Author Topic: Group Listening Booth  (Read 46935 times)

1SO

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #360 on: March 03, 2017, 08:37:02 PM »
As soon as I heard Little Earthquakes I instantly became a fan. Little Earthquakes is one of my favorite CDs of All Time, and the follow up, Under the Pink, may very well be on that list too, even though there's a huge difference in lyrical content as she got away from the more direct, less coded style of LE. During this period, there were also a number of Singles, B-Sides and covers, many of which were just as good. Or maybe it's because I'm that big a fan.

If you're interested in Amos before Little Earthquakes, look up "Fire On the Side" and you'll hear she wasn't that different if perhaps a little more mainstream pop. Then look up the cover for Y Kant Tori Read and you'll see what she was rebelling against with LE.

I had forgotten about "Me and a Gun", which is about one of the bravest songs I've ever heard. To think she would perform that every night in concert. I went to a show. It was the most quiet I'd ever heard it get at a music concert.

I had a panic attack once when this was fresh on my playlist. I walked into the night aimlessly and when the tape got to "Little Earthquakes" I found myself repeating "Give me life, give me pain, give me myself again" over and over until I felt better. Soon after, I wrote my first screenplay.

My favorite Tori Amos songs are...
1. "Precious Things"
2. "Yes, Anastasia" from Under the Pink
3. "Caught a Light Sneeze" from Boys For Pele
4. "Crucify"
5. "Sweet Dreams" from the extended single for "Winter"
6. "Girl"
7. "Cornflake Girl" from Under the Pink
8. "A Sorta Fairytale" from Scarlett's Walk
9. "Bliss" from To Venus and Back
10. "Siren" from the soundtrack to Great Expectations
11. "Silent All These Years"
12. "Raspberry Swirl" from From the Choirgirl Hotel
13. "Spark" from From the Choirgirl Hotel

Sandy

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #361 on: March 03, 2017, 11:02:40 PM »
 :'(

Her music has been entwined in your life, in profound ways. Choosing "Precious Things" as your favorite is a bold choice and a very good one. She is breaking free and claiming her own authority in it.

Thanks for sharing this, 1SO. It brings more meaning to her songs and now I'm going to take your favorites and make a playlist too.

Sandy

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #362 on: March 04, 2017, 03:28:20 PM »
Next up, my turn and time for a 50's album.



Album: Elvis Presley Rock n' Roll (UK release)
Artist: Elvis Presley
Year: 1956


“Today it all seems so easy -- RCA signs up the kid from Memphis, television gets interested at around the same time, and the rest is history. The circumstances surrounding this album were neither simple nor promising, however, nor was there anything in the history of popular music up to that time to hint that Elvis Presley was going to be anything other than "Steve Sholes' folly," which was what rival executives were already whispering.

So a lot was unsettled and untried at the first of two groups of sessions that produced the Elvis Presley album -- it wasn't even certain that there was any reason for a rock & roll artist to cut an album, because teenagers bought 45s, not LPs...

The album Sholes wanted out of Elvis came from two groups of sessions in January and February, augmented by five previously unissued songs from the Sun library. This was as startling a debut record as any ever made, representing every side of Elvis' musical influences except gospel -- rockabilly, blues, R&B, country, and pop were all here in an explosive and seductive combination. Elvis Presley became the first rock & roll album to reach the number one spot on the national charts, and RCA's first million dollar-earning pop album. ”  -- Bruce Eder


Listening Booth
Date: Wednesday, March 8th, 2017 (10:30 a.m. CST)

oldkid

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #363 on: March 04, 2017, 03:30:17 PM »
Nice.  I don't know that I can join in, but I'll try.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Sandy

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #364 on: March 05, 2017, 08:17:01 PM »
 :)

Sandy

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #365 on: March 07, 2017, 04:53:11 PM »
Hey everyone!

Well, it's one for the money
Two for the show
Three to get ready
Now go, cat, go!


Tomorrow! (Wednesday, March 8th), 10:30 a.m. (CST)


We'll be in dubtrack.fm, in the Group Listening Booth and the password is filmspotting.

oldkid

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #366 on: March 07, 2017, 05:00:28 PM »
Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow morning.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Sandy

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #367 on: March 08, 2017, 12:04:27 PM »
Elvis Presley Rock 'n' Roll 

Knocked Out Loaded came into the booth for a little while and listened in.

"Mystery Train"
Sandy: do you like it?
KnockedOutLoaded: this track, very much. it is playful
Sandy: (Presley's version would be ranked #77 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.)
KnockedOutLoaded: in general this 50's music here in sweden is connected with raggare
Sandy: ...I had to look up Raggare. It's a fun subculture. Do you see it often?   
KnockedOutLoaded: It is not a city phenomena, not a Big city anyway

"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry"
KnockedOutLoaded: this is more formulaic
Sandy: yeah
KnockedOutLoaded: more country and western
Sandy: he has an interesting mix of different genres

"Tryin' To Get To You"
Sandy: this one too
KnockedOutLoaded: this is much more bluesy
Sandy: he's a hybrid!
KnockedOutLoaded: he is

"One Sided Love Affair"
Sandy: this song makes me laugh
KnockedOutLoaded: the singing or the lyrics?
SandyKcreator: the words and his singing, but the piano and bass are fun too
KnockedOutLoaded: :D
Sandy: Elvis said this was his favorite song on the album.
KnockedOutLoaded: his backing musicians are really good
Sandy: I wish they visually recorded these sessions. I'd like to see them play... Thanks for the chat, KOL!



