Well, I'd agree that the production on Lindsey's songs didn't make for a band album. But I think Tusk overall is representative of the band if you figure in Stevie and Christine's songs too. And I also think they go together a little bit. For instance, I think the drums on Honey Hi figure in with the tribal sound on Tusk, the single. I think there's a complementary thing going on there.
When people say that SYW is just 2 solo albums smashed together, I don't get that feeling from Tusk. It doesn't seem like all the songs are separated. Also, I guess the concert footage after-the-fact influences my view, because even though The Ledge wasn't shared, when you see them doing it in concert, it feels just as shared as Second Hand News was, because of the harmonies.
As for "doing it all" I just don't get that that's what Lindsey was saying. To me he was saying he was having to do so many different things, not that he was the only one doing anything in the band and he was just carrying the weight of everyone else.
As for Christine, well, yeah I don't guess she played Simon Says with him. I mean, last time out she did describe her, John and Mick as a bed on which Lindsey could roll around and do whatever he wanted.
But with her being a musician and songwriter, there's no way he could treat her like he did Stevie. Also, Christine was classically trained and Lindsey doesn't read music and I think Christine has said she focuses on musical instruments and he focuses on computer experimentation -- probably because he might not have as good a background with -- I don't know . . . I think he said he only knows a few chords.
He said that Christine comes in with the scenes already set for her songs. They have a structure and frame that doesn't change, because she already knows what she wants, as opposed to Stevie, where it's so loose that you can create your own structure within her songs, as long as you don't change their words and emotional content, because Stevie has an acute awareness of exactly what she wants there.
But yes, I definitely think that each band member has shortcomings that the other balances out. Not only with the musical ability of Christine and Lindsey, but also the way the 3 of them approach lyrics too and temperament.
One of my favorite reviews is from the Us Festival where the guy notes that while Christine is crooning sweetly, Lindsey is screaming like a wolf. I mean, that balance, that contrast, is what epitomizes the band for me.
Michele
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