MLT Club Member David Herrick
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
-
I’ve been fortunate enough to see Paul McCartney in concert four times, so those would be my four most memorable experiences. The first one was the best, because I was so thrilled just to see him in the flesh. Honestly, if he had just walked across the stage and waved, that alone would have been worth the price of admission to me.
At one concert I got to my seat about an hour before he came on stage. The whole time the PA system was playing recordings of his music, with no repeats. Each new song would inspire some people in the audience to smile and dance and sing along. At some point I thought, “This guy is going to be performing for two hours, and these are all songs that he will NOT be doing!” What an amazing catalog he has to choose from.
At the other end of the memorability spectrum, there was the time I attended a concert by Genesis, a group that I had absolutely no interest in. But my then-teenaged sisters were big fans and wanted to go, and my mom insisted that I chaperone them. In my experience there has been no lonelier feeling than watching 20,000 people go nuts for two hours over music that I neither knew nor cared about.
-
I fully agree with what everyone is saying here. The first time I heard Orange there were a few songs that I immediately loved, and the rest caused me to shrug. But with each listening the shrugs diminished and the smiles of approval increased. As Jung says, that’s one of the marks of any great work of art: it keeps challenging your mind as you gradually grow to appreciate it. If their new album doesn’t initially strike me as absolute garbage, I’ll be very disappointed.
I’ve experienced Orange so many times now that when one of its tracks plays on the surprise jukebox, even if I’m not focusing on it, as it ends I find myself starting to hum the next song on the album.
-
I’ve heard it said that Mull of Kintyre makes you fiercely proud of your Scottish heritage, whether you have any or not. It sounds like a traditional ballad from the 1800’s. It blows my mind that it didn’t dent the U.S. charts. My understanding is that most American DJ’s just said “What is THIS crud?” and played the B-side instead.
I have to admit that the first time I saw the video for The Wide Wide Land, and the marching band entered, I flashed back to the Mull of Kintyre video with the bagpipers by the beach. Anyone think it may have been a bit of a homage? Or just a happy coincidence?
-
You’re right, Jung. Very distinctive intro to one of my favorite Wings songs, with its three separate “movements”. Pretty much every time I tried to turn onto a busy road (back when there were busy roads), the line “if I ever get out of here” would materialize in my brain and launch me into the song.
The photo shown here is the cover of Paul’s 1987 greatest hits album, which was my first post-Beatles McCartney album purchase. Fortunately the record store was selling the Parlophone version and not the Capitol version, or else I would have missed out on gems like “Maybe I’m Amazed”, “Mull of Kintyre”, and “Pipes of Peace”.
-
Impressive research there, Jung!
The first great moment in music history that comes to my mind is the Monterey Pop Festival, which kicked off the “summer of love” in 1967. Although the venue was much smaller than Woodstock, I think this event stands as a greater showcase of the music of the era. Here’s a complete list of the performers, from Wikipedia:
Friday, June 16 (evening): The Association, The Paupers, Lou Rawls, Beverley, Johnny Rivers, Eric Burdon and The Animals. Simon & Garfunkel
Saturday, June 17 (afternoon): Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Country Joe and the Fish, Al Kooper, The Butterfield Blues Band, The Electric Flag, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Steve Miller Band
Saturday, June 17 (evening): Moby Grape, Hugh Masekela, The Byrds, Laura Nyro, Jefferson Airplane, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, The Mar-Keys, Otis Redding
Sunday, June 18 (afternoon): Ravi Shankar
Sunday, June 18 (evening): The Blues Project, Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Group With No Name, Buffalo Springfield, The Who, Grateful Dead, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Scott McKenzie, The Mamas & the Papas
-
I know, Howard, but Jacki is an M&P fan also, as I’m sure she’ll point out soon.
I remember when you posted this video. It was right after I joined the club and asked Mona and Lisa about doing a Seekers cover. I suggested “A World of our Own” (also by Tom Springfield), based more on the vocals than the instrumentation, but “I’ll Never Find Another You” is better known in the U.S. and would sound wonderful from them too.
I actually wrote a teaching-related parody of “I’ll Never Find Another You” a few years ago, about a student who signs up for an on-line class, does no work at all, and then pleads to withdraw just before the end of the semester. It was called “I Won’t Reward You with a W”.
And just this evening I dashed off an MLT COVID-19 parody, but it doesn’t really work. I tried to make it about someone who was way over-concerned about the possibility of having acquired the virus, but then I realized that at this point it’s difficult to picture what over-concern would look like, so I don’t think it comes off as amusing.
-
Jacki, if the Seekers aren’t on your list of familiar Aussie bands, you should remedy that situation! They have some broad similarities to the Mamas & Papas: a heavy folk influence, rich harmonies, and a powerful female lead vocal.
-
That’s an interesting one, Howard. I had never heard it, despite the fact that it nearly reached the top 20 in the U.S. I read that it was produced by none other that George Martin!
I do know “Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport” (one version of which was also produced by George Martin), but I think that’s the extent of my familiarity with Australian novelty songs from that era.
-
Are you talking about “Cherry, Cherry”, Jacki? That sounds like a fun one to work with. For years I struggled to understand the actual lyrics. “She’s got the wasted movement?” “She’s got the worst improvement?”
The tune I’m going to send you came to me in a dream, and coincidentally in the dream the song was sung by Neil Diamond. I don’t remember the words, but I do recall thinking that they were very pretentious.
-
The more the merrier, Jacki. We’ve got a whole new common aspect of human experience just waiting to be creatively exploited, and the soil is very fertile. I’ve always believed that the way you obtain power over something unpleasant is to laugh at it.
I’ll get that wordless song to you within the next month.
-
You read my mind, Howard. “The Sound of Sirens” goes beyond complaining about the symptoms and the rituals, and actually tells a funny story. That opens up a lot of possibilities that keep the topic from becoming stale. It’s tempting to go in a new direction with “Close to You”.
-
This is really fascinating, Jung! I was especially struck by Paul saying that often the lyrics he comes up with are inspired simply by the rhythm of the song. That’s a much more analytic technique than I expected.
-
-
Like Jacki, I had never really contemplated the notion of kangaroo meat, Howard. However, you did remind me of this song from an album I had as a kid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_pfSnWnmVQ
Do all Australian kids know this one by heart?
-
Well, that’s kind of dispiriting, especially if the transmission isn’t mainly just cat-to-cat. I had just heard on the news that a lot of animal shelters are empty for the first time ever due to the massive demand for pets now.
I’ve always been one to try to keep my opinions to myself, but I’m gonna stick my neck out here and declare that I don’t really care much for this virus.
