Trans Siberian Orchestra - Beethoven’s Last Night (2000)
I have never listened to this album, I confess. However, yesterday night, I went to see TSO and this is what was performed, and the live show was the most phenomenal orchestral performance I could ever hope to witness. The guitarists were insane, the stage was on fire, and there was this one violinist, Roddy Chong, who was the craziest man I’ve ever seen. Taking first chair, although he hardly sat down, he has to be the most energetic musician I’ve ever seen, particularly for a violinist. He did nothing but sprint about and leap casually as though he wasn’t even playing extreme melodies. Not difficult or anything, nope. I am going to see these again and if you have the opportunity to do so, I heavily suggest that you don’t turn it down. They did a cover of Help! that was bloody awful (not a huge fan of female vocalists, but the cover was awful) but everything else they did, every classical cover, everything, was brilliant.
How, how, how have I not posted any of The Beatles before?! They’re one of my favourite things in the entire world! Okay, I’ll cut to the chase. The Beatles are a huge part of my childhood. I love them. Long story short. And I got Help! on vinyl a while back and it’s been stuck on the record player for the past four or five days straight. Stuck because I like it there, not literally stuck.
Anyway, this album is incredible and wonderful and lovely! There’s a huge amount of rhythm in there, and it’s such a sound that you can only really describe it as The Beatles. The Beatles are like nothing else. There is that sound, that phenomenal harmony: even if you don’t like them (you’re lying or in denial), you really have to respect their use of harmony - the countermelodies and vocal harmonies are brilliant, and you have to marvel at the fact that four guys managed to do this more or less by themselves, in the sixties.
I didn’t listen to a lot of the songs on this album much, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away being one of the ones I didn’t, and now it’s one of my all time favourites, before I got the vinyl, and now I feel like I’m really appreciating it for the first time.
Yeah, I love The Beatles. But I have every reason to.
I’m starting a new sector of this blog (again - this might be becoming a little too much fun). Every time I get a little bored in class from now on, I’m going to dedicate my left hand to a band I find amazing. I call it Tribute Hands (like ‘tribute bands’, clever, no?). I started off with The Beatles this morning.
Baby, you can drive my car Yes, I’m gonna be a star Baby, you can drive my car And maybe I’ll love you!
This song is one of my favourite Beatles songs of all time. It’s so simplistic, and by general standards, the Beatles don’t do much in terms of cryptic lyrics, they’re very straightforward about whether it’s a love song or a lust song or a pain song. This is a perfect example of the Beatles’ simplicity, and it’s not exactly beautiful, but it’s far from clumsily written. There’s a ridiculously catchy chorus, and the Beatles always use excellent harmonies in their work; this is no exception. It’s one of those songs that always brings a stupid, mindless smile to my face, and the only defence mechanism there is? Singing along!
I'm Ishani, I'm 16. I listen to a lot of music, I want to be a composer and musician (essentially, the next Jonny Greenwood, like that'll ever happen), so I'll keep up with my attempts at writing about music here. It'll probably be a mixture of old and new, and every genre I can find something I like for.
Much love! x
