| Poll: Top 5 Dig Here Songs (Pick 5) |
| Jesus Wept |
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18 |
13.43% |
| Love, Grace and Mercy |
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17 |
12.69% |
| Waking Up Under Water |
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16 |
11.94% |
| Dig Here Said The Angel |
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15 |
11.19% |
| Now That I've Died |
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14 |
10.45% |
| We'll All Know Soon Enough |
|
13 |
9.70% |
| The Uses of Adversity |
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10 |
7.46% |
| The Ruthless Hum of Dread |
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9 |
6.72% |
| Forward In Reverse |
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9 |
6.72% |
| The Sun Shines On Everyone |
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7 |
5.22% |
| Our New Testament Best |
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6 |
4.48% |
| Total: |
134 Votes |
100% |
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We used to do things like this, and I thought they were fun.
Pick your top 5 favorite Dig Here Said The Angel songs.
Reply with your favorite song from the album.
I think all of the songs are great. It was hard to pick just five. I think my favorite is Ruthless Hum of Dread.
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I think I like the title track the best. But others are close behind.
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Hard to determine, but if we're talking about the song that has meant the most to me from this record, certainly "Ruthless Hum Of Dread." Especially the second half of it, where it honestly feels like the separation of a person from their life. It is beautiful, quite heartbreaking, and a little scary too. I can only think of a few bands that would bother to tackle the subject, and even at that they would likely go with only one aspect: the scary, the sad, or the glorious. To get all in a single song requires a degree of nuance I don't think a lot of writers, especially modern writers, have time for.
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I think my favourite is the title track "Dig here said the angel".
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Not in any particular order;
Forward In Reverse
Jesus Wept
Dig Here Said the Angel
Love, Grace and Mercy
Now That I've Died
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One thing I do find interesting, it seems to me that a few people have talked about "Now that I've died" in relation to physical death. I always took it to be about dying to self, being born again a new creation; redemption. As in, when I put the sinful nature on the cross, then I am more apt to walk in the spirit.
* by the way I am not suggesting that this is what its about, I am just saying that's what came to my mind when I listened to it.
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Audiori J
One thing I do find interesting, it seems to me that a few people have talked about "Now that I've died" in relation to physical death. I always took it to be about dying to self, being born again a new creation; redemption. As in, when I put the sinful nature on the cross, then I am more apt to walk in the spirit.
* by the way I am not suggesting that this is what its about, I am just saying that's what came to my mind when I listened to it. |
i'll tag onto that one for 2 cents... ok, free then, you guys are tough. it seems possible that many of the things said in "died" work both for physical (as the entrance to heaven) as well as spiritual death (in its highest form of sanctification), except the reference to selling records worldwide:-)
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Hmm.... I'll try..
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/24286_10200510267856148_1482674028_n.jpg
We'll All Know Soon Enough (this song absolutely kills me... Ed kicks ass on the drums... Terry's vocals will tear you apart (as it probably did his throat)... Rob's spooky B3 stuff in the background... Tim's bass rumbling down below... the weird noisy stuff... Greg's perfect guitar part.. the strings towards the end, interrupted by the crashing drums... hearing it in the studio gave me chills... Terry did quite a few takes for the vocals and with each take, his voice would crack or add some little flavor that just sent chills down the spine)
Dig Here Said the Angel
Forward In Reverse
Now That I've Died
Love Grace and Mercy
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i can't choose top 5 this soon, but #1 in my book is definitely now that i've died! 
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I find it interesting that Our NT Best is unscientifically the least favorite song on the album. It is one of my favorites, for sure.
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Ritchie_az
I find it interesting that Our NT Best is unscientifically the least favorite song on the album. It is one of my favorites, for sure. |
well, #11 out of 11 good songs ain't bad!
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My favorites are changing the more I listen to it.
High rotation in the car right now!
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1. The Ruthless Hum of Dread – this haunt stayed with me through 8 hours of dreaming
2. We'll All Know Soon Enough – He’s talking about my mother. I’ve said these very words but not aloud
3. Jesus Wept – made my wife cry, as she deals with a health issue that will only get worse.” Sealed in this Lazarus grave With nothing else to do, But cry “Let me out”
4. Dig Here Said The Angel – to me, the music evokes the Moody Blues, especially the verses of “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere”
5. Love, Grace and Mercy – Terry gets kudos for squeezing the right words into impossible places
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Given the ranking for Forward in Reverse in the poll, others may, as I do, think it was not the best choice for the first song. In truth I was very taken back when that song began. By the time they wrapped it up I thought it worthy to be on an album with high expectations, but when it began I was greatly disappointed, thinking it sounded like a rehash on a large scale, particularly of MB's Dream, like getting an appetizer that ruins the anticipation for the main course.
Anyway, if that is your thinking as well which song would you pick to be first if they had asked you... us??
I would vote for Waking Up Under Water, not so much because it has as deep a message as some of the songs but because it starts with a kick, reflects the production style of the album as a whole and doesn't let you go. Those of us with ADD, ADHD, DMV and OSHA need that.
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I quite liked Forward in Reverse as an opener. It just didn't turn out to be one my 5 favorite songs on the album, when those songs are taken by themselves, apart from the album context.
Possibly, any of the first three tracks might have made a nice opener. I would hold Waking Up Under Water for Side two. Perhaps that should open side two instead of Now That I've Died? (just my guess for where the vinyl running order will be split)
I quite like the current running order, and feel no need to change it up. But the above are my thoughts, if such a thing were to be done.
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I have actually wondered about opening song selection for a while on the Lost Dogs specifically. I also thought it applied here. I don't mind, I just wonder why they seem to start with an "Introduction" song so many times, like an old musical. It was that way on Scenic Routes and continued through many of the following releases where the sound of the first one was a pause before the storm that was coming. There must be a strategy to it.
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Eis
I quite liked Forward in Reverse as an opener. It just didn't turn out to be one my 5 favorite songs on the album, when those songs are taken by themselves, apart from the album context.
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Eis, any particular reason you like FIR as an opener? curious how other ears respond to these things.
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I think I like it for the same reason Ron has found the Lost Dogs' openers a bit odd; I like the idea of a musical introduction song, something that takes its time getting started and employs a variety of musical textures.
I have nothing against jumping right in with your "London Calling" or "I Love You #19." But I quite like what Terry and Co. have done with albums like MBD, Midget, and now Dig Here.
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I am in the minority in really liking "Forward in Reverse." I find it to be a song that declares expectation about heaven and the power of grace in a person's life. It also provides a prophetic call to treat everyone with grace as we await the coming of our Lord. I do think it works as an opening song. It does present itself as a quirkier number, but I find that to be some of why I like it so much.
That being said, it took me a while to choose my top 5 because the entire album ranks up there with my top 5 DA albums of all time. Each song has quickly lept to the top of my most listened to songs on my ipod. Here are my top 5 in no particular order (keep in mind that the other six are also top songs):
Forward in Reverse
Dig Here Said the Angel
Love, Grace, and Mercy
Now That I've Died
Ruthless Hum of Dread
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Maybe its introducing the theme...here's what you're about to experience...? I am wondering if its a "firm" theory of album composition for Terry et al, or if its a coincidence, or if I'm just way out to lunch as I usually am...
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Ron E
Maybe its introducing the theme...here's what you're about to experience...? I am wondering if its a "firm" theory of album composition for Terry et al, or if its a coincidence, or if I'm just way out to lunch as I usually am... |
It seems to be a recurring practice which goes all the way back to "Shotgun Angel", of devoting the opening track of an album to a musical and/or lyrical "thesis statement", before launching into the album proper. Certainly the first two Alarma Chronicles albums followed this motif.
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The song is in my top five, I like it because its odd and different. I like it as an opener because I kind of like the album starting out with silence then small and quiet and gentle and then ramping up.
I am not sure if Terry and the band sits down and thinks this is an opener song, I think they just go with how the album feels as a whole. I may be wrong about that, but that's the impression I got.
The first CDR I heard of the album rough mixes had the songs in a different order, with "Dig Here" as the first song. So I thought the album would start with the backward sounds of that song. Then at some point in the process they reshuffled the songs and picked a final order. It seemed like the order wasn't determined until all the songs were almost complete.
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nice discussion and different views - it's going to be fun to get the buzz once the CD is on the racks and see what happens to the poll.
anybody know how many songs were profffered as candidates before they selected this eleven?
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That I don't know. When I went down with my brother to film in the studio, they already had these songs laid out and were working them.
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I remember seeing a sheet of lyrics that I didn't recognize... but it may have just morphed into one of the album songs. not sure.
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It took me a while to get the time to listen to my advanced download, but now I've listened start to finish twice. It's a brilliant piece of soul surgery, and I love every song on it. If I'm limited to five, they would be (for now):
Jesus Wept (my favorite I think)
Love, Grace, and Mercy
Waking Up Under Water
The Uses of Adversity
The Sun Shines on Everyone
As always seems to be the case, this Daniel Amos album arrived at the just the right time for me. It has a lot to say about things I've been thinking about for the past year or more. I feel somehow less fragmented and better understood when I listen to it, even if only "here I am."
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| quote: |
Originally posted by baxter
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nice shades
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| Top 5 after repeated listenings |
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I really like the whole album, so this is not a diss on any song.
1. Waking Up Under Water: Lyrics I love:
I closed my eyes and I fell in love
Her kiss was the one I was dreaming of
I close my eyes and she’s there for me
The woman I lost and the child that is forever broken always appear in my dreams as happy and whole, so this song connects in ways I am sure are not accurate, but that is the power and freedom of music.
2. Our New Testament Best
I could’ve gone to war, become a God of Wrath
My fingers snap (Flash!) and baby, you’d be nothing but ash
But I thought better of it
The temptation for getting back at those that have damaged is tempered with the mercy proclaimed in the New Testament. Probably why Christians don't have 2,000 year old grudges that they allow their children to be killed over. Kurt Vonnegut said it like this: "There are plenty of good reasons for fighting, but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty Himself hates with you, too."
3. Dig Here Said the Angel
“You’re gonna suffer for awhile”
“I’ll tell you straight,” said the angel
“Don’t plan to go out in style”
This is not prosperity gospel being preached here. The devastating truth can be a healing balm against the wishful thinking that distracts from embracing the realities of life. It also reminds me to take the advice of Kurt Vonnegut: "I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'" Enjoy the blessings amidst the hurt and brace for what is coming.
4. We'll All Know Soon Enough
Now we’re thinking that our prayers aren’t answered
‘Cuz when it came the answer was “No”
the same rock we stood on crushed us
I don't like that answer one little bit, my human side says.
5. The Ruthless Hum of Dread
In a pauper’s field of dreams
I’m walking in between open-mouthed graves
Anxious to be fed
And all my buried intentions are groaning for transition
This is a great album. I have other favorite lyrics, such as Terry's delivery of "I'm never cynical, but still a little sarcastic." in Now That I've Died, but the above are my favorite songs for now.
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| quote: |
Originally posted by sondance
Given the ranking for Forward in Reverse in the poll, others may, as I do, think it was not the best choice for the first song. In truth I was very taken back when that song began. By the time they wrapped it up I thought it worthy to be on an album with high expectations, but when it began I was greatly disappointed, thinking it sounded like a rehash on a large scale, particularly of MB's Dream, like getting an appetizer that ruins the anticipation for the main course. |
he he, I thought that "forward in reverse" was a MBD lost song definitely sounded as it was left behind for the next album.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by audiori We'll All Know Soon Enough (this song absolutely kills me... Ed kicks burro on the drums... Terry's vocals will tear you apart (as it probably did his throat)... Rob's spooky B3 stuff in the background... Tim's bass rumbling down below... the weird noisy stuff... Greg's perfect guitar part.. the strings towards the end, interrupted by the crashing drums... hearing it in the studio gave me chills... Terry did quite a few takes for the vocals and with each take, his voice would crack or add some little flavor that just sent chills down the spine). |
funny this is my favorite song and just out of fun I thought Terry took 1 week of rest before recording it and then voice rehab after... lol, HE definitely did a great job with his voice this album
my other 4 are:
waking up under water
dig here said the angel
love grace and mercy
forward in reverse @Sondance, yep I voted for this one, reminds me of my DA favorite album.........
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well "F in R" is holding its own against one i picked: "Sun"
it is interesting to see the variety of favorites.
in spite of these picks i never know which one may snag my sub-conscious next. the song last in the poll had it going just the other day... "we got dressed in our NT best..." on & on.
didn't they do a good job of sinking the hooks? and that is a good thing in this case.
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| quote: |
Originally posted by sondance
well "F in R" is holding its own against one i picked: "Sun"
it is interesting to see the variety of favorites.
in spite of these picks i never know which one may snag my sub-conscious next. the song last in the poll had it going just the other day... "we got dressed in our NT best..." on & on.
didn't they do a good job of sinking the hooks? and that is a good thing in this case. |
yep they did 
, all eleven songs have made the favorites..
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I just got the album yesterday. At this point, I don't know how to respond. I think every song has dazzled me, even with just a cursory listen. Plan to listen deeply tonight. This may be their best ever.
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1.) Now That I've Died (Rockin' Great tune from the first spin)
2.) Jesus Wept (Also pretty great from the first few listens)
3.) Love Grace & Mercy
4.) Our New Testament Best (Wow! This one has really grown on me. I can't believe I used to forward past this song).
5.) Dig Here Said the Angel
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I was listening today and even though I knew the correct lyric one lien kept coming through incorrectly to me.
Not "My New testament best" but I heard My intestinal best - I knew terry had had some Gall bladder problems but...?
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Jimmy Brown
It took me a while to get the time to listen to my advanced download, but now I've listened start to finish twice. It's a brilliant piece of soul surgery, and I love every song on it. If I'm limited to five, they would be (for now):
Jesus Wept (my favorite I think)
Love, Grace, and Mercy
Waking Up Under Water
The Uses of Adversity
The Sun Shines on Everyone
As always seems to be the case, this Daniel Amos album arrived at the just the right time for me. It has a lot to say about things I've been thinking about for the past year or more. I feel somehow less fragmented and better understood when I listen to it, even if only "here I am." |
Having the album for a few years now, I notice that my very favorite song seems to change between "Jesus Wept" and "The Uses of Adversity." I'm sure it says something about me that they seem to both address a similar issue from different sides. I don't really have more adversity and disappointment that most other people, and my expectations weren't so lofty compared to everyone else of my generation, but they both hit that issue in my life and help me deal with it.
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RE: Top 5 Dig Here Songs
First Song?