*working on this!*
Alright Cor. I like the mixing up idea.
Yes. Ringo should be fun.
Quote from: tkitna on Dec 17, 2014, 06:40 PM
Alright Cor. I like the mixing up idea.
I'm putting them in a chronological order. Ringo is the first Beatle that put out something worth to listen to!
Probably the last too.
Can I do 'Electronic Sound'?
Quote from: tkitna on Dec 18, 2014, 05:51 AM
Probably the last too.
ha2ha. Could very well be true.
Oh, yes, I must have missed that. Pity.
Though on reading the comments, it's good to see that all the liberal free thinkers were there to give it its traditional kicking on a Beatles, that 'Beatles', web-site! Poor George.
The irony is that the reception to 'Electronic Sound's recent reissue was extremely positive on electronic music/experimental/dance/DJ type web-sites.
Most of the (more adventurous?) people on such sites seemed to love it.
Quote from: oldbrownshoe on Dec 19, 2014, 02:57 AM
Oh, yes, I must have missed that. Pity.
Though on reading the comments, it's good to see that all the liberal free thinkers were there to give it its traditional kicking on a Beatles, that 'Beatles', web-site! Poor George.
The irony is that the reception to 'Electronic Sound's recent reissue was extremely positive on electronic music/experimental/dance/DJ type web-sites.
Most of the (more adventurous?) people on such sites seemed to love it.
Those are all people that are into modern music. Not into the sixties stuff like us. ha2ha
Quote from: oldbrownshoe on Dec 19, 2014, 02:57 AM
Though on reading the comments, it's good to see that all the liberal free thinkers were there to give it its traditional kicking on a Beatles, that 'Beatles', web-site! Poor George.
So it should get a pass since this is a Beatles site? If somethings bad,,,,its bad.
QuoteThe irony is that the reception to 'Electronic Sound's recent reissue was extremely positive on electronic music/experimental/dance/DJ type web-sites.
Most of the (more adventurous?) people on such sites seemed to love it.
So it scored ok in the one genre that it catered too? Yeah, one would have to be adventurous to find enjoyment.
Look OBS, i'm not trying to rag on you as people tend to like what they like, but i'm wondering how much of this is just you defending George Harrison more so then actually enjoying the record. Its not even structured music. I'm having trouble imagining somebody walking through their house saying, "You know what. I'm in the mood for some Electric Sounds right now. Think i'll break that out."
Quote from: tkitna on Dec 19, 2014, 02:38 PM
So it should get a pass since this is a Beatles site? If somethings bad,,,,its bad.
So it scored ok in the one genre that it catered too? Yeah, one would have to be adventurous to find enjoyment.
Look OBS, i'm not trying to rag on you as people tend to like what they like, but i'm wondering how much of this is just you defending George Harrison more so then actually enjoying the record. Its not even structured music. I'm having trouble imagining somebody walking through their house saying, "You know what. I'm in the mood for some Electric Sounds right now. Think i'll break that out."
I think the fact it's a Beatles site means we at least give it a hearing. More than it'd get from 90% of the rest of the world.
I really like George. I listen to his solo stuff more than the other Beatles. I even like Wonderwall music. But I couldn't cop to Electronic Sounds. It just came across to me as an adventurous muso falling in love with the things a Moog could do. Compare that to how subtlety snd effectively the Moog was used on Abbey Road. On George's song no less.
I'm not even that against electronic music. But emphasis on the word music.
I hope you get The microscope up soon Bobber. The threads getting impatient.
;)
Quote from: Moogmodule on Dec 19, 2014, 04:19 PM
I hope you get The microscope up soon Bobber. The threads getting impatient.
;)
ha2ha
It seems so. I got some spare time tonight.
Quote from: Moogmodule on Dec 19, 2014, 04:18 PM
I think the fact it's a Beatles site means we at least give it a hearing. More than it'd get from 90% of the rest of the world.
The funny thing is that out of all the members on this site, only about 10 of us listen to the solo stuff as evident by these microscope threads. Sad actually.
Sentimental Journey
(https://www.dmbeatles.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fthumb%2Fe%2Fea%2FSentimentaljourney.jpg%2F220px-Sentimentaljourney.jpg&hash=92d3273020c83665bc69e1596fc68d437782abdb)
"I did it for my mum." Ringo Starr on Sentimental Journey. It seems that not just Paul had a soft spot for 'granny music'. Ringo asked his relatives what songs he should record for this album. He asked George Martin to make an album of standards together, and to ask different people to take care of the arrangements.
