GMVW # 62: "Style and Substance"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 62:  Style and Substance

Song: Skateaway by Dire Straits

(Songwriter: Mark Knopfler)

March 12, 2009

Hopefully, everyone had a few teachers that left lasting impressions.  For me, one of the most influential was Mr. Wilk, who taught biology and chemistry in Franklin’s Junior High and High School in the 70’s and 80’s.  Mr. Wilk was a throw-back to the 50’s.  He looked like Buddy Holly, with wide rimmed glasses and he had a similar hair-cut.  Unfortunately, like Holly he also died too young.  He was kind, genuine, always smiling, and very enthusiastic about what he taught. Two things stand out most about him.  First was his style:  Bright suits and bow ties.  I recall two suits in particular, one yellow, the other purple.  Few of us could get away with this, but he could.  His second stand out characteristic was the substance of his teaching.  He jammed a boatload of information into every class, but his enthusiasm made it easy to absorb.  I often think back to his substantive teaching when I spot something fascinating in the natural world.

Style and Substance.  The two are often pitted against each other, but you can have both.  In the music world, a number of singer/songwriters have also proven this over the years.  Nobody has combined the two in music better than Mark Knopfler.  Over the course of his career, Knopfler has covered the gambit: Virtuoso guitar player, writer of great music, producer of albums.  There’s no doubt he can dig deep, as a listen to side two of the Dire Straits album ‘Brothers in Arms’ can attest: Most of these songs are about the unrest in mid-80’s Central America, and war in general.  There is plenty of substance in there (particularly the title track). 

And when it comes to style, Mark Knopfler is no slouch. Side one of the very same album is a profile in catchy hits.  Perhaps out of marketing necessity or a way to get the side-two message out to people who would not purchase the album otherwise?  It’s hard to say, particularly because the songs on side one have survived the test of time.  Knopfler and the rest of Dire Straits put effort into these too, including ‘So Far Away’, ‘Money for Nothing’, and ‘Walk of Life’ (which I always thought was about Bruce Springsteen).

Knopfler not only combined style and substance from an album perspective, he did it within individual songs.  ‘Sultans of  Swing’ is soft and stylistic enough to get frequent air-time on easy-listening stations.  Listen to the live version off the ‘Alchemy’ album however, and the substantive potential of the song is revealed.  ‘Industrial Disease’ has both depth and breadth as well. 

Then there is ‘Skateaway’, this week’s Gem video, a brilliant blend of style and substance.  It was catchy enough to be a runaway MTV hit video in that channel’s first year on the air.  The video is a straight-up take on a woman rollerblading on city streets, but this belies a deeper meaning.  The earnestness with which Knopfler sings is more revealing.  The lyrics further back this up, as the song makes a connection with human imagination; how people can conjure up a world unto themselves.  If the video were made 20 years later, it could have been far more creative, but this is MTV in its infancy.

Integrity in a hit pop song?  It can be done.  Integrity in a bright yellow suit?  Also proven.

Below the Gem video is a made-for MTV version of ‘Brothers in Arms’.

- Pete

“But the music makes her wanna be the story

 And the story was whatever was the song what it was”

Gem Video ‘Skateaway’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn3HKRnR2Cw

 ‘Brothers in Arms’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5JkHBC5lDs

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About the video: Original, made for MTV video

Video  Rating: 1

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Best feedback: Bob

Hi Pete,

Now I know who was the source of your passion for biology.  It is interesting how seeds are sown at an early stage and then stay with you the rest of your life.  For your other passion music, if I remember correctly, this came from your Dad?

I am still waiting for the day you inform me you have changed jobs and are working for rolling stones mag...........:-)

Life here is doing well.  Valerie as you might have heard is pregnant.......5 months and it is starting to show.  I can feel the baby kicking already.  It is a girl..........

Birth is for July.

Cheers

Bob

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Also: Jen

I liked your bit about Mr. Wilk. I remember him well, and that you were fond of him. I also remember his bowtie and suits. I liked how you tied integrity in, in your Gem write up (another great one. Haven't checked out the vid yet).   Jen

GMVW # 61: "Mr. Wordsmith"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 61:  Mr. Wordsmith

Song: License to Kill by Bob Dylan

(Songwriter: Bob Dylan)

March 5, 2009

I stepped through the process for compiling this week’s gem music video email the way I do every week:  Recall a great song from some part of my life, hope there is a good video for it, and if so, write what comes to mind.   The gem music video was there, it had been for a while.  I also had something to discuss….or so I thought.  The song, “License to Kill” by Bob Dylan, was chock full of great lyrics, and so I figured, why not a theme about brilliant wordsmithing?  I began to rummage through my memory banks for lyrics that had me thinking at one time or another, “how did he/she come up with that line/stanza”?

