I remember some of the series. Don't think I saw them all.
The film sequels weren't that great. Too much trying to keep the cash cow milking.
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What are you listening to? Part III
- Thread starter S.B.G
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The film sequels weren't that great. Too much trying to keep the cash cow milking.
The series as a whole I actually liked a lot. Side not, met Mr. Paul at a comic book convention. He was actually super nice and had no problem talking to people!
If you ever get a chance watch the behind the scenes footage of the series. He has some very funny scenes and from the looks of it, he was the prankster on set.
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I can be a real fan of a little Sinatra in the early fall for some reason, or on a chilly evening like we've had lately when there's no cloud cover (for a change!). Thanks for the idea...
Have Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti playing in the background.
Doing an encrypted backup of my iPhone, really limits things. Thank goodness for the iOS Apple remote app letting me control iTunes which is otherwise locked up by a dialogue box... for eight hours. Jeez, Apple.
Anyhow, that makes it harder to navigate so I'm being selective. My solution is to pick a song I know many versions of and have a "compare'n'contrast" session. I'm really in the mood for non-proselytizing music focused on the issue of "conscience." First song that crossed my mind is "What Good Am I."
This is probably my favorite cover (and equal in my mind to the original):
This is easily the most soulful cover (and better than Tom Jones' subsequent, overly earnest and not soulful enough take):
And this performance was at the Nobel Peace Prize concert for its composer:
Wish my selections were more varied recently. When the heart's not in it, the brain's gotta take the reins.
Anyhow, that makes it harder to navigate so I'm being selective. My solution is to pick a song I know many versions of and have a "compare'n'contrast" session. I'm really in the mood for non-proselytizing music focused on the issue of "conscience." First song that crossed my mind is "What Good Am I."
This is probably my favorite cover (and equal in my mind to the original):
This is easily the most soulful cover (and better than Tom Jones' subsequent, overly earnest and not soulful enough take):
And this performance was at the Nobel Peace Prize concert for its composer:
What Good Am I?
Bob Dylan
What good am I some like all the rest
If I just turn away when I see how you're dressed
If I shut myself off so I can't hear you cry
What good am I?
What good am I if I know and don't do
If I see and don't say if I look right through you
If I turn a deaf ear to the thunderin' sky
What good am I?
What good am I while you softly weep
And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep
And I freeze in the moment like the rest who don't try
What good am I?
What good am I then to others and me
If I had every chance and yet still fail to see
If my hands are tied must I not wonder within
Who tied them and why and where must I have been
What good am I if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back while you silently die
What good a I?
Lyrics © Bob Dylan Music Co.
Bob Dylan
What good am I some like all the rest
If I just turn away when I see how you're dressed
If I shut myself off so I can't hear you cry
What good am I?
What good am I if I know and don't do
If I see and don't say if I look right through you
If I turn a deaf ear to the thunderin' sky
What good am I?
What good am I while you softly weep
And I hear in my head what you say in your sleep
And I freeze in the moment like the rest who don't try
What good am I?
Bridge
If I had every chance and yet still fail to see
If my hands are tied must I not wonder within
Who tied them and why and where must I have been
What good am I if I say foolish things
And I laugh in the face of what sorrow brings
And I just turn my back while you silently die
What good a I?
Lyrics © Bob Dylan Music Co.
Wish my selections were more varied recently. When the heart's not in it, the brain's gotta take the reins.
Hopped in the way back machine today and pulled up some Tina Turner. Woman's always had chops.
I liked them for awhile and then thought they got stuck. I'll have to check out Up to Now. Funny how sometimes a band moves on and I think they should have hung out where they were a bit longer, other times I wish they'd take a gap year (or threee, and come back reborn.
My solution to the wait-time for a tornado warning to expire the other night was Led Zeppelin's Mothership... it's not bad even a corner of the cellar. They say a twister sounds like a freight train. I had that better idea.
