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Zsolt G.
- FB Fan -
117 Posts |
 Posted - 07/31/2003 : 21:08:41
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I think Frank was in the beginning making up for the primitiveness that was the Pixies. His first two albums were synth/guitar whiz/session-magic Guns & Roses releases. Nobody seems to talk about the fact that Lyle Workman is genius, but WAY over the top. Some of the shit he does is so cock-rock that it verges on the ridiculous. Cult of Ray is a really raw primitive punk record, but Workman plays that shit like Yngwie Malmsteen or whatever. I love his shit, but it is truly silly. A lot of guitar geeks totally love the early Frank albums, because he actually puts gay Stevie Vai soloing into decent songs.
Frank has said in interviews that the newer albums (DITS on) focus on "playing less", which is very "country" if you ask me. Pick up some 1970's era country music and you will hear some wicked, wicked, but reserved playing. Guitar Players take note. James Burton is THE KING OF ALL TIME and he plays very little. His solo on Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris "Las Vegas" is unbelievable. |
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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 08/01/2003 : 10:15:24
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i think the catholics shine when well prepared - ie. Dog in the Sand and Show Me Your Tears. These songs sound well rehearsed, arranged, etc. On BLD and DW, i felt as though many of the songs were recorded too quickly - they didn't have time the breathe. look at the best couple of songs of BLD - Jane and 21 reasons (in my humble opinion) - 21 reasons was around for over a year before the album was released and Jane was played live a bunch of times before the release too - the band had grown into the songs. i think DW is the worst FB related album because it feels so uneven and patchy, and i think thats in part to frank's own comments about how for that album some days he'd write a song in the afternoon and they'd record it that night. the songs had no time to develop, to grow, to change. even cult of ray had more consistancy than DW (and the best song on COR, men in black, had lots of time to mutate also). i think that as long as the catholics keep road testing new songs before recording them and work on the arrangements, the results are phenomenal. look at Manitoba, the arrangement makes the song. when i heard it live i thought it was mediocre, but hearing the lush arrangement makes the song stand out as one of FB's best recorded moments. with SMYT the SONGS stand out, not the players (ditto for DITS), which is the way it should be. rich has some nice lead moments, dave mc shines on jaina and new house, edf is the man plain and simple, i LOVE LOVE LOVE the harmonica stan ridgeway adds to the mix, and scott's drumming on manitoba's outro is more than enough reason to keep him around. the only non-audible catholic is dave phillips, but he's more the glue man - he fills in the holes, he's not supposed to stand out. all in all, i think the catholics are one of the best bands out there today, and their input, though not always as adventurous as the earlier FB/pixies work, is just as good, if not better than, its predecesors.
damn i can rant...
-brian |
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stephensolo
- FB Fan -
41 Posts |
Posted - 08/01/2003 : 14:09:40
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"Frank has said in interviews that the newer albums (DITS on) focus on "playing less", which is very "country" if you ask me. Pick up some 1970's era country music and you will hear some wicked, wicked, but reserved playing. Guitar Players take note. James Burton is THE KING OF ALL TIME and he plays very little. His solo on Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris "Las Vegas" is unbelievable.'.....
----- which is exactlty why rich's playing bothers me. it is not at all subtle when it needs to be. his solos on anything but the rocking numbers dont give the notes any space or time to breathe. lyle often was over the top - but go back and listen to some of the more bittersweet teenager stuff. lyle can hold back. a great b-side example is 'Can I Get A Witness' - that's lyle playing a great lead that fits the mood of the song wonderfully. |
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Omer
= Cult of Ray =
275 Posts |
Posted - 08/05/2003 : 20:56:40
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| Stephensolo - come on, that's patently untrue. Listen to the solo on 'How You Went So Far' man. It's very spacy. Also 'Cold Heart of Stone'. |
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cvanepps
= Cult of Ray =
USA
442 Posts |
Posted - 08/06/2003 : 14:00:37
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I've been thinking along these same sort of lines for a while. I'm not yet at the sensibility-cum-age position that Frank Black seems to be, and therefore I far prefer the pure rock & roll sound that ended with Pistolero. I dislike the country sound that they're into these days and I wish they'd go back. I really wanted to like SMYT but I do not. Rich, Dave, Scott, et al are not to blame, IMO, rather it's a natural progression. Look at 85 Weeks on Pistolero. Each successive release had more and more distortion-free tunes. Now it's the other way around: you occasionally get a tune with a slightly distorted guitar that could pass for rock. Hooray for us!
And while I prefer the multi-track sound to the 2-track experience, I wouldn't trust any other band (no matter what type of music they were playing) to make 2-track sound good.
If you're a dedicated fan who likes whatever FB & the C's do, then great. But I don't think it's wrong for a fan to question and challenge.
