>Speaking of which, has P2 ever talked about the whole California country
>rock style of harmony where it's always in unrelentingly sweet thirds-no
>tension, no dissonance, no variation? Obviously, the Bakersfield thang was
>another kettle of fish, but I find this particular style I'm talking about
>cloying whether it's the Byrds, the Eagles, Desert Rose...whoever.
Anybody
>care to edify me regarding this longstanding sweeping generalization of
>mine?
>Kelly
Well, Kelly, I basically have to agree with you here, and I lay it at the
feet of that cocaine-swilling, joint-bogarting monster known as Crosby,
Stills, and Nash. If I hear another person telling me how great their weak,
vanilla-assed harmonies are, I'm going to get out my Soul Stirrers disc and
beat em over the head with it. Yeah, I'll give you something to helplessly
hope for. Anyway, I will say that the Byrds sometimes managed to transcend
what you're talking about (sometimes, in fact, while guilty of it). Songs
like Drug Store Truck Drivin Man, Mr. Spaceman, and even Wasn't Born to
Follow don't seem fall into that vocal tar pit. That is, they sound--to me
anyway-- like there's a good separation of voices. And while a few songs,
like Eight Miles High, Time Between, or Thoughts and Words do kinda have
that unvariegated vocal arrangement, I find that the music is interesting
enough so it doesn't really bother me. I've also noticed that Neil Young
gets lumped in with this crowd, too, and no doubt he's been guilty. But,
that's what songs like Come On Baby, Let's Go Downtown and Time Fades Away
are for. Cleansing the palate of the pap.
Lance (who's cranky because I have to stay up all night and do research) . .
.
