macarthur park - crap/not crap

[Dubversion]

i do think they were pretty much just a European phenomenon. But we probably wouldn't have had the 'singular vocal stylings' of Julian Cope, Jarvis Cocker, even Nick Cave, without them

 

[Major Tom]

i dunno.. was it really so removed from things like The Walker Brothers et al? there was a lot of big orchestral pop and overblown nonsense (not, heaven forfend, that i would EVER accuse the Walker Brothers of being overblown nonsense)

Even The Dame himself was a bit partial to over the top orchestral nonsense back in 1969

 

[Major Tom]

i do think they were pretty much just a European phenomenon. But we probably wouldn't have had the 'singular vocal stylings' of Julian Cope, Jarvis Cocker, even Nick Cave, without them

or Bowie circa 76 onwards

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

I'm not sure which is more surprising: that you've never heard of them, or that they weren't well-known in Canada.

Genuinely, I thought they were incredibly well-known.

Why? There are lots of acts that are popular in one country, but just don't click in another.

Look at Bill Hicks, or David Hasselhof.

 

[Major Tom]

Why? There are lots of acts that are popular in one country, but just don't click in another.

Look at Bill Hicks, or David Hasselhof.

i was surprised too

i think its cos you don;t expect a US band of that stature to have failed to make any inroads in their own country.

 

[Sunspots]

you need to hear The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore and Make It Easy On Yourself. Big orchestral heartbreaking pop at its finest. And now Scott Walker - one of the weirder 60s survivors - makes 'challenging' art / rock / chamber music.

After The Lights Go Out, Montague Terrace In Blue, Plastic Palace People, Jackie.

All my favourite Walker Brothers/Scott Walker tracks have incredible orchestration, and were no less a product of the mid-to-late sixties than anything else going on at the time. Look at sunshine pop too: full of orchestration!

 

[Sunspots]

Why? There are lots of acts that are popular in one country, but just don't click in another.

Look at Bill Hicks, or David Hasselhof.

Yeah, I'm well aware of that phenomenon. I just didn't realise The Walker Brothers weren't more famous outside of the UK.

Thanks to this thread (-and equally to Wikipedia! ), I've learnt that No Regrets was a Tom Rush composition. Live and learn, eh...

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

i was surprised too

i think its cos you don;t expect a US band of that stature to have failed to make any inroads in their own country.

That's the point: they had no stature here.

Strange things happen. To my recollection, Nazareth had its largest following outside Scotland, in Alberta Canada.

http://www.tsimon.com/walker.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walker_Brothers

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

you need to hear The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore and Make It Easy On Yourself. Big orchestral heartbreaking pop at its finest. And now Scott Walker - one of the weirder 60s survivors - makes 'challenging' art / rock / chamber music.

I'll have to download it.

But by your description, it becomes clearer why brits would like something like Richard Harris singing Macarthur Park.

[shudder]

 

[flangelina]

The Richard Harris version of Macarthur Park is a classic! So OTT and camp as bottled coffee. He's like a drunk uncle at a wedding giving it all the the whiskey-sodden sincerity that he can. Wonderful! I'd have loved to have seen him performing this live. What would he have done during the instrumental wig-out in the middle? It's a case of 'so bad, it's good'.

 

[spanglechick]

i saw this on t "the greatest one hit wonders of all time" the other day, including an obviously completely fucked richard harris wigging out during the instrumental.

It is, in the truest sense of the word, phenomenal. About seven minutes long, and with an off pitch vocal - it gives me a kind of happy feeling about humanity that such a song could be a hit.

 

[killer b]

the only thing that puts me off doing it at the kareoke is the fact that it's 7 minutes long... i got caught out with 'rappers delight', never again.

 

[Reno]

That's the point: they had no stature here.

Strange things happen. To my recollection, Nazareth had its largest following outside Scotland, in Alberta Canada.

http://www.tsimon.com/walker.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walker_Brothers

Ever heard Nazareth's cover of Joni Mitchell's This flight Tonight ? It's priceless. Nazareth's version of Love Hurts was the last song at school disco in the mid. 70's.

 

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

The poll says it - nothing touched by the godlike hand of Jimmy Webb is remotely crap.

 

[Dubversion]

can i recommend the Long John Baldry version? which kicks off with a bit of Carmina Burana

mint!

 

[Flashman]

I think it's incredible, there's nothing quite like it.

Only heard the Harris version.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Ever heard Nazareth's cover of Joni Mitchell's This flight Tonight ? It's priceless. Nazareth's version of Love Hurts was the last song at school disco in the mid. 70's.

Of course I have. In fact, I think I heard it before I heard Joni Mitchell's version. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I ever heard a Joni Mitchell version of it....

I'm from Alberta. But so is Joni.


