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kenny
Member
Posts: 362
Registered: Mar 2008 |
 Posted July 14th, 2008 01:11 PM IP    
Brian Wilson 88
1. Love And Mercy - love this song
2. Walkin' The Line - works for me
3. Melt Away - love this song
4. Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long - love this song
5. Little Children - ok
6. One For The Boys - ok
7. There's So Many - love this song
8. Night Time - good rocker
9. Let It Shine - love this song, doesn't anyone hear the same song in Jeff Lyne's Roy Orbison collaboration "You Got It" - exactly the same song, love that too
10. Meet Me In My Dreams Tonight - a bit too long but works given the next piece
11. Rio Grande - great fun love this song
Sweet Insanity, second version (1990):
1. Concert Tonight (Intro) - not a bad start, I like these little cameo things
2. Someone To Love - indifferent
3. Water Builds Up - but the song doesn't
4. Don't Ler Her Know She's An Angel - rated but imho over-rated
5. I Do (aka Do You Have Any Regrets) - sort of not bad but annoying on repeated listens
6. Thank You (aka Brian) - no thankyou, he did a piano only version of this on uk TV which was excruciating
7. Hotter - ??
8. The Spirit Of Rock And Roll - hell no
9. Rainbow Eyes - indifferent
10. Love Ya - ??
11. Make A Wish - ok
12. Smart Girls - humour, comedy songs don't have much lasting appeal to me, but ok. I laughed
13. Country Feeling - ??
Wilson Paley Sessions
Proud Mary - indifferent
Getting In Over My Head - indifferent
You're Still A Mystery - indifferent
Chain Reaction of Love - thumbs down
Soul Searchin' - indifferent
It's Not Easy Being Me - thumbs down
Desert Drive - ok
Saturday Morning In The City - great, better on GIOMH
This Song Wants To Sleep With You Tonight - ok
Market Place - great song, more everyday stuff this and SMITC would suit me
I'm Broke - ok
Must Be A Miracle - indifferent
In My Moondreams - indifferent
My Mary Anne - ??
This Could Be The Night - MFQ?, can't even remember this - have to look it out
Slightly American Music - like this
Frankie Avalon - dumb and all the better for it
Elbow '63 - dumber still - i like
Dancing The Night Away - ??
God Did It - indifferent
Goin' Home - ??
Some Sweet Day - ??
What Rock'n'Roll Can Do - ??
Imagination
1. Your Imagination - great opener, heard it played on the radio at the time and thought it sounded amazing
2. She Says That She Needs Me - indifferent
3. South America - produced to sound like it's under 8 inches of opaque perspex
4. Where Has Love Been - indifferent
5. Keep An Eye On Summer - why?
6. Dream Angel - produced to sound like it's under 8 inches of opaque perspex
7. Cry - produced to sound like it's under 8 inches of opaque perspex
8. Lay Down Burden - heartfelt - produced to sound like it's under 8 inches of opaque perspex
9. Let Him Run Wild - fucking why?
10. Sunshine - produced to sound like it's under 8 inches of opaque perspex
11. Happy Days - produced to sound like it's under 8 inches of opaque perspex
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Rob
Member
Posts: 2043
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 01:25 PM IP
Isn't 'Brian' on Sweet Insanity?
Surprised you're so anti-It's Not Easy Being Me. What don't you like? Too confessional? Too self consciously in the I Just Wasn't Made For These Times mould? Playing up too much to tortured genius Brian legend?
I love or at least like Getting In Over My Head, Soul Searchin', It's Not Easy Being Me, Desert Drive, Saturday Morning In The City, This Song Wants To Sleep With You Tonight, Market Place, Must Be A Miracle, In My Moondreams, Slightly American Music.
There's a pretty decent album there.
Have YOU been Con-Demed yet?
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kenny
Member
Posts: 362
Registered: Mar 2008 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 01:32 PM IP
Quote:
Rob wrote:
Surprised you're so anti-It's Not Easy Being Me. What don't you like? Too confessional? Too self consciously in the I Just Wasn't Made For These Times mould? Playing up too much to tortured genius Brian legend?
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Lyrics are the last thing that hit me when I'm hearing stuff so it's not anything to do with their content. All I'm going on is memories of playing those songs and how completely underwhelmed I was on hearing most of them.
You're right though putting all the best of them together might improve them in a juxtapositional stylee.
Maybe what I should have said was that on listening to those records I found them to be hard work.
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Rob
Member
Posts: 2043
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 01:41 PM IP
In My Moondreams is a glorious piece of early sixties style instrumental pastiche which I'd think is pretty hard to dislike. I'm not up on these things but I've got the feeling it was largely the work of someone other than BW though. I think I remember reading that somewhere.
Have YOU been Con-Demed yet?
