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cagney1950

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Everything posted by cagney1950

  1. Hello all-haven't been here for awhile but seeing the always terrific couchtomatoe and meeting the wonderful ldyj for the first time at the gala-I just had to stop by and say "hey!"
  2. Happiest of Birthdays, keepingfaith!!! Did you do your check at Walmart for tnt stock yesterday?
  3. keepingfaith I got all kinds of goosebumps reading your post. Yes he is stalking you and your sister-it is the only explanation. What a special last week and this week the two of you have had. I wonder if he went back stage before the end of ths show....hmm.....I am imagining him in all his handsomeness. sigh. it makes me happy that he was greeting people.
  4. Thank YOU, Cagney. I read the words Brazil 66 and immediately saw Sergio Mendes and heard Mas Que Nada in my head! I never had any Jack Jones records. He was in that group with Andy Williams, Perry Como and Robert Goulet that my mother liked -- the "Wives and Lovers" stuff. Maybe Jack had a version, but "Can't Get Used to Loving You" was a big hit for Andy Williams. About that time I was preferring Sam Cooke's "Another Saturday Night" and The Tymes "So Much In Love" and The Ronettes "Be My Baby." It was also about the time I started buying Peter, Paul and Mary records, Joe & Eddie, The Chad Mitchell Trio in the early 60's. Regarding Steppenwolf, anybody remember that song "Tenderness" that had a country vibe, very different from "Ride With Me" and "Monster" and "Born to Be Wild" etc. -- but I loved that song very much. And I remember some dudes who didn't much care for it! I don't care what Clay records next, except I want it to be something he can dance to! I love to watch the man's moves. Thank you for that correction, keepingfaith. I would have gone to my grave thinking JJ sang that song. Yet as I hear it in my head, I now hear Andy Williams singing it. As much as I enjoyed Jack Jones and obviously Andy Williams, I never bought any of their music. I love having "conversations" here with all of you about music. Good news for west coasters and hopefully more confirmations will be on the way. Ironically I will be in San Francisco two weeks before for a conference and that same conference is causing me to miss the show in Maryland-only an hour away from my home.
  5. Thank you keeping faith for posting the link to Just One Look. I lived in Ruben's 60's as well. I don't think any decade can touch the 60's for the richness and variety of music. I loved it all from the Beatles to Brazil 66. My tastes were so eclectic-my album collection ranged from the Anita Kerr singers to Steppenwolf. From the little snippet we got of the 60's in Timeless, the music sung by Ruben resonated with me more than Clay's. But I did love that he sang Going Out of My Head. Now he just has to sing Sing I Fell For You. I had an interesting musical epiphany while listening to a radio show that features songs from the 50's and 60's each Saturday night on wxpn.org out of Philly. The host was playing Strangers in the Night sung by Sinatra and really that is the only rendition I recalled hearing. Then he played the song sung by the orignal artist who sang that song as part of a musical score for a movie. The host did not initially identify the artist and I found myself thinking how much I loved the voice and the rendition and how much I preferred it to Sinatra's and how the voice had a "clay" quality. It turned out to be Jack Jones- who I listened to on repeat when he came out with Can't Get Used to Losing You in 1962. Jones was one of my favorite pop artists back then - I loved his voice which reminded me of Clay's yesterday. It seems to me that the vocal qualities I loved back then has remained pretty constant.
  6. Wow, I hate to interrupt all the fondling, double entendres, and all but wanted to thank cindilu for bringing over some of my favorite pics. Gotta run to present to a parent open house for students coming to my university in the fall. I have this sinking feeling I am suppowed to have prepared something, Many of these parents have been to at least one if not two open houses with their sons and daughters and have seen me both times. i think I will focus on what I would want to know if I were these parents. Maybe a top ten list starting with Will my child have a job when they are finished? Off to create....
  7. Cindilu2Could you snag 25 and 40 and 43 for me? I would like to make one of thme an avi.Thanks so much in advance! I have been absent for a week or so and have been very remiss in doing my song thoughts. I have some good excuses-week long professional conference and the unexpected death of the former chairpeson of my department. But I still feel like I have an overdue paper to finish. I haven't had much time to read back and I really want to see people's impressions. Have we had an embarrassment of riches or what in the past week?! I haven't been able to catch up but I will admit to watching Those Magic Moments an inordinate number of times.
