By the way what isit about "Snowbound" that seems to make it hard for people to recall its name? I've seen it referred to in this thread as "Snowman" and "Snowblind".
Rfreeman makes it sound like an assortment of chocolates. Amazing what you can read on these forums sometimes. And now we've got A Trick Of The Tale.
"Snowhound" is so meh that I struggle to recall the tune or the name. That's why I get the title "Snowbunny" wrong sometimes. --Geoff
OK, I can understand that. I have much the same problem with "Between the Lines" and "Man of the Year".
It's not my favourite on ATTW3 by any means, but I still like it and agree that it's better than much of Duke.
Oh I agree totally, there were a lot of great ballads on ATTWT, I just find it so surprising that nobody seems to like them .... I actually like Duke, I think it's a great album, but it comes across as a little dull to me .... The really funny thing is that most folks on here seem to see ATTWT as the dull album ... funny how things go lol
I love that song! It's "snowbound" since it's all about a man being frozen and being played with by children as a "snowman"
Cul De Sac Here we have another Banks piece. This track starts off quite gently and Phil has a short vocal at the start and then we move into a very dramatic piece of music that leads us into the main body of the song. With this song I like the chord sequences that Tony uses, and I also like the way he structures the chords and the arrangement as it leads to the main body of the song. I just find the keyboard sound choice to be a little lacking. It sounds like he is going for something powerful and moving and he achieves this with the music, but not the sound of the keyboard in the music ... obviously in my opinion. I like the way the chorus sections work and again Phil's vocal keeps this up in the zone for me. Although this tracks does have some guitar, this is a track that may have worked better for me with some slightly more prominent power chords to thicken it up a little. It really is well written in terms of the music. For me this is a songs that doesn't quite achieve its potential due to the sound of it rather than the track itself. Still good though.
At least I spelled it right the first time. This album does sort of have a box of chocolates feel as each song has a distinct flavor that sets it apart from the others (except L.E.) as also shown by cover art which depicts separate characters from each in a row.
Pretty good piece. The chord progressions, like the entire album are so gorgeous and the lyric isn't trivial - it depicts someone aging in comparison with comparison to existential thematics again, but at least it makes sense. I love the lyric "Far below, where shadows fester as they grow - etc." it has a great vocal flow and plays to Tony's strength as a pop song writer well. If I have to complain about anything, he does have some really weak synth patches towards the end along with some work by Mike which adds nothing. I think the instrumental jerk off is probably the only thing keeping me from rating it as a top song from the album. It's a given but. The CP-70... man that thing kills.
or perhaps more like a selection of wines. "Next up we have Ripples, an ebullient young wine with a fruity little nose, and subtle Rutherford flavourings in the low notes."
Cul De Sac has been one of my favs since I got the album. A majestic sounding piece by Banks recalling the sort of songs he had written in the 4 man period. Great chords, drums, melody and lyric. Rutherford pretty much staying out of it is a good call. Mark's review nails it pretty well. I also agree with Mark's caveat about the choice of instrumentation. I dont really get all the praise the CP70 gets. To me it was an adequate substitute for a piano for stage work before they had good sounding digital pianos, but in almost every case I would prefer hearing an acoustic piano on a studio album. It works better as a sound on a full band cut like Behind the Lines, but when it has to carry a song, as it does at the beginning of this one, it sounds like a cheap substitute.
You know your stuff! "Real ametic fans will go for a Hobart Muddy which has a bouquet like an aboriginees' armpit"
I like "Cul de Sac". A tip of the hat to the past but with a new sound that allows it to sit well among the other "Duke" tracks. And it doesn't overstay its welcome.
I suggest we cover Duke's Travels and Duke's End as a single track. Can only imagine they separately titled them to get more royalties. A single live track on Archive 2 contains both. Plus it will put Azbach out of his misery faster, if he survives the discussion of Please Dont Ask.
Cul-de-sac ... I always start this song with high expectations but eventually tire of it ... that cheesy fanfare sound in the chorus irks me. And I don't need any more irk in my life. Shoulda been cut from the album, IMHO. --Geoff
