JDB's melisma

[CaerphillyCheese]

Originally Posted by blackflower

I'm just running through the first few songs on my playlist of fave Manics tunes to see how often the mordent occurs.

I Am Just A Patsy: in 'love' and 'above' in the chorus
Prologue to History: not as often but pops up in the second chorus on 'mission'
I Live To Fall Asleep: he actually kinds of extends it here in 'kill' (first verse) and 'asleep' (end of chorus)
The Girl Who Wanted to Be God: 'high' in second verse, 'am' in last line of last chorus
Die in the Summertime: on last 'die' in the chorus

... this could be a very dangerous drinking game.

I also listened to Kylie's Some Kind of Bliss and she does it in the chorus of that too on 'bliss'. I don't think it's her normal style so I can only guess she picked it up from James!

I'm really enjoying this thread by the way, thank you for starting it CaerphillyCheese. We should have more musicological Manics discussions!

Ah! Die in the Summertime was going to be one of my examples when I was trying to find an early appearance. Great spot with the Kylie song as I don't think I've actually listened to that since it's release.

I think as a drinking game it could work as the first 2 albums would result in a fairly leisurely session. However, when you hit EMG it's going to start getting messy.

I imagine any unique vocal traits were born from the unorthodox method of fitting Richey's lyrics to music. When he then started writing solely to Nicky's less wordy material perhaps he was like.. "I've got all these spare notes left over - better throw in some mordents!"

That's my completely incorrect take on it.

Thank YOU all for replying and contributing your thoughts. I've been wondering about this for a long time!

[gabo86]

Originally Posted by CaerphillyCheese

Ah! Die in the Summertime was going to be one of my examples when I was trying to find an early appearance. Great spot with the Kylie song as I don't think I've actually listened to that since it's release.

I think as a drinking game it could work as the first 2 albums would result in a fairly leisurely session. However, when you hit EMG it's going to start getting messy.

I imagine any unique vocal traits were born from the unorthodox method of fitting Richey's lyrics to music. When he then started writing solely to Nicky's less wordy material perhaps he was like.. "I've got all these spare notes left over - better throw in some mordents!"

That's my completely incorrect take on it.

Thank YOU all for replying and contributing your thoughts. I've been wondering about this for a long time!

It's not incorrect, but I like to recall Send Away The Tigers (the song), when James complained that it was too wordy (because Nicky writes lyrics but does not think about the music - or something like that) and that the verses are quite dense and very difficult to sing.

[raven]

Originally Posted by Porco

So one note a trill, run of notes a melisma.

Do you have a budgie you could fly it past?

[Porco]

Originally Posted by raven

Do you have a budgie you could fly it past?

... *searches*... Trill is budgie food?! Lol. This thread is very informative!

[UEF]

I’ve not looked into it in detail but I hand a theory that there is a ‘James interval’ between two notes on songs especially in the Generation Terrorists era that may be another signature. The best example of “The James Interval” would be during the word ‘me’ which is made into four syllables here: https://youtu.be/IYhnEQW3jZQ?t=1m10s

As for the trill; as has been pointed out above Some Kind Of Bliss has one and I always imagined Kylie got it from the demo

[mrvitaminpill]

I must admit, I was expecting this to be a thread about the mole on JDBs face.

[UEF]

Originally Posted by mrvitaminpill

I must admit, I was expecting this to be a thread about the mole on JDBs face.

I actually thought it was going to be a thread about his crossed eyes in earlier pictures

[Porco]

Originally Posted by mrvitaminpill

I must admit, I was expecting this to be a thread about the mole on JDBs face.

Originally Posted by UEF

I actually thought it was going to be a thread about his crossed eyes in earlier pictures

Why not both?

[Europa Gluten Free]

I always thought it was just an organic thing to fit the lyrics into the melodies?

[Marat Sar]

As a (former) singer familiar with mordents and melismas (I've always thought of the mordent as a nice simple melisma, and melismas as mostly R&B cancer) I have to say it's been really fun reading how people discover a bit of musicology here

It's also a very valid discovery that JDB favours that one-note mordent. He really does. Never realized it 'til now.

[UEF]

Another one - Life Becoming a Landslide, in the first word of the song

"Childbi-irth!"

And "Finely tuned jealousy-y"

AND "Pornography-y"