| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| George42 |
Posted - 12/01/2005 : 13:09:33
is frank's best song ever. Los Angeles is a close 2nd.
I'm a humble guy with healthy desire |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| prozacrat |
Posted - 12/07/2005 : 00:44:45
Could he also be referring to the Pan American Highway? I don't know much about it, but it seems like something he might do.
http://www.prozacrat.com |
| FrankfanL |
Posted - 12/06/2005 : 13:33:06
Hi everyone! Yes, this is a great tune. Ranks as one of my favorites. Hard for me to pick just one FB tune as the top one on my list. The line about taking 3 days to drive down one street, I took it to mean he was just taking his time, taking it all in, you know? Frank rocks! |
| Carl |
Posted - 12/05/2005 : 16:56:13
:0 Really?! I thought you where serious, Soren!
The REM song Parakeet has the lyrics 'Tectonic dispatcher shifts, to smooth the ocean floor.' REM fans are generally quite smart. Like FB fans. :)
 "Join the Honeycult!"
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| fbc |
Posted - 12/05/2005 : 16:01:23
quote:
Originally posted by IceCream
quote:
Originally posted by fbc
I heard it was originally "tectonic plates are cracking the concrete"
FB thought this lyric would be too hard to decipher, so it changed to "invisible planes"
Stick that in the database and smoke it!
Tectonic plates are definitely what cause earthquakes. If you're right about that being the original lyric, Carl's interpretation is dead on.
 sorry there. that was just a joke in response to Carl's earthquake post.
But he could be right. |
| Broken Face |
Posted - 12/05/2005 : 14:18:51
quote:
Originally posted by pixiestu
"I took three days to drive down one street"
"The arc of triumph"
before i knew what this song was really about, i thought this was an allusion to rt. 80, which runs from teaneck, nj to sacramento, ca, which if driven on pretty much straight, would take around 3 days. but now i see that is nonsense. funnily enough, my father has lived in both the start and end point on rt. 80, having spent most of his childhood in teaneck and a few years in the air force in sacramento.
-Brian
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| pixiestu |
Posted - 12/05/2005 : 13:46:49
This post doesn't have anything to do with anything but I just listened to Calistan and felt the urge to post in appreciation of this truly great song. (Where better to do so than the 'Calistan' thread?)
Oooo...Freedom Rock has just come on...
What a great album!
"The arc of triumph" |
| Erebus |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 16:13:32
No, that's not it. That's a good one, but there's one where the whole tectonic issue is explored. I thought maybe it was back at Abstract Plain but I searched and didn't find the one I was thinking of. Thanks. |
| kelladwella |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 13:06:39
quote:
Originally posted by Erebus
A couple years or so ago a thread here explored these lyrics pretty thoroughly. I searched for it via google but couldn't find it. Frustrating.
Maybe this one?
http://forum.frankblack.net/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=1237&whichpage=3&SearchTerms=,calistan
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| IceCream |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 12:52:22
quote:
Originally posted by fbc
I heard it was originally "tectonic plates are cracking the concrete"
FB thought this lyric would be too hard to decipher, so it changed to "invisible planes"
Stick that in the database and smoke it!
Tectonic plates are definitely what cause earthquakes. If you're right about that being the original lyric, Carl's interpretation is dead on. |
| Erebus |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 12:09:45
A couple years or so ago a thread here explored these lyrics pretty thoroughly. I searched for it via google but couldn't find it. Frustrating. |
| VoVat |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 10:22:34
quote:
I heard it was originally "tectonic plates are cracking the concrete"
FB thought this lyric would be too hard to decipher, so it changed to "invisible planes"
Hmm, "tectonic plates" makes a lot more sense to me. "Invisible planes" sounds like some kind of UFO conspiracy theory, though, which fits in with a lot of the themes on TotY.
"If you doze much longer, then life turns to dreaming. If you doze much longer, then dreams turn to nightmares." |
| cornholio |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 09:46:47
[quote]Originally posted by pixiestu
"I took three days to drive down one street"
Must've been a long street!
Either that or he was driving really, really slow!
But seriously, I love the lyrics to this one. What do they mean?