Finally! Official Prince videos have come to Vevo, and by extension to Youtube! Sweet. Just happened this morning and it's making me happy!
I'll say that's true for me too. I've had a lot of fun prowling back through earlier posts here since I took up Apple Music. When it occurs to me I'm not taking full advantage of it I'll sometimes come in here and plunk down in a random part of the thread and see some suggestions. Always fun.
But today I'm trying to rassle a bunch of fabrics into where they should be stored vs where stored now, a pain in the neck. Hard rock seemed like appropriate genre music-wise. Bad Company not a bad place to start
and once I had bumped into a three yard piece of a spectactularly ugly "what was I thinking" cotton print, then the Company of Strangers track seemed appropriate. My evil twin took me shopping that day for sure. I label fabric bins like "Geometrics" or "Vintage Floral" etc. I might need one called "Rogues and Outliers"...
Play 'em in a row...
Yeah, the second pair are covers, but to these ears these four go pretty well together on a few fronts considering the disparate sources. Plus, maybe I just miss old folk, blues and Tin Pan Alley where a song could be treated to many interpretations, each somehow circling the composition's essence and settling on a different vantage.
LOL. To wit, my former chiropractor caused the arthritis in my neck, not head banging like these guys for decades (I cannot anymore thanks to that "adjustment".)
and now...same vocalist and guitarist different band (who have since split up)
Those are great for summer. For some reason the Baby Shambles one reminds me of the Jealous Guy track in the Got You on My Mind album (Galison & Peyroux). Pace is much more languid in Jealous Guy but has that laid-back, half careless, half tentative summer ambience thanks to an amazing harmonica. Instrumental almost all the way until that casual, startling admission just seconds from the end, "I never meant to hurt you... I'm just a jealous guy."
To me it's a pretty good example of what classical music instructors are always going on about in terms of arriving at "effortless effort" in performance.
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This one sounds a little like old school Obituary, cleaner sound, but the vocals. Love it!
On of my favorites...
Martin Van Drunen remains my favorite extreme vocalist almost 30 years on because he still sounds like that, over 30 years on; even live.
I hope I get to see him one day. I'd recommend any of the recent Asphyx albums or Hail of Bullets first, Of Frost and War (he sounded so intense on that one, really felt the lyrics).But yeah that Asphyx track does sort of have an Obituary feel to it riff-wise, good catch. Chopped in Half was crazy, good fun. I think Dying is my favorite early Obituary track (if not my fave overall).
and completely different: Ufomammut "Hopscotch"
Probably the only modern "doom" band I listen to, because of their punk-garage style. They're a bit more ambient now which is a shame, but still fun.
and my favorite track of theirs, "Stigma"
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Cool cover! Even though Peyroux's voice isn't on the track, it certainly fits with her style. I have one album of hers and several tracks. Within that sort of modern torch singer (?), she's my favorite. As to the song itself, it's production feels more "up front" than the songs I posted, but in the feel of the performance itself I completely get what you mean, though in that sense, it feels pretty different than how I perceive Peyroux. Makes an interesting juxtaposition in my head.
As to "effortless effort," that pretty well encapsulates what usually draws me in. Maybe it's why I prefer, say, Billie Holiday to Dinah Washington. One is a bit rougher and looser even if the other is more technically-minded. I find that across genres. I'm very forgiving of an out-of-tune instrument, flubbed notes, etc. when the feel of a performance can at least provide the illusion that the performance is lived-in more than perfected. I also enjoy when songs' rhythms slip some, as if the performers are so emotionally engaged that it affects the metronomic qualities.
