In 1973, David Bowie composed the album Diamond Dogs, a concept musical about the George Orwell novel 1984. One of the songs written for the album, Candidate, was drastically changed before its release. The "demo" version of this song was not actually published until a 1990 reissue of Diamond Dogs.
One can hardly call the original version a demo, however. It is composed and produced with full accompaniment, and holds its own as a finished piece.
In the typical style of Bowie, the things that make this song so acoustically fascinating is his skillful use of chord progression and cadence, as well as a mastery of the lyrical form. The rhythm bounces along with a confident marching lilt, while Bowie proclaims...
"I'll make it a thing,
When I'm on my own,
To relieve myself
I'll make it a thing,
When I gazelle on stage,
To believe in myself
I'll make it a thing,
To glance at window panes
And look pleased with myself"
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
The Beatles - A Day In the Life
After the Beatles' manager Brian Epstein died of an apparent drug overdose, the Beatles took a few years off. They hid from the public for a while, grew beards, and each pursued individual endeavors (with the possible exception of Ringo, who never changed much).
They had already made the decision to stop touring, saying that it was counterproductive to the music. When the Beatles played live, they could barely hear themselves over the screaming hordes of fans, and the schedule interfered with their ability to write new music in peace.
After a few years hiatus, Paul McCartney had an idea. Write and record an album that would go "on tour" as proxy for the band. This is arguably the birth of the first rock & roll "concept album."
Most of the songs on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band were written by Paul. John made a few contributions, but seemed to want to hold less influence in the band at this point. Yoko was coming on the scene at this time...
Despite the fact that John was not the main player on Sgt. Pepper's, he was there, alright. In fact, one of the greatest Beatles songs, perhaps one of the greatest songs of all time, was also probably the last composition truly written by both Lennon and McCartney; however, unlike "A Hard Day's Night," where the two teamed up to write a song, this particular song was one on which they wrote their parts separately and merged them on the recording.
As the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) comes to an end, the "encore" begins to fade in. It is just John Lennon, his guitar and maracas, joined by Paul's piano. The first verse goes like this:
I read the news today, oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowed of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from a House of Lords
This is probably one of the greatest lyrical turns in all of music. The words John juxtaposes are simple and powerful, creating a melancholy atmosphere.
"I read the news today, oh boy" is beguiling. You can hear the sad sarcasm in his voice.
"About a lucky man who made the grade" paints a picture of fortune, a person judged to be worthy by his achievements.
"And though the news was rather sad" clues us into the fact that this story may not end so well...
"Well I just had to laugh" lifts us out of the dark mood cast by the last line, as though to showcase the range of human emotion, before we know what really happened.
"I saw the photograph" puts us in his head, behind John's eyes, as we imagine holding a newspaper in our hands, perhaps over morning tea, finding something at least partially recognizable in the picture.
"He blew his mind out in a car" is one of the most interesting turns of phrase, seeming to imply some sort of vehicular suicide; however the phrase, "blew his mind" is also vernacular for a surprising epiphany.
"He didn't notice the lights had changed" leads the listener to think that the mind blowing event might have been a traffic accident, or was it? It could be a metaphor, riding the line that separates reality.
"A crowd of people stood and stared" as people will do when confronted with horror, either physical or mental.
"They'd seen his face before, nobody was really sure if he was from a House of Lords" is the great equalizer. When, in death, at that moment you are as effectual as the most powerful beings who ever existed; that is to say, not at all effectual, not any longer.
The rest of the song develops into a psychedelic trip of orchestral crescendos, alarm clocks, Paul's hurried musings on morning routine and the irony of the world's minutia.
I cannot think of another piece of music that effects me so deeply every time I hear it.
They had already made the decision to stop touring, saying that it was counterproductive to the music. When the Beatles played live, they could barely hear themselves over the screaming hordes of fans, and the schedule interfered with their ability to write new music in peace.
After a few years hiatus, Paul McCartney had an idea. Write and record an album that would go "on tour" as proxy for the band. This is arguably the birth of the first rock & roll "concept album."
Most of the songs on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band were written by Paul. John made a few contributions, but seemed to want to hold less influence in the band at this point. Yoko was coming on the scene at this time...
Despite the fact that John was not the main player on Sgt. Pepper's, he was there, alright. In fact, one of the greatest Beatles songs, perhaps one of the greatest songs of all time, was also probably the last composition truly written by both Lennon and McCartney; however, unlike "A Hard Day's Night," where the two teamed up to write a song, this particular song was one on which they wrote their parts separately and merged them on the recording.
As the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise) comes to an end, the "encore" begins to fade in. It is just John Lennon, his guitar and maracas, joined by Paul's piano. The first verse goes like this:
I read the news today, oh boy
About a lucky man who made the grade
And though the news was rather sad
Well I just had to laugh
I saw the photograph
He blew his mind out in a car
He didn't notice that the lights had changed
A crowed of people stood and stared
They'd seen his face before
Nobody was really sure if he was from a House of Lords
This is probably one of the greatest lyrical turns in all of music. The words John juxtaposes are simple and powerful, creating a melancholy atmosphere.
