Amy Winehouse

Post by **vison** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:47 pm

For some time I have been seeing Amy Winehouse's name in the papers, and reading the sad stories of her self-destructive behavior. But then, I actually heard her singing.

The kids had some music station on TV and there she was and I was blown away.

What a voice!!!! I would like to buy a CD but don't know which one to start with. Any suggestions?

Post by **Alatar** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:59 pm

Personally I'd say "Back to Black" but others might disagree.

I love the stripped down simplicity of this versio of the title song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ah33Up5NTB4

Post by **axordil** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:48 pm

A lot of great voices have been attached to self-destructive personalities over the last...well, I suspect always. You put that much of yourself out there, you run a risk, especially if you didn't start off well-centered.

Post by **River** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:39 pm

I first heard Amy Winehouse on the radio. I didn't know it was the same skinny chick I'd been seeing in the news. I really wish she could get her personal life straightened out so she could just keep right on singing for us.

Fiona Apple's like that too. Tiny little person, enormous voice. Don't know where it comes from. Her voice is bigger than she is.

Post by **tinwë** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 8:09 pm

I have Back To Black, an excellent album that I enjoy very much. Given all of the hype I doubt I ever would have given her a chance (being generally averse to hype), but they started playing some of her songs on the college radio station we listen to at work and I really liked it.

It really is a shame that she has fallen as low as she has. I suppose it is true that any great artist runs that risk, but she is so far gone it's hard to see how she could ever come back.

Post by **vison** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:18 pm

Well, Joe Cocker did. A little, anyway.

She has the most amazing voice, though. I mean, where does a skinny little English girl get a voice like that?

Another teeny weeny little girl with a big voice is Celine Dion. Now, please, don't get me wrong, I think she sings the absolute worst crap in the world, but that voice could have been dedicated to great music. The voice is there. She just wastes it.

But then again, she seems to have a stable life and maybe that's the tradeoff?

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:28 pm

I don't know. There are artists and singers out there who do amazing work and still have stable lives. My curmudgeonly view from outside is that, yes, success brings stress, the pressure to create brings stress; but some people seem to use this fact as an excuse to indulge themselves beyond reason in every other area of life.

Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:01 am

I don't think it's that simple. I certainly don't think that great art and destructive behavior have to go hand in hand, by any means, but I'm not prepared to just reject the connection out of hand, either. From Virginia Wolff to Amy Winehouse, there are too many examples to disregard completely.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 12:35 am

Perhaps so. I can see that being able to ignore inhibitions would be a help to an artist, but not necessarily beneficial in other areas of life.

Post by **vison** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:45 am

The trouble is, like say with Elvis Presley as the best/worst example, you take a person who is otherwise perfectly ordinary, nothing out of the usual, just this one thing, and then you make him King of the World. I don't think many kids like Elvis or Amy Winehouse can handle that.

Added to that, in the case of superstars (Keith Richards springs to mind), the guys running the record companies would literally do anything to keep the goose laying those golden eggs. No matter what, pretty much.

I don't know if Amy Winehouse has been given license or help. I know almost nothing about her, poor girl.

Post by **Primula Baggins** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:40 am

Neither do I; it looks like a sad story, though, from the pictures I see on the supermarket-checkout-line magazine covers.

Post by **River** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:12 am

From what I can gather, it starts with addiction and you can fill in the blanks. Legal troubles, medical troubles, erratic behavior, etc. She married something of a wastrel, which doesn't help. At one point her father asked the public to boycott her work until she got help. She was in rehab. She's out now. Not sure it took.

Sad thing.

Post by **solicitr** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:45 am

This generation's Janis Joplin (who also was a tiny chick with a helluva voice)

Wed Apr 01, 2009 6:00 am

Funny, I never made that connection, but you are quite right.