Taylor Swift

[KevShmev]

Folks, may I present Dr. Swift:



 

[XeRocks81]

she looks cute in absolutely anything

[MoraWintersoul]

It's funny because she said once she would like to receive an honorary doctorate but probably wasn't holding out for one

[KevShmev]

Her commencement speech was really good.  It helps that she is an eloquent public speaker. 

[DragonAttack]

[Skeever]

Folks, may I present Honorary Dr. Swift:



 

fixed 

[Stadler]

I love her.   

[Zook]

And she's still more of a doctor than Kent Hovind.

[DoctorAction]

I'm nearly through my first proper TS listen. Her recent version of Red. Very impressed with the writing and performance so far. Solid as a rock.

[KevShmev]

I'm nearly through my first proper TS listen. Her recent version of Red. Very impressed with the writing and performance so far. Solid as a rock.

Nice!  That is quite a hill to climb as a starter, given that Taylor's Version of Red is 30 songs: the 16 songs from the original album + the original bonus tracks from those sessions + Ronan (a standalone single from that era) + all of the previously unreleased "from the vault" songs that she had never finished including the original All Too Well before it was made more concise for the original record.

Of the "from the vault" tracks, I stand by Forever Winter as being not only the best, but one of her best songs ever.

[DoctorAction]

Ah, yes! I'm only taking in the original track listing from it to start with. Leaves more for later if it settles in. 

Edit: Enjoyed Red. Onto folklore now for a peek at recent output.

[nick_z]

I'm nearly through my first proper TS listen. Her recent version of Red. Very impressed with the writing and performance so far. Solid as a rock.

Nice!  That is quite a hill to climb as a starter, given that Taylor's Version of Red is 30 songs: the 16 songs from the original album + the original bonus tracks from those sessions + Ronan (a standalone single from that era) + all of the previously unreleased "from the vault" songs that she had never finished including the original All Too Well before it was made more concise for the original record.

Of the "from the vault" tracks, I stand by Forever Winter as being not only the best, but one of her best songs ever.

I think I've determined Red is my favorite record of hers, overall.  So good.

[KevShmev]

Ah, yes! I'm only taking in the original track listing from it to start with. Leaves more for later if it settles in. 

Edit: Enjoyed Red. Onto folklore now for a peek at recent output.

Nice. Let us know what you think!

I think I've determined Red is my favorite record of hers, overall.  So good.

It really is.  I love the variety on it, and even the few tunes that I never reach for on their own are just fine when doing full album listens. 

[nobloodyname]

I'm nearly through my first proper TS listen. Her recent version of Red. Very impressed with the writing and performance so far. Solid as a rock.

Nice!  That is quite a hill to climb as a starter, given that Taylor's Version of Red is 30 songs: the 16 songs from the original album + the original bonus tracks from those sessions + Ronan (a standalone single from that era) + all of the previously unreleased "from the vault" songs that she had never finished including the original All Too Well before it was made more concise for the original record.

Of the "from the vault" tracks, I stand by Forever Winter as being not only the best, but one of her best songs ever.

I think I've determined Red is my favorite record of hers, overall.  So good.

I'd go with 1989 followed by Red, I think, and then perhaps Lover and Reputation. I like Folklore and Evermore but I find it tough to differentiate the tracks from one another; they all sort of merge into one. I'm not familiar enough with the earlier albums to rank them although I do like Fearless (TV).

Kev, let's do a DTF Swifties Top 50 next instead of the long anticipated Maiden countdown

[nick_z]

I'd go with 1989 followed by Red, I think, and then perhaps Lover and Reputation. I like Folklore and Evermore but I find it tough to differentiate the tracks from one another; they all sort of merge into one. I'm not familiar enough with the earlier albums to rank them although I do like Fearless (TV).

Kev, let's do a DTF Swifties Top 50 next instead of the long anticipated Maiden countdown

1989 is definitely up there too. So is Lover - songs like the title track, The Archer, Cornelia Street are among my very favorites in her catalog. Reputation is an album I need to revisit. And Folklore/Evermore are great too (slight preference for the former, but they are close). Bottom line, it's hard to argue with the consistency and quality of her output - in my opinion, if we talk about big popstars, not much comes close in the current scene.

I like Fearless and Speak Now a lot too - plenty of amazing songs in those. As "album" experiences, I tend to go for the more recent records, as I enjoy the wider spectrum of styles and sound. The earlier ones are a little more one-dimensional.