  8. I realize I am way behind with song of the day and at least want to do Misty. When i first heard the rendition through the facebook link, it hit me that this was a different kind of song than i am used to hearing from Clay. It doesn't build to a crescendo or even a mini crescendo-it has the same kind of pacing and dynamics pretty straight through. I like it for this song very much and if I ever have the guts to call in a request for Sleepy Hollow (a Sunday morning program of eclectic mix of music on xpn.org-an alternative music station) this would be the song i would choose. I think Clay sounds absolutely gorgeous on this song. I love how he sings "just what I want you to do." A very good song-I just don't think of Johnny Mathis as much as I thoughtI might. Tomorrow i will tackle Mack the Knife-probably my favorite song on the album.
  9. I cannot wait for the Siriusly Sinatra. I am signing up for the free 30 day trial for Sirius. Warning, you need to supply your credit card information but you can cancel at anytime-must remind myself of that. Actually, I wouldn't mind the subscription but I listen mainly in my car and I don't have the equipment. Here is the link if anyone is interested. https://home.sirius.com/sirpromosetup.do I wanted to say something elese about the Chelsea Lately appearance which I loved. When he was talking about him and Ruben and how he (Clay ) is organized but Ruben is like "hey dog, we'll get it when we get there" or something like that. I could watch that over and over. He is such a natural mimic. I really am enjoying all of the discussion of Clay's music. Discussing media is one of my favorite things. keepingfaith and duckyvee, I agree that the tempo of this album is enhanced by the placement of the songs. There is one exception for me but it comes later in the cd. And keepingfaith,I think the 11 songs on the regular version make a complete set and the flow of the album is not enhanced (for me) by the two extra songs. i am glad to have them but I think the 11 on the regular album are the strongest. It's Only Make BelieveWhen I first heard the snippet of this song, i have to admit that his voice sounded somewhat flattened to me compared to the other songs. I am not sure how to describe it exactly-enjoyable, but not the richness. At one point his voice sounds somewhat forced when he reaches up to go to "how much I love you so," more towards the end of the song.akimI think i understand what you are saying. I felt that way with one section towards the end of EIDN -I loved so much about his vocal performance of that song but at one point at the end, he tried to infuse extra umph and it seemed forced. But there is also so much to love about this song. First the intro, fearh20, i love the jazzy feel so much. It reminds me of an intro from a jazz song that I think was used to introduce a radio or tv program from long ago. Does it sound familiar to anyone else? It has been driving me crazy. This song just makes you want to dance and makes me wish I were a better dancer. I think that this song had one of my favorite surprises in the cd. The end when he punctuates my hopes.my dreams.my schemes. I really do love that. I think I squealed in my car when I first heard it.
  10. Loved, just loved Clay's appearance on Chelsea Handler's show last night. I thought the treatment was kind of sweet-from the intro with her sidekick (don't know how to spell his name) to the final hug which seemed almost intimate in a gentle you-might-play-for-the-other-team-but-I-still-think-you-are-really-groovy kind of way. But more on that later. I have an overdue assignment and I am losing points by the minute. What Kind of Fool Am I I have loved this song for ever and probably have been most attached to the version by Sammy Davis Jr. I haven't heard his rendition for years so I searched a you tube that identified this performance on the Any Williams show as probably the closest to his recording. For those who might want to compare and contrast. I knew that Clay's version's verses (try to say quickly five times!) were not quite the same at one point-(doesn't have the verse with damn in it) but it also doesn't have the verse: What kind of man am I, that could not see, what could be seen by almost everyone but me I wonder why he did not include that verse-talk among yourselves. I think the beginning of Clay's version is Clay at his most haunting, beautiful voice. His opener in "Crying" is another example of breathtaking vocals. In WKOFAI, I like how the percussion picks up the pace in the second phrase. I also love how Clay sings the word "love" as "luv." Whispers empty words of luv. Heaven. When he sings like any other manright before the orchestral interlude, there is a bit of a cry in his voice. Love the clay cry. At first I found the David Sanborn interlude intrusive but for now I kind of like it. I do feel in this song, unlike any of the other songs on the album, that the tracks were layed down on top of Clay's voice. I know this is typically done but it just seems more obvious in this song. I do think the horns at the end compete with Clay's voice a bit. But still like the energy of the song. Clay's version is hearfelt and not as theatrical as the ones from past years that i have seen on you-tube (in all fairness, it is a showstopper from a musical)so I can see why the "damn" verse didn't quite fit.