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Rob
Member
Posts: 2043
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 01:57 PM IP
The chorus of South American always sounds like a bit of a steal of Islands In The Stream to me.
Have YOU been Con-Demed yet?
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Ian Cubed
Member
Posts: 1670
Registered: May 2008 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 02:32 PM IP
Quote:
Rob wrote:
Isn't 'Brian' on Sweet Insanity? |
Was called Brian on the first version, Thank You on the second.
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Rob
Member
Posts: 2043
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 02:34 PM IP
Quote:
Ian Cubed wrote:
Was called Brian on the first version, Thank You on the second.
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Oh yeah, didn't notice that.
Have YOU been Con-Demed yet?
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alan
Administrator
Posts: 7455
Registered: Aug 2007 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 04:26 PM IP
When I first discovered p-to-p stuff, the first thing I did was download as many Brian Wilson tracks as I could find, which was a gradual process back then, and so i got all those tracks in a mixed up fashion, and after the initial rush haven't listened to them much since.
I did think the Paley stuff was the best of the bunch though.
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luther
Member
Posts: 5203
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 10:36 PM IP
Quote:
kenny wrote:
Yeah, Imagination does't grab me much either - I really like the single and Lay Down Burdon comes accross well when I've heard it live but as an album it doesn't do much for me,
I totally disagree re-real instruments versus synths. Sometimes it is a cost-cutting thing but sometimes it's an atristic choice. Then again somtimes it's serendipity.
I dunno about the 80's musicians taking the easy way out either, it was just the fashion then to have synths on everything some of it is good some of it is plainly rubbish, just like any other era with any other intrument that happened to be in vogue. I don't how you can say it wasn't ever an artistic choice. From bands like Kraftwerk and 1st incarnation Human League bands made a conscious choice to work with synths, loads of great music from that conscious decision.
As a counter (not saying the WP sessions are like this) some music recorded with real instruments can stink as well, there's no denying that. It comes down to the spirit put in by the players/writers/producers.
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My complaint isn't real v. synth, it's the sound of the real v. the sound of synth in these cases. The sound of the final product matters, otherwise the concept of an arrangement wouldn't exist. And I didn't say it isn't ever an artistic choice. I said rarely. I stand behind that. OF COURSE music with real instruments can stink: I never denied that, either. I think you're focusing on the wrong aspects of what I said.
don't try so hard.
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kenny
Member
Posts: 362
Registered: Mar 2008 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 11:50 PM IP
Quote:
luther wrote: I think you're focusing on the wrong aspects of what I said. |
Luther I'm just hsooting the shit with you and don't want to get you wrong.
This is the bit that set me off.
The 80s saw pop musicians take the easy way out and program sounds rather than have them played. Cheaper. Faster. But they don't sound like the real instruments. It wasn't an artistic choice, I'll guarantee despite not having been there, 99.999% of the time. That's what's wrong with that shit.
Some people wanted to hear and play in studios with those sounds - people liked that stuff. - I know you're exaggerating here "99.999%" but there were huge electro scenes going on in every genre through the 80's,- some of it sounds shit but it's nothing to do with the synths it's to do with the overall production.
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luther
Member
Posts: 5203
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 14th, 2008 11:55 PM IP
Oh, I know you're just "shooting the shit" and don't worry, I'm not about to get upset. Just want to make sure you get where I"m coming from and not think I'm only into analog or acoustic instruments. (There's an Alesis over there <--- in my living room/studio that would out me as a liar.) But while I do admit my percentage MAY have been just slightly (  ) exaggerated, I absolutely believe cost and convenience were a giant part of the change of sounds in the 80s and after. Sure, new technology excites people and they want to use it. And sure, once something becomes fashionable, you can expect copy-catting. But overwhelmingly, I would guarantee labels, execs, producers, etc favored synth instrumental tracks because it means no hiring or less hiring of musicians, and once it's programmed, it's correct. Frank Zappa, for example, made no bones about it. His use of synclavier in the 80s was because even the great musicians (such as the London Symphony Orchestra) he hired struggled with his music, which cost him money. The computer didn't.
don't try so hard.
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kenny
Member
Posts: 362
Registered: Mar 2008 |
Posted July 15th, 2008 12:45 AM IP
Quote:
luther wrote:Frank Zappa, for example, made no bones about it. His use of synclavier in the 80s was because even the great musicians (such as the London Symphony Orchestra) he hired struggled with his music, which cost him money. The computer didn't. |
I don't recal Zappa being that Popular Music.
Even though the last part infers it was an artitcis consideration invovled in that it gave him the chance to get his ideas accross better.
For what it's worth a lot those "not quite trumpet sounds" were yamaha 's sounds - awful if in some producer's ear he imagines if in anyway they should be used in the same way as brass.
