on 6/3/02 10:37 AM, Steve Smith at ssmith36@sprynet.com wrote:
Skip, you're correct in your musical analysis, of course. But in this case, I was referring only to public perception and pop-market credibility, not actual musical content. In my own purview, Jackson got to play the rock'n'roll star at least for a while during the Eagles era, while James Taylor has always been a warm snuggle-bunny due to things like "You've Got a Friend." I just thought Taylor was better suited to your own argument about general public perception and tastes than Taylor - Browne was MTV for at least a while, while Taylor has been VH1 since before the station existed - but, as always, to each his own!
I do like your "Bill Evans" analogy, though.
Steve Smith
Kindly remember that the Eagles never covered JT, but did cover Waits. On the other hand, George Jones covered JT not once but TWICE. Would Jackson ever write a line like "I was standing over a man with a tire iron in my hand"? And what about "Millworker", one of the greatest songs about American labor ever? My other self-serving analogy in the same vein positions Joni Mitchell as Keith Jarrett. sh NP: BOBBIE GENTRY'S GREATEST HITS