Pictures (Katie Melua album)

CD with bonus tracks for Japan only

Occupation

  • Vocals and Guitar: Katie Melua
  • Guitars: John Parricelli, Steve Donnelly and Chris Spedding
  • Piano and Organ: Mike Batt
  • Bass: Tim Harries
  • Percussion: Ray Cooper
  • Additional Percussion: Rob Ferrer
  • Solo Trumpet: Dominic Glover
  • Stringed instruments and flute: The Irish Film Orchestra
  • Additional string instruments from UK
  • Conducted by Mike Batt

Pictures is the third studio album by the Georgian- British singer Katie Melua.

History

After the two successful predecessors Call Off the Search and Piece By Piece was released on 28 September 2007, more than two years after the last publication, Melua's third album Pictures. As Date and October 1, 2007 is given as September 28, 2007 was a Friday and then it really is no new releases in the UK. At least in Germany and several other countries the album but was already delivered on 28 September.

On six of the twelve songs on the album Melua has co-written a song comes from her own. Come on Pictures again five of the new title by Mike Batt, while only two cover versions are included. Two pieces were created in collaboration with the Australian actress, singer and composer Andrea McEwan, and there is a co-production with Molly McQueen. Blues and jazz elements, as they were found mainly on Call Off the Search, are less represented on the third album. The album itself is more pop and some rockier than the first two.

In the last weeks before the release of each title Pictures were adjusted for pre-listening to the website of Dramatico. Among of the first two albums enthusiastic fans began a discussion of the qualitative classification of the new album, in the course of which first appeared some rather disappointed, the reviews were directed also to Mike Batt. Even after the official release, it came to other reviews, and the sales figures seem to confirm this first. Later, however, a great commercial success apparent even in Pictures.

Nine of the 23 tracks on the Live Tour 2008 came from the album Pictures, the tour itself was on some tickets and promotional materials also this name. As Melua was asked during her concert in Milan on April 29, 2008 at the Live Tour 2008 as it would call the new album with an adjective, she said "moving " so much as " in motion ".

CD with two bonus tracks for Japan only

Already on 19 September 2007 was released in Japan Album Pictures with two bonus tracks. This special edition is sometimes offered at market prices on online auction sites. The sellers usually come from Eastern Europe, making the CDs usually a flawless impression. Nevertheless, it is controversial among fans in part, whether it is original or to make perfect copies. It is also unclear why it ever came to this publication; it is believed that a special purchase incentive for the East Asian region should be created. The interesting thing about this edition is the ability to track When You Taught Me How to Dance to have on CD, the there has been only on the DVD Miss Potter as a video clip for fans.

On 2 September 2007, ie nearly a month before the announced release date, set an iTunes download version of Pictures in its online offer, which was in several regions, including the UK and Australia, available. It was initially unclear whether this was a mistake. On September 3, the offer was no longer available, it appeared an error message referring to the release date September 29. To download version as a bonus track was also the Prince - Cover Under the Cherry Moon, which many fans as well as in other download-only titles, eg the subsequent single release Mary Pickford, reacted with incomprehension.

Katie Melua stated in an interview that iTunes is their record store and came into force on 5 May 2008 at the iTunes Festival in Berlin. Almost simultaneously appeared on May 9, 2008, a vinyl edition of the album Pictures.

Album Title

Mary Pickford

The original concept of the album was to write the music for an imaginary Tarantino movie. Katie Melua wanted to give her passion for movies, especially horror films, expression. However, this project turned out to be too complex and the subject of " film" is more broadly instead. So is the first title of the silent film actress Mary Pickford and the establishment of the film company United Artists.

Stylistically, it is not clear to classify this in A Major -written, easy- swinging acoustic tracks. Verse, chorus and C -Partenkirchen each have a length of twelve bars and point despite the clear voice guidance in its basic character elements of rhythm 'n' blues, what is even more evident by the standard figures of guitar and bass. At the end of the chorus, vocals quite deep and takes one for folk music often typical degree turn. The a minor third in C Major alternating C -Partenkirchen offers a reminiscent of the music of Romanticism contrast with the pattern of verse and chorus and loosens the piece in the direction of pop on. In the melodic return from the chorus to the verse, the acoustic guitar moves technically versed between classical and folk.

Mary Pickford was published on 26 November 2007 as the second single of the album. However, it was purely a download single, that is, it could be downloaded only for music providers on the Internet and there was no CD on the market.

It's All In My Head

Takes the root of the first track, but change the scale type and created with this direct transition from A major to A minor, the impression of a change in sentiment.

If The Lights Go Out

Title # 3 is the cover version of Mike Batt song by the Hollies in 1983 grossed on their album What Goes Around. A powerful bass, electric guitar and drums lined, get along Direction without C -Partenkirchen pop song, rooted musically in the 60s of the 20th century when groups such as the Byrds and the on the ground cadence with the typical use of the major chord on first stage relative minor chord developed. A characteristic rather for the beginning of the 80's statement can be found in the passage:

"Start living for today. Do not think about tomorrow. "

It is striking that this passage that appears in the February 25, 2008 Single - version to

"Start living for today. Think about tomorrow. "

Will.

One explanation is that a positive message to be conveyed, people are just now on "tomorrow" thinking, even if the future this may be difficult to make. Also on their live tour 2008 Katie Melua has gone previously in this version and decide the title there with reference to her in some ways under construction begriffenes home country Georgia at times in this sense, for example, on 26 March 2008 at the Salle Erasme in Strasbourg. A vision that does not quite coincide at first sight with the original statement, as it was indeed confirmed at the time of release of the single in a Katie Melua - quote.

As a " B-side" contains the single title Looking for Clues, a cover version of the song by Robert Palmer.

What I Miss About You

Is the fourth track on the album, but really it 's about the exact opposite, because in the second part of the song it says:

"What I Do not Miss About You"

Again, it 's about the end of a love, but unlike the sad and somber D minor blues Piece by Piece expects those in love Disappointed here doing plenty of onset in the relative key of F Major held, albeit slow and minor chords pop song from an ironic, almost cynically with the former partner by first wistfully things are enumerated at first glance, she misses, then almost dismissively noted, "No, I do not miss since you 're gone ":

"Your habit of soaking yourself in over-priced cologne"

The musical setting is simple and effective, using the standard chord progression for the verse:

F - Dm - F - Gm - Am - Bb - Dm - C - Bb - F

And a variation over for the chorus:

Dm - Am - Bb - F - Bb - F - C

At a C- part is omitted, the piece draws its power from the chorus upwardly extending melody and the stronger statement in the text.

What I Miss About You was co-created by Andrea McEwan (text) and Katie Melua ( music). When pieces of music that they listen, respect them - if possible - always first on the lyrics and then the music, and accordingly it was going on even in their own compositions, so Katie Melua expressed on 4 April 2008 in the radio show on RTL Nocturnes France, which she co- hosted.

Spellbound

Is the only one of Katie Melua alone composed song on the album. It is easily influenced by their own statements of Georgian folk music:

"(...) Slightly Influenced by georgian folk music"

Spellbound away quite complex built far from the roots of the blues and is compared to other tracks on the album with rhythm, time and key signature changes.

Scary movie

Called in German horror films and shows his respect already by the title obviously.

Perfect Circle

Concert-goers had already in July 2007 the opportunity to hear this item in advance and experience. On their tour in 2007 Katie Melua played surprisingly Perfect Circle as the second piece behind Thankyou Stars, followed by Blues In The Night and Blame It On The Moon, but without it present as a new title of her upcoming album. The solo guitar part on this tour took Justin Sandercoe, who had previously often worked with Katie Melua and also wrote the tracks on one of the two 2004/2005 published versions of the maxi-single Call Off The Search Turn To Tell.

Perfect Circle is the 8th title in Pictures and a composition by Katie Melua and Molly McQueen. Stylistically reminiscent the piece with its slightly rocking blues and funky elements to the Dire Straits, the studio version yet by the Arrangement Mike Batts with background piano, soft sounding guitars and brass insert is characterized.

On the Live Tour 2008 Perfect Circle stands at number 12 in the set list and also forms in time - together with the immediately recited What I Miss About You - pretty much the middle of the concert. Even the pre - 2007 version differed from the studio version by quite a long outro with piano and guitar solo at the Live Tour 2008 takes the outro with improvisations on only one chord at the piano and guitar sometimes compete with each other, almost half of the a piece, which now takes just under six and a half minutes. Justin Sandercoe, whose last appearance to date with Katie Melua on 10-11. November 2007 was seen at the AVO Session, is no longer there on this tour. He was replaced by session musician Luke Potashnick. The clearly influenced by blues and rock elements sound of his guitar and his playing style sometimes reminiscent of Eric Clapton, but also to Carlos Santana. A particularly characteristic note gets the live version of Perfect Circle by some very free improvisations of pianist Jim Watson, whose part but sometimes the understudy Rob Taggart takes over.

For some specialized critics Perfect Circle is one of the best titles of Pictures:

"It's also in other parts of their voice, but especially the way she so real it conveys the feelings that make the album really worth listening to. " Perfect Circle " about where she wants to break out of the angry little perfect world. "

If You Were A Sailboat

On 24 September 2007, written by Mike Batt Title If You Were A Sailboat was released as a first single. The single was put on the market in a limited edition of only 15,000 pieces and each cover carries a serial number. Included as B-sides are written by Mike Batt title junk mail and Straight to DVD, as well as a cover of David Gray This Year's Love Songs. It is so far the only title of the album, the Katie Melua presented on German television, for example, on 13 December 2007, the José Carreras Gala.

Dirty Dice

Text and music of the penultimate song play with motifs from the genre of spaghetti westerns

" 'Dirty dice ' is our take on a spaghetti western. "

Track Listings

(* Bonus track for Japan only )

Chart positions

The album reached number 1 in Switzerland and double platinum in Germany 2nd place as well as gold and later platinum and # 6 in Austria.

In the UK, the album reached # 2

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