An email I just opened:
Seriously, the dude is so cool. I hope it's not annoying that I share emails from him.
Maybe it is your little brother, but I am tripping back through my youth with all this Beatles stuff that you have got him into, remembering a certain amount of innocence and the stunning effect of each Beatles album as it is released. When I say I grew up with the Beatles, that is so literally true. I'm in third grade, 1964, when they make their American debut and everybody knows. Third graders--we all know--the Beatles and Ali. I'm 16 when they break up. Fill in those years, fill them in musically, fill in the hours of AM music, you don't buy records, you listen to the radio. It is the Beatles. At 15 or 16 I start buying albums of my own, and start listening to FM radio--the PM Underground, album cuts, Led Zepplin and the Allman Brothers, Neil Young singing Only Love Can Break Your Heart and Southern Man, stuff that AM radio doesn't play because it doesn't fit the 3 minute format--but the airwaves for those growing up years are filled with Beatles.
Anyway, I've discovered the VH1 Classic channel and thanks to being able to record things I go through some shows that I like, one of which is Classic Albums. Not all are that interesting to me, but I've recorded a few, Disreali Gears, even got a kick out of Queen's Night at the Opera. But they just did the Door's first album and man, talk about emotions. I've always loved Crystal Ship, I'm a eighth grader at Farrer Jr. High and it is Saturday at noon--if you are not at Heap's a Pizza you are a social nobody. And while the world burns for Light My Fire, we, the chosen, always pick Crystal Ship on the jukebox, always. That song was the badge of coolness--heck everybody likes Light My Fire, give us the B side. But those dang, dark songs. Loved Back Door Man, and we knew just what was going on, dirty stuff in Happy Valley. But This is the End. Oh my, how do you describe the first time you are tracking through the album and hear that song. The first time you walk down that hallway. I've always been fascinated watching film of Morrison. I was ticked at Stone's awful movie on him, because it wasn't all excess and drugs, Stone never finds the genius and it is so palpable watching old concert footage of him, he never explains why the music is so good--and it is so good. Anyway, not sure that I ever gave enough credit to the band and their musical expertise, but watching the show I was hit by the fact that they are three of the most mature and interesting band members that I've ever seen interviewed about their old hits. Densmore, the drummer, was an absolute revelation especially when deconstructing songs and talking about twisting Latin beats to get music that sounds so familiar; Robby Krieger was, as always, the innocent, but a better guitarist than I've given him credit for; and Mansarek is just a smart guy, the film guy the drama guy, the one who so closely watched Morrison to see what he would do next. Anyway they are talking about the development of the songs and Densmore, in talking about This Is The End, says, in this serious tone he has had throughout, "it wasn't Obladee Obladah"......and as revolutionary as the Beatles were, the dark realism of the Doors was such a counterpoint to the whole Love Generation.
You forget how that band grabbed you by the throat. Boy were they good. I guess Morrison's death was a shame, but watching him sing This Is The End is more prophetic than anything else. It was going to happen. Best Classic Album show so far......
Anyway, I've discovered the VH1 Classic channel and thanks to being able to record things I go through some shows that I like, one of which is Classic Albums. Not all are that interesting to me, but I've recorded a few, Disreali Gears, even got a kick out of Queen's Night at the Opera. But they just did the Door's first album and man, talk about emotions. I've always loved Crystal Ship, I'm a eighth grader at Farrer Jr. High and it is Saturday at noon--if you are not at Heap's a Pizza you are a social nobody. And while the world burns for Light My Fire, we, the chosen, always pick Crystal Ship on the jukebox, always. That song was the badge of coolness--heck everybody likes Light My Fire, give us the B side. But those dang, dark songs. Loved Back Door Man, and we knew just what was going on, dirty stuff in Happy Valley. But This is the End. Oh my, how do you describe the first time you are tracking through the album and hear that song. The first time you walk down that hallway. I've always been fascinated watching film of Morrison. I was ticked at Stone's awful movie on him, because it wasn't all excess and drugs, Stone never finds the genius and it is so palpable watching old concert footage of him, he never explains why the music is so good--and it is so good. Anyway, not sure that I ever gave enough credit to the band and their musical expertise, but watching the show I was hit by the fact that they are three of the most mature and interesting band members that I've ever seen interviewed about their old hits. Densmore, the drummer, was an absolute revelation especially when deconstructing songs and talking about twisting Latin beats to get music that sounds so familiar; Robby Krieger was, as always, the innocent, but a better guitarist than I've given him credit for; and Mansarek is just a smart guy, the film guy the drama guy, the one who so closely watched Morrison to see what he would do next. Anyway they are talking about the development of the songs and Densmore, in talking about This Is The End, says, in this serious tone he has had throughout, "it wasn't Obladee Obladah"......and as revolutionary as the Beatles were, the dark realism of the Doors was such a counterpoint to the whole Love Generation.
You forget how that band grabbed you by the throat. Boy were they good. I guess Morrison's death was a shame, but watching him sing This Is The End is more prophetic than anything else. It was going to happen. Best Classic Album show so far......
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