mismatched songs/instruments

Subject: RE: BS: mismatched songs/instruments
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 12:29 PM

Two musicians I know were commissioned to record a Christmas album. They play guitar and hammered dulcimer. The producer had done some research and determined the 12 or so most popular Christmas carols. He gave them a list of the tunes he wanted, and paid them a flat fee to record them. Although this went against all their artistic principles, the money was right, so they did it.

About 3 years later, I saw the CD in a bin of miscellaneous Christmas albums at a grocery store, priced at $2. Again, the price was right, so I bought it. The album as a whole is, well, mediocre, but one cut stands out as absolutely awful. The tune is "O Holy Night" done as a solo on hammered dulcimer. It is a slow tune that calls for long sustained notes, but there is no way to sustain notes on a hammered dulcimer.

"Plink……….plink……….plink-plink……….."

I suspect the musicians knew this was awful, but they decided to take the money and run.

There are virtually no liner notes. The cover tells the name of the duo, but it doesn't give their individual names, or give any indication of how to contact them. It doesn't even say what part of the world they live in. It's probably just as well.

Subject: RE: BS: mismatched songs/instruments
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 11:34 AM

An intentional howler of this sort by the Cambridge Buskers, recorded in the early 80s: Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto #1 - on accordian! It still splits my sides!

Subject: RE: BS: mismatched songs/instruments
From: Willie-O
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 11:02 AM

In a similar vein, the usually excellent Canadian singer Melanie Doane recorded a lovely vocal of her-and-my friend Alex Sinclair's song "Harvest Train" --a contemporary song about the trains that used to carry Maritimers on the long journey to work the harvest on the western prairies, you get it, a folk song--and somebody dropped an electric guitar solo in the middle of it that sounds like Siouxsie And The Banshees with some very bad acid. Every time I hear it I just wait for the solo to start so I can say "Boy, that's really weird."

W-O

Subject: RE: BS: mismatched songs/instruments
From: Willie-O
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 10:59 AM

In a similar vein, the usually excellent Canadian singer Melanie Doane recorded a lovely vocal of her-and-my friend Alex Sinclair's song "Harvest Train" --a contemporary song about the trains that used to carry Maritimers on the long journey to work the harvest on the western prairies, you get it, a folk song--and somebody dropped an electric guitar solo in the middle of it that sounds like Siouxsie And The Banshees with some very bad acid. Every time I hear it I just wait for the solo to start so I can say "Boy, that's really weird."

W-O

Subject: RE: BS: mismatched songs/instruments
From: Wesley S
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 10:46 AM

Livingston Taylor does a medly called "Songs that should never be played on the banjo". It includes Celebrate, Fernando , Don't cry for me Argentina, New York New York, and so on.

Subject: RE: BS: mismatched songs/instruments
From: SINSULL
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 10:36 AM

"Ride Of The Valkyries" on an accordian??? That is funny!Was this before or after "Lady of Spain"?

Subject: mismatched songs/instruments
From: RangerSteve
Date: 08 Aug 01 - 10:32 AM

Back in '64 when I stopped taking accordion lessons, the piece my teacher had me working on was Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries". You have to hear it to understand how wrong it is. What other songs shouldn't be played on specific instruments?