Random Music Talk XXXVII: Powerhour cares more about Spotify than you do

[Reggo]

Now we really have to fight. Fixing A Hole is one of the trippier moments of Pepper, and I love the lyrics and George's ascending guitar line. I feel like the song kind of kills the kaleidoscopic momentum of the record, but that's sort of the point. It's a song about taking time to slow down, so yeah.

Mind, I haven't listened to Fixing A Hole is about...six or so years, so my opinion of it could be radically different now.

 

[LemonMelon]

I really cannot agree that "When I'm Sixty-Four" is a clever lyric. To me, there is a lot of frivolity masquerading as significance on Pepper. I can't see "Fixing a Hole" as anything other than a song about household chores, and "Lovey Rita" appears to be about a parking constable. And I needn't even mention "Good Morning" on account of what LM has already said.

I think that "Day in the Life" completely saves the album. It is so lyrically and musically profound that it retroactively makes the entire thing seem like a statement of cosmic importance.

I agree, and yet I couldn't care less if I tried. Sgt. Pepper IS their most sonically vibrant, creative and interesting record musically. It was lightyears ahead of most anything going on at the time, and the amount of sheer resourcefulness that went into its creation puts cookie-cutter pop records of today to fucking shame. My problem with Pepper is that a number of the songs are not, individually, as brilliant as those of Abbey Road and Revolver, but the complete work is jaw-dropping and, most importantly, fun. Just heard it the other day and it still engages me like few other albums do.

These discussions remind me that the Beatles are my favorite band. I just don't like bringing them up in the music-gushing thread because nobody needs to hear more Beatles praise.

 

[lazarus]

What's clever about it, if you'd care to explain? I like it, just wondering. I think Rita has better music.

I think putting himself in the shoes of an older man was a little forward for pop/rock songwriter in his 20's. I find it amusing and a bit endearing.

I don't know if there's a single George song I like.

This song (IMO one of George's best) didn't make the final cut of the White Album, to me the most unexplainable mystery of the band. The outro guitar solo kills, its raw, fierce nature rather uncharacteristic for the guy:

‪The Beatles - Not Guilty‬‏ - YouTube

From the recording session notes:

"George asked us to put his guitar amplifier at one end of the echo chambers, with a microphone at the other end to pick up the output. He sat playing the guitar in the studio control room with a line plugged through to the chamber."

Lennon in general was just not on his A-game during that period though; Beatles lore states that Lennon just didn't give a shit at the time, and wrote GMGM while watching daytime television in his PJs in like 5 minutes.

If Lucy and A Day in the Life aren't A-game, I don't know what is. And Mr. Kite is pretty fucking brilliant from a studio production aspect. Macca was more prolific during this period but I'll take John's peaks over his, as usual.

 

[iron yuppie]

I agree, and yet I couldn't care less if I tried. Sgt. Pepper IS their most sonically vibrant, creative and interesting record musically. It was lightyears ahead of most anything going on at the time, and the amount of sheer resourcefulness that went into its creation puts cookie-cutter pop records of today to fucking shame. My problem with Pepper is that a number of the songs are not, individually, as brilliant as those of Abbey Road and Revolver, but the complete work is jaw-dropping and, most importantly, fun.

I'll concede that the record is frenetically creative and forward-looking, but my question is this: do those experiments hold up well today? I would say yes for something like Mr. Kite, but definitely not for something like 64. That is why it seems like an inconsistent, perhaps even schizophrenic record to me.

 

[cobl04]

I think putting himself in the shoes of an older man was a little forward for pop/rock songwriter in his 20's. I find it amusing and a bit endearing.

I think it's amusing and endearing too, but not clever.

 

[LemonMelon]

If Lucy and A Day in the Life aren't A-game, I don't know what is. And Mr. Kite is pretty fucking brilliant from a studio production aspect. Macca was more prolific during this period but I'll take John's peaks over his, as usual.

Those two are amazing, of course. But yeah, I'll just take those two and generally leave the rest. Mr. Kite is a fascinating listen, but it's not a great song. Another one of those he ripped off a poster or something he saw and scribbled out the results in 5 minutes. I guess that's impressive, because it's still a pretty strong track.

Of course, John embarrassed everyone on MMT, so he came out of his slump fast.

 

[Reggo]

Not Guilty

When I'm done listening to the current album I'm on, I'll give at least Fixing A Hole a spin. See if opinions have changed with age and/or wisdom.

 

[VintagePunk]

Haven't been in this part of the forum in forever and I'm too lazy to look and see if there is a unique thread, but I just got home from seeing Steely Dan. Verdict? Go see them. NOW. Great show, amazing musicians.

 

[LemonMelon]

I'll concede that the record is frenetically creative and forward-looking, but my question is this: do those experiments hold up well today? I would say yes for something like Mr. Kite, but definitely not for something like 64. That is why it seems like an inconsistent, perhaps even schizophrenic record to me.

I say yes to all. 64 is just something I'm used to hearing from the Beatles; Paul's "granny songs" (what a pretentious, asshole term that is) are hardly unique to Pepper. The album is a series of character sketches, so the fact that it jumps around with its genre exercises is not surprising, and I feel it pulls that off brilliantly. The fact that the songs are all daring in their usage of found sounds and other esoteric recording techniques helps it cohere.

 

[bono_212]

Haven't been in this part of the forum in forever and I'm too lazy to look and see if there is a unique thread, but I just got home from seeing Steely Dan. Verdict? Go see them. NOW. Great show, amazing musicians.

HUSH! Don't encourage Travis. I've been trying to avoid the topic of Steely Dan at all costs so he doesn't remember they're on tour.

 

[bono_212]

This song (IMO one of George's best) didn't make the final cut of the White Album, to me the most unexplainable mystery of the band. The outro guitar solo kills, its raw, fierce nature rather uncharacteristic for the guy:

What the hell? It's a pretty damn fine song, and it's not as though there weren't songs it could've fit on their 1968 release in place of. Strange.

 

[Reggo]

Well, listened to Fixing A Hole again.

‪No sir, I didn't like it.‬‏ - YouTube

I like Paul's sunshiney songs, but that one just rubs me the wrong way.

Within You Without You. Perfect song to relax and go to bed with.

 

[LemonMelon]

Haven't been in this part of the forum in forever and I'm too lazy to look and see if there is a unique thread, but I just got home from seeing Steely Dan. Verdict? Go see them. NOW. Great show, amazing musicians.

x14,000,000

Because my wife thinks Rikki is a "horrible song" and that Steely Dan is a "horrible band" (more of those "horrible errors in opinion" I was referring to earlier) I need to find my way out to one of their traveling AAA jamborees very soon, solo.

 

[LemonMelon]

I like Paul's sunshiney songs

I think it's pretty chill and moody myself, but that's not really relevant.

 

[bono_212]

No need to apologize for your own opinion, I've just never heard someone say they disliked that song, let alone outright hated it.

I love the intro to the song, I just find myself completely turned off by the lyrics and I don't feel like the music stays as strong as it is.


I really really don't like "Within You Without You". I throw the word hate around a bit easily sometimes, but if there was any one Beatles song I would say I hate (and really, there aren't that many I outright dislike) it would be that one. While I completely understand the appeal of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" I can't understand for a moment why "Within You Without You" is so popular. I do find that strange, as I am a pretty huge fan of the sitar. But it just doesn't work at all on this song for me, along with pretty much everything else going on.

 

[VintagePunk]

HUSH! Don't encourage Travis. I've been trying to avoid the topic of Steely Dan at all costs so he doesn't remember they're on tour.

Travis, GO. Don't listen to the ball and chain (Ashley ). I've been a fan for a long time, love the whole jazz-rock fusion thing (former high school band geek, here) but this is the first time I've ever seen them. We saw them in an amphitheatre in Toronto that tends to have great sound, but I suspect they'd sound amazing wherever they play, with Fagan and Becker's attention to detail. They do SO well at reproducing the studio sound live. And I've seen some live video of the early 2000's where Fagan's voice was...less than on. But damn, he was good tonight. What a treat. Yesterday we had crazy, insane temperatures where you couldn't stand to be outside for more than 5 minutes. Glad it cooled off enough today for us to go.

 

[LemonMelon]

What was the set? I guess it hardly matters, I just want to know if it's all Two Against Nature and beyond so I can brace myself.

 

[Jive Turkey]

I'm a fairly big Beatles fan and Within You Without You is easily in my bottom 10. I just can't find much appeal in it

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Spoiler

 

[VintagePunk]

It was pretty much this:

Steely Dan Concert Setlist at Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre, Toledo on July 20, 2011 | setlist.fm

Except with Babylon Sisters before Neighbour's Daughter, and another song in the encore, but I'll be damned if I can remember which one it was, now. Worked all day Friday, I've been up nearly for 22 hrs.

One song they've been playing that I REALLY wanted them to play but they didn't was FM.

 

[lazarus]

Paul's "granny songs" (what a pretentious, asshole term that is)

Lennon was a pretentious asshole, but he was right.

