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FAVOURITE MUSIC
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You may think it a little strange that I have seperated my favourite music from my good music page.
This is not because the music I like is rubbish.
The reason is that I don't like all good music. There are several types of music which, while I think of the some songs to be good, I don't buy because its not my favourite.
Although I believe that all the music I like comes under the good category.
CLASSIC ALBUM #1
Pet Shop Boys Behaviour |
1. Being boring
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Their last three albums have followed certain themes. Billingual has a certain Latin-American style, Very was a more Classic-Pop album whilst Behaviour has an almost Slow-Ballad aura surrounding it. When you realise that the song Miserablism was cut from the album for being "too spikey" then you can imagine just how soft this album really is. It is mainly for this reason that Behaviour just pips all of their other albums and makes it to this page.
Generally, the Pet Shop Boys are renown for dance tracks and thumping base-lines, so I have decided to give mention to the tracks which generally go against this trend.
To face the truth and Nervously are great examples of how beautiful electronic music can sound when given thought and composed correctly.
Although the smooth chords create a soothing background environment for the forefront melodies, the melodies themselves are really nothing more than the usual synthesised sounds. The real genius of the subtle sound of both of these songs is the composure of the notes, kept simple but clear and allow the lyrics, which also must be noted as superb, to be clearly heard.
As with nearly all of the Pet Shop Boys' songs, the tunes and melodies build up towards the end, forming what can only be described as a creshendo of organised electronic mayhem.
The final song I wish to commment on is Being boring. This was released to promote the album and reached the rather degrading position of number20 in the UK charts.
This is probably my favourite song of all time, with maybe the exception of The Survivors from the album Billingual. Both songs have the same format - they both describe a sad situation but with a positive message.
Although Being boring is specifically written about Neil's own life, the lyrics are written objectively - which is why critics regard the Pet Shop Boys' lyrics as "being in inverted commas".
The last verse is the most powerful,
Now I sit with different faces, In rented rooms and foriegn places
All the people I was kissing, Some are here and some are missing
In the nineteen-nineties
I never dreamt that I would get to be, The creature that I always meant to be
But I thought - inspite of dreams, You'd be sitting somewhere here with me.
Neil actually refers to Chris Dowell, his boyfriend who died aged about only 20.
It always make me think about the way when you are dating someone, you can not imagine life without them, it just seems natural that you will spend the rest of your life with that person, it would be in-human and unjust to think other-wise.
Of course when a relationship does break down it seems so stupid to fall out. You always feel hurt when you split up with someone, but the time you spent together as friends surely means that you do feel some compassion towards that person. In that situation at least you do have the opportunity to see and speak to each other rather than ignoring them almost as if they didn't exist.
CLASSIC ALBUM #2
Fleetwood Mac Tango In The Night |
1. Big love
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Not many Fleetwood Mac fans would disagree that this album was one of their best, and with the possible exception of Rumours, the best. Again, the reason why I pulled this album out as a classic was due to the variation of song styles within it and because it introduced me to a whole new career of music.
My two favourite Fleetwood Mac songs are on this album - Isn't it midnight and When I see you again
and these two tracks alone give indication of how varied the songs on this recording are.
Isn't it midnight is a classic rock track. The songs strength is the clever, yet un-noticably so, written lyrics that seem to just flow off the tounge as if they have existed since time began waiting to be discovered.
But the best aspect has to be the winding energetic guitar solos that put the likes of newer bands such as Oasis to shame. The notes string fluidly and smoothly together, yet show power and anger that rivals some of the classic rock music from the earlier years.
When I see you again is the next song on the album yet seems a life-time away from the blistering rock sounds of Isn't it midnight.
This is a slow love ballad written by Stevis Nicks and is the sign of a truely mature band. The lyrics and well written and are sung with real meaning and elegance. A song that is a must once hear for anyone.
With catchy and well written tracks such as Everywhere, Caroline, Mystified and Little lies the whole album is well worth a listen once, if not a thousand times.
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