The death of a minor hero is sadder than the death of a great one. We expect our great heroes to go. We expect the pomp and tributes and superlatives. It's a part-- the last part-- of every great hero's journey.
But when a minor figure dies, one you especially admired, it's hard. Most will ignore the news, having never heard of the departed. But it affects you, and you wish others would appreciate how much so. This is how I felt when Elliott Smith died in 2003. I had just become a fan of his work a year earlier, and it was a blow. As a lonely college freshman, his moving music was a great comfort, even more so than other masters of heartbreak like Jackson Browne and Roy Orbison.
The reason, I think, may be Smith's voice. By itself, it wasn't anything special. A cracking whisper, it seemed to struggle through most songs, as if he were about to cry or pass out or otherwise break down. But in harmony, he was his own sad choir. He could multitrack his way to angelic grace like almost nobody else.
Some have dismissed Smith's music as "depressing." This makes no sense. To paraphrase Roger Ebert, good art is never depressing, no matter how sad it may be. Bad art is what's depressing. While it was still beating, Elliott Smith sang his heart out. There's nothing depressing about that.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "I Didn't Understand" by Elliott Smith
AVAILABLE ON: XO; iTunes
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
BEST ROCK HARMONIES: That's Right: "Kokomo" Doesn't Count
On Tuesday, I mentioned the uncanny harmonizing abilities of siblings. This phenomenon predates rock and roll by eons, stretching back to the Carter Family, the Andrews Sisters and beyond. But the greatest set of singing siblings in history were of the rock era, in the form of brothers from Hawthorne, California.
Carl, Dennis, and Brian Wilson sang together from the start. Brian would spend hours upstairs ("In My Room") teaching his younger brothers songs by the Four Freshman and the Lettermen. Teaming up with their cousin and a neighborhood friend, they became the Beach Boys, and did some of the best group singing in pop music history. And they were way less creepy-looking than the Everly Brothers.
As members of the group dropped out due to mental illness (Brian), death (Carl and Dennis), and lawsuits (anyone who isn't Mike Love), the Beach Boys name became diluted by hired guns and sidemen. The original lineup, augmented by Bruce Johnston, remains the only one I'll accept. I'm sorry, but if you weren't on Pet Sounds, you're not a Beach Boy. That means you, John Stamos.
The Beach Boys' creative peak, about 1966-'67, gets most of the attention, and rightly so. But their early stuff is fascinating, too. I'll never know where they got the idea to meld Chuck Berry rock and roll licks with the harmonies of ascot-wearing glee clubs. I can only thank them for having it.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" by the Beach Boys
AVAILABLE ON: Smiley Smile/Wild Honey; iTunes
Carl, Dennis, and Brian Wilson sang together from the start. Brian would spend hours upstairs ("In My Room") teaching his younger brothers songs by the Four Freshman and the Lettermen. Teaming up with their cousin and a neighborhood friend, they became the Beach Boys, and did some of the best group singing in pop music history. And they were way less creepy-looking than the Everly Brothers.
As members of the group dropped out due to mental illness (Brian), death (Carl and Dennis), and lawsuits (anyone who isn't Mike Love), the Beach Boys name became diluted by hired guns and sidemen. The original lineup, augmented by Bruce Johnston, remains the only one I'll accept. I'm sorry, but if you weren't on Pet Sounds, you're not a Beach Boy. That means you, John Stamos.
The Beach Boys' creative peak, about 1966-'67, gets most of the attention, and rightly so. But their early stuff is fascinating, too. I'll never know where they got the idea to meld Chuck Berry rock and roll licks with the harmonies of ascot-wearing glee clubs. I can only thank them for having it.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" by the Beach Boys
AVAILABLE ON: Smiley Smile/Wild Honey; iTunes
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
BEST ROCK HARMONIES: Hope Ringo Brought Something to Read
Love, the Beatles-themed Cirque du Soleil show currently dazzling midwestern tourists and curious stoners alike in Vegas, doesn't open with "Let it Be." It doesn't open with "Yesterday", "Hey Jude," or "Strawberry Fields Forever" either. The show's creators chose to kick things off with "Because," a haunting John Lennon ballad. It's a relatively obscure choice, or at least as obscure as a song from Abbey Road can be. It pains me to say it, but those French clowns were on to something.
