#513152 - 03/25/02 09:54 PM
Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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Dan South
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Okay, so now we've had a chance to list some of the songs that made us say, "Whoa!" when we first listened to them. - Great list! Lots of killer songs.
This is the follow up thread. Now it's time to discuss what it is about those songs that caused such a strong reaction in you. We'd like to be able to create similarly strong reactions with our own music, right? So a good step in that direction is analysis of songs that have appealed to US.
I posted the song "You Outta Know" by Alanis Morrissette. I liked the music a lot; the whole arrangement is good, and Flea's bass adds a really cool flavor. But the thing that struck me was the urgency and directness of the lyric. It really sounded like the thoughts of a jilted young lover. No mincing words. No pulling punches. No poetic euphamisms for grief. Just raw, unedited rage. Further, the vocal performance delivers this emotion convincingly.
What about your selections? Why did they impress YOU?
_________________________
Thanks to all for sharing your wisdom, warmth, and humor. Our time together means a lot, and I should express that more often. I'm sorry that I never got a chance to say these words to DafDuc.
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#513153 - 03/25/02 11:17 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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Jedi
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With or Without You-U2
When I heard this song I was floored. The reasons why the song appeals to me is because it has
meaning-it wasn't a bunch of pretentious bullshit
emotional content and conviction
sets a great mood
wonderful lyrics that unite the mood, the meaning, and the conflict
did I mention kick-ass emotional riffs from the Edge
great arrangement (starts soft, climax loud, ends soft but with more emotion-great guitar lines at the end of that song)
The song was completely united in lyric, melody, harmony, tone, and theme making it a thing of beauty and a work of art.
The funny thing is that all of things don't even scratch the surface of what that song means to me or why it was such a divine experience. However, these were a few of the tools that were used to take me beyond sound.
Namaste
Jedi
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"All conditioned things are impermanent. Work out your own salvation with diligence."
The Buddha's Last Words
R.I.P. RobT
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#513154 - 03/26/02 01:08 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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CMDN
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Minor Threat -- "Out Of Step."
I suppose this isn't exactly the kind of "songwriter's" song that many folks would think of as brilliantly written, but it spoke to me the first time I heard it. For the uninitiated, Minor Threat was essentially the first hardcore, straight-edge band to come out of DC in the early '80s. After its demise, the band's members went on to form Dag Nasty, Bad Religion and Fugazi among other groundbreaking acts.
"Out Of Step" is a pretty basic hardcore song -- it's fast and pissed-off sounding, but check out the lyrics:
(I) Don't smoke
Don't Drink
Don't Fuck
At least I can fucking think
I can't keep up
Can't keep up
Can't keep up
Out of Step with the world
The song gets directly to its point, lasts about a minute-and-a-half and helped create a positive credo for disenfranchised youth everywhere. It's deceptively simple, but it really hits home. Every hardcore band today owes Minor Threat a debt of gratitude for creating the genre as we know it today. IMO, nobody's done it with as much sincerity since this group of 19-year-olds recorded, pressed, distributed and toured completely independently back in 1981.
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\m/
Erik
Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?
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#513155 - 03/26/02 05:09 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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TDriver
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Wow.... Minor Threat! I haven't heard anyone mention them in a while. I think you have your facts off though.... no one from Minor Threat was ever in Bad Religion. Minor Threat did have origins in and spawn many other bands like The Teen Idles, Goverment Issue, The Meatmen, Pailhead and yes, Dag Nasty and Fugazi. But they are unrelated as far as I know.
Agnostic Front's "In Time" really got me.... It's the first time I felt like jumping around and screaming. I was really young too and all my other friends were all about the radio, then we heard this and it all changed.
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#513156 - 03/26/02 05:35 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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CMDN
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TDriver...
Brian Baker (guitarist from Minor Threat, Dag Nasty, Junkyard, Meatmen, Government Issue and Samhain) was Brett Gurewitz' replacement after Stranger Than Fiction. Baker played w/Bad Religion on The Gray Race in 1996 when he declined a job touring with R.E.M. for two years.
Sorry to break balls, but I'm good with the Minor Threat family tree.
Anyway, "Out Of Step" really spoke to me as a teenager, and it still gets to me today. And I still relate to the lyrics.
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\m/
Erik
Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?
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#513157 - 03/26/02 06:58 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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TDriver
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My bad, I haven't paid attention to Bad Religion since "All Ages".
When was he in Samhain? I remember Damien, John Christ and Eeerie Von... but I can't recall Baker? I thought they just formed Danzig from Samhain.
Have you ever heard NOFX do "Straight Edge"?
