set to the perfect melodies.

So what if it's not an easy pop album? It's gripping anyway, which is why it connected with me as a teen. At that age, you have no idea what the future held — or how many times an "average blue-eyed golden high-school dream" would leave you "numb to all the pain." By now, we have the answer, and for some of us, "numb" is a little too close to home. But... we beat on anyway, and the theme within "I Think I Found Myself" remains a consolation or an inspiration or an ideal.

Oh, and Darlene — brilliant post! I love your classical background and how it's connect to the music we talk about here....

[Kirk]

This just keeps getting better and better...

I remember unwrapping the album and walking across the street to Chris Caswell's house. Chris was a musician by trade, and would go on the road shortly thereafter as the leader of Paul Williams band.

As "She Did It" played, Chris confidently (without even hearing the rest of the album) proclaims, "That's going to be the first single". How right he was!

Back to the title of this thread; when I first heard "I Think I Found Myself", I told Chris I was blown away by the middle eight of that song. I still feel it's one of the best (and there are many that I love) middle eights Eric has done. It takes this right turn when I thought he was going to make a left. In addition, the backing vocals are pure genius in the middle eight.

Whereas a couple of you were just getting ready for college, I was just finishing college- the real world awaited. I was just getting over a broken relationship and realizing I was falling in love again. The timing of the "Boats" album was unreal- art imitating life- if you will. Powerful stuff!

[bahoodore]

I will one day buy and listen to it with the headphones....

Of course the song "Boats itself has been a great inspiration to me (I came on a greatest hits thing I bought when CDs first came out)....here is my rendition...I can't read music so I made stuff up, I am reading the guitar chords and transposing them onto piano...

bahoo

[PaulMaul]

As someone who has no nostalgia tied in to any of this....

I like several of the songs on Boats ("Nowhere to Hide" for example) quite a bit. But those songs seem much less unique to me than Eric's previous material. There were a lot of singer/songwriters writing piano-based songs of angst at the time, some of which also have well-crafted lyrics. I like many of them, by artists like Peter Hammill. However, I have never heard anything remotely like Eric's first solo album. To me it is far more original, far more indicative of his musical genius than Boats.

Honestly, if the first Eric Carmen song I had heard had been "Run Away" or "Boats", I don't think I would have pursued his other works with too much energy. I'm happy that others love them so well, but I guess I just don't "get it."

[Kirk]

I think a songwriter's first album will always be their strongest, song wise. They've had their whole life to collect the inspiration for their debut effort...all those little melodies floating around in your head...hearing Rachmaninoff growing up...having songs not necessarily suitable for your band at the time in your pocket- just a wealth of material.

Then, after a lifetime of inspiration captured on one album, you have to match that output in the following year? Not going to happen. Also, as I alluded to earlier, I believe your song construction happens on a different plane when you set out to tell a story, ala "Boats".

All this IMHO, of course!

[Kirk]

double post

[LC]

I think a songwriter's first album will always be their strongest, song wise. They've had their whole life to collect the inspiration for their debut effort...all those little melodies floating around in your head...hearing Rachmaninoff growing up...having songs not necessarily suitable for your band at the time in your pocket- just a wealth of material. Then, after a lifetime of inspiration captured on one album, you have to match that output in the following year? Not going to happen.

Also, as I alluded to earlier, I believe your song construction happens on a different plane when you set out to tell a story, ala "Boats".

All this IMHO, of course!

Kirk, I generally agree with you on that first point, but... not in the case of Boats Against the Current vs. Eric's first solo. IMHO, Boats measures up, and even exceeds, somehow. That said, I do understand why a lot of fans prefer the debut: it's awesome. But for me, Boats showed a whole new level of song composition. The fact that Boats is introspective (vs. the more "outward" first album) makes it less accessible, but (for me) even more impressive.

I actually don't like choosing one over the other; at the end of the day, they're both A efforts (...though I suppose, if pressed, I'd go A+ for Boats).

PS: If you look at his pre-solo songwriting, I think Eric is again an exception to that rule you noted. As impressive as his songwriting was on Raspberries' debut (especially "GATW," "I Can Remember," and "Waiting.," plus "DWSG" with Wally), I think he got even better as his writing evolved. (All of this, as you said, is IMHO!)

[Kirk]

LC, I don't like to generalize; I was mostly responding to PaulMaul's post:

As someone who has no nostalgia tied in to any of this....

I like several of the songs on Boats ("Nowhere to Hide" for example) quite a bit. But those songs seem much less unique to me than Eric's previous material. There were a lot of singer/songwriters writing piano-based songs of angst at the time, some of which also have well-crafted lyrics. I like many of them, by artists like Peter Hammill. However, I have never heard anything remotely like Eric's first solo album. To me it is far more original, far more indicative of his musical genius than Boats.

Honestly, if the first Eric Carmen song I had heard had been "Run Away" or "Boats", I don't think I would have pursued his other works with too much energy. I'm happy that others love them so well, but I guess I just don't "get it."

This post seemed to mirror the general publics opinion regarding Eric's very successful (sales wise) and embraceable debut album versus BATC.

I acutally contradicted myself with the above post- I rate "Starting Over" (the last Raspberries album) as my favorite and usually pick "Tonight You're Mine" as my favorite Eric solo album. Eric can (and did!) write great songs at any time, as evidenced by his career. But, those who side with PaulMaul (and the buying public) seemed to agree that Eric's debut was a better album and my post was in regards to that. Once again IMHO