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Post by jrmugz on Jul 19, 2015 3:36:55 GMT
Thumbs up for the girl in a Cole Porter song too! Sounds really nice. I can see where you would think to replace it with a stronger one; but it's still pretty good! Good concept for a song, for sure, and it goes down smooth and relaxing enough. Maybe they have a different singer on this one or maybe same singer trying to be like early Paul Simon or something.
Jim
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 19, 2015 19:50:18 GMT
It's not bad, I quite like it, but the other one is so much better...
And it's his voice. The only song which features another singer is "Min tjej och jag" which is sung the drummer.
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Post by unomusette on Jul 19, 2015 20:19:35 GMT
This band is completely new to me, although does my dusty memory tell me that Per Gessle is one of the founder members of Roxette? *goes to look, comes back wearing smug face* With this kind of pedigree I'm now expecting big things from the selection, going for the live versions as recommended by Helmut83: Det är över nu [It’s over now] - Well the crowd seem to love them, that's a good start. Nice bit of bouncy pop-rock but not a stand out track for me. Perfect to get some bouncing going with a live audience though. Solsken [Sunshine] - Why are the crowd singing the Banana Splits theme? Intriguing. They plainly love this though, it reminds me of a summery song from the early '70's, something like Sugar Sugar by the Archies. (Hon vill ha) Pulsn[(She wants) Pulse] - Sounds a little bit Eurovision-esque to me, nothing wrong with it but nothing grabs me as being outstanding. The false ending is fun though. När alla vännerna gatt hem [When all friends have gone home] - Intro reminds me of the start of Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Someone in the crowd is getting mightily excited by this, not sure why because it doesn't really go anywhere. But of course the lyrics could be deeply meaningful - that's my fault for not speaking Swedish. (Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän [(Don’t dance as good as) Sailors] - Well, as titles go, that's quirky. How annoying not to be able to understand the lyrics and find out what it's all about. A solid rocker, probably my favourite so far. In fact it finishes a bit too soon for me. Sommartider [Summertime] - Opens like the song Mony Mony, it has an infectious rhythm and is perfect for a summer outdoor gig like this. Plus I love Per's trousers. Kung av sand [King of sand] - Another interesting title. Can't beat a harmonica intro, reminds me of The First Cut is the Deepest. Defines the term Power Ballad, but it does plod a bit for me and goes on too long. Min tjej och jag [My girl and me] - Interesting to hear how this band are in the studio; I like the doo-wop intro. The echo-ey vocals make it sound quite dated but that's maybe the intention. Did they run out of lyric ideas? Lots of Bababa's and Wawawa's etc. Quite good fun. När vi två blir en [When us two become one] - Bit of reggae here, always a crowd pleaser. Just noticed the keyboards are being played downhill, wonder why? Great singing along by the audience, it really brings the song to life. Juni, Juli, Augusti [June, July, August] - The Banana Splits theme again! I'll have whatever that audience is on. Bouncy outro to this collection and goes down a treat live, this can't be denied. This band is playing to a stadium, they are plainly well-loved and the crowds are eating out of their hands. Whenever the harmonica comes in it reminds me of songs that Helmut83 has had a hand in, so they are in good company I always like to see a band enjoying themselves when they play live, especially when they're getting great feedback from the audience as in this case, so this was a fun listen. I don't read the other reviews if I can help it before listening to CD of the Week, but reading them over once I'd composed my review it's interesting to see that Chippa and I both spotted the Sugar Sugar,Mony Mony and First Cut is the Deepest links. Golly, my smug-o-meter is off the scale now.... None of the songs stand out hugely for me but you can't deny the evidence of that many happy people and the songs are solid pop/rock. Plus of course I'm missing the meaning of the lyrics. I'd give it 5 out of 10, thanks for sharing Helmut83
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 19, 2015 22:41:47 GMT
This band is completely new to me, although does my dusty memory tell me that Per Gessle is one of the founder members of Roxette? *goes to look, comes back wearing smug face* o We have a winner, and it's Mrs. Uno Musette! Congrats to you, Uno, you were the first one to make the relation! Your detective capacities never take a rest, huh? Effectively, Mr. Per Håkan Gessle, who is the singer and main songwriter of Gyllene Tider, is one of the founder members -and almost sole songwriter- of Roxette. GT was the band Gessle had before Roxette. I assume when he conquered Sweden with GT he thought his music was ready for taking the world stage but realized he would never do it by singing in Swedish. That's when GT broke up, Marie Fredriksson came along and the fantastic English-singing duo was formed. In any case, I also didn't tell you anything because I didn't want you to listen to Gyllene Tider with the prejudice of "it's the other band the guy from Roxette had". I think GT is a great band in it's own right, with it's unique style (different to Roxette) and didn't deserve to be presented as second to none.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 19, 2015 23:22:38 GMT
Someone in the crowd is getting mightily excited by this, not sure why because it doesn't really go anywhere. Hey, let the guys enjoy their music! It stands out clearly that for them it takes them to very exciting places. How annoying not to be able to understand the lyrics and find out what it's all about. Ha! You are so spoiled! That happens to me every week. Next CD of the week I'll choose one of my favorite bands from Moldova. Thanks for the detailed review, Uno! It's a pity you didn't find anything worth rescuing in the whole set, but as said, you never know beforehand what others may like or not (heck, we cannot even agree about which are the good ELO songs and which are the bad ones). Judging by the CDs of the Week you chose, straightforward, visceral pop/rock might not be your thing, so in that case you were bound to not like GT. On the other hand, the importance each one gives to lyrics plays a role in the listening experience, and while I give them next to zero importance, you appear to give them some more, as you were asking a few times about them. That may even have added an extra minus to the whole thing. Not being able to assure everyone would enjoy the listen from a musical point of view, the good thing was that you didn't get bored, which was the main objective here.
