MLT Club Member Daryl Jones
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
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I’ve been a huge Elton John fan since the mid 70’s when he and the band first really started to rattle the music world. The Too Low For Zero album and Breaking Hearts album signified a resurgence in his music collaborations with Bernie Taupin after a brief hiatus on more or less his own due to some other issues in Sir Elton’s life. I did enjoy his Single Man album during that time, it was different and had a melancholy tone that likely told some stories of his broken relationships and personal troubles.
But the two early/mid 80’s albums and resulting tours offered up Sad Songs (Breaking Hearts) and the previous I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues (Too Low For Zero) that were more in the bluesy “tear jerker” genre, especially with Stevie Wonder playing the harp on I Guess That’s Why. I consider Nikita (Ice On Fire ’85) a sad song as well, but with a positive/hopeful dreamlike undertone. Something that I think we have all felt with an unrequited love experience in our lives; bitter but sweet. If you want to go way back to the Don’t Shoot Me days, High Flying Bird is definitely a song of sorrow.
And of course, Empty Garden (Jump Up ’82) is a sad but loving tribute to John Lennon. A very heartfelt song that he decided could only be performed live in NYC. I can attest to that, his tour in ’97 played all over the world, but he only played it in NYC. I was at that show/tour a couple months before my 50th birthday in Edmonton, and it was noticeably missing from the songlist….everything else was the same. But it was part of the show in MSG, when he announced the reasoning why. Doesn’t get much more poignant and sad than that.
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I was more than moved when I saw this last night on my FB page. The harmonies, the subtle guitar/instrumentals, and most of all the “feel” of the song. To put it plainly, I was blown away and deeply moved.
I mentioned in the FB reply that I hadn’t heard Ringo and Paul’s version (with some of George’s pre-recorded dubs) yet, and I still haven’t. And I might not need to. This works for me as is. But in fairness to Paul and Ringo, I really should… -
This certainly isn’t for everybody, but guitarists that like to experiment and push the envelope to serious extremes are rather few. Steve is one that really goes to any length in his work, always finding different ways to express himself. Yeah, it’s waaaay out there, but I find it mesmerizing.
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For sure West side Story belongs in the list, and I’ve seen the latest version too. I was very young when the original film came out, and I never saw any stage versions of any big show other than Fiddler On The Roof (another very worthy mention) about 10-12 years back and 6 years ago Phantom in NYC which literally had me shaking in my seat!
There is so much to experience musically in both stage and screen theater…. -
I’ve seen lots of cold at Halloween throughout my life. But lots of very mild nights/days as well. As a young boy, I remember wearing just a t-shirt and jeans under my costume it was so warm. I also remember on night in high school when it was 25 below Fahrenheit with a foot of snow on the ground. Some intelligent fool thought it would be cool to open a fire hydrant downtown that night. the ensuing flood and ice was a pain for a month afterward. Never did hear if they caught the culprit.
This year it was mild, above freezing with just a skiff of white stuff in the shaded areas. The lake is frozen over (early for here) and the bay in front of my house has been skinned over solid for over two weeks. I used to try and water ski on my birthday (when I was young and full of something other than blood in my veins) two days before Halloween. Actually did it a couple times too.🤣 -
Mine hasn’t arrived yet, but I have noticed the ring before. It’s always on her right hand. I don’t recall which of the girls mentioned family aspirations, but they both agreed they have hopes of having children of their own one day. For the sake of the world I certainly hope so. 😍
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I’m not going to post the album links, but I’ve got a couple that ring loudly for me. The first one is (to me) very obvious and unless I missed it, nobody even mentioned it:
Rogers & Hammerstein’s “Sound Of Music” has to be one of the biggest movie soundtracks of all time.
Earnest Gold’s “Exodus” was also huge, the title song pulls at me from my much younger concert band days, a stirring and deep work of stellar symphonic proportions. Not that I was ever at that level of proficiency…In more modern scopes, Good Morning Vietnam is one of my favorites that covered the antics of Sgt Adrian Cronauer’s battle with “the establishment” as was fitting for the times of the Vietnam War. Some of the generation’s greatest rock and roll songs added flavor to a touching and poignant depiction of both affection and injustice within one of the most controversial times in modern military history. Not just for the US, but the whole world. Not unlike right now, but that’s a whole other thing.
But so much is put into the soundtracks of film that adds mood and feel to the big screen. I think it is often overlooked and taken for granted. I have a musician friend that writes and composes soundtracks for a living, and it is very interesting to hear him talk about what he does. The man is humble, but oh so brilliant. Plays a pretty mean guitar too. -
I’ve always enjoyed Halloween, still do. Love seeing the kids’ getup and usually decorate the outside of the house to set the mood. I’ve even gone so far as to hide outside in a ghoul or samurai costume complete with sound effects on a boom box.
I’ve always been an Alice Cooper fan, and saw all his tour performances that came to Edmonton, although I was a tad younger in those days haha. The stage shows were always very impressive! I hope I get to see another show with Nita Straus on lead guitar, she’s amazing!
