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Administrator
Re: Celebration of "Expando"
This is my favorite album of Timothy's. I listed to it today in honor of the occasion!
I remember very well that wonderful night seeing Timothy - so amazing! I never thought I'd see him solo, or share the experience with such cool people.
Don't forget:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7FpoBI-edk[/ame]
I just want to repost here my thoughts on the album from when it first came out:
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My overall thoughts: This is, IMHO, Timothy's strongest album. While many of the songs start off in a similar fashion, before long they twist around and become something else. The thing that strikes me most about this album is how so many of the songs take unexpected turns - suddenly shifting tempos or keys, even styles - it's something he's done before and continues to do with great success. It also seems this album is more personal than his others; maybe it's because he wrote every single song himself, but I feel like we're getting a window into his life.
One More Mile - I love this song. At first I wasn't sure if Tim's vocal was bluesy enough to work it, but every time I listen to it I like it more. So jazzy and catchy, especially the way he sings the title - "one more mile."
Parachute - My favorite on the album. This is where Timothy sounds his most modern and it stands out from the other tracks. They picked right to make this the single, because it would fit right in on radio now. It's rare someone can put out a song that isn't quite what they've done before and still have it work. Terrific job. Little things I love: the way he stops for a beat because going into the chorus, the attitude/altitude lyrics, the metaphor of the parachute / heights entirely, in fact. The soaring plane at the opening, then the visual of him in the penthouse suite of a huge hotel looking down... terrific. I think it's the most sophisticated song on the album. Love it!
Friday Night - such a fun song; I've enjoyed it from the first hearing on MySpace. The lyrics are very cute - I especially like the "princess" and the "palace" lines. It's great how the melody goes from slow to peppy, matching the lyrics as they go from fighting to having a good time. Works for me!
Ella Jean - When I first heard this in Chicago, I immediately thought that the chorus sounded like it was lifted right out of a Beach Boys tune. When I got the album, I decided it was too simplistic and I didn't like it... but then, that chorus got stuck in my head for freaking DAYS. I'd just be buffing my nails or something when I'd find myself humming "Ella, Ella Jean" - it's gotta be doing something right! I do love how romantic and sweet it is. Lucky Jean!
White Boy from Sacramento - I don't usually go for "joke songs" where you get funny voices and all that, so this one had a strike against it going in, but you can't help but love the self-deprecating references and those ladies working it in the background make it even more fun!
Compassion - when the song starts out, my first reaction was "Snooze" - then it hit that "if I see the world as it really is..." segment and I immediately liked it better. Again, it's that unexpected twist that attracts me. His vocal on this song sounds very vulnerable and genuine, which is something that always lifts a song for me. He sells it. Suddenly, near the end, he pulls out the Beach Boys "ahhhhh" again! Always the unexpected.
Downtime - This plays great live but it doesn't strike me quite as much on the album as it did in Chicago. I think the verses get a little repetitive melodically, but then it comes to "Every now and then I gotta shut down" and goes from trudging to kicking back and feeling mellow. Then, I realized - that's exactly what the lyrics do. The first part is supposed to be a bit tiring so that you feel the relief of "downtime" as much as he does. Very effective thematically as a result.
Melancholy - This is the only song I didn't hear live before I heard it on the album, as he didn't play it in Chicago. It certainly achieves the sentiment of the title. I wonder if Timothy meant this to come off as the portrait of someone who feels so sorry for themselves that you are rolling your eyes and going "Get over yourself already?" I say this because even the lyrics admit the guy is self-absorbed and anyone who sighs "Oh, pitiful me" must have some sense of how melodramatic they're being (after all, the Zevon song certainly makes a joke out of it). Something to think about.
I Don't Mind - from the opening almost Charlie Brown-esque tuba you know you're in for something fun. It's catchy and enjoyable, and that carefree melody works with the lyrics well. His vocal not only sounds unfazed, it also has a hint of wry humor. The "misery loves company" lines are clever. I love the attitude of "Man, he is just being ridiculous, but I'm gonna let it roll off my back and do my thing." I bet Timothy lived that a few times while working with the Eagles! lol
Secular Praise - The song starts out slow, but when the Blind Boys of Alabama come in and make it really sound like a praise song, it brings the song up. The line "Gonna breathe it in" - what a great way to put it.
A Good Day - every time I hear this song, I like it more. It's very country, but that's cool with me - if it's well done, it's well done no matter what the genre. I think it has the most consistently clever lyrics of the album, right up there with Parachute. This is another song that got stuck in my head and I'd find myself randomly humming "some make a wish and some like to pray, but everybody just wants to have a good day!" I love the entire chorus - makes me feel good, and it's so catchy. Great way to end the album - with a smile!
Always in our hearts, Never forgotten
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Stuck on the Border
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Stuck on the Border
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Moderator
Re: Celebration of "Expando"
HAPPY 2nd ANNIVERSARY TO EXPANDO!!!
Well right as Timothy announces a solo show in CA, it's time to celebrate this anniversary. As we have been doing for other albums, we can list our favorites in order for this album. It’ll be interesting to see how close the results are here to what they were when we played the Survivor game a couple of years ago.
Again, this isn’t exactly a game, but more like a poll with no other purpose than to be an exercise of fun. I’m going to list all the songs on the album and ask folks to rank them in the order that they like the songs from favorite to least favorite. I’ll give folks a week to post their list in this thread, and then I’ll calculate the results so you can see how close your list is to the combined scores.
After I calculate the combined scores from everyone’s list, I’ll post the list in the order of which songs had the highest points to the lowest. You will be able to see how close your list comes to the “master” list. If others post a list after a week, I’ll update it with their scores.
I'm not going to repeat all the rules again, but if you would like an overview of how this works, you can go here.
Okay, here we go – the songs for the Expando album are as follows:
One More Mile
Parachute
Friday Night
Ella Jean
White Boy from Sacramento
Compassion
Downtime
Melancholy
I Don't Mind
Secular Praise
A Good Day
So again, list these songs in the order of your most favorite to least favorite.
"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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