Is this a perfect moment?
Watching a new episode of Glee with Little Bob my mischievous black kitten curled up and purring in my lap.
Showing posts with label Glee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Glee. Show all posts
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
Saturday, 29 May 2010
CD: GLEE THE MUSIC, VOLUME 3, SHOWSTOPPERS, DELUXE
An Amazon 4-star review (slightly expanded).
Third to be release, third in quality.
Admittedly it could just be me but I think that the song choices this time around aren't as strong as on the previous albums. It doesn't help that it opens with one of my least favourite Beatles songs and that I'm not a big Beatles fan in the first place. No matter, it picks up again straight after with Gives You Hell and there are lots of good songs like Total Eclipse of the Heart, One, Dream On (a great two-hander by Morrison and Harris), Safety Dance (given the poignancy that it's a fantasy number sung by the wheelchair-bound Artie), and Rose's Turn from Chris Colfer. But there are just a few two many so-so songs and at least one serious misstep with Poker Face. And not enough rock songs, but then again maybe that's just me.
What I'd really like is a DVD of the musical numbers from the show as the songs are all stronger set in the context and the dance routines don't hurt either.
What I'd really like is a DVD of the musical numbers from the show as the songs are all stronger set in the context and the dance routines don't hurt either.
Incidentally, I don't know what is 'deluxe' about it as there appear to be no other editions, neither ordinary nor mega deluxe. Bollocks.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
DVD: GLEE SEASON 1 VOLUME 1
An Amazon 5-star review (slightly edited).
This shouldn't work. But it does.
I shouldn't like it. But I do.
Why? Because, against all the odds, it works. Brilliantly. Stay with me and I'll see if I can work out why this tv series manages to appeal to such a mass and wide-ranging audience. Musically alone, it manages to appeal from to those who like show tunes to those who like The Blues and rough-edged Rock (me). But I'm getting ahead of myself.
First off, the cast and their roles. I'm not going to mention all of them -and they are all good- just the key cast (and a personal favourite).
As Mr Schue, the leader of Glee Club, Matthew Morrison, an experienced Broadway musicals singer/actor, possesses a rumpled but appealing face well suited to both comedy and drama and he anchors the show to perfection. He's also a skilled adaptable singer who's received some criticism for his rap and what passes these for r'n'b but sounds just fine to me, who can't stand either, and manages to make them listenable.
The production team must have fallen on their knees to praise the Gods of Showbusiness when Lea Michele not only auditioned but accepted the role of Rachel. Michele herself has already attained the status that Rachel aspires to of being a young star of Broadway. She is a gifted light comedy actress and an absolutely stunning singer who could well end up being one of the greats, up there with Streisand and Minelli, only more appealing.
Corey Monteith completes the core triad as Finn, the Tim-nice-but-dim jock with a heart of gold. Like Morrison and Michele, he acts well and sings well and is completely convincing. The likeability of Finn is one of the show's great strengths.
Lesbian icon Jane Lynch is great as the villain, the utterly self-centred unfeeling ruthless enemy of Mr Schue. Chris Colfer is a star in the making for the dignity he displays as the effeminate Kurt, also a great singer. Jessica Gilsig as Mr Schue's wife is so appallingly horrible that I want her to die a slow agonising death every time she's on screen. She's counterpointed by Jayma Mays as the adorable obsessive school counsellor Emma. Lastly (if I tried to mention them all and why they're so good, we'd be here all night -sorry if I've left out your favourite) is Heather Morris as Brittany, a character so dumb she makes Finn look like Einstein. Morris doesn't get much dialogue but she makes the most of it and she has the series' most jaw-dropping line but you have to be on the ball to catch it. Hopefully she'll be featured more in the future.
Okay. so we've got a great cast and strong characters and, let's face it, you probably already know them yourselves. You also know the setup. An idealistic teacher restarts a high school Glee Club ending up with an uneasy mix of outsiders, jocks, and cheerleaders who all have problems whether it's one group being bullied by the other or by having to live up to high expectations, etc. But what they all have is talent and here's where the musical side of things comes in. Again, the show's musical director (and creator) gets it just right with a blend of show tunes, pop songs, and a mix of other contemporary genres, which are often reworked for harmonies, which the cast excel in, and manages to give them an appeal beyond their normal audience (see above; you can find my favourites in the my reviews of the two CDs, but I'll just mention Jenna Uskowitz's lovely rendition of 'True Colours'). The songs themselves are deliberately chosen as a means of making a comment on either a character or plot development.