BTW, I might have missed this, but since it appears the next in line to get the TV treatment is 1989 - are there no plans to do the same with Speak Now? It just seems weird to not do it chronologically, but who knows...

[KevShmev]

No, the first six albums are all getting the TV treatment.  As to why she is not doing them in order, only she could answer that, and I doubt she will ever give a definitive answer to that, but my guess all along has been that she wanted this endeavor to be a big success right away, so by starting off first with Fearless, her first Album of the Year, and then following that up with Red, which was hugely successful and had her first number 1 hit, she came out swinging and made it to where the value of the original masters dropped pretty quickly, which sends a message to the peeps who currently own them.  Had she gone in order, it is hard to say how much of a success TV of the debut would have been.  I know that record was a big success as well, but as that is very much a country album, and it is possible that some of her original fans didn't stick with her once she strayed away from her country, it is possible that that one won't be the massive success that these others have been. 

And actually, I think Speak Now does have a good variety when it comes to styles and sounds.  While there are still plenty of acoustic songs and a few country tunes, that is probably her album that rocks the most. 

[nick_z]

No, the first six albums are all getting the TV treatment.  As to why she is not doing them in order, only she could answer that, and I doubt she will ever give a definitive answer to that, but my guess all along has been that she wanted this endeavor to be a big success right away, so by starting off first with Fearless, her first Album of the Year, and then following that up with Red, which was hugely successful and had her first number 1 hit, she came out swinging and made it to where the value of the original masters dropped pretty quickly, which sends a message to the peeps who currently own them.  Had she gone in order, it is hard to say how much of a success TV of the debut would have been.  I know that record was a big success as well, but as that is very much a country album, and it is possible that some of her original fans didn't stick with her once she strayed away from her country, it is possible that that one won't be the massive success that these others have been. 

And actually, I think Speak Now does have a good variety when it comes to styles and sounds.  While there are still plenty of acoustic songs and a few country tunes, that is probably her album that rocks the most.

Thanks, Kev. For some reason, I actually thought her debut wasn't published under the same label, and so wasn't part of the whole Scooter Braun ordeal...in my mind, she started from Fearless because that was the "first", so I was surprised when Red was next. I didn't have my facts straight 

Yes, what you say makes perfect sense. Starting the Taylor's Version series with her debut wouldn't have made nearly the same impact...

[KevShmev]

Thanks, Kev. For some reason, I actually thought her debut wasn't published under the same label, and so wasn't part of the whole Scooter Braun ordeal...in my mind, she started from Fearless because that was the "first", so I was surprised when Red was next. I didn't have my facts straight 

Yes, what you say makes perfect sense. Starting the Taylor's Version series with her debut wouldn't have made nearly the same impact...

I think she has enough hardcore fans that it still would have been a success, but nothing on that first record is as iconic with the masses as Love Story, and that was the first song and video released from Fearless TV.  That is what I call coming out of your corner swinging. 

As I mentioned before, I suspect 1989 was planned to be the next one, but that the Shake It Off lawsuit is holding up its release. 

[DoctorAction]

Ah, yes! I'm only taking in the original track listing from it to start with. Leaves more for later if it settles in. 

Edit: Enjoyed Red. Onto folklore now for a peek at recent output.

Nice. Let us know what you think!

I think I've determined Red is my favorite record of hers, overall.  So good.

It really is.  I love the variety on it, and even the few tunes that I never reach for on their own are just fine when doing full album listens.

I've only listened to both Red and folklore through once and  the first few tracks from both since so too early to know how they'll settle but I'm looking forward to getting back to them.

I noticed a few things on Red that sounded to me like they may have influenced my favourite pop band Chvrches, which is interesting. Also found myself unconsciously singing some of the songs when delving in the fridge so definitely catchy.

[KevShmev]

I've only listened to both Red and folklore through once and  the first few tracks from both since so too early to know how they'll settle but I'm looking forward to getting back to them.

I noticed a few things on Red that sounded to me like they may have influenced my favourite pop band Chvrches, which is interesting. Also found myself unconsciously singing some of the songs when delving in the fridge so definitely catchy.

Some just really know how to write a hook.  And of course it helped that on Red, Max Martin and Shellback, who are like masters of pop songs with big hooks, helped her co-write a few of them. 

[DoctorAction]

Another Red listen in. Great stuff. The first half is catching me more than the second at this point but that's the standard getting to know stuff pattern.

[KevShmev]

Another Red listen in. Great stuff. The first half is catching me more than the second at this point but that's the standard getting to know stuff pattern.

I was like that at first, as the early tracks were my go-to ones for a while, but the last few months, the back half of the album has been more my go-to. Basically, the first half of the album got more attention last year, and now the second half of the album is getting its due in 2022. 

[DoctorAction]

Another Red listen in. Great stuff. The first half is catching me more than the second at this point but that's the standard getting to know stuff pattern.

I was like that at first, as the early tracks were my go-to ones for a while, but the last few months, the back half of the album has been more my go-to. Basically, the first half of the album got more attention last year, and now the second half of the album is getting its due in 2022. 

I love it when an album plans out like that. Survivor's When Seconds Count did that for me a couple of years ago and it's an abs top album for me now.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

I'm sure this has been answered in this thread somewhere, but I haven't been following, and I'm not really a Taylor Swift fan. However, just for the sake of my curiosity, are these new versions of her older albums all completely re-recorded (as in, newly recorded vocals and instruments) along with bonus tracks, etc. etc?

[nobloodyname]

I'm sure this has been answered in this thread somewhere, but I haven't been following, and I'm not really a Taylor Swift fan. However, just for the sake of my curiosity, are these new versions of her older albums all completely re-recorded (as in, newly recorded vocals and instruments) along with bonus tracks, etc. etc?

Yes, that's it. Completely re-recorded and with quite a bit of bonus material, too.

[KevShmev]

I'm sure this has been answered in this thread somewhere, but I haven't been following, and I'm not really a Taylor Swift fan. However, just for the sake of my curiosity, are these new versions of her older albums all completely re-recorded (as in, newly recorded vocals and instruments) along with bonus tracks, etc. etc?

Basically, yeah.  The first two both had non-album singles released around the same time re-recorded for TV, and both had "from the vault" tracks that are songs from those eras that she had written, but never recorded and released.  But, yes, they are complete re-recordings.  The biggest difference is her voice.  Love Story plays at work quite often, and both the original and the new version get played, and I can immediately tell the difference since one has Taylor at 18 singing and the other has Taylor at 30 singing.

[KevShmev]

Another Red listen in. Great stuff. The first half is catching me more than the second at this point but that's the standard getting to know stuff pattern.

I was like that at first, as the early tracks were my go-to ones for a while, but the last few months, the back half of the album has been more my go-to. Basically, the first half of the album got more attention last year, and now the second half of the album is getting its due in 2022. 

I love it when an album plans out like that. Survivor's When Seconds Count did that for me a couple of years ago and it's an abs top album for me now.

Some of my favorite albums ever were like that for me, where I got into this handful of tracks in a big way at first and then later got into the others in a big way. I love when that happens as well. 

[DoctorAction]

Another listen through of Red today. Very impressed. The writing, performance and production is top notch. And the variation is great. Entertaining songs, very professionally done. And it comes over as completely sincere.

I'm much more interested in this than any run of the mill metal band. Great.

[KevShmev]

Another listen through of Red today. Very impressed. The writing, performance and production is top notch. And the variation is great. Entertaining songs, very professionally done. And it comes over as completely sincere.

I'm much more interested in this than any run of the mill metal band. Great.

Yeah, I am so glad I am long past that "I love this genre, so I need more stuff from it even it is average" phase, as that thinking can cause you to miss out on a lot of great music from other genres.

And heck yeah with regards to the sincerity.  Her music feels very real, because it is.   

[The Curious Orange]

"The most important thing is sincerity. If you can fake that, you've got it made" - Bob Monkhouse

[DoctorAction]

"The most important thing is sincerity. If you can fake that, you've got it made" - Bob Monkhouse

Bob - what an amazing professional he was. It's about time someone did a documentary or something on him.

[KevShmev]

"The most important thing is sincerity. If you can fake that, you've got it made" - Bob Monkhouse

Are you implying that Ms. Swift is faking her sincerity, and if the answer is yes, why do you think this? 

[XeRocks81]

"The most important thing is sincerity. If you can fake that, you've got it made" - Bob Monkhouse

Are you implying that Ms. Swift is faking her sincerity, and if the answer is yes, why do you think this?

FWIW I don't think "fake" is the right word,  but more along the lines of "carefully managed".  And I'm saying this as a huge fan

[XeRocks81]

edit: double post

[Zook]

The most successful music is what people can relate to. I don't think Taylor would be on the map if she chose different topics to write about. Pretty sure love songs and breakup songs make up 99% of pop music.