House on Pooneil Corners v. Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil

[plasticfantastic]

Which do you prefer musically?
Which do you prefer philosophically?
Which do you listen to more often?

And any other opinions, of course. I was just curious...

[EmbryonicRabbit68]

I prefer Ballad Of.I also listen to it more, its one of those songs thats just, you know, perfect in every way, the lyrics are some of Pauls best, the music is amazing, the bass and guitar I have played a few times.But I do love House on!I feel it doesnt get enough recognition, one of the doomiest songs of the 60s.Live I thought it would be missing the organ, but no.I dont even think about it.

[usedtobebabson]

Which do you prefer musically?
Which do you prefer philosophically?
Which do you listen to more often?

And any other opinions, of course. I was just curious...

I prefer House on Pooneil Corners musically and Philosophically.
Ballad is more philosophically in the clouds. House is more down to the feelings that are going on in society, or were back then, but has philosophical touches too.

Which one more often is a tough one. The Ballad has that classical JA sound and the beat is quicker, but very surreal. It touches some remnant acid in the brain.
House sounds smoother and improved, a slower beat, with a sound a step above classical. It provides all that Ballad does and more.
I havta go with a tie, due to experiences of that time period.

See I am a different person now

[redrabid]

Though I always liked House for its gloomy air, I prefer Ballad. When in doubt whether a song is good or not, there is one rule that never fails: Play it live. Ballad was played live a lot by JA and often very well indeed. At Monterey, still very true to the studio recording, or at Woostock, reworked into an awe inspiring show of genius. JA performed House not so often and never as well as Ballad. The best live version is to me the rooftop one. But live the song had the same shortcoming as on Crown: All the frenzy seems to go nowhere. It has no climax, the song just ends.
I play Ballad more often, because I play Baxter's more often than Crown. Yes, I do play the entire albums.
Nice to see that some of us appear to have a second life.

[jimmie ray]

"House" sounds more like Black Sabbath than JA, but I enjoy it much more than "Ballad". I've only heard the live versions, though.
My favorite Winnie the Pooh episode was the blustery day, with the epilumps and woosles, by the way...

[IneedaBonghit]

I like this rooftop jam of "House"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JJYxM6hCgE

Jack's bass jam on "Ballad" from A Night at the Family Dog was fantastic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrTS7b028A8

What's with the origin of Pooneil? Who was on the Winnie the Pooh kick?
I have to admit back then I did have a thing for Winnie the Pooh although I was only about 6 or so.
Do stuffed animals come to life when you take LSD?

Jack

[Susan Butcher]

My Basil Brush does!

[Apparatchik]

I have heard both the studio versions of both songs and the live cuts on the Woodstock experience. It's close but House on Pooneil Corners on the Woodstock CD is the best. I love the air of doom, the organ and guitar interplay, and the strung out vocals. It's like an apocalytipic ending to their set. It also does remind me of my favorite Black Sabbath song - "Into the Void" .

[Steve]

I love House- about the heaviest songs JA ever played. And FWIW, PK said he lifted the opening part of Ballad (after the feedback) from the song "Green Onions".

[redrabid]

What do you mean: "House" sounds like Black Sabbath? That's a compliment?

[Susan Butcher]

Though I like it as a song, there's something lacking in the sound of "Ballad" on the album. "Green Onions" sounds great because it's chunky; that part of "Ballad" is just tinny and irritating. The simpler the music, the more important the sound becomes.

Another irritating thing about "Baxters" is the way the music drops in pitch during the segues. The first couple of times it happens it sounds like it might have been written in, but at the end of "Last Wall" it's obviously a flub. Sorry to be picky. I do like the words of "Ballad", and Grace's voice really is an extra instrument here.

I think I'll have to look at the words written out before I cast my vote for "House", but its soaring darkness gives it the edge.

[Apparatchik]

What do you mean: "House" sounds like Black Sabbath? That's a compliment?

Yes

[jimmie ray]

What do you mean: "House" sounds like Black Sabbath? That's a compliment?

Yes

Absolutely - especially considering the period in time that they did it, long before the long string of nauseating imitators. I don't think we're talking Ozzie vs. Marty or Grace, but a more general vibe.

[CookOfTheHouse]

Both songs are magnificent. The Ballad is amazing, with a crazy fun feel and House is chaos, apocalyptic, and it's very well represented. I listen to them both on a daily basis but which one is better? I think I'd pick The Ballad only on studio version but it's pretty ahrd to find a live version of it that's as good as the studio. House is a great studio record but it's the best when performed live, Grace and Marty just go nuts when performing it. Another thing is Paul Kantner's vocals. I always compare kantner to John Phillips, AMAZING song writers and arrangers but mediocre vocalists. The less Kantner on vocals, the better, so I stay with House At Pooneil Corners!

[randall9]

my first time..... i see no one has chimed in for awhile? But, a cool set of ?s.
They are both great song/jams, goes without saying (but let me say it anyway;-0)
Baxter's is consensus creative peak and Ballad opens the album. It is the freest rock album (unimprovised) that i can think of. The band is peaking, musically and drugwise. I was a boy in chicago when the single came out, and some DJ on WLS played and called it "garbage".... I was blown away, had never heard anything like it, and offended by this arbiter of taste who may (probably) have been hearing if for the first time expecting another WR or STL. Too bad. I could go on and on about Baxter's one of my top 10 albums ever. Having played both songs, Ballad is more fun. Having said that, the band at time of Crown... was even more amazing having been together (and with Spencer) awhile longer. House.... is an amazing perfromance, the instruments a whirling dervish of chaos holding together. Don't recall which of them i heard the group do live more often. The rooftop performance is great and the live Ballad (from when) hysterically brilliant. So, thank god we have both these songs. I listen to Ballad more because i listen to Baxters more often. thank you, marty, for putting it all together for the brief blaze of glorious madness, and the rest for getting on board. Spencer RIP (Oh, it's a tie)