Post by hofner on Feb 4, 2014 16:31:53 GMT -5
Young And Innocent Days is one of Ray`s greatest songs and I remember, Dave played that song when he performed live. I quess I have this song anywhere on CD in Dave`s live-version.
The song is based (like so many others songs of Ray) on chromatic lines like JS Bach did in his baroque music. I think it was typical for the wealthy families in England having a harpsichord in the livingroom. The song reminds on the lovely and fine woodwork houses built in a wonderful landscape when the families had celebrations or relaxing evenings. At least one person of the family had learnt to play this baroque instrument and it belonged to the distinguished manners and style of the “better class“ families. Maybe you could imagine this family living in a lovely english village right behind the village green and one daughter, I call her Rosemary Rose, is sitting in a corner of the livingroom and does needleworks while the other daughter is playing harpsichord. I think this is to make your imagination of the musical construction of this song complete. Simply it`s a lovely and wellsounding tune. Anyway: Take the musical structure of this song, especially when the harpsichord sets in, then you can hear again Ray is in love with that kind of baroque music. When I asked him „how did it come that you use so many times these chromatic lines ?“ Ray answered
promptly „not I did it, Bach did it!“ (you remember me). This statement of Ray confirmed my opinion that he is and was a listener to classic music. He was interested in Bach and Purcell (the English baroque composer). It shows Ray became a master in writing songs, he worked with harmony and the art to combine harmony with Rock`n Roll elements. Ray made excursions to the classical music (you hear it on Friends on Percy, or on All Of My Friends or on the early material like Session Man and so on). Ray even told me he bought records of Mahler for example. The fingerpicked acoustic guitar at the end of YAID shows how important it was to set this play with the semitones in the foreground. The chord structure in this song is pretty simple but the fingerpicked tones they work so great. I believe this song is a strong tribute to the great baroque composers and Ray learnt from them since he became a professional writer. Even the lyrics of YAID support the fine music when Ray speaks of „sugarcoated dreams“. Everything in this song fits perfectly: the lyrics, the expression of Ray`s voice and the harmonies adopted from those baroque composers like Bach and Purcel. Sorry for my pour English, I hope you know what I mean!
The song is based (like so many others songs of Ray) on chromatic lines like JS Bach did in his baroque music. I think it was typical for the wealthy families in England having a harpsichord in the livingroom. The song reminds on the lovely and fine woodwork houses built in a wonderful landscape when the families had celebrations or relaxing evenings. At least one person of the family had learnt to play this baroque instrument and it belonged to the distinguished manners and style of the “better class“ families. Maybe you could imagine this family living in a lovely english village right behind the village green and one daughter, I call her Rosemary Rose, is sitting in a corner of the livingroom and does needleworks while the other daughter is playing harpsichord. I think this is to make your imagination of the musical construction of this song complete. Simply it`s a lovely and wellsounding tune. Anyway: Take the musical structure of this song, especially when the harpsichord sets in, then you can hear again Ray is in love with that kind of baroque music. When I asked him „how did it come that you use so many times these chromatic lines ?“ Ray answered
promptly „not I did it, Bach did it!“ (you remember me). This statement of Ray confirmed my opinion that he is and was a listener to classic music. He was interested in Bach and Purcell (the English baroque composer). It shows Ray became a master in writing songs, he worked with harmony and the art to combine harmony with Rock`n Roll elements. Ray made excursions to the classical music (you hear it on Friends on Percy, or on All Of My Friends or on the early material like Session Man and so on). Ray even told me he bought records of Mahler for example. The fingerpicked acoustic guitar at the end of YAID shows how important it was to set this play with the semitones in the foreground. The chord structure in this song is pretty simple but the fingerpicked tones they work so great. I believe this song is a strong tribute to the great baroque composers and Ray learnt from them since he became a professional writer. Even the lyrics of YAID support the fine music when Ray speaks of „sugarcoated dreams“. Everything in this song fits perfectly: the lyrics, the expression of Ray`s voice and the harmonies adopted from those baroque composers like Bach and Purcel. Sorry for my pour English, I hope you know what I mean!