On a slightly divergent note that comes to mind: I'm not a Grateful Dead fan. Not remotely. I'm glad others are. One of my favorite (re-)releases of the last few years, though, is The Pizza Tapes: Extra Large, on which Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Tim Rice play a lot of old "trad., arr." songs together. It sounds almost like they're around my kitchen table. The new edition features multiple live-in-studio stabs of pretty much each song, including some tuning, joking and technical talk. While it's more like a private rehearsal and jam session, the professional chops of these players and the excellent recording make it almost like a house concert. Flubs here and there, but throughout, each song is nearly meticulous with some failed explorations here and there. It's fascinating, gentle, amusing and heartfelt stuff. Not like what either of us posted here, but "effortless effort" brought it to mind.
unspools a story that'd put kids to sleep. It ends up where it's supposed to after lots, "did I really need to know that" ephemera.
A few days ago I got an email updating the tour of my favorite contemporary singer-songwriter, Josh Ritter. I clicked on the link to see if I'd already missed his DC/MD/VA show. I did. I saw he'd been on Prairie Home Companion recently. I liked Garrison Keillor fine but found him somnambulant and rarely listened. I'd known he retired and has been succeeded by mandolin wunderkind Chris Thile, whose range and taste far exceeds his bluegrass association. Fortunately, Ritter's site had a YouTube link. Of course it did. Consumer-level tech savvy as I may be, it never occurred to me they must be memorializing at least some chunks of each show. This seemed like a perfect excuse. His performances were good and, stripped of too-much-production for my taste, a newish song I'd dismissed came to life. It helps having Thile, Sarah Jarosz and Aiofe O'Donovan backing you up.
Then I watched their own songs from the episode. You may know this drill. Then came the iTunes (well, Google Play for me) rabbit hole. Sampled their songs then checked to see if Ritter had any new scraps relegated to compilations. Nothing... except I noticed a few instrumental versions of songs I knew from previous albums. Turns out these were official and used for a digital-only soundtrack for a movie called Hollars. I'll look into the film later, probably when it hits Netflix/Amazon. In the meantime, for $9.49 I opted to get these five instrumentals, four songs I don't know and two I own from other releases.
First thing I'm struck by in the album itself is that the verse melody of Edward Sharpe's song is, to be kind, deeply indebted to the guitar melody in John Prine's mostly sweet, slightly bitter and completely excellent song, "All the Best". It's distracting enough that I listen to the song several times. Then other aspects -- mainly production remind me of the Richard Hawley song I also posted. I discovered that song several years ago and forgot it in between. Glad my ear has a better memory than my brain. Those two songs seemed like a solid pair, so I got it in my head to string it along a bit further. That used to be an almost automatic behavior and an enjoyable hobby, even well past the "mix tape" era. Been a few years since I've actually put together a full 74-100 minute playlist that gelled, sadly.
Anyhow, something in the lyric and the production reminded me of Petula Clark's "Downtown," though I knew it wouldn't work. Not just because that song is overly-familiar to me and conjures specific times, places and people, but because the production and style is all wrong even if something in the melody, structure and lyrical themes felt right. So I go hunting for covers, afraid I'd only find some best-forgotten Jim Nabors version, a bunch of karaoke ones, an "ironnic" a death metal version, and an American Idol/The Voice version with over-the-top ululations and vocal fry. Luckily, after only trying two covers I found the Babyshambles one. The ambience of the recording sounded right(ish) with the other two with a little of that old Sun Records echo and a light nod to Phil Spector's grand production. The vocal approach was straightforward enough that it'd do. It was just earnest enough but -- as you point -- loose enough that it walked the right line for me.
These songs all felt like a night out on the town ("Downtown" being a bit on the nose there!). Sort of re-assertions I can't peg (because I don't even want to try). Hearing the three in the row I really wanted to hear "After Hours," probably my favorite Velvet Underground song. I'm not a big fan of theirs. I considered Rilo Kiley's version, which I quite like, but sounds to "thick," with everything closely miked. It kind'a helped that the song opens with some more distant sounds, but it was still jarring. So the hunt began. Way too many covers turned up on the search so I looked for familiar names or band names that at least sounded "indie," whatever that means. Babyshambles fit the bill and was vaguely familiar. The production and all works okay, but not as well as I'd've liked, even though this song'll get a lot of play for quite some time.
