(TV) greg reviews SaOT

[grntg <grntg@yahoo.com>]

Warning: I get kinda mean to some of your favorite
bands at the end...

Here it is, per all your requests (okay Leos only) my
thorough blow by blow review of SaOT.

Parade in L.:  I like this a lot, it doesnt remind me
of Olivia Newton John as Leo intimated but I cant
recall ever listening to ONJ other than the schlocky
Grease soundtrack which my spouse adored for about two
weeks when she went through a retro phase.  Perhaps I
should check into ONJ's solo stuff?  Anyways, I wish
Around had 14 of these structured kind of things
rather than the play along jam-in-a-box effort I so
harshly criticized it as being.

Heavenly Charm:  This ticks me off a little as I have
a song w/ charm in the title on my ***cheap plug
alert*** upcoming recording / cd / whatever.  Get rid
of the vocals, replace them with a lead guitar run and
we have the makings of an excellent instrumental cd. 
Rocket theme comes up from the Television album,
(editors note: this 'foreshadowing' you are using is
virtually non-descript until the second read through. 
Do you think you are the next Steinbech (SP)? nO ONE
IS GOING TO READ THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH, NOT ALONE
TWICE.  you should clean this up.  ).  The speaky
vocals take away from this.

Orbit:  Kind of a shlocky little number with a cheesy,
predicatable chorus.  This would fit in Cover.  Does
Verlaine realize how old he is?  Singing about girls
at his age is kind of creepy, unless the girls he
refers to are his age, yuck!  I dont like this one at
all.  

Blue Light: More speaky vocals to start off.  Cover
era music w/ FlashLight era vocal stylings.  The lead
guitar, to me, is worth the price of the cd so its
all gravy from here.

>From Her Fingers: Reminds me of the songs floating
around on the lost album bootleg.  Man, is he a good
guitarist.  I like the way he fits all the parts
together and plays them off each other and off the
spaces between the notes like a classical composer
rather than a pop musician.  Another song about
girls.  I can see little American girl(s) driving
around and belting out the fa fa fa five chorus,
catchy, really catchy.  Let The Matrix produce / remix
this and you can get that nice downtown condo to that
Juttas probably nagging you for.  Tom on Designer
Guys? (lisp thisoooo careful Steven, his walls are
covered with Smoke residue!)(an ashtray is not a
centerpiece Mr. Verlaine!).  Hey, Im married, my
wife watches these while I read Saturday's paper.

Nice Actress:  Detective movie guitar work circa This
Cops from Mars.  The bad language is kind of
surprising.  My five year old also found it rather
surprising and giggled away.  Thanks Tom.  There is
something groovy cool about this song.  I wouldnt
think Id like something like this but it is probably
my fave on the cd.

A Stroll: More speaky vocals but they really work on
this one.  The guitar work is gorgeous beyond
gorgeous.  The drums sound like boxes.  Verlaine is a
great rhythm guitarist.  

Earth in etc: Everybody Sing it!  One Time at
Sundown Who cares, the world needs more of this
song.  Verlaines guitar is so effortless and fluid it
sounds ordinary until you listen carefully to the
nuances.

Lovebird: I like the chord changes, I like the bass, I
like the drums, I like this song.  The lead solo is
great beyond great albeit short.  Another song that
sounds like it could have been on Television.

Docum: one hour after 4 a.m. (get it?).  Whats that
Next button on my cd player do?  Oh yeah

Shing: Is it just me or is it almost rap at the
beginning?  Tom been listening to the artist formerly
known as Puffy?  Id like this better without vocals. 
No, thats not true.  I wouldnt like this in a house,
I wouldnt like it with a mouse.  I wouldnt like it
in a boat, I wouldnt like it with a goat.  I do not
like it at all.  Sam I am, I dont like shingaling.

All weirded out:  Didnt Television play this live in
recent years?  Was the reunion just an evil plot by
Tom to get Richard to play a Verlaine solo song?  How
is Richard taking this?  This doesnt fit in with the
rest of the album.  Could have been saved for the next
fabled Television cd but I am not going to bitch about
including a really good song that doesnt fit,
especially at the rate Verlaine releases songs and
other things (insert groans here).

The Day: I do not see this as a single as others have.
 I think its a good, no its not, its an
exxxcccceeellent song but it doesnt fit into single
format that appeases the masses.  Best vocal on the
cd.

Peace piece: Frames the cd out.  Somewhat relieved as
I was expecting hippy lyrics.

Overall: Great guitar work, lots of interesting things
going in within the songs, little flourishes here and
there keeps it all interesting and surprising.  He
plays instruments off each other and the space of
other instruments like pieces composed for
orchestras.  Where Around was jamming (perhaps it was
his gift to us hardcore fans rather then a grasp at a
larger audience), these songs sound worked out,
crafted, molded and made into something spectacular. 
Interesting w/ Verlaine playing all the lead and
rhythm for 13 out of 14 and how this sounds like a
natural progression from Television (oft criticized as
a thinly veiled Verlaine solo album) regarding the
vocal style, guitar tone, tempo, etc.  Actually, it
could be the Television album.  Tom Verlaine is TV
which is Television.  Different players, same sound,
same vision, I get it now.  I know who calls the
shots.  

Rating: Im harder on poor Tom then I would be on
anyone else.  As a Verlaine album compared to prior
efforts B.  As a Verlaine album versus the world, an A
plus is too low.  You are not worthy to floss with his
broken guitar strings you hacks, which include Arcade
Fire, Strokes, White Stripes, Darkness, and all those
other, for only a moment, critical darlings.


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