| deathingrasp |
 Posted: May 8, 2008 - 8:09am |
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Joined: 08 May 2008
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I totally agree about the muses in Hercules. I like the song "I Won't Say I'm In Love" the most though.
I honestly don't watch Idol until the next day since I work evenings, and I DVR it and then fast forward through the group numbers. Unlike the examples you provided, where individual voices were characteristic, stood out and fleshed out the song and made it into something worth listening to, Idol's group numbers are just a way to fill the bloated hour designated for result shows. The less contestants there are, the more painfully transparent it is that they are desperate to fill that hour... especially last night's performance, Jason Castro has a weak, tinny voice and Gaspy can barely breathe anyway, so it was soft, uncharacteristic and bland. The entire group performance sounded more like the harmony or background chorus for a powerful voice like Whitney or Aretha. Unfortunately there is no powerful voice to lead the song.
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| supedupX |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 8:35am |
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Joined: 22 Mar 2008
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KD30--Really?! You liked the MTV All-Stars version of "What's Goin On"? I found it reminiscent of an over-melismatic Idols Group Song...just with better singing. I think it took away from the heartwrenching simplicity of the original Marvin Gaye version. Oh well. "Do They Know Its Christmas" is awesome though.
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"Josiah Leming is a weeping vagina"-CastorTroy
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| KD30 |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 10:30am |
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Joined: 27 Feb 2008
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I may be jaded as a 9/11 survivor, but I thought "What's Going On" was very touching and poingant, probably because the song put very nicely into words what was going on in my head during a very difficult time in my life. It still brings tears to my eyes when I hear it, which I haven't in years, but found it on YouTube this morning (my interest was piqued by this thread) and I couldn't even make it through 30 seconds before having to turn it off. I did like it very much, though. I have to be truthful however, I know nothing of the Marvin Gaye version except little snippets I have heard on commercials for Time Life Music, so take my opinion with a grain of salt from an uneducated mind on this song, but I thought the MTV Allstars were quite good with the peice.
ETA:Why cant we reply to specific posts anymore? This reply was meant for you, supedupX
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"Mutainted dog shit throwup face!"-Brittany 4/30/08 Mailbag
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| Scott Baio |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 10:40am |
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Joined: 05 Mar 2008
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I don't know if this counts since they were an actual band and recorded a full album, but I was always partial to the Chris Cornell/Pearl Jam collaboration, Temple of the Dog. They recorded one self-titled album prior to the mainstream success of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, and one single, "Hunger Strike," would later propel the album to platinum status.
Also notable would be The Plastic Ono Band, featuring John Lennon, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Alan White, and anyone else who collaborated with Lennon and Ono post-1969. Their most famous tunes were "Instant Karma" and "Give Peace a Chance."
Oh, and I have to agree with everyone else on The Traveling Wilburys. Probably the best supergroup ever. And of course Roy Orbison could sing better than Tom Petty, badger1970. Roy Orbison could sing better than everyone!
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http://notbaio.wordpress.com
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| pipnewkirk |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 10:24am |
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Joined: 17 Mar 2008
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The Traveling Wilburys have got to be the best collaboration as a group, but they released two full albums together. When does it stop being a collaboration and start being a group? Either way, check them out... Amazing!
As far as one-offs go, check out Metallica's cover of Tuesday's Gone by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Gary Rossington himself joins them, along with John Popper of Blues Traveler, Les Claypool from Primus, Pepper Keenan from Corrosion of Conformity, and Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains.
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| supedupX |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 10:56am |
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Joined: 22 Mar 2008
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Hey KD30- meant no disrespect. Being a New Yorker myself, I also understand the emotional connection of that song. The original context that Marvin Gaye had in the original deals alot with the AIDS crisis, something that makes me very touched and jaded. But yes, I understand you're point with the MTV All Stars version. To each their own.
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"Josiah Leming is a weeping vagina"-CastorTroy
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| jman987654 |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 11:00am |
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Joined: 27 Mar 2007
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I think they pre-record the so-called "group harmonizing" parts of the song... the four of them could barely keep up with the melody and continue singing while they walked (David A. seemed to be PARTICULARLY inept at walking and singing simultaneously, you could almost see his lips moving while he counted to himself) and then suddenly when the chorus "Are you reelin' in the yeeeeeeears.." kicked in they had this beautiful fully-harmonized depth of sound. I call bullshit on that! David A.'s tempo was so off he could barely spit out the first verse he had to sing.
And why Steely Dan? Why "Reelin' In The Years?" This is an old old OLD song, what in God's name was the relevance or significance of choosing this schlocky song? I'd rather have seen them pull out an old boy-band song like BSB's "All I Have To Give" or N*SUCK's "This I Promise You" than that song!
Recent group efforts that I have thought were okay have included Annie Lennox's "Sing" from her recent album "Songs Of Mass Destruction"... she's got a crapload of current female artists all singing together, and I thought it was pretty stirring.
Also, back in the early 80's, Donna Summer scored the backup choir of death for her song "State Of Independence" (she had singing backup for her... Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, James Ingram, Michael McDonald, Lionel Richie, Brenda Russell, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Peggy Lipton, and Dyan Cannon) and whenever I hear that song it still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up... why can't Idol do something cool like that?
love, J-Mo :)
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See more of the Wacky World of J-Mo at http://blog.myspace.com/jman987654
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| Ravenbomb |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 12:10pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2007
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| KD30 |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 12:31pm |
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Joined: 27 Feb 2008
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SupedupX-no disrespect taken whatsoever. No worries!
