OT: What are you listening to right now
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Re: OT: What are you listening to right now
Revisiting some older Dream Theater albums, currently Images and Words
Revisiting some older Dream Theater albums, currently Images and Words
In The Name of Zod
Active member
- Jul 13, 2007
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Re: OT: What are you listening to right now
Christopher Young - Hellraiser - The pillar.mp3. Love hellraiser, love the music too.
Christopher Young - Hellraiser - The pillar.mp3. Love hellraiser, love the music too.
Re: OT: What are you listening to right now
[youtube]Dd9iqyX34RM[/youtube]
A song that brings tears to my eyes and blood to my manhood. A weird combination of emotion, not at all unpleasant. Björk is so...sigh.
[youtube]Dd9iqyX34RM[/youtube]
A song that brings tears to my eyes and blood to my manhood. A weird combination of emotion, not at all unpleasant. Björk is so...sigh.
Re: OT: What are you listening to right now
Dude. When you've had a bad day at work, 80 mph and Machinehead feels SOOO GOOD.
Dude. When you've had a bad day at work, 80 mph and Machinehead feels SOOO GOOD.
maareek
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- May 12, 2007
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Re: OT: What are you listening to right now
Plowing through about 12 different versions of "Hallelujah" right now, currently on John Cale's. I like the arrangement, but not his voice. KD Lang next.
Edit: I was so shocked by this one I have to link it: Bon Jovi doing Hallelujah. I didn't realize Jon could sing like that. Actually would have preferred it if the rest of the group didn't sing harmony on the chorus. Not a real Bon Jovi fan, but that was pretty damn good.
After the Hallelujah fest, I'll be going back to "I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week" by Mandy Moore. Infectious song, and I love her music anyway, but the video is just weird.
Plowing through about 12 different versions of "Hallelujah" right now, currently on John Cale's. I like the arrangement, but not his voice. KD Lang next.
Edit: I was so shocked by this one I have to link it: Bon Jovi doing Hallelujah. I didn't realize Jon could sing like that. Actually would have preferred it if the rest of the group didn't sing harmony on the chorus. Not a real Bon Jovi fan, but that was pretty damn good.
After the Hallelujah fest, I'll be going back to "I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week" by Mandy Moore. Infectious song, and I love her music anyway, but the video is just weird.
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In The Name of Zod
Active member
- Jul 13, 2007
- 2,044
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maareek
Member
- May 12, 2007
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Re: OT: What are you listening to right now
Well, this isn't exactly the typical formula of the thread, but maybe it's not too out of line.
So, overall, I'd call the Hallelujah fest surprisingly enjoyable. A few painful, but some really good. I only watched vids that looked like actual professionals performing or from names I recognized. No way I'm digging through the slush pile - not for a song this popular. I went a little past my original estimation of 12 performances, though. I also omitted some I didn't even feel like commenting on or linking to: like one performed by a woman in her underwear. Rest assured, I still watched them in full to make sure I wasn't depriving you of some useful entertainment opportunity.
Ones I dug:
Didn't like:
Well, it seems the Hallelujah fest isn't exactly over quite yet. I've been listening to various versions of this song for about 4 hours now and I'm not tired of it. I am, however, tired in general and in need of sleep. So, having just listened to Sara Gazarek and got my Jazz version oddball, I'm going to go to bed on a high note. I may expand this tomorrow.
Well, this isn't exactly the typical formula of the thread, but maybe it's not too out of line.
So, overall, I'd call the Hallelujah fest surprisingly enjoyable. A few painful, but some really good. I only watched vids that looked like actual professionals performing or from names I recognized. No way I'm digging through the slush pile - not for a song this popular. I went a little past my original estimation of 12 performances, though. I also omitted some I didn't even feel like commenting on or linking to: like one performed by a woman in her underwear. Rest assured, I still watched them in full to make sure I wasn't depriving you of some useful entertainment opportunity.
Ones I dug:
Remember: these is my opinions; these is my rules; I makes 'em up. Your opinions may vary. Give all the versions a try and make up your own mind. Also, if you think Cohen's version is the bestest ever made, the only one worthy of listening to, and that Buckley and everybody else playing his version are hacks that's fine. I'm happy for you. I also don't care. /end disclaimer and "don't bug me" section.
-Jeff Buckley and Damien Rice, both of whom sing the hell out of the song. Both are top shelf performances for me. By far my favorite two performances of the song.
-Leonard Cohen. It's his song, even if everybody does it Buckley's way now. He's technically superb, but I'm not a fan of his voice. I like the original and it's great to hear as a change of pace from time to time, but I really do prefer Buckley's arrangement.
-Bon Jovi, linked in my post above. I'm still surprised by this one.
-KD Lang, though I don't like her voice, she really felt the song and had great accompaniment.
-Kate Voegele, saw her and expected bad things - was pleasantly surprised.
-Tina Dickow and Steffen Brandt, they sing it in Danish, which I don't speak, but do it justice musically, if not lyrically. Though I'll admit her vocals make it - he seems a bit rigid.
-Elisa, the organ had me worried at the beginning, but this was quality. Got the feeling she has the ability to sing this song to bits but actually cares enough to do it right. I'll admit I found the accent very cute, so I might be slightly swayed; decide for yourself. Instrumentation was stellar - I still don't like the organ, though, but it belongs in this arrangement, so necessary evil, I suppose.
-Imogen Heap, this has a very different vibe to it and struck me.
-Sara Gazarek, well, because of the format, these are not in chronological order so, even though this appears first, I just got my Jazz fix I bemoan not getting below. She even throws one of Cohen's original verses into the Jazzized Buckley version near the end. Not the greatest vocals, and lighter on the emotion than I'd like, but overall a good performance.
-Jeff Buckley and Damien Rice, both of whom sing the hell out of the song. Both are top shelf performances for me. By far my favorite two performances of the song.
-Leonard Cohen. It's his song, even if everybody does it Buckley's way now. He's technically superb, but I'm not a fan of his voice. I like the original and it's great to hear as a change of pace from time to time, but I really do prefer Buckley's arrangement.
-Bon Jovi, linked in my post above. I'm still surprised by this one.
-KD Lang, though I don't like her voice, she really felt the song and had great accompaniment.
-Kate Voegele, saw her and expected bad things - was pleasantly surprised.
-Tina Dickow and Steffen Brandt, they sing it in Danish, which I don't speak, but do it justice musically, if not lyrically. Though I'll admit her vocals make it - he seems a bit rigid.
-Elisa, the organ had me worried at the beginning, but this was quality. Got the feeling she has the ability to sing this song to bits but actually cares enough to do it right. I'll admit I found the accent very cute, so I might be slightly swayed; decide for yourself. Instrumentation was stellar - I still don't like the organ, though, but it belongs in this arrangement, so necessary evil, I suppose.
-Imogen Heap, this has a very different vibe to it and struck me.
-Sara Gazarek, well, because of the format, these are not in chronological order so, even though this appears first, I just got my Jazz fix I bemoan not getting below. She even throws one of Cohen's original verses into the Jazzized Buckley version near the end. Not the greatest vocals, and lighter on the emotion than I'd like, but overall a good performance.
Didn't like:
-John Cale, I got this "I'm listening to somebody impersonate Weiland impersonate Morrison" vibe. That doesn't make sense, at all, but after several listens of different performances I just can't shake it. Meh. Otherwise, solid execution. I especially like the musical performances behind him. I'm assuming, based on the date, that Cale's arrangement strongly influenced Buckley's.
-Rufus Wainwright, tried several of his versions in the past - linked the one I dislike the least - and just don't like his performance of the song. The sort of even keel style is probably his shtick, I don't know, but I don't like it.
-Bob Dylan, dug the accompanying music but hated the voice.
-Sheryl Crow, just felt sloppy.
