Today's the big day! I won't have the album until at least Friday but I'd love to hear everyone's reviews and thought on the album whenever they get it :)
Printable View
Today's the big day! I won't have the album until at least Friday but I'd love to hear everyone's reviews and thought on the album whenever they get it :)
It is FANTASTIC!!! I am in 7th heaven sitting here at 2:10 in the AM!!!!! Swoon, swoon! His voice is wonderful, so powerful at times & then so soft & tender! When he hits the high notes I melt! I don't think that I am going to get any sleep tonight. Too stoked!!!
I can't really afford it but I just have to buy it. Who needs food this week? I will live on "Sugar" :rofl:
Just woke up to my email! Says it will arrive tomorrow, but to Ireland.??? I doubt it.
But let us all enjoy the release and wish Glenn :heart: every success with his new record. He's put a lot of work and effort into it and I really hope he experiences resounding success with it.
I listened to it on the parade link last night and let me just say it is FANTASTIC! Glenn :heart: sounds superb on it, his rich mellow voice is soooooo seductive on it. For some reason 'For Sentimental Reasons' stuck out for me but I'm sure as I listen more and analyse the songs more that will change over and over again.
Now, will I get another listen in before work............
Literally the first thing I did when I woke up today was download the album off of iTunes... and let me tell you, so far I think it's fantastic!
I want the hard copy but I have a credit balance on iTunes and now I'm debating on going ahead and getting it that way. :headscratch: Decisions, decisions....
Just got a text from the Hub. 'if After Hours is in HMV will I buy it or did you order it online?'
Is the Pope Catholic?
I just got my email from Amazon that it's shipped too! :yay: Bummer that I won't get it till next Tuesday though. I'll just have to wait and enjoy your all's excitement for now. And maybe listen to the clips.
Makes me wonder that it's on Parade. After all Don's hype about not doing this kind of stuff, yet Glenn and Joe have both released early clips! Could this mean a change for the Eagles? :hmm:
Can't wait to hear this album too!
I got mine! My favorite local record store comes through again. It's not the deluxe version, but it was the only copy they had. I can't listen to it until the ride home from work though.
On the downside, someone bought out all the used Joe Walsh records! I had hoped to pick up a couple of those too. Oh well. At least I got Glenn.
The world is as it's meant to be 'cause I've got mine! I picked it up at the Best Buy about 4 miles away from me on the way to work and have been listening to it in the car. As I feared, no deluxe version there, but I bought one anyway. My deluxe version is on the way. So far my fave cover is Shadow of Your Smile. My fave altogether is the title track. I'm desperately hoping he plays it live!
It would be a travesty not to play the title track on the After Hours tour/ I hope you get to hear it live Soda!
This just hasn't been my day! I left the house during my lunch hour and the truck wouldn't start. It always starts first time every time, but I guess you shouldn't leave the phone charger plugged in and then not run it for a month. So after kicking the tire, like it was the truck's fault, I took the car in the pouring rain and hydroplaned to the local stores. None of which have the CD. I guess a person has to be closer to civilization to get new music on release day.
My last stop, the lady said it would only be available online, then turned up her nose and said that 'nobody' buys music on CD anymore. Since that implied I'm 'nobody' I told her I'd buy the other stuff on my list online and walked out of the store. Somewhere in all there is when I noticed I had on my white Eagles t-shirt and it goes completely transparent in the rain. So I came back home and downloaded the CD from Amazon and ordered a copy to be sent to my mother, which will be copies #3 and #4 that I've purchased of this album. The good news is that I'm finally dry and listening to this beautiful voice.
First impressions, subject to change:
Overall, the thing that stands out to me the most is how rich Glenn's voice is on these songs. I love Glenn's sexy growl on rock songs but his soft voice is just like melted chocolate on this.
With the exception of the songs Glenn sang in Niagara Falls and the title track, I haven't heard any of these songs before, so I'm judging the song (both lyrics and melody) and not just Glenn's rendition of it. Some might say I focus too much on lyrics but that's the way I roll.
For Sentimental Reasons - From the first sung note, you know what you're getting into, as the instruments briefly drop away in that second and it's just Glenn. A very nice song and the way he sings "I love you for sentimental reasons; I hope you do believe me... I've given you my heart" sounds very sweet and genuine. Good choice to start the album.
