rayge
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Post by rayge on Feb 11, 2020 13:17:56 GMT
A David Ackles – Oh California
B Guy Clark - Hollywood
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Post by osgood on Feb 11, 2020 14:47:17 GMT
Had not heard of David Ackles before, definitely something worth correcting. For some reason Nilsson and Randy Newman came to my mind while listening to A, and that is a good thing in my book. Nothing wrong with B, it's a beautiful piece of folk with a lovely voice and a nice arrangement (loved the mandolin sound and the subtle background vocals) but ultimately I fell for
A
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2020 16:47:27 GMT
I can imagine the singer of A doing that minstrel thing where they flutter a top hat over their shoulder, while having a fixed, inane grin on their face. It had that kind of Broadway feel to it. There was nothing I liked about it I'm afraid. B was the kind of stark, moody modern take on Americana that usually turns up as the theme song of a US drama about the hunt for a serial killer. There is a lot of this kind of stuff around. It's okay as background music, but I wasn't particularly involved in it.
B
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Post by Crunchy Col on Feb 11, 2020 19:17:47 GMT
A is really fruity, like Van Dyke Parks or something. I didn't hate it, but it's not something I'd ever choose to listen to. This is arguably the broadest category of all, so I can't help thinking it's an odd choice.
B is pretty good. I've heard about this fella and on the strength of this, maybe he's worth investigating.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2020 21:34:15 GMT
You can't vote in your home tie. Not sure why this is a rule, but anyway it is. Just a heads up for anyone else that may have missed this.
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rayge
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Post by rayge on Feb 11, 2020 23:15:27 GMT
You can't vote in your home tie. Not sure why this is a rule, but anyway it is. Just a heads up for anyone else that may have missed this.
It's because everyone knows that sloop is the home guy for CA, so what he votes for gives away which pick is his. So I've deleted his post, and edited yours
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2020 23:16:14 GMT
This is not my California..Marginal vote for B..
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2020 23:18:18 GMT
You can't vote in your home tie. Not sure why this is a rule, but anyway it is. Just a heads up for anyone else that may have missed this.
It's because everyone knows that sloop is the home guy for CA, so what he votes for gives away which pick is his. So I've deleted his post, and edited yours You did explain before but the reason didn't sink in with me. But yeah that does make sense! Cheers.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 12, 2020 0:02:28 GMT
I don't find either interesting, sorry. Abstain.
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toomanyhatz
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Post by toomanyhatz on Feb 12, 2020 0:37:48 GMT
Long time fan of A here. I like the cabaret aspect to it; he's kind of like a more eccentric Randy Newman (though his voice resembles Neil Diamond more) and he's a much more interesting arranger than whoever's responsible for B.
I've heard Clark songs I like a great deal, but this one's a bit cliche.
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nolamike
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Post by nolamike on Feb 12, 2020 2:47:44 GMT
I like both, but B gets the nod for me.
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rayge
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Post by rayge on Feb 13, 2020 13:14:00 GMT
A I bought David Ackles's first album, the one with Down River on it, back when Elektra was a hot label, but not American Gothic nor any of the follow-ups. That first album I remember as sparse and Gothic, with Ackles playing piano and sporting a sonorous baritone (of course, the actual thing might be very different, it was half a century ago), so this jolly romp/pastiche took me by surprise, rather. He certainly didn't resemble Randy Newman in the beginning. The arrangement changed often enough to keep me interested, and had a kind of dizzying charm to it.
B Florid guitar sound. Is that a banjo? I liked the sound of the guitars and the voice, but the words washed over me, and after a while the flourishes got a bit repetitive.
Um, A I think, if only because it reminds me, in feel, of Phil Ochs's Miranda
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Post by DarknessFish on Feb 14, 2020 16:27:16 GMT
Never mind Phil Ochs, A makes me long for Richard Stilgoe. Absolutely dreadful. What's with the strangely cinematic syrupy string ending. I bet this closed out a some shit forgotten 70s rom-com. This is so bad that G could start a thread defending it.
B is a grizzled vocal and ostentatiously moody guitar, and interests me not in the least. But compared to A, it's a masterpiece.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2020 16:34:49 GMT
Never mind Phil Ochs, A makes me long for Richard Stilgoe.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2020 16:39:45 GMT
I remember when I bought Van Dyke Parks Song Cycle and I was expecting this warped Sunshine Pop classic and the first thing I thought after I'd played it was "Bloody hell, I've ended up buying a record by Richard Stilgoe (or, at best, Peter Skellern!)".
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