Toto has long been one of my favorite bands. Their willingness to take risks and try a variety of different styles of music has always impressed me as has their brilliant talent. After all Toto is a band of session cats. These are the guys the other bands call on to perform on their albums.
Heck these guys started out backing up Boz Scaggs on his Silk Degrees album and after the unprecedented success of their 1982 album IV they were tapped by Michael Jackson to play on his Thriller album.
In 2006 Toto released what would inevitably be their final studio album, Falling In Between. Some would argue this was their best album ever and most would agree it was their best album since IV. They certainly went out with a bang.
The album opened with the title track. From the first time I heard Falling in Between, it swiftly became one of my favorite Toto songs. It had a fiery drive to it I'd not heard since Gypsy Train on their 1992 Kingdom of Desire album.
Between Steve Lukather's fiery guitar work and the powerful vocals of original lead vocalist Bobby Kimball (who rejoined the band in 1998 after a 14 year absence), the tasteful background vocals and keyboard work of grammy winning keyboardist Greg Phillenganes, and the precise and tasteful drumming of Simon Phillips Falling In Between has it all. It inevitably set the tone for the entire album.
Nick Cave is a brilliant songwriter. Admittedly much of his material is a bit dark for my tastes but the first time I heard Into My Arms it moved my soul. A person's religious beliefs are very personal and I dare say that no two people hold the exact same beliefs. The song is a testament of love and respect of one another's beliefs and how love can bridge those differences.
The song is sung from the perspective of a non-believer addressing his love who is a believer. The song says, I may not believe in God, but if I did I'd ask him to protect you, to watch over you, and to guide you to me. The non-believer after going through a litany of things he doesn't believe in says he does believe in love and that his belief in love should be enough to bridge the differences in belief between he and his love.
Stripped down to just Cave on vocals and piano the song grows even more starkly personal and moving with Cave's deeply emotive vocal delivery and subtle understated piano playing. Both lyrically and musically the song is a touching and at times haunting baring of a soul. The vulnerability goes far beyond moving and is easily one of the most emotionally wrenching songs ever recorded.
The song works on both a deeply personal level and on a grander all-encompassing level. We may have our differences but don't most of us at least believe in love? Isn't that belief something to build on, to get past that which divides us?
"But I believe in love
And I know that you do too
And I believe we can choose our path
And we can walk down, me and you"
Much like with tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly, and Queen's We Will Rock You & We Are the Champions, Marillion's Kayleigh & Lavender are inextricably linked.
Listening to Marillion's Misplaced Childhood album it's easy to see that this was by design as Mark Kelly's beautiful keyboard solo acts as a segue from Kayleigh into Lavender.
Both songs are rife with Fish's brilliant image-laden lyrics:
Do you remember chalk hearts melting on a playground wall?
Do you remember dawn escapes from moon-washed college halls
Do you remember the cherry blossom in the market square?
Do you remember I thought it was confetti in her hair? - Kayleigh
I was walking in the park dreaming of a spark
When I heard the sprinklers whisper,
Shimmer in the haze of summer lawns.
Then I heard the children singing,
They were running through the rainbows.
They were singing a song for you.
Well it seemed to be a song for you,
the one I wanted to write for you, for you, you. - Lavender
Both songs also feature a biting and at times even menacing sarcasm in Fish's vocal delivery that twists and darkens the mood of both songs.
By the way didn't I break your heart
So sorry, I didn't mean to break your heart... - Kayleigh
You can hear the venom dripping from his broken heart. He's been hurt and he wants to hurt the one who hurt him. Anyone who has had a broken heart is familiar with that sentiment and Fish captures it absolutely brilliantly not only in his choice of lyrics but in how he delivers them.
While Lavender begins with a lighter tone it doesn't last:
A penny for your thoughts my dear
A penny for your thoughts my dear
I owe you for your love
I owe you for your love- Lavender
If anything Lavender is even more stark in the difference between the lighter tone of the lyrics vs. the harsher delivery of them. Sung by someone else the song could be considered light and even whimsical. Sung by Fish the connotations behind the lyrics are considerably darker.
I "discovered" Marillion in 2002. An online friend of mine who shared some of my other musical interests (Chicago and Dream Theater) recommended Marillion to me. I started with Misplaced Childhood and perhaps it was due largely to impeccable timing-- I was going through a rather rough case of heartbreak myself at the time-- but the album really spoke to me... especially Kayleigh and Lavender. Granted the girl who had broken my heart inherited her name from a Barry Manilow song that had been playing in the car when her mother was on the way to the hospital and not the Marillion song-- but the bitterness of both of these songs spoke to me at that point in my life.
One of the things that I really enjoy about Marillion on the whole is that they twist and turn on its head the negative stereotype that prog-rock is overly technical at the expense of emotion. If Marillion's music is bland and emotionless then I'm a vernicious knid.
