Inappropriate /Unflattering Liner Notes
fishmongerfunk
4,154 Posts
ok, probably like most of you, i love reading the liner notes. here are a couple that struck me for how unflattering or hostile (albeit likely accurate) they seem to be towards the artist or the music they are ostensibly trying to promote. please post examples in this vein...Ronnie Foster "sweet revival": "let me begin by saying this is not the greatest Jazz album you've ever heard...this is a commercial album that could have just as easily been titled ronnie foster plays hits of the 70's with strings and voices".Steel Dan "aja": ...after Donald and Walter had been apprised of my identity, there was trouble...Unfortunately, both cassettes were seized under grievous circumstances by a fellow whom I believe to be in the employ of the reluctant interviewees...my relationship with the belligerent song writing duo had become so strained as to produce a dialog that consisted mainly of threats, insults, and rude remarks.and then he drops this gem at the end: the song is... "a vehicle for the coy pianistics of Victor Feldman, whose labors are capriciously undermined by Walter Becker's odd, Djangoesque guitar and pointlessly obscene lyric
Comments
Those were done like that on purpose, because they enjoy eating porpoise.
Shine on Brightly by Procol Harum
Dear michaek, here are your liner notes. I wonder if you wanted me to write about procol Harum, or this album, or music or life or whatever. I know very little about this record, you know; I cant figure out from the dub, and what you told me, whether side two contains one, two, or three works. Don't worry; I don't care. If I did, I could call denny in england: no expense should be spared for facts that matter. But this is not a matter of fact. This is just a record album. I am amused by how difficult it seems to have been for keith to write the words for this album-no, not to write them, but to choose them.....
written by Paul Williams.
its not really that its a rude one... it just seems to arrogant and self important. Eventually he kinda goes on to be nicer and give dap. but i find that beggining funny...
who is paul williams?
Have you noticed how much the first procol album (which was so influenced by Blonde on Blonde) influenced the music of Big Pink?
i like that he had to call out their influences as if they were biting or something.
He's a music journalist who has done his share of liner notes and books, and is known for his work with Crawdaddy and other music magazines:
http://paulwilliams.com/
The liner notes in question came to be after Williams did a review for the first Procol Harum album:
http://www.procolharum.com/craw_ph.htm
I think that was from Leo Kottke, who was dissing himself on HIS OWN record.
Other examples I can think of:
Marvin Gaye's subtly snarky liners to his own What's Going On: "After some several days of (...) general thought (which is very unusual), I still can't think of any non-complimentary things to write about myself. I guess I'll just have to give credit to some good people who, without their help, I could have completed this project a lot faster."
Ben Edmonds' notes to the 1972 Hour Glass (pre-Allman Bros.) reissue on United Artists, which flat-out said that "the music on these two discs is not very good," but since all you diehard Allmans fans were almost begging UA to reissue their albums, you asked for it! (Well, I'd rather listen to Hour Glass than the Allmans, but that's another thread.)
Exactly, and a very famous example.
I was thinking about the same thing. But I still like those first 3 AB records.
I remember the liner notes of Desmond Dekker and the Aces's "Israelite" LP referring to Desmond as a "27-year old boy[/b]..."
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak