The 'Bands I don't Get' thread (2 Viewers)

[nuke terrorist]

I know nothing about the digital recording end of things but listening to 1980's music it was blatantly obvious something massively changed from about 83 onwards. Might be worth a thread on this actually,.

in case anyone doesn't know when the Fairlight CMI came on the market in 1979/80 it cost £50,000 (at least the cost of two 3 bed semis). there was already another rival on the market at that point the Synclavier which cost several times as much.

Synclavier - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

the Yamaha DX7 arrived in 1983 and it was the first big selling digital synth and dominated the charts for years afterwards. if the quality of electronic pop declined as the 80's progressed this thing has to take a big chunk of the blame.

Yamaha DX7 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

loads of other Yamaha DX7 videos:

https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEB&search_query=yamaha+dx7

 

[Kermit McDermott]

C'mere, the worst offender on this kind of shit is Damien Dempsey, with the utterly childish understanding of issues in the country he's actually from (see his song Colony, laughably recommended as a good way to "inform yourself" by some young one in the Irish Times recently)

edit: which is a real shame, cos I think he's a glorious songwriter if he'd only stay away from politics

I'd love to hear Damo singing wuthering heights.

 

[nuke terrorist]

WHITE FLAG - Wuthering Heights

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

from a 1992 new wave covers comp that was a benefit for Planned Parenthood.
the cover photo is a nod to the Rodney on The ROQ early LA punk comps.

 

[rettucs]

Devo

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

WHITE FLAG - Wuthering Heights

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

from a 1992 new wave covers comp that was a benefit for Planned Parenthood.
the cover photo is a nod to the Rodney on The ROQ early LA punk comps.

Great band and great at covers. I'd take that over Kate Bush all day long.
Not heard that version since that lp was released.

 

[therealjohnny]

Surprised this hasn't already been posted

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[nuke terrorist]

SUPERCHUNK - Girl U Want (Devo) also from the same Freedom of Choice covers comp. which Gerry Casale wrote some liner notes for

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Unicron]

I know nothing about the digital recording end of things but listening to 1980's music it was blatantly obvious something massively changed from about 83 onwards. Might be worth a thread on this actually,.

I just checked and it might have been something to do with the release of the ssl G series console, but that was 87.

The E series was released in 79 and those SSL desks eventually became the standard recording console, it may have taken until 83 or so for them to become the market leader. The sound of the 80's on into the early 90's at least was the sound of an SSL.

That being said Depeche Mode for example, a lot of their stuff was recorded on API consoles.

 

[nuke terrorist]

I just checked and it might have been something to do with the release of the ssl G series console, but that was 87.

The E series was released in 79 and those SSL desks eventually became the standard recording console, it may have taken until 83 or so for them to become the market leader. The sound of the 80's on into the early 90's at least was the sound of an SSL.

That being said Depeche Mode for example, a lot of their stuff was recorded on API consoles.

cheers. I'll look into some of this gear but I am not even a musician.

 

[Unicron]

cheers. I'll look into some of this gear but I am not even a musician.

Basically the sound of an SSL is that it's very mid-range forward, it's got an in your face kind of tone because of it. It's also very punchy because it had a compressor on every channel running into it.

Prior to that the dominant commercial consoles were made by Neve, which has a more "open" sound and a much more solid low end. They came along in the very late 60's and early 70's.

Simultaneous to and prior to then studios would have their own in house engineering teams who would build their own recording consoles. In the early 60's for example Abbey Road were using their own in-house REDD consoles which were tube based before they changed over later that decade to the TG series, which were transistor based. Elsewhere in London Olympic Studios had their own console, the Helios, lots of famous rock records were recorded through that. Trident studios also had a quite legendary console, I think they built a few of those commercially as well.

The desk music is recorded through can really put it's own tonal sonic imprint on the music. That's to do with the circuit topology and the functionality of the channels (ie fixed vs parametric EQs are big factor). In the later days of big desk recording manufacturing and circuit design had come to a stage where the desks were more transparent, and as such had less character than their predecessors.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Great band and great at covers. I'd take that over Kate Bush all day long.
Not heard that version since that lp was released.

It’s hopeless.

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

Doesn't say much for the Kate Bush version then

 

[Kermit McDermott]

The white flag version is fine. I like they way they kind of reharmonized it. Gave it a power pop makeover.
But the original has a magic to it that can't be surpassed. IMHO.

 

[Jerry Twig]

Doesn't say much for the Kate Bush version then

Wrong

 

[nuke terrorist]

when I heard White Flag's version without being prompted I wouldn't have recognized it as being K.B's tune.
that her lyrics are hard to make out meant that if you didn't notice the first line you mightn't suss it at all.

in case anyone is arsed here's discogs page for the whole comp. a lot it is in that vein

Various - Freedom Of Choice

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Freedom Of Choice by Various. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

maybe they were all bands Rodney Bingenheimer liked??

 

[Diumraid]

I remember the disappointment so many people seemed to feel when it turned out Will Oldham was not some backwoods savant ... then a sort of backlash at the 'appropriation' of a less privileged identity .. cf Gillian Welch and Abul Mogard. It ties in with the questions around The Dreaming too. In a materialist world one can only speak from the point of view of exactly what one is. I get the critical theory of it but I truly believe it's a tourniquet on human imagination.

 

[Unicron]

I've never listened to a full KB album until just now, when I put on the Kick Inside. It sounds like the reasons I've ever listened to her albums before (it sounds like elfin bullshit). I love Julia Holter's music though and I can see a thread connecting them both.

Should I give Hounds Of Love a go after this or is it more of the same?

 

[Lili Marlene]

when I heard White Flag's version without being prompted I wouldn't have recognized it as being K.B's tune.
that her lyrics are hard to make out meant that if you didn't notice the first line you mightn't suss it at all.

in case anyone is arsed here's discogs page for the whole comp. a lot it is in that vein

Various - Freedom Of Choice

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Freedom Of Choice by Various. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

maybe they were all bands Rodney Bingenheimer liked??

Listening to this compilation now, it's on Spotify. It's a bit better than I expected, it's not all just 90s pop punk versions of songs (I suppose it's few years before all that Me First & The Gimme Gimmes stuff) but generally speaking I can do without it. The most interesting thing on here is the Hero Worship cover imho, mostly because it's such an unexpected song to choose to cover. I don't think i've ever heard a good cover of Antmusic, all anyone can do with that song is make it sound a bit normal.

I've never listened to a full KB album until just now, when I put on the Kick Inside. It sounds like the reasons I've ever listened to her albums before (it sounds like elfin bullshit). I love Julia Holter's music though and I can see a thread connecting them both.

Should I give Hounds Of Love a go after this or is it more of the same?

It's quite different i'd say, The Kick Inside is very 70s. Listen to side one of Hounds of Love anyway. Side 2 is concept album territory.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I don't know about elfin, to me it sounds like music a young wan would write (if she was amazingly gifted). All her albums are quite different in their own way.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Hounds of Love definitely sounds like an adult versus the much more innocent Kick Inside, never mind that the music is in a completely different gear. Julia Holter definitely has a decent dose of the Kate Bushes so surprised Kate Bush doesn’t tick some boxes for you.