01 Sentimental Journey
From the booklet in Italics
This 1945 hit for Doris Day got a new arrangement by Richard Perry (who later produced Ringo's albums 'Ringo' (1973) and 'Goodnight Vienna' (1974). The orchestral backing was recorded in the USA so all Ringo had to do was to overdub his voice at the Olympic Studios in London on January 14th 1970. Written by Bud Green, Les Brown and Bon Homer.
My overall feeling on the album is that the orchestration by George Martin is at times too much to handle and this song is the direct showpiece for my point. There's the little piano riff, strings, saxophones, the effects on the voice as a solo, it is very, very overwhelming. Ringo's singing is particularly weak in the first half. After the solo he sings higher and it sounds a lot better and more powerful. I could do without the lady's choir that sets in at 2.33.
02 Night And Day
Night And Day, arranged by Chico O'Farrill, was the first song Ringo recorded for the album. It was recorded at Abbey Road on October 27th 1969. Night And Day was originally performed by Fred Astaire and Claire Luce in the 1932 musical play 'The Gay Divorcee' and was a 1937 hit for Tommy Dorsey. Written by Cole Porter.
The George Martin Orchestra in full Big Band mode. Ringo's voice is in a better shape compared to the previous song, or this one suits his voice better. And he is not such a bad singer, listen to what he's doing at around 1.11. I don't fancy the arrangement gives room to the somewhat annoying piano licks. Nice saxophone solo and I'm not even a fan of the sound of a sax. Well done.
03 Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees)
A mono demo recording of this song was done on February 9th 1970 and handed over to Ron Goodwin by George Martin. Ron was asked to write a new arrangement for the song. The song was later recorded at Morgan Studios on March 5th with a 36 piece orchestra conducted by arranger Ron Goodwin. This song was originally recorded in 1940 by The Ink Spots. Written by Fred & Doris Fisher.
Grand opening, too much for me. After that, the song settles into a nice melody with loads of strings. Ringo sings this pretty well, but the orchestration is once again overdone. All of a sudden, at 1.30, it's just Ringo and a guitar, a little bass and a very limited percussion. Nice. The massive strings ruin the atmosphere once again at 1.48.
04 Bye Bye Blackbird
This 1926 song, sung by Eddie Cantor, got its new arrangement from Maurice Gibb from The Bee Gees. Maurice conducted the 36 piece orchestra himself as the song was recorded on March 5th at Morgan Studios in London. Ringo's vocals were double tracked. Written by Mort Dixon and Ray Henderson.
Ah! The refreshing sound of a banjo! Nice arrangement with some percussion coming in at 0.20. Honky tonk piano at 0.30. Building up towards the end it gets a little overwhelming once again, but as the arrangement is pretty sober in itself (tho the music is not), is just alright.
05 I'm A Fool To Care
Recorded at Abbey Road on February 11th with a 15 piece orchestra (including Billy Preston), conducted and arranged by Klaus Voorman. Ringo's vocals were overdubbed during the same recording session. This song was initially a 1954 hit for Les Paul and Mary Ford. Written by Ted Daffan.
A bit of a boring song and I think Klaus Voorman made nothing special out of it, besides a change of rhythm at around 1.50. It's just 20 seconds and then the song goes back in the same dull order again.
06 Stardust
The orchestral track for this song was recorded on November 7th 1969, the vocal track was recorded a week later on November 14th. Paul McCartney's arrangement of the song was realised by George Martin. 'Stardust' was first recorded as an instrumental in 1927 by Emile Seidel and Orchestra. Words were added later, in 1929, by Mitchell Parish. Written by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish.
Twinkeling stars promise a nice arrangement, but Paul McCartney follows the footsteps of the previous songs. Loads of strings. Sigh. Ringo is singing this not particularly great either. Especially the section after 1.14 brings problems for his voice. But the drum break at 2.02 the song ánd Ringo finally lets it all go for a short while. Twinkeling stars finish it off. Nothing special.
07 Blue, Turning Grey Over You
The first take of this song was recorded on November 28th 1969 arranged by Oliver Nelson. Nine more takes with orchestra conducted by Johnnie Spence were recorden on December 4th when Ringo also overdubbed his voice to complete the recording, but a new vocal overdub was recorded on February 24th 1970. Originally a hit for Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra in 1930. Written by Andy Razaf and Thomas 'Fats' Waller.
A song that got stuck in my mind because of the driving power of the piano bass notes.. The vocal overdub does not work very nicely, as Ringo is often too much out of timing. Further on it is the now usual Big Band sound, with lots of brass. Ringo's voice almost drowns in the orchestration. Nice fooling around and joking from Ringo from 3.00 towards the end.
