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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | synthhtnys@comcast.net |
| Subject | Re: Pet Sounds-a-Hell |
| Date | Thu, 13 Dec 2007 20:00:00 +0000 |
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I had to take my wife to the hospital the other night so I haven't had time to weed through all the "Pet Sounds A Hell" thread...
Actually, though I was the one that started the original request thread I don't disagree with much of (what I have had the time to read) that's been posted..
It's also why I included the request in the original post that the songs should be more than just copying surface qualities of Pet Sounds and should have a musical life of it's own...
Some of the suggestions such as the Lewis Taylor, Wondermints, Jellyfish etc. >DO< in fact have their own musical vision beyond whatever level of homage is going on.... besides, remember that Brian himself had his own musical heroes that he could very well be accused of "copying", Phil Spector, Four Freshman etc. etc.... IMO music does not exist in a vacuum and every musician who's honest will admit to a certain amount of being a "magpie" of musical ideas...
...but at the end of the day, YES I do think that bringing your own ideas into the mix is absolutely essential to keeping the homage thing healthy....
$00.02
-------------- Original message --------------
From: Kerry Kompost <kerry_kompost@yahoo.com>
> Adam Marsland wrote:
>
> > Yes, it's cool the way the piano
> > run through the Leslie blended with
> > the archtop guitar sounds, and
> > yes, that tympani sure sounds
> > dramatic, but untethered to the
> > emotional heart of the record, it's
> > just so many jagged lines on a
> > ProTools sound file.
>
> > You can't recreate that by putting
> > together certain noises that ring
> > a certain way.
>
> All the things Adam mentions above are nothing more
> than icing on what was an already-perfect red velvet
> cake. These are production and arranging values, not
> songwriting; they’re two very different things, and I
> believe more than a few songwriters make the fatal
> mistake of confusing the two disciplines.
>
> The underlying chord structures on Pet Sounds – eg.
> the SONGS – are, and I say this sincerely,
> astonishingly brilliant in their own right. Strip away
> everything but the piano on “God Only Knows” and
> you’re left with something that transcends mere pop
> music – the chords themselves take the listener
> someplace, ever climbing, resolving in unexpectedly
> ingenious ways, with emotionally-charged shifts in key
> and tempo keeping the piece flowing. It is, in and of
> itself, a complete musical statement, even without the
> interesting sonic touches, incredible vocal melody,
> and inspired lyrics.
>
> Brian Wilson had the imagination, inspiration, and
> God-given musical talent -- all coming together at the
> same time -- to create what could be called
> classical-based musical structures that often had very
> little to do with regard to the conventional pop music
> of the era. Sure, one might argue that a handful of
> McCartney’s 60’s-era songs display the same broad
> classical influences, but Macca’s music is far more
> traditional, simplistic, and less genre-stretching
> than Wilson’s. Plus, you know, Macca had George Martin
> at his side. In that regard, Brian Wilson stands
> alone.
>
> That’s why most Pet Sounds-inspired homages do nothing
> for me – frankly, most of them laughably lack the
> musical sophistication of the original. And why
> shouldn’t they? There’s only one Brian Wilson, and to
> begin to come even CLOSE to that level of
> sophistication requires a degree of talent, skill, and
> dedication that, frankly, most of us mere mortals
> lack. In spades.
>
> That said, would you trade Brian’s musical gifts for
> his tormented soul? I’d say they’re one and the same;
> listen to the music, it’s all in there. Great art
> often springs from deep emotional turmoil. Thanks, but
> I’ll keep my sanity in exchange for my
> less-than-Brian-Wilson-esque songs!!!
>
> Anyway, it doesn’t matter how amazing that guitar tone
> thru the Leslie sounds, or how cool it is to use
> bicycle bells or garden rakes or plastic bottles of
> Vicoden(tm) as percussion – if the song isn’t there,
> you could throw the Los Angeles Philharmonic on the
> track and it’s still going to suck bowls of Raisin
> Bran with half-and-half.
>
> And, yes, Spilt Milk ROCKS. I can't recall the last
> time I heard such a sophisticated piece of music like
> "Joining a Fan Club" that actually slammed my head
> against the wall with it's unbridled energy. Well,
> there's "Live in Japan" by Mike Keneally (you knew I
> had to throw him in there, didn't you, Mr. Holmes?
> He's a huge Brian Wilson fan, too).
>
> kErrY
> www.myspace.com/kompost
>
>
>
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