Latest posts by Ed Park (see all)
- Bring on the Lucie by Hallelujah the Hills - October 9, 2015
- Experiment: Two Words - July 27, 2013
- POV - July 19, 2013
ED PARK • Want to hear a really sloppy record? It’s a good song, but the recording’s a mess. The drums consistently drag the rhythm; the bass player isn’t quite sure how his part is supposed to go…
—Douglas Wolk, “The Death of Mistakes Means the Death of Rock”
Wow. The drumming and bass playing on this song are possibly my favorite on any rock recording. Ever. I get the writer’s point – its not machine perfection, and that’s part of what makes it great – but sloppy is the last adjective I would use to describe it.
I disagree with Wolk that that extra beat is a mistake. I would bet that the band and/or the producer decided to add the extra beat because they felt the “Sun Shiiiinesssss” line needed to be extended. Wold overstates his case, but his point is well taken. Consider Van Morrison’s “Astral Weeks” or Syd Barrett’s “The Madcap Laughs.” Try releasing those today, not to mention getting anyone raised on 21st century music to sit through them without texting.
I second Mr. Pleasant’s comments. The part where Paul’s harmony vocal chokes off in “If I Fell” — that’s a mistake.
The “dragging” and “isn’t quite sure” complaints can probably be due to the fact that the backing track is slowed down while the vocals are sped up (IIRC).