Page 3 of 8 FirstFirst 1234567 ... LastLast
Results 51 to 75 of 185

Thread: One Tune short of a Masterpiece.....

  1. #51
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    4,485
    ^I find 'A Passion Play' hard-going...but never more so than 'The Hare'. I find it unbearable, and wonder what they were thinking.

  2. #52
    Member No Pride's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Chicago, IL, USA
    Posts
    137
    Quote Originally Posted by simon moon View Post
    The entire concept of a 'potential' masterpiece being ruined by one track does not make sense to me.

    How does one track detract from the brilliance of the majority of the rest of the material on an album? The great stuff is no less great because of an inferior track.

    I've always rated bands and albums great by their best material, not downgraded them because of their worst. If an album has masterpiece level material with one or two mediocre songs, the album is still a masterpiece.
    Amen to that! I've never liked an XTC album in it's entirety, but they still have at least a half dozen albums that I consider to be brilliant. For me, one really strong track on an album negates another weak one.

    And before I even opened this thread, I knew there would be a bunch of opinions that I disagree with. One man's trash is another one's treasure, so it's stands to reason that someone's weakest track on an album can be another one's strongest. Trick of the Tail, Fountain of Salmacis, Siberian Khatru... those are all standout tunes in my book.

  3. #53
    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    I thought about including this in my list. It's certainly out of place.

    But on reflection the rest of APP is so pompous and hoity-toidy that "Hare" is the perfect antidote to let some of the air out.
    Now, we're just splitting hares.

    Even listening the first time as a kid, that's always been one of my favorite things about APP.
    Musically, it works a lot better than the album does.
    Maybe it was indeed shoehorned into the middle - but the whole album feels like it was shoehorned into existence.
    I also appreciate the fact it pisses so many people off, it's just a quaint, little interlude. Big deal.
    You could practically see Ian smiling, while everyone else had been sitting on the fence, scowling!

    It also was more of the Pythonesque humor that was utilized to break up the live TAAB concert.
    So for them, it felt right.

  4. #54
    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    The Past
    Posts
    1,900
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    I find A Passion Play hard-going...but never more so than 'The Hare'. I find it unbearable....
    I dig APP more now than in the past, and having excised "The Story of the Hare...." is a big reason why.
    Last edited by mogrooves; 05-17-2014 at 01:03 PM.
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  5. #55
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    4,485
    ^The last time I played it, I certainly found it more palatable than before. But that 'Hare' seems to go on longer than the whole of 'Thick As A Brick'!

    It's the classic 'shaggy dog story'- or 'shaggy hare story' in this case- of something that really leads nowhere.

  6. #56
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Boston
    Posts
    10,223
    I hate 'The Hare', it sucks donkey balls
    Ian

    Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
    https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/

    Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
    I blame Wynton, what was the question?
    There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.

  7. #57
    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Philly burbs PA
    Posts
    5,395
    Jeez, do you guys also dislike the middle part of Supper's Ready (ie the "mum to mud to mad to dad" and "dad diddley office" part)? I think the "hare" part of APP is a nice little break from the rest of the album. Yeah it sounds like it is a musical equivalent of a children's novel(well maybe not all of it. LOL)but I think it is a fun little tangent.

  8. #58
    Quote Originally Posted by NogbadTheBad View Post
    I hate 'The Hare', it sucks donkey balls
    Tell us what you really think.

  9. #59
    Quote Originally Posted by mx20 View Post

    "Parallels" on Going for the One is a waste of space, IMHO; scrap that one (or the title track, if you'd rather), or maybe just add a song to the album, and that LP would rise above the "it's great, man, considering it was the late 70s..." vibe.
    This I don't agree with. It may be one more Chris Squire recovery song but the corny lyrics are made up for by Steve Howe who is on fire during this track.

