Posts by Dr. John

I'm curious why you like the octave down version. The original higher version has an effortless, soaring, flying feeling. The lower version is warmer admittedly, but but feels heavier to me.

I forgot to mention how I like the oboe snippets in the original studio version (in the quiet section after the first refrain). I don't remember if we have heard Peter play oboe on anything else. Someone will have to refresh my memory

One other thing to note is that in the live medley versions, Tony skips a whole section after the main melody. He just goes straight to the ascending quadruplet and triplet run. I'm guessing this is because the section omitted is actually quite hard to play. I have never heard him perform this section live in a way that is faithful to the original studio version.

This is one of my favourite tracks. I do have a few quibbles with aspects of the studio and live versions, but the many strengths obliterate these minor imperfections.

First of all, I really see this as two pieces of music that have been stitched together and have no discernible relationship with each other. The first portion is anchored by Mike's amazing 12-string part, with its odd tuning that has pairs of strings tuned to different notes (as opposed to the usual octaves). The intro section alone is worth the price of admission, but I also love the quiet instrumental section before the "Na na na na" bit. Just gorgeous and magical. The verses and the "Take a little trip back..." refrain are fine, though not the most remarkable.

Then we get the second section in 7/8, which clearly evolved from a jam between Mike, Tony, and Phil. It's hard to discern if Steve has any significant role here (and later live versions show that the trio can do it just fine). The main almost-singable melody (the part in A) is one of the most beautiful that (presumably) Tony has come up with.

The studio version has its strengths. The first section is subtle, pristine. The jam section pales in comparison to the live versions, but there is still something to be said for Phil's subtle and complex ghost notes on the main melody section. Also, the studio version has some lovely overdubs by Tony that add a lower harmony line to the main melody when it repeats. Also in the section after the rapidly ascending quadruplets and triplets, he adds a countermelody that is actually a variation of the main melody in A.

Live, the full versions benefit from much stronger dynamics in the 7/8 instrumental section. The Seconds Out version benefits from still having mellotron, particularly in the repeat of the main melody with heavy bass pedals. That section is just glorious. The downside of this version is lack of a polyphonic synthesizer, so the lead lines can't be harmonized and sound kind of weak. I also dislike the forced-sounding ending

The 1978 versions still have the mellotron but now have a polyphonic synth for the harmonized lines. This is the first appearance (I think) of the Riding the Screen snippet, which I really like. The drumming is now very aggressive, which is great in a different way. The segue into Afterglow is still a bit forced, but better than the previous ending.

After that, we are into the excerpts as part of medleys. Tony loses the mellotron (sigh) and replaces it with mainly poor alternatives. He also changes to less interesting lead sounds. Mike also loses the 12-string to do it on 6-string, at least for the Mama and IT tours I think. The drumming remains great through the 80s versions. The versions on the TIOA and the Last Domino tours suffer from Tony deciding (inexplicably) to lower the main melody by an octave and use a limp lead sound. Of the live medley versions, I most like the early 80s era.

Can you tell I listen to this song a bit too much?

Family Snapshot, Biko, and No Self Control for me. But this is such a strong album for me that several others could easily vie for the 3rd spot.

For the most part, I do not use any like/dislike options. I think when I started on music forums long ago, I was mainly interested in the discussion. I don't even remember if there was a like/dislike option 20 years ago. So I am very old school in my participation, responding further if I have something to add to a discussion (which might include agreement, disagreement, or something in the middle). I don't participate in discussions on major social media platforms, so I never got in the habit of like/dislike options in the past decade.

That said, I don't have an issue with people wanting to use these options. I just feel they are imprecise. Often I am in partial agreement or disagreement with a previous post, so a simply binary answer wouldn't be very accurate for me.

Quote from Duke of Earl of Mar

First part of Domino.

Imagine the guitar/synth riff with arpeggiated 12 strings, the synthy lead line played with the Pro-soloist,

and then the "Can't you see what you are doing to me " part with big organ chord, punctuated with Mellotron brass sound...

