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Post by frozenhero on Jan 5, 2021 20:26:11 GMT
As for Eric Clapton, his writers' block has made a lot of his more recent albums mostly cover affairs. Even leaving the J.J. Cale tribute Call Me the Breeze aside, CLAPTON, Old Sock and I Still Do all contain much more covers than originals. Then of course Happy Xmas but most Christmas albums aren't mostly self-penned (exceptions like Jamie Cullum notwithstanding).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2021 21:04:14 GMT
Very slick production but very odd choice of songs. As has been said sometimes a cover album can really add a new and very personal aspect to the songs, this one is the kind of bland, vaguely "Quo'd up" selection people put on at barbecues as background music.
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gerh
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Post by gerh on Jan 5, 2021 22:00:23 GMT
Fish's Songs from the Mirror is an odd one. A bit like the Quo covers, it came at a critical point, and in his case, I think it did more bad than good for his career. Hmm - why U reckon that? 🤔
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gav
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Post by gav on Jan 5, 2021 22:18:54 GMT
Very slick production but very odd choice of songs. As has been said sometimes a cover album can really add a new and very personal aspect to the songs, this one is the kind of bland, vaguely "Quo'd up" selection people put on at barbecues as background music. For sure.
There's a lot of different guitars and guitar sounds on this album, most fairly muted, and very few sounding like the twin Telecasters of our beloved SQ.
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mortified
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Post by mortified on Jan 6, 2021 6:49:04 GMT
The point being made here, I suppose, is that there have been a lot of covers albums across the decades by a wide variety of artists. With many covering their own material by modernising it or at least reinterpreting it. Kim Wilde was another a few years back with (believe it or not!) Never Say Never. Just remembered that one.
And, of course, the Aquostic recordings are the same.
It's turned into a good discussion this about the merits or otherwise of covers albums as a concept. There's no question they have a place. But generally they're not for my listening pleasure.
I'm sure we can all cite individual songs that we love the cover of by another artist - Quo included - but entire albums seem to leave most of us scratching our heads.
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Post by freewilly on Jan 6, 2021 18:27:47 GMT
The point being made here, I suppose, is that there have been a lot of covers albums across the decades by a wide variety of artists. With many covering their own material by modernising it or at least reinterpreting it. Kim Wilde was another a few years back with (believe it or not!) Never Say Never. Just remembered that one. And, of course, the Aquostic recordings are the same. It's turned into a good discussion this about the merits or otherwise of covers albums as a concept. There's no question they have a place. But generally they're not for my listening pleasure. I'm sure we can all cite individual songs that we love the cover of by another artist - Quo included - but entire albums seem to leave most of us scratching our heads. I wonder if say in 1996 or 1997, they did a 20 year anniversary tour of the BFY or RAOTW albums and how it would have went down. Certainly would have been a lot better than the cover album concept and could have gotten them more serious press coverage, especially with the Oasis/Britpop thing. RAOTW may not be a "classic" album for a section of the fans but, that's what marketing is for. I have no issues with covers. Quo have done some brilliant ones down the years. Roadhouse Blues, Carol, RAOTW, Army, Rave On, Born To Be Wild, On The Road Again...Musically and sonically, Don't Stop is fine...I just think it was a massive own goal and it's just not them at all, regardless of line ups That's why I don't like 95% of the acoustic stuff. Francis just changed it into Daniel O Donnell/Nathan Carter, "Irish Country" type stuff. The version of Rolling Home on Aquostic is the exact same as the one Irish country singers have been doing for years before Aquostic was released. There is no artistic merit in Francis' one
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Dark
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Post by Dark on Jan 7, 2021 9:54:43 GMT
I remember being surprised when the lead single, When You Walk in the Room, was released, I hadn’t been expecting new material from the band then, there had been no indication that they were recording. After the major disappointment of Thirsty Work I wasn’t really expecting much, and I certainly didn’t get it. A rather pedestrian song, performed without any energy. I gave it very few listens. I did though quite like the b-side, Tilting at the Mill, rather generic Quo riffing it might have been, but it seemed to have a lot more balls and the solo from Rossi was way better that anything he had produced on Thirsty Work, and I liked how they followed it with an instrumental play out.
As for the album, to be honest I didn’t really know any of the original versions of the tracks. Well I recognised Lucille from the snippet on Anniversary Waltz and Johnny & Mary from the car advert, but that was about it really.
To be honest I find the album listenable, can put it on as background music quite easily, or if I just fancy an relaxing listening experience. It is pretty safe, and there are some commercial tunes there and it is quite up and happy in places. Safety Dance, The Future’s So Bright, & I Can Hear the Grass Grow, are pretty tuneful.
Rock music is obviously on very limited supply, think it only really appears with Rick’s rhythm guitar playing on Proud Mary. I’d love to hear a mix of that without all the horns and excessive backing vocals. I also enjoyed Rossi’s guitar solo on Don’t Stop, but really for me, that were the only times that album rocked in any way.
The only song I couldn’t stand was, All Around my Hat, utterly dreadful twee rubbish. They of course then released it as a single, and played it live on the tour!