  10. #60
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    in a cosmic jazzy-groove around Brussels
    Posts
    6,091
    Quote Originally Posted by Rufus View Post
    DP's Machine Head . The Mule is the weak link.
    Trick of the Tale is also perfect minus Mad Man Moon.I detest that song!
    Can't agree with Wind & Wuthering, it is a masterpiece!
    I guess it's better to read such nonsense than be blind

    1- The Mule is not on Machine Head
    2- MMM is wonderfull
    3- YOSW is a worthy of a late 80's solo album... It downright sucks
    4- Only More Fool Me sucks on SEBTP


    ===============

    - Rainbow Rising's Do You Cliose Your Eyes ruins the album's cohesiveness
    - Hackett's Decomposing Man is so sick that it should be retitled Decomposing Brain, but there is at least another weaker track on it.
    - They might've taken away Awaken from GFTO, because it stops the album from being Yes' worst crud ever (bar Close Your Ears, of course )


    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    The only song on Sgt Pepper that I never "got" was "Good Morning, Good Morning". It's not bad enough to spoil the experience of listening to the album, but I just find the song a yawn.
    That feels fine in a normal Beatles ambiance... But Within You, Without You is really disturbing the album's course

    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    I thought about including this in my list. It's certainly out of place.

    But on reflection the rest of APP is so pompous and hoity-toidy that "Hare" is the perfect antidote to let some of the air out.
    Yup, indeed the awful Hare is totally out of context, but including some other tune (however excellent) woudn't have saved the album.
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  11. #61
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Posts
    4,485
    I lapped up everything Yes did in that classic period when I first discovered them. Looking on it objectively, 'Parallels' really isn't that great IMHO. I think a lot of that track's momentum was robbed by the cavernous production and the decision to play it on a church organ. Nobody can make a church organ rock! I don't skip past it or anything, but it's the weak link on that album by far IMHO.

  12. #62
    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Philly burbs PA
    Posts
    5,395
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    I lapped up everything Yes did in that classic period when I first discovered them. Looking on it objectively, 'Parallels' really isn't that great IMHO. I think a lot of that track's momentum was robbed by the cavernous production and the decision to play it on a church organ. Nobody can make a church organ rock! I don't skip past it or anything, but it's the weak link on that album by far IMHO.
    That's how I feel as well. The live version on Yesshows just blows it away. If only they used a synth on the studio track instead of the church organ. I'm actually not that big on "turn of the century" either but it doesn't ruin the album for me. While GFTO is still a great album it is the beginning of the downward slope for the band. I would say the equivalent for another group would be "Wind and Wuthering" or "Interview" maybe.

  13. #63
    I'm here for the moosic NogbadTheBad's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Boston
    Posts
    10,223
    Agree with 'do you close your eyes' being a huge weak link on Rising, auto skip
    Ian

    Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
    https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/

    Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
    I blame Wynton, what was the question?
    There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.

  14. #64
    Member WytchCrypt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    Greater Seattle Area
    Posts
    32
    Passion Play is my fave Tull album and The Hare is a perfect fit of surreal imagery in an overall surreal work, I think it's one of the most important sections of the album...kind of like the "218 babies wearing nylons" section of TAAB. Further, in the TAAB newspaper there is the article titled "Non-Rabbit Missing", so Tull's "Hare tendencies" had already been established before the Spectacles story. Of course on the Chateau D'Isaster recordings, many lyrics focus on various animals so perhaps "The Hare..." was just the same concept reintroduced in Passion Play
    Check out my solo project prog band, Mutiny in Jonestown at https://mutinyinjonestown.bandcamp.com/

    Check out my solo project progressive doom metal band, WytchCrypt at https://wytchcrypt.bandcamp.com/


  15. #65
    Recently Resurrected zombywoof's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Sunset Blvd.
    Posts
    385
    Quote Originally Posted by WytchCrypt View Post
    Yes - Close to the Edge
    I've never liked Siberian Khatru and think it keeps CTTE from perfection...I will admit I like the live Yessongs version much better though...
    For me, it's "And You and I" that spoils that record. Oh, and I love "Bungle in the Jungle". And I think "The Hare who Lost his Spectacles" is brilliant; I never got the hate for it as it is one of my favorite Tull moments.