I think the guitar part is more rhythmic and percussive compared to the arpeggiated parts of yore. The synth line perhaps might work.

Quote from Backdrifter

Ooooh I don't know. I'm projecting the vocal over that arrangement in my head and not liking it. Also, the lyric about looking back over a life doesn't lend itself to a 'fantasy' feel. Got any better ones?!

OK fair. It might not have been the perfect marriage musically. But I do think the reflective stance on life is echoed in previous songs - e.g., Afterglow, Ripples. So lyrically I think it could fit.

This is one of those songs that captures an atmosphere that no other band could. It is dreamy, misty, melancholic, wry, resigned. Steve's nylon string guitar sets the tone with dignity. Tony's mellotron paints landscapes. Mike has a subtle and mobile bassline that lifts the song like breathing. And Phil offers a tender vocal that soars when it needs to.

Certainly W&W was the last album that consistently evoked a sense of fantasy and perhaps also pastoral England. ATTW3 has some aspects of this in Snowbound, Burning Rope, and a few other sections. Evidence of Autumn is perhaps the last example of this sound, and I think they left it off the album because it had such a throwback sound.

After that, as noted above, the instrumentation changed such that they didn't achieve this sound even in the quieter passages. There was no more mellotron, almost no 12-strings (and used very differently), and Tony's synth sounds were very of the time. That said, one could imagine passages from later songs that could have sounded "fantasy" with different instrumentation. The verse section of Fading Lights is a good example - imagine it with arpeggiated 12-strings and mellotron/Hammond organ handling the chords

The Platinum Collection is perhaps the "best" in terms of overall selection.

The only one I own is the Best of '81-'83 so I could get the live Firth of Fifth.

There's also the bit in Dodo leading into the Lurker segment "Meanwhile lurking by a stone in the mud..."

Here Comes the Flood - Exposure version

Family Snapshot

San Jacinto

In Your Eyes

I Go Swimming

The Cinema Show

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway

Ripples

Blood On the Rooftops

Duchess

Take Me Home

In the Air Tonight

The Roof Is Leaking

I Don't Care Anymore

Long Long Way to Go

This is a tough one as I really like most of the album. I picked:

The Rhythm of the Heat - it sounds like nothing that came before. It is so dramatic going from a whisper to hugely powerful moments. It is a ritual in an audio form.

San Jacinto - from the circular keyboard part, to the poignant lyrics, to an outstanding vocal performance, just magical.

Lay Your Hands On Me - from the odd quirky verses to the ecstatic choruses, it works for me.

My runner-up would be Wallflower.

I can't get behind this song at all. While it is obvious that it was constructed by talented musicians, it has no musical cohesion to me. It just feels like a bunch of bits stuffed too tightly into a sausage casing. I gave up on this song long ago and haven't returned to it in years.

Many of REM's album covers were enigmatic, so they either worked for you or they didn't. The very late album covers were more straightforward and kinda boring.

Great that you are doing such a variety of Beatles covers. Doing I Want to Hold Your Hand with the lead vocal doubled is exactly how John and Paul did it.

This and Darkness were the two standouts for me on this album. As Backdrifter notes, the lyrics continue to be highly relevant. And the music is dramatic, with echoes of his 4th album. I'm also a huge Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan fan and had the fortune of seeing him live twice, so his presence is just icing on the cake.

I think the melody and the musical accompaniment is lovely. And Phil's vocal performance is great. The lyrics are less arresting. Still a pleasant listen overall.

I am a big fan of the era of Beggar's Banquet through to Exile. Beyond that, I like many of the earlier singles and a smattering of tracks from the rest of the 70s and early 80s. After that, I admire that they can still have craft and energy, but nothing has made me want to buy more recent material. What I have heard from this album so far is similar: sounds pretty good, but nothing that sticks with me enough to pursue further.