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Thread: Celebration of "Inside Job"

  1. #21
    Moderator Brooke's Avatar
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    Default Re: Inside Job

    Excellent start Troub.

    I knew someone would come through! Thanks!
    https://i.imgur.com/CuSdAQM.jpg
    "They will never forget you 'till somebody new comes along"
    1948-2016 Gone but not forgotten

  2. #22
    Moderator Brooke's Avatar
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    Default Re: Inside Job

    Quote Originally Posted by Troubadour View Post
    Yay, good for you, Brooke! It's great, isn't it? This is the only screencap I have to hand (from what is probably my favourite bit - Talking To The Moon. Sigh!) but it won't be too much of a chore to do some more...

    Just had to bring this forward!
    https://i.imgur.com/CuSdAQM.jpg
    "They will never forget you 'till somebody new comes along"
    1948-2016 Gone but not forgotten

  3. #23
    Moderator Ive always been a dreamer's Avatar
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    Default Happy Birthday "Inside Job"

    Well Don's "Inside Job" album turns 10 years old today.

    HAPPY ANNIVERSARY INSIDE JOB!!!

    This is an album that I really have tried to like, but it really just doesn’t do much for me. It is my least favorite of Don’s solo albums although it has grown on me some. It’s not terrible, but neither is it exceptional. I was trying to think of something to say about it that I haven’t already said, and I was able to note one thing – I think these songs work better for me in isolation than listening to the entire album from start to finish. I ‘m thinking that is because overall, the album is just way too slow for my taste and it just drags. Now, I know not everyone agrees with me about this, but another problem here for me is that even though there was over a 10-year gap, this album was the follow-up to the EOTI masterpiece, so I guess I had higher expectations. I did take the time to rate the songs using the same scale that I have used to rate other albums, so I guess I was able to come up with a few other new things to say. So here the songs are in the order that I love/like them:


    I Love It (5)

    Taking You Home (5) – This is by far the standout on the album for me. The song is simply gorgeous and melt-worthy and Don sings it just beautifully.

    They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming (5) – I love how Don injects humor into his message here. The melody and delivery are really interesting in this song, which is a breath of fresh air considering some of the bland material on the album. Very clever lyrics and the music rocks during the bridge.


    I Really Like It (4)

    My Thanksgiving (4) – I had a tough time deciding whether to rate this song as a 4 or 5. Then I thought to myself – if I have to think this hard about it, I guess I don’t really love it. But I really do like it a lot with its uplifting message.

    Nobody Else In the World But You (4) – This is a really good song, and one of the rare rockers on the album. I love the vocals of Don, Stevie Wonder, and Glenn.

    Goodbye To a River (4) – This song is very pretty and has grown on me more than any of the others. I didn’t like it when I first heard it, but I have learned to appreciate it more mostly because of the great lyrics. I still think it drags a bit musically though, which keeps me from loving it.


    I Like It (3)

    Working It (3) – The music in this song is rocking. It may seem better than it really is just because it is one of the few songs on the album that does rock. I’m not crazy about Don’s talking style delivery though.

    For My Wedding (3) – It is pretty, but I just find it too bland and slow.

    Miss Ghost (3) – I am totally missing something about this song. Many fans think it is very sexy, but that is just lost on me. Maybe it’s Don’s delivery, I dunno, but I just don’t get it. I do like the music and melody.

    Annabel (3) – I love the sentiment of the song since it is about his daughter. But, I just find it pretty bland melodically and once again, it drags.

    Everything Is Different Now (3) – I really dislike the way Don “talks” the verses in this song, but I love the chorus. The verses and chorus are very disjointed to me – and, yes, I know that it is supposed to be that way to enhance the song’s message, but, I still don’t like it. I like the lyrics and message a lot, but the melody and music are kind of monotonous.


    Meh (2)

    Inside Job (2) – Two words – boring and uninteresting.

    Damn It, Rose (2) – I do like the message and the lyrics of this song, but again, I don’t like the delivery at all. The message gets drowned out by the distractingly monotonous and drawn out delivery. Sorry, but every time I hear the song, I want to shove my foot up Don’s butt, and yell “Damn It, Don - hurry up and get this over with please.

    The Genie (2) – See comments for Inside Job. That last chorus is just bad. The end!



    key:
    5 - I love it
    4 - I really like it
    3 - I like it
    2 - meh
    1 – yikes

    "People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
    Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016

  4. #24
    Stuck on the Border
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    Default Re: Happy Birthday "Inside Job"

    Dreamer, once again you & I have diametrically opposite views on one song in particular and we disagree on a couple of others. I completely agree that the songs seem to work better separately.

    This album has really grown on me. When I first bought it I could not stand it. As a generalisation, the 'personal' songs don't work for me whereas MOST of the 'rants' do.

    I Love It (5)

    Damn It, Rose - I find this very Dylanesque, and as I love Bob Dylan the song appealed to me straight away despite the depressing subject matter. The grim humour really makes it for me (the 'bloated Burmese cat' and the verse about the 'puffed up little fart'). And I love the drawled singing style. I love it when Don' 'strips it back' and doesn't 'over-emote'.

    Miss Ghost - Dreamer said she thought people might find this 'sexy' - well, I don't feel that way. I just think it tells a good story and I like the way he seems to both love & hate the woman in the song. Very strong imagery and well sung (again, not overdoing it).

    Goodbye To A River - Heartbreaking & poignant. He is at his best here on a subject close to his heart.

    Nobody Else In The World But You - Mainly for the contributions of the great Stevie Wonder & Glenn. I do think that Don has written a few too many songs like this, but this one works.

    I Really Like It (4)

    My Thanksgiving - As Dreamer said, mainly because of the 'uplifting message' and what appears to be a glimpse of Don's inner self.

    Workin' It -Nice cynical lyrics - standard Henley. 'Business as usual'.

    Everything Is Different Now -I change my mind about this one all the time but overall I would say that it's one of the album's superior tracks. Good gospellly chorus.

    They're Not Here, They're Not Coming - Overall, because this is so different, I have to applaud it, although I think it gets a bit heavy handed in places.

    I Like It (3)

    Annabel - I know how personal this is but it has only really started to move me. I share Dreamer's sentiments on it.

    Inside Job - far too repetitious at the end but again, it is close to his heart.

    Meh (2)

    For My Wedding - it seems like filler. It may be admirable in its sentiment but that's about it.

    Taking You Home - I'm sorry, but this is the blandest thing Don has ever recorded on his own. I know it's about taking his baby daughter home from hospital. That doesn't save the song.

    Yikes (1)

    The Genie - UGH. Along with Shangri-La, the worst piece of music he has ever recorded as a solo artist.

  5. #25
    Moderator Ive always been a dreamer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Happy Birthday "Inside Job"

    Well, FP - at least we almost agree about The Genie. However, I still don't think it or Shangri-La are Don's worst solo songs ever. I still reserve that distinction for Man With a Mission and Building the Perfect Beast.

    And it is strange how differently you and I view some of these songs, particularly Taking You Home and Damn It, Don (er - I mean Rose). I'd love to hear what others think, particularly about these two songs.

    "People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
    Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016

  6. #26
    Stuck on the Border
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    Default Re: Happy Birthday "Inside Job"

    I rank Man With A Mission & Building The Perfect Beast just above The Genie & Shangri-La.

  7. #27
    Stuck on the Border TimothyBFan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Happy Birthday "Inside Job"

    I wasn't going to get in on this subject because my Mom always taught me the whole, "if you can't say something nice..." but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.

    I like how nicely Dreamer put it...."bland". I think that about sums it up. This is my least favorite Don album and honestly can't remember when I listened to it last. The only song on it that I can honestly say that I enjoy is They're Not Here, They're Not Coming.

    I think this album has Don written all over it with songs like Goodbye To A River and Workin' It but still not upbeat enough for me maybe?
    He sings it high, he plays it low

  8. #28
    Administrator sodascouts's Avatar
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    Default Re: Celebration of "Inside Job"

    Once again, it's the anniversary of the release of Inside Job. If all goes well, this will be the last anniversary where we can refer to Inside Job as Don Henley's most recent studio album.

    While this isn't his best work, it's not awful either. I give it a B-minus overall.

    Here's to Inside Job!

    Always in our hearts, Never forgotten

  9. #29
    Administrator sodascouts's Avatar
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    Default Re: Celebration of "Inside Job"

    You know what... looking back over this thread, I realized I'd never given my thoughts about it. Here they are:

    Nobody Else in the World But You - I really like this one. Great beat, saucy lyrics. We all know people like the woman in the song so we can understand and appreciate his snarkiness. While the beginning of the verses can drag a bit, once he gets into the second part of the verses and into the choruses, it's all good. I love "In case you haven't noticed, there are lots of other people here, too." Weak ending but overall it works.

