View Single Post
Old 06 Nov 2017, 20:35   #12
letsgotoofar
Super Loafer
 
Join Date: 12.09.2016
Location: In front of a computer, duh.
Posts: 420
Default

Next up, the second EP reflects the original Bat II sequence, albeit reflecting what's in the show more so than what's on the original album, with one exception. More about that below.
  1. I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) - Katy Perry feat. Justin Timberlake
  2. Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through - Stevie Nicks
  3. It Just Won't Quit - Heather Headley
  4. Out of the Frying Pan (And Into the Fire) - Aerosmith
  5. Objects in The Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer Than They Are - Steve Kazee
  6. Love and Death and the American Guitar - Lin-Manuel Miranda
  7. Good Girls Go To Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere) - Pop diva-fest

Logic for these choices:
  • Katy Perry feat. Justin Timberlake - First things first, no they're not in the wrong order. A la the lesbian "Paradise," I decided I'd try something different with this song. We've heard it the original way (and as a six-way version in the musical that still basically apes the original format, just switching the soloists at different times) many times. It's time to do something different, just having fun with it, knowing that we'll never replace the original. For me, that meant flipping the gender roles: what if the girl sang most of the song, and the guy was the one who emerged at the end? It was a solid idea; now it just needed the right vocalists, a girl with a good rock voice who over-acted the shit out of things and a guy who would acquit himself well. I settled for Katy and Justin, but here's why: listen to Katy's (loosely termed) cover/rewrite of The Outfield's "Your Love," and tell me she isn't capable of medium- to high-octane rocking out with the best of them. As for Justin, this one I chalk up to a fact of the current industry: most of the duets I've heard lately are either Justin or Kanye West, and I'm not going to try to defend Kanye because I don't think he's worthy of the defense, so Justin it is. You could swap it out for other famous vocalists in different territories, as long as you kept the basic premise of the gender swap, which I like.
  • Stevie Nicks - Okay, I knew I was going to have to defend this one in particular (someone on this forum once told me - jokingly, I hope - that in her best days Stevie sounded like a goat getting surprise anal, and that currently she sounds like a goat with a bad head cold getting surprise anal), so hear me out. For starters, she's known Jim since the earliest days of his success owing to her relationship and collaboration with Jimmy Iovine (ask Jim about the time she thought that was actually him on the cover of Bad for Good -- fun story). Secondly, the Bat II version has a very ethereal, airy-fairy vibe like what Stevie's known for in her own work. Last but certainly not least, I think of her, and Marianne Faithfull and other artists of that ilk, as a symbol for the unsung heroines of rock who didn't bear their cross lightly while the men got all the attention and the leeway, the type of person for whom lightning was caught in a bottle and rock and roll dreams really did come through, the person who would sing it like the hymn it is.
  • Heather Headley - I knew "It Just Won't Quit" would probably wind up being a song for classical/theater artists, but I couldn't think of anyone to do it as a duet without the blend either being odd or running the risk of one vocalist overpowering the other. So, figuring that most of the world outside the UK didn't know the Pandora's Box album, a female vocalist with the power of an Elaine Caswell would be the more novel approach than someone like Michael Ball or Alfie Bow doing his best to either sound too much or too little like Meat. And Heather continues the neat little trend I've started with Audra of black female theater/classical vocalists getting showpieces in the set.
  • Aerosmith - This could really be anyone; I thought of Kings of Leon for this slot as well. I argued earlier in this thread that Jim doesn't write filler, but I will argue here that "boilerplate Steinman" does exist, and for me, "Out of the Frying Pan" qualifies: catchy melody, twist on a cliche, sexual innuendo in the lyrics, vague references to Peter wooing Wendy, and you're in and out in six, seven and a half minutes. If there was such a thing as garden variety Jim, this would be a contender. It doesn't need heavy lifting or hours of character work, in my opinion; just plunk this in the hands of a straightforward rock band that knows how to bring the heat and has a vocalist that can screlt with ease.
  • Steve Kazee - Continuing the trend of "stripped down" as taken in a serious direction started with another theater person, Tyce, I drafted "the Once guy" for "Objects." Tony-winning actor/singer, with a stripped-down acoustic sound. The production, in all cases, would probably be tailored around the performer somewhat, so it was a logical pick for something that would work for "Objects."
  • Lin-Manuel Miranda - As I said in my first reply to proctorloaf, his choosing Lin-Manuel for "Objects" in his list inspired me to pluck him for mine. Unlike proctorloaf, however, while Lin's a competent singer in my opinion, I think he really excels at spoken word. I picture his guitar speech being rather like his "last words" in Hamilton's death scene. If one wanted to make an alternate choice for different markets, giving it to a Shakespearean actor like Kenneth Branagh or someone like William Shatner could heighten the humor by taking it overly seriously, or in the other direction, one could go for the truly deranged totally comic stylings of a Jim Carrey type.
  • Pop diva-fest - As a proud gay man, I'm a sucker for diva collaborations like the Moulin Rouge rendition of "Lady Marmalade." Consequently, though I initially settled on just Rihanna, I said to myself, "Self, why stop at one? This could be a girl-power anthem for multiple chartbusters and gobble up the charts in its own right." So, take the cue from the Pandora's Box arrangement, maybe with new drum programming and leaning heavily on the bass, a chugging guitar replacing the piano line perhaps, you've got something that could get play in the clubs.
letsgotoofar is offline   Reply With Quote
 

Page generated in 0.03231 seconds with 14 queries.