My First Exposure to GBS
Nov. 13th, 2000 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annathepiperMy first exposure to Great Big Sea sort of came in stages.
A few years back my household was having a yard sale, and one of my housemates was playing the album I later identified as Rant and Roar. I remember at the time really loving the sound of the harmony of the singers on that album, though I didn't think much of it afterwards.
Summer of 2000 rolled around, and I got myself a gift certificate from amazon.com. I decided to blow it on CDs rather than books since I have more than enough to read to keep me occupied -- and one of my friends recommended Great Big Sea to me, knowing I like Celtic-flavored music. In the process of researching the album options up on amazon.com, I came across the web site link of GreatBigSea.com, so naturally I had to go check it out...
Immediate reaction: "WOW! That guy with the long brown hair is a BABE!"
Slightly less immediate reaction #1, after playing the sample clips from Turn, and specifically "Ferryland Sealer": "Okay, that song is cool..."
Slightly less immediate reaction #2, after playing the sample clips from Rant and Roar about ten million times: "Okay, it's official, I need this album!"
I wound up ordering Turn from amazon.com, and raiding local record stores in search of Rant and Roar.
You can imagine my delight when I discovered that the B'ys would be coming to my area to perform live -- and with great anticipation I scampered off to Chateau Ste. Michelle for their show on September 2, 2000.
Reaction #1: "GREAT HOLY HEAVEN, Alan's even more of a babe LIVE!"
Reaction #2: "Whoa, hey, wait a minute, Alan and Sean divvy up the songs?! WOW! Sean does 'Mari Mac' and 'General Taylor' and 'The Night That Paddy Murphy Died'?! ACK! Now I'm not sure whether I like Alan's or Sean's voice better!"
I'd never been to a concert where I absolutely HAD to be right up there by the stage for the whole set. Great Big Sea was a first for me in that regard, and they kept me dancing the whole time. Especially when the crowd rushed the stage on "Excursion Around the Bay", and I got right up at the edge of the stage, from which vantage point I was able to get quite the eyeful of the B'ys along with a mighty earful of what they were belting out.
Two months and a new live album later, I still haven't decided whether I like Alan's voice or Sean's voice better. Clearly, they're going to have to come back to the Pacific Northwest and give me another shot at figuring this out. ;)
A few years back my household was having a yard sale, and one of my housemates was playing the album I later identified as Rant and Roar. I remember at the time really loving the sound of the harmony of the singers on that album, though I didn't think much of it afterwards.
Summer of 2000 rolled around, and I got myself a gift certificate from amazon.com. I decided to blow it on CDs rather than books since I have more than enough to read to keep me occupied -- and one of my friends recommended Great Big Sea to me, knowing I like Celtic-flavored music. In the process of researching the album options up on amazon.com, I came across the web site link of GreatBigSea.com, so naturally I had to go check it out...
Immediate reaction: "WOW! That guy with the long brown hair is a BABE!"
Slightly less immediate reaction #1, after playing the sample clips from Turn, and specifically "Ferryland Sealer": "Okay, that song is cool..."
Slightly less immediate reaction #2, after playing the sample clips from Rant and Roar about ten million times: "Okay, it's official, I need this album!"
I wound up ordering Turn from amazon.com, and raiding local record stores in search of Rant and Roar.
You can imagine my delight when I discovered that the B'ys would be coming to my area to perform live -- and with great anticipation I scampered off to Chateau Ste. Michelle for their show on September 2, 2000.
Reaction #1: "GREAT HOLY HEAVEN, Alan's even more of a babe LIVE!"
Reaction #2: "Whoa, hey, wait a minute, Alan and Sean divvy up the songs?! WOW! Sean does 'Mari Mac' and 'General Taylor' and 'The Night That Paddy Murphy Died'?! ACK! Now I'm not sure whether I like Alan's or Sean's voice better!"
I'd never been to a concert where I absolutely HAD to be right up there by the stage for the whole set. Great Big Sea was a first for me in that regard, and they kept me dancing the whole time. Especially when the crowd rushed the stage on "Excursion Around the Bay", and I got right up at the edge of the stage, from which vantage point I was able to get quite the eyeful of the B'ys along with a mighty earful of what they were belting out.
Two months and a new live album later, I still haven't decided whether I like Alan's voice or Sean's voice better. Clearly, they're going to have to come back to the Pacific Northwest and give me another shot at figuring this out. ;)