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Concrete Blonde — Little Conversations
Album: Free
Avg rating:
6.6

Your rating:
Total ratings: 520









Released: 1989
Length: 2:45
Plays (last 30 days): 0
The Little Conversation
Is Over Very Soon
And I watch in admiration
From my corner of the room.
They shine on you with starry eyes...
They rain a friendly storm.
Like kids around a Christmas tree
And then you smile all nice and warm

The Little Conversations
If I tried my very best
you know I never could say anything
In twenty words or less.
Somewhere, sometime, down the line
someday I may confess,
and tell you all, that's all

The Little Conversations
On me are very rough
They leave me all in pieces
You know there's never time enough
like a book with missing pages
like a story incomplete
like a painting left unfinished
it feels like not enough to eat.
Starvin'

these little conversations
well for me they'll never do
now what am I supposed to do with
broken sentences of you?
i'll stay in my corner 'cause
that's all that i can do
and let the others speak for me.
Little Conversations
Are We.
Comments (117)add comment
The guitar work in this song is soooo good!
 DaidyBoy wrote:

I get it, Mr Riley. Nice one.  Your talent is clearly wasted.  Stony ground.

 
Mr Riley is a sneaky one, alright, but I've got my eye on him (as my  Religious Ed teacher used to say, before hurling his rubber at the offender) that's Colloq Eng for youse plebs.
VERY COOL
Nick cave concert prime time, Paris (1994?). Magic
a real gem from a long ago afternoon. love this album
Johnette Napolitano for UC Prez!!!
 
haven't heard her in a long time, always liked her, the kids loved "hot pork sandwiches, great song, that was 15 yrs ago
 fredriley wrote:

Any relation to Paul who works at the kennels, aka The Dog's Paul Ochs?

I'll get me lead...

 
I get it, Mr Riley. Nice one.  Your talent is clearly wasted.  Stony ground.
 steeler wrote:


The tune here sounds very similar to that of Ochs's song.


Lyrics are very different.  (Few have lyrics as heartfelt as those of Ochs)    


Probably no one cares outside of a small circle of friends.  {#Wink}{#Cheesygrin}      

 
True.
Totally love Concrete Blond, one of my all-time fave bands. Would like to hear more of them on RP, but if not, no worries, their records are regular rotation at my home.
 Proclivities wrote:

Lyrically, it doesn't seem quite as deep or heartfelt as Phil Ochs, but there are some similarities in the style and the arrangement.

 

The tune here sounds very similar to that of Ochs's song.


Lyrics are very different.  (Few have lyrics as heartfelt as those of Ochs)    


Probably no one cares outside of a small circle of friends.  {#Wink}{#Cheesygrin}      
 steeler wrote:
Phil Ochs.

 
Lyrically, it doesn't seem quite as deep or heartfelt as Phil Ochs' material, but there are some similarities in the style and the arrangement.
 fredriley wrote:

Any relation to Paul who works at the kennels, aka The Dog's Paul Ochs?

I'll get me lead...

 

Phil Ochs "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends"


Sounds just like it; different lyrircs.  
Best guitarist. Mankey
 fredriley wrote:

Any relation to Paul who works at the kennels, aka The Dog's Paul Ochs?

I'll get me lead...
 
If you like it, why are you leaving?
 steeler wrote:
Phil Ochs.
 
Any relation to Paul who works at the kennels, aka The Dog's Paul Ochs?

I'll get me lead...
Phil Ochs.
So good, Bill please play more CB, early stuff.
Love these guys. Love the lyrics......wish they were still around or wish I was back there......
{#Daisy}
I love CB. Johnette's voice is amazing and incredibly powerful. More CB, please!
Adele's older sister?
A band that Michael Stipe of R.E.M. named.


Rewards serious listening, somewhat under-appreciated IMHO.
Her voice also brings me back to another time ... a young, pretty cool but weird time!
Hell yeah!