  16. #66
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    16,529
    Quote Originally Posted by zombywoof View Post
    For me, it's "And You and I" that spoils that record. Oh, and I love "Bungle in the Jungle". And I think "The Hare who Lost his Spectacles" is brilliant; I never got the hate for it as it is one of my favorite Tull moments.
    You really think AYAI spoils CTTE? Man!

  17. #67
    I always found the last track on David Sylvian's classic "Secrets of the Beehive", "Forbidden Colours", to be a real letdown. Just doesn't fit the overall vibe of the rest of the album.

  18. #68
    Quote Originally Posted by Supersonic Scientist View Post
    Oh my...never thought I'd see THIS kind of statement on PE...However, I too like the Yessongs version better (for all 3 CttE tunes for that matter)
    ?! You really like the live Close To The Edge better than the studio version? Even though the usually great Alan White plays the intro as a straight 12/8 blues beat, thereby robbing it of all its rhythmic mystery and magic that Bruford put in?

  19. #69
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Fluffy Cloud
    Posts
    5,635
    Quote Originally Posted by flowerking View Post
    King Crimson - Red minus Providence
    Best thing on that sort of weak KC album, imo...
    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  20. #70
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Fluffy Cloud
    Posts
    5,635
    Quote Originally Posted by elliottnow View Post
    Led Zep's Kashmir- Physical Graffiti. Hate it. Love the rest.
    WOW
    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  21. #71
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    ^The last time I played it, I certainly found it more palatable than before. But that 'Hare' seems to go on longer than the whole of 'Thick As A Brick'!

    It's the classic 'shaggy dog story'- or 'shaggy hare story' in this case- of something that really leads nowhere.
    To my mind, it represents life here and now - before present day, and after we die, all kinds of metaphysical/miraculous/spiritual stuff happened in the past or awaits us in the future - but here, in this brief lifetime, many of us wind up frittering the time away on complete nonsense - and THAT is my interpretation of that whimsical, goes-nowhere, cheeky little interlude in the album.

  22. #72
    Quote Originally Posted by NogbadTheBad View Post
    Echolyn - Mei is pretty much ruined by that long track
    What a brilliant answer! I never cared for Mei, I'm glad I'm not the only one.

  23. #73
    Progga mogrooves's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    The Past
    Posts
    1,900
    Groundhogs ~ Hogwash: "Mr. Hooker, Sir John"
    Steve Miller ~ Children of the Future: "Key To the Highway"
    KC ~ Lizard: "Lady of The Dancing Water"
    Stones: Aftermath: "Goin' Home"
    Hendrix ~ Axis:....: "She's So Fine"
    Trower ~ Twice Removed from Yesterday: "Ballerina"
    Last edited by mogrooves; 05-18-2014 at 01:08 PM.
    Hell, they ain't even old-timey ! - Homer Stokes

  24. #74
    Suspended
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    32S 116E
    Posts
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    'Sloop John B' on 'Pet Sounds', for similar reasons- big hit but doesn't fit!
    Of course it was record company policy at the time to include the hit single on the album, whether the artists wished it or not. I think it's a little out of place, but I like it and don't mind its inclusion too much.

    On the other hand, my first vinyl copy of Sunflower included the Beach Boys' version of Cottonfields. It had to - it was a No. 1 hit. It felt totally out of place on that album, but fortunately it was track 1, so after it played I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the album.

  25. #75
    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Philly burbs PA
    Posts
    5,395
    Quote Originally Posted by flowerking View Post
    What a brilliant answer! I never cared for Mei, I'm glad I'm not the only one.

    I could never understand all the love for this one either. I don't hate it but it's about 35 minutes too long.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •