Parenthetical
Use The Tubes
Bob and Ben and Bono and Floyd.
posted Wednesday, 8 October 2008
After getting along so well with Songs For Silverman, for once I was looking forward to a new Ben Folds record. Then I heard the samples and decided, meh, maybe not so much. He's moved on. I think we've grown apart. Or at least we're not ready for a Tuesday-list step in our relationship. It's not me, it's him.
I was looking forward to the Under A Blood Red Sky reissue even more than that. Not even the edit of the nifty "Send In The Clowns" ad lib in "Electric Co." -- which had been omitted on the CD release, too -- dampened my spirits since I never expected that to be restored from the original cassette version. (However, I really wish I still had that old cassette.)
Then last week, I read that the other cover snippet -- believe it or not, a bit of "Let's Twist Again" in the middle of "Two Hearts Beat As One" -- had been excised for this release. And to my surprise, that pretty thoroughly put me off buying the release, at least for now. I hadn't minded the limited visual quality due to the original production. I hadn't minded that lack of an expanded CD in the deluxe edition. But in my dozens and dozens of airings during high school, that bit was part of its lore and part of my love for this energetic band so clearly in some sort of special ascension. The moment was a nugget of reckless charm, preceded by the "Hey, Edge ... shut up for a second ..." that we also went around quoting to each other.
At some point, I'm sure I'll get it an really enjoy it, this odd career highlight, with several extra songs (songs I like) in this new video version. But for now, I'm not ready to buy less of the version that soaked into my DNA.
Amazon credit is still Amazon credit, though, and I had about $20 of it daring me to extinguish it. Dylan's new Tell Tale Signs outtakes set was the no-brainer, especially at maybe $15 for two discs. Speaking of my U2-soaked youth, it had positioned me perfectly for Oh Mercy, the Lanois-guided first installment in his unexpected late-era trilogy of studio greatness. That's where this set starts picking stuff out of the vault, moving through his latest effort.
Generally, the alternate versions can't match the high points of their released counterparts ("Series Of Dreams", "Someday Baby"). But some have their moments, whether in Dylan's surprising grace on the keys in the "Dignity" piano demo or the other lyrics of the alternate "Everything Is Broken". The live tracks are generally OK, and the true outtakes and songs from in-between projects will take a little more time to digest. That said, the "'Cross The Green Mountain" closer from the Gods And Generals soundtrack is a fine piece of work, especially within the tough genre of songwriting for a past era.
But what else to order to get the free shipping? I went with Pink Floyd's Pulse DVD set. My only previous Floyd DVD experience was the Pompeii set, which I described here after I Netflixed it. Interesting, but apples to oranges in this case. This is straight-ahead, massive-production, post-Waters Pink Floyd. If you don't mind the "newer" material, it's very well done.
It's somewhat novel to see this music being performed, after having such a lengthy relationship with the unchanging, set-in-stone entities from the studio albums. This certainly wouldn't supplant that occasional, comfy ritual, but I did enjoy getting the light-show treatment and seeing brief glimpses of actual band-ness in such a giant yacht of a production. I envied the 2nd keyboardist who got to play along and sing harmonies with Roger. I wondered how many extra calories the backup singers burn doing those choreographed bits. I admired the enthusiasm delivered by the bassist and percussionist. And I found new appreciation for the late Rick Wright's work on keys, along with observing how utterly unflappable Nick Mason seems back there in his white button-down with the sleeves partly rolled up.
This is the set where they performed all of Dark Side Of The Moon after intermission. Despite being one of the first half-dozen CD's I ever bought (in the batch before I even had a player), DSOTM is probably my 4th-favorite of their albums. So I was pleased that I did find plenty to enjoy in its live recreation, whether a fresh listen to the lyrics, watching the singers get to take turns on "Great Gig In The Sky", or being impressed with the ensemble power in the "Any Colour You Like" jam. It's not a museum piece after all, and you know what? Some of those lyrics hold up pretty well. Turns out that being beloved by millions of sophomores over the decades doesn't necessarily make a work sophomoric.
Elsewhere in the backcatalog songs, Gilmour constantly had me shifting focus between his versatlity (electric, acoustic, pedal steel) and just sitting back and thinking, "Dude, that's the guy who wrote that riff ... and that riff ... and that riff." Sure, sweat and improvisation and are not words that come to mind in this situation, and I'm not sure it'd convert anyone who doesn't already have a relationship with this music (I'd still recommend that originals). It could very well seem boring in stretches. But as a guy who knows the post-Barrett studio work pretty well and would like to enjoy the material with a twist, I'm glad I bought it as opposed to renting it or getting the CD version.
