Posts by Dr. John

If it comes with something new to me, then I'm sure I can negotiate a Christmas present.

Quote from Backdrifter

Oh I liked them. King Of The Kerb and On Turn On are still really nice tunes. Can you remember the venue where they were supported by Oasis?

I really liked their first two albums. Dark Therapy is another great song by them.

Quote from Backdrifter

I found it very much in the spirit of the first film, and with some callbacks that included nice little touches for those with a detailed eye, though also a couple of very clunky ones they should've left out, and a very significant one that forms an important plot strand - it'll be obvious when you see it.

The grimy claustrophobic feel of the original is there, but there are enough other elements to also make it feel a distinct film in its own right. I was very impressed by Cailey Spaney in Priscilla and hoped to see her in something very different which this achieved.

Going back to your comment on the original, one thing that's perhaps a little forgotten now is how it completely overhauled sci-fi design, particularly in two ways. First, with HR Giger's "bio-mechanical" approach that made everything about the alien in its different forms so distinctive. Second, by throwing away the long-held notion that spaceships are gleaming white pristine environments and making the setting so greasy, untidy and cramped. In fact someone I was school with objected to that, complaining that it's not what spaceships are "supposed" to look like!

Sounds like it is worth seeing for me. I agree that the gritty, claustrophobic feel to the original was a key element. This wasn't galactic royalty or Imperial leaders, but instead a working crew and so the aesthetic was fitting. It also brought you closer into the film, rather than distancing you.

Quote from Backdrifter

Alien: Romulus. Could be my favourite of the Alien films.

I'm interested to hear more about why. Alien is fantastic, all about building suspense. Aliens is a great action movie. After that, Alien3 and Alien Resurrection had good moments, but were substantially weaker. Same goes for Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, where I think Ridley Scott overfocused on creating backstory. The AVP movies were just dumb deviations. Fede Álvarez has a good feel for horror, so I am hopeful he brought some of this sensibility to Romulus.

Rick Beato recently posted a lengthy interview with Tony Levin, covering a broad sweep of his amazing career. There are sections that focus on his work with Peter Gabriel, but I find the whole interview very interesting.

Quote from Duke of Earl of Mar

Oh, I thought it was because of Mike Rutherford, who didn't even try to remember his parts with the special tuning he was using on guitar. It's a shame, today there are lots of videos explaining it, maybe at the time there were already a few existing on the Internet he could have looked at, at least...

I think Mike comments on not remembering the tuning, but I’m sure Daryl could have figured it out.

I am pretty sure One For the Vine was not a consideration. I vaguely remember something else being considered before Ripples was selected.

The biggest loss was of a complete Cinema Show. They were at least considering it in Come Rain Or Shine but Phil thought it went too high for him to sing. He gave up prematurely because the top notes he sings falsetto in IKWIL go higher.

I love the first two albums. Noel had a great ear for melody and Liam’s sneering vocals made the nonsensical lyrics seem to have weight. After that the albums became unfocused and uninteresting. I saw them once live and they were kind of boring.

I agree that the keyboard melody here is a quote of the melody for Hairless Heart. It is reworked because of the change in key and chords, but it is otherwise the same sequence of notes in the (altered) scale and the same timing.

I would say it is good in its context of the album, but not something so remarkable that I would listen to it on its own merits.

Quote from Christian

So we think about a special website feature to state the origin(s) of live albums recordings ...

Yes please!

I'm interested, but don't have the detective skills or the access to all the boots to figure this out. I agree it does not appear to be the performance from the In Concert film.

I do wish that Seconds Out will get some kind of deluxe release, with the extra tracks from these two tours. Some of these appear on Archive 2. That kind of release could also clarify which performance comes from where.

I was also going to say Mad Man Moon. Heathaze is the other one that comes to mind.

With all that AI and CGI can do, I'll bet that someday someone will feed in all of the available footage and stills, plus the existing full live recordings and create a "filmed" version of a Lamb show.

Odd yes, but enjoyable. Not a poignant masterpiece, but a quirky diversion that might have better worked mid-album.

I bought the CD of the 2007 Brescia concert to get versions of this and other songs (On the Air, DIY, Humdrum).

I think it is a well crafted pop song, with a nice keyboard hook and great vocals from Phil. If it comes on the radio, my foot will tap along. But it is not a song I seek out to listen to. The organ solo is a bit boring, being just a variation of the main melody. Even in the poppiest of songs, Tony usually comes up with something more interesting. And I find much of Mike's solo boring. His guitar part is best for the melodic, likely pre-written part, in the sequence going from Am to D.

Here's my favourite cover of it by Vince Gill and Allison Krauss:

Quote from thewatcher

I would completely agree that these things would be worthwhile, but I have little faith that the band would see it that way. A couple of discs of your first point, a couple of discs of the other live version, and the main album would make a very fine 6 disc deluxe edition (throw in a DVD too!) but I'd eat my hat if it ever came to pass.

I agree that these extras are more wishful thinking than anything the band might approve. Still one can dream.

My knowledge of Lamb-related recordings is limited, however I could see the following being worthwhile in terms of the extras:

• Alternative takes, early or jam versions, and other unreleased material - probably 1-2 discs. Based on previous discussions on this board, this would be of great interest to some and less interest to others.
• I vaguely remember Tony commenting on how another properly recorded live performance from the tour had been unearthed after the Archive 1 Shrine performance was released. If there is such a performance recorded, that would be lovely to hear warts and all. If not, I would be happy with a re-release of the Shrine concert without the overdubs.
• Genesis has done great performances of Lamb material over the subsequent years: TLLDOB, Fly On a Windshield, many versions of ITC, Back in NYC, many versions of Carpet Crawlers, one performance of Lilywhite Lilith, IT. It would be nice to have a disc of performances that aren't already officially released from existing multi-tracks and perhaps board tapes if no multi-tracks exist.

Looking into this a bit more, Jeff Porcaro (drummer for Toto) has talked about emulating the groove in Hot Fun In the Summertime for Hold the Line. So there could be more than one pathway of influence.

Quote from The Hogweed

Really? I mean how far can we go here? Surely it had some TOTO vibes.

The connection between Sussudio and 1999 is far more obvious

I don't think I am reaching for a similarity. As mentioned, the chords, key, and time signature are exactly the same between the chorus of Hot Fun In the Summertime and Misunderstanding. The Wikipedia entry that rkive pointed out indicates that Phil was influenced by the HFITS, although I don't see a specific citation.

By contrast, the chords for Sussudio are only similar, not the same, as the chords for 1999. And the groove is entirely different.