Messages

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Live Shows / 07/24/08: Music In The Park - San Jose, CA (review)

« on: July 24, 2008, 09:33:43 pm »

I WENT! it was my first Ness show. God I love her even more now. She's absolutely stunning in real life!!! Wow there are quite a few fans in the bay area. AND she says she loves SJ and thinks we're some of the best fans. WOOT! Represent! haha.

I'm so happy. Now, it's just a matter of time before I go to another Ness concert!

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Live Shows / 12/16/07 Christmas show in San Jose, CA (review)

« on: December 17, 2007, 02:04:04 pm »

I am SOOOOOO jealous! I live near the area and couldn't make it! How sad....I didn't know until it was already halfway into the free concert. Does anyone know when her tour will start up again?! I can't wait to go to my first vanessa carlton concert. I am such a big fan! ;(

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / disappointed?

« on: November 01, 2007, 05:51:22 pm »

glad we're both understanding things on the same level butz.

Yea beautyofspeed! I think this may or may not be true, but if it is it makes sense. I love her dark stuff I enjoy the ocassional happy stuff, but sometimes you can find more depth in the dark stuff.

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / disappointed?

« on: October 29, 2007, 03:26:50 pm »

I said it before, I guess I'll have to say it again, I don't love or really really like the album, but I don't hate it. I enjoy listening to it. It just doesn't have the effect Harmonium had on me.

So Butz can you please calm down.

The fact that I'm even posting here, it means that I genuinely care, and am offering my honest opinion for the good of vanessa's music making. I honestly still believe in the things I said above, I won't take them back. Like I said BEFORE, I respect Vanessa, so therefore, since she's proud of H&T , I am more than happy for her. And the fact that she has a label that lets her do her thing and believes in her whole-heartedly is another great great thing. Why Do I Have to Keep Explaining/Reiterating My Words in here when I wasn't even attacking Vanessa in the first place. There's a difference between having opinions to attack and having them to analysis a situation. I'm the latter.

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / disappointed?

« on: October 28, 2007, 04:50:31 pm »

yea I agree with Cheburashka again. I wouldn't have minded if Heroes and Thieves wasn't in the spotlight. A lot of great artists or scientists, haha, weren't discovered until they're dead, not that I don't want vanessa to get the recognition she deserves, but I think the songs are what is important. Yea I love surprises, unfortunately this album did not provide those surprises, in a good way. And Vanessa's trying too hard I think to become what others expect , want?, from her. She should just produce write great songs and put them all in an album, ex. include best behavior and all is well, and toss the whole theme thing out.

If you're happy with the album, thats great. Be happy. Don't need to attack others who have different opinions....

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / disappointed?

« on: October 28, 2007, 02:03:26 am »

cheburashka! Wow I entirely understand where you're coming from. I didn't realize it before but I guess really enjoy listening to her more unique music/goth? music (singing about topics outside of falling in love). And on top of that Vanessa and her producers crafted those topics into beautiful Harmonium tracks. I love all the piano intros in Harmonium. So Grand and to the Point--gets you to the heat of her classical piano skills and the heat of her lyrics. Intros for H&T were bad. BAD. I love Vanessa and her music, I'm sorry Vanessa! But. The thing is, I tried listening to each track 4 to 5 times again, and I straight up go on tangents wondering what happened in the recording studio. It's not that I Hate the album. I know I don't love the album. I might not even really really like H&T. Home and Come Undone have grown on me, but it's still kind of bland without the orchestra stuff done on Harmonium. I admit I like the lyrics, despite my comments about it being overdone with the falling-in-love, breaking up, and dealing with breaking up subjects. But mainly I like the lyrics because they were well-written, not because of the topic. EW's right, the songs are very pretentious, maybe our Vanessa has gone idealistic on us. Not meaning Vanessa is idealistic in real life, but the songs come out that way--very pretentious.  

Basically I can listen to harmonium all day and still be amazed by how brilliant and beautiful music can be when Vanessa behind the piano. After listening to H&T three times, I feel incomplete. The wrong-ness of the album has become one of my pet peeve's.  The producers messed up the songs on top of the fact that the story behind the songs aren't great. I think they also fixed her voice with computer engineered stuff on Harmonium, which made it better. Vanessa was a little off-key in Home and another track.