Add some snappy dance routines which are just about convincing as being within the abilities of people other than professional dancers and you have a great show. The musical numbers are supposedly all performed within the context of the club itself (i.e. the cast don't suddenly break into song and dance along school corridors, etc) but there are a couple of cheats as when Mercedes has a fantasy number (and a great one it is too) after she deliberately breaks the window of Kurt's car and starts singing 'Broke Your Window' and goes into a dance routine with the cheerleaders, as you do.
The writing is as sharp as a razor with strong subplots and snappy dialogue. And this is where I finally mention the elephant in the room which I've been ignoring so far. Glee is outrageously funny and it makes me laugh out loud several times an episode. It's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen and is the only comedy show I faithfully follow except for The Big Bang Theory. But it's also more than that. It's also a drama and it touches on real problems such as bullying, schoolgirl pregnancy, homophobia, marital discord, etc, but it does so by seamlessly blending the different aspects.
On a technical level, it's also excellent. The editing is simply masterful and no scene goes on a second too long. Also the recap at the beginning of each show, often a pain for regular viewers to sit through, is brilliant as the narrator hilariously races through key points in a matter of seconds.
The extras and the only sour note in this review. Most of them are brief publicity pieces lacking any kind of depth. The first four are watchable but skip the rest; believe me, you aren't missing anything. Big disappointment as I was hoping for some detail about how the show was put together.
Finally what makes this into a show that will live long in memory is the seamless way it manages to blend every element together without showing the slightest join. It's an unlikely show to be successful but then so was Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Glee, in its own way, is just as good as Buffy and that is one hell of an achievement. Glee, while an appropriate title, could also be called something else, an emotion that it brings to the viewer.
Glee is a total and complete joy.
I shouldn't like it. But I do.
Why? Because, against all the odds, it works. Brilliantly. Stay with me and I'll see if I can work out why this tv series manages to appeal to such a mass and wide-ranging audience. Musically alone, it manages to appeal from to those who like show tunes to those who like The Blues and rough-edged Rock (me). But I'm getting ahead of myself.
First off, the cast and their roles. I'm not going to mention all of them -and they are all good- just the key cast (and a personal favourite).
As Mr Schue, the leader of Glee Club, Matthew Morrison, an experienced Broadway musicals singer/actor, possesses a rumpled but appealing face well suited to both comedy and drama and he anchors the show to perfection. He's also a skilled adaptable singer who's received some criticism for his rap and what passes these for r'n'b but sounds just fine to me, who can't stand either, and manages to make them listenable.
The production team must have fallen on their knees to praise the Gods of Showbusiness when Lea Michele not only auditioned but accepted the role of Rachel. Michele herself has already attained the status that Rachel aspires to of being a young star of Broadway. She is a gifted light comedy actress and an absolutely stunning singer who could well end up being one of the greats, up there with Streisand and Minelli, only more appealing.
Corey Monteith completes the core triad as Finn, the Tim-nice-but-dim jock with a heart of gold. Like Morrison and Michele, he acts well and sings well and is completely convincing. The likeability of Finn is one of the show's great strengths.
Lesbian icon Jane Lynch is great as the villain, the utterly self-centred unfeeling ruthless enemy of Mr Schue. Chris Colfer is a star in the making for the dignity he displays as the effeminate Kurt, also a great singer. Jessica Gilsig as Mr Schue's wife is so appallingly horrible that I want her to die a slow agonising death every time she's on screen. She's counterpointed by Jayma Mays as the adorable obsessive school counsellor Emma. Lastly (if I tried to mention them all and why they're so good, we'd be here all night -sorry if I've left out your favourite) is Heather Morris as Brittany, a character so dumb she makes Finn look like Einstein. Morris doesn't get much dialogue but she makes the most of it and she has the series' most jaw-dropping line but you have to be on the ball to catch it. Hopefully she'll be featured more in the future.
Okay. so we've got a great cast and strong characters and, let's face it, you probably already know them yourselves. You also know the setup. An idealistic teacher restarts a high school Glee Club ending up with an uneasy mix of outsiders, jocks, and cheerleaders who all have problems whether it's one group being bullied by the other or by having to live up to high expectations, etc. But what they all have is talent and here's where the musical side of things comes in. Again, the show's musical director (and creator) gets it just right with a blend of show tunes, pop songs, and a mix of other contemporary genres, which are often reworked for harmonies, which the cast excel in, and manages to give them an appeal beyond their normal audience (see above; you can find my favourites in the my reviews of the two CDs, but I'll just mention Jenna Uskowitz's lovely rendition of 'True Colours'). The songs themselves are deliberately chosen as a means of making a comment on either a character or plot development.