A few years ago, we were driving through Wyoming one summer, and we come across this canyon, and you could hear music reverberating through the valley. Turns out there's a Nazareth concert. I went up to the gate to enthuse about Nazareth, but the organizers and all the attendees were heavy duty white bikers and biker chicks. The conversation didn't go too far, and we kept driving.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

can i recommend the Long John Baldry version? which kicks off with a bit of Carmina Burana

mint!

Long John Baldry doing Macarthur Park? Now that's really sick.

Don't try to lay no schmaltzy bullshit on the king of rock and roll.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

The poll says it - nothing touched by the godlike hand of Jimmy Webb is remotely crap.

I feel like the Spartans at Thermopylae.

 

[yardbird]

The song was so jarringly out of place in the context of its times.

That was part of the point!

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

That was part of the point!

But it wasn't intended to be out of context. They thought they were doing a good thing.

 

[yardbird]

Long John Baldry doing Macarthur Park? Now that's really sick.

Don't try to lay no schmaltzy bullshit on the king of rock and roll.

And John would have laughed in your face.

And gently stroked your bum.
He would have thought you unsophisticated and expained that he was the KING of nothing.
And invited you home!

"I'll sing what I choose, dear boy"

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

And John would have laughed in your face.

And gently stroked your bum.
He would have thought you unsophisticated and expained that he was the KING of nothing.
And invited you home!

"I'll sing what I choose, dear boy"

I know: he lived in Vancouver. I think he liked the freedom of the gay culture here.

 

[yardbird]

But it wasn't intended to be out of context..

Yes it was!

 

[Shreddy]

i saw this on t "the greatest one hit wonders of all time" the other day, including an obviously completely fucked richard harris wigging out during the instrumental.

It is, in the truest sense of the word, phenomenal. About seven minutes long, and with an off pitch vocal - it gives me a kind of happy feeling about humanity that such a song could be a hit.

SCTV also did a comedy spoof of it back in the early 80's (as a Richard Harris 'comeback performance' at the fictional 'Melonville' dinner theatre, where they were also shooting it for one of those 'newfangled rock videos'). I forget who played the Richard Harris character (think it was Dave Thomas), but during that very same stunningly over-the-top instrumental break you mention, 'Mr. Harris' couldn't quite 'wig out' as planned 'cuz he was too shitfaced!

Fucking brilliant. I love it all.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Yes it was!

They should have told somebody, and they also should have limited its airplay.

Also, back in those days, the mere fact that it got airplay meant that it was mainstream. Anything decent back then was 'underground', and ignored by radio and other media, for the most part.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

SCTV also did a comedy spoof of it back in the early 80's (as a Richard Harris 'comeback performance' at the fictional 'Melonville' dinner theatre, where they were also shooting it for one of those 'newfangled rock videos'). I forget who played the Richard Harris character (think it was Dave Thomas), but during that very same stunningly over-the-top instrumental break you mention, 'Mr. Harris' couldn't quite 'wig out' as planned 'cuz he was too shitfaced!

Fucking brilliant. I love it all.

You're such a canadian.

 

[yardbird]

They should have told somebody, and they also should have limited its airplay.

Also, back in those days, the mere fact that it got airplay meant that it was mainstream. Anything decent back then was 'underground', and ignored by radio and other media, for the most part.

It snuck in the back door( LJB would have liked that!)

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Hey, we forgot about Weird Al's version, which I do like:


Jurassic Park
Weird Al

I recall the time they found those fossilized mosquitoes and before long they
were cloning DNA
Now I'm being chased by some irate velociraptors
Well believe me...This has been one losy day

Jurassic Park is frightening in the dark
All the dinosaurs are running wild
Somoeone shut the fence off in the rain
I admit it's kind of eerie
But this proves my chaos theory
And I don't think I'll be coming back again
Oh no

I cannot approve of this attraction
'Cause getting bisembowled always makes me kind of mad
A huge Tyrannosaurus ate our lawyer
Well I suppose that proves...they're really not all bad

Jurassic Park is frightening in the dark
All the dinosaurs are running wild
Someone let T. Rex out of his pen
I'm afraid thos things will harm me
'Cause they sure don't act like Barney
And they think that I'm they're dinner not their friend
Oh no

Jurassic Park is frightening in the dark
All the dinosaurs are running wild
What a crummy weekend this has been
Well this sure ain't no E-ticket
Tink I'll tell 'em where to stick it
'Cause I'm never coming back this way again
Oh no...Oh no

 

[yardbird]

They should have told somebody, and they also should have limited its airplay.

Also, back in those days, the mere fact that it got airplay meant that it was mainstream. Anything decent back then was 'underground', and ignored by radio and other media, for the most part.

Please talk to me about "back in those days".
Bollocks. You probably realise that I was there.

...Like ..there ..man....
I'll come up with some mainstream/underground tracks, but I need to sleep on it.
crash