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I LOVE that song, but....


Oswlek

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I was planning on putting these into the FIT, but thought it might be a fun exercise on its own. The idea is to put our full nit picking on display with songs that we absolutely love... but have a minor (or not so minor) issue that calls too much attention to itself.

 

My first submission:

 

[video=youtube;gyFh2dYpoeA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyFh2dYpoeA

 

I can still remember the first time I heard this song. It cycled through on the now defunct internet player Launchcast and my ears immediately perked up. From the opening riff, to the beat heavy verse and the hooky chorus, I was totally sold. I was already logging onto Amazon to see how much his album was...

 

But then the solo started. I've listened to this song at least 50 times since then (I did end up buying it) and for the life if me, I still can't figure out what the hell they were going for there.

 

And there is this one.

 

[video=youtube;f_wIj5T-nhY]

 

I wish I could find the studio version because it is totally different, but it isn't on YT, so this will have to do for now.

 

A friend let me borrow Glen Phillips' "Winter Pays for Summer" album (a truly great disc worthy of anyone's time) and was immediately taken by it, with "Finally Fading" htting the hardest. It's been on several dozen mix tapes and discs since. That's why I wish I had never realized a line I loved was actually a mishear on my part. What I thought was

 

No on plays there anymore

 

is actually

 

No one plays fair anymore

 

I really dug the nostalgia and longing I thought were being conveyed, but the actual line strikes me as more petulant.

 

So, am I just being overly critical? Do you have your own damn, if only.... song stories?

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I've always loved this song from the day the album was released, but I think George must have been having a having a lacklustre day.

There is a mini solo in the song, but it is just an uninspired carbon copy of the vocal melody on a guitar with a terrible tone.

This is one that could have been better.

 

Ha - some hours later - I see I forgot to post the link. Here it comes……….

 

[video=youtube;_Uk_6WWy0RA]

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I was planning on putting these into the FIT, but thought it might be a fun exercise on its own. The idea is to put our full nit picking on display with songs that we absolutely love... but have a minor (or not so minor) issue that calls too much attention to itself.

 

My first submission:

 

[video=youtube;gyFh2dYpoeA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyFh2dYpoeA

 

I can still remember the first time I heard this song. It cycled through on the now defunct internet player Launchcast and my ears immediately perked up. From the opening riff, to the beat heavy verse and the hooky chorus, I was totally sold. I was already logging onto Amazon to see how much his album was...

 

But then the solo started. I've listened to this song at least 50 times since then (I did end up buying it) and for the life if me, I still can't figure out what the hell they were going for there.

 

That's a lovely little find, what a great track. I don't think there's enough *there* solo-wise to get upset at. He was probably just trying to get out some noise to show people that although this was a lovely pop song deep down he was still hardcore. I think it fails but not enough to doom the track.

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This is a pretty universally acclaimed track - Hendrix covering All Along The Watchtower. But there's a timing glitch in the intro that has always bugged me. I just assumed for years and years that it was just a tricky rhythmic thing that I hadn't quite caught on to (I mean this was Hendrix, right?) , but no, it's an outright glitch.

 

At 10 seconds in, the snare groove that starts up is not in the groove with the strummed acoustic...it's not sorted out for about 4 seconds. It sounds like Jimi sticks in an extra note or something so the drummer can "catch up" - or it's just a clumsy edit/splice.

 

[video=youtube_share;TLV4_xaYynY]

 

 

 

nat whilk ii

 

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I've always loved this song from the day the album was released, but I think George must have been having a having a lacklustre day.

There is a mini solo in the song, but it is just an uninspired carbon copy of the vocal melody on a guitar with a terrible tone. This is one that could have been better.

[video=youtube;_Uk_6WWy0RA]

 

I am such a Beatle fanboy, but yeah, George's productions especially in earlier Beatle tracks are spotty with timing problems, little clams, and the occasionally truly uninspired lick.

 

From what I've read, particularly from Geoff Emerick's book, this was part of the tension between Paul and George, since Paul would consistently lay down scads of seemingly effortless, pristine takes, and he would start pecking George with advice when George struggled.

 

And the famous lead on Taxman - George had struggled for a long time trying to lay something decent down while everyone else watched and waited. Finally George Martin suggested giving Paul a go - George went for a walk, and Paul knocked out that blistering lead in a couple of takes. George was always gracious about it to his great credit.

 

The big worldwide first-ever satellite broadcast event that brought All You Need Is Love out - by all accounts they were all sweating bullets on that one. You'll notice that the camera totally avoids George during his lead - and it's a pretty shaky, short production as far as leads go. And George clunks a couple of notes when he drops back down into his rhythm part at the end of the lead.

 

Just to say, George certainly got his chops working in most of the tracks, especially a bit later in the Beatle career, and on his own later still.

 

Jump to 1:15 or so if you want to just check out the lead.

 

[video=youtube_share;s-pFAFsTFTI]http://youtu.be/s-pFAFsTFTI

 

nat whilk ii

 

 

 

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Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key of Life still amazes me, one of my all-time favorite albums. But the endings just go on with repeats and vocal scats and misc stuff dropped in, on and on and on and on and on and on....