  11. I wanted to post my thoughts about CTMEOY before reading anyone elses...then i will go back and comment. When I heard that he sang this at the GIF, I had two thoughts, I never liked that song very much but wow, he sings it really well. I have never been that fond of the Four Seasons. I thought they sounded like cats and I really didnt like groups that sounded like cats to me including the Lettermen, later the Bee Gees, etc. Big exception- the Beach Boys. But I digress… I think this is a terrific song to start the album and for him to use to promote the album. I thought he hit it out of the park when he sang in on GMA, and vocally, for me, the strongest vocal performance of the week. It fits his vocals like a glove. Shows his softer side and a bit of his belter too. Although the instrumentation is very similar to the original (one of the reviews criticized this number as being pretty much a carbon copy) it has some touches that I love. For example, the first time he sings theres nothing else to compare I hear a steel guiitar, at least I think that is what I am hearing. I hear the same guitar work later when he sings youd be like heaven to touch. It adds a lovely wistfulness to the number. It reminded me of the guitar work of Vince Gill but I know it was Moon River that he contributed his guitar work. I think Clay does a good job with conveying a sense of longing as well. I have grown to enjoy a song I never cared for very much. Thank you Clay ETA: Yes, very easy to sing along with. It has become an earworm for me. My 86 year old mother hms along with the intro before the chorus. I have never heard her hum music for along time. Very cute. Her boyfriend in Andrea Bocelli but yesterday she asked me to put clay on when we were driving.
  12. I listened to all the above mentioned current singers in college (68-72) but we also listened quite a bit to Sammy Davis Jr. We loved his music from Golden Boy. I was thrilled when Clay covered one of the songs that Sammy sang so well. Loved the smirk! I really enjoyed the performances on the Early Show and his music was featured quite a bit throughout the show. Although I thought that his best singing performance this week was CTMEOY on GMA, he really brought a little more swagger to the song this morning. I love seeing his live performances evolve. I always do listen to albums in order, at least initially. That's probably ingrained from the 60's and 70's when some of my favorites albums had no gaps between tracks and they transitioned into one another, with frequent intentional overlaps. I have downloaded many tracks from older albums that began with the end of the last song. The band/artist did this so that the album would be listened to in whole and in order, but then those were the days of the theme albums. I just read something that made me chuckle -- a story about Hey Jude and how producer George Martin told the group they couldn't release it as a single because at over 8 minutes long it would never get played on the radio. John Lennon said, "It will if it's us." It was released as a single, and become the biggest selling single in the history of the Beatles. Sometimes you have to break the mold and create a new one. Conventional wisdom doesn't last forever. I love when albums were cohesive units and were meant to listen one song after another. I think downloading has really changed that approach. One of the many things I love about TnT is that the last songs on the regular album are as strong as the first songs. I think the songs flow beautifully, one to the other (possible exception-UM to SM). I've only listened to the two bonus songs on the deluxe cd once. Neither of them really grabbed me. And I will admit to being a teensy weensy bit disappointed in BMUB. I didn't expect that. Misty is still the song I skip sometimes. Although I think the way Clay sings "it's what I want you to do" is sublime. I only ever buy 2 physical copies of Clay's CDs. One to listen to and one to leave shrink-wrapped in my Clay box. When I purchased my 2nd CD at Target today (the one that will stay unopened) the cashier smiled and said...."Clay Aiken....now that's when American Idol was gooooood. I like him. He's such a nice man." *sigh* I really do love this CD. No surprise since I already knew and loved many of these songs. (And, hello! Clay is singing them!) Musically I've always been an older soul. Not that I don't find more modern music that I like, I'm just often attracted to songs from before my time. Love that story, jamar. nju stories are among my favorite parts of my clayfandom. I so agree about the way Clay sings "its what I want you to do." I did not love BMUB as much as i thought I would, well I love the end (that was featured in the sizzle reel) but not the beginning as much. But what I did love from the behind the scenes stuff was clay's take on Eso Beso- I LOVED how he sang it, his expressiveness, can't wait to see the whole thing. I like the two bonus songs, don't love them (yet). I think the regular cd has the strongest songs. jdylCan't wait for our daily discussion. I think that is a great way to do it.Spreads out the enjoyement. Just to prepare for IOMB-the intro is very familiar to me-is it for anyone else? just something to think about before we discuss it next week. ETA: Rereading my post, I realize that it was brought to you by the word "love.'
