gfxgfx
 
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
logo
 
gfx gfx
gfx
680597 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 10:55:36 AM
*
gfx*HomeHelpSearchCalendarLoginRegistergfx
gfxgfx
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.       « previous next »
Pages: [1] Go Down Print
Author Topic: Stephen C. Foster / George Gershwin  (Read 2401 times)
Reverend Joshua Sloane
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 27


Since I cannot rouse heaven I intend to raise hell


View Profile
« on: May 20, 2006, 01:58:23 PM »


Brian Wilson is more akin to Stephen Foster and George Gershwin than Mozart, as George Martin loves to say.  Shocked

You can draw direct inspiration for the melodies in SMiLE from those two songwriters.

Gershwin is the amusing, light hearted, jaunty melodies that are laced in songs like Heroes and Villains, Barnyard, He Gives Speeches, etc. While songs like Cabinessence, Holidays (Long, Long, Ago...), Wind Chimes, and the like are totally pastoral, idyllic Foster- inspired works.

http://www.goess.org/mason/foster-abc/ This site has some midi's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_C._Foster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_C._Foster
http://members.tripod.com/~REJ2/mid/rap.mid Rhapdsody In blue (midi).

Now, besides Spector's writing crew, and the Four Freshman, who else can we draw up to be a direct inspiration to Brian's work? Tracing the roots of his learning is very interesting.
Logged

Did it ever occur to you, Cable, how wise and bountiful God was to put breasts on a woman? Just the right number in just the right place. Did you ever notice that, Cable?
Reverend Joshua Sloane
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 27


Since I cannot rouse heaven I intend to raise hell


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2006, 02:11:21 PM »

http://209.197.106.133/19580222/rock/beachboys/Heroes_And_Villains.mid

This melody is either the work of a stoned four year old child or a gifted genius on the level with Gershwin.
Logged

Did it ever occur to you, Cable, how wise and bountiful God was to put breasts on a woman? Just the right number in just the right place. Did you ever notice that, Cable?
JRauch
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 386



View Profile
« Reply #2 on: May 21, 2006, 02:46:19 AM »

Brian often named Bach as an influence. He called him a "true inventor" in an interview, if I remember correctly. And he also said that Pet Sounds was a combination of Bach, Beatles and Bacharach.
Logged

Dance as if no one's looking. Wrestle things out to bring moment to your own sense of discovery, and make the world a better place. This is no time for whiners.  –  Van Dyke Parks
Reverend Joshua Sloane
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 27


Since I cannot rouse heaven I intend to raise hell


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: May 21, 2006, 09:18:35 AM »

Brian often named Bach as an influence. He called him a "true inventor" in an interview, if I remember correctly. And he also said that Pet Sounds was a combination of Bach, Beatles and Bacharach.

Maybe it's just me but I don't hear any Beatle influence in Pet Sounds. Perhaps the influence him to make the best music he could, but their musicial influence has no prints on the music of Pet Sounds. Bacharach and Bach, well that's different.
Logged

Did it ever occur to you, Cable, how wise and bountiful God was to put breasts on a woman? Just the right number in just the right place. Did you ever notice that, Cable?
JRauch
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 386



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: May 21, 2006, 10:40:56 AM »

Quote
Maybe it's just me but I don't hear any Beatle influence in Pet Sounds.

Me neither, I only quoted him.
Logged

Dance as if no one's looking. Wrestle things out to bring moment to your own sense of discovery, and make the world a better place. This is no time for whiners.  –  Van Dyke Parks
Aegir
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 4680



View Profile WWW
« Reply #5 on: May 21, 2006, 02:57:48 PM »

I see alot in common between Pet Sounds and Revolver. When I first got into music, two of the first albums I listened to were Pet Sounds and Revolver. And there I was, thinking the Beach Boys just sang about surfing and cars and the Beatles sang primitive 50s-derived pop songs, then listening to Pet Sounds and Revolver, weird spacey music from 1966, nothing that I had ever heard before. They both have similar moods, similar feels. I can't really describe it, but there's something in there they both have.
Logged

Every time you spell Smile as SMiLE, an angel's wings are forcibly torn off its body.
Reverend Joshua Sloane
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Offline Offline

Gender: Male
Posts: 27


Since I cannot rouse heaven I intend to raise hell


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2006, 03:58:48 PM »

I can understand that mood -- but Revolver was slightly post-Pet Sounds. Rubber Soul has some of that mood of course -- Girl, Norweigan Wood, In My Life.

Anyone think there's a deliberate similarity to the titles "In My Life" and the working title "In My Childhood," ?

Logged

Did it ever occur to you, Cable, how wise and bountiful God was to put breasts on a woman? Just the right number in just the right place. Did you ever notice that, Cable?
Ebb and Flow
Smiley Smile Associate
*
Online Online

Gender: Male
Posts: 599



View Profile WWW
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2006, 04:11:06 PM »

I see alot in common between Pet Sounds and Revolver. When I first got into music, two of the first albums I listened to were Pet Sounds and Revolver. And there I was, thinking the Beach Boys just sang about surfing and cars and the Beatles sang primitive 50s-derived pop songs, then listening to Pet Sounds and Revolver, weird spacey music from 1966, nothing that I had ever heard before. They both have similar moods, similar feels. I can't really describe it, but there's something in there they both have.

Revolver and Pet Sounds have some similar motifs going between them, the easiest parallel being between "Here There And Everywhere" and "God Only Knows", cited as Paul's influence for his song.  It also seems like "I Want To Tell You" is George's trippy version of "Please Let Me Wonder" (Not Pet Sounds, but close).

Revolver is definitely darker and druggier than PS, but I think both are easy to link also due to their proximity to eachother.  I love both albums, but it feels like Pet Sounds is joy permeated by sadness, whereas Revolver is the other way around.
Logged
gfx
Pages: [1] Go Up Print 
gfx
Jump to:  
gfx
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines Page created in 1.081 seconds with 22 queries.
Helios Multi design by Bloc
gfx
Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!