From 2011, please enjoy endure vastly over-rated Brit chanteuse crime against nature Adele and her ear-piercingly awful "Someone Like You."
Seriously, I myself do not claim to have perfect hearing, especially at my advanced age, but Adele's vocal on that is so egregiously off-key in so many spots that when I heard it the other afternoon at my local watering hole I alternated between shaking my head in disbelief that it had ever been cleared for release and merely shrieking loudly in pain.
I never thought I'd be saying this, but -- where's that damn auto-tune when you need it?
And speaking of which, don't even get me started on Bruce Springsteen's vocal on "Going Down" or the flute solo on "California Dreamin'." 😎
28 comments:
Definitely entering "get off my lawn!" territory, steve!
Heh.😎
When I point shit out like this over at my place, I'm far more diplomatic about it and I still get raked over the coals with a battery of synonyms for cranky. What's your secret?
When I point out shit like this over at my place, I am far more diplomatic and I still get raked over the coals with a battery of synonyms for cranky. What's your secret?
possibly this is broadening the concept of "pitchy" - this week's "monday moment" is actually on tuesday
Hey, Sal, this reader appreciates it!
I regret the error.😎
The California Dreamin' flute solo has bothered me for... decades now. Good point on Goin' Down. Not gonna listen to Adele right now, but will take you at your written word.
Dave in Atlanta
There is no place in rock & roll for flute solos!
Captain Al
Hmm, let's see... flutes in Rock 'n' Roll...
Canned Heat: Goin' Up the Country
Troggs: Wild Thing (tho that's an ocarina)
Stones: Ruby Tuesday (a recorder)
Focus: Hocus Pocus
Yeah, that's about it. Tull be damned!
Uh …Flute Thing? The Blues Project?
My mother had perfect pitch; to my sometimes detriment I've picked up a bit of that talent.
There's a spot in "Kentucky Rain" by Elvis where his pitch slips and it drives me crazy. "Sitting on a bench OUTSIDE a general store."
Also, there's a pitch slip (the result of a splice I believe) of the Animals" "Don't Let Me be Misunderstood" that drives me a little nuts.
Bob in IL
If I had perfect pitch, I’d be Sandy Koufax!!!!!!!
Thank you — I’m here all week.
Yes, all those songs had flute and with the exception of "Flute Thing" (which with the exception of Danny Kalb's all over the place guitar solo which is more light jazz than R&R in feel) the mentioned songs were much worse off with the addition of the flute.
I haven't heard any one come to Jethro Tull's defense yet!
Flute does not have the soul or grit needed for a rock and roll feel! It's a jazz instrument.
(Soulful) :-) Captain Al
PS: I believe it's a fife not a flute in "Going Up The Country".
Capt. Al - my source (google) writes that
Jim Horn played the flute ( which is correct) ?
rob
One other source - NAAM :-)
Jim Horn plays the flute on which song? I'm not comprehending this. Can you clarify?
Steve;
Sorry I hijacked today’s discussion with my flute comment.
Captain Al
There’s a lovely flute solo on The Court of the Crimson King. And I think Aqualung still stands up. Do pththt.
Re; Flute - Song is " Going Up The Country / Canned Heat" J Horn
I like Firth of Fifth and Supper's Ready a lot, but not because of the flute solos from Peter Gabriel
A band mate of mine in '69 saw them in a small club in New Haven, The Stone Balloon. The next day he came back raving about this madman standing on one
leg, a long ragged coat, waving and playing his flute - I instantly went to a record store
and bought "Stand Up"
Funny thing we moved into a small town in CT and the artist - Jim Grashow, who did the center fold for the album also lived there. Small world
roh
Forgot to mention it was Jethro Tull that I should have mentioned in the beginning of my post - New Culpa.... rob
OK. It's pretty clear someone pissed in Steve's cornflakes yesterday morning. The guy who loves the Stones' "The Singer Not the Song," is gonna bitch about pitchiness? :-) You've got to be kidding. Besides, why waste energy on an easy target like Adele. As far as pitchiness goes, it isn't as horrifying as you portray it. It doesn’t enter Linda McCartney territory. Not even Peter Tork. To be sure, Adele's an overrated, vocally limited purveyor of mediocre sob-sister claptrap, but she makes a lot of people happy. And I hear she’s lost some weight. Sorry you had to hear her in a bar, Steve. I suggest you find a more suitable drinking establishment. The places I go to wouldn’t be caught dead playing that mundane junk.