Now I just need to suture about 70 more minutes' worth of songs. This little run feels like it belongs very near the end after a longer, slower build of songs. I probably won't do it because, well, ... dunno. But I do like this little run of tunes.
A few days ago I got an email updating the tour of my favorite contemporary singer-songwriter, Josh Ritter. I clicked on the link to see if I'd already missed his DC/MD/VA show. I did. I saw he'd been on Prairie Home Companion recently. I liked Garrison Keillor fine but found him somnambulant and rarely listened. I'd known he retired and has been succeeded by mandolin wunderkind Chris Thile, whose range and taste far exceeds his bluegrass association. Fortunately, Ritter's site had a YouTube link. Of course it did. Consumer-level tech savvy as I may be, it never occurred to me they must be memorializing at least some chunks of each show. This seemed like a perfect excuse. His performances were good and, stripped of too-much-production for my taste, a newish song I'd dismissed came to life. It helps having Thile, Sarah Jarosz and Aiofe O'Donovan backing you up.
Then I watched their own songs from the episode. You may know this drill. Then came the iTunes (well, Google Play for me) rabbit hole. Sampled their songs then checked to see if Ritter had any new scraps relegated to compilations. Nothing... except I noticed a few instrumental versions of songs I knew from previous albums. Turns out these were official and used for a digital-only soundtrack for a movie called Hollars. I'll look into the film later, probably when it hits Netflix/Amazon. In the meantime, for $9.49 I opted to get these five instrumentals, four songs I don't know and two I own from other releases.
First thing I'm struck by in the album itself is that the verse melody of Edward Sharpe's song is, to be kind, deeply indebted to the guitar melody in John Prine's mostly sweet, slightly bitter and completely excellent song, "All the Best". It's distracting enough that I listen to the song several times. Then other aspects -- mainly production remind me of the Richard Hawley song I also posted. I discovered that song several years ago and forgot it in between. Glad my ear has a better memory than my brain. Those two songs seemed like a solid pair, so I got it in my head to string it along a bit further. That used to be an almost automatic behavior and an enjoyable hobby, even well past the "mix tape" era. Been a few years since I've actually put together a full 74-100 minute playlist that gelled, sadly.
Entr'acte:
Anyhow, something in the lyric and the production reminded me of Petula Clark's "Downtown," though I knew it wouldn't work. Not just because that song is overly-familiar to me and conjures specific times, places and people, but because the production and style is all wrong even if something in the melody, structure and lyrical themes felt right. So I go hunting for covers, afraid I'd only find some best-forgotten Jim Nabors version, a bunch of karaoke ones, an "ironnic" a death metal version, and an American Idol/The Voice version with over-the-top ululations and vocal fry. Luckily, after only trying two covers I found the Babyshambles one. The ambience of the recording sounded right(ish) with the other two with a little of that old Sun Records echo and a light nod to Phil Spector's grand production. The vocal approach was straightforward enough that it'd do. It was just earnest enough but -- as you point -- loose enough that it walked the right line for me.
These songs all felt like a night out on the town ("Downtown" being a bit on the nose there!). Sort of re-assertions I can't peg (because I don't even want to try). Hearing the three in the row I really wanted to hear "After Hours," probably my favorite Velvet Underground song. I'm not a big fan of theirs. I considered Rilo Kiley's version, which I quite like, but sounds to "thick," with everything closely miked. It kind'a helped that the song opens with some more distant sounds, but it was still jarring. So the hunt began. Way too many covers turned up on the search so I looked for familiar names or band names that at least sounded "indie," whatever that means. Babyshambles fit the bill and was vaguely familiar. The production and all works okay, but not as well as I'd've liked, even though this song'll get a lot of play for quite some time.
Now I just need to suture about 70 more minutes' worth of songs. This little run feels like it belongs very near the end after a longer, slower build of songs. I probably won't do it because, well, ... dunno. But I do like this little run of tunes.
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