Graceland (the song) (1 Viewer)

[Buzzo]

um... try do it at 80bpm... and... you have to make the "slap bass" hands as well...uh...

Mmm hmm, and I wiggled my head/neck as if independent of my body, wiggled my eyebrows and pursed my lips (bursting into a big open mouthed grin at the end of my solo when the horns kick in). Fools.

I'm gonna go find Graceland and stick it on now.

 

[MDR]

As pantone once so memorably said "That album makes me all nostalgic for apartheid."

 

[Wheels]

I still feel that Chevy Chase's vocal on Call Me Al doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

 

[Pantone247]

As pantone once so memorably said "That album makes me all nostalgic for apartheid."

I rember the first time I played it for you Ro, you refused to belive people of colour could make music that good...

only you didn't use the word "people of colour" did you

 

[MDR]

We're all red and gooey on the inside P-Tone

 

[roxy]

That bass breakdown in the middle of the song is one of the greatest shams of ALL TIME. 8 bars of magnificence.... me hole, it's 4 cool bars, and then the tape of the 4 cool bars just played backwards.

You is correct, young Buzzo.

But.... I saw him play in Kilkenny a few years back, and he had his regular band of South African musicians with him. And when the bass solo came round the bassist leapt out to the front of the stage and gave it socks. But he fluffed it slightly (forgivable) so they did another chorus and came back to it. He gave it a second go and nailed it. .|..|


I've been slagged before on Thumped for professing my love for Paul. Fuckers. He's so so so so incredible. :heart::heart:

 

[MDR]

I've never thought of him as a 'paul' before. I always think of him as 'paul simon'. 'Paul' doesn't really do him justice somehow.

 

[deedee]

The Classic albums documentary on the making of Graceland is the best thing in the world. Paul Simon is so nuts in it, slags off Carrie Fisher and gets tremendously excited about the recording process. Have any of youse seen it?

The classic albums series is amazing in general.

 

[roxy]

I've never thought of him as a 'paul' before. I always think of him as 'paul simon'. 'Paul' doesn't really do him justice somehow.

I call everyone Paul.

 

[Pantone247]

Paul Simon is so nuts in it, slags off Carrie Fisher and gets tremendously excited about the recording process. Have any of youse seen it?

Yeah seen it a few times, any Classic Album thing is worth a look, I flippin' love when they get at the mixing desk...

There is an interview with him in a book called Songwriters on Songwriting and he is nuts. It's a great piece, he obviously loves writing songs, and is almost autistic about the detail he'll go into on a chord choice... it's deadly though, someon still treating songwriting like a craft

Anyhow it all descends into a rant about how nobody writes melodies anymore, and after he continues to answer every question like that you do begin to realise that he is right, so much pop music is 4 or 8 bar licks repeated with a repetivit four line chorus, no one is doing Bridge Over Troubled water stuff, with a motif that is developed over verses and a chourus that rises and rises up...

Anyhow, Paul Simon: Nuts but Nice.

 

[MDR]

Richie Mickey Knight is always giving out about how there is too much repitition on songs nowadays and how songs are far too long given the ideas that are in them. I saw Director doing a live song on Ch6 on saturday - the 'so easy for me' bit, which is boring anyway, was played about 24 times in the song.

 

[clonan attack]

I still feel that Chevy Chase's vocal on Call Me Al doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

you took the words right out of my mouth.

Same way Harvey Norman is definitely less respected as a rugby pundit than George Hook on them there RTE rugby matches.

 

[Pantone247]

Richie Mickey Knight is always giving out

I was thinking that as I typed that last post

 

[egg_]

Anyhow it all descends into a rant about how nobody writes melodies anymore, and after he continues to answer every question like that you do begin to realise that he is right ...

He is right, in a way
But he's also wrong. Lots of my favourite music has either very simple melodies (lots of Pixies stuff) or none at all (most hip-hop). I've wasted lots of time getting distracted by trying to write beautiful melodies for songs that don't need them

It's a good book that, by the way, but it doesn't really help, does it?

 

[egg_]

I agree with Richie Michaelknight though, btw. Boring=bad

 

[Pantone247]

It's a good book that, by the way, but it doesn't really help, does it?

It's a great book, but yeah it does descend into "I'm just a channel for God" or "I just dream songs" or "I don't know where it comes from", actually Neil Young is the worst, though in his defence he does treat the whole thing like a joke


- how do you feel if you can't write a song?

- I feel great, means I can go do something else!

thanks Neil... the best is the Paul Simon one cause he actually gets down to why he uses certain keys and is quite clear about what he wants certain songs to do. The problem is, and it's the same problem I have with his music, after a few pages it becomes a little smug and self satisfied, it's not much fun watching a mathmatican doing hard sums no matter how amazing someone tells you it is, and that's a bit like how I feel about Paul Simon.

On the upside Randy Newman is great in it, as is Lynsey Buckingham and (as always) Steely Dan... it's amusing as the book gets more "current" the interviews really struggle and the "songs just happen" quote becomes more present

Oh also the first couple with the Old School writers are amazing, the fella who wrote Fly Me To The Moon has a rant about people putting all their emotions and feelings into songs, he reckons such things have no place and wold much rather see clever rhymes! Suddenly struck me that the idea of the "confessional" songwriter (so lauded as "real" and "good") is only a very recent thing indeed

Yeah not much help, but bloody interesting all the same

 

[Anthony]

what are these classic album things? are they tele programmes?

oh, paul simon rools

 

[clonan attack]

Casiotone for the Painfully alone does a great version of Graceland, with extra gravel...

 

[La La]

it's definitely one of those standout albums. if you listen to it too much it does make you go insane (as I discovered quite a few years ago where it was on 24/7 in the place i was working at the time)

but a few years on it's a great listen.

 

[snakybus]

Ah c'mon, if you're talking musical mathematicians Steely Dan were way more far gone than Paul Simon.