The Boney 500: Songs 281-279

[T_Bone0806]

Here are today's three song entries..


281. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE-THE POLICE (1979)
ALBUM: Reggatta de Blanc

A perfect example of the group's signature melding of Island rhythms and punk/new wave flavors. The
guitar work and drumming are tremendous, and Sting's vocals were never better.




280. ONE X ONE-RICK NELSON (1977)

This easygoing country-rock song recalls early Eagles, which is appropriate considering that a founding
member of that band, Randy Meisner, was before that a member of Nelson's backing band. Nelson was in fact
a pioneer of that sound. This song is about not dwelling on the past and taking each day as it comes.




279. ECSTACY-THE RASPBERRIES (1973)
ALBUM: Side 3

Power chords that would make The Who proud lead into a shimmery Beatles-like tune. This is the first of
three entries by them on my list, and a couple more almost made it. Not bad for a band that only released a handful
of albums.

[littlebeast13]

Here are today's three song entries..


281. MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE-THE POLICE (1979)
ALBUM: Reggatta de Blanc

A perfect example of the group's signature melding of Island rhythms and punk/new wave flavors. The
guitar work and drumming are tremendous, and Sting's vocals were never better.

If I had a dime for every time I heard this played at Mecca over the past two years, I wouldn't be having to listen to Mecca Radio anymore. Someone down in Arkansas really loves this song...

lb13

[TheConfessor]

279. ECSTACY-THE RASPBERRIES (1973)
ALBUM: Side 3

Power chords that would make The Who proud lead into a shimmery Beatles-like tune. This is the first of
three entries by them on my list, and a couple more almost made it. Not bad for a band that only released a handful
of albums.

T_Bone, I like this song and I can think of at least one other Raspberries song worthy of this list. Can you explain a little what you mean by "power chords"? It's a term I've heard forever and thought was just a meaningless cliche used by reviewers, but Wikipedia tells me it's a two note chord with just the root and the 5 note played, leaving out the 3. Ah, so it has a specific definition. Is that how you were using the term? So can you explain when and why power chords are used and what effect they have on the listener that is different from a standard chord? Is it really easier for a guitarist to play? I had a hard time understanding the fingering diagrams in the Wikipedia article. It seems to me that there are six strings on a guitar and if you use the same fingering position up and down the neck, you'd have to fret two strings and mute the other four, or just avoid strumming the other four, which would be easier to do if the two strings you want to play are adjacent to each other. Are power chords strictly an electric guitar thing, or are they also used by keyboards and other instruments? I guess if a power chord has no third, then there's no such thing as a minor power chord, right?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_chord

I'm enjoying your list. Thanks!

[ghostjmf]

I'm not T-Bone, but:

For people oriented to modern European classical music tuning, chords composed of only tonic & the 5th note above it bug them because they can't figure out if the music is supposed to be major or minor.

For people familiar with a lot of harmonized British & Irish folky stuff, or medieval Euro classical stuff, or lotsa rock, we don't worry about major-vs-minor & just like them because they sound good.

(The Sacred Harp music I sing & love has lotsa open 5ths, aka "power chords" in it. Term obviously applies to sung harmonies as well as played-on-instruments.)

Marriage to a tuning system designed for a different music (modern European classical) hampers structural understanding of various traditional musics from all over the world. I wouldn't claim rock grew up in a culture far, far from European classical, but its often nicely oblivious to it, as in its use of power chords.

[ghostjmf]

Its also amazing to me how many people who have detailed knowledge in many fields know nothing of the history of musical tuning in Western culture. This would have described me about 15-20 years ago, at which point I got dragged into it kicking & screaming on various discussion groups on the good old pre-web internet by modern-European-classical peeps who would scream at me (well, one did) "you can't do that, it breaks the rules of music!".

To which I said "There are rules of music?".

[T_Bone0806]

279. ECSTACY-THE RASPBERRIES (1973)
ALBUM: Side 3

Power chords that would make The Who proud lead into a shimmery Beatles-like tune. This is the first of
three entries by them on my list, and a couple more almost made it. Not bad for a band that only released a handful
of albums.

T_Bone, I like this song and I can think of at least one other Raspberries song worthy of this list. Can you explain a little what you mean by "power chords"? It's a term I've heard forever and thought was just a meaningless cliche used by reviewers, but Wikipedia tells me it's a two note chord with just the root and the 5 note played, leaving out the 3. Ah, so it has a specific definition. Is that how you were using the term? So can you explain when and why power chords are used and what effect they have on the listener that is different from a standard chord? Is it really easier for a guitarist to play? I had a hard time understanding the fingering diagrams in the Wikipedia article. It seems to me that there are six strings on a guitar and if you use the same fingering position up and down the neck, you'd have to fret two strings and mute the other four, or just avoid strumming the other four, which would be easier to do if the two strings you want to play are adjacent to each other. Are power chords strictly an electric guitar thing, or are they also used by keyboards and other instruments? I guess if a power chord has no third, then there's no such thing as a minor power chord, right?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_chord

I'm enjoying your list. Thanks!

Well, here's where my cover is blown and I show my ignorance in the more technical aspect of playing and musical theory. If asked to define power chords, I'd have said that, for me, it's the bottom half, two or three strings, of a barre chord, played with as much force as possible, again using Pete Townshend as a prime example of a practitioner of the art. But, as both you and ghost have already pointed out, it can go beyond that as well. As far as the effect they have, I think that, because the lower-end strings are being utilized, the result is a "deeper punch in the gut", if you will....treble gets in your head, bass nails you in the midsection. Or, put another way, produces a more primal than cerebral reaction. Personally, power chords mean electric guitars, but by definition that's not necessarily accurate as they can be played on an acoustic one. I do have a hard time thinking of them as being played on anything other than guitars, however.

You may have already seen this, but just in case..I think it expounds on the subject a heck of a lot better than I can....

http://www.guitarnoise.com/guide/power-chords/

[TheConfessor]

You may have already seen this, but just in case..I think it expounds on the subject a heck of a lot better than I can....

http://www.guitarnoise.com/guide/power-chords/

Good article and it makes sense to me. Thanks.