  13. I'm so with you. I don't know why people expect bad reviews. I don't--and I haven't noticed most of the slights. Critics are just people with an opinion, so they don't affect me much one way or another, but I think it's becoming cool to like Clay. He's still around after all these years, and that alone is enough to convince people he's not a flash in the pan. I feel incredibly positive about Clay's career. I get frustrated when I read "finally, someone has listened to the album" when good reviews are given. Although there were examples where it seemed obvious the reviewer had not listened to the albumm (citing incorrect track names) in most cases I believe the reviewers have listened, they just may not have liked it. I must admit that I hoped that Clay's release got more the mainstream treatment from USA Today. MOAM and ATDW was reviewed by Elysa Gardner. I thought her review of MOAM was very fair, and although I did not agree with her reviw for ATDW, I would bet dollar to donut that she listened to it. One of the other reviewers there has said harsh things about Clay in interviews, Elsa Gudfenson, but I don't think she ever reviewed Clay's albums. She did review Jack Johnson's and gave it a three out of four stars.
  14. Hi guys. I received the deluxe cd from Amazon on Saturday morning. I wrote the following thoughts about the cd on Sunday and posted on clayversity. If anyone cares to have a preview (really very general). If you wish to read,you can highlight the following. I received the album yesterday and luxuriated in its beauty as I was driving to and from an out of town wedding. I wanted to comment just briefly about it overall but look forward to discussing it track by track. I tried to resist listening too much to the snippets but wasn't totally successful. When listening to the album in its entirity, however, I found there was still much to surprise and delight me. What struck me right away is how much the orchestration plays in the power of this album. It often has a big band sound yet doesn't seem dated For those who like to identify certain sounds and phrasing that delight the ear, you have a cornacopia here. My current "sound" that I can not get enough of is his "baby" in Mack the Knife, towards the end of the song. If I was told that I could only ever hear one song again and I would be forced to choose, it might have to be "Mack The Knife". It is that good. About the liner notes. I read them first before listening. My first impression. Damn, Clay is a superb writer. The "journey" described in the first two sentences-just grabs you. He is so engaging, so honest and self-deprecating to boot. I was particulalry touched by his description of Dave Novik and felt so happy that clay has had this opportunity to work with hiim and the folks at decca. I can only feel the contrast he must have experienced relative to his time at RCA with some (many?) of the people there. I didn't read it as a FURCA but the phrase " unprecedented level of passion, enthusiasm, and talent" certainly can lead you in that direction. My second impression was that Clay wants to be recognized for his artistry. He wants very badly to earn the respect of his industry colleagues. He deserves this. I did not see a fragility in Clay as much as a vunerability which he so openly shared with the reader.
