Well, yes, undoubtedly, they know their craft, they are certainly top drawer and we are reminded of that , even in their weakest songs but I must say I don't find much substance to Paperlate, there is IMO a bit more in NRAA, even though it's another one I dislike.
I also prefer NRAA of the two, particularly for Tony's keyboards and Mike's bassline. I still like Paperlate nonetheless.
Genesis at their poppiest still usually had some musical substance that demonstrated their underlying talent. Even Invisible Touch has that modulation to a G major chord in the verses before slipping back to the main key of F. Plus there is that weird bridge in Eb that would not show up in most pop songs. In I Can't Dance, most of the song is very straightforward, but that descending series of chords after the chorus is not a typical pop song thing to do. And not having any drums until 2/3 of the way in is definitely not a usual pop song move.
This has always been one of my favourites. The narrative is gripping and intense, with a switch to poignancy at the end. The music is also really interesting. Instead a traditional verse-chorus structure, there are just different musical sections: first a quiet intro, then a driving verse-like section that starts in Gm that is paired with an ascending half-time section that is not clearly a chorus, those sections repeat again, and then a coda that is musically different from everything that went before. Throughout all that is a great vocal that combines threat, twisted ambition, and pain.
This is my favourite of the songs so far. I get the comparison with Randy Newman - there's a wistful, Tin Pan Alley atmosphere to it. I think it is partly the ascending and descending chord progressions on simple piano plus the string arrangements.
The other interesting thing to note are the sections where he sings in a much lighter, gentler style that seems almost reminiscent of his singing in the 70s, e.g., "Never fade away" at 0:57, "Play again, play again" at 1:12.
Is today's pre-sale going to require a code? I didn't see one in the full moon email
I think it is just the link. I haven't seen anything about a code.
Canadian and U.S. dates have been announced, starting in Quebec City in September. Fan pre-sale starts at noon today (Eastern) for the Toronto show.
I agree that some reaction videos seem a little, err, planned. This one seems pretty genuine. There's a moment of surprise/awe with the crescendo in the guitar solo (mellotron and bass pedals come piling in) here:
She's in mid-sentence and you can see her react and she stops talking for a few moments to absorb the experience.
I had noticed this too and was going to post it, but you beat me too it. I thought she had some interesting perspectives, making comparisons with various classical composers. I also like her analysis of some of the chord changes.
Display MoreSimple Minds. I've focused on my favourite period of theirs by far, the first five albums. I could do at least one more whole album drawn from this phase.
Calling Your Name
Thirty Frames A Second
Sons And Fascination
No Cure
Today I Died Again
Sweat In Bullet
Real To Real
King Is White And In The Crowd
Sad Affair
Capital City
Theme For Great Cities
Changeling
Another band whose early period I don't know that well. I got into Simple Minds primarily with Sparkle In the Rain. More stuff to explore.
I have requested it as a birthday present. I agree it could be more and will accept and appreciate what I get anyway. That's the way it's been for many a release from this band. Life is too short for me to get caught up in what could have been.
Heard "Go Your Own Way" on the radio today for the zillionth time, and it struck me that of all the songs I've heard a zillion times on the radio, there is something particularly evergreen about this song. It always sounds fresh somehow, 45 years or so on. I think they nailed the tension in the song. The kind of push and pull between the guitar/vocal and drums in the verse. Also the real-life drama behind the lyrics that maybe adds a notch of authenticity. And probably the production, which is nice and vibrant.
I agree this is a song that never fades for me, no matter how many times it is played on the radio. It nails so many things well. The lyric captures the sadness and bitterness of the end of a relationship, which so many can identify with. The melody is simple and incredibly catchy. There is great contrast between verses and choruses. Verses have a syncopated rhythm, with a lower register vocal. Choruses switch to a straight rhythm and a much more urgent vocal line, with fabulous three-part harmony. And the bass line gets busier in the chorus, which adds to the urgency. I also want to highlight the chiming acoustic guitars in the verses, which set the rhythm for the verses. Wonderful songcraft, arrangement, and performances.
Just heard Janelle Monae rhyme epiphanies with breakfast at Tiffany's - MY breakfast nearly reappeared.
I'll give her points for trying to include the word "epiphanies" and referencing a film from the early 60s.
I prefer it to Grand Parade, but that's it.
Well at least we can agree on one thing!
I'm all for a bit of wild speculation
We do know that he considered doing a bit of Supper's Ready for a previous tour and the rest of the band was less enthusiastic. So while a low chance, not impossible. There was also that one-off where he sang the intro to Dancing With the Moonlit Knight on the tour with Sting - sounded very good.
I take a different stance on The Whole of the Moon. Yes it does keep adding in everything but the kitchen sink and I don't really mind that. I find that kinda funny and yet not unpleasantly excessive.
A few points to add to the above conversations:
I find these first two tracks OK, not horribly disappointing and not amazing. I don't expect him to put out another PG3, PG4, or So. Most artists are happy to to put out one classic album and I would argue Gabriel has done more than that. I'll satisfied with some new tunes that I like and don't need to be bowled over.
I disagree that it is not possible for later career artists to put out great albums. Though it may be infrequent, it is definitely possible. Dylan put out Rough and Rowdy Ways when he was 79. The Who put out WHO when Townshend and Daltrey were 74 and 75 respectively. Leonard Cohen's You Want It Darker came out when he was 82.
A few comments:
It's true that many retired bands have maintained websites and regular releases. However I think it is understandable that a band that has toured twice in the past 20 years and released their last studio album 25 years ago might not bother maintaining an active website and might not continue to focus on releases. Similarly they may not choose to maintain staffing for marketing and other areas that are much more necessary for an active and productive band.
I am guessing that the market for more obscure Genesis recordings is considered very small by the band, so they view the effort and expense to go into getting such recordings ship-shape for release is not worth the effort. I'm a big Genesis fan and I have only so much appetite for these things. I enjoyed watching Come Rain or Shine once - I've never watched it again. I thought the Mama work-in-progress thing was really interesting once. Watching the Mama tour rehearsal footage (at a distance from a single camera) was interesting once. So if I have that much interest, I am guessing the market probably is pretty small.
Most importantly, as has been mentioned many times above, the band themselves is not keen on releasing everything in existence. If they don't like something, they leave it on the shelf. They also do not see much point in having multiple versions of the same song released. If there is one good live version out there, they do not see much point in releasing another. So if this is their stance, then it is hard to expect much from them.
It's too bad Invisible Touch is a bit fast - I like that is has the line "She reaches in and grabs right hold of your heart". Definitely don't want to have CPR to Here Comes the Supernatural Anaesthetist - that suggests the outcome is not looking good.
I might go for Second Home By the Sea. I think the bpm is about right and it has a nice pumping rhythm most of the way through.
I had no problem with the 1992 tour. Phil was in really good voice - still had fair range, but traded the raspy aggression for more warmth. Driving the Last Spike and particularly Fading Lights were great live workouts. Invisible Touch was much better in the lower key (not as strained). HBTS/2HBTS was more muscular. And although the Old Medley was my least favourite medley, opening with Dance On a Volcano was magnificent.
It's a shame Living Forever never made it beyond rehearsals as it sounds pretty good. I also wish the Drum Duet headed into something. Even if it didn't go into Los Endos, it could go into something else - maybe the Firth of Fifth instrumental and then the Musical Box closing section instead. Then the Old Medley could have just been DOAV intro TLLDOB into IKWIL.
Invisible Tush
I Like What I Know
Abacadabra
Dance On a Vacation
Broadway Malady of 1974
