Excellent Parky show last week with the interview with Sir John
Dankworth and Dame Cleo Lane, both of them, incredibly, 80 years old
but still very much going strong. Interesting acecdote with Cleo
appearing on the same bill with Frank Sinatra at the Albert Hall some
years back when he was about 70. Strangely I remember reading reviews
of that concert at the time in The Observer, and Dame Cleo and Sir
John many years later confirmed the ten controversial impressions of
that reviewer that Frank was past his best, as they remembered he had
difficulty remembering the words of songs.

Both Parky and his guest commented on Carly Simon having a "wonderful
voice" for her record of Coming Around Again. On listening again, I
had to concede that she has a good voice, but that the arrangement was
so awful or nonexistent--standard automated pop record backing, so you
would not notice the quality of the voice. To me that is the strength
of the big band song format--it is the whole gestalt, the dialogue
between the voice as one instrument and other solo and collective
instrumentst punctuating, commenting, and restating elements from the
lyrics. The Simon song had nothing, but astute of Parky to recognize
the quality of her voice. I never would unless I heard her doing a
standard and had a means of comparison to one of the greats.

I always listen a week behind, but looking forward to this week's
guest, Michael Feinstein.

Thus spake jmm1951 (jmm1951@gmail.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

> Both Parky and his guest commented on Carly Simon having a "wonderful
> voice" for her record of Coming Around Again. On listening again, I
> had to concede that she has a good voice, but that the arrangement was
> so awful or nonexistent [...]

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Carly Simon's material. 
'Coming Around Again' is a good one (nothwithstanding jmm1951's comments),
but that other one in which she seems to sing only "Lah-di-da-di-dah" or
"why does your love hurt so much" drives me round the bend whenever I hear
it.

-- 
                                 Andy Clews
                            University of Sussex
                 *** Remove DENTURES if replying by email ***

A.Clews@DENTURESsussex.ac.uk wrote:
>
> I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Carly Simon's material.
> 'Coming Around Again' is a good one (nothwithstanding jmm1951's
> comments), but that other one in which she seems to sing only
> "Lah-di-da-di-dah" or "why does your love hurt so much" drives me
> round the bend whenever I hear it.

"Why?" (that's the title of the song, not a question!). I agree, it is a bit 
insipid.

I quite like "Nobody Does It Better", the Bond theme.

On Nov 14, 7:03 am, A.Cl...@DENTURESsussex.ac.uk wrote:
> Thus spake jmm1951 (jmm1...@gmail.com) unto the assembled multitudes:
>
> > Both Parky and his guest commented on Carly Simon having a "wonderful
> > voice" for her record of Coming Around Again. On listening again, I
> > had to concede that she has a good voice, but that the arrangement was
> > so awful or nonexistent [...]
>
> I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Carly Simon's material.
> 'Coming Around Again' is a good one (nothwithstanding jmm1951's comments),
> but that other one in which she seems to sing only "Lah-di-da-di-dah" or
> "why does your love hurt so much" drives me round the bend whenever I hear
> it.
>
> --
>                                  Andy Clews
>                             University of Sussex
>                  *** Remove DENTURES if replying by email ***


Yes, I enjoyed the song while it was playing. Carly Simon songs have a
kind of pub singalong quality. It is just that you want to hear them
once or twice and that is it--the throwaway factor. There is no way
that every time you hear the song you will pick up on something
different and be surprised and delighted.

The Parky music on this show was so-so. The best item was:

FASCINATING RHYTHM'
Artist: JANE MONHEIT
Album: MARK O'CONNOR'S HOT SWING TRIO IN FULL
Label: ODYSSEY

A nice swingy Stephane Grappelli soundalike. I was able to buy a
(used, but good condition) CD that contained a live version of
O'Connor doing this song and other swing numbers off Amazon for the
ridiculous price of $1.24 (about 60 pence in UK) plus $2.98 shipping.

Thus spake Jack Taylor (Jack@carney.co.uk) unto the assembled multitudes:
> A.Clews@DENTURESsussex.ac.uk wrote:

>> "Lah-di-da-di-dah" or "why does your love hurt so much" drives me
>> round the bend whenever I hear it.

> "Why?" (that's the title of the song, not a question!). I agree, it is a bit 
> insipid.

I would subscribe to the latter meaning - i.e. "why was it ever released".

And a *bit* insipid?  That's a bit of an understatement.  It's a filler
track if ever there was one; that's if any album is unfortunate enough to
include this track.  When I hear it I imagine how Ms Simon wrote the
lyrics.... possibly in about two minutes flat and on the back of a postage
stamp.  Even the backing music sounds manufactured and machine-like.
Dreadful.  Definitely in my Top Ten most irritating songs (together with "I
Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston).

> I quite like "Nobody Does It Better", the Bond theme. 

Yes, that's a good one, and I always enjoy hearing "You're so vain". I
remember latching on to it because I was - and still am - into astronomy
and she mentioned a "total eclipse of the sun" - dead cool, I thought :-)
That song itself must bring her a tidy little sum in royalties.



-- 
                                 Andy Clews
                            University of Sussex
                 *** Remove DENTURES if replying by email ***

>> "Lah-di-da-di-dah" or "why does your love hurt so much" drives me
>> round the bend whenever I hear it.
>
> "Why?" (that's the title of the song, not a question!). I agree, it is a 
> bit insipid.

That's one of my all time favourites by Carly Simon, I've even got a copy on 
7" vinyl knocking around!
Each to their own I suppose!