An interesting note. The cover of Elvis' album ranked #40 on Rolling Stone's list of the greatest album covers. The Clash's homage album cover, London Calling, ranked #39. :)


Knocked Out Loaded

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #368 on: March 09, 2017, 02:40:13 PM »
It was fun to listen to a little Elvis for a change. 8)

But was it necessary to show that Clash cover now? It is so iconic. Photographer Pennie Smith worked at the New Musical Express at the time (as did Anton Corbijn) and she was with the band in New York in '79 where the shot is from. The image is slightly out of focus and she is said to be annoyed by that. Ray Lowry, a cartoonist who also appeared in the NME, designed the cover. London Calling is a very revered album, Sandinista! that followed a year later less so. It has been said you can't dance to London Calling, but to Sandinista! you can. I don't dance so I shall not articulate an opinion on that point. I really love Sandinista!, however, and the sleeve above sent med down the Sandinista! rabbit hole one more time. It is the only record you need, really, and I would love for it to feature here, but is anyone up for a 2 hours 24 minutes session? Seriously?
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oldkid

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Re: Group Listening Booth
« Reply #369 on: March 09, 2017, 05:11:59 PM »
Elvis Presley Rock n Roll

Many consider the first single released off of this album, That's All Right, to be the first Rock'n' Roll song. Well, if we consider Rock 'n' Roll to be the white version of 40s and 50s rockin' soul, then I suppose so.  But Elvis' version was a toned-down rock from what Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Big Mama Thorton, Ike Turner, Fats Domino (although he was really doing boogie woogie) and Little Richard were already doing for years before.  Even Bill Haley and the Comets, a country band that decided for a couple years to borrow on the black sound, released Rock This Joint before Elvis hit the scene.

This album of Elvis songs was compiled a couple years after he hit the scene with his first single, but it's a good collection of his early work.  He has a great voice and his stuff is smooth to listen to.  It may have been insane to white kids in the early 50s, but it seems so tame compared to Little Richard.

I like Elvis' version of Blue Suede Shoes better than Carl Perkins, but I think that has more to do with production than performer.  Carl's version is rough and a bit hard to hear.   It's easy to see who was the favored one at Sun Records.

"I Got a Woman"   This one was written by Ray Charles based on a gospel tune "It Must Be Jesus".  In the original, it's Jesus taking down the names of the righteous and, well, Ray certainly did a makeover on that.  But Sun Records did a number on this song, changing it up from a simple big band rock to something that mixes and rocks and quiets down and really gets you going.   You can hear some early Beatles influence here as well.

"I'm Counting on You" was written for Elvis and really focuses on his vocal performance and his sultry voice.  And he's really got it here.  The lyrics aren't so great, the back up pretty simple, but his vocal work is really nice.

"You're Right, I'm Left, She's Gone"  Basic country song, influenced more by Hank Williams than the rock background.

"That's All Right"  This was written and released by Arthur Crudup ten years before this album.    The original is so very similar, Sam Phillips didn't do much of anything to change it. 

"Money Honey" was written for and released by The Drifters in 1953.  In my estimation, they do a better version, but I'm a real Drifters fan. I like the echo effect they give Elvis on the chorus, though.   For Elvis' song, they up the tempo slightly and put the booogie woogie piano at the forefront-- all to good effect.

"Mystery Train"  Written by Junior Parker who recorded it with Sun Records in 1953 based on a Carter Family Celtic standard, "Worried Man Blues."    Great blues song.   Elvis' version is sped up and given some country pickin' instead of the sax.   To me, this is a perfect distillation of why Elvis' worked.

"I'm Gunna Sit Right Down and Cry" Another, less successful, blues song.   It was a pop ballad before Elvis made it his.   The Beatles did a powerful version with their sound in 1962.

"Trying to Get You"  Released by The Eagles (no, not THAT Eagles) in 1954, if you listen to that recording you can really hear Elvis' sound all put together, in a group vocal.  Great sax in that version.  Elvis' version, in comparison, is fully guitar rock, taking out the piano and putting the guitar right in front.  I like both versions.

"One Sided Love Affair" Very boogie woogie, and Elvis is really owning those vocals.  He's almost a southern preacher, here.  Originally recorded by Bill Campbell, but I couldn't find it.

"Lawdy Miss Clawdy" A Lloyd Price song that introduced the New Orleans sound that we usually associate with Fats Domino (who played the intro on Price's version).  This recording replaces the sax solo with a rough guitar solo, which is tough to choose between.  But I have to give the vocals to Lloyd Price.  He smoothly takes control of the song, while Elvis sounds like he's trying a bit too hard.  Both versions are good, though.

"Shake, Rattle and Roll" A Big Joe Turner song made famous by Bill Haley and the Comets.  Honestly, I've been a long fan of Joe Turner's version with the piano at the forefront and the sax echoing the vocals.   Elvis' version ups the tempo, but it doesn't improve the song as a whole.  It just feels noisy in comparison to Turner's version. 

In general, I feel that rock n roll of this era is really a time of singles, not albums.  There are some masterful singles on this album, but some of the songs I don't care for as well.  I made a playlist of the old rock n roll of this era, and that's how it works best for me.  Hearing the best from the late 40s through the 50s and ignoring the mediocre.  Certainly this album has some of the best songs of the time-- Mystery Train, Blue Suede Shoes, and That's All Right are fantastic.  But the album as a whole doesn't work for me, because I hear all these songs in the background, some of which are better.


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