Good song
 Cynaera wrote:

Oooo - I have "Bloodletting," but that's not the first one. What's on it?  I love her voice (and I can't spell her name, even if my stupid fingers WOULD work on the keyboard...)  I did my stretches on my ballet-bar to her music, with the lights off, candles lit, and a view to a vast fenced back yard where raccoons, opossums and feral cats went to eat and drink. It was a weirdly-magical time...

 
I love that you share yourself, your sensations, and your recollections. Thanks. BTW, her name is Johnette Napolitano. I love her voice, also—instantly recognizable, yes?

wow
Always liked Concrete Blonde.  I have quite a few of their albums.
 kaybee wrote:
This is a very fine album; but I prefer the excellent (1st?) "Concrete Blonde" album.

 
Oooo - I have "Bloodletting," but that's not the first one. What's on it?  I love her voice (and I can't spell her name, even if my stupid fingers WOULD work on the keyboard...)  I did my stretches on my ballet-bar to her music, with the lights off, candles lit, and a view to a vast fenced back yard where raccoons, opossums and feral cats went to eat and drink. It was a weirdly-magical time...

I have the cassette "Bloodletting," and "Caroline" is sooo good. Oh, look - it's here! It'd be so good paired with "Cuts You Up" by Peter Murphy...

I love the whole thing, as creepy as it is sometimes.
I love Johnette's voice and her songs. Can you play something from her masterwork, Pretty & Twisted?{#Hearteyes}
I am so looking forward to June 22 when I get to see them in concert again.
Great great voice.
I love her voice. To me a singer can be raspy, maybe occasionally off-key, as long as there is range and emotion. Singers who have neither, which describes a good deal of the "emo" bands of today, are the ones I avoid listening to.

A part of why I enjoy voices like Johnette's, Amiee's, Margot Timms' and such is that "earthy" quality about them. Equally so, I enjoy Ann and Nancy Wilson's performances as 'the Lovemongers.' Those two *can sing* and so do the others', too. I also enjoy listening to Leotyne Price and Alison Krauss. Each has their own unique quality that I enjoy. I *love* music - all kinds of music and I won't look down my nose at one or the other, just because it doesn't suit my particular taste or mood at a given moment. I'm from a musical family, I grew up listening to all kinds of music - and dancing to it, too - and I promise *never* to be a snob about it.
An angel's voice here on earth.
 FlatCat wrote:
 RadioDoc wrote:
FlatCat wrote:
Broken, raspy voice hard to listen to. I guess some people love it. Some don't.
You must hate most rock music then. Some would say that is almost a prerequisite.  Johnette can sing to me any time.
I beg to differ. There are so many lovely voices in rock music. Here's Bill playing Neil Young, for example, and then Aimee Mann. I could list hundreds. And I don't dislike rough or unschooled voices. I mean ones where you can hear the swollen, abused vocal cords being beaten into a pulp. When I hear a voice that is so clearly damaged as Johnette's, for me it makes me cringe as much as looking at someone with a deep, bleeding wound. 

 

Actually I think you're completely wrong. Johnette's voice is not damaged, that's just the way it is. I saw them in their early years and I saw her do a solo show about two years ago, the voice is the same. Not everyone has to sound like Celine Dion.
 FlatCat wrote:
 RadioDoc wrote:
FlatCat wrote:
Broken, raspy voice hard to listen to. I guess some people love it. Some don't.
You must hate most rock music then. Some would say that is almost a prerequisite.  Johnette can sing to me any time.
I beg to differ. There are so many lovely voices in rock music. Here's Bill playing Neil Young, for example, and then Aimee Mann. I could list hundreds. And I don't dislike rough or unschooled voices. I mean ones where you can hear the swollen, abused vocal cords being beaten into a pulp. When I hear a voice that is so clearly damaged as Johnette's, for me it makes me cringe as much as looking at someone with a deep, bleeding wound. 

 
Tom Waits must drive you to drink then.