Anyway
MOOGS
Rolands
909 Drum machines
warm sampling -
all those things became huge towards the end of the 80's underground and in the charts
I like those machine sounds,
There is a German band Jazzanova - they have real musicians play parts then press vinyl which they subsequently sample, because they want the sound of sampled vinyl.
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Ian Cubed
Member
Posts: 1670
Registered: May 2008 |
Posted July 15th, 2008 02:59 AM IP
Quote:
kenny wrote: There is a German band Jazzanova - they have real musicians play parts then press vinyl which they subsequently sample, because they want the sound of sampled vinyl.
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That's uhh, kinda queer.
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kenny
Member
Posts: 362
Registered: Mar 2008 |
Posted July 15th, 2008 10:10 AM IP
Haha
It does?
and
It does.
It's an extreme example but they operate in a scene where samples are accepted if not cherished and vinyl records are a fetish. Those guys want to hear the sound of sampled vinyl, just like some others like electro sound - as an artistic choice.
Some of their stuff is nice but a too dry for me, prefer when they work with other artists.
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Ian Cubed
Member
Posts: 1670
Registered: May 2008 |
Posted July 15th, 2008 05:16 PM IP
Quote:
kenny wrote:
Haha
It does?
and
It does.
It's an extreme example but they operate in a scene where samples are accepted if not cherished and vinyl records are a fetish. Those guys want to hear the sound of sampled vinyl, just like some others like electro sound - as an artistic choice.
Some of their stuff is nice but a too dry for me, prefer when they work with other artists.
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I dig that.
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kenny
Member
Posts: 362
Registered: Mar 2008 |
Posted July 15th, 2008 07:31 PM IP
Here's some Jazzanova that someone handily prepared earlier. It's the album they made when Blue Note let them loose on their back catalogue. Some nice remixes - probably their best remix album. I like the Vibe player they have, most of them are DJ/Technician/Producer types but their vibe player pulls it all together.
http://musicworld-worldmusic.blogsp...-jazzanova.html
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Ian Cubed
Member
Posts: 1670
Registered: May 2008 |
Posted July 15th, 2008 08:31 PM IP
I shall listen. Thanks, sir!
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alan
Administrator
Posts: 7455
Registered: Aug 2007 |
Posted July 29th, 2008 08:20 PM IP
The blueboard has a link to the UNCUT review of TLOS (4 stars) - you all know where it is don't you?
UNCUT itself is in the shops in the UK and there isn't much else there that looked exciting at first glance...Oasis on the cover AGAIN.....there is a Randy Newman interview though that i look forward to reading. I did see a preview copy on sale in Camden at the weekend but there was no sleeve with it so I can wait a couple of weeks i think.
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luther
Member
Posts: 5203
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 31st, 2008 02:44 AM IP
The hosts' commentary afterward is interesting, too. Summary: beautiful song, beautiful arrangement, but bad vocals. And not endearingly bad, just shaky-bad.
don't try so hard.
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misterfusty
Member
Posts: 839
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 31st, 2008 10:27 AM IP
Quote:
alan wrote:
The blueboard has a link to the UNCUT review of TLOS (4 stars) - you all know where it is don't you?
UNCUT itself is in the shops in the UK and there isn't much else there that looked exciting at first glance...Oasis on the cover AGAIN.....there is a Randy Newman interview though that i look forward to reading. I did see a preview copy on sale in Camden at the weekend but there was no sleeve with it so I can wait a couple of weeks i think.
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Mojo is much better this month, by the sounds of it, There's a special on The White album, (i'm one of those nuts who never tires reading about the Beatles) 1st part of a 2 special. Also Mojo gives TLOS 4 stars too, even saying it's the best thing Brian's done since the Beach Boys' Surf's up album. Album of the month is the excellent The Week That Was, which is the second off shoot from the lads in Field Music.
www.misterfusty.com
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buddhahat
Member
Posts: 393
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 31st, 2008 10:51 AM IP
Quote:
misterfusty wrote:
Album of the month is the excellent The Week That Was, which is the second off shoot from the lads in Field Music.
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Cheers for pointing that out - I have this month's mojo but hadn't clocked the new Field Music review yet, stalling on the White Album spread. I love Field Music so look forward to reading that! (I thought they'd split up btw).
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misterfusty
Member
Posts: 839
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 31st, 2008 12:31 PM IP
Quote:
buddhahat wrote:
Cheers for pointing that out - I have this month's mojo but hadn't clocked the new Field Music review yet, stalling on the White Album spread. I love Field Music so look forward to reading that! (I thought they'd split up btw).
