Re: Goats Head Soup revisited
Date: January 21, 2007 09:42
if i try to compare it with others in that general time period, which is usually a fun exercise, i get lost...i mean after banguet, bleed, gyyyo, sf and exiles...holy moly...all of those are the holy grail for me...(also dug each and every brian era album--every single one, and i include banquet in those)...so how does anyone, including the boyz compete with that conceptually, never mind musically? whew.
so if i just take it on it's own merits, accept it for what it's offering independent of any other albums, it pops 8 out of ten songs for me every time.
it sounds warm and real and connected...i really love keith's singing all thru this album, not just his mega sterling vocal turn on cda. charlie, bill...whoa, everybody's there...it does not sound like they are 'going thru the motions' on this stuff...listen to bill's bass on mr. d...whoa, i can't say enough about wyman, ever.
silver train a stand out...that jet engine mercury sound, harp echoing the electric lines...i go to that youtube version a few times a month just for the rush...and charlie can't help but smile this perfect expression around 2:45 as mick really is hopping about like mad...that one woulda popped out on eoms or any other album i think...
a lot of 'em are standouts for me...and i appreciate the re-visitation invitation, i'm getting off on listening to it as i read these posts...
i'd never seen those rockman shots before; ty so much for that...
they look really tired and/or drugged to me in those shots...elegantly wasted, but in a sad, rather than exuberant way, knowing as i do now, how much H and other stuff was gonna make havoc out of their process before too very long.
that quote from keith that rockman posted confused me tho...kinda like, 'it didn't really work the way we wanted, but it's not jimmy's fault except that it showed us we really needed to get rid of jimmy' kinda thing...ohhhkkaaayyy, whatEVER...(it's hard to know from just a quote whether keith had some real reason for this or what's exactly on his mind with that; had jimmy changed, or was he having personal problems at the time which was affecting his work or his work relationships? miller i mean?
i start comparing and thinking of all the studio albums up to that time and it's the most amazing catalog of brilliant songs and performances, and i get humbled and grateful.
angie is lovely, winter is lovely (tho upon first release i thought it overwrought and used to make a little gentle fun of mick's hyper-emotinalism on that, my girl friend and i would sing and stutter along in a faux hyper emotional stutter and crack each other up toward the coda)...but in good fun, not cruel...
van should cover 'winter' ohmygod. moody old van shoulda answered the door in frisco when mick came knockin' and said "ok, thanks i'll guest with you guys, let's work up Winter..."(short of that kinda push, it'll never happen)
comin' down again is totally, totally super bitchin' and lovely, genuinely moving...several of 'em actually. wonderful album and awful good comments here, ty for the re-visit.