[Jung Roe]

Hi Tim.  I think you had a great and noble vision here with all the details worked out.   I think MLT priority right now is to create new music, and rightly so, so they will have an even greater repertoire  of music to offer the world when it is the right time for them to start up the performing again.  And when they do, you have offered up some great ideas.  Everything in it’s due course.  You can’t hurry art and creativity.

A very great athlete in Canada (guess who?) said the difference between a regular athlete and a great athlete is creativity.  This apply to artists and musicians as well.  We as their loyal fans need to give MLT time to do their creativity and focus on their projects and priorities at his point in time and stand behind them.

In the meantime they gave us 2 wonderful brand spanking new albums and the MLT Club to enjoy all things MLT and dialogue directly with Mona and Lisa as well as with other fans here which I think is just great.

[Jung Roe]

I agree with you there Howard.  With the covers MLT do, they always stay true to the integrity of the original, but what I mean is, it is not merely mimicking a recording as Daniel is eluding to.

Lisa through her own unique way of playing adds her own heart and soul to the song adding some nuance to the cover.   Its the same, but it is a little different too.  God Only Knows the Beach Boys does is great, but the MonaLisa Twins version with their unique twist is wonderful too, and makes me go to their version because I get a slightly different experience from when I listen to the Beach Boys version.  The same with White Room, Time of the Season, and San Francisco.  They are not mimicked, but offer another fresh interpretation that maintains the integrity of the original song, but is unique and oh so special in it’s own right.

That’s what attracts me to MLT covers, their unique twist while maintaining the integrity of the original song.   If they sounded just the same as the original, I’m not sure it would be very special to me.

[Jung Roe]

That’s cooool Steve.  I like it. 

[Jung Roe]

Tim, you just keep cranking out those great topics!

My top 5 Lisa guitar riffs.  It’s going to be as hard as limiting it to my top 5 MLT songs.

1..Club 27.  From the start there is that Hendricks like guitar sound ringing, and super cool to the ear guitar work throughout.  I hear the best of Guess Who, Deep Purple, Zeppelin like licks throughout.

2..Samba Pa Ti.  Lisa’s guitar sounds are just so soothing.  Never really got into Santana, but after hearing Lisa play this, I can see what all the fuss is about.  She was only 13 when she played this.

3..While My Guitar Gently Weeps.   So much feeling in each strum of the guitar.  Subliminal guitar playing.

4..You Really Got Me.  Mona’s rocker voice, Lisa’s crisp rocking guitar sounds.  Just perfection to the ears.

5..Time of the Season.  Lisa’s guitar playing reminds me of some great classical Spanish guitar sounds to my ears here that sound so perfect in this song.  Adds another dimension to this great song.

I will add a 6th bonus if I may.  It is “Hey Bulldog”.  There is some controversy as to who did the lead guitar in the Beatles track between George, John, and Paul.  I think it should have been Lisa, if she was around then. 

[Jung Roe]

Howard.   Mona did mention in another thread a while back of the high royalty fees involved if they did a DVD of covers, but with their Jukebox I don’t think it applies.  They are streaming their original and covers songs today to the MLT Club members with the Jukebox, so to open that up some how for the masses I don’t think would be any different.  I am not suggesting they charge for the jukebox streaming per play so there should be no royalty issues, but I am suggesting advertisement played on the jukebox streamed to the masses (just like on regular radio) maybe to help cover the high internet streaming, and or any internet broadcasting licensing costs that could be involved.  I don’t know what those costs would be.  A free jukebox app might be the vehicle to get the Jukebox on peoples mobile devices.  If it’s a free app that promises to deliver hours of free wonderful 60’s music played by the MLT as well as MLT 60’s inspired original music, it could be compelling to many.

The benefit would be the airplay and exposure of their original and cover music they could get by pushing their music out over the internet airwaves, and hopefully be able to make revenue by millions of people discovering their music this way, and if they like it they can purchase the albums or download tracks from MLT website, Amazon etc.

MLT record their own music, they have their own record label, their own internet store, Youtube channel etc, so why not have their own radio station streaming over the world wide web and not rely on someone else to play their music on the airwaves.

Just my 2 cents thinking out loud.  

