Thoughts on Thoughts on a Grey Day

[bretonbanquet]

So whose idea was it to tape the batty old lady reading her poem, and who decided it would be a good idea to put it on "Bare Trees"? Has anyone ever heard a good reason for it, or should we guess who was behind it? My money's on Mick I can't imagine that Bob or John would have cared, and I doubt that Danny or Chris would have considered it a great idea.

So hands up who skips the old crone when they play the album... personally I usually play it I'd rather hear Mrs Scarrot on a 24-hour loop than listen to "When I See You Again" or something

[chiliD]

Before the invent of CD's, it played when I played the LP. But once CDs were invented and I could program it out, VOILA! Sayonara, Mrs Scarrot.

[jbrownsjr]

I like it!! Leave Mrs Scarlett alone!!!

[HomerMcvie]

Just say NO!

Yeah, it was Dick....err, I mean Mick's idea. He's just full of.............










good ideas, huh?

[macfan 57]

Mick did mention in his book that he loved it on the album, so I'm sure it was his idea. I don't hate it & whenever I listen to the album, I don't skip it. The best thing you can say about it is it isn't very long. I would have liked to have had one of Christine's terrific songs from the Madison Blues box set instead. I think "Gone Into The Sun" would have sounded fantastic as the album closer.

[ThePenguin]

Originally Posted by macfan 57

Mick did mention in his book that he loved it on the album, so I'm sure it was his idea. I don't hate it & whenever I listen to the album, I don't skip it. The best thing you can say about it is it isn't very long. I would have liked to have had one of Christine's terrific songs from the Madison Blues box set instead. I think "Gone Into The Sun" would have sounded fantastic as the album closer.

As usual I agree w/ pretty much everything you wrote. I don't hate it either... I actually think the words are sort of nice. I'm a sap for poetry.

'...pregnant sweet... love is tender.' kinda pretty.
And the bickering between the couple at the end always makes me laugh.

That said, I'd have LOVED to have Gone Into the Sun close that album!!

-Lis

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by macfan 57

Mick did mention in his book that he loved it on the album, so I'm sure it was his idea. I don't hate it & whenever I listen to the album, I don't skip it. The best thing you can say about it is it isn't very long. I would have liked to have had one of Christine's terrific songs from the Madison Blues box set instead. I think "Gone Into The Sun" would have sounded fantastic as the album closer.

Chris was frustratingly reserved on her first two Mac records. She could clearly write and sing any number of songs but, for whatever reason, chose to contribute only two to each. And even then, she seemed content with being a side player. This is inexplicable to me since she clearly possessed (and possesses) the best voice among the Kirwan-McVie-Welch trumvirate. Why the band didn't exploit her talent more is beyond me. I'm imagining SHE was her own worst enemy and chose to remain under the proverbial radar.

And then when it was just she and Bob fronting the band,, I don't know why she chose to contribute four songs for each record. Why not split the writing and singing chores for half the record? Herf voice at this point was fully evolved and she was capable of nailing a wide range of stlyes.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by bretonbanquet

So whose idea was it to tape the batty old lady reading her poem, and who decided it would be a good idea to put it on "Bare Trees"? Has anyone ever heard a good reason for it, or should we guess who was behind it? My money's on Mick I can't imagine that Bob or John would have cared, and I doubt that Danny or Chris would have considered it a great idea.

So hands up who skips the old crone when they play the album... personally I usually play it I'd rather hear Mrs Scarrot on a 24-hour loop than listen to "When I See You Again" or something

I wish it weren't on the record for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it's a lousy poem. (Daft might be the right word.) And "Dust" is such an excellent, perfect song, that it should rightfully close that record.

But I agree with you: I'd rather hear "Thoughts" fifty times over "When I See You Again."

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Originally Posted by bretonbanquet

So whose idea was it to tape the batty old lady reading her poem, and who decided it would be a good idea to put it on "Bare Trees"?

Having heard and read about this, I expected something a little different. Yes, I knew it was an old local eccentric reading one of her poems, but I think I expected something more from the delivery - perhaps a little more flambouyant or even a bit Stanley Unwin-ish. Instead she seems to be almost embarassed herself and just rambles it off.

[bretonbanquet]

Originally Posted by Neb-Maat-Re

I think I expected something more from the delivery - perhaps a little more flambouyant or even a bit Stanley Unwin-ish. Instead she seems to be almost embarassed herself and just rambles it off.

True, but I think it works better that it's obviously unrehearsed and off-the-cuff, I suppose she wasn't a performer of any sort. There's certainly nothing pretentious about it - possibly the only pretentious thing was putting it on the record... She was, I guess, born around 1900 and she was just an old English country lady who wrote poetry in her spare time. Someone maybe told Mick down the pub that there's this quaint old lady up the road who writes odd poems, and suddenly old Mrs Scarrot has this very tall, slightly unhinged gentleman knocking on her door wanting to tape her poems and put one on a record and sell it.

I'm guessing she had her friend around at the time (the guy you hear talking at the end) and they taped a poem or two and that was it. She almost certainly never understood that a million people would go out and buy it If she did she might have re-recited it more carefully.

[ThePenguin]

I dug up an old article from NME-- July 1, 1972--, and here's a bit referring to the poem:

Though with Mrs. Scarrot's poem, placed tactfully at the end of the set, and the words frequently referring to bare trees, it'd seem there was some connection between that and the title track. Even an attempt to provide some tangible theme. But that wasn't the case.


Christine: "We just asked her to write a little poem, because she writes some nice ones. And originally we were just going to print it on the back cover. But she taped it, and parts of it were," she paused, looking at John in hope of some sort of adjective, "so far out that we thought we'd put it on the end of the last song on the second side."


-Lis

[bretonbanquet]

Originally Posted by ThePenguin

I dug up an old article from NME-- July 1, 1972--, and here's a bit referring to the poem:

Though with Mrs. Scarrot's poem, placed tactfully at the end of the set, and the words frequently referring to bare trees, it'd seem there was some connection between that and the title track. Even an attempt to provide some tangible theme. But that wasn't the case.


Christine: "We just asked her to write a little poem, because she writes some nice ones. And originally we were just going to print it on the back cover. But she taped it, and parts of it were," she paused, looking at John in hope of some sort of adjective, "so far out that we thought we'd put it on the end of the last song on the second side."


-Lis

Thanks for that!

So maybe it wasn't all Mick's idea - sounds like quite a joint effort. I'm glad to hear that Christine was happy with it, I was wondering whether she'd thought it was daft or something. Cool.

[macfan 57]

Originally Posted by ThePenguin

I dug up an old article from NME-- July 1, 1972--, and here's a bit referring to the poem:

Though with Mrs. Scarrot's poem, placed tactfully at the end of the set, and the words frequently referring to bare trees, it'd seem there was some connection between that and the title track. Even an attempt to provide some tangible theme. But that wasn't the case.


Christine: "We just asked her to write a little poem, because she writes some nice ones. And originally we were just going to print it on the back cover. But she taped it, and parts of it were," she paused, looking at John in hope of some sort of adjective, "so far out that we thought we'd put it on the end of the last song on the second side."


-Lis

Thanks for the info. I'd never heard that before. Is there anything interesting in the rest of the article?

[ThePenguin]

Originally Posted by macfan 57

Thanks for the info. I'd never heard that before. Is there anything interesting in the rest of the article?

yeah, I get the hint, i stuck it in.

-Lis