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John9
Old Love
United Kingdom
2154 Posts |
 Posted - 17/10/2009 : 22:48:47
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I offer this thread in the hope that cordiality might soon return to our board. That way I would think that more of us would feel like contributing again......and so feel fully part of one of the best discussion forums once more.
Sometime in the mid 90s, when his wife Linda was still alive, Paul McCartney was interviewed on David Frost's Sunday morning news programme. Sir David asked the former Beatle whether he had a favourite song. McCartney initially replied that, as with children, you shouldn't really have favourite songs. But then he added that Here, There and Everywhere had a special meaning for him - an excellent choice in my view.
I first heard Andmoreagain on Love Revisited and it was that track more than any other on that great compilation that really grabbed me. Not only did the song have such an original and beautifully crafted melody, Arthur's superb tenor voice showed what an amazing vocal range he had. The reason why I think it might have been Arthur's favourite was that it seems to have been the only ever present Forever Changes song in Love's repertoire for virtually the whole of the 70s. March 7, 1970 was of course Arthur's 25th birthday.... and on that night Love were playing the University of Sheffield following a late change of venue. Immediately after Andmoregain Arthur announced to the audience, how much that song in particular meant to him. Of course...........I could be wrong. |
Edited by - John9 on 17/10/2009 23:43:19 |
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caryne
Old Love
United Kingdom
1520 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2009 : 00:18:39
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| You may well be correct, it is a beautiful song and, whenever I heard it live, always beautifully sung with great feeling. |
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ThomasGalasso
Old Love
USA
712 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2009 : 00:23:58
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Interesting theory.
I have a live performance of Love from 1974 or 1975 at the Electric Gardens in Scotland where Arthur is saying that the song is "not called Anne Morgan! Its AND-MORE-A-GAIN".
That was kind of a funny moment, but that could be true.
I know for myself personally, I have no favorite song. There are too many. |
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John9
Old Love
United Kingdom
2154 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2009 : 00:53:18
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| To me, Andmoreagain does what certain classical pieces are capable of doing....it touches the soul....and I'm blessed if I know why. The lyrics seem indecipherable and surreal...but if anything, that merely adds to the song's power. It's almost like listening to one of Handel's arias....and being moved to tears without knowing what the words mean. I've mentioned before that on the bridge in Your Mind and We - where Arthur sings "So many people.......", I think he sounds rather like an opera singer. |
Edited by - John9 on 18/10/2009 01:08:18 |
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ThomasGalasso
Old Love
USA
712 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2009 : 01:31:54
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As I am beginning to get a little older, and I have been listening to more classical, and jazz, I can definitely appreciate Andmoreagain, You Set the Scene, and Old Man a lot better than previously.
It is very delicate and extremely deep music. The older I get the more I marvel at what an accomplishment all of those songs were at such an age and during such an era. |
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scully
Fourth Love
United Kingdom
217 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2009 : 09:36:02
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| It's a beautiful song, and I think (that means it's just my opinion) slightly unusual in the context of Arthur's other Forever Changes songs in that it seems to have a certain purity of emotion, a pure outpouring of total love for someone/something with none of the darkness of the other songs on FC. I also think it shows some of Bryan's influence on Arthur, in that respect. |
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johnbhoy
Second Love
46 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2009 : 13:34:11
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It's all in the whimsical almost musing intro, an inspired piece of music
Lisbon 1967 |
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The sweet disorder
Fourth Love
United Kingdom
218 Posts |
Posted - 18/10/2009 : 23:09:08
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Scully,
I agree, I do feel that Bryan's influences are imprinted all over Forever Changes. I have this theory that Arthur listened to the major seventh chords prevalent in Bryan's work, incorporated them into his own skewed vision and Forever Changes was the resultant work. Andmoreagain which is a beautiful song is a key example of this
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jayson_valentine
Third Love
USA
72 Posts |
Posted - 27/10/2009 : 02:52:43
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quote:
Originally posted by The sweet disorder
Scully,
I agree, I do feel that Bryan's influences are imprinted all over Forever Changes. I have this theory that Arthur listened to the major seventh chords prevalent in Bryan's work, incorporated them into his own skewed vision and Forever Changes was the resultant work. Andmoreagain which is a beautiful song is a key example of this
You're right on the money. Bryan's jazz influence are easily identifible on FC. The first usages of the major seventh by Love are in "Softly to Me" & "Orange Skies", both MacLean's compositions. |
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rocker
Old Love
USA
3606 Posts |
Posted - 27/10/2009 : 14:58:23
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| And I'd think Bryan's musical sensibility also came out in Da Capo. There are some great melodies in there that I think just have Bryan's stamp on them. But I'm not sure how Bryan and Arthur "collaborated" when they wrote the songs. |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9873 Posts |
Posted - 27/10/2009 : 16:22:09
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quote:
Originally posted by rocker
And I'd think Bryan's musical sensibility also came out in Da Capo. There are some great melodies in there that I think just have Bryan's stamp on them. But I'm not sure how Bryan and Arthur "collaborated" when they wrote the songs.