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"Mutainted dog shit throwup face!"-Brittany 4/30/08 Mailbag
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| the_alpha_male |
| Posted: May 8, 2008 - 1:27pm |
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Joined: 20 Mar 2008
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the Traveling Wilburys' first album is a red hot lava bomb. Sorry, that sounds kind of gay coming from a white guy.
actually...it sounds kind of gay period.
but regardless...those five (Petty, Dylan, Lynne, Orbison, and Harrison) were in the zone, baby!
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"Don't ask how I came about it, but I just watched the "We Are the World" video. Priceless! We all seem to agree that the Idol group songs are cheesy. I can only think of a few [group songs], but I have the utmost faith in you to come up with some obscure and wonderful combinations of people... this may be more difficult than it seems." - Pizzamama
Ah… the dreaded group number. So tacky. But that doesn’t mean that all group songs are. As per Pizzamama’s request, I scanned my playlist for good group songs, which did, in fact, prove difficult. Nevertheless, below is a list of my favorite musical collaborations.
* I normally limit myself to just three suggestions, but this week I decided to list four. I wanted to cover as many musical tastes as humanly possible. Hopefully this will appease some of my detractors, who are all in a tizzy over the erroneous conclusion that I hate mainstream music (I have one word for you: “Disney”). Enjoy!
“Just Pretend” by the Bens (Ben Folds, Ben Lee, and Ben Kweller)
The fates aligned when these three identically christened indie-rockers came together for their Australian concert series and subsequent EP in 2003.
The Bens are all solo recording artists popular with the college radio crowd. All three split from successful bands (Noise Addict, Ben Folds Five, and Radish). They share a distinct Bob Dylan-esk flare for understated folk rock, which they mix with the power pop of this century. Folds’ bittersweet piano, Lee’s country folk guitar and the light tenors of all three voices make the Bens’ EP well worth its meager fifteen minutes.
I never noticed before, but Folds, Lee and Kweller kind of look alike too.
"A Star is Born" by Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Lillias White, Roz Ryan, and Vaneese Thomas (a.k.a. "The Muses")
This is that rousing gospel number at the close of Disney’s animated feature, Hercules. Having grown up with The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s old hand-drawn features have a special little nook in my heart. Hercules was when things were going down hill, but the film’s saving grace is the scene-stealing diva Muses, who in the unanimated world are actually an impressive gathering of some of Broadway’s best and biggest voices. The various Muses have graced the stage of Dreamgirls, Showboat, Chicago, and The Color Purple as well as won Tonys, Obies, Drama Logues, and Outer Critic Circles.
* If Freemantle and Disney ever work out their copyright issues (a sure sign of the Apocalypse), I whole-heartedly believe “A Star is Born” will show up on the Idol stage. It’s perfect---from the belting vocals to the lyrics about achieving stardom, plus that PG-rating. And Producers, that’s one cheesy group number I’d actually enjoy.
“It’s Okay (One Blood) Remix” by The Game, Jim Jones, Snoop Dogg, Nas, T.I., Fat Joe, Lil Wayne, N.O.R.E., Jadakiss, Styles P, Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Rick Ross, Twista, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, WC, E-40, Bun B, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, Young Dro, Clipse and Ja Rule (phew)
Now for a track that will never grace the Idol stage… not in a million, trillion years. As if the original “It’s Okay (One Blood)” from 2006's Doctor’s Advocate wasn’t great---it is---the Game managed to recruit 24 of rap’s biggest, who put aside their feuds to come together for this mother of all posse cuts. The various stylings of these rappers (from Snoop’s laid-back Californian rhymes to Twista’s quick fire, frantic lyrics) are set against a contagious beat that thumps through the bloodstream like a heart pump.
The Game also released three MORE remixes of the song; he divvied up his contributors by region and called the tracks the “Dirty South Remix,” “Westside Remix,” and “Eastside Remix.” It may be “one blood,” but there are at least five different versions of it floating around out there.
Beware: this hip-hop opus pushes twelve minutes.
“Yer Blues” by The Dirty Mac (John Lennon, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchell)
I know: there’s only one vocalist in this track (John Lennon). Nevertheless, I had to include the song in my list simply because… well… did you LOOK at who makes up the rest of the band?!
The Dirty Mac came together for one show: the Rolling Stones’ not very well received “Rock and Roll Circus.” The televised Circus took place in 1968 but wasn’t actually released for another thirty years because the Rolling Stones weren’t happy with their performances (apparently, they thought the Who outshined them). Nevertheless, the Dirty Mac was an exemplary uniting of some of rock’s biggest icons. The song was originally recorded by the Beatles for the White Album, and the Dirty Mac was ironically Lennon’s first performance without his not-yet former bandmates.
FYI: Next week I’ll be posting my “Suggestion Box,” a list of the best music suggestions I’ve received from readers and commenters. If you want to be included, get your suggestions in now!
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Got any ideas for upcoming Good Music Corners? Convince me at CaricaturesByLaura@yahoo.com
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