This is a very fine album; but I prefer the excellent (1st?) "Concrete Blonde" album.

i LOVE this song when it was recorded live in Brazil...beautiful... this version is lacking something to me.
 RadioDoc wrote:
FlatCat wrote:
Broken, raspy voice hard to listen to. I guess some people love it. Some don't.
You must hate most rock music then. Some would say that is almost a prerequisite.  Johnette can sing to me any time.
I beg to differ. There are so many lovely voices in rock music. Here's Bill playing Neil Young, for example, and then Aimee Mann. I could list hundreds. And I don't dislike rough or unschooled voices. I mean ones where you can hear the swollen, abused vocal cords being beaten into a pulp. When I hear a voice that is so clearly damaged as Johnette's, for me it makes me cringe as much as looking at someone with a deep, bleeding wound. 

ugh!
Love this group but there are much better songs than this......play something from Bloodletting.

Somewhere, sometime, down the line
Someday I may confess
And spill it all


 RedGuitar wrote:

Linda Perry was the vocalist for 4 Non Blondes.  She went solo after they recorded (but not released) their second album.

 
Which has what to do with Concrete Blonde?

Man I miss this band, saw them live in DC I think in the late 80's or early 90's.  Excellent
music.  Oh, yeah I saw them open for Sting, during their Joey period, they were great,
then Sting came out and we left.  Just couldn't sit through his music compared to theirs!
 mandolin wrote:
...funny, at first i thought this sounded a little like four non-blondes...
 
Linda Perry was the vocalist for 4 Non Blondes.  She went solo after they recorded (but not released) their second album.

 mandolin wrote:
...funny, at first i thought this sounded a little like four non-blondes...
 

Funny.. I've always thought 4 Non Blondes was an overly obvious Concrete Blonde rip off!   Concrete Blondes' first 3 albums. Concrete Blonde, Free, and Bloodletting are all solid end to end.. you can listen to them straight through and they make total sense - their Greatest hits and the Still in Hollywood( B sides and rarities) album are also fantastic. 
...funny, at first i thought this sounded a little like four non-blondes...
FlatCat wrote:
Broken, raspy voice hard to listen to. I guess some people love it. Some don't.
You must hate most rock music then. Some would say that is almost a prerequisite.  Johnette can sing to me any time.

Thanks Bill! One of my favorite songs of all time, from one of my favorite bands...
Broken, raspy voice hard to listen to. I guess some people love it. Some don't. 

Love Johnette and the guys! Miss CB, one of the best bands, so charasmatic and passionate.
Check out Johnette's solo album, Scarred, from 2007. Fans will not be dissapointed.
 Droidac wrote:

If you don't know what it was, why don't you go find out. I think you'll discover a pretty incredbile band.
 

Damn right! Incredible!
 Excelsior wrote:
I don't know what the hell that just was, but at least it came after Alanis, so it didn't seem QUITE as bad by comparison.
 
If you don't know what it was, why don't you go find out. I think you'll discover a pretty incredbile band.
I don't know what the hell that just was, but at least it came after Alanis, so it didn't seem QUITE as bad by comparison.
 sanath1978 wrote:
I love this band. They put more emotion to their songs. I miss this band.Good lock
========
Sanath
Wide Circles
 
Please keep your spam outta here!

I love this band. They put more emotion to their songs. I miss this band.Good lock
========
Sanath
Wide Circles


