The Basement

Funny.  I literally just thinking about Hitler. But not how you'd imagine.  I was thinking along the lines of a Facebook posting about how the mainstream accounts of Hitler mass murdering people  was Fake News...at least if Fox News were around in the 1940's. 

But again AJ, thanks for your mind's ears - i.e. listening.


Today I listened to Alan Parsons being interviewed about 4 years or so ago. I didn't realize he started out as a green young'un working for Abbey Road and the Beatles.  You know I'm the ONLY ONE on the planet who doesn't get all the hoopla over "Dark Side Of The Moon".  I wikipedia'd it and found there are references to various things like Syd Barrett's mental illness and other things.  But to me,  I always just hear very simplistic uninventive music.   Like I said, I know I'm all alone in this.

But, in the interview Parsons quoted Glynn Johns as saying "Let It Be" was a good album until Phil Spector puked on it.  Never heard that before. Love the line.

Joint reply to your last two posts:

"Dark Side of the Moon" is probably, to me at least, both the Apogee and the Nadir of Psychedelic music. One could say at the root of it, it's simplistic music, but it's complexities lie in all the different colors, textures, tone, and recording methods used. It's a tour de force of production. Utilizing virtually all the tech available at that time. The lyrics are as simple as the music...But the lyrics in "Eclipse" are truly timeless...Pure Zen really. As universal as "Imagine"...Which is also simplistic really.
Simplistic is, by and large, what touches people. Complex music is really just **** to a great extent. While those of us in this forum appreciate it...Sometimes only to the extent that we admire the discipline it requires to compose and/or execute it....The majority of folks...It simply confounds.

I am sure you are not alone in your dismissal of DSOTM...I am certainly not in your company in that regard. I think it's Floyd's finest moment. While not the more visceral and "Rocking" exercise that "Animals" is, or the ambitious, wide scope juggernaut of "The Wall"...It's as solid, track by track as say, "Pepper". Just IMHO of course.

That was a cute story BTW.....neither you or I are that far from being in that audiences company are we though? 
Lucky no one said "Too many notes"   

Regarding DSOTM,  I really should listen to the whole album. I'm speaking from a position of ignorance.  I only have some familiarity with the songs I've heard played on the radio thru the years.  BUT, I will venture to say that the songs I can (sort of) hear in my mind's ears from DSOTM   could be played along with with little effort - without and calculation or figuring out.    I'd submit to you that to play the even the earliest Beatles hit songs "I Want To Hold Your Hand"  or "She Loves You"   would take a bit of figuring out, before playing along with.

On the other hand,  DSOTM must have sold what ? 50 million copies or something. Must have something going on.

I have spent my whole adult life trying to cultivate my musical skills. I tend to gravitate toward the musical craftsmen.  That would exclude say, Bob Dylan.  He's a master craftsman with words.  Not so much with music.

Many would disagree with me. That's what I'm here for - to be disagreeable.   Just opinions.

You need to ingest some of your favorite flower and listen to DSOTM in it's entirety. I promise...It will change your perspective on it. Just listening to "Money" or "Breathe" doesn't give you a clean perspective of the scope of the project/album.

Dylan was indeed a master lyricist. He was a good guitar player as well, and an accomplished one..On acoustic anyway...He came to electrics late in the game so to speak...But he has improved on them a lot over the years. His early stuff is the gold to be sure....But I'm no Dylan apologist or defender really. I'm a fan/listener of his stuff up to "Blood on the Tracks"...Really don't care much after that.

A spontaneous little improv that's mostly just 2 chords.  With a real clever name of LiltyIdea180215.  Maybe I can incorporate it into something.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=13GnYMLcBnf8xrUeCahl0VPwiknlf5fQL

Thanks AJ.  I'm thinking that I will likely register for a Coursera.com course in poetry.  I'm hoping to develop a bit of competence in writing lyrics.  We'll see how that goes. 

Thanks for listening.

Thanks Bucky.  Several weeks ago I  tried to transcribe the opening chords in Brubeck's "Rising Sun".  I got bogged down.  It's hard to hear the notes in the chords with so many different pitches.  The "trick" to much of the harmony in this (what I'll call ) sound is (what I'll call) polychords. I didn't invent this term.  But it lends itself to the piano because the left hand can be playing one chord and the right hand can be playing a contrasting chord - the two together sound dissonant - kind of super spicy in a sense. Anyway I might , let's say play a C major chord in my left hand with a G in the bass - and  play an Eb major with a Bb in the bass. These 2 simple chords, played against each other sound complicated.  It's part of that sound.  Also chords moving to places that sound unexpected. 

Whether this makes sense or not I dunno.  But I want to be able to come up with lyrics.  I think I may start jotting down ideas in a little notebook. 

We have a winner here Dave....Ya nailed it....Kudos!