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Originally Posted by face of glass
I certainly wouldn't claim that OOTC is tremendously risky, but when it was released it definitely stood out by being out of step with the times. If all the bass-devoid '80s production values were being tossed out at the time, in order to be replaced by too much emphasis on the bass (as the grunge bands did, for instance) then of course it must have sounded a bit dated by then. No real rhythm section either, and devoid of a real band sound. Suspicious to most in the early '90s, methinks.
But one of the things that I think did contribute to the obscurity of the album was once again its diversity, some alternative rock-like material here and there (although I know you think the rockers on it sound "tame"), a lot of the Rumours-era sound and obvious throwbacks to pre-'60s popular music. Does not "Countdown" rip off "La Bamba" somewhat? He quotes "A Theme From Summer Place" at the end of "You Do Or You Don't". There are classical-sounding guitar parts all over the place, a Kingston Trio tribute and a Rodgers/Hammerstein tune. And of course "Soul Drifter", the one that Lee Hirschberg called "a real song". That guy used to work with Sinatra while The Chairman was recording the great American songbook. Lindsey even said that it was done with a Tin Pan Alley sensibility in mind.
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That's right. Could I just add something, glass? Much of what we're referring to when we talk about Lindsey's "experimental" side pertains as much to manner as to matter. In other words, it isn't always as apparent to the casual listener because it's in the conceptualizing -- which is really nothing more than a series of choices, & in Lindsey's case that would be arrangements & construction -- & in the production. The experimentation is as often intended to hide its essence as it is to clearly display it. With Lindsey, you can cite this or that to try to get a hand on the experimental: banjo-like playing techniques/unorthodox playing techniques, vocal crooning reminiscent of '40s & '50s pop & doowop, using instruments for purposes other than what they were intended & designed for, using nontraditional instruments (nontraditional for mainstream pop-rock), etc.
Lindsey once said: "If the means you use to achieve something are unusual, the result may also be unusual."