My Buddy - eh, it's alright. I don't find the term "my buddy" romantic and it spoils the mood for me, especially since it's said over and over and over in the song. It doesn't help that the terms reminds me of the "My Buddy" doll for boys they sold when I was little and its accompanying ad jingle.
Route 66 - cute. It may be a bit out of place, but you gotta have at least one upbeat number. Of course, since the literal Route 66 has no pop culture significance or emotional resonance for most people born after 1970, the song is by its very nature dated; however, I guess that's the idea - most of these songs are not only from the past, they're about the past. Plus, do you really need to know about the literal Route 66 to get the gist of the song and enjoy it? Methinks not.
The Shadow of Your Smile - So. Freakin. Hot. Love this song. It gets me all emotional and makes me want to fall in love. Anyone know of any single, desperately lonely men in the Memphis area? lol
Here's to Life - This wasn't what I expected at all from the title. I thought this song would be upbeat and celebratory. Instead, it too is nostalgic and a bit sad-sounding. As a result, I'm still getting used to this song (I have to admit, this line annoys me: "There's no 'yes' in 'yesterday.' I will have to get used to that, too, lol). However, the way he sings that last "may all your storms be weathered..." is excellent. I'm sure I'll like it more with a few more listens.
It's Too Soon to Know - I really like the melody of this. After hearing it only one time I was already singing with it. It sticks in your head. I think the "fire/flame" line is clever, too. My favorite part is the "Though I'll cry when she's gone, I won't die; I'll live on." The guy in this song needs to have a talk with the guy in "I'm Getting Old Before My Time."
Caroline, No - I like this more every time I listen to it. Again, I love the emotional songs, and he really sells the pain and sadness on this one. The way he sings "Caroline, you break my heart... I want to go and cry" - he sounds absolutely agonized. The only thing I don't like is the falsetto at the end because his voice loses its power when he does that (IMHO).
The Look of Love - This one starts slow, but when you get to the part from "I can hardly wait to hold you" to "Don't ever go" it jumps from "eh" to "ooh!" The lyrics are sexy and he sells it, babe. This one has also gotten stuck in my head.
I'm Getting Old Before My Time - Eh. I didn't like this one so much. It makes me think of Glenn hobbling along with a cane - I don't like that image! Plus, regarding the lyrics - the guy in the song has been strung along by a woman for 10 years and still thinks she'll marry him eventually?! Move on, man, or as Shakespeare would say your grave is like to be your wedding bed!
Same Girl - Pretty song, but now that I know this song is about a prostitute thanks to Glenn, it puzzles me. The lyrics don't seem to fit that. I just need to stop thinking about that and focus on the beauty of the melody and Glenn's aching vocal, which is very effective.
After Hours - oh my gosh, I love this song so much! I've had a live version of this for years and have always adored it, so hearing a completed, fully arranged version just amps that love up and fills my heart to bursting! His voice conveys that mixture of sadness and tender nostalgia perfectly. I also think the lyrics are very evocative; I can picture the scene perfectly - both the colorful past and the sepia-tinged present. I'm glad he kept the "rainy streets" line because rain not only conjures up a literal visual of driving past an old haunt in the rain but also has a symbolic meaning as well; it makes me think of those colorful memories running together in the dark like the tremulous blurring of light in a street puddle on a rainy night. Superb and a terrific way to end the album.
I don't have the deluxe tracks yet. When I get home I'll download them from iTunes. I'm going to put all of this on my iPod anyway.
For crying out loud. I just got an email that because my vinyl copy won't be delivered until May 29, I can download the tunes for free from Glenn's site. So I didn't need to buy the MP3s from Amazon. Hmm.
I've listened to it twice now and I have to say, it's everything I expected it to be. I've heard almost all the songs before, and while he said he wanted to sing them true to the songs and not put his own interpretation on them, many of them have been covered many times. Like Shadow of Your Smile, I've only ever heard (or remembered) Sinatra's version, and it wasn't a favorite. I think Glenn does a much better job on it (much as I love Glenn, I never thought those words would roll off my typing fingers because I'm a big fan of Frank).
I like them all, some more than others. As I expected, The Look of Love is my favorite. He topped Diana Krall IMO. I guess because I associate Dusty Springfield with my ex-in-laws, I've never cared for her version. He puts a lot more passion into his voice than Diana does, and his pitch and tone is more pure than what I remember from Dusty's. I could listen to this all day.