What the hell? It's a pretty damn fine song, and it's not as though there weren't songs it could've fit on their 1968 release in place of. Strange.

It's better than at least two of the Harrison songs, and over half of the Macca ones.

 

[bono_212]

Spoiler

 

[lazarus]

It was pretty much this:

Steely Dan Concert Setlist at Toledo Zoo Amphitheatre, Toledo on July 20, 2011 | setlist.fm

Except with Babylon Sisters before Neighbour's Daughter, and another song in the encore, but I'll be damned if I can remember which one it was, now. Worked all day Friday, I've been up nearly for 22 hrs.

One song they've been playing that I REALLY wanted them to play but they didn't was FM.

That's kind of sad that they aren't playing anything from the two recent albums.

Glad I caught them on both of those tours, some really great songs.

They usually play a decent mix of old stuff. And I'm glad that my favorite song (My Old School) gets played pretty frequently.

 

[VintagePunk]

Lennon was a pretentious asshole,

This doesn't get mentioned nearly enough.

 

[bono_212]

That's kind of sad that they aren't playing anything from the two recent albums.

Obvious reference: Man, Steely Dan are beyond crisis. This is catastrophe levels of problem.

 

[VintagePunk]

That's kind of sad that they aren't playing anything from the two recent albums.

Glad I caught them on both of those tours, some really great songs.

They usually play a decent mix of old stuff. And I'm glad that my favorite song (My Old School) gets played pretty frequently.

Yeah. My favourite, aside from the hits, it's probably Deacon Blues. Would have killed to hear that. And tonight made me want to look up more of their 2000 material, it certainly wasn't bad, that's for sure.

 

[LemonMelon]

Obvious reference: Man, Steely Dan are beyond crisis. This has to be a catastrophe.

You think their music is a catastrophe.

My parents saw Steely Dan on their reunion tour in 93, but they didn't think my 2 year old self was cool enough to rock out with them and left me with my grandma. Now, I have the opportunity to get cheap-ass lawn seats just like they did. Sounds like fate to me.

 

[Reggo]

I think it's pretty chill and moody myself, but that's not really relevant.

Moody?

I've always thought of Sgt. Pepper as a concert concept album. It's The Beatles as Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band playing these songs. "It was 20 years ago today/ Sgt Pepper taught the band to play" It's a band doing a farewell/reunion/nostalgia tour, and these were their biggest hits. And they're mostly songs about everyday life: friends making your life worth living, treating your woman right, household chores (alternatively, wrestling with a drug addiction. Doing household chores while on drugs?), your grown daughter going off to live her own life, going to the circus, hoping your wife will still love you when you're old and grey, wanting to blow off work and go have fun for a day. The main set is Sgt Pepper through its reprise, and then A Day In The Life is the encore. And what's the album been about? A day in the life of all these characters they've created: Lucy, Rita, Mr Kite. I could be totally wrong, but this is how I interpret Sgt Pepper.

 

[bono_212]

You think their music is a catastrophe.

Do you think it's a catastrophe that I think their music is a catastrophe?

My parents saw Steely Dan on their reunion tour in 93, but they didn't think my 2 year old self was cool enough to rock out with them and left me with my grandma. Now, I have the opportunity to get cheap-ass lawn seats just like they did. Sounds like fate to me.

There's something supremely wrong with the fact that I'm quite sure that I'll be seeing Steely Dan in two weeks, but next weekend and my life will continue to have a noticeable lack of Paul McCartney

 

[bono_212]

Moody?

I've always thought of Sgt. Pepper as a concert concept album. It's The Beatles as Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band playing these songs. "It was 20 years ago today/ Sgt Pepper taught the band to play" It's a band doing a farewell/reunion/nostalgia tour, and these were their biggest hits. And they're mostly songs about everyday life: friends making your life worth living, treating your woman right, household chores (alternatively, wrestling with a drug addiction), your grown daughter going off to live her own life, going to the circus, hoping your wife will still love you when you're old and grey, wanting to blow off work and go have fun for a day. The main set is Sgt Pepper through its reprise, and then A Day In The Life is the encore. And what's the album been about? A day in the life of all these characters they've created: Lucy, Rita, Mr Kite. I could be totally wrong, but this is how I interpret Sgt Pepper.

While I have always been under the impression that Sgt. Peppers is a concept album, I have always been told that the concept is loose at best. The concept being that all of the songs are about broken hearts.

Not saying your concept doesn't work, just putting that out there. In fact, I find it pretty damn interesting.