I don’t think I’ll ever see such a straightforward, lovely performance on television like this 1970 appearance by Aretha Franklin on the The Cliff Richard Show. That’s too bad.
At a dinner with my work colleagues tonight, a friend asked me why I hate Journey so. “I know you’re the musician,” she said, “but I think Steve Perry’s voice is so beautiful.” Maybe so, but everything about Journey felt so contrived to me. I didn’t say that to her. “It’s just a matter of taste,” I said as diplomatically as possible.
Earlier in the day someone asked me what I thought about Christina Aguilera. “I don’t care for her music,” I said without hestitation, “but I often find her voice surprisingly expressive. Just wish she weren’t so over the top.” She couldn’t say a little prayer the way Aretha and Dionne Warwick did first, in their prime.
Perhaps you did this woman a disservice by not telling her how you really felt? My partner won’t let me get away with being diplomatic any more. If I’m caught in the presence of my true love, not being truthful about my musical opinions jus’ to spare someone’s feelings, I get skewered but good! It’s a fun game we play, and it keeps me honest.
My Brother’s best friend: “You like Dave Matthews?”
Me: “So… They’re alright…”
My partner: “WHAT?????? You HATE Dave Matthews!!!!!!!”
And then I have to go into a lengthy explanation, drawing an elaborate comparison between Mr. Matthews & Starbucks, of all things.
Good times.
I feel your pain, Mod. I guess it is bad form to come out and say to one’s co-worker that she/he is stupid and has no taste whatsoever.
I try to be diplomatic by saying, “I hate that stuff. But you’d hate what I listen to even more because it Rocks too hard.” I can’t hide my facial expressions when I hate something, so my friends always laugh and give me a hard time. They like Tim McGraw and don’t hate American Idol. How can you not totally hate every second of American Idol? I call it Karaoke Tonite and people tell me I don’t realize how talented these people are.
If that’s talent, who needs it?
I don’t know whether it’s a little thing or a big thing but something’s missing.
Consider “I Say A Little Prayer”. You had a great Bacharach melody, a great Hal David lyric, a great Bacharach arrangement, and a great singer (whether Aretha or Dionne) – and they were all balanced, all inseparable. Too much current music is missing one or more of those elements and they seem to be especially missing the balance.
The Celine Dions, the Christina Aguileras, the American Idols make it all about the bombastic voice. And there seems to be so little melody in so much music of the last 20 years (I’m talking about you, indie rock!) that I can’t get through the first 30 seconds of a lot of it.
Maybe what’s missing is what Duke Ellington said – “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing”. Or put another way, large segments of music (I’m talking about you again, indie rock) has pretty much done away with the influence of black music.
Man, it was so much better back in the ’60s (said the old fart).
I hear what you are saying. Journey was omnipresent when I was in high school, especially in here northern California. I will acknowledge that Steve Perry has an impressive set of pipes and ability, but I cannot stand his singing style. “ooh i want to be thay-ay-ee-air in my citay-ee oh-oo-oh” and the like at the end of every damn line of vocal … it’s like a small version of what Al calls the bombastic voice.
Aretha Franklin pulls off those great asides and little vocal flights perfectly, but that planted the seeds of the current melismatic pop stylings that even the greats of yesterday, like Aretha and Patti LaBalle wind up overselling. Done in moderation, it is so tasty, but because these little steps out of the song can sound so great, it seems like the natural tendency is for successors to go further. I guess the first oops on this account was Minnie Ripperton, which is way back there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3-hY-hlhBg&feature=fvsr
Further evidence that things only get worse over time. I love this Whitney Houston song, cheesey video and all, because she sings the song. Some nice, very subtle playing with a syllable now and then, but no obsession with showing off. Next came those endless sappy ballads with the overblown melismatic wailing, and then Bobby Brown and coke.
YES (re: everything you say, capped off with Ripperton’s Rock Crime)!
Another excellent call! I’m beginning to feel like Ed McMahon.