Tusk at 40: FM's defining record

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

the ebbing and swelling of the background vocals are signature Lindsey production and give a momentum to the song her demo doesn't have. Without it the song would drone. He does the same on Gypsy. He puts the hills and valleys into her otherwise flat musical landscape.

Amen to that. Without the production, Sara is pretty skeletal. The RS reviewer at the time noted that "Brown Eyes" was a mere scrap of a song that the production made into a magnificent castle in the air. I don't dispute this. The difference is "Brown Eyes" would still sound compelling with just Christine singing to her electric piano. The verses have a tuneful shape and the chorus of sha la las is irresistible. Meanwhile, "Sara" without the gorgeous orchestration, killer bottom-end, and lush vocal harmonies is tedious and unremarkable. The production MAKES the song--excepting the opening piano and vocal section ("Wait a minute baby...) which is catchy on its own.

"Storms" and "Beautiful Child" and "Angel" could stand on their own without elaborate production, .