"I read the news today, oh boy" is beguiling. You can hear the sad sarcasm in his voice.
"About a lucky man who made the grade" paints a picture of fortune, a person judged to be worthy by his achievements.
"And though the news was rather sad" clues us into the fact that this story may not end so well...
"Well I just had to laugh" lifts us out of the dark mood cast by the last line, as though to showcase the range of human emotion, before we know what really happened.
"I saw the photograph" puts us in his head, behind John's eyes, as we imagine holding a newspaper in our hands, perhaps over morning tea, finding something at least partially recognizable in the picture.
"He blew his mind out in a car" is one of the most interesting turns of phrase, seeming to imply some sort of vehicular suicide; however the phrase, "blew his mind" is also vernacular for a surprising epiphany.
"He didn't notice the lights had changed" leads the listener to think that the mind blowing event might have been a traffic accident, or was it? It could be a metaphor, riding the line that separates reality.
"A crowd of people stood and stared" as people will do when confronted with horror, either physical or mental.
"They'd seen his face before, nobody was really sure if he was from a House of Lords" is the great equalizer. When, in death, at that moment you are as effectual as the most powerful beings who ever existed; that is to say, not at all effectual, not any longer.
The rest of the song develops into a psychedelic trip of orchestral crescendos, alarm clocks, Paul's hurried musings on morning routine and the irony of the world's minutia.
I cannot think of another piece of music that effects me so deeply every time I hear it.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
When the album Beggar's Banquet was released in 1968, the Rolling Stones already had a bad-boy reputation. Their last album, "Their Satanic Majesties Request" was taking heat for promoting satanism, and what's more--they wore corduroys and cursed! Oh my!
I remember hearing an interview on the radio years ago talking about the origins of "Sympathy for the Devil," that at the time Mick Jagger was drawing inspiration from intellectuals in the London art scene. Mick said that the inspiration might have been the French poet Charles Baudeliere, but a friend of mine told me that Mick might have been confusing Baudeliere with Bulgakov, since the character of Lucifer bears a striking resemblance to the character of Mr. Woland from Mikhail Bulgakov's Soviet-banned novel, "The Master and Margarita." It begins with an introduction from a mysterious figure who appears in Moscow one day, telling a detailed story of being present as Pilate sentenced Jesus Christ to death. Beyond the literary inspiration, the song adds verses about more current events, such as WWII the recent assassination of Bobby Kennedy.
Originally written as a folk tune, Keith Richards added additional percussion that turned the song into more of a samba rhythm. The classic, "Woo-Woo!" heard throughout the second half of the song was actually Mick's girlfriend and her cadre of hangers-on in the studio, and was not invented by anyone in the band.
The guitar solo is one of the most scorching pieces of musical movement ever committed to tape. It was recorded on a 1957 Les Paul with three pickups, which runs a very strong signal, causing the tone to sound extremely overdriven and hot. It sounds almost thin at most parts, but every once in a while, Keith would hit two strings at once and it would break into a scream.
Sympathy for the Devil (lyric excerpts)
by The Rolling Stones
Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for long, long years
Stole many man's soul and faith
And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out,
"Who killed the Kennedys?"
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste
I remember hearing an interview on the radio years ago talking about the origins of "Sympathy for the Devil," that at the time Mick Jagger was drawing inspiration from intellectuals in the London art scene. Mick said that the inspiration might have been the French poet Charles Baudeliere, but a friend of mine told me that Mick might have been confusing Baudeliere with Bulgakov, since the character of Lucifer bears a striking resemblance to the character of Mr. Woland from Mikhail Bulgakov's Soviet-banned novel, "The Master and Margarita." It begins with an introduction from a mysterious figure who appears in Moscow one day, telling a detailed story of being present as Pilate sentenced Jesus Christ to death. Beyond the literary inspiration, the song adds verses about more current events, such as WWII the recent assassination of Bobby Kennedy.
Originally written as a folk tune, Keith Richards added additional percussion that turned the song into more of a samba rhythm. The classic, "Woo-Woo!" heard throughout the second half of the song was actually Mick's girlfriend and her cadre of hangers-on in the studio, and was not invented by anyone in the band.
The guitar solo is one of the most scorching pieces of musical movement ever committed to tape. It was recorded on a 1957 Les Paul with three pickups, which runs a very strong signal, causing the tone to sound extremely overdriven and hot. It sounds almost thin at most parts, but every once in a while, Keith would hit two strings at once and it would break into a scream.
Sympathy for the Devil (lyric excerpts)
by The Rolling Stones
Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for long, long years
Stole many man's soul and faith
And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
I stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain
I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank
I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the gods they made
I shouted out,
"Who killed the Kennedys?"
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadours
Who get killed before they reached Bombay
Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste
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