Add some snappy dance routines which are just about convincing as being within the abilities of people other than professional dancers and you have a great show. The musical numbers are supposedly all performed within the context of the club itself (i.e. the cast don't suddenly break into song and dance along school corridors, etc) but there are a couple of cheats as when Mercedes has a fantasy number (and a great one it is too) after she deliberately breaks the window of Kurt's car and starts singing 'Broke Your Window' and goes into a dance routine with the cheerleaders, as you do.
The writing is as sharp as a razor with strong subplots and snappy dialogue. And this is where I finally mention the elephant in the room which I've been ignoring so far. Glee is outrageously funny and it makes me laugh out loud several times an episode. It's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen and is the only comedy show I faithfully follow except for The Big Bang Theory. But it's also more than that. It's also a drama and it touches on real problems such as bullying, schoolgirl pregnancy, homophobia, marital discord, etc, but it does so by seamlessly blending the different aspects.
On a technical level, it's also excellent. The editing is simply masterful and no scene goes on a second too long. Also the recap at the beginning of each show, often a pain for regular viewers to sit through, is brilliant as the narrator hilariously races through key points in a matter of seconds.
The extras and the only sour note in this review. Most of them are brief publicity pieces lacking any kind of depth. The first four are watchable but skip the rest; believe me, you aren't missing anything. Big disappointment as I was hoping for some detail about how the show was put together.
Finally what makes this into a show that will live long in memory is the seamless way it manages to blend every element together without showing the slightest join. It's an unlikely show to be successful but then so was Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Glee, in its own way, is just as good as Buffy and that is one hell of an achievement. Glee, while an appropriate title, could also be called something else, an emotion that it brings to the viewer.
Glee is a total and complete joy.
Friday, 2 April 2010
MUSIC: GLEE VOLS 1 & 2
(Previously appeared on Amazon)
5 star review.
Don't buy this CD.
Don't buy vol.2 either, or download the MP3s. Don't watch the TV show and definitely do not buy the DVD. They are bad for you and I'm going to tell you why.
A few weeks ago I was a normal person who liked their entertainment to have an edge. I love raw Blues (Blind Willie Johnson, Howlin' Wolf) and hard Rock (Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen) and Johnny Cash (I don't like Country otherwise). I like music so raw that if it was steak (and if I wasn't a vegetarian) I'd eat it raw and bloody. I like tough TV. I like Skins and I like True Blood and I like Dexter. And when I heard there was tv series about High School students who sang in a glee club I wanted to throw up. I would make it my mission to exterminate such a vile and inspid and bland thing and eradicate its memory from the collective human consciousness. So of course I had to watch at least one episode to make sure it was as sickening as I expected.
And another.
And another.
And another, until I began to weep. It had snared me in its insidious clutches and my destroyed my credibility in my own eyes. I enjoyed the stories and the characters, but my exposure of their particular horrors shall wait until I've watched the DVD and all the extras. Twice.
I enjoyed the music -me who likes his music raw and bleeding. I loved the range of the strong voices, leads and harmonies. I loved the mix and the arrangements of the blend of pop songs and shown tunes and, yes, rock. I loved the choreography and colour and bounciness. And so I bought Glee: the Music CD vol 1. And Glee: the Music CD vol 2. (And pre-ordered Glee: Season 1 the DVD.) And, like the show itself, the music made me smile and it made me happy and I couldn't deny it any longer. I loved Glee.
Keep away lest this devious piece of skilled wonderfully enjoyable delightful entertainment ensnare you too and destroy all your credibility and illusions. Don't buy this CD!
A few weeks ago I was a normal person who liked their entertainment to have an edge. I love raw Blues (Blind Willie Johnson, Howlin' Wolf) and hard Rock (Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen) and Johnny Cash (I don't like Country otherwise). I like music so raw that if it was steak (and if I wasn't a vegetarian) I'd eat it raw and bloody. I like tough TV. I like Skins and I like True Blood and I like Dexter. And when I heard there was tv series about High School students who sang in a glee club I wanted to throw up. I would make it my mission to exterminate such a vile and inspid and bland thing and eradicate its memory from the collective human consciousness. So of course I had to watch at least one episode to make sure it was as sickening as I expected.
