Gene Pitney
Sad day today.
I'm addicted to music. I can't play or sing to save my life but I love listening to it. Stone Temple Pilots, Matt Good, Sarah Mclachlan, Black Lab, Counting Crows all live happily in my trusty MP3 player. Any time that I've gone through a difficult period in my life or I've felt down my music collection has been a constant reassurance. I just feel better after listening to it or singing loudly and out of tune along with whatever I'm in the mood for. Of course anyone who has to hear me actually singing would probably think I'm in a lot of pain and those that know me tend to politely leave the room for the sake of their own sanity. I'll also admit to being a bit of a music snob, especially when it comes to some of the guff you find in the UK charts these days, but that's because I'm passionate about what I like. I really don't know what I'd do without it.
The reason for this post is this: I can trace my interest in music back to one person. Gene Pitney. You know how it is when you're growing up, exposed to your parents taste in music. Well I can remember being raised listening to a lot of Billy Joel (the good stuff), a variety of sixties artists, but mainly Gene Pitney. My mum is a huge fan and a couple of times I took her along to some of his concerts. He was an incredible singer with an amazing voice that most singers today can't even come near. To hear him live was amazing. I had the same experience with Sarah Mclachlan when I started to develop my own taste in music. She had an incredible sounding voice on the cd's I bought, really beautiful and haunting, but when I saw her live it was mind blowing. The recordings just don't do her justice.
So it was strange to hear that Gene Pitney died today during his current tour. He had been such a constant in my life for so long I think I'd reached a point where I never considered it happening. If my mum was driving anywhere you could guarentee a couple of Pitney tracks playing on the tape in the car and every year mum was always trying to see him in concert. It was just something I was used to, I guess.
The best thing about Pitney was probably the fact that he had no need to be touring. He made his fortune as a song writer for other artists back in the sixties but still enjoyed playing to his incredibly loyal fans. As a singer he was probably more popular in Europe than America. As a result he ended up touring the UK on a yearly basis, selling out at every venue. He appreciated the loyalty of his fans and made himself available to them because of it.
I had recently been talking to a friend of mine about musical tastes and he had mentioned how he didn't like artists that were of a certain age and still trying to make records because he felt almost embarrased by them. It never even crossed my mind to think of Pitney in this light because his voice was still incredibly powerfull and he never seemed to be trying to prove anything. He had such an extensive back catalogue of songs to pull from as well that this probably explains why people were so happy to go and see him year after year. My mum has over 250 in her collection.
So there you have it. When I'm dazzling you with all these bands I like that you've never heard of in an attempt to look cool, just remember that deep down I'm a closet Gene Pitney fan.
Without him my life would have been a little less... musical. And if my parents are reading please bare in mind this: All the bands I listen to that you used to complain about - It's your fault I like them!
I'm addicted to music. I can't play or sing to save my life but I love listening to it. Stone Temple Pilots, Matt Good, Sarah Mclachlan, Black Lab, Counting Crows all live happily in my trusty MP3 player. Any time that I've gone through a difficult period in my life or I've felt down my music collection has been a constant reassurance. I just feel better after listening to it or singing loudly and out of tune along with whatever I'm in the mood for. Of course anyone who has to hear me actually singing would probably think I'm in a lot of pain and those that know me tend to politely leave the room for the sake of their own sanity. I'll also admit to being a bit of a music snob, especially when it comes to some of the guff you find in the UK charts these days, but that's because I'm passionate about what I like. I really don't know what I'd do without it.
The reason for this post is this: I can trace my interest in music back to one person. Gene Pitney. You know how it is when you're growing up, exposed to your parents taste in music. Well I can remember being raised listening to a lot of Billy Joel (the good stuff), a variety of sixties artists, but mainly Gene Pitney. My mum is a huge fan and a couple of times I took her along to some of his concerts. He was an incredible singer with an amazing voice that most singers today can't even come near. To hear him live was amazing. I had the same experience with Sarah Mclachlan when I started to develop my own taste in music. She had an incredible sounding voice on the cd's I bought, really beautiful and haunting, but when I saw her live it was mind blowing. The recordings just don't do her justice.
So it was strange to hear that Gene Pitney died today during his current tour. He had been such a constant in my life for so long I think I'd reached a point where I never considered it happening. If my mum was driving anywhere you could guarentee a couple of Pitney tracks playing on the tape in the car and every year mum was always trying to see him in concert. It was just something I was used to, I guess.
The best thing about Pitney was probably the fact that he had no need to be touring. He made his fortune as a song writer for other artists back in the sixties but still enjoyed playing to his incredibly loyal fans. As a singer he was probably more popular in Europe than America. As a result he ended up touring the UK on a yearly basis, selling out at every venue. He appreciated the loyalty of his fans and made himself available to them because of it.
I had recently been talking to a friend of mine about musical tastes and he had mentioned how he didn't like artists that were of a certain age and still trying to make records because he felt almost embarrased by them. It never even crossed my mind to think of Pitney in this light because his voice was still incredibly powerfull and he never seemed to be trying to prove anything. He had such an extensive back catalogue of songs to pull from as well that this probably explains why people were so happy to go and see him year after year. My mum has over 250 in her collection.
So there you have it. When I'm dazzling you with all these bands I like that you've never heard of in an attempt to look cool, just remember that deep down I'm a closet Gene Pitney fan.
Without him my life would have been a little less... musical. And if my parents are reading please bare in mind this: All the bands I listen to that you used to complain about - It's your fault I like them!
posted by The Neath at 7:38 pm
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