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They've not split up as such, I think they are just on hiatus, I think. They have two projects on the go at the moment, David Brewis's School of Language (who's already released the "Sea from Shore" album earlier this year) and The Week That Was, which is Peter Brewis, although both albums are essentially Field Music as all members play on them.. Of the two I think the latter is the better album but they are both worth a listen. Both take quite a few listens to get into as they are less immediate then some of the Field Music stuff.
http://www.myspace.com/theweekthatwas
http://www.myspace.com/schooloflanguage
www.misterfusty.com
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alan
Administrator
Posts: 7455
Registered: Aug 2007 |
Posted July 31st, 2008 06:25 PM IP
The MOJO review of TLOS is very good indeed. Raises hopes..... which i'm sure will be dashed if i find the bit that Luther refers to above....do I do it or do I wait till i buy it.......
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luther
Member
Posts: 5203
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted July 31st, 2008 08:26 PM IP
Quote:
alan wrote:
The MOJO review of TLOS is very good indeed. Raises hopes..... which i'm sure will be dashed if i find the bit that Luther refers to above....do I do it or do I wait till i buy it.......
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I say listen. I didn't find it disappointing. It's the kind of recording I expected to hear, with some nice arrangement differences from the original demo and live performances. Nothing earth-shattering about it: a nice studio version of MAD. (It isn't the sound quality of a released version, though, I suppose in an attempt to prevent wide(r?) booting.)
don't try so hard.
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luther
Member
Posts: 5203
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted August 1st, 2008 01:53 AM IP
I'm withholding mix/master complaints until the final version, and so my main complaint about the studio version now is Brian's high "lost in the dark" part. It's not very good at all. Not at all. Ick. Otherwise I am comfortable with this, I think. A worthy (as if it's necessary for ME to judge such things for Brian Fucking Wilson) addition to the catalogue.
don't try so hard.
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alan
Administrator
Posts: 7455
Registered: Aug 2007 |
Posted August 1st, 2008 02:47 AM IP
We will all have an opinion on it, and we are entitlled to that opionion - we aren't judging him in any real sense, just talking about what we made ot this music.
It's why we do this at all...
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alan
Administrator
Posts: 7455
Registered: Aug 2007 |
Posted August 1st, 2008 03:20 AM IP
Ok. listened to it and the vocals (Brian's) are pretty dodgy. Surprised they didn't double track as he always used to do, or 'place' the vocal slightly further away rather than being so up front. Also a shame there are no other bvx until the 'Alone' bit (though i know that is for effect and it is stunning when that comes in).
But overall not bad actually - it was a song I didn't like at all when i first heard it and its grown on me.
Brian clearly has trouble with certain words due to the way his mouth shapes these days and there isn't a lot he can do about that, and it sometimes seems too low for his voice. But, its ok.
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buddhahat
Member
Posts: 393
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted August 1st, 2008 11:44 AM IP
Quote:
misterfusty wrote:
They've not split up as such, I think they are just on hiatus, I think. They have two projects on the go at the moment, David Brewis's School of Language (who's already released the "Sea from Shore" album earlier this year) and The Week That Was, which is Peter Brewis, although both albums are essentially Field Music as all members play on them.. Of the two I think the latter is the better album but they are both worth a listen. Both take quite a few listens to get into as they are less immediate then some of the Field Music stuff.
http://www.myspace.com/theweekthatwas
http://www.myspace.com/schooloflanguage
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Cheers for the links. I'm listening to the Week That Was now and sounds pretty good to me. I'll definitely get it when it comes out.
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buddhahat
Member
Posts: 393
Registered: Sep 2007 |
Posted August 1st, 2008 05:39 PM IP
Quote:
luther wrote:
I'm withholding mix/master complaints until the final version, and so my main complaint about the studio version now is Brian's high "lost in the dark" part. It's not very good at all. Not at all. Ick. Otherwise I am comfortable with this, I think. A worthy (as if it's necessary for ME to judge such things for Brian Fucking Wilson) addition to the catalogue.
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Sounds pretty great to me. There's a bit of griping on the Smiley board about it being not as good as the demo. It's a fair point but personally I haven't listened to the demo so intensely that I would notice the differences. I think MAD ranks up there with his best solo songs: Melt Away, You're still a Mystery etc. so I think it's great and this version sounds fine to me.
I still feel on the fence about TLOS though. I want to love it, and I usually get caught up in the hype once good reviews start rolling in (fickle sod that I am) but listening to the demo version of the album, I feel that I like about half of it and am fairly indifferent to the rest. I could happily remove the songs between Morning Beat and Oxygen To The Brain. Going Home is great though. Maybe also, my feelings will change when I hear the final album mixes of the songs. It irritates me though that the last song was written by Scott Bennett. It's a Brian Wilson album - so why is somebody else writing the closing song, the song that most directly references BW himself!!? Maybe it shouldn't matter who wrote what and I should just enjoy the song as is, but I'm too blinkered a Brian Wilson fan to be that open-minded!
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