And another.
And another.
And another, until I began to weep. It had snared me in its insidious clutches and my destroyed my credibility in my own eyes. I enjoyed the stories and the characters, but my exposure of their particular horrors shall wait until I've watched the DVD and all the extras. Twice.
I enjoyed the music -me who likes his music raw and bleeding. I loved the range of the strong voices, leads and harmonies. I loved the mix and the arrangements of the blend of pop songs and shown tunes and, yes, rock. I loved the choreography and colour and bounciness. And so I bought Glee: the Music CD vol 1. And Glee: the Music CD vol 2. (And pre-ordered Glee: Season 1 the DVD.) And, like the show itself, the music made me smile and it made me happy and I couldn't deny it any longer. I loved Glee.
Keep away lest this devious piece of skilled wonderfully enjoyable delightful entertainment ensnare you too and destroy all your credibility and illusions. Don't buy this CD!
5 star review
You really should not be buying this.
Okay, I think we're alone now. There just us no-hopers left who have fallen victim to Glee's insidious spell. We're already ruined so I may as well get on with the review.
It occurred to me that it reminds me of a BBC1 Saturday evening show about three years ago in which amateur choirs competed against each other. The songs were, like Glee, very varied but more so. While there were solo vocals, the strength came from the harmonies. To my surprise I really enjoyed the show which, with hindsight, explains why I fell in love with Glee despite my normal predilection for edgier music.
As for this CD, if anything, I think it's slightly better than vol.1, only slightly though. It opens with a terrific version of Proud Mary. Other standouts include I'll Stand By You, Imagine, and True Colours which is just great; the rest of the songs are all fine too. As I said, the harmonies really make the CD, but Lea Michele and Cory Monteith are terrific singers whose playing off each other is particularly striking. This is simply lovely enjoyable stuff and if you liked the first CD then you'll like this just as much as it's more of the same.
My previous review was tongue in cheek but I'm being serious when I say that this isn't deep or profound music and is all the better for it. Sometimes we just need a little light among the shade. You may not always get what you want but sometime you get just what you need and Glee is it.
Friday, 19 March 2010
TV GLEE REVISITED
If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you should have a fairish if uneven idea of the kind of music I like. What I don't like under any circumstances is a collection of covers by a bunch of teenager actors and a couple of adults put together on a tv show about a glee club. It's my idea of hell on earth. It's mediocre and soulless. It's bland (see previous posts) in the extreme. If such a thing existed I would make it my mission on earth to stamp it to a bloody collective pulp and exterminate memories of it from all of humanity.
But then I started watching Glee and.... and.... I.. uh... um...
I was wrong.
It's wonderful and it isn't bland. And it's s hell of a lot better than Skins Series 4 (last ep to be reviewed/recapped soon).
Despite what I said a few weeks ago, I... I'm even going to buy the two soundtrack albums from the first season. This should be the tv show and music from hell for me but it works. It just works. It's great and I love it and it makes me smile and laugh and part of me wants to punch me in the face for writing that.
Somebody help me please!
Friday, 12 February 2010
TV: GLEE
-An American tv series about a high school glee club. Oh sure, that sounds right up my street. Gotta watch that, gonna be great!
Actually, I can't imagine anything I'd like less. Well I can but that one would be well up there. Yet I kept reading good things about it, plus it had Jane Lynch in the ensemble cast. As it happened, a second showing follows Skins (and I caught it around ep 4, the one where, surprising no-one, Kurt comes out) so I gave it a try and damned if I didn't enjoy it.
The kids are an interesting mix -the effeminate gay, the sensitive jock, the talented but picked on brilliant singer, the cheerleader pregnant but not by her boyfriend though he thinks it's him, the stutterer, the kid in a wheelchair, and so on -not all are developed yet but there's plenty of potential.
The adults are a fun bunch too. The Spanish teacher who runs the club is a nice guy but his wife is a lying bitch-monster. There's the sensitive teacher who is terrified of germs and secretly in love with our hero. She's played by the engaging actress who played Hiro's early waitress girlfriend in Heroes who was killed by Sylar but is apparently about not to be dead. Jane Lynch runs the cheerleading squad and is a ruthless egotist. There's more, but if you haven't seen this series, do so at once or check Wikipaedia for more details.
It works as an intelligent high school soap because it focusses on outsiders and it's also very funny as well as sensitive. Hell, I even enjoy the musical numbers though I won't -excuse me, make that I won't- be buying any downloads of them.
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