Guest Timothy Connelly
GuestForum Replies Created
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Like Rich, I’m very appreciative for the update on the musical background of Rudolf and Michaela! Thanks Mona for all the time you guys put into everything.
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Daniel,
I hear what you’re saying but I don’t agree with you at all. I don’t think Lisa tries to hit the exact same notes or play all that many of the songs the exact same way as the original artists unless there’s a specific reason. In Revolution she adds a solo at the end that’s not in the original and her guitar solo in the middle is very dissimilar to the Beatles version. In this case dissimilar and better. In While My Guitar Gently Weeps, rather than trying ti imitate Clapton- which everybody else tries to do- she plays the guitar more like George would have likely played it. They use acoustic guitars in When I’m 64 and play at a whole different tempo. They also play Maxwell without anything like the Beatles arrangement. The intricate guitar solo from Time of the Season is completely different from the original with Lisa’s work completely fresh and new– I could keep going.
The Twins cover the Beatles and were inspired by them. They do not try and mimic them or play their songs the same way. In I saw Her Standing There, George’s lead is so iconic that Lisa does play it note for note as a show of respect.
In White Room, she similarly recognizes that Clapton’s guitar solo- though wonderful- sounds like it was recorded 50 years ago. So she modernizes the feel of the guitar. It doesn’t have that unique psychedelic sound to it but Lisa has already proven she can play that on Nothing is in Vain- she wanted to give the song a better chance to be given love in 2018.I appreciate and respect your thoughts my friend and love to hear your thoughts on these matters. We may sometimes disagree but that’s half the fun!
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Although I agree with everything you said about the acoustic version, i think it also shows what a wizard Rudolf is in the studio. The Twins do an amazing job on this live performance. But the recording quality doesn’t hold a candle to the studio version. The arrangement, the vocal mix, the engineering on Orange – it all adds up to a perfect recording.
You can really hear how good the Twins sound both on guitar and vocally in the acoustic live version. But it doesn’t have the sense of perfection in the sound quality you get when Rudolf controls the whole process. Not complaining- if the Twins make this available for purchase- count me in. The same goes for the live performance on the radio show- where I think the sound quality is terrific. -
Howard,
Thanks for the excellent commentary. And you’re right. I should have known that. But shoulda, coulda, woulda- I didn’t!
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Great work, Howard! I picked up the obvious references- you picked the more obscure.
It occurred to me while reading your post that the lines from their own cover of the Sebastian penned Daydream also apply;
And even if time has passing me by a lot
I couldn’t care less about the dues you say I got
Tomorrow I’ll pay the dues for droppin’ my load
A pie in your face for bein’ a sleepy bulltoad -
Howard- thanks for the wonderful history lesson regarding Across the Universe. I think at some point I knew much of that but it all seems fresh and new the way you tell it. You have a great gift for conveying a lot of information in a few short paragraphs.
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Thanks Michael,
Proceed as planned and I know I speak for everybody here that we look forward to your 26 questions! (I made a longer post earlier but some demons stole it away)
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Hey Steve,
I also love Hotel California! Hard to believe they were only 14 when they recorded that. I think The Commissioner is one of the most incredible songs in their catalog. It has fabulous energy but it isn’t representative of their music- that’s why I didn’t include it. I think Hotel California fits into the same category- fantastic song but a mid 70’s classic and they’ve since focused on the 60’s. That’s why I left it off.
That’s what I was thinking but who knows- my thinking could be all wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time.
There was a CD released in 2000 called Beatles 1 that included all 27 songs on one CD that reached #1 in either the US or England. I looked at that list of songs and didn’t see Strawberry Fields Forever, I am the Walrus or Across the Universe and didn’t think about it again for 15 years. In the meantime it sold 31 million records worldwide and it did it all without my support or blessings. The nerve of that record!
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Hey Michael,
Lisa has given her blessings for posters to chime in and add to the discussion. I asked a question about the lyrical content of the song The Wide, Wide Land and there were several terrific responses. But that didn’t stop Lisa from giving a definitive answer after we had talked it over for several days.
If you want to stop all conversation with your posts I for one will respect that but I rather enjoy hearing Howard and Steve’s responses and believe they set the stage for more depthful responses from Mona and Lisa. Your call, my friend. -
That’s a great idea as far as I’m concerned. After all, the idea is to maximize every effort to gain as much exposure, make as much money and have as rewarding an experience as possible. There are so many different ways the Wagner family could invest a lot of time in this and it not work out that I’m almost sorry I suggested it. If they need 12 (or 18) promoters to make it worthwhile and they wind up with 9 or 14- a lot of effort and time could go into it and still come up a little short. Plus the logistics would be a nightmare. Do a show one night in Wilmington, NC and do Cincinnati 2 nights later- can you find a place or 2 in between?
And you have a fan as big as Jacki with a place too small to do a show. Howard’s in Australia- where are all the other fans? Will they be willing to go to all the effort involved for no material gain? Well, they’ve got one show I know they can do plus perhaps a festival in Cincinnati- that’s a start.
But would that even give them enough exposure in North America to be worth their while? Luckily- they know the answer to these questions far better than I do and they welcome suggestions. -
Actually- the 23 songs I placed will fit on a single CD. If you make it a double CD you can get an additional 20 songs. The 10 song, 35 minutes of music standard was created for vinyl. With CDs you can get many more minutes of music. On the Beatles 1, which was made for CD, there are 27 songs. Of course from the artist’s standpoint, writing and recording more than 12 songs is too time consuming and costly. But for an anthology- let’s use all the space we have!
I listened to my selections via the music player app I have on my phone and was amazed at how well the originals played beside the covers. This is a fantastic CD and showcases the Twins originals in a way that really brings them out! My wife listened to it this morning on her way to work and thinks it’s a great for helping fans to appreciate their great originals. She said that she has a greater appreciation for their work though listening to it like this. -
Jacki- The idea is to eliminate all auditorium rentals. The Twins would play in the biggest living room at the nicest house of either you or a close friend.
Just so you’ll know- I’m not inventing this concept. It’s well established in the US. I’m not sure it’s ever been done in bringing in an artist from another country but I’ve organized several house concerts for artists who simply didn’t have the name recognition to fill up an auditorium. It’s difficult to get more than 25 people but if you could do that- at $44 a ticket- that would make the Twins their allotted $1100. I’m paying $215×4 to see Paul McCartney next year so the Twins at $44 is unbelievably cheap! But without the venue getting their share, no worries about anything but a visa- they get to keep all the money they make.
House concerts are wonderful. Although they are almost always acoustic, what could be more intimate than Mona and Lisa and two guitars? The difficulty is you’ve got to sell the tickets, bring in the people and get everything ready for their performance. You will be working as the promoter. -
I just read Lisa’s response and all I can say is her command of English is amazing, her ability to communicate is astounding and my sense that she and her phenomenal sister are 1 in ten million has been solidified once again!!!
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Hi Jerry,
Not Mona or Lisa here!
I just took a look at Radio Airplay and it looks to me like you might be on to something. I wasn’t able to determine how expensive it is after the 10 free plays per week or how many people it would actually reach.
I wound up purchasing more than $100 worth of stuff from an artist named Jenny Bruce from an old website that played her music and turned me on to her. So I know this kind of thing can work. -
Hey Claude,
Loved your list! I know this was time consuming so I appreciate your taking the time. It’s amazing that our lists have 11 different songs. I think that shows just how good their catalog is. gave it a listen and enjoy it every bit as much as mine.