Oh, and of course no member of the Bujold list would dream of doing anything like that to any work of art. ;-)
In all seriousness: a) The key part of the whole post was in the first sentence: "listen - really listen". The rest was just a description of what you'd hear. (Note, in particular, that it was entirely positive.) b) This is what I find to be true about critical activity: within certain limits, paying attention - at this level, at least - actually intensifies the pleasure I take in the work. There is a cost; some work simply won't stand up to scrutiny. But, thus far at least, for me, the benefits outweigh the costs. c) The other main point is that what Petula Clark and her crew do is - at its best - interesting. I want music that does things with tempo, pitch, volume and harmony. I want to hear Bonnie Tyler suddenly changing gears from the screamed "I'm livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" to the softness of "Once upon a time there was light in my life"; I like the sound of Art Garfunkel's voice as it peels away from Paul Simon's in "The Sounds of Silence"; I enjoy the various exotic effects that the Moody Blues, Al Stewart, and Enya specialize in. And Petula Clark belongs in that company.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-08-17 06:08 pm (UTC)In all seriousness:
a) The key part of the whole post was in the first sentence: "listen - really listen". The rest was just a description of what you'd hear. (Note, in particular, that it was entirely positive.)
b) This is what I find to be true about critical activity: within certain limits, paying attention - at this level, at least - actually intensifies the pleasure I take in the work. There is a cost; some work simply won't stand up to scrutiny. But, thus far at least, for me, the benefits outweigh the costs.
c) The other main point is that what Petula Clark and her crew do is - at its best - interesting. I want music that does things with tempo, pitch, volume and harmony. I want to hear Bonnie Tyler suddenly changing gears from the screamed "I'm livin' in a powder keg and givin' off sparks" to the softness of "Once upon a time there was light in my life"; I like the sound of Art Garfunkel's voice as it peels away from Paul Simon's in "The Sounds of Silence"; I enjoy the various exotic effects that the Moody Blues, Al Stewart, and Enya specialize in. And Petula Clark belongs in that company.