“If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day”
by Robert Johnson
“Long Way Down”
by Michael Penn
“Love Will Tear Us Apart”
by Joy Division
5 thoughts on “VOLUME 11.4.3”
RJ – Robert Johnson will always be the man. At some point in my life, my mom got the the Robert Johnson Complete Recordings collection on CD. I remember the quality not being too good, but it pretty much covered everything he did.
MP – New Artist, Like it. Reminded me of something but then I was thinking of making some sort of joke about Tommy Penn, Sean Penn etc. Now I can’t remember. I am assuming that is a little slide guitar in there.
JD – Newish band for me. Looks like this song has made it into the My Five lineup again, A first? (I remember hearing this song and then playing the album to realize that Dead Souls was not written by NIN but by this group) I love this song so it doesn’t bother me.
Robert Johnson – If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
Raw. Primal. Seemingly simple, but certainly not the guitar work. Couldn’t figure out some of the lyrics, but I felt it.
Michael Penn – Long Way Down
Nice guitar intro (and throughout). Hadn’t heard this one in a while. Love the coloring fills (mandolin? vibes?). Amps up the tension nicely at about the 2 ½ minute mark. Well played.
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
Ian is correct – this is the first recurrence of a track during the song version of the MyFive Experience. It was in the B-Sides round that the “Pennine” version of this stark track was offered up for discussion. Not sure of the differences between the two, but, either way you serve it, it is distraughtly sung with an emptiness that would be difficult to match. Other than the chorus, only pieces of the lyrics break through the gloom. “You cry out in your sleep…”; “a taste in my mouth…” Tears one apart.
“Long Way Down” / Michael Penn. Good one (and still find it crazy he’s brothers with the Penns, Sean, Chris and William). Nice acoustic treatment distinguished by cello and vibes and (it sounds like) pedal steel as backing and solo instrumentation. Good setting for lyrics that cannily toggle between the more poetical (“If I wear apathy’s crown, don’t call me highness / it’s a long way down”) and the blunt (“I’ve got a feeling she’s been sleeping with the whole wide world.”)
“Love Will Tear Us Apart Again” / Joy Division. Are there other songs where the bass line in the verse is also the tune to the chorus? Probably, but can’t think of any besides this acknowledged New Wave classic. The mournfully affectless vocals always stand out, but just a terrifically constructed and potent track, starting with that rather unexpectedly Who-ish strummed guitar intro.
If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day” by Robert Johnson: how he sings that while jamming on the acoustic like that is pritty, pritty good. “Boy, I woke up this mornin’ my biscuit roller gone”…not clear what this exactly means…. But I am clear it is sexual and that it is gone.
His guitar style has a very distinctive sound that my ears lean into , focus on and enjoy.
“Long Way Down” by Michael Penn: Always enjoy when Michael Penn music comes on. My sense is he is not performing or producing music anymore? Not sure. This song feels right in his wheel house with his co-lead; that twangy guitar riff and the old school electromechanical tone wheel sound if I am not mistaken(and a wee bit of orchestral strings). This song sounds like it would fit very comfortably in the middle of the album. Enjoyed it a bunch
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division: this has a become a staple “well known” song to my ears and I always love the whole vibe and sound. Very tinny mix tape and garage band demo feel but with a magic I can not pinpoint, it’s just there. All the songs had widely varying character this week and all good in their own way.
RJ- Like others, I have RJ’s collection of a few dozen songs, though maybe a more cleaned up version than Ed has. I have also occasionally followed along with the transciptions because there are parts of his songs, like this one, where he seems to be playing in some strange intergalactic time signature or that there are at least a few extra fingers in his hand. Big props to Eric Clapton who has made RJs music more accessible to people through his covers. I heard ECs version before hearing this- I think I like the simplicity of this one better.
Joy- I came to Joy Division through New Order. Listening to this, it is hard not to hear all of the NO elements that made them great– that melodic bass, hypnotic drums and ominous keys. This is a song that launched 1000 songs and bands though I rarely get a craving to revisit it.
RJ – Robert Johnson will always be the man. At some point in my life, my mom got the the Robert Johnson Complete Recordings collection on CD. I remember the quality not being too good, but it pretty much covered everything he did.
MP – New Artist, Like it. Reminded me of something but then I was thinking of making some sort of joke about Tommy Penn, Sean Penn etc. Now I can’t remember. I am assuming that is a little slide guitar in there.
JD – Newish band for me. Looks like this song has made it into the My Five lineup again, A first? (I remember hearing this song and then playing the album to realize that Dead Souls was not written by NIN but by this group) I love this song so it doesn’t bother me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTdFsXc7zFg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eptioPpo4w
In the Joy Division video, when he starts to sing, if you close your eyes you can almost imagine Fred Schneider of the B-52s singing.
Robert Johnson – If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day
Raw. Primal. Seemingly simple, but certainly not the guitar work. Couldn’t figure out some of the lyrics, but I felt it.
Michael Penn – Long Way Down
Nice guitar intro (and throughout). Hadn’t heard this one in a while. Love the coloring fills (mandolin? vibes?). Amps up the tension nicely at about the 2 ½ minute mark. Well played.
Joy Division – Love Will Tear Us Apart
Ian is correct – this is the first recurrence of a track during the song version of the MyFive Experience. It was in the B-Sides round that the “Pennine” version of this stark track was offered up for discussion. Not sure of the differences between the two, but, either way you serve it, it is distraughtly sung with an emptiness that would be difficult to match. Other than the chorus, only pieces of the lyrics break through the gloom. “You cry out in your sleep…”; “a taste in my mouth…” Tears one apart.
“Long Way Down” / Michael Penn. Good one (and still find it crazy he’s brothers with the Penns, Sean, Chris and William). Nice acoustic treatment distinguished by cello and vibes and (it sounds like) pedal steel as backing and solo instrumentation. Good setting for lyrics that cannily toggle between the more poetical (“If I wear apathy’s crown, don’t call me highness / it’s a long way down”) and the blunt (“I’ve got a feeling she’s been sleeping with the whole wide world.”)
“Love Will Tear Us Apart Again” / Joy Division. Are there other songs where the bass line in the verse is also the tune to the chorus? Probably, but can’t think of any besides this acknowledged New Wave classic. The mournfully affectless vocals always stand out, but just a terrifically constructed and potent track, starting with that rather unexpectedly Who-ish strummed guitar intro.
If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day” by Robert Johnson: how he sings that while jamming on the acoustic like that is pritty, pritty good. “Boy, I woke up this mornin’ my biscuit roller gone”…not clear what this exactly means…. But I am clear it is sexual and that it is gone.
His guitar style has a very distinctive sound that my ears lean into , focus on and enjoy.
“Long Way Down” by Michael Penn: Always enjoy when Michael Penn music comes on. My sense is he is not performing or producing music anymore? Not sure. This song feels right in his wheel house with his co-lead; that twangy guitar riff and the old school electromechanical tone wheel sound if I am not mistaken(and a wee bit of orchestral strings). This song sounds like it would fit very comfortably in the middle of the album. Enjoyed it a bunch
“Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division: this has a become a staple “well known” song to my ears and I always love the whole vibe and sound. Very tinny mix tape and garage band demo feel but with a magic I can not pinpoint, it’s just there. All the songs had widely varying character this week and all good in their own way.
RJ- Like others, I have RJ’s collection of a few dozen songs, though maybe a more cleaned up version than Ed has. I have also occasionally followed along with the transciptions because there are parts of his songs, like this one, where he seems to be playing in some strange intergalactic time signature or that there are at least a few extra fingers in his hand. Big props to Eric Clapton who has made RJs music more accessible to people through his covers. I heard ECs version before hearing this- I think I like the simplicity of this one better.
Joy- I came to Joy Division through New Order. Listening to this, it is hard not to hear all of the NO elements that made them great– that melodic bass, hypnotic drums and ominous keys. This is a song that launched 1000 songs and bands though I rarely get a craving to revisit it.