Baldur

I am going to resist going through a mini -rant on musical artists that Baldur finds tiring, annoying, or undeserving of the attention they receive.
For someone who has absolutely no musical talent (Baldur has no musical gift) I am very opinionated.
What pains me most is when someone who is potentially great makes a recording that is completely wrong. As artists they of course have their own views which are unlikely to be in sync with my ideas, but a bad record can also be universal. Having only qualities that cause one to shudder, no matter what time period they are heard in.

Baldur

Sometimes it's just a particular voice that strikes me as painful.
At the risk of disenchanting a wide block of my faithful listening audience Baldur will mention a name here.
Geddy Lee.
Mr. Lee is the lead singer of the highly praised group 'Rush'. Baldur just cannot listen to him. I find the music played by this group well crafted and the lyrics are often brilliant. I even recognize that he is good at what he does. His voice has a certain timbre that he maintains perfectly and weaves well into the music. If only I didn't find it grating.
Sorry Mr. Lee.
Baldur will switch stations on the radio when a Rush song plays.

Baldur

Baldur does like nonconventional voices. One of my alltime favourites is Leon Redbone. I also admire Billie Holiday, Rod Stewart, Stevie Nicks & Willie Nelson.
Other artists that I always turn off include Whitney Houston & Eminem.

Robindcr8l

Robin is hoping that Celine Dion and Michael Bolton also top Baldur's list of singers to turn off! I think it's all the fake drama they try to portray in their music that really grates on me. Maybe it's the nurse in me, but I can't stand the thought that someone is willing to pop an aneurysm just to sing a song with more feeling. No need to sacrifice your body for the song, for goodness sake!

I must confess here to a voice that I love, who probably doesn't deserve it. I just love Neil Young. (Wasn't he from Alberta, Dragon?) He is nasal, and flat, and really can't sing. But he is such a poet, and maybe it's the fact that he really doesn't TRY to sound like a professional singer, just enjoys it while he's doing it. I don't know, but he's one of my favorites. Don't hate me for it, Baldur!

matthew

Neil Young is "The Man"... How can anyone be a hater...

Baldur

Neil Young is very good, but I like him best when offset by Crosby, Stills & Nash. Their harmonies were always amazing.

Yes you can add Celine Dion And Michael Bolton to the Whitney Houston school of thought. Baldur was surprised when he began to realize that Ms Dion genuinely seems like a nice person. She appeared on television several times in the past few years where she was allowed to speak and she was nicer than I had been giving her credit for. So Celine Dion, Baldur apologizes to you for my uninformed earlier opinion.
However, niceness aside she is among those 'power' voices that thinks that notes need to be held onto until the veins in her temples burst.
That's great for Wagnerian (+4 points is pronounced with a 'V') Opera, totally unnecessary for pop music.

Baldur

I will go back to Ms. Houston for an example.
Her mega-smash-hit block-buster single 'I Will Always Love You' runs about 4+1/2 minutes unless you get smacked with an extended play remix (heaven forbid).
Indeed there are lyrics beyond the title, though Baldur had to go check to be sure. But what has impressed itself on my memory most, and what makes it painful for me, is the word
'YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU' .
It seems that of the four and a half minutes, three minutes are dedicated to that one word.
It sold 85 gazillion copies, but why?

Baldur

is -s +f =if

Baldur

Also if you should care to pay attention the word: 'AAAAAAAAAyyyyeuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyye' also contributes another 45 seconds to the length of the song.
This leaves about 45 seconds for the other 3 verses and the connecting 'will always's.

indigo

Neil Young is from Ontario I believe and is amazing in concert. Does anyone
know and like Tom Waits? Susan Tedeschi and Lucinda Williams are two
of my favorites and of course Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble are
my No.1. And for really, really good music everyone should check out
Playing for Change (www.playingforchange.com) Peace through Music, it's
musicians from ALL OVER THE WORLD playing the same song...music for peace
it's beautiful!

marius

Oh Indigo, I have the Playing for Change song on my computer. It's astounding and the video accompanying it is wonderful! And, strange, never liked that song much until the Playing for change folks did it. Here's a full -screen video of it.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741

marius

Baldur and all the others, am in agreement with your tastes except for one. And, love unusual voices too. Wish Wanda Sykes been my Mom - just for the voice and humor, maybe sanity too but don't know much about Wanda.