    Taking You Home - LOVE this song. So beautiful and heartfelt. A standout track for sure. My second favorite on the album. His voice is so emotional and expressive. The video is also very sweet, filmed in the Great State of Texas and with cameos by the wife and kiddies (Note: the below video is from the official Warner Brothers channel and therefore nothing that would cause Don to have one of his apoplectic fits):
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPUE8aEn20M[/ame]

    For My Wedding - It doesn't have quite the same emotional impact as "Taking You Home," but this is still a very pretty song with a heartfelt vocal and I enjoy it. Trivia: its writer, Larry J. McNally, also wrote "I Love to Watch a Woman Dance" from Long Road Out of Eden. This one also has a sweet video (again, the below is from WB's official channel):
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHpKNyxXVmU[/ame]

    Everything Is Different Now - This is a very interesting song that gives us a lot of insight into Don's decision to finally marry (cool that the album was released so near their anniversary). The lyrics "Will you stand here in this fire with me?" are such a great way to describe the challenge of marriage. The gospel chorus is a nice touch. A powerful song.
    Astonishingly, this song has a horrific video. Watch it from WB's official channel at your own risk:
    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Fg1lZ4TQXU[/ame]

    Workin' It - Cool, jazzy song with some insightful lyrics and some cool use of effects. Its only problem is that it occasionally veers into that preachy, judgmental vein that can get tiresome. It's a fine line between incisive social commentary and self-righteous preaching... sometimes he successfully navigates that line, sometimes he doesn't. Here, I think the problem is that many people would argue that he's criticizing things here that he also is guilty of. I wonder if he realizes that and it's a deliberate ironic choice... he does use "we"... but I would be surprised. The disdain in his vocal is not something that indicates he considers himself among the implicated. I also don't understand why he needs to get vulgar in it but that's just my inner prude talking, lol. Trivia: the tag line "Business as usual" - later to feature on a Long Road Out of Eden song - first appears here. BTW, for those unfamiliar with the song, the song lyrics are here.

    Goodbye to a River - A beautiful, haunting song that really makes you think. I find this one a poetic rather than preachy commentary. I find the line "They're killing everything divine - what will I tell this child of mine?" especially moving.

    Inside Job - It's got kind of a creepy vibe to it which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I'll be honest - I don't like Don's vocal on this song. His voice is dripping with such contempt that he sounds like a jerk, and the effects used on his voice harden the tone of the vocal even more. I also don't think the f-bomb was necessary but that's just me. BTW more trivia - the lyrics "business as usual" also appear here.

    They're Not Here, They're Not Coming
    - Back to the positives. While this song really didn't do it for me the first time I heard it, it grew on me and now I like it a lot. The chorus is catchy and I love that "cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, post-post-modern world" part. With its use of humor, snappy beat, and sharp guitar, it gets across a message effectively without being off-putting. I also like that the message includes hope as well as criticism. Good song.

    Damn It, Rose - a dreary song about suicide. I can only imagine how horrible it is to have a loved one commit suicide, and the emotions of the song are certainly valid, but it goes nowhere but down. Listen to this if you want to be depressed.

    Miss Ghost - This is another song that grew on me. The lyrics and the vocal are very sexy and I like it, regardless of whether or not it was partially inspired by anyone we know. I really like the jazzy melody, too.

    The Genie - the first time I heard this song was when I went to see Don and Stevie touring together in 2005. He opened with it. I thought "Eh - hope his set gets better." It certainly did and before long I was a hardcore fan, but to this day, I hear this song and have the same reaction: "eh." It just doesn't have a very interesting melody and gets so repetitive - definitely a "skip" song for me.

    Annabel - I really like this underrated song. A lovely melody sung with lots of emotion - so sweet. The vocal is so tender and full of love that it touches your heart. Plus, even though I don't have a kid, I can definitely relate to some of the lyrics about getting judged by people who don't even know you - I think with the internet culture, more and more people are finding that out the hard way. My favorite part: the way he sings "You can always count on me."

    My Thanksgiving - A terrific song; my favorite on the album. The lyrics are so intelligent and insightful - so much so that sometimes they will just occur to me out of nowhere in certain situations. "The trouble with you and me, my friend, is the trouble with this nation: too many blessings, too little appreciation." "Sometimes you get the best light from a burning bridge." "For every breath, for every day of living... this is my Thanksgiving." The melody takes unexpected turns but it always works. Plus, it's such a good message. Great way to close out the album.

    Always in our hearts, Never forgotten

  10. #30
    Moderator Ive always been a dreamer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Celebration of "Inside Job"

    Happy Anniversary to Inside Job.

    I enjoyed reading your comments, Soda. We agree about a lot of the songs, but it sounds like overall you may like this album a bit better than I do.

    I sometimes like to post the album's cover art in these threads, so here goes ...


    "People don't run out of dreams: People just run out of time ..."
    Glenn Frey 11/06/1948 - 01/18/2016

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