My $0.02
-= It's not easy to kidnap a fat man =-
http://christophervanepps.iuma.com |
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Omer
= Cult of Ray =
275 Posts |
Posted - 08/08/2003 : 18:17:23
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| I don't think it is wrong for a fan to challange an artist's work, but I do think it is wrong to challange her choice of medium or genre. If Frank Black decides he wants to do 'Alternative Country-Rock' stuff for a while, then you should not let the fact that you dislike 'ACR' to stand in the way. Rather, you have to ask, as ACR, how good or bad it is. |
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cvanepps
= Cult of Ray =
USA
442 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 13:28:11
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quote:
Originally posted by Omer
If Frank Black decides he wants to do 'Alternative Country-Rock' stuff for a while, then you should not let the fact that you dislike 'ACR' to stand in the way. Rather, you have to ask, as ACR, how good or bad it is.
Well I can't help how I feel about the genre but I do admit Frank's skill as a songwriter is still enjoyable and something I aspire to (just not the recent ACR slant).
-= It's not easy to kidnap a fat man =-
http://christophervanepps.iuma.com |
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atf487
- FB Fan -
1 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 13:59:45
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| I'm not really tired of the catholics, but I just feel that his first two records, were much better. I mean, the catholics are great and all, but in a perfect world, I'd rather have him go back to 4AD and make cds like he used too. Thats not to say I don't like light music, because I do. But, on Teenager of the Year, he wrote some great rock songs, and some really nice ballads. |
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Stuart
- The Clopser -
China
2291 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2003 : 18:20:36
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I reckon people should give the Catholics a break.... I'd be more happier if Frank stayed with the Catholics rather than if he went solo again, or even got back with the Pixies (which I think will probably not happen). If FB and the Catholics make a bad record then the blame cannot be planted solely onto the Catholics as both Frank and the Catholics decide what goes onto the final released album.
I'd like to see Frank play more rock, but then again I like his new stuff as well and am happy to listen to that equally as much.
I don't know what you guys are bitching about the new album, I had a dream last night that I was listening to it and it sounded very very good. Now I just need to get my hands on it.
War....... Its not fantastic |
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Brackish Girl
~ Soul Eater ~
Ireland
1750 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2003 : 17:11:22
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i have to say i have new respect for the catholics since smyt. the playing is tighter, and some of the gutar parts are amazing, short solos, which, because of their length, are much more a part of the song. i don't know how to explain that. like on everything is new, the solo before 'chesney quit the army...', and on my favourite kiss, the bit before the second 'sky be torn...'...etc. and i like the bass on when will happiness find me again.
quote:
Originally posted by Zsolt G.
Nobody seems to talk about the fact that Lyle Workman is genius, but WAY over the top. Some of the shit he does is so cock-rock that it verges on the ridiculous.
i could agree with that. that would be the thing i kind of find annoying.
-Jessie
'She picked up the phone,
the bombs were deployed,
the people they groaned,
the world was destroyed' |
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crippe
- FB Fan -
Sweden
64 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2003 : 19:02:00
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The first line-up is the best: Black, McCaffrey, Boutier and Workman. This is the īoriginalī FB and the Cīs line-up as on the first and most rockīnīroll-ish album of them all. When Lyle left the band it took TWO guys to do his work.
(on the topic of so called cock-rock, wasīnt that a term for bands like Lynard Skynard and the like - no-brains, lotsīoībeer-kinda music? I donīt think Lyle Workman qualifies as cock-rock.) |
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Stuart
- The Clopser -
China
2291 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2003 : 18:53:59
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Does anyone know why Lyle left the band??? I know he worked with Frank on DW, but how come he stopped playing with the Catholics.
War....... Its not fantastic |
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MikeW
- FB Fan -
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2003 : 04:24:00
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Probably for the same reason Andrew Feldman left, better pay! Feldman joined PJ Harver and Workman joined Beck. Thats my guess. While I like Rich, I think it would be great if Joey just became the permanent guitar player. I think Joey's style of playing will steer Frank's alt-country sounding stuff away from being just that, ex:Out of State
quote:
Originally posted by Stuart
Does anyone know why Lyle left the band??? I know he worked with Frank on DW, but how come he stopped playing with the Catholics.
War....... Its not fantastic
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Jason
* Dog in the Sand *
1446 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2003 : 23:16:57
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| Nope, I'm not tired of the Catholics. Thanks for asking! |
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Devils Islander
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
101 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2003 : 14:59:50
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I'm with Jason. All you filthy blasphemers shall almost certainly be reincarnated as dogs. Not cool dogs either - probably miniature poodles, belonging to some fat Austrian woman called Brunhilde.
...where the Ballyhoos and the Tritons are. |
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Chris Knight
= Cult of Ray =
USA
899 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2003 : 17:58:52
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That's pretty funny. And who the hell is Andrew Feldman?
Frank's alt-country rock sound seems way too unoriginal to me, though I imagine the "Catholics" are only slightly to blame. |
Edited by - Chris Knight on 08/18/2003 18:03:58 |
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paintmeister
= Cult of Ray =
USA
347 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2003 : 21:16:03
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I guess since I still am playing the heck out of FBTC/Self-titled and BLD, I'm not tired of the Catholics. And this comes from a guy who is not a "country fan". I'm still not going to don some spurs and buy a large belt buckle, so I think I'm still sane.
"Guess I'm just a little stupid" |
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