tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179476671928808768.post3140032824653490997..comments2023-12-06T16:25:24.992-06:00Comments on friar's fires: The Light and the TunnelFriarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16907204457371629428noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179476671928808768.post-83697364785022838502015-01-05T21:55:45.802-06:002015-01-05T21:55:45.802-06:00Yes -- some kind of retrenchment was necessary. Th...Yes -- some kind of retrenchment was necessary. The thinking that went into the words of "Tunnel" is probably some of the most reflective of his catalog, and produced some of my faves as well. It was less mythic and more "inside" than anything to that point, as you say.<br /><br />If I ever get the chance to ask him, I'm curious to know if the scene in "Spare Parts" with the young mother at the river, with the sun bursting through, drew on the image of the heavens opening on Jesus in Luke 3:21-22 -- either way, that's one of the tops of my own playlist, along with the title track.<br /><br />Wish he'd just broken down and hired some session folks like he eventually did for "Human Touch," though -- the drum machines and synths still set my teeth on edge.Friarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04465717054328033709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5179476671928808768.post-49598655858017028882015-01-05T20:17:47.582-06:002015-01-05T20:17:47.582-06:00I don't think I disagree with you, but I'l...I don't think I disagree with you, but I'll add this: I remember being almost relieved when Tunnel of Love came out...because after the impossible pop brilliance of Born in the USA - and even more so the mammoth reception that album got - T of L felt...accessible. It was intimate in a way that nothing he'd done to that point had been, at least not in any sustained way.<br /><br />Also? It had "One Step Up," which is pretty much one of the most beautiful sad songs I've ever heard.<br /><br />I hear it now as a guy stepping back from the juggernaut - which is why I think it's maybe fitting that the band isn't really on it - and taking stock. Whether the music is great or not (and I'd argue it pretty much is), i SO appreciate its place in his continuum.philipvmnoreply@blogger.com