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Endangered species: The A/B song?


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Has anyone heard a song recently that does something different from the way it starts out?

An obvious example might be ZZ Top`s `I`m Bad, I`m Nationwide`, I`m sure there are others but that may be why so many songs lately seem so boring-they have a catchy hook, a cool melody and then they`re over.

Any exceptions?

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

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Originally posted by Jokerelli:

Originally posted by skipclone 1:

I`m sure there are others but that may be why so many songs lately seem so boring-they have a catchy hook, a cool melody and then they`re over.

Any exceptions?

I wish every song I wrote had "a catchy hook" and "a cool melody". :) [/QB]
No doubt. But you don`t want it to just repeat until the song`s over, right? and then repeat that formula for every song you ever write? I sure don`t.

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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Originally posted by skipclone 1:

Has anyone heard a song recently that does something different from the way it starts out?

An obvious example might be ZZ Top`s `I`m Bad, I`m Nationwide`, I`m sure there are others but that may be why so many songs lately seem so boring-they have a catchy hook, a cool melody and then they`re over.

Any exceptions?

just for reference here`s one or two more of what I`m talking about.

 

Yes-Long Distance Runaround/The Fish

Lynyrd Skynrd-Free Bird (don`t throw things at me)

Genesis-Home by the Sea (this one reprises the theme at the end but the music is different)

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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It was a very seventies thing... in fact, a lot of it was done with a razor blade (and splicing tape, okay?)

 

Long form songs were the rule of the day in those halcyon free-form FM days.

 

But there were a lot of abuses and pretty soon 7 minutes songs were as welcome as drum solos...

 

The punk era turned it on its head. A lot of veterans of that scene are horrified when they can't pack a whole song into something under 3-1/2 minutes. (I know I still am. I see that ol sequencer clock climbing to the four minute mark and I start thinking about taking out choruses...

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I'm right in the middle of a song now where I'm deciding whether to continue with another verse chorus but I think the song wants to shift into an entire different direction. I can't make up my mind.
Me and my two dogs, Remington and Winchester
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Originally posted by theblue1:

It was a very seventies thing... in fact, a lot of it was done with a razor blade (and splicing tape, okay?)

 

Long form songs were the rule of the day in those halcyon free-form FM days.

 

But there were a lot of abuses and pretty soon 7 minutes songs were as welcome as drum solos...

 

The punk era turned it on its head. A lot of veterans of that scene are horrified when they can't pack a whole song into something under 3-1/2 minutes. (I know I still am. I see that ol sequencer clock climbing to the four minute mark and I start thinking about taking out choruses...

The Z.Z. Top song isn`t that long.

Neither is `Give it to me` (J. Geils-great jam at the end of that one).

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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Originally posted by Archer:

I'm right in the middle of a song now where I'm deciding whether to continue with another verse chorus but I think the song wants to shift into an entire different direction. I can't make up my mind.

go for it mon! I`d love to hear the result...

Same old surprises, brand new cliches-

 

Skipsounds on Soundclick:

www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=602491

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I was just watching Danny Kaye in On the Riviera and realized just how postmodern some of the music created for stage musicals has always been, in the sense that introductions, verses and refrains are so often in entirely different styles, not to mention tempos and keys.
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Originally posted by theblue1:

I was just watching Danny Kaye in On the Riviera and realized just how postmodern some of the music created for stage musicals has always been, in the sense that introductions, verses and refrains are so often in entirely different styles, not to mention tempos and keys.

Bluestrat, Blue 1 & Archer;

You all forgot to include lengthy, unedited quotes in your posts---get with the program!!! ;)

 

 

Seriously though, I think this is largely down to two likelihoods:

(1) that we are in an era when popular music is, overall, not particularly exploratory &

(2) that you might listen to recordings/artists that are caught in the mainstream (& therefore liable to it's restrictions).

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  • 2 weeks later...

hey guys

thought i'd like to jump in on this one and say one song my band is workin on uses the same exact riff for verse chorus and outro, its a catchy riff all i do is switch things up a bit as far as how i play it for the different parts of the song. its like a quick musical statement

there's only 12 notes in the musical language...amazing what a little feeling and inspiration does huh

anyways peace

"The world will still be turning when you've gone." - Black Sabbath

 

Band site: www.finespunmusic.com

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If I'm getting this right, you'll hear a lot of that on the first Spirit LP, from '68.

 

Gramaphone Man

Straight Arrow

Girl In Your Eye

Topango Windows

Elijah

Fresh Garbage

 

Whitefang

I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left!
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