The Shads' vocals

[Ivan Pongracic Jr]

One thing I always found quite curious is how, shall we say 'dark', Hank's lyrical writing turned in the late '60s, and persisted through the MW&F period. Many of his songs are real downers, melancholy and full of futility and dashed dreams and hopes. Think about the lyrics of these songs:

The Dreams I Dream
The Day I Met Marie
Dear Old Mrs. Bell
Average Life of the Daily Man
London's Not Too Far (OK, not very dark but definitely melancholy)
My Home Town
Silvery Rain
Mistress Fate and Father Time
Wish You Were Here
Ronnie
Lonesome Mole (I live alone, sleep in the hole in the ground....)
Skin Deep
If I Rewrote Yesterdays
(I'm a) Small And Lonely Light (a bird that's lost in flight, and it's too late at night to go home....)
You Never Can Tell (very dark...)
Nobody Cares

Would it be too far off the mark to say that these are lyrics written by a somewhat troubled man? It's even more interesting in light of the fact that Hank had adopted his faith by then. And it's completely at odds with his usual public image, which is about as positive and upbeat as it gets. There's a lot more to Hank than that....

[Dance with Shadows]

Hi Ivan

Your argument represents a very long bow in view of the fact that many of the tunes you mention were co-written with Bruce or John.

And Dear Old Mrs Bell was not composed by any of the group.

Some of sole authored tunes are a product of the times, or that's how I read the themes at play. For example, Silvery Rain and Rachel Carson go hand in hand.

regards

Michael

[ecca]

Ivan, you're right, I'd never thought about it before but all those songs are as you say.......

[Ivan Pongracic Jr]

Your argument represents a very long bow in view of the fact that many of the tunes you mention were co-written with Bruce or John.

True, but they're all sung by Hank, so I'm guessing he was the primary writer, with some assistance by Bruce or John. And I don't think that Bruce nor John sang any songs with those themes being quite as strong.

And Dear Old Mrs Bell was not composed by any of the group.

Ah, OK. I'm actually on vacation and don't have access to my albums to check the writing credit. But still, interesting that Hank sang (and presumably chose) a song with that lyrical theme.

Some of sole authored tunes are a product of the times, or that's how I read the themes at play. For example, Silvery Rain and Rachel Carson go hand in hand.

No question about it, Michael. But most of the songs I listed above are more personal and less socio-political, so probably represent Hank's deeper feelings and emotions. I'm just speculating...

[iefje]

One thing I always found quite curious is how, shall we say 'dark', Hank's lyrical writing turned in the late '60s, and persisted through the MW&F period. Many of his songs are real downers, melancholy and full of futility and dashed dreams and hopes. Think about the lyrics of these songs:

The Dreams I Dream
The Day I Met Marie
Dear Old Mrs. Bell
Average Life of the Daily Man
London's Not Too Far (OK, not very dark but definitely melancholy)
My Home Town
Silvery Rain
Mistress Fate and Father Time
Wish You Were Here
Ronnie
Lonesome Mole (I live alone, sleep in the hole in the ground....)
Skin Deep
If I Rewrote Yesterdays
(I'm a) Small And Lonely Light (a bird that's lost in flight, and it's too late at night to go home....)
You Never Can Tell (very dark...)
Nobody Cares

Would it be too far off the mark to say that these are lyrics written by a somewhat troubled man? It's even more interesting in light of the fact that Hank had adopted his faith by then. And it's completely at odds with his usual public image, which is about as positive and upbeat as it gets. There's a lot more to Hank than that....

Maybe some lyrics were inspired by the break-up of Hank's first marriage, which was in the late 1960's, I think.

[Fenderman]

I think 'Trying to forget the one you love' was inspired by Hank's marriage break up.
I also think 'You never can tell' and 'Nobody cares' are very dark, one makes reference to his faith which he had recently joined so maybe he was at a crossroads in his life.

[Ivan Pongracic Jr]

I think 'Trying to forget the one you love' was inspired by Hank's marriage break up.

Are you sure about that, Fenderman? That song was recorded back in '66, though not released until '68. I don't know when his marriage broke up, but that seems like it would have been quite early.

[Fenderman]

I can't be certain but i'm sure i read somewhere the lyrics were inspired by his marriage breakup.
I'm not sure when his marriage broke up but i do know he met his current wife in 1966 (on the set of 'Finders Keepers').
Probably best not to delve too far into Hank's personal life....

[negninegaw]

For some reason the vocals of the shadows don't speak to the heart;
too focused on the right notes and preciseness, with a sauce of emotion and energy. Wrong order.
When you have a truly great voice you can get away with that.
Their instrumental music (of the beginning) has a soaring quality that convinces on the spot.
Also, Hank's genial guitar solo tricks are not transferable to voice.

[hansaustria]

For some reason the vocals of the shadows don't speak to the heart;
too focused on the right notes and preciseness, with a sauce of emotion and energy. Wrong order.
When you have a truly great voice you can get away with that.
Their instrumental music (of the beginning) has a soaring quality that convinces on the spot.
Also, Hank's genial guitar solo tricks are not transferable to voice.

Who has a truly great voice IYHO?