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Re: In Defense of GDBD
Matteo forgot to send this to the list, so here it is, with my
response.
manicely at OREGON_UOREGON.EDU sez:
>Chris, here's my humble defense of Good Dog...
Well, FWIW, this is an ongoing thing between me and the list.
Everyone raves over GDBD, and a handful of us find it less than
inspiring.
>>FWIW, I forced myself to play through all of GDBD on Friday. I almost
>>made it, too. I was halfway through 'Happy To Be So' when I couldn't
>>take it anymore, and put _Besides_ in instead. I try and try, but I
>>don't see what a lot of you get out of this album. It bores me.
>
>First of all (and this is probably all that matters), GDBD was the first
>OTR cd I purchased, owned and played. It was all I had as I hunted for the
>others.
Usually this is the deciding factor in these types of discussions.
The vast majority of OTR fans I've run across who claim GDBD as their
favorite discovered OTR through GDBD, or saw them live in the post-Ric
era.
>Perhaps the album that indoctrinates you is the one that becomes your
>favorite.
Not always. TWHF indoctrinated me, and when Patience came out, *it*
was my favorite. Then when _Eve_ came out, *it* was my favorite.
Still is, at this point.
>Brooke said that sparse arrangements and an emotional vulnerability make it
>her favorite (sorry if I've misquoted you , Brooke), and I have to agree.
Sometimes I think it tries a little too hard to be emotional and
vulnerable. It comes dangerously close to self-parody at times, at
least in my mind.
>Karin's voice is SO intimately close and raw that I, for one, couldn't help
>but be drawn to her singing, and the lyrics (of course). I loved the quiet,
>somber tone of the music...it's a great mood album.
For a *bad* mood. ;-) For a lot of us who had followed that band
for years, GDBD was quite a disappointment. For me, at least, it's
the biggest disappointment musically. One of the things that drew me
to OTR in the first place was the way they took what were essentially
simple songs, and made them into something a little grander, so when
you scratched the surface of a song, you found layers and layers, like
an onion. GDBD is more like and onion ring than an onion in that
respect.
>Eve is also great, of course, and is my second favorite--great energy,
>again great lyrics, and a very consistent vibe (I have many, many songs
>that I love on this album, but, alas, they come after the GDBD set).
>B-sides is third. Patience fourth, and, sorry, but Til We Have Faces is last.
Low budget production often lowers people's opinions of TWHF -
especially among those who never saw the band in their live heyday.
And I *still* say you can't count a compilation when ranking a band's
albums. ;-P
>Hope you find that informative...
Interesting, at least.
NP: TStan's Pumpin' Techno Playlist on mp3
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