[Jung Roe]

Right now with my MLT Club membership and the Jukebox I can get 7 x 24 MLT music on my smartphone over the internet airwaves anywhere I go.  If there is a way to get this Jukebox out to the masses some how, MLT have their Radio airwave over the internet globally to reach millions.  Question is how can the Jukebox get out to the masses?  Free app with advertising to cover costs?

[Jung Roe]

Without looking at anyone else’s list so I am not influenced, here are my top 20 picks (10 origs, and 10 covers) arranged in an order I might like to listen to them.

1..Club 27

2..Sweet Lorraine

3..Time of the Season

4..You Really Got Me

5..Close to You

6..Count on Me

7..Still A Friend of Mine

8..White Room

9..While My Guitar Gently Weeps

10…Hey Bulldog

11..Drive My Car

12..In it for Love

13..Alone

14..The Wide, Wide, Land

15..Nothings In Vain

16..I don’t know Birds that Well

17..San Francisco

18..God Only Knows

19..Best Years of our Lives

20..Yesterday

Could change next week.

[Jung Roe]

I’ve always seen MLT as rockers more than a soft rock group, but they do ballads so wonderfully as we all know when they want to.  When they released Orange, “Still a Friend of Mine”, and “Count on Me”, to me were a new depth in beautiful ballads they went into with their original music that blew me away.  They are like the Beatles or Rolling Stones, more a rocker band to me, but when they want to, they can do incredible ballads.

It’s only my opinion, but it seems all the great bands that have a lot of musical depth lean more towards the harder rock and roll side of the spectrum, but do ballads incredibly well when they want, like “Yesterday” (Beatles), “Angie” (Rolling Stones), “Stair Way to Heaven” (Led Zeppelin).  Groups that generally focus on ballads seem to get labeled or stuck there as a soft rock group like Air Supply, Carpenters, and Barry Manilow.

[Jung Roe]

Tim.  I agree the live version is raw (as live playing tend to be) compared to the studio recording which is perfect as you say.   It’s the feeling with which they play here that really came across to me in this live acoustic version.  Whether it is live or a perfect studio production with the special touch of Papa Rudi, Mona and Lisa’s singing and guitar work just touches the soul.  I just can’t stop watching it over and over.

Howard, yes Rudi is a genius in the studio indeed.  His video shooting skill here shines as well highlighting Mona and Lisa’s performance so well capturing their facial expression, intensity, and close up on the guitar work.  Video is really impactful.

[Jung Roe]

Thanks Michael and Steve for your insight into music.  One thing that I see mentioned by many here is how music brings order from chaos.  Harmony.

The 2nd law of thermodynamics state when a system, like the expanding universe, is left alone, things tend to fall into disorder and chaos (entropy or disorder tends to increase in the natural universe).  Music is the opposite as it brings order and harmony out of chaos, just like life.   It is profoundly special and mysterious like life itself.

[Jung Roe]

Michael, you might want to duck if you are pitching, because Lisa has a mean guitar swing that could take the pitchers head off.  

[Jung Roe]

Thanks Tim.  Went on a short cruise with my wife.   Highlight was sitting in the back of the boat in the hot tub and by the pool listening to Orange, BAM 2 and 3, and MLT 2007 concert albums looking at the open blue ocean.   Thanks MLT for the joyful music!!! Was quite enjoyable and therapeutic.   The other highlight was a rock and roll show on the boat featuring an electric guitar solo medley from Deep Purple to Led Zeppelin, followed by dancers doing several Queen songs.

[Jung Roe]

Hi Seattle Bob (neighbor!)

Here are my top 5 favorite MLT videos.

1.. San Francisco was the first MonaLisa Twins video I came across that introduced me to their wonderful music and world.   Their version is just beautiful, and their angelic voices and incredible harmonies add another dimension to this already wonderful song by Scott McKenzie, elevating it to new heights for me.   The video is also shot in many places I’ve been to with my family when visiting San Francisco and brings back a lot of fond memories.

2..The Wide, Wide, Land is my all time favorite song, and is one I know is very special and dear to Mona and Lisa because it’s about their grandmother who suffered from Alzheimers, and it reminds me of my mom too.  It is one of the most beautiful song’s I’ve ever heard and the video is so touching.