Johnette just puts so much emotion in to her songs. This one has a beautiful intimacy to it. Man, I miss this band.....
babyjuice wrote:
Love her voice, shes like a rockin rougher Dusty Springfield.
exactly!
passsion8 wrote:
I've followed them for years and love her voice and delivery. This particular song gives the impression of an added strain of some sort.
Word
thewiseking wrote:
could a voice be any uglier?
Au contraire Mooseface. Reedy, sultry voice. Rockin bass player. And when she was in Toronto with Pretty and Twisted she wore a dress that I won't forget if I live to be 100 years old.
thewiseking wrote:
could a voice be any uglier?
I could think of several....
thewiseking wrote:
could a voice be any uglier?
Yes. See: John Hiatt.
could a voice be any uglier?
Love the Blonde. Great song.
rtkmusic wrote:
Yep, I hear that too. Great little song called Outside of a Small Circle of Friends. Here's a sample of the lyrics: Smoking marihuana is more fun than drinking beer, But a friend of ours was captured and they gave him thirty years Maybe we should raise our voices, ask somebody why But demonstrations are a drag, besides we're much too high And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody Outside of a small circle of friends
Yep. That's it!
Did someone other than Bill take over RP this morning? Three wretched songs in a row.
Isn't this a Phil Ochs or Tom Paxton song?
oh my god ! What is this ? leave it off !!"!!
CafeRacer wrote:
I remember driving through southeastern Indiana with my wife back in '86. Sunroof open on my old SAAB and we had picked up but were losing a radio station from the University of Cincinnati. "Bloodletting" came on and we pulled to the side of the road to listen, just in case we lost the station mid song.
Small world...I think of bloodletting whenever I see someone driving a Saab, too.
I remember driving through southeastern Indiana with my wife back in '86. Sunroof open on my old SAAB and we had picked up but were losing a radio station from the University of Cincinnati. "Bloodletting" came on and we pulled to the side of the road to listen, just in case we lost the station mid song. We were both Concrete Blonde fans that afternoon and now just hearing their name takes me back.
steeler wrote:
This sounds a lot -- the tune -- like an old Phil Ochs song. Not that the lyrics or anything else is the same. Still . . .
Yep, I hear that too. Great little song called Outside of a Small Circle of Friends. Here's a sample of the lyrics: Smoking marihuana is more fun than drinking beer, But a friend of ours was captured and they gave him thirty years Maybe we should raise our voices, ask somebody why But demonstrations are a drag, besides we're much too high And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody Outside of a small circle of friends
How thrilled was I in the late 80's, when she popped onto the national scene with "Joey", that I had three great albums to explore!!! Then saw her open for Sting....awesome show.
Makes me want to sing, after smoking six cigarrettes and sipping on some whiskey.
jadewahoo wrote:
I absolutely love the unique carriage of Johnette Napolitano's voice... deep, sultry, powerful, passionate.
Nice diction.
steeler wrote:
This sounds a lot -- the tune -- like an old Phil Ochs song. Not that the lyrics or anything else is the same. Still . . .
Definitely.
Just saw Johnette in a little club in San Diego, just her, her guitar, and a drummer. Her chops are still great, put a great little show.
This sounds a lot -- the tune -- like an old Phil Ochs song. Not that the lyrics or anything else is the same. Still . . .
Love her voice, shes like a rockin rougher Dusty Springfield.
Hey, I agree big with you queenjill , and...AND...most mysogynist fools like katalyst sound a lot alike, right! What's worse, he probably meant it quite harmlessly...not thinking are we now...you know how it goes, about half the people in the world are women! katalyst may even have the good fortune to be partnered with one...if so I feel sorry for her...although...hmm, on second thoughts, I doubt he has any permanent partners queenjill wrote:
You risk being labeled a misogynist for THAT comment? That she sounds a "little different"? That's like saying "most asians look alike except for that one." C'mon, put some effort into it.
Posted: Apr 21, 2006 - 10:44 katalyst wrote:
most womens voices in music sound alot alike...she seems alittle different
katalyst wrote:
most womens voices in music sound alot alike...she seems alittle different
