tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post6929901109243370220..comments2024-03-02T07:40:22.786+03:00Comments on Only Solitaire blog: Cat Stevens: Tea For The TillermanUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-57435001429143685682020-10-15T08:35:54.822+03:002020-10-15T08:35:54.822+03:00If cannot remember Joni's melodies, it might b...If cannot remember Joni's melodies, it might be that you just simply aren't used to acoustic-driven melodies. Most of Joni's best albums have a lot of very clear melodies.MrMojoRisinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13108191596444612879noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-42943768242351401742017-07-22T10:34:27.769+03:002017-07-22T10:34:27.769+03:00Seems like Cat/Yusuf noticed too, with him filing ...Seems like Cat/Yusuf noticed too, with him filing a lawsuit against the Lips. Even though he's no stranger to 'borrowing' either, what with 'I Love My Dog' and Yusef Lateef's 'The Plum Blossom'.<br />Ah well, only twelve notes I guess. Wait no, forgot microtones.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-44459518793365045782017-07-21T03:48:25.326+03:002017-07-21T03:48:25.326+03:00Ever notice that The Flaming Lips's Fight Test...Ever notice that The Flaming Lips's Fight Test sounds a lot like Father and Son?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-67921041663424384052017-07-16T20:46:09.823+03:002017-07-16T20:46:09.823+03:00Surely Father And Son is his out and out classic. ...Surely Father And Son is his out and out classic. Really gets me!Midnight Rockshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00299340585466896965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-89421324682304615532017-07-16T08:21:16.766+03:002017-07-16T08:21:16.766+03:00I know what you mean, but it took the whole album ...I know what you mean, but it took the whole album to wear me down. "Father & Son" reminds me of Wainwright's "Your Mother and I" in terms of how family-related crisis can be directly laid open. The cringe I feel probably comes from how they both cut right down into emotional bone without much musical anesthetic. Hide the authenticity, pain, and doubt of F&S, add some rip-roarin' bombast, and the exact same sentiment could easily come out as something like "Born to Be Wild". Carlo Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15917117446627317130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-48007720884453228422017-07-16T06:08:48.143+03:002017-07-16T06:08:48.143+03:00Weirdly 'Father and Son' was originally wr...Weirdly 'Father and Son' was originally written for a rock opera or stage musical (forget which) about the Russian Revolution called 'Revolussia', and the young man in question was going off to join the Revolution.<br />When the Revolussia project collapsed, Cat was happy to take the song out of its original context, feeling it'd make the song more relatable to a wider audience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-13676289370187710302017-07-15T23:52:34.501+03:002017-07-15T23:52:34.501+03:00Oh, I don't know, I think Father and Son quali...Oh, I don't know, I think Father and Son qualifies as great. It's one of the rare songs that I have, at points in my life, played it on repeat at least half a dozen times. Ilan Preskovskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00971332712956679744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-83492489466164310512017-07-15T22:31:21.054+03:002017-07-15T22:31:21.054+03:00The enduring cult film Harold & Maude most lik...The enduring cult film Harold & Maude most likely played an important role in giving this album its slow-burn inertia toward classic status. Its black-comedy tone de-cornifies (for lack of an actual word) the soundtrack tunes just enough to allow them to sink in.<br /><br />Case in point: I haven't been able to suppress a slight inner-cringe whenever I hear the naked, post-pubescent hang-uppery of "Father & Son" and "Sad Lisa", but I can somehow stomach the naked, post-pubescent hang-uppery of all the soundtrack tunes. I've learned to like the other songs over time, but maybe a cinematic treatment from Hal Ashby would have gotten me there sooner. Sometimes you need to be brainwashed into liking nice things.Carlo Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15917117446627317130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-16271594439725509212017-07-15T22:26:52.369+03:002017-07-15T22:26:52.369+03:00This comment has been removed by the author.Carlo Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15917117446627317130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-6168054547661539212017-07-15T18:11:55.416+03:002017-07-15T18:11:55.416+03:00With "charisma" I think you have hit the...With "charisma" I think you have hit the nail on the head with Cat Stevens, there is something almost shockingly "personal" about him, and this just comes over in the charisma of his voice. He is also a 1st rate producer and arranger something that becomes more apparent in his later albums.<br /><br />I would also say he offers far more in hooks and melodic variety than James Taylor, who I like. A few albums in and JT gets very limited.Midnight Rockshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00299340585466896965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-67632950750744749732017-07-15T14:17:06.150+03:002017-07-15T14:17:06.150+03:00I would say the greatness of many of these songs i...I would say the greatness of many of these songs is in their lack of pretension or experimentation. What's the difference between "very good" and "great"? Both depend on a level of excellence. But the latter seeks to stand out through difference while the former eschews complexity of uniqueness. As for originality WH Auden once said that the mark of a true artist is authenticity not originality. <br /><br />It seems to me we've gone so far down the road of pretension in music that it's become hard to tell what's even good anymore. CloudSurferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00147823143388632564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-77340057654921869702017-07-15T02:05:36.500+03:002017-07-15T02:05:36.500+03:00Chelsea Morning?
Love her songs. Less keen on her...Chelsea Morning?<br /><br />Love her songs. Less keen on her singing. Cat's voice is perfect here, and on the earlier stuff, but takes on a preachy tone as his songs start to get worse.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06614278412291704419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-84800723718611157662017-07-15T01:55:35.856+03:002017-07-15T01:55:35.856+03:00A lovely album, and a strikingly honest one. Troub...A lovely album, and a strikingly honest one. Trouble is, it left him with little more to say, and his work went into decline immediately afterwards.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06614278412291704419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-660808341284783109.post-67734850518275066252017-07-15T01:52:57.702+03:002017-07-15T01:52:57.702+03:00Ah, really man? Joni Mitchell? The challenging int...Ah, really man? Joni Mitchell? The challenging intricacies of her melodies are really challenging. In fact so challenging that I honestly cannot remember any of her melodies ever. Which gives me a suspicion they are non-existent. It is ten times harder to write a Cat-style, super simple yet memorable melody than all of that crap she churns out.<br />You're damn right about James Taylor though... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com