This December 8th will be the 25th anniversary of the tragic death of John Lennon. Having been a committed Beatleologist for 30 years, I thought somewhat sarcasticly
"Oh, swell. Yet another narrated rehash of Beatle stuff for reconsumption," when I saw the listing for the John Ono Lennon Special, produced by Hearing Voices. There was certainly much of that. Lynn Neary's (NPR) introduction including her early exposure to the Beatles had me braced for "John goes to All Things Considered". There was much of that as well. I thought I'd seen, heard, or read every biographical account ever produced. After all, how much more is there to uncover that hasn't already been done again and again? The pleasant surprise was when the narration stopped and the next 25 minutes of the program became a montage of John's interviews, music (solo and with the 3 others), and various recordings from his entire career. This was enough to keep me intrigued, waiting for some inimate detail I've never heard before. The program is itself a montage of short productions pieced together into a one hour program. Some highlights include early takes of many of his greatest songs, "Anthology" style, and studio banter, which takes the listener right there. In the second half, Neary returns while people share their feelings about John's impact on their lives as well as when he they heard he had been shot to death. Though it's unlcear who these people are or why they were particularly chosen. Though very professionally edited, the content is not particularly rivetting or original and feels as if it was made simply beause someone thought SOMETHING had to be made at this time.
I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania-- Bruce Country -- during the '70's and '80's. At that time he was the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of Philadelphia rock radio during that period and was a household word shortly after "Born to Run" came out. That's why I chose Mark Hagen's "The Story of..." as my very first review for PRX.
It contains alot of what a rock fan would expect: interviews about the creative process, intriguing outtakes, personal stories, and what happened behind the scenes to make this incredible breakthrough record, which is one of the few that is even worthy of a documentary.
Record producing, for a true artist, is more about the process than the product. That part is left up to the industry execs. Included is the how's, but what's missing are the why's like: what inspired the lyrics? Hagen's simplicity of production is noteworthy, it being no small task to edit alot of information about the process down to one hour and includes almost all the major players (the inclusion of Clarence Clemons both to the band and on the cover at that time being conspicuously absent).
It's always exciting to a music fan like myself to hear about what was experienced by the artist as he/she is producing, yet "The Story of..." is hardly groundbreaking. It does hold the listeners attention just up to the end where the E Street Band debuts in Europe, ending with a recent live version of the title song, contrasting Bruce's (everyone is on a first name basis with him) original youthful hyper-enthusiastic dreams with the more mellow aging rocker.
Though CBS released its full retrospective of Bruce's work years ago, I doubt "The Story of..." will be Bruce's version of "Anthology", but it was a good listen and I sang along with every song. I would recommend it,escpecially to music- oriented stations.
Comments by scott thomas
Comment for "HV101- John Ono Lennon"
scott thomas
Posted on November 29, 2005 at 07:06 PM | Permalink
Review of JOHN ONO LENNON Special
This December 8th will be the 25th anniversary of the tragic death of John Lennon. Having been a committed Beatleologist for 30 years, I thought somewhat sarcasticly
"Oh, swell. Yet another narrated rehash of Beatle stuff for reconsumption," when I saw the listing for the John Ono Lennon Special, produced by Hearing Voices. There was certainly much of that. Lynn Neary's (NPR) introduction including her early exposure to the Beatles had me braced for "John goes to All Things Considered". There was much of that as well. I thought I'd seen, heard, or read every biographical account ever produced. After all, how much more is there to uncover that hasn't already been done again and again? The pleasant surprise was when the narration stopped and the next 25 minutes of the program became a montage of John's interviews, music (solo and with the 3 others), and various recordings from his entire career. This was enough to keep me intrigued, waiting for some inimate detail I've never heard before. The program is itself a montage of short productions pieced together into a one hour program. Some highlights include early takes of many of his greatest songs, "Anthology" style, and studio banter, which takes the listener right there. In the second half, Neary returns while people share their feelings about John's impact on their lives as well as when he they heard he had been shot to death. Though it's unlcear who these people are or why they were particularly chosen. Though very professionally edited, the content is not particularly rivetting or original and feels as if it was made simply beause someone thought SOMETHING had to be made at this time.
Comment for "Bruce Springsteen: The Story of Born to Run"
scott thomas
Posted on November 13, 2005 at 04:27 PM | Permalink
Review of Bruce Springsteen: The Story of Born to Run
I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania-- Bruce Country -- during the '70's and '80's. At that time he was the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of Philadelphia rock radio during that period and was a household word shortly after "Born to Run" came out. That's why I chose Mark Hagen's "The Story of..." as my very first review for PRX.
It contains alot of what a rock fan would expect: interviews about the creative process, intriguing outtakes, personal stories, and what happened behind the scenes to make this incredible breakthrough record, which is one of the few that is even worthy of a documentary.
Record producing, for a true artist, is more about the process than the product. That part is left up to the industry execs. Included is the how's, but what's missing are the why's like: what inspired the lyrics? Hagen's simplicity of production is noteworthy, it being no small task to edit alot of information about the process down to one hour and includes almost all the major players (the inclusion of Clarence Clemons both to the band and on the cover at that time being conspicuously absent).
It's always exciting to a music fan like myself to hear about what was experienced by the artist as he/she is producing, yet "The Story of..." is hardly groundbreaking. It does hold the listeners attention just up to the end where the E Street Band debuts in Europe, ending with a recent live version of the title song, contrasting Bruce's (everyone is on a first name basis with him) original youthful hyper-enthusiastic dreams with the more mellow aging rocker.
Though CBS released its full retrospective of Bruce's work years ago, I doubt "The Story of..." will be Bruce's version of "Anthology", but it was a good listen and I sang along with every song. I would recommend it,escpecially to music- oriented stations.