Lindsey Does Here Comes The Sun
 

So I was looking through thrown-down.net (awesome site, i know the guy who owns it is on here) and there was this video of Lindsey singing "Here Comes The Sun" and it could not have been more awful. It was like soo far from the original version. Blah. Has anyone else seen this? Your thoughts if you have?

I gotta download that so I can laugh at it. I love Lindsey but damn did he butcher that or what? I think Harrison would've either been speechless, or he would've laughed. I don't know what the heck Lindsey was doing. I'm sure Lindsey has great respect for Harrison, so I cant figure out why he did what I call the "Tusk" version of the song. It was very bizarre.

The reason why I love this version is that it turns a very uplifting song into something that's very dark and full of anguish. And my non-musician ears still refuse to believe that he's singing off-key in it. :p

There are a few songs of Lindsey's (and I'm talking singer more than songwriter here) I'm not crazy about.
Very few. Some I've not been crazy about initially, but have grown to at least tolerate--if not like...if not love;-)
This is probably the only one I truly hate.
I think he was trying to make a statement by turning it dark--and I can appreciate that--but in a tribute to George Harrison (which I believe this was), he should (IMO only) have respected George's original intent and kept it at least moderately light or picked a darker song.
Don't like this one at all. But, to put a positive spin on it, it did accomplish what he probably set out to do.

The thing is that it sounds decent when he goes "little darlin its been its been a long, cold, lonely winter" but then BAM he kills it with the next line.

It was from ABC's New Year's Eve broadcast with Peter Jennings; the New Year's Eve just following the death of George Harrison.

Yep, that was definitely a stinker...a really big, bad stinker.

You'd THINK that the original riff would've been right in Lindsey's ballpark to expand upon, but no...he had to put George Harrison's words to his arrangement of "Big Love" (seemingly). I've never heard such a butchering of ANY song as Lindsey's horrid arrangement (or DISarrangement) of "Here Comes The Sun".

I truely believe that was one of his best solowithguitar-performances EVER.

And I'm not putting the arguments up again and again, but I am still very proud of him that he had the guts to put that song in another perpective by tearing it apart and barfed it into the microphone with so much heartfelt emotion. Off key? I don't hear it, but who cares when you throw it out so direct and edgy.

I think it's wonderful. But those who do not are also not so hot for Shut Us Down, I guess.....

I haven't heard this song but was it on a tribute cd or done live right after George Harrison's death? I don't think right after somebody has died is the time to be an *artiste* and f**k around with the original meaning of the song. The whole plan should be to pay respect for the original artist. Not to show off. Did he really do it to the melody of Big Love? Gawd. Anybody have a link to dl it coz now I'm really curious.

I'm still not too big on "Shut Us Down," and I wouldn't go so far as to say "best ever," but I really like Lindsey's "Here Comes The Sun," too. His voice is off-key, which is unfortunate, because I think his rearrangement works great. It does make the song a bit darker than Harrison's original. But then, the man had just died; that's a dark time. I think turning the melody inside out like that really worked as far as conveying the pain and sadness I'm sure Lindsey felt at George's passing. And it is indeed passionate.

It's not a "Big Love" arrangement, though. It's a "Red Rover" arrangement.

I have only heard the audio of it, and I like it. Yes, he's off key and his version is basically a new song, but the guitar solo is beautiful, and there's so much emotion and storytelling attitude in his voice that makes of it for me more an intriguing post-modern interpretation than a simple cover.:D

Romy

Which is really what a good cover should be, anyway.

How do both of those things you just said make sense? Thats like saying "It works 60% of the time, every time."


He does sing off key somewhat often. At any rate, his guitar work on the song was fantastic. However, I think the way he arranged the lyrics, and the way he sang it just wasnt very moving. I think it's tough with a song like that, because the original is so stamped in our memories.

WHAT!??????! I am shocked. You're cut off at this point. Go out and buy Abbey Road (right now), and then you can discuss it.

Ha! You're right.

Now do as you're told and go out and get Abbey Road. You're not a true music fan until you do. Go on. Go on! Get!

Just saw it. It's not too bad, it definitely works in some way. I like the vocal fine, don't mind that it's different. The guitar is a bit too "Lindsey Jangly" for me, but it somewhat works within the context of Lindsey doing the song. However, I did think it lacked warmth for the most part. Although Lindsey's facial expressions were appropriately deep and sorrowful. Overall I enjoyed hearing it done in this unusual way. And, that's also one of the Beatles songs that I actually like quite a bit.

I hope ChiliD sees that "REFleetwood" hasnt heard the original Here Comes the Sun....he'll have a field day with that one.

Wow. How shockingly closed-minded. I guess I went about it the wrong way, with the thick sarcasm, but I'm trying to broaden your horizons. I should have said "anyone who loves music deserves to have Abbey Road." You're just cheatin' yourself on that one.

Oh, and not true. A true music fan can appreciate any genre. Whether you "like" it or not is another thing.

Commercial? And FLEETWOOD MAC isn't over-exposed-commercial-music as it's best?