Like cheburashka said, it's inevitably a little shaky for a new label, especially a hip hop label, to release a pop/rock album. The instruments used, the way they were used, sounded wrong--the puzzle piece did not fit the puzzle.  Really really dislike the intros for most of the songs. Especially with Fools Like Me, the whistling thing threw me off. When did Vanessa start whistling or let people whistle on a "fools like me" type of track. Fools like me was a potentially good song turned into potentially worst song on the album. (sorry for being overdramatic with the contrasts!). I wanted fools like me to be heartbreaking, not uplifting. And the choir really annoys me, on "more than this." It overshadows Vanessa's voice. "The One"' intro with Stevie's Nicks is one word: scary. Scary like a scary part in a scary movie. How did they ever decide to include stevie in a ballad? Stevie in Vanessa Ballad=strange. I know I sound harsh, but here are my opinions, entirely un-sugarcoated/straight up my personal/individually artistic views.  

This post is getting way too long and I'm starting to ramble. haha. I Apologize!

I want a more matured Vanessa, one bursting with new topics, and little transformations here or there. H&T Songs are so love-sick, fantasized, and heartbreaking now. Don't know what to make of it.

But again like Cheburashka said (came up with some great points), Vanessa can really sing now. Can't even hear her breathing between lines anymore. Great vocal improvements for Vanessa!


I don't know if anyone else noticed... Vanessa seemed withdrawn on TRL. She barely cracked a smile. She always appears to be tired (I KNOW she always looked tired before but now she looks straight up sad and dejected)--like her livelihood has been sucked out of her. She's only 27, yet she acts like someone much older. She needs to have some fun. Find someone new! Maybe/probably the break-up caused this grief/pain that is now projecting externally. I don't know. I really really hope that Vanessa feels alive or happy again. =(  


As long as Vanessa is satisfied, I guess it's cool with me too. I think we all create really really high expectations for Vanessa, especially with her first album in 3 three years, because she's so incredibly talented! And unique and down-to-earth, the list goes on and on. Please don't hate me for the strong opinions I've expressed!

-HearingBallads

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Live Shows / 11/8/07: Swedish American Hall - San Francisco, CA

« on: October 25, 2007, 10:46:50 pm »

I might come afterallllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WoohoO! My professor said the lectures may be cancelled afterall!

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / Gotti's Way Reality Show

« on: October 25, 2007, 11:21:02 am »

i'm really disappointed in irv. He's putting his career entirely over family. I feel that Deb really cares for him. But it's not my business. I'm just disappointed that he cheated. I feel like he's a better man than that, but I don't know him, only from the scenes they put on the show.

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / disappointed?

« on: October 20, 2007, 05:06:25 pm »

you know what I've realized, perhaps her producers before from harmonium would have done a better job. I feel like a lot of songs were butchered because of poor producing. Some of the vocal arrangements were too slow. I expected fools like me to be a tad bit faster and not as rigid. I expected the one to be faster, and the music in the background felt wrong. LIke the background was off key and vanessa was singing perfectly. The violin in the background didn't fit the song. There weren't enough orchestra music for some songs unlike harmonium. I thought each song in Harmonium had brilliant and perfect amounts of orchestra music. A lot of songs didn't sound right. When the song should climax, it doesn't feel climaxed. The arrangements are all over the place. I really hope the next cd doesn't get screwed up like this one. This is my personal opinion, i hope I didn't offend anyone. Unfortunately I wish she could redo this cd. It feels wrong. I really didn't like More Than This's choir part, so corny. I'm sorry Vanessa, if you're reading this. but that's just how I feel.

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / What is YOUR favorite album?

« on: October 20, 2007, 04:51:29 pm »

For me it would have been hands DOWN for H&T but the overproduced alternative poppy-ness ruined the amazing songs for me. Especially since the lyrics of H&T is just absolutely brilliantly written. But I prefer Harmonium's classical style with a bit of pop for the background music. So it's a hard decision, but I'd say for production Harmonium. Lyrics and arrangements (vocal decisions) H&T. =( could of been an easier decision.

