[John Paragreen]

Hey Jim, I'm the opposite, when I hear a song that blows my mind, it inspires me to write,
just by coincidence the track that I'm into just now is

Harlan County Line/ Dave Alvin, he's playing Glasgow in April, I'm looking forward to the gig

here's a link

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=lSU9vIzFCzk

all the best,john

[DannyDep]

Gravity Jim, on 01 March 2012 - 10:22 AM, said:

I'm sure you all know this song, but yesterday, I heard Darrell Scott on Transatlantic Sessions (BBC) singing "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," accompanied by a killer brand of American and UK musicians, including Jerry Douglas on dobro. It's a perfect song, and a staggering performance (so glad I heard this version first, and not the Patty Loveless or Brad Paisley covers).

http://youtu.be/ZtSLMGc4VSA

I think it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to write anything for a while.

What's the last song you heard that was just so damn good you couldn't stop thinking about it?

I can certainly understand your sentiment. Fabulous everything about it.

The last song that drove me crazy interestingly enough also involved Jerry Douglas, not for his performance on it (although his solo didn’t hurt it at all ),
but for the wildly risky harmonies in the Chorus.
And also for the prosody of the verses.

Maybe- Alison Krauss & Union Station

Yesterday the odds were stacked
In favor of my expectations
Flyin' above the rest
Never fallin' from the nest
Tuesday came and went and now
I'm in a little situation
Maybe it's for the best
I can live alone, I guess

[Chorus]

Forgive me if I'm keeping you
Apart from better conversation
Hung up on all my doubt
Trying to sort the whole thing out
Tell me that I'm smart enough
To deal with all the information
Spinning inside my head
Every word he ever said

[ScenesFromPalacio]

Its a great song..Fantastic performance n vocal too from darrell scott-undeniable quality....Has got so much more soulful bluesiness n interest than anything i heard in modern country..

About as far removed stylewise as you could get is this astonishingly brilliant 70s dreampop song which is my current obsession....Can't get over how utterly magical n haunting it is..Gaudio and Crewe were absoloutly fantastic songwriters

[jonie]

A nice, lively discussion going on somewhere around here about song length.

The fact is undeniable. A great song, performed at this level, does not overstay it's welcome. 5 minutes. Every one of them greatly appreciated by me.

I'm with John. Hearing a really great song constantly inspires me to write the mediocre.

Thanks for sharing this Jim.

As for Alison, I like her well enough, but her voice can get to grating on me after a bit. I think I've always preferred male vocals anyway. If female, at least an octave below Alison's.

Wendy D and Sharon (scubed) are the exceptions, of course.

[Scotto]

I was listening to some old songs and came across la villa strangiato by Rush. It's an instrumental. From a instrument standpoint it makes me want to grind everything I own into dust. I realize it might not be everyone's cup of tea around here stylistically but man. I forgot how much I enjoyed that song with all the changes. I used to make up stories to the music in my head as I listened to it but I'm a weirdo maybe...

[ScenesFromPalacio]

Quote

Palacio, I have ALWAYS loved that record, and it's oddball structure. "It's hard to make-believe you're happy when you're gray" is such a great line.

It is...But its the tune n chord/mood changes which are the amazing thing about it for me..

[jonie]

The Four Seasons were popular in the day but largely under-appreciated for their musically innovative style. Frankie Valli's voice and his ability to hit stellar soprano notes was the highlight for so much of their career. And a great voice it was but there was so much more to appreciate about what they contributed.

I think this is a great example of a song where Frankie backed off a bit and allowed the music to take center stage. It was a hit song and made the top ten charts I think but maybe not as big a hit as others they'd had previously like their pop hits "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry". "Who Loves You" was a bit of a comeback hit for them. An attempt to gain a new foothold in an era moving away from the singer-songwriter near monopoly. They had a couple of hits out during this period. I seem to recall a lot of really great songs coming out during this "tweener" stage. A real mish-mash of stuff all competing for the next big thing. Unfortunately, disco won out, at least chart wise. and then we had the 80's. Oh well. The good stuff is still out there to listen to and appreciate.

I like hearing that it's still has legs.

Great song. I'd forgotten all about it.

[DannyDep]

jonie, on 01 March 2012 - 08:00 PM, said:

A nice, lively discussion going on somewhere around here about song length.

The fact is undeniable. A great song, performed at this level, does not overstay it's welcome. 5 minutes. Every one of them greatly appreciated by me.

Here!!! Here!!!
One of my all time favorites, that as a member of a few bands we always used to play, is Blood Sweat & Tears
God Bless The Child

I love how they took Billy Holiday's classic rendition of this song and made it BS&T certified.
And only a tad under 6 minutes.

[Jackie Chan's Wee Gran]

Quote

I'm sure you all know this song, but yesterday, I heard Darrell Scott on Transatlantic Sessions (BBC) singing "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," accompanied by a killer brand of American and UK musicians, including Jerry Douglas on dobro.

I love this series and bought the Transatlantic Sessions 2 CD a few year back...my favourite song was this one here, because they sounded like they where having such a fun time. Then when I watched on YouTube it was even better because you could see them having a great time as well..there is some great music from that series.


But the last song that stopped me has been this one, 'Goldfish' by Roy Harper...not sure why either

[jonie]

Thanks for the link to Ricky Skaggs and troupe, Jackie Chan's Wee Gran. It's always amazing to me how the music of our European ancestors has survived so wonderfully in certain places here in the States. Nothing proves the connection between us more than the musical roots we share.

Disco: When I hear a disco song played I'm generally overcome by youthful nostalgia but it pales in comparison to hearing anything by the Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel. I feel fortunate to have lived through a period of such musical diversity. It makes it difficult sometimes to appreciate what's currently out there. I tend to make too many comparisons and feel I might be missing something good in the offing.

[ScenesFromPalacio]

Quote

Disco: When I hear a disco song played I'm generally overcome by youthful nostalgia but it pales in comparison to hearing anything by the Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel. I feel fortunate to have lived through a period of such musical diversity. It makes it difficult sometimes to appreciate what's currently out there. I tend to make too many comparisons and feel I might be missing something good in the offing.

I agree Jonie..I listen to loads of new music and make playlists on youtube - alot i enjoy- but even so in the end - for me it just isn't as good as the 60s/70s -even 50s/40s stuff before -so i end up constantly exploring bygone eras for inspiration..There's just more creativity,musical freedom n better songwriting for me there-its more rewarding..
Ironically,even the best of disco blows away modern pop stuff imo..
i don't even hear any modern pop with the transcendence n strange,sensual mood of something like this..Even tho i'm not a great disco fan or anything..Naff lyrics-Great chord changes n melodies..