From: john@pop.ntlworld.com
In article <1139031820.966027.27280@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, diane
writes
>tim, John, dog, your criticisms are obviously well-thought-out. i
>respect what you're saying.
I just wish I were better at putting my thoughts into words. I feel
guilty for criticising the "talky bits" of H-Gang, when now those
verses feels right in the song. I have been playing it repeatedly and it
truly is a great song, and apologies to all the musicians playing there,
the noodley bits are good too! But first impressions are important to
note.... "little things might matter later"
>
>it is fascinating to me how differently we all are hearing things.
>you'd think opinions so far apart would not bring people together in a
>fanbase, but we're all here.
Yes, Diane. Viva La Difference
>
>steely dan music/donald fagen music/walter becker music has always been
>instantly appealing to me. i never had to give it several listens or
>let it grow on me, with the exception of 2vN, which was a "love/hate/i
>don't care" experience for me that ultimately turned into boredom.
>although i appreciate much of the musicianship on that record, i never
>listen to it anymore. it just doesn't grab me.
>
I just listened to the clips once, and from previous experience I don't
want those bits to colour my judgement of the whole album, so I'm not
going to listen again.
I still remember the clips from 2VN spoiling the record for me when it
came out.. they slotted in like a jigsaw and made the experience a
different listen. I've already forgotten how these new excepts sounded,
thankfully, because they felt like tuneless middle of the road jazz-buff
fodder.
I remember the clip from Gaslighting Abbey, which was the awful discord
that is the chorus, and thinking maybe this is a short, one off part of
the song that will be offset by a wonderful mind blowing new sounding
chorus that will melt me to my seat. But alas no, that was the chorus.
Painfully out of tune to my ear, and the rest of the song was even
worse.
>but i hear so much more on mtc than anything since kamakiriad. i cannot
>wait to hear it all. the snippets reveal a maestro level of performance
>and production.
>
I hope you are right.
>it may turn out that the record IS too talky or the guitar IS too
>noodly. as much as i love michael leonhart's horn arrangements, they do
>have a similarity that's tiresome (if that is ML arranging the horns,
>and i believe his signature is plain on the title track and reprise).
Undoubtedly Donald controls the score for the horns. He does that trick
with the chorus like he did on Florida Room, raising the effect of it
through the song.
First listen I thought the line "Here comes the H gang" was a bit lazy
and frankly a bit of a dirge, but it is a grower, and listen to the
up-beat chords missing around the words "hic town" in the first chorus,
and look out at the same point later for the subtle way the chorus
elevates to the sweetest sounding Dan-esque memorable moments, full of
new original embellishments to the end. Those horns are the best since
Florida Room. Noodle on.
>
>still, mtc doesn't just work for me; it thrills me like the last two SD
>relases didn't, and like nothing has since kamakiriad.
Still agree with Tim on the rest of the snippets. I can't wait to be
proved wrong. I was wrong with H-Gang.
>
>btw, i was outside, mowing my lawn in 1993 when i first put kamakiriad
>on my Walkman, fresh from the record store, and heard Donald sing, "Is
>that my father/mowin' the lawn/C'mon Daddy, get in, let's go." i wonder
>what i'll be doing the first time i hear morph the cat for the first
>time?
Fallen to your knees, clutching your chest, stretching out with a shaky
hand reaching for the heart tablets like the rest of us... if its all as
good as H-Gang.
>
>memories.
Mmmmm
>
>love and kisses
>diane <-- scanning the skyline
>
Put your bifocals on, nearly there ;-)
--
John Duffy
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
|