The version of "Because" that appears on Abbey Road, for many years the only version available, is marked by a truly bizarre arrangement: electric guitar, bass, harpsichord, and Moog synthesizer. John, Paul, and George sang the lyric in three-part harmony, then overdubbed their parts twice more. According to legend, Lennon composed the song by reversing the chord progression of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata." "Because" is a strange but vital segueway between "Here Comes the Sun" and Abbey Road's closing medley.
In 1996, the uneven but mostly wonderful Anthology set presented us with a striking a capella remix. With all the instruments stripped away, the exquisite nine-part vocal track can be heard in perfect detail. You can actually hear the lads inhale before each line. It's heavenly, spine-tingling stuff, arguably the band's finest vocal performance. (With honorable mentions going to "If I Fell" and "Nowhere Man.")
Ever wonder why these guys get so much attention? Get two friends and try to sing an F#m6 chord.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Because" by the Beatles (remix)
AVAILABLE ON: Anthology 3
The version of "Because" that appears on Abbey Road, for many years the only version available, is marked by a truly bizarre arrangement: electric guitar, bass, harpsichord, and Moog synthesizer. John, Paul, and George sang the lyric in three-part harmony, then overdubbed their parts twice more. According to legend, Lennon composed the song by reversing the chord progression of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata." "Because" is a strange but vital segueway between "Here Comes the Sun" and Abbey Road's closing medley.
In 1996, the uneven but mostly wonderful Anthology set presented us with a striking a capella remix. With all the instruments stripped away, the exquisite nine-part vocal track can be heard in perfect detail. You can actually hear the lads inhale before each line. It's heavenly, spine-tingling stuff, arguably the band's finest vocal performance. (With honorable mentions going to "If I Fell" and "Nowhere Man.")
Ever wonder why these guys get so much attention? Get two friends and try to sing an F#m6 chord.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Because" by the Beatles (remix)
AVAILABLE ON: Anthology 3
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
BEST ROCK HARMONIES: Family Ties
Truly great harmony singing is rare. It requires a special combination of voices coming together to become more than the sum of the combined singers. It doesn't require every member to have a great voice, but it does demand a special chemistry not every band can muster. Practice helps. So does having a great ear. Or you can just sing with your relatives.
It's uncanny, but kin are the best harmonizers. There will be other examples later in the week, but today we focus on a group of sisters from Oakland, California. June and Bonnie Pointer began performing together in the late 1960s, then remembered they had two more sisters poking around somewhere, and the foursome quickly secured a contract with Atlantic Records. The Pointer Sisters' chart success began with a cover of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" in 1973 and continued for the next couple of decades.
You may remember them for their cheesy 80s hits "I'm So Excited" and "He's So Shy." But the Pointer Sisters of the early to mid 1970s adhered more closely to the jazz, country, and rhythm and blues they absorbed growing up. (Their mother was no fan of rock and roll, except Elvis Presley, because he sang nice gospel songs for his mama.) One of their biggest early hits was "Fairytale," a straight country ballad penned by sisters Anita and Bonnie. The King himself covered that one.
The sisters' mellifluous harmonies shone in any genre. Their singing was strong, soulful, and tight as the strands of DNA they shared. They were equally comfortable covering Willie Dixon and Bruce Springsteen. They will go down in history as the funkiest women to ever come out of Oakland. This includes Gertrude Stein.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Shaky Flat Blues" by the Pointer Sisters
AVAILABLE ON: That's a Plenty; iTunes
It's uncanny, but kin are the best harmonizers. There will be other examples later in the week, but today we focus on a group of sisters from Oakland, California. June and Bonnie Pointer began performing together in the late 1960s, then remembered they had two more sisters poking around somewhere, and the foursome quickly secured a contract with Atlantic Records. The Pointer Sisters' chart success began with a cover of Allen Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can" in 1973 and continued for the next couple of decades.
