wobblie
god
Just a prick out to make a name for himself.
Posts: 1,230
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Post by wobblie on Feb 12, 2021 13:43:53 GMT
It's about the majesty of those rising chords, the counterpart of the strings, the triumphant bursts of trumpet, the way the record has been constructed around rise and falls which gives it a really emotional impact, the vulnerability of the vocal which creates a real poignancy. ...Ah it's great! I appreciate your enthusiasm much more than the song.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Feb 12, 2021 14:56:44 GMT
It's about the majesty of those rising chords, the counterpart of the strings, the triumphant bursts of trumpet, the way the record has been constructed around rise and falls which gives it a really emotional impact, the vulnerability of the vocal which creates a real poignancy. ...Ah it's great! Considering the absolute pish that gets picked in the cup such a reaction doesn't surprise me. One of those most stirring songs of that era. A real marvel.
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Post by tg on Feb 12, 2021 17:05:33 GMT
It’s gorgeous! A near perfect pop single.
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Post by quaco on Feb 13, 2021 5:03:42 GMT
It's a great track. I've written quite a lot on it in the past (I once composed an epic post on it on BCB, long since gone sadly), as has GB, so quite burned out talking about it. The piano solo is incongruous, but works brilliantly in my view. If nothing else, it allows the return to the main song to be even more triumphant. G: It's the most beautiful record on earth.... A depository of hippie dreams, lost hopes, 16-year-old guitarists who would die young and that golden cusp between sixties idealism and seventies realism, and all wrapped up in one of the greatest string arrangements ever..aaaah. Q: [quoting something I wrote previously] Originally titled “Revolution” but changed to its present title because of The Beatles’ 1968 single of that name, "Something in the Air" was, in a way, the flip side of that Beatles record: “Revolution” was the most influential voice of a generation calling for a step back and a rethinking of the revolutionary process, while “Something in the Air” was a plaintive, direct call to arms by someone who had no chance of actually inciting anyone at all. Somehow, you can hear this contradiction in the grooves. The strings provide an emotional release for the ineffectuality inherent in such a thing and in all of us, and the brass recalls the men who have already died for any number of bloody revolutions. G: Yes that's the thing exactly Jimmy. It has pathos..which is probably the hardest thing ever to do right in the arts. You can only ever really do it right by accident or as a very direct visceral capture of the moment type thing. In the case of this record it was a bit of both I think. Q: And I think that it came from a relatively anonymous source, both at the time and in retrospect, makes it all the more affecting. It's like the man in the street uttering one sentence of perfect clarity. It wouldn't feel the same if it was by somebody famous like The Beatles or The Who. G: And finally all our talks about pop music over the years really do come down to about 2.59 on this record when the catchy but slightly trad jazz playing seems washed away, as if they were fucking teasing us and saying yes this is good but it's not we're into, and that horn and orchestral comes again. And the introduction of Speedy Keane's vocals for the last time says we really do mean this and we're going for it one last time because there's a danger we're all going to be fucked if we can't get this out one more time. For me it was the last statement of the Romanticism movement started by Shelley. It's beautiiful but sad because it's gone. Q: ...That reintroduction is my favorite part too. It's a hell of a record!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2021 7:24:28 GMT
Thanks J! I've no idea why I started talking about Shelley though..I must have been drunk!
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Post by quaco on Sept 1, 2021 4:11:11 GMT
Thanks J! I've no idea why I started talking about Shelley though..I must have been drunk! Amazing interview excerpt wherein Pete talks about the writing of the song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wta_JM5gJZY&t=5s
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~ / % ? *
god
disambiguating goat herder
Posts: 5,532
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Post by ~ / % ? * on Sept 1, 2021 14:12:17 GMT
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