Hope everybody has a Happy Halloween!
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I may have mentioned this (or not) in the Sad Songs post, but this was one he did in the 2007 tour that was for me the most memorable and (if there is such a thing) perfect concerts Elton John ever played. It was a triple header birthday that fall; Elton had just turned 60, I was turning 50 and a long time dear friend that was with us was turning 40. Elton and crew nailed absolutely everything that night and the crowd was mesmerized from the opening notes to when the final encore died away. Kathy never sat down all night, she danced the whole way through; and I sang every song. Couldn’t have been too terrible either, the lady next to me was very complimentary. “Do you actually know all the words?” she asked about 2/3 of the way through. “Yep, every one of them.” The only thing missing was Empty Garden which I did speak on in the other post.
But this one literally gave me chills and when it was done I had tears running down my cheeks. In this video, you can see how animated the children were in their accompaniment, I hope they will remember that night, and how incredibly fortunate they were to play a part in an unforgettable night with a music superstar. Sometimes “live” is so much more than the recorded version… -
Dennis had a vocal style that was unique and instantly recognizable. So much of that whole album was so characteristic of the way they put themselves into their music. And yeah, their lifestyle habits never detracted from the end product. I never saw them live until finally the mid 80’s when they had cooled their jets a tad, like so many groups had to as time caught up with the haywire activities and the long term abuse took its toll.
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Chris, from the old into one of the more recent of Elton’s songs that have that melancholy yet somehow uplifting quality he is so good at. It has become one of my favorite cuts he’s ever done. Which is pretty hard given I love just about everything he does. I have struggled a bit with trying to make it work on a guitar, but it’s getting there. I have managed a couple of his other songs (Your Song is relatively easy) but I’ll get there eventually. This one is from The Diving Board, clearly one of his most piano driven albums in a very long time.
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Tim, some of us had the good fortune to meet with Ray Sawyer at a local gig here in town some years ago. A bunch of us just happened to be outside the venue between sets (reasons not important or why I was out there, merely friend associations) when this fellow just walked up and started talking to the crew. Never introduced himself, but myself and a couple others that were long time fans recognized him (but didn’t say anything) just let him be himself and enjoy some small conversation. Really cool personable dude.
Their music style changed in the 80’s, and really gave the group a new fan base from those of us that were a tad, em, “older”. Us more senior types identified more with Cover Of The Rolling Stone, Queen Of The Silver Dollar, Sylvia’s Mother era, but came to enjoy the smoother mellower songs of the early 80’s too. -
Maureen, you can download the YouTube version if you have a paid membership. I bought one to download backing tracks and instrumentals for use at small gigs with my tablet. That way I don’t need Wi-fi or internet service where I’m playing. I just plug my tablet into one of my amps and away I go. You can also save any YouTube song (or video) to your own list for free as long as you have service, you just can’t play it where there is none.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by Daryl Jones.
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This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by
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That was my feeling on Phantom as well, amazing theatrical stage and set-up! I should check out the Carol King one.
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I haven’t seen any of those rundowns. But I have watched several of Nita’s interviews and followed her playing career quite a bit. And yes, she is a fabulous guitarist. Plus most players of her ability and fame have heavily modified and/or factory one-offs and have a team of luthiers and techs at their immediate disposal to deal with every little whim that us mere mortals just can’t afford.
Interesting piece of info: guitar God Joe Bonamassa actually doesn’t even own his personal guitars, he has a special holding company that owns all his gear. And as gifted and great a player as he is, he’s very adamant that effects and pedals are unnecessary to get the tones and feel he produces. Which is great… if you are Joe Bonamassa. Very few of us are or ever will be that level of expertise.
I’ve yet to pick up an Ibanez guitar that feels “right” in my hands, but since I’m a pretty dedicated PRS fan/player, I have a very defined fit and feel for electric guitar necks and fretboards. True, PRS can be very pricy instruments, which is why I stick to the SE and S2 lineups for affordability reasons. Core models are waaaay out of my playing ability (can you say justifiable?) and price range. I also don’t care for Gibson Les Pauls or Fender Strats because of price levels on the American made models. The MIM or even Japanese Strats and Epiphones/Squires just don’t do it for me either. I also really dislike the headstock angles on the Gibson LP along with their weight. Another reason why I have a PRS Hollowbody II (the one in my video) instead of a 335 or a Gretsch. Which is also why I don’t have a Fender Tele, they are just too heavy for my liking as much as they are great instruments, I almost bought one a few years ago, but the weight killed it.
I love the build quality and playability of my (Canadian made) Seagull acoustics and of course their price point agrees with my wallet compared to Martins and Taylors of similar build and tone quality. They are typically double what I paid for my S6 and S12 for a similar sounding and smooth, light fret action machine. But certainly the Martin and Taylor are (better) very fine guitars. My other acoustic is a Yamaha FG800, a relative bargain price (entry level actually) for a good sounding and well voiced guitar that I am not afraid to take and play anywhere, they are far better than the price would indicate.Boy, doesn’t take much to make me run off at the mouth does it…