"Street in the City" Pete Townshend

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by jojopuppyfish, Oct 15, 2006.

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  1. jojopuppyfish

    jojopuppyfish Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Maryland
    Isn't this one of the greatest marriages of a string section and a acoustic guitar in all of music.
    Even when Andres Segovia played with an orchestra, the guitar always seems a little out of place. At other times, the guitar gets overwhelmed by the orchestra.
    Anyways, I always thought this song was one of the rare times they worked together.
    Any thoughts?
     
    rockinlazys likes this.
  2. Chris M

    Chris M Senior Member In Memoriam

    I agree. Pete's Brooklyn Kids is equally as fantastic.
     
  3. unipanthers

    unipanthers New Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Just another example of why Pete is a musical God! :edthumbs:
     
  4. jojopuppyfish

    jojopuppyfish Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Maryland
    What album is that on?
     
  5. Chris M

    Chris M Senior Member In Memoriam


    It's on Another Scoop.
     
  6. Ryan Lux

    Ryan Lux Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Pete should've finished a whole album like this. Incredible stuff....

    I also like the one that uses football as the metaphor for a rock show. What's that called?
     
    dee likes this.
  7. pool_of_tears

    pool_of_tears Searching For Simplicity

    Location:
    Midwest

    Football Fugue on Another Scoop

    Indeed, Street In The City is an amazing track. One of Pete's best songs ever.
     
  8. ZenArcher

    ZenArcher Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham, NC
    This is also on Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane's "Rough Mix." Which version are you talking about? Never heard the "Scoop" version, but the track on "Rough Mix" is just amazing! Love that little *gasp* Pete lets out in the middle of the instrumental section.
     
    malco49 likes this.
  9. JohnG

    JohnG PROG now in Dolby ATMOS!

    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Also available in 5.1 on the Rough Mix dualdisc.
     
    amcaudio likes this.
  10. Parkertown

    Parkertown Tawny Port

    I've got Geoman's copy of Another Scoop on it's way to me! I think I used to have this on cassette. Back in the 80's...haven't listened to cassettes since at least 1992...

    But I think I'm most familiar with the Rough Mix version.

    A wonderfully twisted song. Man...actually wishing someone would fall to their death...eeewwwww...
     
  11. rikki nadir

    rikki nadir Gentleman Thug

    Location:
    London, UK
    They mean the song Brooklyn's Kids, another orchestrated song - there is only one version of Street In The City.

    Ted Astley does the orchestration - he is Jon Astley's father.

    I always assumed the song was about Fleet Street, the only street mentioned in the song, and which becomes the Strand. I worked on that street 1987-93, just as almost the final journalists left.

    http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40623000/jpg/_40623248_fleet_street_203152.jpg

    http://www.zing.icom43.net/streets/images/fleet.jpg

    http://www.online-law.co.uk/solicitor/wig_pen/story.html

    Traditionally, Fleet Street was the home of the British Press, and is the setting for the movie 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire'. It developed as the home of newspapers because the financial sector of London needed to know what the news was from Westminster - the Court - and Fleet Street was exactly between the two. The first newspapers summarised court affairs. Samuel Johnson lived just off the Street and a pub called Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is pretty much the same as it was in his day.

    Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, had his barbershop there.

    http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/todd/index_1.html

    Fleet Street was one of the last bastions of traditional labour practices, and the print union was one of the strongest in Britain. Each newspaper had a full workforce of typesetters who would lay out each edition by hand. The unions refused to accept new forms of computerised layout, but the Thatcher government supported the newspaper bosses, who in turn supported her:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/15/newsid_3455000/3455083.stm

    It is a fascinating street, and I assume the song is about it. It could, of course, be another 'Wig and Pen', and the term 'Fleet Street' also meant the press in general. But I don't think so.
     
    dee likes this.
  12. jojopuppyfish

    jojopuppyfish Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Maryland
    I have the classic records issue of Rough Mix. I think it sounds great. How does it compare to the recent reissue dualdisc?
     
  13. sungshinla

    sungshinla Vinyl and Forum Addict

    The UK Polydor Deluxe is THE BEST version. The Classic reissue has its merits but, again, the top end (cymbals) suffers. Classic should really consider changing its mastering equipment or decisions.

    The UK original sounds tubey and warm and everything just right.
     
  14. Cheepnik

    Cheepnik Overfed long-haired leaping gnome

    It's less about Fleet Street than it is a series of sketches from the point of view of an outsider (maybe a homeless person) watching the bustling world go by him. The only weapon he has are the vile thoughts he has about the people he sees.
     
  15. ZenArcher

    ZenArcher Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham, NC
    So if there are two different version (Scoop and Rough Mix) how do they differ?
     
  16. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    I remember a reviewer saying it reminded him lyrically of ray Davies.

    It's still my favorite song on Rough Mix.
     
  17. Chris M

    Chris M Senior Member In Memoriam

    There is only one version of Street in the City. The track on Another Scoop is Brooklyn Kids. It's in the same vein as Street in the City...
     
  18. reb

    reb Money Beats Soul

    Location:
    Long Island
    "Street In The City" saw an official 12" vinyl single release. "Brooklyn Kids" was released as a promo 12", both a bit hard to find.
     
  19. rikki nadir

    rikki nadir Gentleman Thug

    Location:
    London, UK

    Oh. So 'Waterloo Sunset', that's not just a song about a bridge?
     
  20. krk

    krk New Member

    There was a series of these Ted Astley orchestrated Townshend recordings:

    Street In The City (Rough Mix)
    Football Fugue (Another Scoop)
    Brooklyn Kids (Another Scoop)
    Praying The Game (Another Scoop)
    The Ferryman (Another Scoop)
    I Like It The Way It Is (Scoop 3)

    Plus maybe a couple others he's sitting on.

    I've heard these recordings refered to as "The Great Lost Townshend Album." Except for Street In The City, most the other recordings were done (at least the orchestral parts) in September 1978 - the same month Moon died. It sure would have made for an interesting - maybe controversial - release at that time.

    As stated above, I think these recordings are very effective. Townshend apparently didn't and scrapped the album.
     
    dee likes this.
  21. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    I've also heard that. The only thing I could add is that I heard Pete hit the wall with the idea and was unable to write more songs in the vein, and finally abandoned the idea more out of frustration. Of course, I think he was still abusing substances in that period, so who knows.....
     
  22. David Powell

    David Powell Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Atlanta, Ga.
    I got a copy of the 12" 45-single of "Street In The City" b/w "Annie" and it's sounds great!

    Hip-O reportedly will be releasing a reissue of Rough Mix on January 9th according to MusicTap.
     
  23. Chief

    Chief Over 12,000 Served

    I think "Love Is Coming Down" and "No Road Romance" would be part of that list. I don't have my Who Are You credits handy, but I would imagine Ted Astley did the scores for those ones too.
     
  24. James Glennon

    James Glennon Senior Member

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    The original vinyl was mastered at The Mastering Lab (TML in the deadwax), this is a wonderful sounding LP.

    JG
     
  25. James Glennon

    James Glennon Senior Member

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    I have two UK Polydor Deluxe versions and they do sound different.

    Here is the deadwax info for both.

    Side 1 2442147 A#1 ML TML-M
    Side 2 2442147 B#1 ML TML-M

    Side 1 2442147 A#2 ML TML-S
    Side 2 2442147 B#2 ML TML-S


    The first one above has the edge on the second one, maybe an earlier pressing.

    JG

    Sorry for thread crapping.
     
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