I for one believe the topic of Loudness is very important. One of these videos explains exactly why.
Sep 092007
hrrundivbakshi
Sep 072007
Here’s Screamin’ Jay Hawkins answering Mod’s probing question about uncharted waters with alarming specificity.
Screamin’ Jay Tackles Moddie’s Question Head-on
Even more alarming is the fact that I recently witnessed a burlesque stripper who choreographed an entire routine to this tune. Yes, it was all that and a bag of chips.
Sep 052007
As most of you know already, we have members from various bands of some distinction hanging out here in the hallowed Hall. But I don’t think we have quite so many members from any one band as we do representing Philadelphia’s redoubtable Nixon’s Head. What concerns me isn’t so much that they’re (almost) all here — I think that’s great. It’s the fact that they use this forum to air their intra-band dirty laundry. It’s clear to me that they’re a band issuing a pathetic cry for help — and I think as fellow rockers and rock appreciators we owe it to them to respond with kindness and understanding. In an effort to help them begin the Healing, I’ve prepared a short question-and-answer form that I hope will help kick-start some constructive dialogue. Note that, in the same way abused children are given a teddy bear to help them point out where they’ve been hit or touched inappropriately, I thought I’d center this first discussion on a “neutral” topic through the miracle of YouTube. No Beatles, Motown, Sun Ra, Burton Cummings, jam bands, or Television here; we need to enter this dialog gently and non-threateningly.
Here, then, is your Rock teddy bear, and here are your questions. Mr. Moderator, andyr, chickenfrank, and sethro — I hope you’ll all take a moment to stop and think about your answers and how they might make your fellow band-mates feel.
1. Describe your feelings about this band’s gear. Do you see it as simply “flashy” or “showy,” or does it contribute to an important component of a unified Look?
2. Tell us how you feel about the manly baritone singing lead. Does his testosterone-fueled basso profundo add to the weight and majesty of this number or distract from the contributions of the band’s weedier members?
3. (Question for sethro) Notice how the Strangers have put their drummer right up front. Now, clear your mind for a moment… and share the first thoughts that flow back in. Think about the last time you performed on stage. Where were you?
4. On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), rate the song in terms of a) catchiness and b) bass/drum-driven “groove” or “drive”
5. On a scale of 1 to 10, please rate the extent to which you think this song rips off better material from the era. Now tell us whether you think this is a bad thing.
Thanks for participating, guys. I’m really hoping that a frank, open exchange — constructively guided — will help free up some destructive, bottled up feelings that have been seething under the surface for far too long.
Aug 282007
You watch, you decide!
Aug 272007
Before he departed for his summer place in the Hamptons, rock impresario and noted tastemaster/messiah Clive Davis left behind a memo for you to finish. It’s the usual — you know, his “fill in the blanks” number. Normally, as you know, Clive just pulls one of these out of his desk drawer and fills in the missing words — and that’s all we need to really kick-start a washed-up rocker’s career. This time, though, Clive just didn’t have the time. Can you help?
MEMORANDUM
TO: Bob Dylan
FROM: Clive Davis
RE: Your Career/”Relevance”
Bob, per our last discussion about your desire to become “really relevant” again — I think we can help. As you know, J Records has a line on some of the youngest, hippest talent out there, and I think a liberal sprinkling throughout your next record might help. Specifically, I recommend:
1. Getting __________________ to handle production duties. I really think his chart-proven approach to ________________ will help open the public’s ears to what you have to say.
2. Try something new in terms of your “look.” For one thing, ditch the _________________! The kids just aren’t buying that shit anymore — instead, I want you to _____________________.
3. These days, relevance happens as a result of novel in-studio partnerships — you know, like Santana and what’s-his-name a few years back. Talk about relevance — that number was in every fucking elevator in Manhattan for MONTHS. Here are two partners I’m suggesting for you on this new LP, and the reason why I think they’d really kill for you, sales-wise:
a.) ______________________
b.) ______________________
4. One last thing: you need to face facts — your “message” is falling on deaf ears out there. What today’s record buyers want is ________________ — and lots of it. So our first order of business will be to __________________ — no ifs, ands or buts.
I think that covers it — we can talk pre- and post-launch PR later. (Heads-up, though: I got two words for you, and one of them is “Idol.”) Let me know your thoughts, and… go open a new bank account to put all that glorious new money in!
Love ya,
CJD
Aug 252007
All this talk about Elvis Costello, SNL and “Radio Radio” got me searching for the relevant clips, which, in this glorious era of instant YouTube gratification, I found quite handily. Watching them was a revelatory experience — in that they very precisely revealed what went wrong with Elvis Costello in the last 25 years. In the first clip, we see a desperate, angry young man singing a desperately angry song about the desperate state of the music industry and just how angry it makes him.
In the second, Elvis is a smug, self-referen/reverential turd in designer eyewear who clearly has lost every bit of the plot, thinking that just being on stage with a bunch of occasionally angry young men makes him, somehow, by extension, angry as well. Pshaw.
But check out the two clips for yourself, and tell us what *you* think.
I look forward to your responses.
HVB
Aug 182007
After receiving word that RTH’s Senior Correspondent in New Orleans, Townsman BigSteve, was flummoxed by the strange noise heard at roughly 2:40 in the “true stereo” mix of “Fool On the Hill,” RTH Labs engineers donned their white lab coats and went to work.
Upon cursory examination, it was clear to our engineers that the sound was a highly sped-up sample of something — but what? After applying industry-standard pitch manipulation software to the problem, RTH Labs has come to the conclusion that the Abbey Road engineers and/or producers simply grabbed a few feet of existing tape of a single instrument — possibly a guitar track, though horns are not out of the question — and, prior to speeding it up by perhaps as much as two octaves, applied a very heavy tape flange to the product.
Attached is our vastly slowed-down sample for your consideration. As always, we welcome your comments and questions.
Yours sincerely,
Milo T. Frobisher
Chief Engineer
RTH Labs
