2 New Singles?

[CarneVaca]

Not sure I would call Miranda and Say Goodbye pure pop. There's enough weirdness going though both of those to turn off a goodly number of potential listeners.

As for Steal Your Heart Away, yes it is pop. Unabashadly. But what makes it special is the way it harkens back to melodies rarely ever used anymore. Yes, there's a bit of Beach Boys in there and, I think, a little bit of that old standard ballad feel. I find the melody is merely Part Deux of Sould Drifter. Play those songs back to back and you wil see very common elements, down to the lack of a chorus and the repetition of the bridge.

Incidentally, I've noticed some melodic stuff making its way back to the airwaves. Of course, I really only listen to WFUV, which is an off-beat non-commercial station. The Jayhaws, the Thorns and some band called The Thrills(?) have very, very melodic stuff that is not necessarily cheesy and that is getting some attention.

Hey, even The Strokes have beautiful melodies in their songs, when you really get down to the essence of their tunes.

[dissention]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Not sure I would call Miranda and Say Goodbye pure pop. There's enough weirdness going though both of those to turn off a goodly number of potential listeners.

I wouldn't either and that's why I didn't.

I don't believe that any of Lindsey's songs can be *pure* pop; there is always a splash of the eccentric and out-there in his music. It's the constant in his career. I just think that those songs are poppy when you put them next to songs like Murrow, Come, and Red Rover.

[face of glass]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
As for Steal Your Heart Away, yes it is pop. Unabashadly. But what makes it special is the way it harkens back to melodies rarely ever used anymore. Yes, there's a bit of Beach Boys in there and, I think, a little bit of that old standard ballad feel. I find the melody is merely Part Deux of Sould Drifter. Play those songs back to back and you wil see very common elements, down to the lack of a chorus and the repetition of the bridge.

No problem there. The biggest problem with "SYHA" that I have is that it doesn't have unusual things Lindsey very often adds to his music. It's an obvious stylization without the typical Buckingham eccentricities. The same goes for "Oh Diane" too. The fact that those two can be used as background music, as harmless, even banal filler for empty spaces in between discussion bothers me the most. There's nothing in either of those tunes that really grabs me. I do like them, but they're at the bottom end of LB's catalogue for me.

I do realize that some people love it when he's "normal" like this. And I don't mind it that much either, if he doesn't do it that often, which he hasn't. Besides, I still can't rationally explain why I think "Bleed To Love Her" and "Down On Rodeo" are gorgeous while "SYHA" and "Oh Diane" are not. And I'm still kicking myself for that.

[Johnny Stew]

Originally posted by face of glass
The biggest problem with "SYHA" that I have is that it doesn't have unusual things Lindsey very often adds to his music. It's an obvious stylization without the typical Buckingham eccentricities.

I see your point, Gaius, but... Lindsey's eccentricities are in evidence on "Steal Your Heart Away," if you listen to his vocal.

"All aLOWne we gOW, all day after DAAY-AYY... all alone, we SUFFAH... to steal your heart away...."

"It's the sAYme old thing, in the sAAYEMe old way...."

It can actually be kind of annoying if you focus on it, but it does make the song purely Buckingham.

[dissention]

Originally posted by Johnny Stew
I see your point, Gaius, but... Lindsey's eccentricities are in evidence on "Steal Your Heart Away," if you listen to his vocal.

"All aLOWne we gOW, all day after DAAY-AYY... all alone, we SUFFAH... to steal your heart away...."

"It's the sAYme old thing, in the sAAYEMe old way...."

It can actually be kind of annoying if you focus on it, but it does make the song purely Buckingham.

I am in total agreement, Johnny!! Have you heard the early mix of SYHA? It is *incredibly* annoying. He makes these "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" noises during the last minute, too, and it makes you want to put your head in a gas oven.

[DownOnRodeo]

I am in total agreement, Johnny!! Have you heard the early mix of SYHA? It is *incredibly* annoying. He makes these "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" noises during the last minute, too, and it makes you want to put your head in a gas oven.

While um never making me suicidal nor was I much of a fan of SYHA until the SYW version came about. Stevie and the boost of Christine in the mix towards the end really makes the song.

[face of glass]

Originally posted by Johnny Stew
"All aLOWne we gOW, all day after DAAY-AYY... all alone, we SUFFAH... to steal your heart away...."

"It's the sAYme old thing, in the sAAYEMe old way...."

It can actually be kind of annoying if you focus on it, but it does make the song purely Buckingham.

Well, I understand you there. It's still not too obvious and just a single detail. The main problem is still that it doesn't add anything obviously distracting to it. So it's the overall sound of the track that bothers me. Even though I agree with Dissention, those "mmm-mmms" add a bit more "weirdness" to the proceedings. Of course, I won't let this song turn into a similar monster for me that the album version of "Thrown Down" is for Ms. Objectivity.

I see your point, Gaius, but...

Is this supposed to be a hint, Brian? Should I actually identify myself properly? Should I add a signature?

Ah, I have a good idea for that just now:

[CarneVaca]

Interesting debate. I've always liked Steal Your Heart Away. It's a beautiful song. In the same vein, I like Down on Rodeo, Bleed to Love Her and the covers Gotta Get Away and The Singer Not the Song. They all follow that simple, very melodic approach. I wonder if Lindsey recorded them around the same time.

[dissention]

Originally posted by CarneVaca
Interesting debate. I've always liked Steal Your Heart Away. It's a beautiful song. In the same vein, I like Down on Rodeo, Bleed to Love Her and the covers Gotta Get Away and The Singer Not the Song. They all follow that simple, very melodic approach. I wonder if Lindsey recorded them around the same time.

I *love* Gotta Get Away; it should have been on the album. Or, at the very least, an extra on the limited edition set.

[ERigby818]

I've always been crazy about SYHA, ever since I heard it from the Dance Best Buy...but I never thought of it as single material. It's become an intensely personal song for me. I like the posibilities it leaves open for interpretation.
I guess I never thought of it as single material because it's so mellow, almost a ballad...well, not really, but much more laid-back than I would expect for radio. I kinda though it would be like one of the many other gems that is always a deep cut on an album. Plus it's kinda weird for me to see it released now because I've been listening to it for like, five years.
The song is so special to me I kinda feel like it wouldn't be appreciated enough as a single...but I guess I could say that about any Mac music nowdays .
Call me nuts...but I think Murrow has a certain radio-friendly appeal. Thrown Down definitely does because it's just classic Stevie with the magic Buckingham touch and has those qualities in a Mac song that make it appealing to people who appreciate the Mac singles from the 70's and 80's.
I hope both Thrown Down and SYHA beat expectations for single success!

Carne...that's awesome that you did it for an open mic

-Sonia