Before Moving On

This is a Columbia reissue of Ram have been playing. It sounds pretty darned good. I am kind of positive I bought it because I knew my own childhood version was scratched. At any rate.... I am now privileged to own it. Here are two cuts or three or four depending on how you count them. I just could not bear to cut songs that blended together...

"Dear Boy" is kind of straightforward as a song. Then it is, again, that dreamy wall of sound (using backing vocals mainly to create the wall) that make it special. Paul was experimenting. Many of his solo albums have this experimental... almost unfinished feel to them. While I love the stereo separation of the main vocals from the backing vocals in the song... it is a nostalgic thing for me... I think later in the song the wall of sound effect has a better feel to it. It is nice to begin a song with simple elements then move to complex... but.... those elements have a heavy load to bear when highlighted alone.

Then... well, what do you make of this?   Tied together by sound... "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey / Smile Away".   "Smile Away".... let's call that a ballad. :)  "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" was a moment for me as it put together this sound (which was far different than I had been used to) into a very polished composition with orchestration and everything it needed to succeed. In fact, I would guess that this song helped more than any other to help me accept the vast changes Paul's sound seemed to be going through. Since then, I have heard enough outtakes to realize that not much had really changed at all with the exception of adding Linda's vocals, a little creativity, a carefree manner, and that country twang. :)

"Dear Boy"

I guess you never knew, dear boy, what you have found,

I guess you never knew, dear boy,

That she was just the cutest thing around,

I guess you never knew what you have found,

Dear boy.

I guess you never knew, dear boy,

That love was there.

And maybe when you look to hard, dear boy,

You never do become aware,

I guess you never did become aware,

Dear boy.

When i stepped in, my heart was down and out,

But her love came through and brought me 'round,

Got me up and about.

Dear boy,

Dear boy, dear boy,

Dear boy.

When i stepped in, my heart was down and out,

But her love came through and brought me 'round,

Got me up and about.

I hope you never know, dear boy,

How much you missed.

And even when you fall in love, dear boy,

It won't be half as good as this.

I hope you never know how much you missed,

Dear boy, how much you missed, dear boy

"Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey"

We're so sorry, uncle albert,

We're so sorry if we caused you any pain.

We're so sorry, uncle albert,

But there's no one left at home

And i believe i'm gonna rain.

We're so sorry but we haven't heard a thing all day,

We're so sorry, uncle albert,

But if anything should happen

We'll be sure to give a ring.

"we're so sorry, uncle albert,

But we haven't done a bloody thing all day.

We're so sorry, uncle albert,

But the kettle's on the boil

And we're so eas'ly called away."

Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh,

Doo-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh,

Uh-uh -

Hands across the water, heads across the sky,

Hands across the water, heads across the sky.

Admiral Halsey notified me,

He had to have a berth or he couldn't get to sea.

I had another look and i had a cup of tea and a butter pie.

"couldn't put it in something else

So i put it in the pie, alright!"

Hands across the water, heads across the sky,

Hands across the water, heads across the sky.

Live a little, be a gypsy, get around,

Get your feet up off the ground,

Live a little, get around.

Live a little, be a gypsy, get around,

Get your feet up off the ground,

Live a little, get around.

Hands across the water, heads across the sky,

Hands across the water, heads across the sky.

"Smile Away"

I was walking down the street the other day,

Who did i meet?

I met a friend of mine and he did say:

"man, i can smell your feet a mile away."

Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah, smile away,

Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah, smile away.

Yeah, smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah, smile away,

Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah, smile away.

I was walking down the street the other day,

Ah, who did i meet?

I met a friend of mine and he just said:

"man, i can smell your breath a mile away."

Smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah, smile away, oh,

Ho! smile away, smile away, smile away, yeah, smile away.

Ah, smile away sweetly now,

Come on now, ooh, sweetly smile away,

Yes, sir! smile away,

Now, smile away quietly now,

Oooh, ho, ho, ho.

Smile away horribly now,

Smile away, smile away, smile away,

Yes, sir! smile away,

Ah-oh,

Ooh.

Ah, who did i meet?

I met a friend of mine and he did say:

"man, i can smell your teeth a mile away."

Smile away, uhhh, smile away, uhhh,

Smile away, uhhh, smile away, uhhh,

Smile away, uhhh, smile away, uhhh,

Smile away, uhhh, smile away,

Once again. I need to correct those lyrics... well, a project for another time...