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / disappointed?

« on: October 20, 2007, 01:52:20 am »

I just received my album today so I don't to be impulsive, but I admit I was disappointed with the album. I was expecting more of Vanessa's classical music similar to the style of Harmonium and less poppy alternative sounds like the actual Heroes & Thieves. Not to say I don't like the songs, I just prefer the more classical folk Vanessa music more than alternative style Vanessa music. It just sounds too studio-synced which took away the brilliance, authentic-ness, originality of Vanessa's music. I guess listening to this album made me realize how much I enjoy listening to folk/classical type of music by Vanessa. I really hope that her next album is less alternative and poppy. I LOVE Vanessa's style. I hope she preserves it, saves it for the next album.

AND I was disappointed with "Hands On Me." Why did they have to make one of my favorite songs on the album so alternative. RUINED it for me. I thought all her live performances of hands on me were amazing, heart-felt, personal, just the way I imagined her studio version to be. But NO it just isn't the same. I really wanted a nice clear, quality version of Hands On Me with the traditional piano and V's voice, and perhaps violin in the background. ARGH.

Not to say I don't like Spring Street or Come Undone but I would take those out any day for All is Well and Best Behavior--top 4 songs on the album. I guess the album wouldn't be a story--themed based album anymore, but I just wished that they could include them as bonus tracks. It's not fair to make the fans buy the extra tracks later on, on iTunes. I really hope the general public will have exposure to these songs, if they ever come out.

I'd love to invest more on Vanessa, but I believe the bonus tracks should have been included into the CDs that'll sell--exposure for the songs. Let's hope it'll still happen.

As you can tell, I'm really passionate about this. It's only because I love Vanessa's music. I just wished that this album could be more classical. I'll just have to keep listening, and keep trying to find my way to some sort of peace with the way it came out.

But I absolutely love the ballads: Home (turned out well just like live performances) and Heroes & Thieves.

And about The One, it's not as bad as everyone says about stevie nicks sounding like a...i don't wanna say it. I think Vanessa's voice only would have been the best decision for the good of the song, but stevie nicks is such a big inspiration to her--as a mentor, as a friend, as her idol. I think it's great how excited vanessa is about her being on the track. I can accept stevie nicks..."     " up the song if Vanessa can live with it. haha.

I AM looking forward to attending Vanessa's haunted club concert in the near future!!!!

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / VANESSA ON TRL!!!!!!!!!!!!

« on: October 17, 2007, 03:37:34 pm »

I used to think Damien was a cool host/guy in general. Although I thought it was sad how he finds Emo/punk rock as his favorite genre of music. I've seen the change in him ever since TRL started sucking, which was probably partly his fault and the fault of the format of music on TRL. He started cracking stupid jokes, and everything he said seemed "hollywood." When I watch MTV I think "Where's the real music?" I am truly disappointed in Damien even though I haven't watched the episode with Vanessa on TRL. I'm glad that Vanessa still tried to make something of her interview. She deserves more than how Damien and MTV treats her. MTV's probably angry that she told everyone white houses and pretty baby is banned, but booty is all over the place on TRL. I hope MTV goes down the drain!

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / Gotti's Way Reality Show

« on: October 15, 2007, 10:37:18 pm »

i missed it tonight. twice. =(

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / Hereos and THeives on Itunes top 10 albums!!

« on: October 15, 2007, 03:03:15 pm »

Yea 1 position higher today! We're at #7 currently on iTunes top selling albums. But I'm really disappointed with the popularity of the songs aside from the main ones: Heroes and Thieves (album title), Hands On Me (guessing second single), and Nolita Fairytale (first single). The rest of the songs on the album if not equally great or better are only racking in minimal popularity. I hope people who use iTunes actually buy the WHOLE album. They're missing out!

Not to be a debbie downer, but I checked billboards top 200 and Vanessa's not even on there. I hope the album sells well outside of iTunes. That would be a tremendous pity!

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General Vanessa Carlton Discussion / Sales - "Heroes & Thieves"

« on: October 15, 2007, 02:56:55 pm »

i couldn't even locate it on billboard top 200. What's going on? I hope the albums doing much better than what we're seeing right now!