The Silly Again

Marble and brass bird sarcophagus from 1874 made for a pet bird named “Wee Wee”! WW’s shrouded body is still inside, in a little drawer that slides out.

I drew screenshots in oil pastel earlier today (^_^)

Another transcription!! I'm real proud of this one.

This is the track that plays as Winslow first enters the Paradise, donning his iconic leather suit and mask. I kinda had to make up the title and I wasn't entirely sure who to credit, since this song wasn't included on the official soundtrack. I absolutely love all the string trio/piano tracks used throughout Phantom, it's such a shame they never got an official release...

Musescore.com

Backstage/The Mask - Phantom Of The Paradise

Download and print in PDF or MIDI free sheet music for Untitled by Paul Williams, George Tipton arranged by weirdbird74 for Piano, Organ, Vi

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It's interesting to me that so many take Winslow's interest in Phoenix to be romantic, because it's always seemed to me to be more based in what she can do for him -- or, more specifically, to be based in what she can do for his music. This, of course, plays into the film's exploration of the exploitative nature of the entertainment industry.

Even if Winslow were to feel some sort of physical attraction to her, which he never explicitly indicates, he states himself upon their first meeting that he would "never let his personal desires influence [his] aesthetic judgment." To him, Phoenix's ability to adequately perform his music is what matters.

[Further analysis under the Read More]

This is not to say, however, that Winslow is shielded from the film's searing exposure of the entertainment industry's tendency (specifically, in pertinence to male desire, be it sexual or otherwise) to exert ownership of the women operating within it. Philbin attempts to exert this ownership sexually, Swan attempts to exert this ownership literally, via the predatory contracts so often seen in the industry (though, of course, not quite to the degree seen in the film), and Winslow attempts to exert this ownership creatively.

He is using Phoenix too, albeit in a different way: everyone in the film wants something from her. Philbin, the audience, Swan, and Winslow. The only exception to this is Beef, who is immediately confronted by Winslow---which foists the attention back to Phoenix and which directly juxtaposes Beef against Phoenix (in that Beef's attempt to assume the role that 'rightfully' belongs to Phoenix will result in his death). The free will of both Beef and Phoenix is smothered and eradicated by the desires of the two primary opposing characters. It is interesting as well that Beef, who is equally used as a pawn by the traditionally-masculine Swan and Winslow, is queer-coded: which in the 70s would certainly have been meant to indicate that he was feminine. But, I digress...

Whilst not conventionally manipulating Phoenix, Winslow still forces his desires onto her. He wants to use her for his music: he knows she will be forced to sing if he kills Beef. He shows her what happens to those who do not "listen to [him]" when he takes her to the roof and reveals what he has done; he tells her that she is all he has, that she is the only one fit to perform his music, that she can be HIS voice now.

He does not want her to give into her desire to become famous, or to enact her own fantasies; he wants her simply to remain as she is, unknown, uncorrupted, 'pure,' -- a fit vessel for his music. He does not want her to pursue the path she wants to take, knowing that fame will transform her into an agent of the industry he so desperately despises and yet seeks to break into (on his terms, of course -- yet, Phoenix is not allowed this same choice).

He does not love her romantically; he loves that she can voice his music the way he wants it voiced. His music has always been his sole passion, and his sole obsession: his cantata is his soul, and Phoenix is his instrument. He cares for her the way a seasoned jazz musician cares for his saxophone.

His agony on the rooftop is not borne of jealousy of a romantic origin, but rather of his torment that Swan is yet again ruining his music: to claim Phoenix is to permanently divest Winslow of his voice. She is his last chance, and he does not intend to allow Swan to crush that.

This is not to claim that Winslow does not care for her as a person: of course he does. He would not attempt to save her from Swan's assassination plot once she has been 'corrupted' (in his view) otherwise. It is poignant that this act of selflessness not only results in his own destruction, but is ultimately meaningless: he may have saved Phoenix, but died amid a massive, televised Bacchanal that served only to exponentially augment Swan's fame. (An assassination live on television, coast to coast? Now that's entertainment!).

Just as the other characters in the film, be they major or minor, Winslow's designs for Phoenix exist to lampoon the entertainment industry, whose dulled teeth gnash ceaselessly as it devours those who leap into its insatiable, gaping maw.

Romantic love for Phoenix does not exist in this film for a reason: not from Swan, and not from Winslow...and that is the point.

no

Klaatu - We're Off You Know 1977

Klaatu was a Canadian rock group formed in 1973. They named themselves after an ambassador, Klaatu, from an extraterrestrial confederation who visits Earth with his companion robot Gort in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still. In Canada, the band is remembered for several hits, including "California Jam" (1974), "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" (1976) and "Knee Deep in Love" (1980). Internationally, the group's pop-influenced style of progressive rock has led to them being known as the "Canadian Beatles".

In 1977, a rumour started that Klaatu's 1976 debut studio album 3:47 EST could actually be a release by a secretly reunited Beatles recording under a pseudonym. These rumours were fueled by a number of factors, including the fact that their album was released by Capitol Records (also the Beatles' label in North America), the lack of artist and producer credits or photographs in the album packaging, Klaatu's avoidance of public performances, and the fact that the group's vocal and musical style was reminiscent of the Beatles. Capitol Records tried to make as much of the rumours as possible, by issuing ambiguously worded statements that failed to make the band's identity entirely clear.

Hope is Klaatu's second studio album and their first concept album. Released in September 1977, it won a Juno Award for Best Engineered Album and a Canadian Music Critics award for Best Album that same year. The album follows the loose concept of space travelers visiting a distant planet. An alternate version of Hope was released in 2005 as part of the group's Sun Set collection of rarities. The alternate version on Sun Set includes the complete contributions of the London Symphony Orchestra, which had largely been removed from the original version. Hope was remastered and re-issued in 2012 by the band's members, and was released on the band's independent record label Klaatunes.

"We're Off You Know" received a total of 67,3% yes votes!

Phantom of the Paradise + Screenshots of Despair.

the devil with his fuckass lighting lol

i must have a crap ton of space between my ears because it took me this long to figure out why some folks (myself included) may not have recognized "Somebody Super Like You" as a rework/musical mutilation of "Phantom's Theme"

The chord progression of Phantom's Theme's verses is altered slightly in Somebody Super, so the brunt of the similarity comes from the "i-VI-i-VI" heard at the very start of each verse - and from a musical standpoint, those chords on their own aren't terribly unique. You can hear them in the guitar riff of Echoes and the overture to ALW's Phantom Of The Opera, among oodles of other examples.

Interestingly, within the film, the progression is also in the verses of "Old Souls" (albeit in the key of C minor), which'd lead one to think that Somebody Super and Life At Last were both ripping it off, just different parts of it, when this wasn't actually the case

The similarities between Somebody Super and Phantom's Theme would've been made obvious during the bridge, which introduces a key change and a contrasting, major chord progression, kept identical in both songs. Issue being: the bridge of Phantom's Theme wasn't included in the film, likely for the sake of pacing. it's a creative decision that 100% made sense for the scene, but would unfortunately have musical repercussions later down the line.

probably common knowledge but that's my autism for the day