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The Secret Value of Audiocassettes
May. 5th, 2005 12:10 amOne of the great things about only being able to listen to tapes in the van these days has been the joy of listening to music I haven't heard in a very long time. Lately I've been going through my Julian Lennon tapes. I forgot how good they are!
I think I just was put out by his whiny tantrums trying to distance himself from his dad. I can understand hi plight, but me being a big John Lennon fan (especially in my younger years) I didn't take kindly to him throwing fits over who his dad was and how he wasn't anything like him. Odd considering I often try to distance myself from my own dad yet still exhibit a few of his traits. Perhaps what bugged me about Julian Lennon was what I saw in him that reminded me of myself. And perhaps I don't like seeing it because I know I shouldn't be that way.
Then again I'm sure those who know my dad will probably disagree and tell me it's a good thing to want to distance myself. Eh. I don't know.
So back on the topic. I first listened to Valotte. The likeness to his dad was very present, but still he had a different enough sound and was clearly his own artist. It was his first album. I really enjoyed listening to it. "Too Late For Goodbyes" is the song that got all kins of radio play and really sounds nothing like the rest of the album.
The came The Secret Value of Daydreams, his second album. I think I enjoyed this more and it reminded me a lot of Tears For Fears around the same time (1986). Good stuff.
Help Yourself, his fourth album, really blew me away. The first song sounded so much like Pink Floyd post-The Wall, like Final Cut and maybe Momentary Lapse. The second song really smacked of the Beatles, right down to the Strawberry fields like melotron and the Abbey Road era backing vocals. Overall the album, while musically not sounding much like John Lennon (except of course that second track) had that same feel that was key to John Lennon: that balance between ballsy/dirty and soft/bittersweet. I think of the three I've listened to Help Yourself was definitely my favorite. I want to get Mr. Jordan and Photograph Smile, his other two releases. As usual, I think I can do without the greatest hits by VH1. I don't generally care for greatests hits compilations unless they have something useful to offer like new songs or variations on the previously released songs.
The rest of my day went well, I guess. A little work here, a little work there. I saw one of my friends at the laundry and he was grading his students' papers. One had written this masterful poem that sounded too good to be true. So we Googled it. Yup. Plagerized. Seems this kid thought he was Alan Seeger. Busted!
I should sleep. Must work tomorrow. Doing the web stuff and then filming a Planning Board work session.
I think I just was put out by his whiny tantrums trying to distance himself from his dad. I can understand hi plight, but me being a big John Lennon fan (especially in my younger years) I didn't take kindly to him throwing fits over who his dad was and how he wasn't anything like him. Odd considering I often try to distance myself from my own dad yet still exhibit a few of his traits. Perhaps what bugged me about Julian Lennon was what I saw in him that reminded me of myself. And perhaps I don't like seeing it because I know I shouldn't be that way.
Then again I'm sure those who know my dad will probably disagree and tell me it's a good thing to want to distance myself. Eh. I don't know.
So back on the topic. I first listened to Valotte. The likeness to his dad was very present, but still he had a different enough sound and was clearly his own artist. It was his first album. I really enjoyed listening to it. "Too Late For Goodbyes" is the song that got all kins of radio play and really sounds nothing like the rest of the album.
The came The Secret Value of Daydreams, his second album. I think I enjoyed this more and it reminded me a lot of Tears For Fears around the same time (1986). Good stuff.
Help Yourself, his fourth album, really blew me away. The first song sounded so much like Pink Floyd post-The Wall, like Final Cut and maybe Momentary Lapse. The second song really smacked of the Beatles, right down to the Strawberry fields like melotron and the Abbey Road era backing vocals. Overall the album, while musically not sounding much like John Lennon (except of course that second track) had that same feel that was key to John Lennon: that balance between ballsy/dirty and soft/bittersweet. I think of the three I've listened to Help Yourself was definitely my favorite. I want to get Mr. Jordan and Photograph Smile, his other two releases. As usual, I think I can do without the greatest hits by VH1. I don't generally care for greatests hits compilations unless they have something useful to offer like new songs or variations on the previously released songs.
The rest of my day went well, I guess. A little work here, a little work there. I saw one of my friends at the laundry and he was grading his students' papers. One had written this masterful poem that sounded too good to be true. So we Googled it. Yup. Plagerized. Seems this kid thought he was Alan Seeger. Busted!
I should sleep. Must work tomorrow. Doing the web stuff and then filming a Planning Board work session.