It started easy enough.  I recalled a lyric-heavy moment in the mid-70’s when long-time friend, John Roche and I read the words to The Beatles “I Am the Walrus” and came across the line, “Yellow matter custard, dripping from a dead dog’s eye” (one of the many examples of John Lennon’s play with words, something R.E.M. is also known for).  It was one of my first memories of being intrigued by lyrics and so I jotted it down.  Yet, I was looking for lines with deeper meaning.  I then recalled Pete Townshend’s “The Sea Refuses No River”, a song with spiritual undertones.  After singing about the variety of ‘rivers’ the ‘sea’ receives (‘pure as the spring’, ‘stinking and rank’, ‘red from tank’ etc.), he declares the following after a lengthy guitar-bridge buildup:

“The sea refuses no river

  Remember that when the beggar buys a round”

….ok, this was going to be easy. Next, I thought of a funny stanza from Bob Dylan’s “She’s Your Lover Now”:

“But please tell that

  To your friend in the cowboy hat

  You know he keeps on sayin’ ev’rythin’ twice to me”

I believed I was on a roll, and had little doubt I would start recalling great lines from any number of deep-thinking musician that came to mind, while imposing a one-per-artist rule on myself.  On to Neil Young and from there Paul Simon, Randy Newman, Chrissie Hynde, Elvis Costello, Leonard Cohen, Jonathan Richman, Joan Baez, Green Day, Marvin Gaye, Joe Jackson, George Harrison, Ray Davies, and on and on.  

But Neil Young proved harder than I had planned and I could not figure out why: The man’s career is loaded with classic songs with amazing lyrics.  I flirted with the opening lines in ‘Powderfinger’, but on their own, they were not quite what I was looking for.  After combing through a number of his songs, I put Neil aside for the moment and tackled Paul Simon.  Surprisingly, I found extracting a great line from a song in Paul Simon’s vast catalog to be difficult as well, at least in the framework I had defined for myself.  On to the Rolling Stones: Again, difficult.  David Bowie: No go.  One artist after another I was setting aside, despite the fact that I was digging up lyrics on the Web to help me through a slew of songs. Chrissie Hynde: Skip for now.  Randy Newman: Nothing to isolate. 

Ahhh, nothing to isolate!  At this stage, I was starting to understand my dilemma, and it was two-fold.  First, extracting a line was hard to do while retaining the meaning in the broader context of the entire song.  Second, it occurred to me that most songs are defined primarily by the music and only secondarily by the lyrics.  Most lyrics don’t hold up as well without the melody.  Looking back over the years, I realized that if I first read the words to a new song before hearing the song itself, these words may have been interesting but for the most part they did not stick until the song then grabbed me.  I suppose this can be both a curse and a blessing for songwriters.  On the one hand, a songwriter can get away with very simple lyrics, as long as the music is strong.  On the other hand, the lyrics don’t stand as well on their own, even if they are intense, so the music better be good.

I had to abandon my theme.  Well… not entirely, because a rare exception to this rule is Bob Dylan.  It’s why he’s the top cat of his era.  Many of Dylan’s lyrics can hold up without the music (although the music does help).  It was still hard to isolate snippets, but not as hard as it was for the other musicians I sampled.  Here are a few:

“Sad Eyed lady of the lowlands,

 Where the sad-eyed prophet says that no man comes,

 My warehouse eyes, my Arabian drums,

 Should I leave them by your gate,

 Or, sad-eyed lady, should I wait”

-              From “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands”

“Though you might hear laughin’, spinnin’ swingin’ madly across the sun,

 It’s not aimed at anyone, it’s just escapin’ on the run

 And but for the sky there are no fences facin’

 And if you hear vague traces of skippin’ reels of rhyme

 To your tambourine in time, it’s just a ragged clown behind,

 I wouldn’t pay it any mind, it’s just a shadow that you’re

 Seein’ that he’s chasing”

-              “From Mr. Tambourine Man”

“People disagreeing everywhere you look,

 Makes you wanna stop and read a book.

