Dad3353

To me, music is an ephemeral medium, lost as soon as it's created, and quite distinct from visuals, either fixed or dynamic. Having the two combined is fine, and they may very well complement each other, but I'd much prefer a concert with good music and no visuals to a concert with good visuals and no music. Disclaimer : I used to do the lights for a very 'active' ska/rock/punk group, and the use of 'blackouts' could be very effective, as well as the strobes, ACL's and moving heads. My leitmotif was 'glauque'. It's all a question of dynamics; 'more' is only 'more' if there is some 'less'.

Define 'visual performance'. I much prefer the sobre aspect of the video above to the exuberant visuals that many bands and players come up with. A seated orchestra pumping out Schubert's Ninth doesn't need pyrotechnics, for me. I'd be just as happy listening to performances such as that above, eyes wide shut.

A bit of a struggle, this month, despite the excellent picture as incentive. Nothing major; just not well, s'all. I did have a go at recording a line of acoustic guitar, but had to abandon, it was so badly played. If I get a late visit from any Muse, it's possible I could come up with something virtual, but it's not looking good as of now. We'll see ...

It's not smuggling if it's declared to Customs upon arrival, and any relevant VAT/Duty paid. The economy would be the transport cost, including its associated taxes etc. Not declaring the acquisition would make it liable for seizure if/when caught, plus fine. The X-ray machines used these days would certainly 'see' a bass body/neck in a suitcase.

[Pedantry] Decimalisation in the UK started in 1971, so that would have to be 9d, not 9p (the 'd' stemming from the Roman 'denarius'...), but would more likely have cost 6d (sixpence, or a 'tanner'...) at the time, really; the equivalent in pence would be 2½p. [/Pedantry]

Paranoia /ˌparəˈnɔɪə/ noun A mental condition characterized by delusions of persecution, unwarranted jealousy, or exaggerated self-importance, typically worked into an organized system. It may be an aspect of chronic personality disorder, of drug abuse, or of a serious condition such as schizophrenia in which the person loses touch with reality.

Good. You'll be first to be notified and offered the position.

Malice..? Who the fu...

Altough with all the racket you make, you wouldn't hear even a bulldozer knocking through the front wall..! ...

This may be a taste of what the shows could be; it helps, then, when listening to the disks to better make the connections between the music, the lyrics, the ambience and the visuals...

Doesn't work for everyone.

The group... Hawkwind. The venue... Kingston Polytechnic. Stardate : early '70s. I left, despite the excellent 'show', when the pyro started to be let off around the stage. A nervous glace at the long drapes occulting the high windows all around the hall brought on visions of an inferno with no escape, so I made my way outside. To be fair, we could hear just as well outside as in, and, by chance, the curtains didn't ignite. Hawkwind, eh..?

Any song in the top 40 is a great composition because it speaks to the souls of a million strangers, to be instantly replaced by next week's 'hit' and washed away on the turning tide of these same million strangers' fickle souls. Smoke and mirrors, for the most part; cold commercial interests manipulating these precious 'souls' to further their profit margins. Disclaimer : I'm not a fan of Chic in any of the forms I've heard so far; my vision may be coloured in this light.

I can see the 'logic' of starting in chronological order. Please bear in mind, however, an important element that is, sadly, now missing from the equation. My first contact with Genesis was an Eeel Pie Island multi-band concert; Genesis were one of many bands on, and played, at the time, acoustic guitars (I don't remember them having drums, at that time...). I saw them very often since, over a few years; each time with a 'live' performance made absolutely unique , and truly magical, by the theatrical presence of Peter Gabriel. Not only for the costumes (increasingly sophisticated and spectacular...), but mainly for the 'downtime' between songs, giving the group time to get their elaborate preparations in order. PG would, often under a lone narrow spot, spin a story line, ostensibly to announce the number to follow. Each would be (apparently...) improvised, drawing the attention of the audience into a close complicity (in one, there was supposedly a tight-rope walker, suspended in the air above the theatre seats, and who advanced, step by step, towards the stage area. Everyone turned their gaze upwards, to follow his progression, and, at a signal, Genesis started playing again, and we all realised that it had been an illusion, a distraction, a feat of mesmerising that explained nothing whatever of the song now playing...). Every time, without fail, PG wove his magic. This cannot be heard in the studio recordings, and I don't know if any of these wonderful concerts were filmed with this interludes fully exploited. To me, at the time (and 'clean', I hasten to add...), they were what made a splendid musical evening a truly magical spectacle. Thanks, PG, for the enchantements.

Other courrier options exist.

There are a certain numbers of 'hit' songs that bear very little deeper examination, as they are exactly the same 'formula' as the preceding batch. 'Popular', '1 Million' are not criteria in any form of 'worthwhileness'. Not to say that every popular song is shïte, of course, but to say that all merit the notion of 'great' is daft, in my view.

... but won't improve the punctuation.

That might have passed, but the badly-performed Pachelbel motifs really grated, I found. I agree with the decision taken to end it, but found it a bit harsh, just the same.

All of which rather begs the question... Working shift's what..?

I tried listening to Yesterday. It didn't need re-mastering; the original was already darned good.

@Leonard Smalls ...

This is all true, but, if it's really that important, it behoves of either each musician, or the band leader, or the management, to be sure that there's a suitable dep 'on the books' (maybe two or three..?). It has happened, in the past, that, for one reason or nother, gigs have to be cancelled, too. So..? It's not an Ideal World, and one plans things as best as possible, but the expression 'The best laid plans...' has a ring of fatality to it (plus 'Sod's Law', of course...). OK, keep only those 'reliable' professionals', paying them adequately, and carry on. No problem. Others deal with the lemons Life deals out in other ways. It's all good. I had a week's break, end of season, late '70s, so booked a trip back to Blighty to see family and friends. The Sax/Flute and Bass came with me, for the jaunt. We spent our week, and caught the ferry back, from Portsmouth to St Malo. We also caught one hell of a storm. The ferry couldn't approach any harbour; it had to circle Jersey all night and all next day until it passed. All cabins were opened; we all spent 36 hours on that crazy rocking boat, being tossed like a cork. The sax/flute bunked down; I went to see how he was faring, and understood why seasick passengers are portrayed as being 'green'? He was very, very 'green'..! The dining quarters were opened, and free, but no-one had any appetite. I was able, by joining the long queue, to make a ship-to-shore 'phone call to announce to our band leader that we would not be able to make the gig that evening (we should have been docked the day before, but no sign of any let-up...). He called upon his resources to do the dates for that week-end, and all three of us were 'let go'. A pity, as it was a good, solid, working band, doing five-hour stints of dance variety all over the West of France most week-ends in season, but we, all three, just picked up other dates and the World spun on. Unreliable..? Define 'unreliable'.

In the sense that 'That's Life', yes, I am. I didn't plan to get a urinary infection, but here it is, harsh reality. I'd be a disaster, this week, on any stage, with any repertoire. I've no gig, as it happens, this week-end, but if I had one, I'd have to desist. 'Stuff' happens; deal with it. If that's 'unreliable', then I plead guilty. Good luck with your projects.