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#513158 - 03/26/02 07:39 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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CMDN
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Tdriver...
Baker worked on the early rehearsals and songwriting sessions for Samhain, but he never officially joined, so I guess it's not totally fair to include him in the band's line-up. However, rumor has it that he had A LOT to do with Samhain's material.
Yes... I love NOFX... They're an absoultely great band -- excellent sense of humor but political as well.
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Erik
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#513160 - 03/28/02 11:49 AM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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Emperator
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Dan,
Alanis really translates a lot of emotion with her vocal. Strong and clear with a lot of personality. I like her words. I think they're clever.
I loved the production. I thought they really caught the power on some of the songs like Heart had on the Dog and Butterfly album the song Mistral Wind.
DBlackJedi,
With or Without You. One of my all time favorites. All the textures with the synths. Now that should be Brian Eno's influences with the Yamaha DX7 if I have my facts right. Of course Edges beautiful guitar work. A song built like a fine watch. Just grows emotionally.
I saw Sheryl Crow the other night on TV. I thought she was very impressive. Very talented and seemed to be very gracious. Just love that song "The Difficult Kind" off the Globe Sessions album. Just the most beautiful interplay of sustaining singing instruments. Very beautiful. Their was an old UltraVox record. It had a song with layers of tuned feedback guitars. Just an amazing sonic thing to here. Can't remember the name of the album or the song.
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#513161 - 03/28/02 12:07 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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CMDN
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Dan,
My apologies.
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\m/
Erik
Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?
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#513162 - 03/29/02 06:26 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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Dan South
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Wow! There are lots of GREAT songs over there on the "Whoa!" thread. Here's my two cents on some of the songs that y'all mentioned (my faves, too).
Songs listed by BassGuy -
- Walking In Memphis - This is one of my favorite pop singles of all time. Marc's husky voice conveys a lot of emotion. The music starts and ends simply, go it goes all kinds of places along the way. Very Gospel-like, like a revival meeting. You can't help walking away feeling better.
- Cult Of Personality - Living Colour's best song. Raging instrumental breaks. Laid back verse. Smooth melody. Catchy hook and counterculture lyrics. Even quotes from JFK and FDR. "Cult" is the definition of a great rock song.
- A Day In The Life - This song reminds me of a Hitchcock movie. It starts out in an unpretentious way, but you just KNOW that something sinister is around the corner. The lyrics slice through your heart like a razor, and the orchestral mayhem at the finale anchors the effect. The song stays with you, haunting you for hours.
Songs listed by JLsound -
- Limelight - The quintessential Rush song, "Limelight" crackles with (barely) restrained energy. The feedback guitar solo is one of my favorites of all time. This is one of those songs that gets me smiling uncontrollably.
- End of the Innocence - This one has a mature sweetness about it, like a juicy peach. Everything is so smooth - the piano, the pads, the fretless bass, Henley's voice - but there's an urgency also. Beautiful words and melody. The song brings back many fond memories.
Songs listed by DBlackJedi -
- With Or Without You - It didn't hit me the first time I heard it, but the song grows on you. It's the perfect stage for Bono's passionate voice and a touching message that communicates (like many U2 songs) on multiple levels.
- Smells Like Teen Spirit - The first time I heard this song, I knew that it was going to be huge. (Although, I did NOT guess how monstrously influential Nirvana would become.) Spirit sounds simple - until you try to play it. After listening to "Teen Spirit," I have no idea how people can bash Cobain's guitar work. Dave Grohl's drums kick a$$. The fire and energy in "Spirit" reminds me of The Who in the late 60's. "Talkin' 'bout my generation..."
_________________________
Thanks to all for sharing your wisdom, warmth, and humor. Our time together means a lot, and I should express that more often. I'm sorry that I never got a chance to say these words to DafDuc.
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#513163 - 04/01/02 05:00 PM
Re: Okay, so... (follow up to "Whoa!")
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BassGuy
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Dan, great thread. Your analysis of some of the songs we listed in "whoa!" is spot-on!
I'm trying a new approach to writing. I found several excellent books about various facets of writing. I then started lists of some different things I enjoy in songs. For example,
lyrically:
First person story telling
A big sing-along about a common emotion
A gentle love song
An angry rebuttal to authority
instruments:
Acoustic piano, fretless bass, rimshots
Rockin' Hammond, crunchy sustained guitars, driving drums
stucture:
Long improvised solo in the middle
Lots of short bridges
Time periods:
Musing about the future
Commenting on the present
Reminiscing about the past
I made a list of a dozen slots for songs and started filling 'em up with different combinations of these elements. Now I have some directions to spark creativity in case inspiration runs dry.
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