You may remember them for their cheesy 80s hits "I'm So Excited" and "He's So Shy." But the Pointer Sisters of the early to mid 1970s adhered more closely to the jazz, country, and rhythm and blues they absorbed growing up. (Their mother was no fan of rock and roll, except Elvis Presley, because he sang nice gospel songs for his mama.) One of their biggest early hits was "Fairytale," a straight country ballad penned by sisters Anita and Bonnie. The King himself covered that one.
The sisters' mellifluous harmonies shone in any genre. Their singing was strong, soulful, and tight as the strands of DNA they shared. They were equally comfortable covering Willie Dixon and Bruce Springsteen. They will go down in history as the funkiest women to ever come out of Oakland. This includes Gertrude Stein.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Shaky Flat Blues" by the Pointer Sisters
AVAILABLE ON: That's a Plenty; iTunes
Monday, May 19, 2008
BEST ROCK HARMONIES: Joe Walsh Wrote a Book, Too, But He Lost It, Man!
Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder has just published a book, Heaven and Hell: My Life in the Eagles (1974-2001). Felder is sort of the Mick Taylor of that band; neither an original nor current member, his contributions were nonetheless important. The co-author of "Hotel California," Felder provided graceful-yet-muscular lead guitar that toughened the group's sound without surrendering beauty or subtlety. As for his book's title, I assume being present at the recording of something as badass as "Victim of Love" is filed under "Heaven," while listening to Don Henley's lectures on recycling fits squarely under "Hell."
Seeing Felder's book on the shelf inspired this week's topic: Best Rock Vocal Harmonies. What better way to begin than with the Eagles? It is not, and has never been, hip to be an Eagles fan. It's also frustrating to hear the same dozen songs being flogged to death on classic rock radio. But any group that writes so many top-notch tunes, plays so flawlessly, and harmonizes so effortlessly has to have something going on, even if it's ironically name-checked by Steely Dan.
The tastiest slice of the group's harmony singing is "Seven Bridges Road," a track from Eagles Live. Though not an original, the song is almost perfectly suited for the band's unique (but always familiar and comforting) vocal blend. Just listen to how all five voices stay in unison until, at the end of "like some lonesome child," they break apart, leaving Henley's poignant wail briefly alone. As singers, it's their masterpiece.
Like all Eagles live recordings, this one was heavily overdubbed and perfected in the studio. I know I've broken some hearts just now, but you shouldn't really care. What we're left with is so gorgeous, it doesn't matter if it was completed via FedEx because the members could no longer stand to be in the same studio space at the same time. Wow, with all that juicy band tension, it's amazing somebody didn't write a book sooner.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Seven Bridges Road" by Eagles
AVAILABLE ON: Eagles Live; iTunes
Seeing Felder's book on the shelf inspired this week's topic: Best Rock Vocal Harmonies. What better way to begin than with the Eagles? It is not, and has never been, hip to be an Eagles fan. It's also frustrating to hear the same dozen songs being flogged to death on classic rock radio. But any group that writes so many top-notch tunes, plays so flawlessly, and harmonizes so effortlessly has to have something going on, even if it's ironically name-checked by Steely Dan.
The tastiest slice of the group's harmony singing is "Seven Bridges Road," a track from Eagles Live. Though not an original, the song is almost perfectly suited for the band's unique (but always familiar and comforting) vocal blend. Just listen to how all five voices stay in unison until, at the end of "like some lonesome child," they break apart, leaving Henley's poignant wail briefly alone. As singers, it's their masterpiece.
Like all Eagles live recordings, this one was heavily overdubbed and perfected in the studio. I know I've broken some hearts just now, but you shouldn't really care. What we're left with is so gorgeous, it doesn't matter if it was completed via FedEx because the members could no longer stand to be in the same studio space at the same time. Wow, with all that juicy band tension, it's amazing somebody didn't write a book sooner.
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Seven Bridges Road" by Eagles
AVAILABLE ON: Eagles Live; iTunes
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