Elvis, we hardly knew ye...
I loves me some Elvis Costello. I bought his first 2 albums when they were released. He was right in with that Ramones, Sex Pistols, Pretenders, Talking Heads, Iggy, the Jam, DIY ethos I was all about circa 1978.
So when a friend offered me a free Elvis ticket, I of course said yes. She then said it was at Orchestra Hall. With the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, one of THE finest orchestras in the world today. My first thought, and not a fair one...If classical musicians are so freaking good...why the hell do they need sheet music? I can remember over 200 original songs my band, So Scared did...I still said okay, but I had my doubts. Sure, I could immediately hear in my head some of his songs being fully orchestrated. But Radio?
The whole thing left me feeling mixed.
So, turns out Elvis has been quite busy in his mellowed old age composing ballet and classical music pieces, which is great, he's in the water of music making...but jeez. I gotta say I like Elvis more when he was an angry young man with heavy black frames on his glasses. People say you gotta mature and move on out as an artist, but does this require that you start writing songs for children(not that Elvis did that)? Or, god forbid...Jazz?
Elvis is quite the chanteuse now. A regular crooner. He always had that kind of voice...but didn't really give in to that tendency until later albums than the ones I spoke of above. I don't know...maybe he shouldn't have given in to the temptation? He did songs from a ballet score he wrote, "Il Songno", and a song called "The River Reverses," from his up-coming album. It was a really good song. They also did "Watching the Detectives"...it was truly wonderful to hear the CSO swing. They did "Alison", too. Elvis started the song by himself on acoustic guitar(absolutely beautiful), and I wish it had stayed that way, but of course there was the obligatory string section swell in the appropriate places. I wish they had had the humility to lay out. I wish that classically trained musicians could improvise...there was quite an awkward trombone moment in "Watching the Detectives."
Thankfully, Steve Nieve is still with him. Nieve is/was Elvis's keyboard player/arranger, and is easily one of the better arrangers of this or any age. I was so heartened to see Steve still there. Understated and perfect playing.
The audience had a mix of old folks like me, and a lot of high-schoolers in it. It was corporate night. The corp gave lots of tickets to high schoolers, to spark their interest in the arts. Hello...I'm sure most of them would have been more interested in hearing the knock-kneed angry Elvis. Or Mos Def. Most of them were bored, unless they were trying to score the free champagne.
Elvis Costello plays corporate night at the CSO. Never thought I'd live to see the day. The man who defied Lorne Michaels.
I love classical music, and I love the angry rock. I just don't like the sound they create whilst mating. I don't want to be in the same room, they deserve some privacy.
So when a friend offered me a free Elvis ticket, I of course said yes. She then said it was at Orchestra Hall. With the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, one of THE finest orchestras in the world today. My first thought, and not a fair one...If classical musicians are so freaking good...why the hell do they need sheet music? I can remember over 200 original songs my band, So Scared did...I still said okay, but I had my doubts. Sure, I could immediately hear in my head some of his songs being fully orchestrated. But Radio?
The whole thing left me feeling mixed.
So, turns out Elvis has been quite busy in his mellowed old age composing ballet and classical music pieces, which is great, he's in the water of music making...but jeez. I gotta say I like Elvis more when he was an angry young man with heavy black frames on his glasses. People say you gotta mature and move on out as an artist, but does this require that you start writing songs for children(not that Elvis did that)? Or, god forbid...Jazz?
Elvis is quite the chanteuse now. A regular crooner. He always had that kind of voice...but didn't really give in to that tendency until later albums than the ones I spoke of above. I don't know...maybe he shouldn't have given in to the temptation? He did songs from a ballet score he wrote, "Il Songno", and a song called "The River Reverses," from his up-coming album. It was a really good song. They also did "Watching the Detectives"...it was truly wonderful to hear the CSO swing. They did "Alison", too. Elvis started the song by himself on acoustic guitar(absolutely beautiful), and I wish it had stayed that way, but of course there was the obligatory string section swell in the appropriate places. I wish they had had the humility to lay out. I wish that classically trained musicians could improvise...there was quite an awkward trombone moment in "Watching the Detectives."
Thankfully, Steve Nieve is still with him. Nieve is/was Elvis's keyboard player/arranger, and is easily one of the better arrangers of this or any age. I was so heartened to see Steve still there. Understated and perfect playing.
The audience had a mix of old folks like me, and a lot of high-schoolers in it. It was corporate night. The corp gave lots of tickets to high schoolers, to spark their interest in the arts. Hello...I'm sure most of them would have been more interested in hearing the knock-kneed angry Elvis. Or Mos Def. Most of them were bored, unless they were trying to score the free champagne.
Elvis Costello plays corporate night at the CSO. Never thought I'd live to see the day. The man who defied Lorne Michaels.
I love classical music, and I love the angry rock. I just don't like the sound they create whilst mating. I don't want to be in the same room, they deserve some privacy.
posted by April at 5:23 PM
2 Comments:
Sometimes, I wish I had the big frame glasses and my stompy boots. Ah, joy.
"I just don't like the sound they create whilst mating."
Well, now I'm stained, too. Thanks.
Hey, no problem!
I miss my stompy boots!
Post a Comment
<< Home