I never had a problem with California Dreamin’ whatsoever. I like the flute solo. It ties the whole thing together. Bud Shank is the perpetrator. It’s a terrific song and lyric. John was on a songwriting roll. The Mamas & Papas vocals were seldom perfect, but tney were close enough for rock 'n' roll. Most rock and pop stuff is flawed. For me it only adds to the charm, flavor and character.
As far as Bruce goes, you know how I feel about the Butt. I especially hate it when he adopts a quasi-Southern accent thinking he’s getting folksy. I didn’t like the Born in the USA album and the hype which surrounded it. The fix was in. Everybody and their brother jumped on the Bruce Caboose. I don’t think he’s a very smart guy. I think he writes button-pushing cornball songs. And he sings like he’s grunting out a massive turd. But that’s just me. He and his band look like they’re having a good time on stage. And the Bruce Juicers just can’t get enough of the stirring and rousing. So, they each serve the others purpose. I'm cool with that.
I used to watch a lot of PBS during 1969-1971, mainly for the concerts. They used Flute Thing and Tull’s Bouree for bumper music. I played flute in the concert and jazz bands at school, so anytime I heard a flute in a pop song, my ears perked. I liked the first five Tull albums at the time. But then came Passion Play and then Bungle in the Jungle. Uh-Oh. I thought Songs from the Wood was a comeback of sorts. However, I’m partial to the second and third, with Stand Up being the best.
Captain Al – Flute does belong in the pop-rock field. Case in point – Walk Away Renee. I rather like Spill the Wine too. There Is a Mountain – Donovan. I too, love Firth of Fifth and the flute solo that I feel is integral to the song. Ian McDonald did a great job on the flute with King Crimson. And what about Love – Orange Skies, Que Vida, She Comes in Colors. Tjay Cantrelli was Jesus. How about Traffic 40,000 Headmen. The Fool On the Hill. Hendrix-1983 (A Merman I Should Be). Manfred Mann’s version of The Mighty Quinn, You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away. Loggins & Messina Angry Eyes. Don't laugh, there's some great musicianship on that track. Also, Dan Fogelberg's version of the Hollies' fantastic Tell Me to My Face with Tim Weisberg should impress if you crank it. I'm not ashamed to say I like it. No need to drop the mic. I’d rather rub your face in it …. And make you like it :-) Can’t you see, can’t you see, what that woman’s been doin’ to me.
And ….
Stairway to Heaven – I don’t give a shit how tired you are of it, STH is best seven-minute rock song ever and it has flutes by JPJ (most tiresome seven-minute song - Hey Jude)
VR - Colour My World doesn’t work for me, Gotta give me some variations on a theme or the whole suite
The Guess Who (Burton Cummings) - Undun
VR
So uh...yeah.... Adele.
Rock music is apparently cooler than some of the posters here, who purport to declare what instruments 'belong' in a form of music that followed the English language's example of not adhering to strict rules; it's perhaps no wonder both have spread so far. If you grabbed Sgt Pepper and took it back in time to the class of (RnR) 1955, would they've recognized it as rock? Not likely, yet...it is rock (one could argue that rock is different from rock n roll, but I just see evolution there). So I don't even need the numerous examples above to make the case for flutes in rock. Kudos to VR for calling out the greatness of 'Stairway', which, like 'Teen Spirit', 'Billie Jean', and 'Hotel California' still delights me even after a trillion plays (there's a reason some songs become cultural touchstones), even if (or maybe because) I never put them on intentionally. But she's dead wrong about 'Hey Jude'.
C in California
Post a Comment