Re: WN vs QUAD + Stones & Beatles

[mleaman@sccoast.net (Mark Leaman)]

>My point was that WN showed all four musicians at their peak musically.  
>Townshend may have taken more risks writing Quad because it was was years 
>ahead of its time, but band never played as well together than on WN.  
>

Ian:

See, that's what I'd say about QUAD...they never played so well together.
Except maybe live.
Pete and John are at their musical peaks now, I think. Certainly Pete's lead
work is improved...and John hasn't lost a thing.
However, I am not a bass player...this is just a warning...

>My definition of perfect meant that it was overproduced, moreso than you 
>claim WN to be.  And Quad was the closest to perfect the Who ever became 
>(in the sense of lacking the character of previous albums).

Overproduced...that's a tricky term. If you mean overproduced in that there
was more "stuff," then I see what you mean. What I would mean by that term
is farther away from their live sound. I think QUAD is pretty close to their
live sound, if you take away the synths and horns. In which case, they were
never so perfect as on WN.

>I think what the Rolling Stone author meant as assured was every song on the 
>album was a winner, zero clunkers.  There are a couple LIB tunes I never 
>liked that much but songs like Monkey Man are once in a Stones lifetime 
>in the classic dept.  Actually I don't think there is a perfect Stones 
>album for me, Sticky Fingers or Beggars Banquet come close. 

He thought Country Honk was a winner??? I mean, it's interesting...but...
Monkey Man is a great song (see; we're agreeing). I'd say everything is
great on that album except CH and Midnight Rambler (which was eclipsed by
the live version) and You Got The Silver (sorry, Keith).
A perfect Stones album...BB is certainly in the running, and EXILE...I'm not
as big a fan of SF, though. I've never really liked Wild Horses that much.
It's just too long; it would have been better at half the length. You Gotta
Move isn't great.
Even THROUGH THE PAST, DARKLY isn't perfect...there's that pesky Have You
Seen Your Mother on it. But Dandelion...what a song! 
AH, I have it! The perfect Stones album: GET YER YA-YAS OUT!



                   Cheers                   ML

"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."  L. Long