I don't know if they collaborated in the sit-down-together sense, but remember Bryan's liner notes for ifyoubelievein...he said he would be sitting around playing all those unique chord progressions and Arthur would be hanging around the house just picking up on them and later incorporating them into his own songs.
Always better together than apart...even if it was just through osmosis.
____________________________________________________________
Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might,
and when you laugh, laugh like hell,
and when you get angry, get good and angry.
Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.
--william saroyan
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rocker
Old Love
USA
3606 Posts |
Posted - 28/10/2009 : 17:41:04
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| Yes, that looks like they way they did it. Lennon/McCartney...Lee/Maclean...yin and yangs all.."complementary opposites" (got that from wiki) seem to stir the best drinks, eh??? |
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ThomasGalasso
Old Love
USA
712 Posts |
Posted - 29/10/2009 : 22:52:54
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It would have been interesting to see Bryan and Arthur's musical sensibilities in the studio again during the 70's. I would imagine Bryan would not have changed too much musically whereas Arthur had moved in a different direction. |
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rocker
Old Love
USA
3606 Posts |
Posted - 30/10/2009 : 13:42:16
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| Of course since I never met Bryan Maclean I really don't know his 'personality' though I can glean a bit of him from his music. I was very intrigued when he went into another personal direction with his spiritual music. Something certainly happened to make him go that way. I admire that. I wonder if he ever envisioned going in that direction when he started his career. Funny how fate puts you into certain directions..ah there it is...forever changes!... |
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John9
Old Love
United Kingdom
2154 Posts |
Posted - 30/10/2009 : 16:19:41
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| It is interesting that some though by no means all, artists give their work a more spiritual dimension during their later years....on one level I suppose that it might be a case of studying for one's finals! But I think that Europe and the United States stand in great contrast to one another on this. Secularism does have an increasing hold here and faith is for many people, a largely private matter. To my mind, having a spiritual inner life is very important....but that is not something that I would ever want to project to a music audience. Mind you I can quite understand that if you have a gift, as Byran did, then it is perfectly natural to want to use it to service the most important things in your life. |
Edited by - John9 on 30/10/2009 16:21:27 |
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lemonade kid
Old Love
USA
9873 Posts |
Posted - 30/10/2009 : 16:36:51
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quote:
Originally posted by John9
It is interesting that some though by no means all, artists give their work a more spiritual dimension during their later years....on one level I suppose that it might be a case of studying for one's finals! But I think that Europe and the United States stand in great contrast to one another on this. Secularism does have an increasing hold here and faith is for many people, a largely private matter. To my mind, having a spiritual inner life is very important....but that is not something that I would ever want to project to a music audience. Mind you I can quite understand that if you have a gift, as Byran did, then it is perfectly natural to want to use it to service the most important things in your life.
Jesus is coming....look busy. 
____________________________________________________________
Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might,
and when you laugh, laugh like hell,
and when you get angry, get good and angry.
Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.
--william saroyan
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Arthur's favourite song?......... Andmoregain!