Ah, excuuuse moi, duh! Why not crawl back under yo small rock somewhere because that's where people who write comments like that about women belong...you know (small-minded beings like yo under small rocks)and I hope your monniker "a small rock somewhere" is not a euphemism for the fine city of Little Rock. Woe to the fine citizens when yo around!
jadewahoo wrote:
I absolutely love the unique carriage of Johnette Napolitano's voice... deep, sultry, powerful, passionate.
I've followed them for years and love her voice and delivery. This particular song gives the impression of an added strain of some sort.
I absolutely love the unique carriage of Johnette Napolitano's voice... deep, sultry, powerful, passionate.
TKTuttle wrote:
.... I saw them in concert about 4-1/2 years ago in Chicago; still have the ticket stub in my wallet. They had a flamenco dancer as the opening act; not something you see every day, but a nice insight into another culture's music. CB put on a rockin' show, and my wife, who couldn't stand them up to this point, agreed that it was a great performance. She's still not a fan, but at least she appreciates them now. Johnette sells it and makes you believe it! More CB, Bill!
When I saw them open for Sting on his 'Soul Cages' tour ('90), kids near us who scoffed at a band they'd never heard of were raving about them by the end of the set. One of those shows we went to for the opening band alone. I recall an African drummer & storyteller performing before CB.
timrd wrote:
Extremely love this band ...but not the song
Im not a fan of either.
katalyst wrote:
most womens voices in music sound alot alike...she seems alittle different
You risk being labeled a misogynist for THAT comment? That she sounds a "little different"? That's like saying "most asians look alike except for that one." C'mon, put some effort into it.
Extremely love this band ...but not the song
Holy crap this song is awesome!
I was just about to turn RP off after that awful Ben Folds Five crap when this came on...Thanks Bill!
I agree, nice surprise here to see RP playing Concrete Blonde. They are/were and underrated band even though they had some nice early 90s success. I checked out the album info, looks like this is the only song off the album in the RP library. Someone should upload Scene of a Perfect Crime, that's another good one that I think the listeners would enjoy.
OMG! Concrete Blonde on RP! This song makes me want to learn guitar; beautiful in its simplicity. Good lyrics too. I saw them in concert about 4-1/2 years ago in Chicago; still have the ticket stub in my wallet. They had a flamenco dancer as the opening act; not something you see every day, but a nice insight into another culture's music. CB put on a rockin' show, and my wife, who couldn't stand them up to this point, agreed that it was a great performance. She's still not a fan, but at least she appreciates them now. Johnette sells it and makes you believe it! More CB, Bill!
I absolutely LOVE Concrete Blonde, and never paid much attention to this song....until I realized I was in the middle it.
Reminds me of Simon & Garfunkle's "dangling conversations".
I pretty much LOVE anything from this band. Johnette Napolitano's voice is classic! What an instrument!
deadfdr wrote:
Never liked anything from this band. Scratchy, whiny, useless.
I more or less agree with that--but I like this song.
Very enjoyable...check out: "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" Also great Live!
Never liked anything from this band. Scratchy, whiny, useless.
most womens voices in music sound alot alike...she seems alittle different
I never could say anything in 20 words or less ....
I'm a huge fan of CBlonde. These lyrics are marvelous. Saw them live some 10 or more years ago, in a small venue. It was tremendous.
i haven't listen them since a long time - good song - i love them since joey
I think it's intentional, and I think I like it... jagdriver wrote:
This gal can't sing.
This gal can't sing.
ughhhh
hmmmmmmmmmmmmm......
JokesandJokesandJokes wrote:
Comment Comment Comment
No, CONCRETE, not Coment... ohhhh
Shesdifferent wrote:
I know this voice....,still introspective.....love her conviction...a woman after my own heart. 20 words or less.
Good thing dots don't count. ;-) I like her "smoked a pack before recording" voice. Likeable ditty from the Blonde.
I know this voice....,still introspective.....love her conviction...a woman after my own heart. 20 words or less.
A distintnctive voice...
Little Conversations, powerful voice. Good song.
This is a loverly song. I don't have any Concrete Blond, but I've always enjoyed what I've heard of them. I like her gravelly voice.
Niiiiiiiccccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeee
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