The Album Review Club - *** Christmas Break Playlist (next album 7/1/26) ***

BlueHammer85 said:
Crazy, I thought the lyrics were way to cheesy and docked it a point for that reason
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I think the different view of the lyrics is really interesting. Picking on the three Foggy mentions:

Starting with the easiest. I Guess I Showed her, to me it's a funny tongue in cheek and self-deprecating depiction of typical male stupidity and stubbornness so I wouldn't have that as cheesy personally.

The other two I can understand why people might view them as cliched or cheesy. But to me the key thing is that he is knowingly writing within that specific blues idiom and within that idiom these to me are really well written little vignettes of domestic strife and betrayal.
 
BlueHammer85 said:
Crazy, I thought the lyrics were way to cheesy and docked it a point for that reason
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Really? Imagine screwing your next door neighbo(u)r, just "another notch on your guitar", because you're a young stud, and then listening to her break up with love of her life through the walls next door while her man rants and raves about her traitorous ways. You've just destroyed two lives for nothing. And the man in question expresses ambivalence which you just know is hiding tremendous, wracking guilt. It's brilliant. And the then the naive-cum-fake-tough-guy stances on the other two songs I mentioned are terrific too. I think Cray is channeling Randy Newman, not Billy Joel or fucking Mark Knopfler.
 
denislawsbackheel said:
Saw Buddy Guy at the Binic Autour du Blues festival in Brittany 2004. He was outstanding. He played some great stuff then started riffing with this is how Clapton would play it, this is how Hendrix would play it, etc..
The highlight was when he walked off stage into the surrounding streets still playing leaving his band on stage accompanying him.
It was a great couple of days.
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Can't believe he is jacking in playing live, well I can as he's 86 now, but a big loss he is just so much fun on stage as well as being brilliant. Watched some footage of this last tour and am increasingly coming to the view that I'm going to have to get myself in the shit with the family by legging it to see him. Trying to decide whether I can get to Paris and back without the family noticing I've gone or whether I go all in and make up a works reunion in Boston. Need to make my mind up as there's not many tickets left.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
Really? Imagine screwing your next door neighbo(u)r, just "another notch on your guitar", because you're a young stud, and then listening to her break up with love of her life through the walls next door while her man rants and raves about her traitorous ways. You've just destroyed two lives for nothing. And the man in question expresses ambivalence which you just know is hiding tremendous, wracking guilt. It's brilliant. And the then the naive-cum-fake-tough-guy stances on the other two songs I mentioned are terrific too. I think Cray is channeling Randy Newman, not Billy Joel or fucking Mark Knopfler.
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That’s fair enough

I think I always sway to ‘nonsence’ lyrics , hence Dylan or Noel Gallagher where the words sound lovely all together but doesn’t really make any sense - you kind of got to make it makes sense for yourself
 
threespires said:
I think the different view of the lyrics is really interesting. Picking on the three Foggy mentions:

Starting with the easiest. I Guess I Showed her, to me it's a funny tongue in cheek and self-deprecating depiction of typical male stupidity and stubbornness so I wouldn't have that as cheesy personally.

The other two I can understand why people might view them as cliched or cheesy. But to me the key thing is that he is knowingly writing within that specific blues idiom and within that idiom these to me are really well written little vignettes of domestic strife and betrayal.
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I think they're great even outside the idiom, which is (a) hard to define anyhow, and (b) would work in a lot of other idioms. I've said it many, many times before -- self-deprecation goes a long way with music I like, as do character studies and assuming guises, vs. self-pity and moaning.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
I think they're great even outside the idiom, which is (a) hard to define anyhow, and (b) would work in a lot of other idioms. I've said it many, many times before -- self-deprecation goes a long way with music I like, as do character studies and assuming guises, vs. self-pity and moaning.
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Agree with both your points but I do think he is conscious of the tradition he is writing in. Either way, to me they are actually really tightly written stories that paint a vivid picture from that first person perspective. There's always a decent amount of wry humour in his writing which works for me.
 
RobMCFC said:
No worries, thanks for letting me know.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

@GoatersLeftShin - it's now officially your choice later today - If you can post your choice up later today, that would be great. If you need until tomorrow, that's OK too.

@Gaudion M - stand by just in case!
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So I put myself on the list a wile back as I'd just discovered an album that would be great for this thread. Not really got any clues as it's a bit left field and I'm guessing no-one has heard of it or the artist.

Will post tomorrow if no sign of goater.
 
Gaudion M said:
So I put myself on the list a wile back as I'd just discovered an album that would be great for this thread. Not really got any clues as it's a bit left field and I'm guessing no-one has heard of it or the artist.

Will post tomorrow if no sign of goater.
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If/whenever it ends up being you, I'd have a go at some form guesswork and clues anyway. Part of the fun and or frustration.
 
Gaudion M said:
So I put myself on the list a wile back as I'd just discovered an album that would be great for this thread. Not really got any clues as it's a bit left field and I'm guessing no-one has heard of it or the artist.

Will post tomorrow if no sign of goater.
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Thanks. That sounds like a good plan.

If Goater posts tonight, that's OK. If not, then you can post tomorrow and Goater can keep his slot next week.
 
While we're waiting for our next clue, one thing I forgot to mention that I really like about Cray is that he gets his sound with almost no additional tech.

Doesn't have a huge pedal board, doesn't even use a whammy bar. Basically the sound all comes from the hands with him.
 
Gaudion M said:
So I put myself on the list a wile back as I'd just discovered an album that would be great for this thread. Not really got any clues as it's a bit left field and I'm guessing no-one has heard of it or the artist.

Will post tomorrow if no sign of goater.
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Sorry mate, I've not been on here today and just catching up! I'm happy for you to take the floor first if you like?

If not I can post a clue in the morning for my album.
 
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