(no subject)

[taffimai]

This is my official, "it's xmas eve and I'm Jewish and bored" post. If you are also Jewish and bored, consider this your invitation to play in comments! (If you're not Jewish but still bored, you can have a Jew-for-the-day pass and come play too.)

Oh, and to all who are celebrating, have a wonderful holiday.

Comments

[halfspokenwords.livejournal.com]

Yay! And having looked at your other comments, I wish I could have Chinese food tomorrow night! I have family doing a completely-secular-holiday-called-Christmas. I was just called away to assist in securing a string of plastic lights on a dead tree.

I know he can sing, and sing quite gorgeously, but I don't think I've heard that song. But I have heard the sample tracks from Another Side, and so I concur. Though I must admit that sometimes I go to youtube and listen to his "Your Song" and "You're So Vain" performances... guilty pleasure, yanno?

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

Chinese and a movie on xmas is Jewish tradition. Well, a Jewish-and-not-living-in-Israel tradition. Those are the only two things open! You should totally blow of your family and tell them that you're Jewish for the day.

I've heard him sing some gorgeous stuff, but this is perfection. Absolutely wonderful. As for "Another Side," I think it's perfectly valid as a guilty pleasure, but such a shame that a talent like John's has been regulated to that status.

[halfspokenwords.livejournal.com]

I should! ... but I won't, sadly. Next year we'll probably see the new Star Trek movie on Christmas day, though, so that's close?

You're right. And really, I'm not sure if it's the song choices or the various production decisions. It's just that much worse because there must be countless pop songs that could do justice to his voice.

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

That will work. I'm a little scared by how awful the new Trek movie could be.

Honestly, I think the song choices were poor, the arrangements were bland, and it was post-productioned to hell and back, but it comes down to two things in my mind:

1) I'm not convinced John is a studio performer. Everything he's done that I've loved has been in front of an audience. I think they might do better doing a live album with him.

2) Despite what he might think, John is not a machine. Expecting him to do a quality album when he's squeezing recording sessions in an hour at a time while coming from one commitment and going to an other is not going to result in a product that anyone will be proud of.

[halfspokenwords.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, me too. I've been terrified since they announced it was a prequel. ...Well, actually, I've been terrified since I watched Enterprise Nemesis came out.

Ooh, a live album could be awesome. His other albums are rather lovely, though, and they were studio, weren't they?

That is also a good point. He is all over the place, and I get tired just reading about it. Those interviews that have him seeming unhappy about Torchwood filming schedules have me concerned for just this reason. He must be exhausted.

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

It's a scary, scary world for trek fen, isn't it?

Honestly, I don't like his other albums that much. Swings Cole Porter is nice, but the others feel bland to me. Especially when compared to his live performances.

Yeah, reading those interviews was very much a "oh fuck" moment for me, because it means that one of the following is true:

a) John's trying to negotiate for TW S3 and wants all the leverage he can get.
b) John's decided not to do TW S3 and is easing it into the public consciousness.
c) John's just that tired.
d) Any combination of the above.

I have no problem with option a, and I'd be sad if option b were true because I love John in Torchwood, but what worries me is option c. Because if he's that tired wrapping up Torchwood and coming off his album publicity, I hate to think what two shows a day in Panto is going to do to him.

[halfspokenwords.livejournal.com]

It is. And to think, there were days when the biggest problem for Trek fen was that they were going to kill of Jadzia.

Swings Cole Porter was the one I was thinking of, honestly. XD And some of Reflections from Broadway. There's something about John singing 'Try to Remember'... (Of course, that may be because when I saw The Fantasticks in NYC, the Mute reminded me of Ianto something terrible.)

That man really just needs to stop for a while. I think all of his projects would improve, too. But I really just hope it's option a.

[halfspokenwords.livejournal.com]

Also, THANK YOU. :) You know what for. I finally have a chance to download it, and can't wait.

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! Will you let me know what you think?

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

I'm not convinced John is a studio performer.

I agreed with you until I got the Just So CD. This is a studio album, and apparently John was recording his part by himself. Admittedly, it's a musical and not just a collection of songs, and he's playing a (musical) part and not just singing a collection of unrelated songs, but I like it very much.

For the most part, I agree with your comments on Another Side. Leaving aside the post-processing that was done with a steamroller as well as the elevator-music arrangements, I definitely prefer his voice when he's singing as if he's doing a performance and not as if he's singing to someone in the same room (and trying not to blast them out). I'm not so sure it was the poor song choices so much as how he chose to present them. IMHO, his voice is much better when he's supporting with his diaphram. (And I definitely think that his "I've got 15 minutes free now, so let's record something" schedule was a factor in the mix.) I had intended to give the album to a friend at Christmas, to introduce her to JB, but after hearing it decided against that idea.

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

I think he could do studio work with the right team around him and someone to manage him (I think some of the arrangements resulted from them giving John too much creative control.) I mean, "Swings Cole Porter" wasn't bad. But I don't think it comes as easily to him as performing in front of a crowd.

Yeah, I'd recommend "Swings Cole Porter" for your friend, if you want to give her a JB album. If you just want to introduce her to JB, the Jerry Herman Gala was fabulous.

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Swings is probably the album I'll use. I think it'll keep her attention long enough to listen all the way though once, and that'll be enough to hook her. I'm not sure she'd listen all the way through the JH Gala. (She lives 12 hours away, so I need something that'll work long distance on a busy person that doesn't spend a lot of personal time on her PC.)

From what I've heard/read/seen in videos, I agree that an audience makes a definite difference. And, yes, I also think allowing him a bit less control (or a far more constructively critical beta audience) would result in a (IMHO) better end product. I'm hoping that with this album, he'll have gotten the whole "another side" out of his system and that his next albums will be closer to what we're used to hearing him sound like.