Into the Heart of the Country

I cannot pull myself away from Macca. Ram was actually one of my favorite albums due to it's availability to me after his earlier group broke up.  One of my favorite songs then and now was "Heart of the Country." Paul assumes a slight faux country American accent. Paul plays around throughout this album. I think he was sort of following a path towards freedom of expression. At the time,  I did not understand that this kind of song was a stretch for a lad from the UK.

....still holds up beautifully.

The bass beat... so backwoods. Nice.

Ram

Well, damn. Or hurray. I'm not sure which it is. I was comparing versions and realized I had recently been mysteriously recording in what appeared to be mono. I like mono mixes, just not one's done unintentionally. So I got out a record I knew like the back of my hand to calibrate and figure Microsoft settings for stereo... and sure enough somehow a setting had been changed back to default mono. hmmmm

At any rate. While I was messing around I decided to put together the two halves of "Ram On" by Macca. (less searchable names, you know. shhhh... We don't want the whole world in here do we? )

Audacity is a fine program but I might want to invest in the Adobe Audition sound program soon.

I guess as long as I am calibrating the turntable and figuring out how to timeshift, fade in, out, amplify... etc... on the Audacity program... heck, endless learning is part of any hobby... I might as well test out the durability of this blog to challenges it will probably endure. My first attempt at wedding the "Ram On" parts was full of learning but my attempt is not even close to where I would like it to be...

However, the vinyl has the same dreamy feeling that I remember as a young man... not so with the CD, I don't think. Clarity is not always the thing and I believe some mistakes have been slyly mixed down as well.. Clarity of mistakes please... transparency in mistakes should be a requirement. :) ...I enjoy hearing all the good things on CD I have never heard clearly. For instance, Macca wife's voice is more distinct in the better mixes of some albums. I like her voice, it is comforting in some way. But, sorry, I remember this song differently from the version on the CD. I will have to compare some day soon side by side on the same speakers. And then, I'm not at all sure what happens to it when converted to mp3 and then to avi for this blog. I guess I might want to look into that as well. Endless fun in complication. :)

Anyway, note the voices in the background towards the end. Is that clear on the CD? What would Dark Side of the Moon be without the interview voice edits? :)  "Ram On" is an ethereal wall of backing vocal/instrumental sound. Mistakes and oddities were celebrated.

Talking Heads '77

What can I say about the Talking Heads? I had multiple favorites before I finished one side. This album was ranked #290 on Rolling Stone magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. I suppose I will have to revisit Talking Heads '77 and post more.  First up a light one... then a classic.

"First Week/Last Week…Carefree" :

"Psycho Killer" (Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth):

"First Week/Last Week…Carefree"

Can we run that again

Is that a woman's voice I hear?

I said, "Let's wait and see. I'll see for myself"

That's a phrase I repeat

To myself

Made a reference to me and

that's myself too

What progress I have made the first week

First Week

First Week

First Week

Every sentence I use

Refer to women and their names

I heard the voice first last week

I heard it myself

Made a reference to me

That's myself

This report's incomplete

I see for myself

Every appointment has been moved to last week

Last Week

Last Week

Last Week

I heard the voice first last week

I heard it myself

Made a reference to me

And that's myself

This report's incomplete

I can see for myself

Every appointment has been been moved to last week

Last Week

Last Week

Last Week

"Psycho Killer"

I can't seem to face up to the facts

I'm tense and nervous and I

Can't relax

I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire

Don't touch me I'm a real live wire

Psycho Killer

Qu'est-ce que c'est

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better

Run run run run run run run away

Psycho Killer

Qu'est-ce que c'est

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better

Run run run run run run run away

You start a conversation you can't even finish it.

You're talkin' a lot, but you're not sayin' anything.

When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed.

Say something once, why say it again?

Psycho Killer,

Qu'est-ce que c'est

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better

Run run run run run run run away

Psycho Killer

Qu'est-ce que c'est

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better

Run run run run run run run away

Ce que j'ai fais, ce soir la

Ce qu'elle a dit, ce soir la

Realisant mon espoir

Je me lance, vers la gloire ... OK

We are vain and we are blind

I hate people when they're not polite

Psycho Killer,

Qu'est-ce que c'est

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better

Run run run run run run run away

Psycho Killer,

Qu'est-ce que c'est

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better

Run run run run run run run away

oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh....

