As mentioned in the previous post, my earliest exposure to music primarily was through my mother's playing of rock n roll, but my acquired tastes are many and varied.
My main criteria is only that some thought has gone into the production: apart from this, I don't feel constrained by genre or artist. I am also willing to admit that some artists that I like can produce dire songs and that some I am ambivalent toward can occasionally aspire to brilliance. It is the virtue of those in the latter category that I intend to espouse in this post.
Firstly, Elton John. While the soundtrack of my early adulthood included 'I'm Still Standing' and the gender-ambiguous 'Nikita', (although, given Elton's sexual orientation, maybe the title is a Freudian slip upon Bernie's part,) the only album I feel contains moments of sheer unadulterated genius is 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'. And the highlight of the album is the rarely-given-any-airtime 'Sweet Painted Lady'. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up-q544g4sE )
The simplicity of the song and the heartfelt lyrics hearken back to the golden age of chanson Francaise, as does its subject matter. I find most of Elton John's output quite anodyne, but this little song stands head and shoulders above anything else he's ever done. I especially like the line 'opportunity awaits me like a rat in a drain'. I feel that songwriters these days are far too sloppy compared to those of earlier eras; in 'Cry Me a River (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwheXIa8Cl0 ) not only does Julie London use the word 'plebeian' in correct context but also as a rhyme. Compare this with the Fast Food Rockers.
What these seem to have in common is that they all tell a story or, in the case of Garth Brooks, are a hymn for those that feel disenfranchised. Again this is an almost direct link to the chanson tradition, where the music is not important because the emphasis is on the lyric. Perhaps the finest exponents of this genre in recent times - post Edith Piaf - are Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel. The first serves up deceptively smooth tunes with dark lyrics about sexual ambiguity or broken hearts, the second is a 1960's precursor to the later Punk Poet tradition. It is impossible to do an impression of Brel singing - or snarling - the following song in daylight: it needs to be done in the small hours, preferably in a bar in Montmartre as the weary barman stacks the chairs onto the the tables, and accompanied by a Gauloise cigarette and a large calvados. Enjoy!
Study Music (cont.)
As mentioned in the previous post, my earliest exposure to music primarily was through my mother's playing of rock n roll, but my acquired tastes are many and varied.
My main criteria is only that some thought has gone into the production: apart from this, I don't feel constrained by genre or artist. I am also willing to admit that some artists that I like can produce dire songs and that some I am ambivalent toward can occasionally aspire to brilliance. It is the virtue of those in the latter category that I intend to espouse in this post.
Firstly, Elton John. While the soundtrack of my early adulthood included 'I'm Still Standing' and the gender-ambiguous 'Nikita', (although, given Elton's sexual orientation, maybe the title is a Freudian slip upon Bernie's part,) the only album I feel contains moments of sheer unadulterated genius is 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'. And the highlight of the album is the rarely-given-any-airtime 'Sweet Painted Lady'. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up-q544g4sE )
The simplicity of the song and the heartfelt lyrics hearken back to the golden age of chanson Francaise, as does its subject matter. I find most of Elton John's output quite anodyne, but this little song stands head and shoulders above anything else he's ever done. I especially like the line 'opportunity awaits me like a rat in a drain'. I feel that songwriters these days are far too sloppy compared to those of earlier eras; in 'Cry Me a River (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwheXIa8Cl0 ) not only does Julie London use the word 'plebeian' in correct context but also as a rhyme. Compare this with the Fast Food Rockers.
There are, of course, exceptions:
Garth Brooks ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojNIiS5kIbc )
Taylor Swift ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfWlot6h_JM )
Barry Manilow ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKR2n-G-wdM )
Abba ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92cwKCU8Z5c )
What these seem to have in common is that they all tell a story or, in the case of Garth Brooks, are a hymn for those that feel disenfranchised. Again this is an almost direct link to the chanson tradition, where the music is not important because the emphasis is on the lyric. Perhaps the finest exponents of this genre in recent times - post Edith Piaf - are Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel. The first serves up deceptively smooth tunes with dark lyrics about sexual ambiguity or broken hearts, the second is a 1960's precursor to the later Punk Poet tradition. It is impossible to do an impression of Brel singing - or snarling - the following song in daylight: it needs to be done in the small hours, preferably in a bar in Montmartre as the weary barman stacks the chairs onto the the tables, and accompanied by a Gauloise cigarette and a large calvados. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k63grkip5I