No it doesnt make you a non-conformist. It's unfortunate. Those albums are genius. Anyhoo....i just love the banter. You make for interesting conversation. I'll buy you all the bananas you want.

Yeah I think generally that is true. However, I think Rumours is one of those rare albums that even though it was hugely "commercial", it is a great album musically. It just happen to sell 25 million copies and everyone at the time was wearing it out. Then you look at something like The Bodyguard soundtrack or something ridiculous like that. It sold a ton, was commercial, and definitely less interesting.

Heh.
 

I didn't even know what song it was until I came here to find out. Had never heard it before. I think the facial expressions and overall tone of the song is due to Lindsey's being PO'ed at being told he couldn't go on that night. He threw his guitar, apparently (check out the hole in the bottom of the guitar!) in his anger.

Wait, what? Really? But he did go on, didn't he? :confused:

Yes
 

Yes, they let him do it, but I hear that Peter Jennings wasn't keen on the way he was singing the song or something.

Anyone remember details? I suck at details. LOL

Hi! This is my first post here, but I've been a lurker for quite a while.

I have to say, this (Lindsey's version) is one of my absolute favorite songs. I'm sure I had heard the original prior to Lindsey's version, but had never "listened" to it before. I'm just not a fan of the Beatles, together or solo. I find Lindsey's a bit darker, but IMO, that comes from the passion with which he sings it. Me thinks he was a little overheated that night. So the story goes (as I've heard it), the ABC execs didn't like his rendition. He was called at his hotel and told he could not sing it that way and would have to 'tone it down' to sound more like the original. He got pissed and slammed his guitar against the wall of his room.:eek: At some point Kristen was on the phone with Rick Turner himself telling him the guitar was "in pieces." Lindsey didn't want to play a different guitar that night, so Rick Turner sent someone to repair that one. I'm not sure if he actually did tone it down a bit or if the "suits" gave in to his tantrum. But the gaping hole in the guitar that is visible in the video was part of the result. The guitar tech couldn't repair everything.

But anyway, I love it, give me just Lindsey and a guitar and I'm set. I haven't noticed that he was off key, but so what if he was a little. That's sometimes the risk you take with a live performance. An artist does not have the luxury of numerous retakes and "smoothing" things out as they have in the studio.

Angie

Welcome!
 

Welcome to the Ledge, Angie! Thanks for explaining the details of what happened.

Thank you for telling the story, welcome.
That's weird, I don't imagine Lindsey doing things like that.

Thanks for the welcome! Glad to be here.

Ya know, I can totally see Lindsey doing something like this. Maybe it's from gossip I've heard about him through the years or just his genaral 'intenseness', but I bet he has a temper.
Oh, I remembered something else about the story I heard. Nothing significant, but I think the original story came from someone on another board who was really in to guitars. He was a friend of someone who worked for Rick Turner and this friend was witness to the call with Kristen...or something like that. It's been a long time since I read about it, so I could be off base, but what I posted was the general circulated story of what happened. Anybody else remember this? I've really only posted and kept up with postings on BN.net up to now, so that has to be where I read it.

Angie

Well, mylittledemon wasn't trying to "force" you to do anything, but was just being playful. But usually when I hear a bunch of people saying of an artist, "This is the best music ever made," that generally tends to pique my interest rather than drive me away. Do you seek out only bands that everybody thinks are crap?

Anyway, how does one go through life never having heard "Here Comes The Sun"?

No, it just makes you a bit silly. Not listening to something simply because it's popular and overexposed is just as silly as listening to it only for that reason.

Peter Jennings does sound a little less than enthusiastic in introducing Lindsey's "interpretation" of the song. If I were Lindsey, I would have said sure, I'll tone it down, and then go ahead and play my rendition anyway. Live TV, what are they gonna do? Cut to commercial, over an re-arrangement of a song?

Yes, the hole is quite visible in the video. That is the way I remember the story being passed around as well. He smashed his guitar after he was asked to tone the song down and Kristen had to call and tell Rick what happened to his guitar! Did anyone doubt LB had a temper? :lol: The man does what he wants to!

Is this the hole that you are talking about? The one on the bottom left corner.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...nClip01700.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...nClip03700.jpg

Thanks for the story. I have heard it before but I thought that it happened after the show.:shrug: That of course would make no sense. :laugh:

Sorry, you did make them clear in subsequent posts, but not in the one I was responding to. I just hadn't read ahead.

I'm sure I'll catch my breath eventually, just give a moment to fan myself. A cup of tea would be nice, if you don't mind.

Now Angie, that's a friggin' great story. Thanks for that. I bet he DID tune it down a little! I WANNA HEAR THE VERSION HE DID DURING REHEARSAL!!!!!!!!

I happen to like this version. I opened with it at one of my gigs a while back and the crowd loved it. They thought it was "very innovative".

My pleasure for passing it along. And if he did tone it down, I would kill to hear how he originally did it. Can you imagine what the ABC people heard!?:]

Angie