-Allison Crowe, apparently widely popular(?), but I found it sharply lacking in feeling.
-Amanda Jenssen, even allowing for a Swede singing a song in English, you'd get more emotion out of a Buddhist monk.
-Molly Sanden, listened to the studio version and it sounded like pretty vocals attempting to convey feeling. Found a live version and discovered the same. Great pipes, and pretty vocals - whatever language they're in.
-Jason Castro, one of the judges called it effortless ... I would add that on top of being sans effort it was without heart.
-Alexandra Burke, See Moly Sanden (except this one's in English; still pretty vocals presented as an emotional performance, though).
-Nora Foss al Jabri, honestly I'd put this as one of the better versions on the list of dislikes, but I just can't buy these lyrics from an 11 year old. I do get a chuckle from her outperforming most of the others, though. Insert random generalized exploitative parents and industry remark here.
-Damien Leith, started out promising, but the song got lost around the middle and never really came back. Guy also looks a lot like a comic I used to know, which was kinda cool.
-Katherine Jenkins, I'm of the opinion that it's entirely possible to have too good of a voice to sing a song. This would be one of my top examples. Amazing voice, but it steals the song of it's soul.
-Regina Spektor, I heard her voice and immediately thought something Jazzy might be on the way. (Not sure why I got that vibe, her voice just sounded like it had that quality to it.) Would be completely unprecedented in my experience and a welcome change up. What I got was a fairly standard cover. Oh well.
-Alter Bridge, voice is pretty good; definitely bringing pain across, but I think it's more general angst than the pain of the song.
-Four guysperforming here. Sounds like a boy band. Stumbled across another version of them doing it, and they couldn't even shut up a crowd. If you can't quiet a crowd with your rendition of Hallelujah, then you aren't doing it right.
-Sad Kermit, you can find some crazy things on Youtube. Yes, that Kermit, although I wouldn't classify it as "sad."
-Amanda Palmer, I really hated listening to this. Painful. Lots of emotion - though it felt really forced and hammy - but utter loss of musicality.
-Ran into several videos of singing groups, choruses and ensembles singing the song. Isn't it enough that these groups routinely ruin classics like "For the Longest Time" and "Build Me Up, Buttercup," songs that are at least attuned to being sung by a group? Do they really have to foray into music that has no place being sung in such a fashion just to continue the watering down of good music by an implementation that necessitates neutering its soul? If that isn't clear enough: I strongly disliked every version I forced myself through (why they all feel it necessary to have the female members sing the "Baby, I've been here before..." verse I can't get my head around - it makes no sense to have a change in voice for that part, or any part, either in the literal or musical sense. I think that might be the part that bugs me the most with these abominations).
-the myriad jerks who label their home-made covers "Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah" or something similar instead of adding "cover" to their title so I could avoid wasting my time. Didn't actually listen to any, but I thought I'd include them because I'm really annoyed and it's my list.
-Rufus Wainwright, tried several of his versions in the past - linked the one I dislike the least - and just don't like his performance of the song. The sort of even keel style is probably his shtick, I don't know, but I don't like it.
-Bob Dylan, dug the accompanying music but hated the voice.
-Sheryl Crow, just felt sloppy.
-Allison Crowe, apparently widely popular(?), but I found it sharply lacking in feeling.
-Amanda Jenssen, even allowing for a Swede singing a song in English, you'd get more emotion out of a Buddhist monk.
-Molly Sanden, listened to the studio version and it sounded like pretty vocals attempting to convey feeling. Found a live version and discovered the same. Great pipes, and pretty vocals - whatever language they're in.
-Jason Castro, one of the judges called it effortless ... I would add that on top of being sans effort it was without heart.
-Alexandra Burke, See Moly Sanden (except this one's in English; still pretty vocals presented as an emotional performance, though).
-Nora Foss al Jabri, honestly I'd put this as one of the better versions on the list of dislikes, but I just can't buy these lyrics from an 11 year old. I do get a chuckle from her outperforming most of the others, though. Insert random generalized exploitative parents and industry remark here.
