The Kids Are Alright

[David Herrick]

I didn’t know this song either, Jung, or anything by the Who for that matter.  I wouldn’t have guessed that they ever did anything that sounded as early-British-invasion as this, so I suppose I’ll have to go explore their catalog now.

 

[Jacki Hopper]

Count on me as well, as to not  knowing this song either, prior to MLT’s Duo Session version….lol

[Jung Roe]

David, Jacki, the Who’s 1965 The Kids Are Alright has a similar feel to Manfred Mann’s 1966 Pretty Flamingo to my ears.  I wonder if there was an influence there.  I have to say the MLT versions of both songs are a cut above, irresistible!

[David Herrick]

You’re right, Jung, with regard to both the resemblance and MLT’s versions.  It’s driving me nuts because this “new” song sounds so familiar, but I can’t pin it down to any one song I already knew.

I did notice that the line “Better leave her behind with the kids, they’re alright” is almost identical musically to “When you walk through my door, you’ll be home” from the Turtles’ “You Don’t Have to Walk in the Rain”, but I’m pretty sure that the Who song came first.

 

[Johnnypee Parker]

I love this one.  1965 (me2)

Do I hear a tip of the hat to the Pinball Wizard?  I hear it on The Who’s version of the kids, but it sounds a little more windmill-ish here.  I am not a big who scholar.  Does anyone know if that guitar strum was borrowed from the kids and used in pinball wizard ?  Tommy was released 1969, so it would make sense.  I know that is Pete’s signature strum, but the first time I heard the Duo Session I thought of Tommy.

Flashback:  June 1989 I get a call from my dad to say he just heard tickets go on sale in 20 minutes for The Who at the Glens Falls Civic Center.  It was basically a rehearsal show for another one of their farewell tours.  They kept it a secret up until the last minute, no internet back then.   The arena was a 4,000 seat hockey arena with terrible acoustics.  We we’re young, it was The Who …in our tiny town

So it was a 5 minute walk to the ticket window, and it was only about a 20 minute wait for 10th row floor.  Limit 4 seats per person.  And then count the days till showtime.

I remember it was loud, and I remember getting excited when they played Pete’s song “Give Blood”.  They played most of their hits.  I was just looking over the set list and I don’t remember it being that long of a show.  Like I said, we were young, it was The Who

There’s a Duo video for The Kids Are Alright?

One of these Fridays, right?

JP

[Jung Roe]

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David, good ear.  Just comparing the two songs, the part “sometimes I feel like I gotta get away…..” in The Kids Are Alright sound pretty similar to that part you point out in Turtles song for sure!  It looks like there was probably a lot of cross influence and inspiration going on during that time some intentional and some not.  “Crimson dress that cling so tight she’s out of reach out of sight….” in Pretty Flamingo has that familiar ring too.

[Jung Roe]

JP I notice too the guitar sounds in Kids are Alright have a similar rhythm and structure to Pinball Wizard.  Pinball Wizard has more pronounced lead guitar riffs going off though compared to the Who’s version in Kids are Alright.

That sounded like quite the memorable venue to see the Who up close like that in the small arena.  How lucky for you!   Were they loud, as I understand they play one of the loudest concerts?  Did Pete Townsend actually trash his guitar at the end of the show like they show on some of the 60s videos?  That Rickenbacker Townsend uses looks pretty nice and I can’t imagine he would smash it on the stage, unless he switches over to another cheap guitar for the last song and sacrifice it for the stage theatrics.

[Johnnypee Parker]

Jung, at the bridge and near the end the strumming seems so familiar I subconsciously want to scream,”Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve played the silver ball”.  I love how MLT pays so much attention to the smallest of details.  Every listen to Orange peels back another layer to reveal another super groovy detail.
Thursday goes too slow
I’ve got Friday on my mind

JP

 

[Jacki Hopper]

Good music has the power to influence and inspire…..The Vocal  Versatile Voice  Variations, instrumentation, all key to producing the magic, now, Team MLT has the uncanny knack  of a gift to take song, and redefine it unlike anyone else, sounds as current now as was then, with a touch more oomph to it…. Patsy Cline had a voice versatility,  that allowed her to cross genres, and make it her own, as did Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty…..It matters very much so.

[Jung Roe]

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That’s a hallmark of a great album and great music like Orange, you never tire of listening to it, and you can get something special or new out of it with every listen.  That’s why inspired works like Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Beatles Sargent Peppers continue to touch and move generations of people forever, and people never stop listening to them.

[Jung Roe]

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Well said Jacki, couldn’t agree with you more.  Mona and Lisa’s vocals are incredibly versatile and beautiful, incomparable.  That’s why they can do such a wide variety of genres, and do them justice like no other.  That sets them apart from any other female singer I know.   From sublime ballads to hard rock and roll, to folk/country to jazz to funk to blues and everything in between, MLT can do it all, in both originals and covers.  As diverse and versatile as the Beatles and more.

[Johnnypee Parker]

Jung, I’m sorry I did not answer all of your questions.  That Who show was very loud, but still awesome.  No, I don’t remember Pete smashing his guitar at the end.  I have seen clips of that nonsense, but I think at that point he may have out grown that behavior.

Growing up I saw a lot of concerts at that place.  The acoustics were terrible, but we were young.  I don’t think they host any concerts there nowadays.

JP

[Jung Roe]

Thanks JP.  Its a good thing Pete abandoned that silly showmanship spectacle of smashing guitars in the early days.  Guitars are too precious to be wastefully destroyed like that, it’s just not right like burning books.  The WHO came to Vancouver a few times over the years, but I just never had the oppurtunity to go.  Would have liked to.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

I’m looking forward to the video of this one too, as it sounds like Mona’s going bananas on the bongos.

Speaking of Pete’s signature windmill strum, while he was doing it on stage in the late 80’s he impaled his hand on the whammy bar. Ouch.

[Tomás F. Calvo]

By “Bananas on the Bongos” I mean the ‘Cajon’, probably. BTW, “cajon” is the Spanish word for box (also drawer).