Next project: using my good friend DVD Audio Extractor to rip a few tracks for the iPod.
I was looking forward to the Under A Blood Red Sky reissue even more than that. Not even the edit of the nifty "Send In The Clowns" ad lib in "Electric Co." -- which had been omitted on the CD release, too -- dampened my spirits since I never expected that to be restored from the original cassette version. (However, I really wish I still had that old cassette.)Then last week, I read that the other cover snippet -- believe it or not, a bit of "Let's Twist Again" in the middle of "Two Hearts Beat As One" -- had been excised for this release. And to my surprise, that pretty thoroughly put me off buying the release, at least for now. I hadn't minded the limited visual quality due to the original production. I hadn't minded that lack of an expanded CD in the deluxe edition. But in my dozens and dozens of airings during high school, that bit was part of its lore and part of my love for this energetic band so clearly in some sort of special ascension. The moment was a nugget of reckless charm, preceded by the "Hey, Edge ... shut up for a second ..." that we also went around quoting to each other.
At some point, I'm sure I'll get it an really enjoy it, this odd career highlight, with several extra songs (songs I like) in this new video version. But for now, I'm not ready to buy less of the version that soaked into my DNA.
Amazon credit is still Amazon credit, though, and I had about $20 of it daring me to extinguish it. Dylan's new Tell Tale Signs outtakes set was the no-brainer, especially at maybe $15 for two discs. Speaking of my U2-soaked youth, it had positioned me perfectly for Oh Mercy, the Lanois-guided first installment in his unexpected late-era trilogy of studio greatness. That's where this set starts picking stuff out of the vault, moving through his latest effort.
Generally, the alternate versions can't match the high points of their released counterparts ("Series Of Dreams", "Someday Baby"). But some have their moments, whether in Dylan's surprising grace on the keys in the "Dignity" piano demo or the other lyrics of the alternate "Everything Is Broken". The live tracks are generally OK, and the true outtakes and songs from in-between projects will take a little more time to digest. That said, the "'Cross The Green Mountain" closer from the Gods And Generals soundtrack is a fine piece of work, especially within the tough genre of songwriting for a past era.
But what else to order to get the free shipping? I went with Pink Floyd's Pulse DVD set. My only previous Floyd DVD experience was the Pompeii set, which I described here after I Netflixed it. Interesting, but apples to oranges in this case. This is straight-ahead, massive-production, post-Waters Pink Floyd. If you don't mind the "newer" material, it's very well done. It's somewhat novel to see this music being performed, after having such a lengthy relationship with the unchanging, set-in-stone entities from the studio albums. This certainly wouldn't supplant that occasional, comfy ritual, but I did enjoy getting the light-show treatment and seeing brief glimpses of actual band-ness in such a giant yacht of a production. I envied the 2nd keyboardist who got to play along and sing harmonies with Roger. I wondered how many extra calories the backup singers burn doing those choreographed bits. I admired the enthusiasm delivered by the bassist and percussionist. And I found new appreciation for the late Rick Wright's work on keys, along with observing how utterly unflappable Nick Mason seems back there in his white button-down with the sleeves partly rolled up.
This is the set where they performed all of Dark Side Of The Moon after intermission. Despite being one of the first half-dozen CD's I ever bought (in the batch before I even had a player), DSOTM is probably my 4th-favorite of their albums. So I was pleased that I did find plenty to enjoy in its live recreation, whether a fresh listen to the lyrics, watching the singers get to take turns on "Great Gig In The Sky", or being impressed with the ensemble power in the "Any Colour You Like" jam. It's not a museum piece after all, and you know what? Some of those lyrics hold up pretty well. Turns out that being beloved by millions of sophomores over the decades doesn't necessarily make a work sophomoric.
Elsewhere in the backcatalog songs, Gilmour constantly had me shifting focus between his versatlity (electric, acoustic, pedal steel) and just sitting back and thinking, "Dude, that's the guy who wrote that riff ... and that riff ... and that riff." Sure, sweat and improvisation and are not words that come to mind in this situation, and I'm not sure it'd convert anyone who doesn't already have a relationship with this music (I'd still recommend that originals). It could very well seem boring in stretches. But as a guy who knows the post-Barrett studio work pretty well and would like to enjoy the material with a twist, I'm glad I bought it as opposed to renting it or getting the CD version.
Next project: using my good friend DVD Audio Extractor to rip a few tracks for the iPod.
Go ahead, make my day.