Roger Taylors album and BBC world service performance

Ok looking into what is happening with rogers album and found out some interesting stuff...4 songs that will be on it are The unblinking eye, Dear mr murdoch, smile and im a drunner in a rock and roll band. also found a link to his BBC world service performance from this year. here is the link>>>
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/2012/03/120301_radio_gaga.shtml

Here is the information about the album.

http://rogertaylor.info/

Thanks for the links. A very interesting version of "Radio Gaga" that i´ve never seen before. And the Roger Taylor site is great too.

I´m glad that Jason Falloon will be on the album, because he did a terrific job on "Electric Fire". The only thing i deslike is that Roger is wasting such beautifull melodies on guys like Mr. Murdoch.

I´m looking forward to listen to the new album with an open mind, because to me "Electric Fire" is one of the most memorable albums i´ve ever heard.

[QUOTE] [b]Mr.QueenFan wrote:[/b]

The only thing i deslike is that Roger is wasting such beautifull melodies on guys like Mr. Murdoch.

[/QUOTE]

One of Roger's best songs, as far as I'm concerned. Sometimes putting a social issue to music is the best way to write.

Excellent! Thanks for the info, I am very excited for this album to come out

I couldn't be MORE ready for a new Roger album! It's been entirely too long.

"Sometimes putting a social issue to music is the best way to write"

I actually really agree with the principle, although I just wish there were more times where it worked out that way. It's a pretty skilled and thoughtful artist who manages to balance the music and the message. (To be honest I don't think Roger has ever been very good at it but I applaud him for doing it anyway).

Fair play. He wears his opinions on his sleeve, but his execution isn't always perfect.

For instance - the fact that he mentions Afghanistan in The Unblinking Eye makes me cringe every time. There's a reason why Imagine is a timeless song - because he doesn't name names.

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]

Fair play. He wears his opinions on his sleeve, but his execution isn't always perfect.

For instance - the fact that he mentions Afghanistan in The Unblinking Eye makes me cringe every time. There's a reason why Imagine is a timeless song - because he doesn't name names.[/QUOTE]

Yep. There are some artitsts who can get away with very direct lyrics -- Public Enemy, Rage Against the machine, even the Sex Pistols -- but songs like Paul Simon's 'American Tune' really convey emotion (in this case, about the Vietnam War -- see below) in a way blunt and direct songs sometimes cannot. Roger simply isn't that great at writing political lyrics, or indeed, any lyrics. There's a reason Brian laughed at 'I'm In Love WIth My Car': "Told my girl I'd have to forget her, rather buy me a new carburetter" (although to be fair to Rog, the whole package seems to "work" most of the time, as long as you don't dwell too long on the lyrics).

'American Tune' (1973)

Many's the time I've been mistaken
And many times confused
Yes, and often felt forsaken
And certainly misused
But I'm all right, I'm all right
I'm just weary to my bones
Still, you don't expect to be
Bright and bon vivant
So far away from home, so far away from home

And I don't know a soul who's not been battered
I don't have a friend who feels at ease
I don't know a dream that's not been shattered
or driven to its knees
But it's all right, it's all right
We've lived so well so long
Still, when I think of the road
we're traveling on
I wonder what went wrong
I can't help it, I wonder what went wrong

And I dreamed I was dying
And I dreamed that my soul rose unexpectedly
And looking back down at me
Smiled reassuringly
And I dreamed I was flying
And high up above my eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty
Sailing away to sea
And I dreamed I was flying

We come on the ship they call the Mayflower
We come on the ship that sailed the moon
We come in the age's most uncertain hour
and sing an American tune
But it's all right, it's all right
You can't be forever blessed
Still, tomorrow's going to be another working day
And I'm trying to get some rest
That's all I'm trying to get some rest

I've heard greatly conflicting things about Roger's songwriting. I've never really heard any of his solo output but I've heard people call it better than Freddie & Brian's, and just generally great music. On the other hand, I also seen people heavily criticize his songwriting and call his songs generally poor. It's always one extreme or the other, I guess I ought to listen to it so I can have my own opinion.

And I think we can all agree that Roger is no match for Paul Simon as far as eloquence in songwriting goes.

[QUOTE] [b]tomchristie22 wrote:[/b]

I've heard greatly conflicting things about Roger's songwriting. I've never really heard any of his solo output but I've heard people call it better than Freddie & Brian's, and just generally great music. On the other hand, I also seen people heavily criticize his songwriting and call his songs generally poor. It's always one extreme or the other, I guess I ought to listen to it so I can have my own opinion.

And I think we can all agree that Roger is no match for Paul Simon as far as eloquence in songwriting goes. [/QUOTE]

Roger Taylor has written far better songs in my opinion. Lyrics? Not that important as long as the melodies are good

Roger has a tendency to be tripping along nicely lyrically and then shattering whatever mood he'd built by throwing in something completely jarring like "Afghanistan". He's guilty of that in "I'm in Love with my Car" as well, through for me that point is not at the "told my girl I'd have to forget her" etc. but later at "Cars don't talk back, they're just four wheel friends now". Knocks me every time from a very grown up place to, like, Sesame Street. Up to that unfortunate point I always experience that song in much that same way as I've always experienced Rush's fantastic Red Barchetta, which is to say on an intriguingly carnal frequency. Which is my roundabout and somewhat shy way of saying the songs make me think about sex. Or more precisely they make me think about Roger Taylor and Neil Peart, or the characters in their songs, thinking about sex, and that slight voyeuristic distance sharpens the whole experience. I had pretty much concluded I was probably a pervert when I heard the man himself explain Red Barchetta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djVGhqvl_8A (at about 6 seconds in). So see *I* am not a pervert, I'm just finely attuned to other perverts. :) And Brian May thought the song was a joke so I concluded that he's probably bad at sex. Which may explain all the badger stuff. :P