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Post by unomusette on Jul 20, 2015 21:24:35 GMT
I wouldn't say I don't like them particularly, they just don't strike me as outstanding. All those happy people in the audiences can't be wrong though, as I admitted, so it's my problem not theirs. Edit: Anyway, I DID find at least one thing to praise - Per's fabulous trousers in Sommartider I prefer Roxette a lot more so it's surprising to hear that Per G wrote nearly all of their songs too. If he didn't have such an interesting name I'd probably not have remembered his link to Roxette, but I'll accept the cheers anyway, thanks and hurray!
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 20, 2015 22:12:40 GMT
Hey, you are not supposed to like anything. And as for the happy people in the audience, no matter how many thousands like something, if you are sure it doesn't convince you you must stand by your own opinion and say it clearly. There's not such thing as "your problem". As long as you respect others liking something they will have to respect you not liking it.
Yeah, I can't remember what you thought about the Roxette album I posted but I had the sensation that you had quite liked it. However, again, GT and Roxette are far from being the same thing. Roxette is a bit more multifascetic and ellaborate, with a few more "depressing" songs too; and of corse way ahead in terms of production.
If you come to think about it, wouldn't the 1972 Jeff Lynne have a universe of difference (musically speaking) with his future self just 6 or 7 years later?
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 20, 2015 22:14:37 GMT
Edit: Anyway, I DID find at least one thing to praise - Per's fabulous trousers in Sommartider If we are going to go that way (I mean, aesthetic beauty praising), I have to make a mention to the amount of beautiful ladies present in the crowd. Who could be Mr. Gessle for just one night...
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Post by unomusette on Jul 20, 2015 23:17:28 GMT
If you come to think about it, wouldn't the 1972 Jeff Lynne have a universe of difference (musically speaking) with his future self just 6 or 7 years later? Definitely. I often wish I could play the music people are playing today to their younger selves and see if they're impressed at how they turn out. For instance, there are certain recent Muse atrocities songs that I am sure they'd have been horrified at if they'd heard them when aged about 20.I have an archive interview of theirs when they were sulky overgrown teenagers where they announced that their music wasn't for anyone over 30 to listen to. Now they're nearing their 40's themselves and archetypal stadium rockers And if you could catch Jeff at the same age and play him the songs he produces now he'd be simply amazed at the possibilities of modern production. Not to mention gobsmacked at being called the 5th Beatle....
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Post by queenofthehours on Jul 24, 2015 15:10:12 GMT
It’s Over Now – Your first listen to any song by a band you’ve never heard of before is always going to be special. And this track is. I know if I could understand the language I’d be singing along to it. Sunshine – Some lovely sunny acoustic guitar here. Bouncy and summery. The song sounds just like the title!
Pulse- Nice guitar. A classic pop song.
When All Friends Have Gone Home – A quite song, very melodic but I prefer the pop songs.
Sailors – More upbeat pop. Energetic drumming and great guitar solos – what more could you want?
Summertime – Yet another great pop tune – all this optimistic-sounding music can’t be good for you!
King Of Sand – This has a bit of a Britpop sound to me. Nice harmonica.
My Girl and Me – My favourite so far, catchy and vintage. I love that 80s sound.
When Us Two Become One – The reggae sounds work really well here, very summery and the perfect thing to play in a car with the roof down.
June, July, August – Another favourite. If only I knew the words!
I listened to the live versions where possible but, even though they were all excellent, I wish I’d heard the studio versions first. This is because I’m very odd about music – I like to listen to live stuff as an extension to the studio tracks and so love hearing how much BETTER songs sound live. If you only hear the live versions you can’t do this. Plus I really like the vintage sounds of tracks in their natural form. The great benefit of hearing the songs live, though, is seeing just how great the band is without the benefit of the studio.
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Post by Helmut83 on Jul 24, 2015 19:23:21 GMT
Thanks for the review, queenofthehours! I'm glad you found (judging for what you say) so many good things in this set. Being from my same generation, I reckoned the chances of you liking these guys were bigger, but you never know. As for the lyrics, it's just a matter of listening to the songs a few times and daring to babble. Ha! I even grab the guitar and sing some of these songs. You can imagine what my Swedish is like and how much a Swedish guy would laugh if he listened to me, but enjoying the music is the point. Besides, the phrase "Juni, Juli, Augusti" is a very easy one to sing along. Uh, and in case you wanted to listen to the studio versions (I think a few of them might disappoint you because of poor production): Det är över nuSolskenPulsNär alla vännerna gått hemSjömenSommartiderKung av sandMin tjej och jagNär vi två blir enJuni, Juli, Augusti
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