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| From | "Michael Bennett" <mrhonorama@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | Re: Well, this should keep the McCartney Thread alive for another 1200 posts... |
| Date | Sat, 23 Jun 2007 15:43:04 -0500 |
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While I would agree that icons may be given a bit more leeway, that's what
they've earned. That being said, certainly Paul McCartney has gotten more
than his fair share of negative reviews over the years. Other than Band On
The Run, Tug Of War and Flowers In The Dirt, I think that every solo disc
has gotten a fair amount (at least) of negative press.
Perhaps no one is willing to go out and say the new Macca or Rolling Stones
or Lou Reed are utter crap, though they all have put out stuff that
qualifies on that count. Still, whenever an artist gets into their 'best
album since _____" phase, isn't that implicitly saying that they don't have
it anymore?
One more thing -- I didn't read a whole lot of people giving Wilson a pass
on Smile, so much as acknowledging that he was singing better than he had
recently. As to how the quality of his vocals affect appreciation of the
album, I actually like the weather beaten vocals on the songs -- it adds
something emotionally to the record. But I can understand why you feel the
way you do about it.
Mike Bennett
Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/mrhonorama
Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com
Find out about Chicago shows:
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/chicagopopshowreport/
>From: "David Bash" <bashpop@earthlink.net>
>Reply-To: audities@smoe.org
>To: "Audities" <audities@smoe.org>
>Subject: Re: Well, this should keep the McCartney Thread alive for another
>1200 posts...
>Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 11:15:27 -0700
>
>--- In audities@yahoogroups.com, "Alan Haber" <zoogang@...> wrote:
>>
>>Well, that's the most abhorrent load of trash I have had the displeasure
>>to
>>read in a very long time.
>>
>>I don't know what else to say.
>>
>>Alan
>>http://www.purepopradio.com
>>http://www.buhdge.com
>
>While I agree that Lefsetz went about his rant in a most base and classless
>manner, on a general level I do share some agreement with him: that very
>often rock icons are given more leeway than perhaps is warranted. For many
>years I have seen this occur with my favorite artist, Brian Wilson. I
>can't
>tell you how many reviews I read, or comments I heard, when his first solo
>album came out, that Brian "sounds just as good as he ever did" and "man,
>he
>can still hit those same high notes that he did on 'Let Him Run Wild,"
>etc...now, I love Brian as much as anyone, but please, give me a break!
>Given what he had been through, both physically and emotionally, it was a
>miracle that he could record, let alone produce as fine a work as that
>album, but people refused to leave it at that, instead stretching the truth
>beyond the boundries of imagination. Speaking of imagination, when that
>album came out 10 years later Brian was now 56 years old and had gone
>through even more emotional baggage (as well as cigarettes) and yet *people
>were still saying the same thing!!!* Don't get me wrong, I like the album
>for what it is, which is a charming disc of good, solid pop songs (although
>like most BB fans I abhor the production), but a masterpiece it ain't.
>Then
>of course when Smile came out, it was hoisted to a pedestal higher than
>Mount Everest, in many ways for good reason as it was a production of
>magnificent proportions. However, it was marred by one specific thing:
>Brian's voice. Brian's singing wasn't nearly at a commensurate level with
>the music; in fact, there were times when he downright sounded like Buddy
>Hackett! But to read reviews of the album, either this was completely
>glossed over or people still anointed Brian as "sounding as good as he ever
>has"! I read several reviews of Smile, and while I'm often accused of
>being
>"too nice" in my reviews, my review of Smile was the only one I know of
>which strongly pointed to Brian's singing as a distinct shortcoming.
>
>Anyway, back to McCartney. I happen to like Memory Almost Full; I don't
>think it's one of his best, and it's certainly not nearly one of his worst.
>One thing is certain, though: in some reviews I've read, journalists have
>let McCartney skate on his pass as a legend. And when people do make the
>point that he sounds like an "old man" (which he really doesn't, imho), the
>usual defense is "well, he IS 65 after all". To me that's a specious
>defense; all this does is point out that he indeed IS getting on in years,
>and the fact that his voice has aged well for a 65 year-old doesn't mean
>that, relative to a younger man's voice, it sounds good, nor does it mean
>that it actually makes the grade as a voice.
>
>I often wonder how I would respond to an album like Memory Almost Full if I
>heard it without knowing who recorded it. Of course, it would be extremely
>difficult to divorce myself from the trappings; likely I'd say "this must
>be
>McCartney". But who knows, maybe I'd say "this record is like a senior
>citizen trying to sound like McCartney", and I might be more apt to pay
>attention to the vocal
>shortcomings and not like the record as much.
>--
>Pop Rules!!!!!
>Take Care,
>David
>
>
>
>
>
>--
>No virus found in this incoming message.
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>3:04 PM
>
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