However, force me to listen to one minute of Stevie Nick's voice and I'll confess to sins mankind has not heard of - I'd tell whatever you want to know. It is that painful. As for Celine Dion and others of that ilk (10 points), they all sound the same, singing the most forgettable tunes I've ever not really heard. (If you can't remember a tune, have you heard it?) : )

marius

Oh - the playing for change video takes a second or two of black screen before it goes, but do have to click it to get it started.

marius

Was saving this game until Turkey Day gets closer, but since Dragon just had Thanksgiving ... here it is folks. Frankly I find it a rather frenzied game, but fun in that way too.

http://www.southbank-design.co.uk/turkeyshoot/index.htm

marius

Dragon, should I venture to your area I will let you know. TD is the only place I've met people on-line. Did not think it possible to have feelings about people met in the virtual world, but hehe (I LOVE Your hehe's so must copy) I was wrong. Often am. Enjoy every single person here.

And, researched some about Alberta and Banff National Park ... such beauty. Not far from the Tetons, and Yellowstone which are also on my list. Since spouse does not like to travel, am thinking he will miss me on my three week trip. Well, maybe not three weeks, but the wheels are churning in the mind and when that happens ... anything is possible!

Baldur

Heavens, imagine not loving to travel.
Primrose is indeed beautiful, but what of the rest of the world?
Baldur longs to know.
To quote an old song ( 'Let's Get Away From It All' by Matt Dennis and Tom Adair; pub. 1941)

'But until the world we roam,
how can we be sure?'

Dragon

I must correct indigo, Neil Young is from Manitoba, he's from Winnipeg and had said he would never perform at the Junos until it was held in Winnipeg. A few years backs it finally was in Winnipeg and there was a lot of anticipation about him performing, just weeks before the show he suffered a stroke and wasn't able make it (thankfully he recovered but I'm not sure how he's doing now)

Dragon

I dated a fellow once who had absolutly no desire to travel. He had no intention of ever getting any farther away from Red Deer than the border of B.C. and he would only go that far because there were good snowmobiling trails out there. I couldn't fathom that as I've always wanted to travel. I have a long list of places I very much want to go, I'd like lots of stamps in my passport. My current fella has not done much traveling but wants to, no lack of interest just lack of opportunity.

Also must agree with Baldur and everyone else on music (except Geddy Lee - he's a Canadian institution) that Whitney Houston song just grates at me, I can't stand it. I'm the same with anything like Mariah Carey, just because you can make your voice go to a pitch that only dogs can hear doesn't mean you should.

Baldur

It's borscht night at Dasha Baldurov, Baldur has been tasting it all day while adjusting the seasoning, the question is whether I actually still feel like eating it now.
Robert certainly won't eat it, he's getting (mild) chili from a can, with boiled rice. I'm going to have the borscht as it is traditionally served, garnished with a dollop of sour cream.
Baldur did tweak the recipe a bit, after pureeing everything the flavor still seemed on the bland side of perfection so I ground a teaspoon of caraway seeds in my mortar and pestle to add to the soup.
Let me assure you that pulverizing caraway seeds in a mortar is no easy feat, but indeed it was finally accomplished.
It was a nice touch to finish the soup too.

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Lady Luck has always been on my side and I just happened to marry a man whos job took him to many parts of the world. The first 18 years of marriage were lonely and hard work, but when my motherly duties were no longer required, I became self employed and travelled to wherever my spouse was, taking my work with me. I can honestly say that travel broadens the mind and continues ones education. Thank you Lady Luck ... stick around, gal.