I have this hare-brained scheme that has been gaining steam in my imagination. It continues to evolve and with every new detail, I become more obsessed. Maybe this can be real? OK I’ll lay it out for you. I’m gonna get a storefront in my neighborhood (I’ve already found a suitable piece of real state.) In front I’ll have things for sale, maybe really good records, yummy bites, books—cool stuff like that. Though people can just hang out if they want without even buying anything. In the back, I will build a studio! And people from the neighborhood, high school kids, heady vagrants, etc can come in and cut some tunes, for a nominal fee. Or maybe it will be free, and then the operation can be a nonprofit, but I will retain the masters and release compilations of the best material, sales of which will benefit the establishment. Maybe I’ll get a lacquer cutter and record straight to vinyl! Maybe there will be an in-house Wrecking Crew of musicians to back up lone songwriters. I’m not sure; I haven’t worked out all the details yet. But I really think this could work.
I imagine that the songs recorded there will sound sort of like today’s track, “Home Before Dark.” Not literally—this song, recorded in 1967, is very much of its time—but spiritually. Although the singer and artist to whom it’s credited, Nora Guthrie (daughter of Woody, sister of Arlo), is from an industry family, she is clearly not a professional singer. According to my research, it was recorded when she was 17 and dating an aspiring composer of same age. (I hope he wasn’t using her for her name!) Neither the relationship nor the pair's musical aspirations bore further fruit beyond this single. The studio wanted another, but Nora was too embarrassed from the results of the first, and he was going off to college, where he got caught up in the SDS, and well, you know how these things go. But they'll always have this beautiful snapshot of their teenage love and musical dreams. I think the song is pretty perfect, for all its silly naivete. It has romantic strings! Brazilian percussion rhythms! Baroque harp plucking! Killer bass tone! Is that a French horn I hear?? A classic pop bridge. It’s very arranged. Sounds like someone had something to prove. The lyrics and vocal interpretation thereof are so treacly that they come full-circle and I believe every word. Actually, I’m not sure if that’s sweetness I hear in Nora’s voice. I recognize that intonation—she actually sounds terrified. You can’t make this stuff up.
Nora Guthrie - "Home Before Dark"
No comments:
Post a Comment