08 Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing
Arranged by Quincy Jones, this song was a 1955 hit for the Four Aces. The first orchestral backing was recorded in the USA. Ringo added his voice on January 14th 1970 at Olympic Studios, London. The was re-recorded in EMI Studios on February 3rd when arranger Quincy Jones conducted a 16 piece orchestra. The organ was overdubbed by Billy Preston. Eight additional singers, flutes, organ and vibraphone were overdubbed on February 19th 1970. The song was originally a theme from the film with the same name. Written by Sammy Fain and Paul Webster.
Sugarsweet. The eight additional singers make this arrangement almost laughable. Sounds like a Coca Cola Xmas advert. A skip.
09 Dream
Recording starten on November 14th 1969. This song was a 1945 hit for the Pied Pipers. A 15 piece orchestral arrangement was added on February 10th, conducted and arranged by George Martin. Written by Johnny Mercer.
Ringo is singing this with an easy, double tracked voice. Nothing outstanding to remember here. Even the arrangement by the great George Martin doesn't make it special.
10 You Always Hurt The One You Love
This 1944 hit by the Mills Brothers was arranged by John Dankworth. A 20 piece orchestra conducted by the arranger himself was recorded at De Lane Lea's Sound Studios in Soho, London, were Ringo also added his voice. The song was mixed during the same session on February 25th 1970. John Dankworth overdubbed sax, piano on drums on March 6th. Written by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher.
By the time this song reaches the ears, it has all become too much of the same trick. A grand opening, Ringo coming in, a virtuoso solo (this time on sax) and work towards the end. This song has the advantage of being moderately fast. Nice arrangement tho.
11 Have I Told You Lately That I Love You
The orchestral track was recorded in the USA and sent over to England were Ringo added his vocals on February 9th and re-recorded them on February 18th. A 1945 hit for Bing Crosby, this was first performed in 1945 by Lulu Belle and Scotty Wiseman and arranged for this album by Elmer Bernstein. Written by Scott Wiseman.
Sounds like an arrangement made for the Eurovision Song Contest. This song has the feeling of a pop song and Ringo handles this pretty well. Is that the orchestra missing some right notes around 1.18? Sounds strange. Funny to hear that the music builds up, but Ringo hardly adds any more volume to his vocals.
12 Let The Rest Of The World Go By
This song was from the film 'When Irish Eyes Are Smiling' (1944), sung by Dick Haymes. Les Reed arranged the song for Ringo. Recorded at Abbey Road on February 12 th 1970. Ringo re-recorded his vocals on February 18th 1970.
Ringo has problems handling the vocals very well. Very boring song with a Xmas feeling once again. Terrible background singers. Sigh.
All in all
An embarrasment, as John Lennon described it? Not completely. Sentimental Journey is not unpleasant to listen to and chronologically, it is certainly the first solo album by a Beatle I listened to more than once. It's a nice album to undust during the upcoming Christmas. Is it essential? Certainly not. These kind of songs are not the best thing Ringo can do.
Well, at least the review moderated the thread.
I'd love to chip in on this. But to be honest I can't recall ever consciously listening to songs off this record. I think I've heard the title track a couple of times.
Ringo crooning old standards just didn't hold any interest for me.
I'll brush the dust off of this one and try to get my review up tonight.
Just started listening to this via YouTube. First impression from the first three songs, it's better than I expected. Ringo sings ok all considered. This was the pre Auto Tune era so the fact he's singing in tune shows he had a certain level of musicality to draw on. At times he sounds pretty good actually. Certainly shows a bit of verve here and there.
I'll keep going with it. Can't say it'll become a favourite of mine. Just not my thing and if I want to hear these songs Ringo isn't the singer I'd choose to do them.
Finished the listen through. I must admit I was rather tired of it by the end. Ringo's voice, while better than I expected, just doesn't have enough colour and variety to make him listenable over a long stretch. A couple of songs that suit him, fine.
The arrangements were professional and accomplished. A little over the top in parts.
It's a bit of fun though. I'm sure his mum loved it.
Quote from: Moogmodule on Dec 22, 2014, 07:29 PM
Finished the listen through. I must admit I was rather tired of it by the end. Ringo's voice, while better than I expected, just doesn't have enough colour and variety to make him listenable over a long stretch. A couple of songs that suit him, fine.
The arrangements were professional and accomplished. A little over the top in parts.
It's a bit of fun though. I'm sure his mum loved it.
That about sums up how I feel about the album. ;D
Sentimental Journey
1. Sentimental Journey – Typical 20's sounding tune with the piano, drums, bassoon or whatever the hell it is. His voice isn't great here as one can imagine. There is some ELO sounding robotic background singing at some points which is weird. An alright song that I can live with, but I'm sure there's better offerings out there.
2. Night And Day – Huge jazz beginning. Love the stand up bass. Just imagine Ringo doing Sinatra and you've pictured this song. Great drumming by the orchestra drummer. Great sax solo too. This song suited Ringo's singing better than the first one. I like it.
3. Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees) – Slower classical beginning with the orchestra. Lots of strings and a tune that plods along. I do not like Ringo's voice on this one. Its weak sounding and you can feel the limitations. This song cries out for a voice with more range. I like the acoustic guitar or ukulele strumming along in the middle part. I would pass on this one.
4. Bye Bye Blackbird – Starts off with the banjo and then the band kicks in and sounds good with the drums and bass. I dig this tune. Sounds like one the Beatles would actually do. Fun song. The background vocals singing along with Rino are loose and really needed to be tightened up. Dig the trumpet on this song too. I like it and its probably my favorite off the entire record.
5. I'm A Fool To Care – Bass and trombone together to start this one out. Slow jazz number. Lots of instruments doing their thing while Ringo sings in a quiet tone. Switches to some more aggressive jazz at the 1:52 mark for a little bit and then back to the slow paced thing. Short and inoffensive, but not much else.
6. Stardust – Chimes start us out here with the brass and strings coming in strong. Another slower jazz tune. I actually like Ringo's voice on this one though. I love the huge drumming dynamics at the 2:00 mark only to settle back in shortly after. I like this one.
7. Blue, Turning Grey Over You – Awesome big band opening. Great jazz shuffle once the singing starts. Love it. Crazy how good the orchestra musicians are. Damn if I don't want a whiskey neat right now. Ringo sings a little higher at points then he's comfortable with I think, but he pulls it off. Nice song. Hit me daddy.
8. Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing – Bass sounds awesome with the flutes. Dig the percussion, but there's a blip every once in awhile that I believe is an electric guitar that bothers me. Backing vocals are female and male singers. I like that. Nice piano solo in the middle. Love the Vibraphone being played too throughout the song. Good stuff.
9. Dream – Don't like Ringo's voice here. Slower, kind of pop classical song here, if that makes any sense. Melodic in a way, but it drags in the same voice. Picks up at the 1:20 mark with a walking bass line. All in all, this one would be a pass.
10. You Always Hurt The One You Love – Love the pace of this one, but the constant vibraslap needs to go. I cant enjoy this song because of it. It isn't played in the middle break with the sax solo and so forth that I can tell and then there it is again. Pass.
11. Have I Told You Lately That I Love You – Quicker paced song with a cool bass line. Love the piano and there's even some electric guitar and organ playing going on. Man the bass player kicks on this one. Sounds like an early Buckinghams song. One of my favorites. Piano player gets off in parts too. I like it.
12. Let The Rest Of The World Go By – Slower song that almost reminds me of classical/country if there ever was such a thing. Love the female background vocals. This song would be a great lullaby in my opinion. Something to play for the kids before bed time or something to gaze at the stars by. I really dig it.
Conclusion – I cant tell you how long its been since I've played this. I also cant tell you how much I enjoyed it. I seriously am in the mood to take my wife dancing right now (if I did stuff like that). This record took me back to a time where things seemed a lot simpler and I believe that's what it was intended for. Sure Martins orchestra can get a bit ham fisted sometimes in the playing and production, and Ringo isn't the best crooner in the world, but it's a solid product overall. I'm glad I listened to it and it might stay out for awhile. Hey, I'm as surprised as you.
How's the flu?
Quote from: Ollier on Jan 01, 2015, 10:58 AM
How's the flu?
It took 4 days to get over and I'm still coughing, but the worst is over. Thanks for asking. Hope you had a great holiday Ollie.
I recently completed the gargantuan task of listening to EVERY Beatles/former Beatle CD that I own, in order*, every time I made a car journey.
*When I say "in order" that means all The Beatles discs, followed by all George's output, then all John's, followed by Paul's, finishing up with Ringo....
So the Starr turn is still relatively fresh in my mind.... and let's just say I tend to prefer his later stuff!
He famously recorded this debut album for his mum, and let's hope she enjoyed it because, like John, I found it a bit of an embarrassment. I'm not really one for the big band sound at the best of times - vaguely tolerable with a gifted crooner at the mike, but Ringo is certainly not that - his flat Scouse warble and dreadful phrasing really is completely out of its depth with these sort of numbers. With two exceptions...
The title track, Sentimental Journey is an endearingly undemanding plodder with which Ringo copes rather well - indeed his droll drawl is neatly tailored to the required vocal delivery. Nice.
And the best track on the album? By a country mile, Bye Bye Blackbird - a singalong bursting with FUN - and nobody does fun better than Ritchie!
Everything else has been covered better by everyone else!
Yeah, 'Bye Bye Blackbird' is the highlight of the record. I actually enjoyed the record when I listened to it, but my son and I dig the crooner style of music, so it was a bit easier for me I would say.