 

One example...the song "As". Wonderful song, yes. Intro, first verse and short chorus takes about a minute. Couple more verses, we're at about 2:00 where the bar four-note ascending bassline riff kicks in and repeats to fill out all the remaining time in a 7+ minute song.

 

Yeah, I get it - if I get totally carried along and swept up, the long length can work. If you've ever participated in a certain kind of church service, you'll know the drill, and it can be pretty wonderful on occasion.

 

But this is a pop song and needs to hold up under repeated listens and not tire people - at 5:00 I'd say, hey Stevie, let's start the fade hereabouts, ok?? Stevie? Stevie?? Forget it, there's no stopping him when he's like this :)

 

[video=youtube_share;KWhMyOs0pCQ]

 

nat whilk ii

 

 

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That's a lovely little find, what a great track. I don't think there's enough *there* solo-wise to get upset at. He was probably just trying to get out some noise to show people that although this was a lovely pop song deep down he was still hardcore. I think it fails but not enough to doom the track.

 

 

It is weird-sounding - almost like one side of a stereo signal is missing or something. Sometimes you can fall in love with weirdness - it's a danger.

 

nat whilk ii

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This is a pretty universally acclaimed track - Hendrix covering All Along The Watchtower. But there's a timing glitch in the intro that has always bugged me. I just assumed for years and years that it was just a tricky rhythmic thing that I hadn't quite caught on to (I mean this was Hendrix, right?) , but no, it's an outright glitch.

 

At 10 seconds in, the snare groove that starts up is not in the groove with the strummed acoustic...it's not sorted out for about 4 seconds. It sounds like Jimi sticks in an extra note or something so the drummer can "catch up" - or it's just a clumsy edit/splice.

 

[video=youtube_share;TLV4_xaYynY]

 

 

 

nat whilk ii

 

 

Totally. I hear it every time.

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Wings - Magneto and Titanium Man

 

This tune ROCKS... but you wouldn't know it. The drums (and what a performance!) are seriously buried. That's Joe English and he ROCKED! But the sound they got on him was cardboardy and trashy. And then they buried him. It's a seriously rocking performance that would've made this song much more known and popular than it was.

 

[video=youtube;gHz_7e7yluM]

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I've been a big fan of Glen Hansard. A great song writer as far as I am concerned. But there have been a number of his songs that start beautifully... build in intensity.. and then go crazy crazy fast, with screaming etc. I get what he is trying to do. But I feel is is in overdo too often.

 

Listen to how beautiful this song begins....

 

I like the *idea* of his approach, sometimes at least, I just think it should be harnessed to keep the song listenable.

 

But maybe that's just me...

 

[video=youtube;X3sclZzU9h4]

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Ariana Grande - Problem ft. Iggy Azalea

 

This song is a hit right now. Take out Iggy Azalea's bluster, take out all the hip-hop-isms, the goofy early 90s horn, and what you have is a fantastic wonderful RnB/Soul groove and melody (what a voice!) on the verses that breaks down to a pre-chorus which build and builds to...nothing. An 808 kick drum and some dude whispering. What a let down - with a massive chorus this could be a classic. Now it's just an oddity, soon to be forgotten.

 

 

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As far as I'm concerned, this is musical perfection. Everything is so well balanced and arranged, each instrument arrives and leaves at the perfect time, doing the perfect thing while it is there. The drums provide perfect support while being wonderfully unique. Great melody, great harmonies, perfect ebbs and flows, from the sparse chorus to the explosive ending to the spacey second verse. {censored}, I even love the finger slide on the strings at the end. It all adds up to perhaps the richest musical ride I've ever heard....

 

So rich, in fact, that it took me at least a couple dozen listens to realize the lyric blows. I mean, it has a few bright spots, but it never goes anywhere and mines the tear thing way too much and not in all that interesting ways.

 

But man, what astoundingly great music.

 

http://picosong.com/PGwR/

 

BTW, this is posted on picosong because I uploaded it myself. It was posted by a guy on YT who claimed it was his own, but he's since been proven to be a fraud. If anyone knows who actually wrote this, please pass it along.

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Yeah if you want to distract from a weak lyric' date=' throw on a cello.[/quote']

 

And piano... particularly GREAT piano like in the chorus. And that chimey picked electric, that's great.

 

Seriously, listen to the song without any interest in the words first to get the true effect before trying to make them out.

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But man, what astoundingly great music.

 

http://picosong.com/PGwR/

 

BTW, this is posted on picosong because I uploaded it myself. It was posted by a guy on YT who claimed it was his own, but he's since been proven to be a fraud. If anyone knows who actually wrote this, please pass it along.

 

Great song, yes, but that production sounds a bit homemade to me - especially the lead vocal treatment. Very good homemade, yes, and I don't think homemade is a bad thing at all, but it means I doubt this was ever a radio hit or put out by a name-brand label. Might make it harder to track down the artist/writer, etc.

 

 

 

nat whilk ii

 

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