The Decemberists: The Mariner's Revenge Song

[afx]

Music seems to be popular sub-theme on the forum. So I thought I would post one of my favorite bands and videos. I'm sure it won't be everyone's cup of tea but give it a listen.

Edited March 14, 2014 by afx

[Harry P.]

Ok... get ready for my commentary!

First of all... they seem to be pretty talented as far as musicianship, but... the song is way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long. Eight and a half minutes? Really?

And second... the lead singer's voice is very annoying (to me). Reminds me of the singer from Green Day, who is also annoying!

Bottom line... you were exactly right. Not my cup of tea.

Next...

[Monty]

Makes me long for the subtleties of The Proclaimers.

[Greg Myers]

Try this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89NjEeHku8o

Edited March 14, 2014 by Greg Myers

[afx]

Yes his voice is an acquired taste. But before you write them off try this one.

[slusher]

Ok... get ready for my commentary!

First of all... they seem to be pretty talented as far as musicianship, but... the song is way, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long. Eight and a half minutes? Really?

And second... the lead singer's voice is very annoying (to me). Reminds me of the singer from Green Day, who is also annoying!

Bottom line... you were exactly right. Not my cup of tea.

Next...

I have to agree with Harry, next...

[jaymcminn]

LOVE the Decemberists. Picaresque and The Crane Wife are two of my desert island albums, but they're all great. Colin Moloy' s voice might be an acquired taste, but so was Bob Dylan's, or Janis Joplin's, for that matter.

[slusher]

I love classic rock but I never understood why Janis Joplin was great seriously...

[afx]

LOVE the Decemberists. Picaresque and The Crane Wife are two of my desert island albums, but they're all great. Colin Moloy' s voice might be an acquired taste, but so was Bob Dylan's, or Janis Joplin's, for that matter.

Jason, have you listened to The Hazards of Love? Listen to the whole album from beginning to end. Its like watching a play or a movie. Its my favorite Decemberist album to date.

[jaymcminn]

The Hazards of Love is kind of a litmus test for Decemberists fans, in my opinion. It's a pretty challenging album in a lot of ways and it took me a while to wrap my head around it... I mean, it's a rock opera. With a Fairy Queen. And a dead children's chorus. And a guy that turns into a deer. And everybody drowns at the end. It also rocks harder than anything else they ever did, and the singer who does the Queen' s voice has the sexiest voice ever. It's not my favorite of theirs, but it's an interesting experiment by a band that rarely plays it safe. I like it better than The King Is Dead, but not quite as much as Castaways and Cutouts.

[Harry P.]

I love classic rock but I never understood why Janis Joplin was great seriously...

I don't think she was great, either. I think a lot of her "legendary" status is due to the fact that she was a woman in what was then very much a man's world (blues rock), and the fact that she died so young. As far as judging her on her talent alone, I agree with you that she wasn't anything special.

[Harry P.]

Yes his voice is an acquired taste. But before you write them off try this one.

Ok, now that song is more to my liking. I can hear Bruce Springsteen singing that one in my head.

[jaymcminn]

Ok, now that song is more to my liking. I can hear Bruce Springsteen singing that one in my head.

I'm not going to post a link to it, but "Grace Cathedral Hill" from their first album is one of the prettiest songs ever written. You'll have it stuck in your head for days after listening to it.

[lordairgtar]

Harry, I think we got used to the standard 3:15 song common in pop and country. The song here tells a story, more of a piratical or chanty type song. Admittedly it is long, but not for the genre. Personally I liked it and loved the singers inflections. And yes, I'm a singer...or used to be.

[Harry P.]

Harry, I think we got used to the standard 3:15 song common in pop and country. The song here tells a story, more of a piratical or chanty type song. Admittedly it is long, but not for the genre. Personally I liked it and loved the singers inflections. And yes, I'm a singer...or used to be.

There are a lot of long songs I like... Hey Jude, Stairway to Heaven, Eurotrash Girl (Cracker), When the Levee Breaks, Tangled Up in Blue, Hotel California, a lot of Yes and Pink Floyd songs are long... I could probably name dozens of songs more than 6 minutes long that I like. But that one isn't one of them!

[afx]

I saw Cracker (well actually only David Lowery & Johnny Hickman) perform acoustically in a record store in College Park, MD on my 30th b-day. One of the songs they played was Eurotrash Girl. It was a great present to myself.

[Harry P.]

I saw Cracker (well actually only David Lowery & Johnny Hickman) perform acoustically in a record store in College Park, MD on my 30th b-day. One of the songs they played was Eurotrash Girl. It was a great present to myself.

One of the best songs nobody has ever heard of. 8 1/2 minutes of Johnny Hickman guitar school. And check him out falling off the stage monitor at 6:56...