-Damien Leith, started out promising, but the song got lost around the middle and never really came back. Guy also looks a lot like a comic I used to know, which was kinda cool.
-Katherine Jenkins, I'm of the opinion that it's entirely possible to have too good of a voice to sing a song. This would be one of my top examples. Amazing voice, but it steals the song of it's soul.
-Regina Spektor, I heard her voice and immediately thought something Jazzy might be on the way. (Not sure why I got that vibe, her voice just sounded like it had that quality to it.) Would be completely unprecedented in my experience and a welcome change up. What I got was a fairly standard cover. Oh well.
-Alter Bridge, voice is pretty good; definitely bringing pain across, but I think it's more general angst than the pain of the song.
-Four guysperforming here. Sounds like a boy band. Stumbled across another version of them doing it, and they couldn't even shut up a crowd. If you can't quiet a crowd with your rendition of Hallelujah, then you aren't doing it right.
-Sad Kermit, you can find some crazy things on Youtube. Yes, that Kermit, although I wouldn't classify it as "sad."
-Amanda Palmer, I really hated listening to this. Painful. Lots of emotion - though it felt really forced and hammy - but utter loss of musicality.
-Ran into several videos of singing groups, choruses and ensembles singing the song. Isn't it enough that these groups routinely ruin classics like "For the Longest Time" and "Build Me Up, Buttercup," songs that are at least attuned to being sung by a group? Do they really have to foray into music that has no place being sung in such a fashion just to continue the watering down of good music by an implementation that necessitates neutering its soul? If that isn't clear enough: I strongly disliked every version I forced myself through (why they all feel it necessary to have the female members sing the "Baby, I've been here before..." verse I can't get my head around - it makes no sense to have a change in voice for that part, or any part, either in the literal or musical sense. I think that might be the part that bugs me the most with these abominations).
-the myriad jerks who label their home-made covers "Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah" or something similar instead of adding "cover" to their title so I could avoid wasting my time. Didn't actually listen to any, but I thought I'd include them because I'm really annoyed and it's my list.
Well, it seems the Hallelujah fest isn't exactly over quite yet. I've been listening to various versions of this song for about 4 hours now and I'm not tired of it. I am, however, tired in general and in need of sleep. So, having just listened to Sara Gazarek and got my Jazz version oddball, I'm going to go to bed on a high note. I may expand this tomorrow.
Last edited:
Re: OT: What are you listening to right now
I have to admit, with all the hype of this Susan Boyle, I checked her out. After listening to the songs she has thus far chosen, it got me going back and listening to some of the classic musicals.
Quite frankly, comparing Susan Boyle to Elaine Paige is a crime. Elaine Paige has so much emotion to her voice and full control over her full voice range. Her version of Memory in Cats is untouched. Betty Buckley does a very powerful version, but her voice just doesn't carry all the emotion of Paige. Not putting down Buckley's version, just saying for my taste, Paige is tops for me. Also check out her rendition of "Don't Cry for me Argentina". Just love the fullness of her voice.
Another personal favorite of mine is Lea Salonga. She played Eponine in Les Miserables and was in Miss Saigon. She is a must listen as well.
I have to admit, with all the hype of this Susan Boyle, I checked her out. After listening to the songs she has thus far chosen, it got me going back and listening to some of the classic musicals.
Quite frankly, comparing Susan Boyle to Elaine Paige is a crime. Elaine Paige has so much emotion to her voice and full control over her full voice range. Her version of Memory in Cats is untouched. Betty Buckley does a very powerful version, but her voice just doesn't carry all the emotion of Paige. Not putting down Buckley's version, just saying for my taste, Paige is tops for me. Also check out her rendition of "Don't Cry for me Argentina". Just love the fullness of her voice.
Another personal favorite of mine is Lea Salonga. She played Eponine in Les Miserables and was in Miss Saigon. She is a must listen as well.
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