Here’s a description of PCH or Highway 1 in California:
“Stretching from sunny "So Cal" to the shady forests of the north, this coastal highway winds along some of the most spectacular ocean views in the U.S. The highway contains countless examples of the many intrinsic qualities that make a highway a National Scenic Byway--qualities like perfect views of ocean waves breaking on rocky shorelines and cliffs, dozens of historical landmarks like Spanish Missions and Spanish settlements.”
Having driven this route (street?) a few times myself, I always suspected “It took three days” was referring to driving Highway 1.
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| Carl |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 03:11:57
Really?! Interesting.
"Join the Honeycult!"
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| fbc |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 02:18:19
I heard it was originally "tectonic plates are cracking the concrete"
FB thought this lyric would be too hard to decipher, so it changed to "invisible planes"
Stick that in the database and smoke it! |
| Carl |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 18:59:18
quote:
Originally posted by VoVat
[quote]But maybe the old man from "The Cult Of Ray" is IN one of the cans that the old man from "Calistan" is using to make his last stand (of Shazeb Andleeb?).
Hmmm, interesting. The lines 'Invisible planes are cracking the concrete, that's just what some people say', could be about the damage caused by quakes....
"Join the Honeycult!"
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| VoVat |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 10:35:28
quote:
Right, Calistan. The first mention of oldman with his cans.
But maybe the old man from "The Cult Of Ray" is IN one of the cans that the old man from "Calistan" is using to make his last stand (of Shazeb Andleeb?).
As for taking three days to drive down one street, yeah, that could be a reference to bad traffic. That would sort of fit in with the rest of the lyrics. And Frank does say "used to be 16 lanes." Was there a road in the relevant area of California that was made narrower, and hence more crowded?
A very long street is also a possibility, though. I mean, there are roads that run across the country. Compared to these, a road that takes three days to drive down is small potatoes. And don't even get me started on the Pan-American Highway!
"If you doze much longer, then life turns to dreaming. If you doze much longer, then dreams turn to nightmares." |
| pixiestu |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 09:52:57
Yes I've heard it.
Thanks for the offer though. 
"The arc of triumph" |
| fbc |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 09:38:18
not a problem. it's a cool site as far as song meanings go. i find something new there everytime i go back.
Right, Calistan. The first mention of oldman with his cans. Unless the guy from Dig For Fire is him, too?
Have you heard the alternate version with Frank Black on vocals and Eric Drew Feldman on keyboard?
(just checking, because it can be arranged)
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| pixiestu |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 09:23:01
quote:
Originally posted by fbc
http://members.cox.net/fbsi/calistan.html
[sidenote] This site's been mentioned a few times recently.
It's the best fb database out there even though it's far from complete.
Thanks for bringing this site to my attention. I must have missed it in the 'Frank links' thread.
"The arc of triumph" |
| fbc |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 09:01:59
http://members.cox.net/fbsi/calistan.html
quote:
SUBJECT: "And through the layers of California, from pre-Navajo (as the Spaniards said) all the way to a time found somewhere between now and Blade Runner." - Frank in the press kit for the album.
I'll dig up the exact quote one of these days, but I remember Frank talking about Calistan being a futuristic view of California, with the "-stan" suffix conveying the desolate feel of the middle east (Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc). He later found out there really was a place called Calistan somewhere.
[sidenote] This site's been mentioned a few times recently.
It's the best fb database out there even though it's far from complete. |
| moro |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 08:50:32
quote:
Originally posted by pixiestu
"I took three days to drive down one street"
Must've been a long street!
Either that or he was driving really, really slow!
...probably just a very crowded one |
| pixiestu |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 08:24:01
"I took three days to drive down one street"
Must've been a long street!
Either that or he was driving really, really slow!
But seriously, I love the lyrics to this one. What do they mean?
"The arc of triumph" |
| VoVat |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 08:02:22
Does anyone else think Frank sounds like Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits in this song?
"If you doze much longer, then life turns to dreaming. If you doze much longer, then dreams turn to nightmares." |
| danjersey |
Posted - 12/01/2005 : 17:36:52
now i can't make this available but some bright boy or gal might so i ask the forum to provide
a little hello club recording version with eric drew feldman for those who have not. |
| toeknee |
Posted - 12/01/2005 : 17:33:05
Oh my god, you're right! |
