70s Cup Round 7 Match 12 *pcqgod 10- Hightea 20*

[harvey k-tel]

That is BAD Meters.

That is REALLY GOOD Cale.

B

[trans-chigley express]

B was a very pretty thing although I'm another that isn't a fan of Cale's vocals. I enjoyed A, the soul/rock hybrid aspect had some appeal to me but I ultimately enjoyed B more

[mantochanga]

B

[Ranking Ted]

I like the Meters but this isn’t one of their corkers. Paris 1919 is a pretty unique achievement, that epic/baroque, ornamental, stately approach shouldn’t work but it does, in spades. This is a great example of that records appeal. The vocals don’t bother me at all.

B

[echolalia]

Of all the Meters tracks…

The Weirdest Welshman in Koreatown wins this one.

B

[Count Machuki]

A!!

[pcqgod]

The John Cale track is nice, other than Cale having no real range as a singer. The Meters track is an epic jam. Not sure why people aren't digging this one. Nothing wrong with the vocals, nothing you can't overlook sound quality-wise, and it sounds nothing whatsoever like Cheap Trick. But I'm sure polyrhythmic bass solos aren't for everyone.

A.

[The Modernist]

Yeah, I know what you mean. Cale's range is rather poor I admit, but to me his timber is wonderful, and in this record it's especially shown.

He's probably the one guy from the Welsh valleys who can't sing!

[Rayge]

this brought an idea for a new competition, the Short Cup, only songs under two minutes allowed, wouldn't it be nice?

This was my thinking behind the idea of a singles cup

[Neige]

B is great, of course, but it was the first time I heard A and it just filled me with joy, all 10-odd minutes of it.

[kath]

The John Cale track is nice, other than Cale having no real range as a singer. The Meters track is an epic jam. Not sure why people aren't digging this one. Nothing wrong with the vocals, nothing you can't overlook sound quality-wise, and it sounds nothing whatsoever like Cheap Trick. But I'm sure polyrhythmic bass solos aren't for everyone.

i'm with you on this one. it *is* an epic jam. i like it as a different pick as well.

it's not that i don't like elements of the cale track. but the vocal is one problem... it's flat, almost monotone, undercutting whatever the orchestration might lift up. you get this string etc flourish without the singing, lovely... and when it returns to the regular verses, it's a bit of a letdown. i'm more of a cale person than i used to be, but i still have problems obviously, mwhaha.

p.s. did ya ever hear cheap trick cover look-ka py py? robin zander didn't have much to do.

[never/ever]

I like the Meters best when they are sharp, concise and tight. This is not footing that description.
B is glorious.

B

[Rayge]

a - ten minutes of live R&B/funk? Be still my heart. But that's some nice dirty guitar, and not an effects pedal in sight. And of course the Meters can actually play, and keep a groove and interest going where lesser lights might have slipped into repetition or more noodles than Wagamama. it's actually quite 1960s in sound, althoogh the idea of stretching out like this wasn't that widespread in R&B and black dance music back then. There's nothing particularly New Orleans about this, is there? Bits of it remind me of some of Jefferson Airplane's jams. Oh bugger, seven minutes in and the fret strangler's found his wah wah pedal. Have I ever mentioned what a horrible noise that is? Still, some kind roadie has taken it away from him for the last two minutes. Truth to tell, I think it was a bit overlong, and the last three minutes were a bit repetitive, but I listened to all of it. 5.5 / 10
b - I bought almost all the ex-Velvets' albums in the 70s and 80s: I don't think Paris 1919 is indisputably the best Cale – Slow Dazzle, Church of Anthrax and Helen of Troy are all up there – but my favourite ex-Velvets album is undoubtedly I Spent a Week There the Other Night: Blue, All the Way to Canada, is a great track. But I digress. I'm not particularly surprised by the number of people who think Cale can't sing – he has more of a range than Moe Tucker, for a start, but I find his diffident vocalising charming. The lush orchestration is pleasing, too, but the song is rather a stately non-event. It's all a little too European for my tastes 5.5 / 10
In a round where apples and oranges are tied, I'm going with
A

[pcqgod]

p.s. did ya ever hear cheap trick cover look-ka py py? robin zander didn't have much to do.

Heh.

[Hightea]

A - a great all night jam band. But it sounds like a small bar (oh correction its a boat).

B - Cale's masterpiece album * in my eyes. Love the orchestration and Cale's odd but interesting vocals, they go in harmony.

B

[joels344]

B easily. I love Paris 1919 and he never topped that album as a solo artist.

[algroth]

A's a pretty good song though I'm not sure why this live version was picked over the studio one, considering how messy and poorly recorded it sounds. B's one of Cale's finest moments, in his solo career anyhow.

[never/ever]

pcqgod 10

Hightea 20