Wednesday, April 20, 2022

ccxxxi. KENEALLY, Mike: I Was Not Ready For You

ccxxxi. KENEALLY, Mike (1961-       )

I Was Not Ready For You (2000)
MK, vocals, guitars, keyboards
Bryan Beller, bass
Marc Ziegenhagen, keyboards
Jason Harrison Smith, drums
Tricia Williams, percussion
Rick Musallam, guitar, vocals
Evan Francis, alto saxophone, flute
Chris Opperman, trumpet
(3:20)


from: Dancing.


Mike has moved on, and in 2013 wrote:

"Dancing was written and recorded at a time when I was a very different person than I am now, and one whom, when I look back, I don't care for too much. I won't get into the gory details but I think I was suffering from a messiah complex and midlife crisis at the same time. Dangerous combination. I was making changes in my life without heeding the feelings of others, but I felt that all my actions were shepherded and approved of by cosmic forces. (As Frank Zappa would have said, "phewwwwww.") In a year's time I would settle down a lot and produce Wooden Smoke, by which time I'd achieved some calmness, but by my standards, Dancing documents me at my most insufferable -- so it's a bit hard for me to listen to it.

Having said that, I acknowledge that my issues with the album are entirely personal, and that it's a lot of people's favorite album I've done; I've often seen people online recommending it as a starting point for newcomers to my music, It is a strong bunch of material, and the arrangements were painstakingly arrived at and really nicely performed ... I shouldn't trash talk the album. It has brought a lot of people a lot of pleasure and I'm happy about that."

**

"I just played a droning B-natural for a long time ... I started adding other notes, but I didn't want to let go of the B, so I found a simple progressional which allow the B to stay on top: A-Flat Minor, A2, A-Flat Minor, G Major. I liked the droniness and sad inevitability of that progression and the rest of the music fell into place in very short order."

**

Interesting. I'm one of those folks who consider this some of Mike's finest material, and -- yes -- I would recommend it as a starting point for those new to his music.

A lot of it rocks loud and hard. And there's gotta be at least a million ways to subdivide that bar in two!

**

I never passed out under your piano
Honed my tan in your console's glow
A million ways to subdivide that bar in two

Schedules were not coordinated
Nor sudden whims anticipated
I might have seen your deeper shade of blue
But I was not ready for you

We never were the crime-avenging twins
But maybe heaven knows what we could have been

I'll file away the lyrics uncompleted
Record over the call I wish I'd heeded
And go on to do what we were meant to do
When I was not ready for you

And I can feel your smile above this din
I hope you like it, outside looking in
I'll file away the lyrics uncompleted
Record over the call I wish I'd heeded
And go on to do what we were meant to do
When I was not ready for you

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INDEX to 1000 POSTS NON-CLASSICAL BLOG A-M

N-Z A-HA / Take On Me / ccclxx ABERCROMBIE, John / Timeless / xxiii ABERCROMBIE, John / JOHNSON, Marc / ERSKINE, Peter / Light Beam / cxlix ...