Lindsey, how rude!
 

I got a huge kick out of Lindsey telling Performing Songwriter that he likes John Lennon's Plastic Ono album because it gives him an excuse for being rude in his own songs.

I never thought of it that way, and though he says it tongue in cheek, there is some truth to the statement.

Which do you think is the most Lennon-like of Lindsey's songs? I am referring to the words now, not the music.

I'd say probably Come and Not That Funny.

How rude!
 

I agree with the two you picked, and would add these to the list:

Wrong
Bwana
That's How We Do It In L.A.

Wrong! Of course. How could I forget?

Bwana and That's How We Do it -- hmm, good choices too. But I haven't heard those in a while, so I wouldn't have thought of them.

Thats how we do it in LA and Wrong are total Tongue in cheek. I am pretty sure Wrong is about Mick. another might be What makes you think you're the one.

Yes, I agree, "What Makes You Think You're The One" is definitely in the list . . . although one might argue a few of on the list aren't tongue in cheek but quite serious.

Wrong is about Mick. And it's probably the most Lennon-like, come to think of it. It's a little like John's anti-Paul song, How Do You Sleep.

I don't think its quite as spiteful as How do you sleep? but there are similarities for sure.
I also loved how Lennon has a picture of himself fondling a goat on the back cover of the album--another jab at McCartney, who had a picture of himself with a ram on the cover of his classic Ram album.

Cool!
 

I love the fact that Lindsey has taken inspiration in Lennon, and I can totally hear it in all the songs mentioned. I would add GYOW to the list even though it isn't really tongue-in-cheek and Lindsey maybe wasn't thinking about John Lennon at the time...I think Lennon would have definitely approved. I Love How Do You Sleep, even though I am a huge McCartney fan, and none of his music is muzak to my ears!
-Sonia

I find lots of coincidences between "What Makes You Think You're The One" and "Instant Karma (We All Shine On)", in the musical part. Those two are songs built around a piano, a bass and hard drumming. Powerful in their own way... and I think Lindsey has mentioned the reference too... Good topic. Yes, most of his Tusk songs resemble Lennon's work in that masterpiece that Plastic Ono Band is.


Song of the moment - Miranda

A great work for all time. :nod:

Hmmm... Instant Karma and What Makes You Think You're the One. Food for thought. I will have to listen to them with a different ear now.

You know, Lindsey's Tusk songs make a hell of a lot of sense in the context of John's influence. Especially when you think of John as the original punk.

About those two songs in comparison, Lindsey said he ranked Mick's drum performance on that song up there among the best drum tracks ever, specifically naming Instant Karma. He even said that he ranked the evening that he and Mick were alone in the studio working on that drum track for that song as one of his top five moments in the band.

Back to the "rudeness" factor, for me, some of that comes out in terms of the stance he is willing to take in a song. The overall sentiment might not be overly rude or dirty or whatever, but he's not afraid to write a song in which he's not trying to be a sympathetic figure. He'll write a song that conveys a burst of emotion - The Ledge, GYOW, What Makes You Think..., Come, etc. - without really trying to convince you that he's entitled to the feeling. It just is what it is. It can be startling and/or "rude" in some respects. I like that. I think that is something John did too.

I was listening to Instant Karma and other Lennon songs from that era. That drummer was kick-ass. Is he available? They could've used him on SYW.

I think Andy White's still around...

Mick, what's wrong with ya?




Song of the moment - Caught In The Rain

how about Not That Funny & Cold Turkey?

Definitely a large part of LB's work on Tusk has that gritty, rude sound to it that I love so much. Not that Funny is a classic example of this sound.
Empire State and a demo version of Oh Diane where he only sings the chorus and hums the verses as he was probably working on it and didn't have all the lyrics yet has an edge to it.

ALAN White (he took Bill Bruford's place in YES) was the drummer for the Plastic Ono Band

But...it was RINGO playing drums on "Instant Karma".

Ringo, really? Wow.

It was not Ringo!!! You might just be confusing songs. Ringo played in the whole Plastic Ono Band album, but did not play in any of John's previous three singles from before the official breakup ("Give Peace A Chance", "Cold Turkey" and "Instant Karma (We All Shine On"). The one who does play in "Instant Karma" is George Harrison, in guitar and sharing the "grand piano" with John and Phil Spector.

You're right about Alan White, though. My bad.


Song of the moment - Bwana