On Wed, 17 Mar 1999, Matt Benz wrote:
> Now he has a big ELO pop music spectacular, which is fine, but for him
> to express bewilderment that folks are surprised and maybe not thrilled
> with such sudden musical changes is funny. It is a radical jump from one
> album to the next. People who like the Neil Young sound don't rush out
> and embrace his rockabilly big band techno albums either.
I'd say Jerry Curry is the odd fan out on this one. Most people, if they
latch onto an artist because they really like a record, will probably
hope that the next record has a lot of the same good qualities. That
doesnt have to mean the same sound, but whatever got your wheels spinning
you hope spins 'em on the next disc.
Any band that leaps around from record to record has to assume they will
disappoint a lot of people. Neil Young made a lot of crappy records in
the 80s, and at least he didnt care. It's pretty obvious that Tweedy
isnt so self-confident on that.
Given the pointlessness of so many of the songs on "Being There," with
lyrics that sound at times like he'll throw in any word that rhymes, and
his inability to settle on a sound gives me the impression that he's just
making records to make records. He's not half bad at it either, but the
stuff aint substantial enough to justify all this philosophizing and
defensiveness on his part or any of his critic fans.
Needless to say I'm not curious about this new record. Hey, I liked ELO
too, but by the end of the 70s enough was enough. He's 20 years too
late.
Will Miner
Denver, CO