Why only yesterday I saw somebody on the street

That was really shook.

But this ol’ river keeps on rollin’, though,

No matter what gets in the way and which way the wind does blow,

And as long as it does I’ll just sit here

And watch the river flow.”

-              From “Watching the River Flow”

“They sat together in the park

As the evening sky grew dark,

She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones

‘Twas then he felt alone and wished that he’d gone straight

And watched out for a simple twist of fate”

-              From “Simple Twist of Fate”

 “I hear the ancient footsteps like the motion of the sea

Sometimes I turn, there’s someone there, other times it’s only me

I am hanging in the balance of the reality of man

Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand”

-              From “Every Grain of Sand”

This week’s gem is great, because it’s a live cut of a nearly final studio version of “License to Kill” off the ‘Infidels’ album.   Musicians playing with Dylan in the video clip include ex-Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and album producer/guitarist Mark Knopfler.  Below the gem video is Tom Petty’s live cover version of the same song as an alternative for those who struggle with Dylan’s vocals.  Below the links are the complete lyrics to ‘License to Kill’.

- Pete

Gem Video: “License to Kill”  (as expected, this link is gone *Dec, 09*.  Here is a temporary live replacement)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymIRLseK2vA

Tom Petty version (live)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jelDNcGf63s&feature=related

Lyrics to “License to Kill”

Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please

And if things don't change soon, he will.

Oh, man has invented his doom,

First step was touching the moon.

Now, there's a woman on my block,

She just sit there as the night grows still.

She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Now, they take him and they teach him and they groom him for life

And they set him on a path where he's bound to get ill,

Then they bury him with stars,

Sell his body like they do used cars.

Now, there's a woman on my block,

She just sit there facin' the hill.

She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Now, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused,

And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill.

All he believes are his eyes

And his eyes, they just tell him lies.

But there's a woman on my block,

Sitting there in a cold chill.

She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

Ya may be a noisemaker, spirit maker,

Heartbreaker, backbreaker,

Leave no stone unturned.

May be an actor in a plot,

That might be all that you got

'Til your error you clearly learn.

Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool

And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled.

Oh, man is opposed to fair play,

He wants it all and he wants it his way.

Now, there's a woman on my block,

She just sit there as the night grows still.

She say who gonna take away his license to kill?

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About the video:  studio version, with Mick Taylor, Mark Knopfler, others.  It appears to be the final album cut (or close to it). 

Video Rating: 1

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Best Feedback: Jeff

well im in a decidedly nonintellectual pragmatic frame of mind right now.  two lines do it for me ...

FOUR DEAD IN OHIO

IMAPOETIKNOWITHOPEIDONTBLOWIT

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Also: Tom

Thanks Pete - will enjoy reading this before heading to bed ... you're amazingly diligent and super-fun to read!

Cuz Tom

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And: Jack

Hi Pete:

Here's a question that you might know the answer to.  At the end of "I Am The Walrus", they repeat a phrase over and over.  I say it's "Everybody Smokes Pot..Everybody Smokes Pot", but one of my school friends says it's "Everybody Multiplying..Everybody Multiplying"....do you know?? :-) 

Actually, as a twist or a turn from your normal MO, you might want to do a GEM on Sir George Martin.  It might be a little more difficult, but he did a lot of familiar arrangements, not just for the Beatles but other groups like "America".  For example, the piano solos in the middle of "All My Life", and "Lonely People" were his babies (The groups respectively), and the keyboard arrangement on the 2nd chorus of "Tin Man" was his.  You can recognize his signature after awhile!

-Jack

GMVW # 60 : "Deep Cuts"

Gem Music Video of the Week # 60:  Deep Cuts

Song: Love on the Air by David Gilmour

(Songwriters: David Gilmour and Pete Townshend)

February 26, 2009

Thinking back on album releases, there are 3 that come immediately to mind.  The first was Led Zeppelin’s final studio album, “In Through the Out Door” back in 1979.  I remember this not so much for my own interest at the time as I do for that of several good friends (Jeff, Pete, Dave).  I also remember it for a brazen marketing ploy:  Six different album covers (several rare), which were individually wrapped in brown paper bags to lure kids into buying extra copies (I’m not sure it worked, as Zep fans in those days were not likely to be flush with extra cash in their wallets, excepting those who were selling loose joints).  Turned out it was a very innovative-sounding album for Led Zeppelin, and I believe it could have been the start of something new, but we will never know, since a few months after the release, their drummer (John Bonham) up and died on them and the rest of the group disbanded. 

