My Alphabetical iPod Diary (Day 5)
“Across The Great Divide” by The Band (from The Band and Rock Of Ages)
Jeez, how much more talk about the Band can this website possibly have? (Answer: A lot). One of the great “second-tier” Band songs, that is, not one of the many masterpieces, but a damn fine, fun song in it’s own right. The original version, from The Band, is one of their great upbeat songs, not necessarily on the vain of “Up On Cripple Creek” or “Life Is A Carnival,” but a little more laid back, a little sweeter. Levon Helm’s lopsided drums, Richard Manuel’s repeating piano stomp and Rick Danko’s achy breaky voice all make for a feel-good ride and one of the most good natured tracks in the band’s repertoire. The live version, from 1972’s Rock Of Ages, slows things down considerably, putting more emphasis on Robbie Robertson’s guitar licks, Garth Hudson’s woozy keyboards and Allan Toussaint’s punchy horn arrangements. It’s the flip side of the studio version, but when compared back–to–back to the original it becomes a testament to the malleability of the Band.
“Across The Sea” by Weezer (from Pinkerton)
Pretty much the ultimate Pinkerton song: atonal chords, big fuzzed out bass perpetually set on “superoverdriveallthetime”, mommy issues, lots of talk about Japanese girls and lots of Rivers Cuomo whacking off to said Japanese girls. I heard that Pinkerton’s track order is in the order that the songs were written and between “Why Bother,” the track that immediately precedes “Across The Sea,” and “Across The Sea,” Cuomo suffered from a prolonged writer’s block. Then he started getting into some weird rock star/Japanese lady fan correspondence and wrote this fairly literal translation and was able to jump back into completing the album. “Across The Sea” is probably the point where Weezer got pegged with the “Emo” tag, but it’s also Pinkerton’s most musically adventurous song and quite possibly the best of a very impressive lot. Magnet recently called Pinkerton one of the worst sophomore albums of all time, and this song is likely the line in the sand for haters and Weezer cult members. As I listen to the come to a finish – and especially coming off of the brilliant harmony of the bridge – and can’t help but stand firmly on the side of Weezer cult member. Forgive me, this song (and this album) are just too good.