I have always loved music, and singing.
We had all kinds of music in our house growing up. I can remember everything from Andy Williams to those sappy 101 Strings to my brother's Beach Boy albums. We had this one recording of Rhapsody in Blue that had all these women in bathing suits that matched in style but varied in color, standing basically waist deep in water holding these scarfs over their heads, the colors of which matched their bathing suits. I'm not sure what that had to do with Rhapsody in Blue - I guess the women were the "Rhapsody" and the water was the "blue" but I'm not sure - but I can remember listening to it over and over and studying each of the women on the cover of the album.
Even as I write that, I realize it sounds creepy. It wasn't. At least I don't think so.
I can remember riding in the car with my father, listening to Big Band music, thinking that's what adults did and that at some point in my life some internal switch would click and suddenly I'd stop liking rock and start preferring Big Band sounds. And because it seemed inevitable, I would go ahead and start listening to Big Band music on my own - Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Buddy Rich, Cab Callaway, Count Basie - while listening to Steppenwolf, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Rare Earth ...
All of that gave me a rather eclectic taste in music - rock, country, jazz, blues, Big Band, symphonies, musicals. I have to admit I never cared much for opera, disco or techno stuff.
Anyway, in the eighth grade we started high school and I had an elective so I signed up for choir, and I loved it. I didn't tell anybody - especially not the guys I played ball with. I quit after a couple years to concentrate on who knows what, but as a senior I got back in the choir and the director heard me and said I should have never quit, that I belonged in choir.
Even as I write that, I realize it sounds creepy. It wasn't. At least I don't think so.
Anyway, I once had the opportunity to sing in a large choir that did the Hallelujah Chorus - which may have the greatest bass part ever written (well, maybe except for The Oak Ridge Boys' 'Elvira').
And then one day many years ago, I heard this:
The Roches' Hallelujah Chorus
I became enamored with the idea of doing The Hallelujah Chorus with three or four voices, a capella. I just think it would be so cool to do, and I think it sounds really good.
Alas, it's been almost 30 years since I heard The Roches. And I've never been able to convince anyone to try this.
But there's always tomorrow.
Even as I write that, I realize it sounds creepy. It isn't.
At least I don't think so.
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