![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Dec. 5th, 2006
It's Always Been Like This
Dec. 5th, 2006 06:58 pmJust heard an interview with a "food scholar" who states tomatoes were part of 13th Century Moroccan cuisine.
They're a new world plant. There were no tomatoes in Morocco in the 13th Century.
I guess they've been a part of the diet for so long she just assumed they had always been a part of it.
They're a new world plant. There were no tomatoes in Morocco in the 13th Century.
I guess they've been a part of the diet for so long she just assumed they had always been a part of it.
Narrowness of View
Dec. 5th, 2006 07:07 pmI am sometimes amazed at how talented people can miss things even in their own fields. Take the Tornados, the band Joe Meek hired for his 1962 instrumental "Telstar." When they first heard the finished product on the air they thought Meek had made them a laughingstock. They were surprised to learn that the song was not only a chart-topper, it was topping the charts in several countries! And, not long after, producing hit singles for groups who covered the song! So, the Tornados decided to produce their own cover, minus Meek, and do it right. And produced a minor flop, today of interest only to the completest or the unwary.
Of course, Meek, himself, wasn't immune to being wrong about music. He thought the Rolling Stones were "just a little warm-up band". He was similarly dismissive of Rod Stewart, David Bowie and the Beatles (admittedly, all early in their respective careers). He did work with Tom Jones, but was unable to sell the tracks they recorded until after Jones had his 1965 hit "It's Not Unusual."
"Telstar" still has power, especially the original version. Meek - an electronics genius quite familiar with early satellite communication - opened with studio-produced sounds intended to recreate what users of the real Telstar would often hear - interference and telemetry. Something no cover I have heard has accurately reproduced. Indeed, some of the attempts to duplicate this eerie, futuristic mix of natural and man-made sounds are baffling, or even laughable. The Tornados later version, for example, replaces Meek's electronic sounds with a simulated helicopter. Huh?!
Those who are curious about an important contribution to musical history, or who just want to hear an interesting, innovative piece should make an effort to hear the original release. And, if made curious by this, some of the covers. Many are quite good in their own right. But only the original has that energy and spirit.
Of course, Meek, himself, wasn't immune to being wrong about music. He thought the Rolling Stones were "just a little warm-up band". He was similarly dismissive of Rod Stewart, David Bowie and the Beatles (admittedly, all early in their respective careers). He did work with Tom Jones, but was unable to sell the tracks they recorded until after Jones had his 1965 hit "It's Not Unusual."
"Telstar" still has power, especially the original version. Meek - an electronics genius quite familiar with early satellite communication - opened with studio-produced sounds intended to recreate what users of the real Telstar would often hear - interference and telemetry. Something no cover I have heard has accurately reproduced. Indeed, some of the attempts to duplicate this eerie, futuristic mix of natural and man-made sounds are baffling, or even laughable. The Tornados later version, for example, replaces Meek's electronic sounds with a simulated helicopter. Huh?!
Those who are curious about an important contribution to musical history, or who just want to hear an interesting, innovative piece should make an effort to hear the original release. And, if made curious by this, some of the covers. Many are quite good in their own right. But only the original has that energy and spirit.