While I'm part of what is considered the "second wave" of Chicago fans in that I became a fan of theirs in the eighties when they were riding high on hits like Hard to Say I'm Sorry, You're the Inspiration, Hard Habit to Break, Will You Still Love Me, and to a lesser extent Look Away, it was inevitably their back catalog that held my interest and kept me a fan all these years later.
I remember, Christmas 1991. My parents got me my first computer and Chicago's 4 cassette box set, Group Portrait. I was already intimately familiar with everything Chicago had recorded since 1981 (Chicago 16-21) but I was still rather new to their older material.
I popped in that first casette and was blown away by the opening track, Introduction, which had been the lead track on their debut album back in 1969. Terry Kath's soulful vocals and searing guitar, that wall of brass from the horn section, and a tasteful Lee Loughnane trumpet solo that was followed by a fiery Terry Kath guitar solo. I was hooked!
About a year and a half after that, the summer of 1993, my father took me to my first Chicago concert at the Starlite Theater in Latham, NY. Latham was about a 3 1/2 hour drive from my hometown. On that tour they were opening their sets with... Introduction. The faces and voices had changed somewhat. Terry Kath had died in 1978, Peter Cetera had left the band in 1985 to pursue a solo career, and drummer Danny Seraphine had unceremoniously and somewhat acrimoniously been fired in 1990. In their places were Bill Champlin (vocals & keys), Dawayne Bailey (guitar & b/g vocals), Jason Scheff (bass & b/g vocals), and Tris Imboden (drums). The horn section was still intact though as was original keyboardist/vocalist, Robert Lamm.
My father & I made the same pilgrimage in 1994 and I had the joy of meeting many of the members of the band including guitarist Dawayne Bailey, bass player Jason Scheff, trumpet player Lee Loughnane, keyboardist Robert Lamm, trombone player Jimmy Pankow, and the 2 guys who were arguably the most gracious with the fans) trumpet player Lee Loughnane and drummer Tris Imboden.
Since then my knowledge and familiarity with Chicago has grown substantially. I know their back catalog front, back, left, right, upside down, and inside out. Some of their material has aged well, some has not. But Introduction-- no matter how many times I listen to it, it's like hearing it for the first time all over again. There's a timeless energy to it. That these guys were in their early twenties when they recorded it. None of them had even graduated college that they were able to compose and perform material like this just blew my mind.
And now whenever I hear that song, my mind goes back to those long road trips with my father (my mother joined us when we went to see them in Saratoga Springs, NY with CSN in 1996 and in Toledo, OH in 1997 when they came to visit me while I was working at Cedar Point Amusement Park. But on both those tours they had dropped Introduction from the setlist).
I opened with a clip of the original line-up of the band performing the song in 1972. So it seems only fitting that I close with a clip of the band, as I would have seen them in 1993, performing the song in Toronto:
In 1997 Steve Lukather released his most raw and personal album to date, Luke. After his then recent divorce Luke was an emotional blood-letting of sorts. Hate Everything About U is perhaps the most heart-wrenching of the songs on the album.
Employing the same songwriting tool that 10cc did on their hit I'm Not In Love-- repetition. Lukather's repeated claims of hate instead reveal a heartbroken love. Lukather rattles off a litany of reasons for his "hate" that expose his love, regret, and broken heart.
At the time I first heard this song in 1998, I was still nursing the wounds of a broken heart suffered a few months before this song was a sucker punch to my heart. While the whole album resonated with me Hate Everything About U and Always Be There For Me (but that's another review for another time) hit a particular nerve. And while I've long since moved on I still look back on both of those songs fondly as they helped me get through a bit of a rough patch
I'll Be Over You
by: Steve Lukather & Randy Goodrum
Some people live their dreams Some people close their eyes Some people's destiny Passes by
There are no guarantees There are no alibis That's how our love must be Don't ask why
It takes some time God knows how long I know that I can forget you As soon as my heart stops breaking Anticipating As soon as forever is through I'll be over you
Remember in times gone by Promises we once made What are the reasons why Nothing stays the same
There were the nights Holding you close Someday I'll try to forget them As soon as my heart stops breaking Anticipating As soon as forever is through I'll be over you
As soon as my heart stops breaking Anticipating Someday I'll be over you As soon as my heart stops breaking Anticipating Someday I'll be over you As soon as my heart...
While not as successful as 1982's mega hits Africa & Rosanna, Toto enjoyed modest success with 1985's I'll Be Over You. The song tugs at the heart strings a bit. Having my heart put through the wringer a few times over the years this song has provided a comfort to me on those ocassions when the wounds of heartbreak were still fresh. Those moments, fresh out of a relationship you didn't want to end when you don't think you'll ever feel that way again. Most of us are familiar with these feelings. The song has been sung millions of times with millions of different lyrics but the sentiment rings true for different people in different variations. Some might argue there's little that sets this song apart from all of those other songs that share the same sentiments. I'd argue there's a lot to be said for the delivery and the performance of the lyrics and that's where Toto comes through in spades.
