Hey Mike. Great work! Just stumbled over your video on 10 best albums of 1973 and really enjoyed it. What a great year for music that was. The 60s and 70s were some of the best years for new and different music. This was an interesting video as well. Bowie was such a super-talented individual. he could put the New York City phone directory to music and make it great.
Awesome, thanks! Ha ha, yeah, that's so true about Bowie, apparently he and Queen clashed quite a bit while recording that, but the result was worth it.
I tried to think only of 70's songs bc that seems to be your theme . 'Judy Blue Eyes', bc it really is a suite, and has one hook after another. 'Tiny dancer', the 'chorus' takes a while to arrive. 'Tumbling Dice', bc the verses keep getting shorter, and the chorus keep getting longer. 'Im not in Love', bc of that great chord sequence. Maybe 'My way' by Sid Vicious bc it was at a time when no one did something like that. And it tied in with his story. 'Roxanne' bc it was unlike anything else at the time. Great analysis of 'Pressure'.
Great mentions! Judy Blue Eyes is awesome, Carry On from Deja Vu is another song with an odd structure, that long jam at the end. I did a vid on Tiny Dancer but wasn't happy with it, unfortunately, I might re-do it.
hmmm...unconventiional AND popular....that's a tough question. Of course that's what makes this song so special. Bowie had a knack like no one else. So unique how he could put songs together. Fashion and Ashes to Ashes come to mind. Unconventional music sounds, beats, and vocals so distinct to Bowie.
Bowie definitely did some unconventional things, although I was trying to think of his 'hits' and most of the ones that came to mind followed a pretty standard verse-chorus-verse type of structure. Although he's often derided as being formulaic 'pop,' McCartney has had some really unusual tunes that were huge hits, Band On The Run, Uncle Albert, Live And Let Die...
I can only think of two Billboard No.1 songs that do not have a chorus. Bobby Darin's brilliant vocal on Mack the Knife (1959) ( a 1920's song about a serial killer) which changes key over the verses to maintain momentum. The other is the 1969 cover of Laura Nyro's Wedding Bell Blues by the 5th Dimension. Nyro made an art form of weird song structures in her progressive brand of pop. In November 1969, three of her songs were at 1, 2 and 10 on Billboard - Wedding Bell Blues, And When I Die, Eli's Comin. Nyro " probably influenced more successful songwriters than anyone " Elton John, 2007.
Great songs, both, thanks for that! Mack The Knife written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, who of course were also covered by The Doors with Alabama Song. The 5th Dimension recorded some great and interesting material, I recently made a video on Burt Bacharach and Hal David (haven't put it out yet) but discussed 'One Less Bell' which at one point has 3 modulations in less than a minute!
Somehow I knew you were leading up to Under Pressure. Those were the Cocaine Holidays, and pressure was the game. Bowie added something Queen was missing, and Queen filled the hole Mick Ronson left.
@@mikejerantmusic From the descriptions, neither one had a better idea. Compromise was the result. Judging by their later work, each would have been better off listening, than demanding. It was a great single, probably due to the engineer more than either artist. Bowie was working on Cat People (the single/soundtrack version, not the lame LP version), when Queen was in the same studio trying to record the otherwise forgettable Hot Space LP.
“Something bizarre and beautiful that’s like nothing else.”
You describe this song perfectly. I love the way you have with words. Thank you.
Thank YOU, Miranda!
Hey Mike. Great work! Just stumbled over your video on 10 best albums of 1973 and really enjoyed it. What a great year for music that was. The 60s and 70s were some of the best years for new and different music. This was an interesting video as well. Bowie was such a super-talented individual. he could put the New York City phone directory to music and make it great.
Awesome, thanks! Ha ha, yeah, that's so true about Bowie, apparently he and Queen clashed quite a bit while recording that, but the result was worth it.
I tried to think only of 70's songs bc that seems to be your theme .
'Judy Blue Eyes', bc it really is a suite, and has one hook after another.
'Tiny dancer', the 'chorus' takes a while to arrive.
'Tumbling Dice', bc the verses keep getting shorter, and the chorus keep getting longer.
'Im not in Love', bc of that great chord sequence.
Maybe 'My way' by Sid Vicious bc it was at a time when no one did something like that. And it tied in with his story.
'Roxanne' bc it was unlike anything else at the time.
Great analysis of 'Pressure'.
Great mentions! Judy Blue Eyes is awesome, Carry On from Deja Vu is another song with an odd structure, that long jam at the end. I did a vid on Tiny Dancer but wasn't happy with it, unfortunately, I might re-do it.
hmmm...unconventiional AND popular....that's a tough question. Of course that's what makes this song so special. Bowie had a knack like no one else. So unique how he could put songs together. Fashion and Ashes to Ashes come to mind. Unconventional music sounds, beats, and vocals so distinct to Bowie.
Bowie definitely did some unconventional things, although I was trying to think of his 'hits' and most of the ones that came to mind followed a pretty standard verse-chorus-verse type of structure. Although he's often derided as being formulaic 'pop,' McCartney has had some really unusual tunes that were huge hits, Band On The Run, Uncle Albert, Live And Let Die...
I can only think of two Billboard No.1 songs that do not have a chorus. Bobby Darin's brilliant vocal on Mack the Knife (1959) ( a 1920's song about a serial killer) which changes key over the verses to maintain momentum. The other is the 1969 cover of Laura Nyro's Wedding Bell Blues by the 5th Dimension. Nyro made an art form of weird song structures in her progressive brand of pop. In November 1969, three of her songs were at 1, 2 and 10 on Billboard - Wedding Bell Blues, And When I Die, Eli's Comin. Nyro " probably influenced more successful songwriters than anyone " Elton John, 2007.
Great songs, both, thanks for that! Mack The Knife written by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, who of course were also covered by The Doors with Alabama Song. The 5th Dimension recorded some great and interesting material, I recently made a video on Burt Bacharach and Hal David (haven't put it out yet) but discussed 'One Less Bell' which at one point has 3 modulations in less than a minute!
@@mikejerantmusic Great! I love Burt and Hal. Look forward to it. I have an album of Kurt Weill songs and a Lotte Lenya album as well. Cheers.
Somehow I knew you were leading up to Under Pressure. Those were the Cocaine Holidays, and pressure was the game. Bowie added something Queen was missing, and Queen filled the hole Mick Ronson left.
It truly is a bizarre song. Apparently Mercury and Bowie really butted heads during the process, but it worked!
@@mikejerantmusic From the descriptions, neither one had a better idea. Compromise was the result. Judging by their later work, each would have been better off listening, than demanding. It was a great single, probably due to the engineer more than either artist. Bowie was working on Cat People (the single/soundtrack version, not the lame LP version), when Queen was in the same studio trying to record the otherwise forgettable Hot Space LP.