Repetoire Redux-The fun of My Flame Burns Blue

[Jack of All Parades]

Reading EC's generous and heartfelt appreciation of Sir Paul McCartney in the recent Mojo piece in another thread and its discussion of 'hubris' has given me reason to revisit My Flame Burns Blue, perhaps for me his best piece of work in the first decade of this new century.

It is, for this listener, a marvelous re imaging of past work and a wonderful exploration of the musical palate with other forms and instrumentation. These are not simply covers but instead are imaginative reworkings of old songs like Clubland, Watching the Detectives and Episode of Blonde. It is something that he is failing to do with any intensity on his current tour. The old songs on this record come alive for me and are imbued with a creative re-visitation that often supplants the original in my musical memory.

The opener Hora Decubitus[ Before Bedtime if my high school Latin does not fail me] makes for a wonderful start. I cannot think of a more life affirming piece related to the terror attack which occurred around the time of its composition. Its exuberant usage of a big band is exhilarating and an effective answer back to that horrible and senseless act.

Clubland is opened up with its inherent Latin inflections brought to the forefront and the swirling piano bits provided by Steve Nieve who may be most strongly featured front and center on this record in total. His integral contributions to EC's music are never more evidenced than through his playing on this record. Watching the Detectives may be my favorite revisiting of an old war horse. It throbs with a frenetic tension when given its jazz inflections with the orchestra. Episode of Blonde on this record catches the paranoid aspects of the lyric, its claustrophobic insular feel. I love the delicious contrast between the melodic chorus and the frenetic verses. Almost Blue is taken to an aching level that I did not think was possible before this record. Yet another example for me of how this greatest of EC's songs can support and flourish under yet another interpretation. Love the French feel of the instrumental interlude midway through with harmonica and trumpet. Almost Ideal Eyes, which I disliked on its previous album appearance, is opened up magically for me with its big band arrangement.

There are some misfires. Favorite Hour is spoiled with its rather bombastic tone in this recording as opposed to the original recording with its tender yearning in its torch song presentation. Costello's voice is all over the place on this record. That can be a richly rewarding experience and also an inhibiting factor in appreciating the album. He just lacks the ability to consistently hit the higher registers with consistency and strength and the vibrato is too often overbearing. One highlight from a vocal standpoint for me is the subtle jazz infused vocal on God Give Me Strength. It has a naturalness and lightness which makes the song 'vibrate' for me.

I have not even discussed My Flame Burns Blue and Upon a Veil of Midnight Blue both of which strongly and successfully explore the world of 'blueness', a state that EC consistently explores with intelligence throughout his recording and writing career. I will argue with anyone that My Flame Burns Blue is one of his five all time strongest love songs. It deserves to become a standard like Almost Blue.

This is really a beautiful, engaging record. It must have been a wonderful night when this concert was performed with the Metropole Orkest. I was not in the audience but at least I have this album as a document of that memorable night. Perhaps more importantly, I would love to see him in his senior portion of his long career work more in this vein. I can only think it would be musically affirming for him as an artist and for us as listeners and admirers.

[FAVEHOUR]

I love this record. It is without a doubt one of the most vibrant live recordings I have ever purchased.

Dave

[The Gentleman]

My only disappointment is that EC happened to chose this show not to play "Punishing Kiss", which was a highlight of the other Metropole performances and would have been a useful addition to the discography.

[Jack of All Parades]

Favehour and Gentleman-you are both right. What this album does and so few live records do is take songs and truly and creatively recast them, often to the betterment. It consistently shows what an intelligent artist can do with sound material and the acquired skills of an adulthood spent learning new ways to think musically. It sure beats a limp rehash which is too often offered by performers in their live performances of material and is heads above his current revisitings where a speeded up tempo is deemed a significant reworking of a song. Plus, as you say Favehour, the album is just 'vibrant'- it consistently stays alive for my ears replay after replay.

[jardine]

My Flame Burns Blue. As a huge fan of Ellington, I almost passed out when I first heard Blood Count, on which MFBB is based, with Johnny Hodge's alto solo--a friend of Strayhorn's, and the pain of his recent passing back on May 31st 1967, the day, in Canada, before the release of Sgt. Pepper...

That the original was about cancer and a low blood count, my flame burning blue always struck me as a flame burning cold, something about Strayhorn near death, since this was one of his last compositions. I think Elvis does a wonderful job of stepping up into a stratospheric musical place with lyrics--Strayhorn, openly gay, with a "confidential friend"-- and a vocal to match the original...of course, "almost."
Re: Mr. Hodges:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ckls62nZHw

[Jack of All Parades]

There is always that whispered story line that Ellington and Strayhorn were more than musical friends. I choose not to read the lyric that way but more as you do with the 'cool' blueness of a lower flame just short of being extinguished. The original melody is haunting and EC, as you note, admirably steps up to the task of working with that melody giving the notes a special blueness. Ellington, along with Armstrong, was my late father in law's favorite composer. Secretly I think a lot of that greatness for Ellington can be laid at the feet of Strayhorn and Ellington's ability to attract and hold the greatest of sidemen like Hodges. I have always been partial to this one featuring him from the same album you highlighted:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJU8ec0DWk

This one also tugs at me no more so than having just seen Woody Allen's lovely ode to the city yesterday:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSG3Vmn0 ... re=related

[jardine]

oh, yeah, Daydream. right up against sentimentality, but avoiding it.

I'm now thinking that My Flame Burns Blue might be one of Elvis's most audacious and most successful collaborations. That is quite a song, a composer, and a history to even dare to try to set lyrics...and so near-seamlessly and successfully.

[Jack of All Parades]

My father in law was always fond of his friend's version of Blood Count- done here in a latter performance after my father in law had passed and not Long before Mr Getz himself passed- ironically all three from cancer. It may well be the most lyrical interpretation and it clearly supplants Mr. Hodges's version in my ears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNdcPB-XA1k

[johnfoyle]

This altogether different use of the Metropole Orkest is truly splendid, reminding me of the fabulous shows I saw them do with Elvis in 2006.


http://www.basementjaxx.net/

Atlantic Jaxx Recordings & Basement Jaxx announce the release of a new orchestral project in collaboration with the Netherlands’ Metropole Orkest and renowned London conductor and arranger, Jules Buckley.

Produced, orchestrated and arranged by Jules and Basement Jaxx’s Felix Buxton, the project features a full orchestra and a twenty piece choir as well as many of the singers from the Jaxx’s live shows, performing contemporary orchestral versions of the legendary Basement Jaxx back catalogue.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FumYdF3u ... e=youtu.be