I won't list every song, but I got this CD with high expectations and he managed to exceed them.
I'm not going to listen until after tomorrow night's show. I want each song to be a sweet surprise. I don't want to have any preconceived notions in my head. I just want to take it all in "in the moment". I'm sure I won't be disappointed.
So far my favorites are After Hours, Caroline No, and Route 66. Especially Caroline No... I was listening to the album while working in my Digital Arts class today and I almost melted. This whole album is just awesome.
Thanks to everybody for their initial thoughts.
I think that Glenn's voice is so amazing on the entire album that even though some of the songs might not be what I would pick, I love them all. Caroline, No seems to be a favorite so far but oddly enough, it isn't one of my top picks. Nor is Same Girl. I seem to be more attracted to the older songs although I hadn't heard many of them before. I must be showing my age, but I'm not that old! LOL! The exception is After Hours. I have always wanted Glenn to record this & he surpassed my expectations of it. I'm glad he kept the "rainy streets" line as well.
I do agree that some of the lyrics are a bit odd. I don't know if it is the influence of the times in which they were written or not. They don't bother me, other than one line in 'Same Girl". The line "a few more holes in your arm" is a bit disturbing to me. Other than that the entire album gives me thrills every time I hear it!
I agree about the falsetto on Caroline, No, as well. I would have preferred if he had used his natural register, but I'm being picky. :)
I listened to the CD on my way home from work. In fact, I made a several-mile detour so I could hear the whole thing. Overall, I liked it better than I expected to. It helped that it was a rainy drive home, so it fit the music perfectly. Here are a few thoughts:
- Soda's description of Glenn's voice as "melted chocolate" is spot on.
- I probably would not have enjoyed it as much if I hadn't had all the previews. All the press Glenn's been doing eased the transition and managed my expectations.
- like GL, I found I liked the older songs better. My favorites were For Sentimental Reasons, Shadow of Your Smile, It's Too Soon To Know, and After Hours.
- Route 66 gave me cravings for peach pie. Long story.
- I think I prefer to listen to the songs rather than see them performed. Not that I'm giving up my Foxwoods tickets, of course. It's just that at one point, I found myself imagining Allnighter-era Glenn in a tux singing the songs I was hearing and almost had to turn up the defogger. My, it got steamy! The Today show performance had nothing on my imagination. That's just me, of course.
As opposed to 'gimme another piece of that pecan pie' presumably. :nod:
The attraction of the song for me (vocals aside) is the place names. They are so resonant. In the postcards swapping site I belong to, I'm always finding Route 66 cards & in fact, a very nice Borderer sent me one before we ever knew Glenn was recording this song.
LOL! It's because the song mentions Barstow. On a trip to California back before we were married, my husband and I stopped at this bakery in Barstow and bought a peach pie because it looked really good. We ate the whole thing as dinner that night. Best pie ever!
In fact, when I got home last night and mentioned my reaction to the song, my husband immediately asked, "Why? Does it mention Barstow?"
I plan to try to pick up a copy today. Will try a couple of different places.
I'm curious to see how I like it. I really love Route 66, but I'm guessing that's because I'm very familiar with it, although more in a rock n' roll Chuck Berry type shuffle fashion than the way Glenn does it, but I still love it. We'll see how I like the other songs. I haven't heard them yet. Being a rock n' roll type it might not be my thing, that said I'm one of the biggest RnB/Soul fans but not usually Jazz or such. But Marvin Gaye and Motown stuff I love. Go figure.
I can almost guarantee that if you don't like it so much now, you will in several years Austin. :-)
I am probably about as hardcore 'rocker' chick as anyone in here but as I'm getting older I am loving to embrace new things and like yourself, I really love old R&B and Motown and even really old stuff that influenced groups like the Rolling Stones. (that's old!) The 70's era Glenn and Eagles will always be my favorite so it's going to be an adjustment for me to start accepting that, well, he's a much older man now. Nevermind the fact that I have to accept that I'm becoming an older:sigh: woman... but that's another story, for another thread... heck, probably for another forum! lol
I am so far behind on the forum and what's going on where and I can't even begin to sort through the who's playing where threads and who's going to which shows... BUT, if someone would be so kind to post what kind of tshirts they have available at the Glenn shows, I'd love to know. I love the one with the CD... do I get that through Amazon? I need help/advise!