There's a natural progression to the song where it shifts from "As soon as forever is through" to "Someday I'll be over you." that mimics the progression we go through as we get over loves lost and allow ourselves to open up to the possibility of new love.
This song has aged considerably better than some of Toto's other songs from the eighties. Over the years the band has offered alternative arrangements of the song to keep it fresh (including a beautiful and stirring acoustic version on the 1999 tour). Steve Lukather's soulful vocals are a perfect fit for the song.
If you've "been there" and "done that"-- chances are this song song will speak to you as well.
Jim Steinman first came to fame as Meat Loaf's songwriting collaborator on Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell album in 1977. After a rigorous touring schedule Meat Loaf literally lost his voice. Frustrated and growing impatient, Steinman soldiered on without Meat Loaf recording and releasing Bad For Good in 1981.
While Left In the Dark was later covered by Barbra Streisand and Meat Loaf, I still prefer Steinman's version over either Streisand's or Meat Loaf's. Much of this is due to Steinman's spoken word intro which was missing to the later covers. Steinman's delivery which comes across as menacingly painful. The sound of a man so hurt and wronged he doesn't know whether to lash out at his lover or curl into a ball and block out the world:
Where did you touch him?
And how did it feel?
How did you let it begin?
What did he whisper?
When did you cry?
And where do you think it will end?
How long did you do it?
Why did you stop?
Did you get to try anything new?
How good was he honest?
And where did you go?
And who made the very first move?
Steinman's version also excels in his vocal delivery. There's no arguing that he lacks the range of both Meat Loaf and Streisand, often struggling to hit the same notes they both hit with ease. But his struggles to hit some of the notes come across as emotional pain that add to the song's effectiveness, as if he's struggling to fight back the tears of the cuckolded and jilted lover.
The strings and piano add to the heart-wrenching pain of the lyrics which are some of Steinman's best:
There are no lies on your body
So take off your dress
I just wanna get at the truth
You can hear the struggle between love, pain, and hate expertly conveyed not just by Steinman's brilliant flair for lyrics but in that anthemic over the top delivery that are a trademark of so many of Steinman's songs.
All in all, Left In the Dark, is one of the most emotive and heart-wrenchingly beautifully written and performed songs I have ever heard. But don't take my word for it, let the song speak for itself.
Song Download from Amazon(note, the song is mislabeled as "Medley" on Amazon.com)
Morning comes too early and nighttime falls too late
And sometimes all I want to do is wait
The shadow I've been hiding in has fled from me today
I know it's easier to walk away than look it in the eye
But I will raise a shelter to the sky
And here beneath this star tonight I'll lie
She will slowly yeild the light as I awaken from the longest night
Dreams are shaking
Set sirens waking up tired eyes
With the light the memories all rush into his head
By a candle stands a mirror
Of his heart and soul she dances
She was dancing through the night above his bed
And walking to the window he throws the shutters out against the wall
And from an ivory tower hears her call
"Let light surround you"
It's been a long, long time
He's had a while to think it over
In the end he only sees the change
Light to dark
Dark to light
Light to dark
Dark to light
Heaven must be more than this
When angels waken with a kiss
Sacred hearts won't take the pain
But mine will never be the same
He stands before the window
His shadow slowly fading from the wall
And from an ivory tower he hears her call
"Let the light surround you"
Once lost but I was found
When I heard the stained glass shatter all around me
I sent the spirits tumbling down the hill
But I will hold this one on high above me still
She whispers words to clear my mind
I once could see but now at last I'm blind
I know it's easier to walk away than look it in the eye
But I have given all I could take
And now I've only habits left to break
Tonight I'll still be lying here
Surrounded in all the light
I believe it's the overall vibe of spiritual renewal that permeates the song that hits me like a sucker punch to the soul. Lyrically speaking, it's one of the best songs Dream Theater has ever released. And musically, it's probably one of their most accessible songs. I believe the lyrics were written by keyboardist Kevin Moore who left the band after their 3rd album (Awake) to take his music in a different direction. While their current keyboardist (and Julliard alum) Jordan Rudess has filled the hole on keyboards. I don't think the band has ever fully recovered from the loss of Moore as a songwriter. Of all the members of the band, Moore was arguably the best lyricist.
Surrounded is also one of the most upbeat songs in Dream Theater's catalog. Over the past 9 to 10 years much of their material has trended more towards the metal end of the spectrum. Surrounded however is quite accessible to non-metal listeners.
And normally I'm not a big fan of the operatically trained James LaBrie's vocals, but I find his voice suits this song quite well. He shows uncharacteristic restraint when needed and lets loose on those parts of the song that need that little extra oomph.
It's not a wonder that even eight studio albums and seventeen years later this remains one of my favorite Dream Theater songs.
There’s always been something about Billy Joel’s music.They capture moods, they paint aural murals to be taken in, savored, and stored away for future enjoyment.Perhaps one of Joel’s finest aural murals is Captain Jack.
At over seven minutes long and chocked full of images it’s easily one of his “busiest” pieces.He sings of what we know, either from our own experiences or because we know or are at least peripherally familiar with the people of which he sings.The thing which makes the song so deeply personal is the level of detail Joel uses whether it’s the “tape deck in your brand new Chevrolet” or whether “they just found your father in the swimming pool” the details are so incredibly specific yet at the same time so universal that Joel is able to “connect” with all of his listeners.He hits that melancholy nerve of ennui that so many of us suffer from and he pulls it all together with the fictitious drug dealer, “Captain Jack.”
We all have our own “Captain Jack”—that someone or something that makes life enjoyable or bearable, that magical thing which gives us our escape from the madness of life.For some it’s drugs, others alcohol, but for many of us its nothing so glamorous or damaging.Simple companionship is the Captain Jack that so many of us long for.So, part of what makes Captain Jack such a well-painted aural mural is that it gives that sense of companionship.In many ways, the song itself is a “Captain Jack.”Because it captures that chord of melancholy and loneliness so well, Billy Joel, is essentially letting us all know that even in our darkest hours, those moments when life has landed you with the mother of all sucker punches…You aren’t alone.Captain Jack is just the reminder we all need from time to time that whenever life gets us down, when we’re at our worst and loneliest.We’re not alone in our experiences.
So now I’m left to ask, who or what is YOUR “Captain Jack?”
Awhile back I put this song on one of my mix CDS. One night my wife & I happened to be listening to the CD before bed and this song came on. She asked why I'd put it on the CD. I told her to pay attention to the lyrics.
Being Me
by: Pat Dailey
I never set a clock to wake me up
I leave that to the coffee in my cup
And as the world assembles
I will be the absentee
That's just what it's like being me
I am a man who wants no telephone
I have no need to speak when I'm alone
My friends say I'm reclusive
Well I guess I would agree
That's just what it's like being me
I spend my days thinking of the song
Sometimes all the words just come out wrong
On those days I do nothing
but just sit down by the sea
That's just what it's like being me
One time I tried to throw my heart around
But it wound up in pieces on the ground
Now I make no promise and I get no guarantee
That's just what it's like being me
Nothing lasts forever so they say
And tomorrow is not mine like yesterday
So I hold on to these passing moments most tenaciously
That's just what it's like being me
And I never set a clock to wake me up
I leave that to the coffee in my cup
And as the world assembles I will be the absentee
That's just what it's like being me
When the song was finished she looked at me and said, "that song is so you." She's absolutely right, I've never heard any other songs that I could relate to on the level I relate to this one.
I've been visiting, re-visiting, and visiting again one of my favorite songs of the 80s. What You're Missing was the lead single off of what ended up being Chicago's big comeback album. The single, unfortunately flopped but I remember the first time I heard the opening bars of What You're Missing on Chicago 16 and how much I absolutely loved it. There was something so dated, so distinctly early eighties about it. The guitar, the organ... the whole feel of the song.
And each successive song on the album also had that distinctly early eighties feel. Even today when I pop that CD in, I feel like I've been sent back to 1982 with no escape back to the future.
The song was written by Joseph Williams and Jay Gruska. Joseph Williams (for those not in the know) is the son of John Williams as in THE John Williams (composer of the scores to the Star Wars, Jaws, and Indiana Jones film franchises among others). Williams would later go on to become the lead singer of Toto (1986-1988) and has since become a TV score composer for a handful of series (Roswell, LA Doctors, and Early Edition to name a few). At any rate, I stumbled upon the demo version of What You're Missing which features Joseph Williams on lead vocals and a handful of session musicians backing him up.
Chicago enjoyed that demo enough to record it for Chicago 16, There's a certain level of overblown slick over-produced eighties cheesiness to this that I can't help but love in spite of itself!
I absolutely love that feeling. I remember when I used to visit my sister and her family my nephew and I would play pool in the basement and I'd pop the tape in... And suddenly it felt like I was in a pool hall in the early 80s, cigarette butts and dirt on the floors, a jukebox in the corner, and I was even able to mentally conjure the stench of cigarette smoke and stale beer. There was something adult about it-- and for a 12 year old, there was something decidedly cool about feeling that adult.
Now I'm 29, that nephew I used to play pool with... he's 21. Now we finally are adults and there's that part of me that would much rather be a 12 year old playing pool with my 6 year old nephew in his parent's basement.
