Rand, your post describes where I "live" musically, enraptured by structure, and the interplay of all the elements of a song.

I was born in '61, and my earliest musical memory is from when I was maybe four years old or so, and dazzled by the Beatles single "Eight Days a Week"/"I Don't Want to Spoil the Party". Both songs affected me equally, and I was old enough to play that 45 on that old suitcase record player, and flip it over, again and again.

Looking back, that 45 taught me everything I needed to know about structure, songcraft, performance, production choices. That chiming intro/outro on "Eight Days a Week", those spinetingling crisp harmonies in perfect counterpoint, the wry viewpoints expressed that made me want to know more about the singers.

But most of all, I "saw" the structure of those songs. It started with this part...then went to that...it changed there, wow, so neat...then a return to the other part...

That was the best lesson the Beatles taught me, to be aware of a song's skeleton, and to consider how to DO that. All through my childhood I listened to records like a songwriter, analyzing songs, keenly aware of the structure and the choices made...and I never realized that until I actually started writing them.

There are a lot of marvelous songs to look at, but those two are the ones the first grabbed me...and man, they never did let go.

http://www.soundclick.com/MarkKaufman