  15. keepingfaithI hear you about Paul McCartney. I was 13, he was 21. My first love. And it was serious. I collected the Beatles pics that came with bubble gum and I was the dealer for these items at St. Joseph's elementary school where I was an 8th grader. I had a stack of those cards about 5 inches thick. I was the page editor of our school newspaper in high school and my fantasy was that I would be called to interview him and well, he would become as smitten with me as I was with him. Eight years difference didn't seem so bad when I became, say 17. The irony of it all was that I believe he met Linda Eastman when she was set to photograph him. Sigh, if only my people knew his people back in the day. Do you recall that MasterCard commercial that featured Paul a year or so ago? There was a clip of him on a jet ski (circa Help! I think) and he looked into the camera. Watching that on my tv over 40 years later, I had a visceral reaction of the most pleasant kind. I hadn't experienced that reaction to a celebrity until Clay (except for brief dalliences wiht Steve McQueen and No Way Out Kevin Costner). What amazing experiences you had with live music back then. I still maintain that the 60s and the 70s were the best decades for music. Both FM and AM radio rocked-they were distinctive in their offerings unlike now. I loved the pop radio and the alternative stuff as well-I was addicted to the music even back then. And that is what I love about Clay. I had drifted away from following much in the way of music, mostly listening to NPR. But Clay brought me back, and in a big way, to enjoying music of all genres. (Still not a big country fan but I did go see Vince Gill a few back and loved it). For those who would like to reminisce about the 60's, wxpn will be doing a retrospective of 1967 songs today -not sure if it is just during the lunch hour (noon EST). They are a public radio station that plays alternative music and they stream. They are pretty much all I listen to when not listening to clay in my car. www.xpn.org Warning: xpn is having their fund drive-they don't bother me but they drive some batty
  16. Thanks Kim! Now that I know that Alex Christensen produced Right Said Fred, I'm looking forward to hearing Clay sing, "I'm too sexy for my shirt" -- 'cause God knows he is! It's clear Billboard likes this CD better than anything that came before, and YAY for terms such as "authoritative," "relaxed vibe," and "summons a swagger he never previously displayed." In addition to those choice words and phrases, may I throw in the word "exudes" which precedes the "relaxed vibe" description? The word "exudes" suggests something that you just can't hold back- is its own force-I love that the reviewer used that word. I see some themes in the two reviews (AMG and BB). Clays voice has not been captured well doing modern pop. Clay is totally at ease with this type of material and it shows. This is clay's best work yet (as keepingfaith pointed out on the BB review). I sometimes think there is a template for the reviews about Clay's albums-I really noticed this for OMWH. The end of most reviews, even when they slanted towards positive, indicated that he would not win new fans with OMWH and it was a product that really, only his diehard fans would love. I look forward (with some trepidation) to the forthcoming reviews. I think that most reviewers (not all) listen to the albums they are asked to review and I think that has been true with the first two reviews we have received.
  17. tree... nothing personal, but I HATE that article! Why, you ask... cause the idiot just HAD to put in that gay descriptor in there. Idjit!!! Without that, I, too, think it is a positive article. There was just no need to put that in there. Sigh! Isn't that kinda the point of Greg In Hollywood though? It's called Greg in Hollywood-News about Gay Celebrities. Like that he seems excited by/enamored of the idea of the cd anyway. I'll take it. I was just going to post that. I took the "openly gay" comment to be positive and to call attention to someone in the gay community that has something to celebrate. ending with a "sounds like a winner!" comment. Within the context of his blog, appropriate. I think some of the people who made comments on greg's blog, weren't aware of the context or perhaps don't think it should make a difference. But I think it does. I like that greg refers to clay as "star." I got the sense that he is proud of Clay. The greg in hollywood blurb is in total contrast to the dismissive piece that appeared in the examiner.com and was unfortunately linked from the Decca website until someone at Decca got a clue and removed it. That brief article had the same core as this one (because they both based their articles on the ET piece.) The examiner blog entry called clay the "gay" singer but in the context of other parts of the article, it was meant to be dismissive. That guy lumped Clay in with Manilow and ended with "sounds like a gay ole time." And they included one of the silliest pics of Clay that I have ever seen. Contrast with the one greg used which is majorly cool and portrays Clay as the handsome, confident star he is.
  18. That is very sweet of you to say FearofH20. I love the listening parties and was just thinking about when we might do one on OFC. I guess there is something to recommend doing it when it is still fresh. I will certainly be there whenever.
  19. I have been spending way too much time with the snippets. Clay sounds superb and the orchestration is terrific. I know Vince Gill will be featured in Moon River, not sure we are hearing that yet in the snippets, but I swear I heer a Vince Gill type guitar in "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". I like it. Also when I first heard Crying (wow, is that snippet amazing) I got just a hint of a Chris Isaak vibe-but still uniquely Clay. What thrills me so much about Crying is how successful the harmony sounds. I have often wished that Clay would be called on to duet with other artists-it really works here. And in the bonus cut on Itunes "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", I get just a hint of Aaron Neville in the "oooh" in the last phrase. Still uniquely Clay though.
