What can I say?
The adjectives 'quite spectacularly magnificent', would suffice, to start with…..
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What are you listening to? Part III
- Thread starter S.B.G
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What can I say?
The adjectives 'quite spectacularly magnificent', would suffice, to start with…..
Ah, lovely listening.
Actually, I love the music of Mr Bowie (and have a lot of it); actually, he is one of those rare artists that seems to defy time, and just gets better with age...
While my guitar gently weeps by The Beatles
Fun fact: I was playing this 2 days ago, doing my best eric clapton impression during the solo at the end and my treble E string snapped. New string comes today.
Fun fact: I was playing this 2 days ago, doing my best eric clapton impression during the solo at the end and my treble E string snapped. New string comes today.
Really? that's interesting. It was a pretty big step up for George, since he only had one song on Sgt. Pepper and only 3 from those sessions. It's cool that he wanted to bring Clapton into the studio to force the other beatles to "behave"
While I think about it, A minor is one of my favorite keys to play in as it is perhaps my favorite open chord on guitar.
As for my favorite beatles song, that's almost impossible for me to answer. If really really really pressed though, I would have to go with Strawberry Fields Forever as that song is pure genius in my opinion.
Yes, I knew that George had not contributed (maybe had not been encouraged to contribute much, but Lennon and McCartney were both superb song writers) much by way of original songs to the earlier albums. Still, all you need are a few outstanding tracks, and 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' is outstanding.
I knew that Clapton had been invited in as a guitarist - a superlative choice - but hadn't known of the angle that it was also to make the other Beatles "behave". Interesting.
Have to say that I love the 'White' album, it is possibly my favourite Beatles album, too.
Yeah, the white album is a masterpiece. Curious, have you heard the anthology and/or the unplugged versions? They are in different keys but no clapton obviously. I really think he elevated the song to its current status, but I wonder if the solo parts were written by Clapton, or by Harrison for Clapton.
anthology version:
In fact if you haven't listened to the white album unplugged, I highly recommend. Some great early takes the white album songs. Also you can see how their writing style differed for only acoustic versions and then switched when they went back in the studio to use electric instruments.
Well, I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had bought the CD of Rubber Soul (by The Beatles), and ripped it to my iTunes.
An understated, under-rated album, - the 'fulcrum', or 'seminal change', album which opened the door for the development of the later era of rich and complex music.
As I said earlier, (and my view then still holds) this is an elegant, subtle, classy album, very easy on the ear, and surprisingly musically complex.
Until I bought it, I had not heard it in decades .
Rubber soul was the "weed album" as ringo put it. It is also regarded as the bob dylan-influenced album which I can see. What some people don't recognize is that lennon was watching dylan a year before especially via the song "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away", off the album Help, which, in parts of the song has a very similar chord progression to parts of "Mr. Tambourine Man." If you had to pick a favorite song off Rubber Soul, what would it be?
Also, listening to this in honor of the legend BB King
It (Rubber Soul) is a very restful album, yet one that is sufficiently and satisfyingly complex to repay further listening (in a way I wouldn't do with their earlier albums).
Tracks I really like include (the pretty well known) "Norwegian Wood", "The Word"(I love that descending bass scale on the chorus), "Girl" (those melancholy minor keys), and, of course, "In My Life" (George Martin's baroque piano playing in the central section is brilliant, and I love Baroque music).
Single favourite track of those I listed? Probably the last - "In My Life" - it is a genuinely understated classic.
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You know, I hadn't listened to Rubber Soul in about 15 years, but I just did and I think you're quite right. Underrated and under appreciated for sure. This is really fascinating to see them start experimenting with more range in style, and it's really quite excellent in itself (beyond being the clear start of an explosively creative transformation).
You've expressed it very eloquently, and your last two sentences sum it up very well.
I think Rubber Soul has been overshadowed by - obviously, Sgt Pepper's, but also, by Revolver (which itself, is an excellent album - and is an even clearer departure from everything that preceded it - but is also strikingly different from everything that succeeded it), and yes, it is under-rated and appreciated.
And yes, it is fascinating to see them start to experiment with a greater range in style - while yet retaining sufficient similarity to what preceded it to not frighten fans with the fear of extravagant experimentation.
While Revolver is genuinely startlingly different - and experimental, and new - at times, Rubber Soul is more restful to listen to, and sounds almost like a more unified album.