The Sweetest Punch

Post by **BlueChair** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 10:24 am

Worth picking up, or should I take more time to get into Painted From Memory first (which I am only know starting to enjoy)?

Your thoughts?

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 11:37 am

Blue...I bought this in January, and (after consideration) I would really really reccomend listening to PFM a lot more before you buy this.

It's jazz-instrumental versions, except for Toledo which has EC singing on it, and I still have that other girl, which has EC and Cassandra Wilson doing a duet. I still don't know whether or not Toledo is the same vocal track as on PFM, but I don't think it is.
Some of the versions are interesting, but I'd go so far as to say that none of them are superior to PFM's arrangements.
It does have one redeeming quality in a track composed by Frissell alone called Vamp Dolce, which is great...but apart from that, I have barely listened to it after the first week or so of buying.

Have you heard Deep Dead Blue? It's good....I'd say listen to that to get a feel for Frissell's guitar work before you get this. (sorry..Im assuming you aren't familiar with him, which Im sure you are)

Here's my thread from January...

http://elviscostellofans.com/phpBB2/vie ... php?t=1522

AlmostBlue · Post by **AlmostBlue** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 1:22 pm

it is worth getting Sweetest punch simply because it was an independent path based on faxes, phone calls, etc. and EC stated that he liked the results.. and it is less "Alfie / Look of Love" like than PFM...and EC has a guest appearance.. also, it is always intreesting to hear a cover of EC's work because his voice adds so much influence (to the point where many people will not listen) ... But I agree you should get Deep Dead Blue first.
Elvis is probably doing "Song of a Century" with Bill this summer in Germany.. where they choose a standard from each decade.. should be very interesting.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 1:28 pm

I'd wait -- and I would also get it used...I mean like really cheap!

To me, it's mainly a curiousity. Of course, I'm a lover of Bacharach-esque arrangements and they're completely absent here so perhaps I'm not being completely fair. I do like hearing Cassandra Wilson on a couple of the songs, but on the whole, this collection was a big dissapointment. Not even sure if I've listened to it all the way through.

Poppet · Post by **Poppet** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 5:18 pm

i like it. i play it occassionally.

don't pay full price. find it cheap.

some weeks i play PFM nonstop. then, i go weeks w/o wanting to hear it at all. i really do love it though, well, obviously.

i like the added lyrics to Toledo. that one's on my list of top 15. so, for me, was worth buying. NOT full price though.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 7:22 pm

Listening to boots of recent shows, the PFM songs stick out because they are so melodic. Elvis doesn't have the sense of melody he had before he learnt how to read music. Bacharach clearly injected that element into the tunes they made together and, like most of Bacharach's tunes, the PFM tunes get better with age. The Sweetest Punch is really more of a curio, one gets the impression the truly awesome group of musicians on it are just doing warm-up exercises. So I would agree with the others, get to know PFM first and buy 'Punch' cheap.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=music

SweetPear · Post by **SweetPear** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 8:56 pm

I also agree w/Laughingcrow et al.
I think I've listened to it twice through and that's about it. It's nice to have but I think DDB is much better.

AlmostBlue · Post by **AlmostBlue** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 11:23 pm

martinfoyle wrote: Elvis doesn't have the sense of melody he had before he learnt how to read music. Bacharach clearly injected that element

I disagree.. well at least after hearing "clings like ivy"
and the other songs from the new album
!!
but you are probably corretc... it happended with Macca and Lennon

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 10:07 am

Blue, if I still have my old (barely played!) copy at my parents' house, I'll send it to you free of charge...

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 10:09 am

AlmostBlue wrote:
martinfoyle wrote: Elvis doesn't have the sense of melody he had before he learnt how to read music. Bacharach clearly injected that element
I disagree.. well at least after hearing "clings like ivy"
and the other songs from the new album

I haven’t heard these tunes yet, but I'll take your word and hope that Elvis has realised he needs to start using his natural composing skills again and give the clever compositional structures a break. We'll see. I'm hoping to hear the Toronto boot soon.