The second album release that comes to mind was also a final studio effort (at least for the next 24 years): The Who’s 1982 album “It’s Hard”.  What I remember most about this release was delivering the album to several wholesale record stores in the area (my old trucking job, discussed for Gem Video # 45).  At one of these locations in Quincy, several of the employees came running outside as I pulled up.  The group of us went back inside, and a copy of the album was unwrapped and loaded on a turntable where we all kicked back and listened.  I’m certain we were among the first in the USA to do so. I liked this album, but in terms of expectations, it was a disappointment. 

The third is the one that pulled through for me: Pete Townshend’s 1985 album “White City”.   There are several things I recall about this album release.  One was turning on the radio in the car (driving down Emmons St) and catching the first single.  Or was it the first single?  The song was ‘Hiding Out’, and as it turned out, I was listening to the ‘B’ side song.  ‘B’ sides are rarely played by DJs, so I stumbled into a unique opportunity to get a glance behind the scenes before being introduced to the ‘big hit’.  I loved what I heard from this ‘B’ side song, and in terms of album depth, it was symbolic for what lay ahead. It was only later that day that I heard the ‘A’ side song, ‘Face the Face’.  A few nights later, Townshend was interviewed on BBC Radio-1 about the album, and several other songs were played.  These also sounded great. One thing I recall about the interview was Townshend being asked why he was calling the new album ‘White City: A Novel”.  He led off his answer with:  “I figured if I could get away with Rock Opera”…..getting a laugh from the interviewer.  He then went on to describe the album as a story about a guy in his 40’s (“Perhaps Jimmy from Quadrophenia”) reflecting back on his life.  A short White City movie was later produced, which focused on 24 hours in the life of this character (I watched it for the first time in many years the other night, which brought back some Lake Street memories). 

So, by the time the album was released, I was primed.  I purchased it as soon as possible and listened incessantly for weeks.  Turned out the songs I was enjoying the most were not the ones being played regularly on the radio.  The songs I enjoyed the most were the deep cuts: ‘Brilliant Blues’, ‘White City Fighting’, ‘Crashing by Design’, ‘Come to Mama’, ‘I am Secure’ and the aforementioned ‘Hiding Out’.  It got me thinking, a great album is not so much defined by its hits, as by its depth…. its deep cuts.  Isn’t this always the case?  If I’ve ever enjoyed an album thoroughly, it was the deep cuts that made it so. A metaphor for life itself I suppose, particularly in regards to the friendships you forge.

With many of the truly great albums though, it is not only what is on the album, but what is left off that defines them, which leads to this week’s Gem.  Pete Townshend was going through a particularly prolific period in the mid 80’s, first having released ‘All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes’ and then ‘White City’.  During this period, he was doing a noticeably Dylan-esque thing: Giving away songs to others.  This week’s Gem ‘Love on the Air’ is one of them.  The song was written by Townshend and given to David Gilmour for his 2nd solo album.  The video is a live version of the song done by the short-lived band ‘Deep End’ (which included Gilmour and Townshend). 

Following the Gem Video are a few of the bigger hits from the ‘White City’ album, and non-video (music only) links to several of the deep cuts.

- Pete

Gem Video: “Love on the Air”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTN699XZ8ZI

“Secondhand Love”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC-tIJ9cgIY&feature=PlayList&p=4F37EB5C416676D2&i

ndex=64

“Give Blood”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPRDSZ8bPHU

Brilliant Blues (music only)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdGlWRmh-uM

“White City Fighting” (music only)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myt86ReqMqg

“Hiding Out” (music only)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N34M6Avtbs4

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About the Video: The Live ‘Deep End’ video

Video Rating: 1

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Best Feedback: Dave

Pete, great choices as usual, bringing back memories. I think of the album every time I drive by the  White City Mall in Shrewsbury............

Thanks, Dave

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Also: Fred

Awesome memories of that album and of

Lake Street

.  It was a bit of a life preserver for me during my post-college days.

....I am safe hidden here......

But it got me out.

Thanks.