RIP Joe Cocker

[MajGenl.Meade]

Yup, their song writing abilities are easily as good as Caruso's. Can't fault ya there.

Don't mean to divert from Joe Cocker (may he rest in peace) but I was always a bit puzzled by the contrast between Prine's "Sam Stone" and "Illegal Smile". Apparently he couldn't make up his mind about drugs. Mind, I do recognize that the first was really more about PTSD and the second about recreational drugs and certainly has an ambiguous resolution... always good value, John Prine.

As to Randy Newman, he writes clever-ish squibs - a cartoonist of the music world. Entertaining and biting at times. Meh. But he makes the R&R Hall of Fame (as does the far superior Leonard Cohen) and John Prine doesn't - go figure.

[rubato]

More caricature than cartoon. There is a lot of art in understanding what part of a person's appearance, or in the case of Newman's songs what part of their personality you need to highlight to have a recognizable character. Newman has a dead-accurate ear for the 'voice' of the characters in his songs. And his use of the dishonest narrator is second to none.

There is a lot of humor but there is very often a serious point underneath it. He afflicts the comfortable of many persuasions and writes songs which satirize places with such a sense of fun that they people there adopt it as a self-mocking anthem; like the LA Lakers fans singing "I Love LA". They get the joke because they have seen the boulevards in the song, La Cienaga, State Street (we love it we love it!). And his very affecting Louisiana 1927 was an appropriate reminder of Katrina.




yrs,
rubato

[BoSoxGal]

Randy Newman is a singular talent, every bit the equal in greatness at his craft as other 'rock' legends are at theirs.




As to Joe Cocker; I saw him once in concert, as opener to James Taylor, IIRC - early 90s.

His voice was most excellent; RIP.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Yes, I think caricature is much better than cartoon

[rubato]

And Randy Newman is a better songwriter, a better singer, and a better musician than Leonard Cohen.


yrs,
rubato

[Lord Jim]

And Randy Newman is a better songwriter, a better singer, and a better musician than Leonard Cohen.


yrs,
rubato

My, this is a red letter day...

For the second time in one day, I find myself in complete agreement with rubato...

[Econoline]

[BoSoxGal]

eta: Sometimes I don't click on the music videos - sure glad I did that one!

[Lord Jim]

"I gotta get my Fred and Wilma"...

Who can forget it...a classic...

[Big RR]

Agreed. thanks econo.

[Sue U]

Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!

[Big RR]

And Randy Newman is a better songwriter, a better singer, and a better musician than Leonard Cohen.


yrs,
rubato

My, this is a red letter day...

For the second time in one day, I find myself in complete agreement with rubato...

Better songwriter--I'd agree. Musician? A tossup, but defendable. Singer? Here's where we part company.

1-2 out of 3; not too bad.

[MajGenl.Meade]

I don't really know what a "better" songwriter does to qualify. They are different songwriters.

I find it easier to judge poetry - William T McGonagall was a terrible poet and Shakespeare was better. In music, I think Newman and Cohen are both streets ahead of Neil Diamond (who of course has outsold them both combined, with a margin of approximately seventy eight billion).

... and Joe Cocker famously covered Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On" and Joe had good taste.

So is this brilliant writing? I don't know...

Baby take off your coat...(real slow)
Baby take off your shoes...(here I'll take your shoes)
Baby take off your dress
Yes yes yes
You can leave your hat on
You can leave your hat on
You can leave your hat on

Go on over there and turn on the light...no all the lights
Now come back here and stand on this chair...that's right
Raise your arms up in to the air...shake 'em
You give me a reason to live
You give me a reason to live
You give me a reason to live

Suspicious minds are talking
Trying to tear us apart
They say that my love is wrong
They don't know what love is
They don't know what love is
They don't know what love is
They don't know what love is
I know what love is

But this definitely is... "Light As The Breeze"

She stands before you naked
you can see it, you can taste it,
and she comes to you light as the breeze.
Now you can drink it or you can nurse it,
it don't matter how you worship
as long as you're
down on your knees.
So I knelt there at the delta,
at the alpha and the omega,
at the cradle of the river and the seas.
And like a blessing come from heaven
for something like a second
I was healed and my heart
was at ease.

O baby I waited
so long for your kiss
for something to happen,
oh something like this.

And you're weak and you're harmless
and you're sleeping in your harness
and the wind going wild
in the trees,
and it ain't exactly prison
but you'll never be forgiven
for whatever you've done
with the keys.

O baby I waited ...

It's dark now and it's snowing
O my love I must be going,
The river has started to freeze.
And I'm sick of pretending
I'm broken from bending
I've lived too long on my knees.

Then she dances so graceful
and your heart's hard and hateful
and she's naked
but that's just a tease.
And you turn in disgust
from your hatred and from your love
and comes to you
light as the breeze.

O baby I waited ...

There's blood on every bracelet
you can see it, you can taste it,
and it's Please baby
please baby please.
And she says, Drink deeply, pilgrim
but don't forget there's still a woman
beneath this
resplendent chemise.

So I knelt there at the delta,
at the alpha and the omega,
I knelt there like one who believes.
And the blessings come from heaven
and for something like a second
I'm cured and my heart
is at ease

[Big RR]

Meade--I could be wrong, but I think the majority of Cocker's tunes were written by others, while Newman wrote his own, which is why I give the songwriting nod to Newman.

[Jarlaxle]

All Cocker's big hits were covers.

[oldr_n_wsr]

I always liked Jim Belushi's cover of Joe Cocker. I'm sure there is a you tube of it out there, but I'm blocked here at work.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Meade--I could be wrong, but I think the majority of Cocker's tunes were written by others, while Newman wrote his own, which is why I give the songwriting nod to Newman.

The only wrongness involved is that the singing, musical and songwriting skills of Randy Newman were being compared favourably by rubato to those of Leonard Cohen (not Joe Cocker, you purblind pudding! )

[Big RR]

Is purblind pudding a good or a bad thing? Should I be insulted or proud?

Decision, decisions...