Wikipedia:

Psycho Killer is a song written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth and first played by their band The Artistic in 1974, and as new wave band Talking Heads in 1975, with a later version recorded for their 1977 album Talking Heads: 77. "I'm glad," remarked Jerry Harrison in the liner notes for Once in a Lifetime: The Best of Talking Heads, "we persuaded Tony and Lance [Quinn] that the version with the cellos shouldn't be the only one."The band's "signature debut hit" features lyrics which seem to represent the thoughts of a serial killer. Originally written and performed as a ballad, "Psycho Killer" became what Allmusic calls a "deceptively funky new wave/no wave song ... [with] an insistent rhythm, and one of the most memorable, driving basslines in rock & roll."

"Psycho Killer" was the only song from the album to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 92. It placed 32nd on the Triple J Hottest 100 in 1989, and peaked at #11 on the Dutch singles chart in 1977.

Cellos? :)

Ahhhhhhh this one:

Lime

Teen Dream

Finally, an album with difficult choices. Collectus Interruptus a "label" compilation album (I think, as well as mono, I am fairly sure of this, on most or all of the tracks).  This double album was 1977ish and I was trying to stick to my formula of picking one, or at most 2, of the tracks as ripped keepers. On this one there were the Sex Pistols, The Band, the Ramones... etc.  How do you find such bad tracks from such good company? Well, first, I cannot handle fake drums in very many songs and they must have been in vogue and particularly bad around 1977ish. Then there are bad mixes, bad selections, and from Etta James...Etta James! they picked a song with a long talking intro. How do you pick a bad song from Etta James? Some were such typically predictable songs, nothing interesting though they were all executed well.

However, as I delve further into my vinyl I have tossed aside quite a few, judging by their covers, as probably containing no tracks at all worth the rehearing. I guess I need to check them ALL out at some time as I near the bottom of the well. So, I thought definitely there would be one track on this compilation... I picked a few... and then, tossing out a meandering Randy Newman song, I have only one that I truly like from.... Shaun Cassidy. Cassidy's tune did not pretend to be what it was not. No electronic drums or whatever.  Shaun, you are a charming young man and I've always admired your talent. :) I give you Teen Dream:

(and yes it goes onto my MP3 player to mix among Pink Floyd and Beatles songs.)


AND I have at least one song with "Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh" in the lyrics.

Teen Dream

Fresh out of school, got it made

We were born into the heart of a golden age

We had nothing to lose, nothing to fall

We had only to give and we gave it all

Caught in a hurricane, and we're getting the scene

Baby, caught in a teen dream

(Teen dream)

Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, oh yeah

(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)

Teen dream, teen dream

Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Too young to know, to young to care

We we're riding on a dream and the love we shared

So we played with our hearts and mind and soul

Of a generation younger than rock 'n' roll

Caught in a hurricane, and we're getting the scene

Baby, caught in a teen dream

(Teen dream)

Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, oh yeah

(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)

Teen dream, teen dream

Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

An overnight sensation, we'll try for an explanation

Sensation

(Sensation)

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Teen dream, teen dream

Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, oh yeah

(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)

Teen dream, teen dream

Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, oh yeah

(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)

Teen dream, teen dream

Wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Teen dream, teen dream, wooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh

Note:  this is the first song after correcting the counterweight on the tone arm. There is just so much to consider when working with a turntable. It is great. :)


Also note:  I am getting lyrics from lyrics sites which are often incorrect. Neglectfully incorrect. I corrected "mine" to "mind," I corrected "going age" to "golden age."  I mean, geees.  I won't vouch for the lyrics I post because they have obviously been done by ... well, people who do not have their mind about them. When I put mine to it, I will correct them to my own personal version. :)

Oh, hell, I have to give you at least the final lines of Randy Newman's song which... deserve a mention:

From "Sigmund Freud's Impersonation of Albert Einstein in America"

Dave Brubeck - Impressions of N.Y.

Dave Brubeck:

Sixth Sense:

This composition has quickly become one of my favorites. Just listening to a tune more than once in one sitting really shakes the dust from my mind. The songs that I really like these days are the ones I listened to over and over when I was a young man... often because I had very few albums to play. This one pops to life after a transition from a faraway echoing piano solo background and continues in the foreground with the same dreamy attributes. It is not as pretentious as many jazz compositions that I often listen to once and rapidly forget.

For comparison of the effect used in the tune's intro... try the courtyard queue music played in the Disney's Tower of Terror attraction misty courtyard queuing line.