3..Bus Stop is one of the best music videos I’ve seen, even compared to the multitudes of music videos that came out in the 80’s and 90’s (remember MTV and Much Music in Canada).  Love the MLT version of this song, and the video production/choreography is so well done.

4..These Boots are Made for Walking.  I just love the live performance of this song by Mona and Lisa, and the vibe it captures of the Cavern club.

5..This one is not a music video, but I always enjoy watching “MonaLisa Twins in Finland” video.  It gives a glimpse of what I envision Mona and Lisa to be like back stage in person.  Two wonderfully groovy and fun people with love for music and passion for life.  It is just a very intimate and personal view into the MonaLisa Twins I think, and it looks like they had a blast in Finland.

[Jung Roe]

I’m not sure how you get mimicking.  What Lisa does with the covers is no different from say a Glenn Gould doing a Bach Goldberg Variation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv94m_S3QDo

It’s not mimicking Bach.  His interpretation is incredibly special and different from the next pianist.   Lisa is taking a piece of 60’s music and doing her interpretation on the guitar and producing something unique and special too.  I prefer her interpretation to some of the original guitar riffs from those covers.

But I like some of your choices on the MLT originals.

[Jung Roe]

Hi Lisa

Thank you so very, very much for your incredible answer to “What music is to you”; I’m just blown away.   Really appreciate your going out of your way to provide such a thoughtful and eloquent response.   Just coming back to reality from a week vacation on a cruise ship where there was no internet or mobile phone (unless you pay an arm and a leg for satellite internet access), and what a wonderful reading that you wrote to come back to.

I’m moved by your insight into your perspective of what music and art is, and coming from someone who has devoted their entire life to it with so much talent with every aspect of it, it’s like getting a sneak peek into the divine, because as you say there is something “profound” about music.  I am going to print and frame what you wrote here about music and art.

When you describe how music is the closest thing to travelling in time and space and how it transports feelings, thoughts, a state of mind, memories, physical sensations through mere physical vibrations to the ear drum, you answered a mystery for me.   For me some songs, like the Zombies “Time of the Season” for example gives me incredible reminiscent feelings of the 60’s peace and love and the hippie movement emotions transporting me to that time, but I was only 6 years old by the time the 60’s was over.   I always wondered what it was I was feeling because I don’t have any direct experience from that time, and yet when I hear these songs I feel a kind of Déjà vu like emotion of that time.  Science explains music as being a trigger for remembering experiences and feelings one associates to a particular song they use to listen to when they had those experiences in life in the past , and while that is true, it does not explain that Déjà vu kind of experience these songs give me now.

Now I see it can only be as you explained, the song writers state of mind the music transports to the listener in a profound way.

Here are some quotes I found about music by great composers I’d like to share with you, Mona and all the fans here:

“What I have in my heart and soul – must find a way out.   That’s the reason for music.” Ludwig Van Beethoven

“The vibrations on the air are the breath of God speaking to man’s soul.”  Ludwig Van Beethoven

“The guitar is a miniature orchestra in itself.” Ludwig Van Beethoven.

“Music can change the world.” Ludwig Van Beethoven

“If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliche that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that’s his problem. Love and peace are eternal.”  John Lennon

“One of my biggest thrills for me still is sitting down with a guitar or a piano and just out of nowhere trying to make a song happen.”  Paul McCartney

“I think people who create and write, it actually does flow – just flows from into their head, into their hands, and they write it down.  It’s simple.” Paul McCartney

“You can judge a man’s true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.” Paul McCartney.  Not about music, but I just like this quote.  https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm9InzcF_ui/

“I’m always trying to do better music.  I don’t know if I’ve written my best song yet.  That’s the big question.  It doesn’t stop you trying.”  Paul McCartney

“I approach my music-making as an art-form–something pure from the spirit to which I can add dynamics and marketable reality. Music is genuine and healthy and the stimulation I get from molding it and adding dynamics is like nothing else on earth.”  Brian Wilson

“In its most basic form I would say I consider art to be some kind of a short-cut way of communication. But in a terribly profound way. There is no setup needed, no explanation, often no words or even the need to understand the language. Some of the music that has moved me the deepest was long before I knew English well enough to understand the song’s lyrical meaning.”  Lisa Wagner – my favorite quote of them all