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Re: There's a story Analog Days: History of The Moog Synthesizer about Harrison by mark 10/12/2011, 9:54pm PDT
Great story about Harrison -- I'd heard Electronic Sound but neither understood a) why/how he did it and b) why his lame take on Musique Concrète is supposed to be noteworthy. The fact it was a Moog session player literally dicking around makes perfect sense.

Fullofkittens wrote:


WRT the rest of the Beatles' post-Beatles output, I've encountered a few people throughout life - and these are smart, tasteful people - that swear that McCartney's albums are better than the Beatles' albums. I don't really see it, but I see what they're getting at: McCartney's solo records are big, complex albums with lots of cool textures and experimental recordmaking techniques, and they kind of retain a vibe that works. You know how Rolling Stones records always seem to work as great film music, but Beatles music would never work as film music? McCartney's solo records work more like Stones records in that regard.


My take is this: there are great things about the McCartney solo/Wings records, but with a few exceptions, he comes across as incredibly self-satisfied and lazy. Big and complex? I suppose that's true in the case of Band on the Run but not true of Ram, Wild Life, Mars and Venus (I think), Wings at the Speed Of Sound, etc. All those records have one, big, labored pop song, 50% inane, throw-away ditties, and then a few groove-based songs that don't really go anywhere but are pretty cool (70s Rolling Stones style?). I love those records! But they aren't that complicated in the "every element/song carries some importance to the overall construction of the record." I think you could more or less swap the songs around in those records and no one would know the difference. I agree about the experimental recording/studio nerdistry/gear-head aspect of McCartney -- McCartney II and the tracks produced around it are utterly insane synth/sampler work-outs that are pretty great and not entirely listenable.

Anyway, McCartney's solo work is the best of the lot, and often really good. If John had only released the Plastic Ono records and Imagine he'd be untouchable, the others, while clearly the work of a actual artist, are often horrendous. The Harrison solo material is generally uninspired garbage, All Things Must Pass excepted.

Next: Yoko Ono vs Billy Preston!
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Why do insufferable hipsters like "All Things Must Pass" so much? by motherfuckerfoodeater 10/11/2011, 2:57pm PDT NEW
    It fits a narrative? by mark 10/11/2011, 6:21pm PDT NEW
        There's a story Analog Days: History of The Moog Synthesizer about Harrison by Fullofkittens 10/11/2011, 6:50pm PDT NEW
            Re: There's a story Analog Days: History of The Moog Synthesizer about Harrison by mark 10/12/2011, 9:54pm PDT NEW
 
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