  20. bottle... you are my new bestest friend in the whole wide world! O.M.G. I put that picture on my desktop so fast, I think Clay is still dizzy! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Every time I watch that clip, I get this huge grin on my face. I even called my friend and guided her to youtube to watch it with me. What fun this is. Things is a gittin' hot! By the way, after watching it several times, I found the spot where he reminds me of Parker. It's right at the beginning of BMUB. Could me/probably is just me, but I get a kick out of it anyway. Happy Mother's Day! About 41 minutes left here in EST. I wanted to comment about this luscious picture. It just struck me that Clay has not a hint of eye makeup-no guyliner or tinted eyelashes that we saw in previous photo sessions (and I have liked some of those pics-library boy comes to mind). I think this is intentional-to provide a more masculine pic.
  21. FearofH20 Good luck this week. I have grown to really dislike my dentist visits. I was so annoyed by the comments on the examiner site that I posted some comments this morning. And now with the International Media promo out there, expect more critism. They did make some factual errors but in all a very positive piece that hopefully will have PBS stations rushing to order. I have to trust that IM is the business of selling their products. Here is what I wrote on CV about the IM promo.
  22. FeatH20, I read the comments on the examiner.com website. Wow-some of the critism, calling the pics "unprofessional", badly photoshopped, etc...I don't know, they just seem rude. I love, love, love that Clay went this edgy route, the work of Soyez is more like art and I love the feeling I get looking at the pics. I love the second one, which actually was used in the clay and ruben ad for one of the venues, not sure which one. But I enjoy all of them.
  23. High fives all around! I think it's visually intoxicating. CLAY is visually intoxicating. Why do I feel I need a drink? It has to be 5 PM somewhere. akim, I think this is what bothers me about some of the comments. The collaboration between Clay and Decca seems to be at such a high level that I trust that they are using all at their disposal to choose artwork, music, etc. that their considerable experience and access to experts tells them is the way to go to promote and build Clay's career. I remember way back when, many fans were politicing for The Wayto be the next single when I believe IWCY had been the expected second single. I was so disappointed when I read on Red Hot Topic that The Way was chosen and felt upset that fan sentiment had possibly caused a change in plans. I thought that IWCY would have a better chance on being played on the radio and reaching a wider demographic. Looking back and knowing what we know now, perhaps it wouldn't have mattered. Clear channel seemed to be upset with something that had to do with touring if I recall and choice of single may not have mattered.But I remember feeling not so good about what I perceived to be fan influence in a business decision.
  24. I cannot tell you how much a pleasure it was to check in here to an angst=-free zone about the album cover. I can appreciate that some may not like it. What is hard to read are those posts that suggest that the poster believes she is the arbiter of all things commercial about the impact of album cover on sales and appeal to the general public. In my humble opinion some are too hung up on "there are soooooo many more handsome pics of Clay." Sure there are, but that is not the point of fashioning the album cover, I don't think. Here is what I wrote at the OFC: So excited about the tour!!!! duckyvee and I will be going to Reno (across the country) and also Lancaster, PA...15 minutes from my home!) Looking forward to seeing many of you at all the concerts. For those who can remember, did they show the OMWH album art before they had the tracklist on Amazon? I am having fun checking the rankings again. Ealier in the week it was in the #800's. It was as high as #75 yesterday. The tour announcement on AI contributed to the increase (pretty good as Clay didn't sing) but I think the addition of the album art was responsible for the increase increase in rank.
  25. I am catching up and just read your post bottlecap. There is a radio show every Saturday evening on xpn.org (they stream) out of Philly that is hosted by Jerry Blavat, the Geeter with a Heater, I think was the phrase used to describe him back when he was a dj in the 60's. He plays songs from the 50's and 60's during his hour (6 PM EST) and I have had fun imagining some of the songs that might be on the album. Two songs I would enjoy hearing "Since I Fell for You" Larry Welch (?) I think, and the Flamingo's "I Only Have Eyes For You." Both gorgeous songs that Clay would kill on I think. I have watched Clay's speech from HRC last night a "couple" of times. Just wow. I loved how he addressed his coming out-no apologies for the "lateness" but rather providing a context for it that hopefully resonated with members of the LGBT community. Clay is very skilled.
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