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Post by frozenhero on Jan 7, 2021 16:57:43 GMT
Fish's Songs from the Mirror is an odd one. A bit like the Quo covers, it came at a critical point, and in his case, I think it did more bad than good for his career. Hmm - why U reckon that? 🤔
Reviews were mixed, and he was dropped by his company. The next regular album came out on an indie label - Songs from the Mirror was only meant as a stopgap. As for the album, to be honest I didn’t really know any of the original versions of the tracks. Well I recognised Lucille from the snippet on Anniversary Waltz and Johnny & Mary from the car advert, but that was about it really. Fun Fun Fun? You Never Can Tell? Get Back? The Safety Dance? Don't Stop? Proud Mary? Interesting variation
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gerh
Grizzled Rocker Rollin'
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Post by gerh on Jan 7, 2021 17:20:30 GMT
Hmm - why U reckon that? 🤔
Reviews were mixed, and he was dropped by his company. The next regular album came out on an indie label - Songs from the Mirror was only meant as a stopgap. Aha - I see where you're coming from; having said that I reckon his output from then was far more [musically] interesting [a.k.a. 'better'!!] so I'm still not buying the idea that his career was damaged [my phrase!] - maybe as a strictly commercial proposition it was, but I suspect he [like many artists] wasn't/aren't primarily driven by that impulse.
Then of course we consider Mr. Rossi where it appears to be the ultimate concern - so that, alone, shoots big holes in my argument!! 😂🤣😉🙄
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Post by frozenhero on Jan 8, 2021 17:43:09 GMT
Yes, I meant commercially. Odd in the context of this thread.
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matt
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Post by matt on Jan 9, 2021 9:25:15 GMT
frozenheroMy point about Oasis is that they were doing three chord pub rock, honest rock n roll and unashamed balls out guitar based music. Some might say Cigarettes and alcohol Shaker maker All have Quo undertones. There are more. They also wrote some of the most iconic music of the decade - live forever, champagne supernova but I digress. What I’m saying is that of all the times to release a phoned in vanilla piss weak cover album populated by novelty songs 1996 was just about the most stupid choice. It’s perfectly reasonable for radio one to remove them from the play list for the version of FFF with the living dead beach boys of the time, considering all the genuine, authentic and exciting music that was about at the time.
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Post by frozenhero on Jan 9, 2021 9:39:07 GMT
AFAIK, they were already pretty much ignored at the time of Thirsty Work. There is an interview from the mid-90s where Francis is frustrated that people would come to their gigs and know nothing about a new album.
I'll listen to those Oasis songs, thanks.
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mortified
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Post by mortified on Jan 9, 2021 10:34:47 GMT
frozenhero My point about Oasis is that they were doing three chord pub rock, honest rock n roll and unashamed balls out guitar based music. Some might say Cigarettes and alcohol Shaker maker All have Quo undertones. There are more. They also wrote some of the most iconic music of the decade - live forever, champagne supernova but I digress. What I’m saying is that of all the times to release a phoned in vanilla piss weak cover album populated by novelty songs 1996 was just about the most stupid choice. It’s perfectly reasonable for radio one to remove them from the play list for the version of FFF with the living dead beach boys of the time, considering all the genuine, authentic and exciting music that was about at the time. Ordinarily I'd agree because it was way out of step with everything around it. But it went platinum. Job done. Which shows I know nothing about the music business. Or rather not things that I really want to know or accept. I'm an idealist with one foot in the door of realism
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Post by paradiseflats on Jan 9, 2021 10:44:50 GMT
frozenhero My point about Oasis is that they were doing three chord pub rock, honest rock n roll and unashamed balls out guitar based music. Some might say Cigarettes and alcohol Shaker maker All have Quo undertones. There are more. They also wrote some of the most iconic music of the decade - live forever, champagne supernova but I digress. What I’m saying is that of all the times to release a phoned in vanilla piss weak cover album populated by novelty songs 1996 was just about the most stupid choice. It’s perfectly reasonable for radio one to remove them from the play list for the version of FFF with the living dead beach boys of the time, considering all the genuine, authentic and exciting music that was about at the time. Ordinarily I'd agree because it was way out of step with everything around it. But it went platinum. Job done. Which shows I know nothing about the music business. Or rather not things that I really want to know or accept. I'm an idealist with one foot in the door of realism Is there a band on earth less likely to take contemporary music and make it a into a covers album ? To think that was Status Quo is to be in my opinion, so far wide of the mark. Does any one know how the songs were chosen ? As they don't seem to be the music that influenced the band, but having had a quick look at the cover, it isn't packed with 'novelty' songs. Mortified you are as likely to know as anyone. I think for the band they had possibly already covered alot of songs that may have made a covers album. I think for the laugh they should have covered Because of you.
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matt
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Post by matt on Jan 9, 2021 10:52:07 GMT
paradiseflats - FFF with the Beach boys, get back, it was a teenage wedding, Lucille - I think these are legitimate songs they turned into novelties with their interpretation - hell I remember them performing FFF on a Cilla black programme from a swimming pool leisure centre. The bewildered beach boys looking like they didn’t realise what they had let themselves in for. Then we have safety dance, All around my hat - they’re novelty songs really. Particularly when performed on Noel’s House Party live from Crinkly Bottom. Proud Mary was a decent stab let down by guitar free production. And really with the Platinum sales - I’m not questioning the numbers just the quality.
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