tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post1840416672373698633..comments2023-03-27T05:40:33.987-05:00Comments on Kool Kovers: Review: Drink A Toast To Innocence - A Tribute To Lite RockBill Sammonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09769240239901253919noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-80407911140852829002013-04-24T15:41:56.392-05:002013-04-24T15:41:56.392-05:00Yes we do Willie!! :) Regarding Yoko, side 2 of my...Yes we do Willie!! :) Regarding Yoko, side 2 of my copy of Live Peace In Toronto is as shiny as the day it was made. But she has certainly influenced many along the way. John thought that The B-52's "Rock Lobster" was a nod to Yoko and it likely was. "Walking On Thin Ice" was one of the best tracks that came out of their last sessions. She was a unique artist on her own before she & Lennon met. Still, there's many who curse her name by blaming her for the breakup of The Beatles, which was inevitable with or without her. Bill Sammonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09769240239901253919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-72246413819267280522013-04-23T15:30:46.754-05:002013-04-23T15:30:46.754-05:00We all love ice cream, don't we, Phillydog!?!!...We all love ice cream, don't we, Phillydog!?!! Now how about that Yoko argument ;^)?Willie Wiselyhttp://www.wiselymusic.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-75548588000496866832013-04-23T11:56:25.562-05:002013-04-23T11:56:25.562-05:00Very sorry about that. We do experience periodic d...Very sorry about that. We do experience periodic difficulties with Divshare's server that make song files slow to load or even fail to load. This problem comes & goes, depending on traffic on their servers. The other possibility is that you are viewing the blog on an Apple device. The Divshare player is Adobe Flash based and Apple devices stubbornly refuse to recognize Flash, for whatever reason Apple has. The player does work on Windows computers and Android phones. I am considering alternate players that work on any platform, but haven't been able to make a definite choice, due to various limitations. Hope that answers your question. Thanks for checking out the blog!Bill Sammonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09769240239901253919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-23989513876732569712013-04-23T10:13:45.767-05:002013-04-23T10:13:45.767-05:00I can't get the songs to play, the videos do, ...I can't get the songs to play, the videos do, but not the songs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-8040575496541681062013-04-22T15:07:35.114-05:002013-04-22T15:07:35.114-05:00Thanks to our friends at The Time Machine for writ...Thanks to our friends at The Time Machine for writing in. I'm glad "So Into You" has some fans out there.<br /><br />On another matter, I should reiterate that just because I failed to mention any particular song in the review does NOT mean I didn't like it. Au contraire! Truth is, there's SO MUCH good stuff on the album that a gushing track by track review would have been too much of a good thing and would lessen the credibility regarding the overall quality of the album, ya dig?Bill Sammonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09769240239901253919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-45991245832689388492013-04-21T18:32:39.097-05:002013-04-21T18:32:39.097-05:00I was completely floored by "So Into You"...I was completely floored by "So Into You". I couldn't stop listening to it. Yes, the wild vocals of Kelly Jones towards the end gave me the impression of someone untamed and with an almost "Stop! Stop! Stop!" Hollies like arrangement going on throughout the song...well that's what I love in a recording like this. It totally harkens back to Donna Summer and that's enough to keep this listener thrilled. The Time Machinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15970631611849805143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-61972533927076433812013-04-21T10:29:16.251-05:002013-04-21T10:29:16.251-05:00Hi Willie! Good to hear from you. Allow me to clar...Hi Willie! Good to hear from you. Allow me to clarify some things. <br /><br />While I stand by my review, I never said I didn't like the track. I did say it was interesting and that wasn't meant sarcastically or any way other than good. You might also check earlier in the article where I said that "all of them are worthy of wider recognition for the quality of their songcraft", meaning that everyone did a great job, regardless of the aesthetic of their contribution. You should know that I did give your track several dedicated listens so I could form an opinion because it was so unique.<br /><br />I agree with you that there's not much to the original song, so I do salute you for taking a different approach, seeing how a straight cover wouldn't have added much to the musical universe.<br /><br />If you think of this album as an ice cream store with 28 flavors, all of them have something different going on. Some are variations on a root flavor while others are more experimental. Everyone will prefer different flavors for different personal reasons. But even those who don't necessarily care for a particular flavor know that it's still ice cream, and that's a good thing.Bill Sammonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09769240239901253919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-68776009535807730732013-04-20T19:16:26.756-05:002013-04-20T19:16:26.756-05:00I realize that music either speaks to a listener o...I realize that music either speaks to a listener or it doesn't. So, I'm not chiming in to talk anyone into appreciating anything they don't dig. But…<br /><br />In my defense here--there was no reason to cover Atlanta Rhythm Section's "So Into You" (a wildly under-celebrated classic track) in a manner reverent to the 1970's hit version.<br /><br />Frankly, there's not much of a song there. It's just a "voodoo-ish vibe" over a groove. The verses and choruses and breaks are all similarly constructed, varying themselves in these microscopic ways which are unlikely, almost non-sensical, and yet also, sublime. In other words, to do an "accurate" version of the song would've only served to show the inadequacies of the composition itself, or the absolute stoned mastery of the ARS's performance--depending on how you look at it. Either way, my contribution to the comp would've looked shoddy.<br /><br />You may recall that over half the original recording constitutes a lazy FM-radio guitar solo coda. We're all lucky that wasn't re-created for the sake of "Innocence", so to speak. <br /><br />Basically, the original is a heavy eye-lid masterpiece, and since I long ago left marijuana for the harder stuff, it just didn't make sense to go there.<br /><br />Hell, I thought I was doing everyone a favor. The ARS's version clocks in at another minute or two longer than mine.<br /><br />Also, I'm a little perplexed that a listener wouldn't be absolutely gobsmacked at the notion of Kelly Jones, giving her extemporized, orgasmic vocal everything on my coda--then again, I'm a Donna Summer/Yoko Ono fan.<br /><br />Speaking of: Yoko albums are some of the best post-Beatles solo works. Ah, but that's another argument.<br /><br />And regarding making a listener "itch a bit"-- I thought that was the point of this whole saccharine era of music (that I absolutely adore)?Willie Wiselyhttp://www.wiselymusic.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-62584601786101221652013-04-20T18:34:25.627-05:002013-04-20T18:34:25.627-05:00Thank you so much for your kind note, Ms. Cook. As...Thank you so much for your kind note, Ms. Cook. As someone who writes for the enjoyment of it, I am most grateful to receive an A+ from an English teacher! I can thank Andrew for telling me about Brandon recording his song when I interviewed him for the article via Facebook. Thank you for sharing your story about your students enjoying the song back when it was popular. I'm sure you're super proud of Andrew's success with this project. I am just glad that he made it happen. It's a great album and I look forward to the good things that may come from it.Bill Sammonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09769240239901253919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766932736151480924.post-79847995225486731782013-04-20T17:24:01.314-05:002013-04-20T17:24:01.314-05:00I guess I should 'fess up right up front--I...I guess I should 'fess up right up front--I'm Andrew Curry's mother. I absolutely loved this review and the music you included in it. In 1978 I was teaching English to 7th and 8th graders in Houston, TX, and my students LOVED "Thank You for Being a Friend." I was the sponsor of the school newspaper, and we had a page of musical dedications in each issue. (one student "dedicated" a song to another. This one song was the most often chosen for the two years I was there. Your story about Brandon Schott's family and friends singing in the chorus with him makes me like the song even more than I already did. I can't wait for my CD to come. This retired English teacher gives your review an A+.<br /><br />Elizabeth Cook Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com