LiveMusic Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 In the world of pop music, "Tempted" seems to be a fairly unusual song as far as the chord progression. Well, it's not simple anyway. I didn't just sit down and immediately transcribe it. Wondering if other songs come to mind with similar complexity-yet-it-works department. It's pretty unusual. Quote > > > [ Live! ] < < < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug osborne Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Anything from "Imperial Bedroom"-ish Elvis Costello. Steely Dan..."Pear of the Quarter" and many more. Patricia Barber's Verse comes to mind as a recent example. Quote Doug Osborne Music on Bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duddits Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Pat Barber just kind of noodles on the keyboard. I think she has great intuition and a good sense of space, like she's painting a pointalistic painting, but I don't think she's all that harmonically sophisticated. (The last time I saw her one of us was drunk or high off of our ass and it wasn't me -- ) I don't really think "Tempted" is that far out there: Just play a 1 chord in the right hand and walk your left hand down the keyboard: whole step, half step, half step, then 2 minor, 5 chord, then back to 1. Check out the soulful cover of "Tempted" on Chaos records..... Quote Dooby Dooby Doo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Your Ad Here Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 Temtpted sounds like a take off on the 60' Motown thing to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 "Every Time You Go Away", the Hall & Oates song that was a hit for Paul Young, reminds me a little of "Tempted". Maybe it's just the "blue eyed soul" thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offramp Posted June 25, 2004 Share Posted June 25, 2004 What would a cat know about unusual pop progressions? I mean, really...here's an animal that licks it's own ass. LiveMusic, I have long felt the same way about the song. It is an unusual progression; it stretches and pulls, draws in, settles down...and does it all over again. In a Top 40 radio context, there's not been anything else like it. I was having a conversation with Sting once about great songs--in particular, pop songs as they relate to his business, because his tastes in music are broader than what he releases--and he mentioned that "Tempted" is quite likely his favorite pop tune, and he "wished to god I'd written that one". Now, to me, THAT is saying something along the order of the highest compliment. If you all want Motown-ish work by Gelnn Tilbrook, check out his first solo album a couple or three years back, "The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook"... the opening track--'This Is Where You Ain't--positively drips Motown. Quote I've upped my standards; now, up yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Y'know, I'm gonna have to get my daughter to copy that tune for me again. She taped it for me once, but the tape got lost. I don't have it anywhere else. THEN I'm going to sit down and work out that progression out, too. There are a lot of tunes I don't get tired of hearing, but "Tempted" and "Low Rider" are the two at the top of my list. Whitefang Quote I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasticsound Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Tempted, unusual? Not really, IMO. But it is a great song! Fantastic arrangement and Paul Carrack's lead vox! Listen to some other Squeeze tunes (which, BTW, sound absolutely nothing like Tempted), and you'll hear some quirky, eclectic chord choices and arrangements. (Pulling Mussels From A Shell or Up The Junction come to mind...) Quote It's easiest to find me on Facebook. Neil Bergman Soundclick fntstcsnd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duddits Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 Originally posted by offramp: What would a cat know about unusual pop progressions? I mean, really...here's an animal that licks it's own ass. You can lick your friends, and you can lick your ass. But you can't lick your friends ass. It's a cat thing. Meow. Quote Dooby Dooby Doo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I I mjrn Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 I, too, am uncertain what makes this song "unusual"; could you detail this , please? I've heard it many times but can't recall the verse exactly. The chorus, however, IIRC, is a straightforward descending bass under chordswith an ascending melody. That'svery common. What strikes you as unusual about the song's music? That could help us cite any similar examples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhcomp45aol.com Posted June 26, 2004 Share Posted June 26, 2004 The first Ambrosia album has quite a few unique song arrangements.Back around 1980 my band played some of a few of them. My guitarist had no prior respect for David Pack but had plenty after working his but off to learn some of those songs, Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offramp Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Was that "Life Beyond L.A."? There's one tune I really loved. Quote I've upped my standards; now, up yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Originally posted by nhcomp45@aol.com: The first Ambrosia album has quite a few unique song arrangements.Back around 1980 my band played some of a few of them. Yeah, 'Living On My Own' was a B-side tune that I've done live. Great feel, cool voicings. Love that tune. Ambrosia was one of those bands from that era (1979 thru about 81) that did some great 'Lite Rock' songs. Another one was Player, with 'Baby Come Back'. And of course Micheal McDonald, with tunes like 'Minute by Minute'. There were a bunch of 'em. Nothing edgy about any of them. Just really well written songs. I used to tune into the local 'Lite Choice' radio station to listen for those songs because I liked them so much. But they eventually gave up on that stuff in favor of Celine Dion, Kenny G or whatever Disney-fied crap Elton John or Phil Collins had done. Sorry to get off topic, but the mention of Ambrosia got me thinking... Quote Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offramp Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 About six or seven years ago, I got to see the Little River Band in a medium-sized nightclub; one of the members had been in Player, and the LRB covered "Baby Come Back". It was splendid. Nowdays, I can't hear that song without thinking about the time Homer was supposed to be watching Maggie, lost track of her, and called the missing baby hotline, who's on-hold music was that song. Quote I've upped my standards; now, up yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Originally posted by LiveMusic: Wondering if other songs come to mind with similar complexity-yet-it-works department.LiveM, The first song that came to mind is "Goodbye to Love", by the Capenters. Great progressions. Similar tempo. Actually, kind of an interesting song for Karen to be singing, considering her illness. I'm also certain that you would find a bunch of those kinds of songs, among Todd Rundgren's stuff. Quote Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhcomp45aol.com Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Hey Guys, Life Beyond LA was the third album and although an exellent album it was weak compared with the first which was titled Ambrosia. The second was Somewhere I've Never Traveled easily their second best effort. I have what is probably a very rare live tape of them from 1979. It is a reel to reel which I will soon put to CD, If any of you are interested I'll send you a copy. The performance is topps, with the keyboardist and drummer doing some great solo's and David and Joe singing their asses off. Stiil have my Ambrosia 1980 World Tour T Shirt, Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaz Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Originally posted by offramp: I was having a conversation with Sting once about great songs--Yeah, me and the ol Stingmeister was just kickin' it, me and ol Stingalingalingding. You know he got the whole save the rain forest thing from me. Yeah, I was like, "dude, the rain forest is like messed up and stuff", and he's like, "really? hmmm..." Yep. And Roxanne. I had this tune, and Sting was totally digging it, and I said Stinginator, it's yours bud! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaz Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 Originally posted by Duddits: You can lick your friends, and you can lick your ass. But you can't lick your friends ass. You can't? Yeah, well maybe you're not hanging with the right friends. You know, maybe if you was friends with Sting , you'd have a slightly different attitude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryson Posted June 27, 2004 Share Posted June 27, 2004 The chorus to "Black Coffee" has some cool changes. Dig the changes in The Beach Boys "God Only Knows". It's all in the bass......inversions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garda Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Hand Me Down World by The Guess Who Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doerfler Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 wow, an 18 year old thread revived. That tells me the migration worked very well. 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 1 hour ago, Doerfler said: wow, an 18 year old thread revived. That tells me the migration worked very well. 👍 In that case... Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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