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06-27-2012, 12:24 PM
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#1373 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,971
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 Once again we return to the what is often the best advice a musician can get. It's all very fine to be firing off guitar solos or running through complicated keyboard hi-jinks, or to write Steinmanesque lyrics that try to explain the human condition or prove/disprove the existence of God, or to compose a song that's in seven or more parts, each linking to the others in a concept, or even to explore interesting vocal techniques. Each has its own place, and can be fine if used correctly. But it can often be harder, and indeed preferable, just to let the music flow and not worry too much about how complicated it is, or write very sparse lyrics, or even none at all. Sometimes, it's best to keep it simple. Most bands know this, at least, those who have done well and are appreciated by their fans. U2 are certainly known for fast, heavy rock songs or songs straining at the seams with political, spiritual or historical lyrics, but sometimes even they knew that just to tone it all down and reduce a song to its basics was the thing to do. October --- U2 --- 1981 Music by U2, Lyrics by Bono  The title track from their second album, “October” is a short and very simple little song. It features the Edge on piano, and it's mostly his song really, as Bono only sings a short verse over the music. The lyric is sparse and stark, and could probably be interpreted many ways, but it's certainly a lonely song, a dark and troubling song, and all this conveyed in just over two minutes of piano and voice. Amazing. That's how to do it.
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06-28-2012, 07:16 PM
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#1377 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,971
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 As the seventies gave way to the new decade, Kool and the Gang, although around since the late sixties, were just about to begin an assault on the charts which would last for six years, peaking in 1985 with “Cherish”, which would hit almost the top spot both sides of the Atlantic. This is one of their slower, funkier songs, which did really well for them too. This is “Too hot”.
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06-29-2012, 05:12 AM
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#1378 (permalink) |
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Born to be mild
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: 404 Not Found
Posts: 26,971
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 A little late with the cheese this week, but as long as we get there... I promised to stay away from the eighties this time around (even though it's such a cheesy decade!) and try to go for something different, and I'm nothing if not a girl of my word. So without further ado, I bid you welcome to the cheese of the nineteen nineties! Now personally, I've always hated this artiste. I think she overdoes singing in a way which has become copied and almost generic now for new singers, where every word has to be stretched out and stupid phrases like “Whoa-oh-oh-oh-ahhh” get stuck on the end of every sentence, and often extend the end of the song by several seconds. Talk about dragging it out! Yeah, I can only be talking about one person, can't I?  Without you (Mariah Carey) 1994 This is one I will never forgive her for! Although it was not actually his song, “Without you” became a standard for, and identified with, the late Harry Nilsson. His quiet, gentle vocal over simple piano was well known to all of us who bought those compilation love songs albums, and this was always one of my favourite ballads. Carey decided to gee it up, making it more a showcase for her voice than a true representation of the song. She also chose to have it released just after Nilsson's death, a move I consider both cynical and immoral: talk about cashing in on the passing of an artiste! I also hate her version, much more so the fact that these days it is growing to be seen as the definitive version, to the point where kids nowadays will tell you it's her song, and will stare blankly if you mention the name of Harry Nilsson. She destroyed this song for me, and with her little gospel chorus she injected it with a cheese element the original could never be accused of. She made a mockery of one of the most beautiful love songs ever, and what is worse, achieved her first (though sadly not her only) number one with it. The only one to ruin a song more comprehensively by taking a gentle, simple song and trying to make a cinematic production out of it, taking all the emotion and heart from it and replacing it with pure bombast and ego was Whitney Houston, but that's a tale for another day.
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