Monday Night Flights
Thoughts on the evening:
Will Carly Simon reveal the subject of “You’re So Vain” on her deathbed? Maybe it’s been revealed already, and not being much of a Carly Simon fan, I just missed it.
We listened to the latest Belle and Sebastian CD–our first listen. I like bits of it, but I’m disappointed to report that once again their influences on certain songs are too simple and transparent. They’ve heard some T. Rex. Some David Bowie. Some Sly and Stevie, I’d say. It would be one thing if these influences were interestingly woven into the Belle and Sebastian fabric–maybe. But I feel like the influences are flat-out aped in individual songs. Sigh. I continue to like best those songs that just sound like Belle and Sebastian. But hey–I think this is a pretty popular album, so clearly that’s just my opinion.Â
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Now we’re listening to the Dresden Dolls latest, and I have to say my ears are perking up. I hesitate to make this statement since we’re only just starting in on the 5th song, but I think I might like this one more than the last. It’s not that I didn’t like the last album, but I could see some of the songs on this album making the rotation more than the songs on the last record did for me. I think I hear some really interesting progress in their songwriting. Good stuff so far.Â
Now that Deep Throat has been revealed, the subject of “You’re So Vain” is probably the biggest remaining mystery of the 70’s. At least the from among the solveable ones. I think it’s too late to ever know what was on the missing 18 minutes of the Watergate tapes.
Actually, the Wikipedia entry gives some speculation. And also makes the connection with Deep Throat!
And speaking of the 70’s doesn’t the woman in the lower right of the B&S album cover look like Karen Black (of Five Easy Pieces, Easy Rider, and Airplane! fame)?
I had heard the Warren Beatty theory. Karen Black… The model looks a little like her in that cover image, but my first thought was that she reminds me of a dark-haired Lauren Hutton.
I had heard that Carly Simon wrote the song before she met W. Beatty, imagining what he would be like when she met him…by the way, did you know that Youre so Vain was the #1 song when I was born…little bit o trivia for ya!
Disclaimer: I’m not the world’s biggest Belle & Sebastian fan. (I only own like one one EP, actually. I will say that when they’re good, their songs can be sublime. But the fey and lisping thing grows tiresome pretty quickly, and if the songwriting doesn’t sparkle, I can’t be bothered. I tried listening to the new album and had to stop after four or five songs — and haven’t had the inclination to play it since.
OK, I’m going to turn in my muso badge now.
I’m a selective B&S fan. I was in love with If You’re Feeling Sinister when I first got it, and I still think it’s a good album. I like most of their early eps and a lot of their other eps are better than much of what’s on their later albums. I like a few selected songs off their non-Sinister albums. Tigermilk and The Boy With the Arab Strap have more quality, and then after Arab Strap it starts to go downhill a bit. I think they became even more self-conscious and just got to trying too hard. But Sinister is still really good stuff when you’re in the mood.