Harrisons – 'Blue Note' (Melodic)
2/5
By: Thomas Hannan
Do people sit down and deliberately try to write a classic, or does it just happen? What do you reckon? Me, I'd side with the latter. Great things happen when there is no plan, when you least expect. Apparently, Stevie Wonder one day just sat down and played 'Superstition'. He wrote it there and then. I think that's how a classic happens.
Harrisons would love to write a classic, and strain to do it with every fibre of their being. 'Blue Note' it may be, but Coltrane it ain't. Actually, this is probably as far from all encompassing jazz mastery as you could get. It stamps its feet and refuses to stray anywhere away from ballsy, would be anthemic rock and roll, a Strummer-esque growl and an incessant, pounding beat creating a sound like a more leaden 'Safe European Home'.
It'd sound utterly stupid if they didn't have what does come across as an authentic tension, energy and passion to it. But regardless, it does sound a little forced, like these Harrisons want everyone within earshot to be bellowing along but, with 'Blue Note' at least, haven't as yet informed them either what they should be singing or in fact why they should be singing it. It wants to be a staple moment so much it forgets to leave room for things to just happen spontaneously.
B-Side 'Shirley's Temple', if anything, comes closer. It has a 'la la la' bit, and as everyone knows those usually take it things step further towards classicism. They might do well to remember that the next time they try.
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