flyfisher

[quote name='Diablo' timestamp='1400863412' post='2457730'] Route 66 - Dr Feelgood [/quote] That's an interesting example where the cover is so very different to the original version that they are almost like completely different songs.

Amen to that example, though I can't really think of many covers that were better than the originals. Cream's 'Crossroads' would be one and, possibly, Lynyrd Skynrd's 'Call Me The Breeze' - though that's a close run things as I really like Cale's laid-back version. No doubt others will post loads of examples I should have thought of!

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1400855992' post='2457627'] At least he gets to change the set around a bit as he still writes new material every few years. And with that sort of back catalog plus the Wings and solo material I guess it's not much of a hardship [/quote] . . . which raises an interesting point; the quality of the material. I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek about Macca being a tribute for the Beatles, but his fairly recent inclusion of them into his concerts has at least given people to hear the songs in the most 'authentic' way possible. Does the concept of a tribute band change if there are no surviving members of the original band? I think someone mentioned classical works earlier - should we really dismiss Mozart, Beethoven and all the other greats simple because any rendition of their work is either a cover or a tribute? Surely the only thing that really matter is that the music is played well? After that, if you happen to like it then great, if not just listen to something else, but simply dismissing covers or tributes seems a bit churlish really.

He's the only Beatle I've seen playing live. Long time ago now, as it was a Wings concert. Hopefully you'll get your wish - he seems to be on the mend.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1400835125' post='2457330'] The thought of doing just 1 trib act all the time and nothing else wouldn't keep me interested for very long, probably go a bit mental actually. [/quote] I wonder how Macca feels about being in a Beatles tribute band

I've never broken a string either. Perhaps I'm not trying hard enough! I had a single fender P for about 25 years (still have it) and it has never let me down, but I've been gigging more frequently during the past 5 years or so and not having a spare began to prey on my mind - which was a great excuse to get a second bass (a lovely J, courtesy of Lozz) and is now my main bass. But where does this 'spare' thing stop? Strings, leads, bass, amp, cab . . . .? For me, it generally stops at strings and leads - none of which have ever let me down but I carry spares because, frankly, it's easy and cheap to do so. I rarely take my 2nd bass and I've never taken my spare amp/cabs. Does anyone duplicate everything for a gig and risk leaving half of it in the car or van?

[quote name='dincz' timestamp='1400433941' post='2453820'] You shouldn't have any difficulty [i]listening[/i] to iPlayer outside the UK - except in rare cases mentioned above by BassBus. TV is a different matter but I listen to R4 for hours every day from central Europe without problems. [/quote] Yep, though catching up with the The Archers omnibus in the Carribean is a bit surreal. Congrats on the birth though . . . Does that give the little'un dual nationality?

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1400432881' post='2453794'] I think the general consensus on the forum would be that "Bad Music" is what other people listen to.... [/quote] Very good (and pretty much spot-on!)

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1400404157' post='2453439'] There are only 2 types of music. Good music and bad music. [/quote] Presumably you mean well-played music and badly-played music?

[quote name='BOD2' timestamp='1400425650' post='2453678'] They work well. And they'll usually work when plugged into an extension lead or power strip too, if necessary (sometimes there is no option). [/quote] Yes, I've found them to be very reliable and use them for streaming music with no problems. My understanding against using an extension lead/power strip is that the signal will degrade, error correction workload increases, so the throughput speed goes down. I'd expect video streaming to be the first to suffer, then music then general use, but you might not notice for general internet browsing. It can't do any harm to try though because these things are highly variable.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1400364245' post='2453295'] Not on my budget....... . [/quote] Tribute bands are ideal for tight budgets. I'd rather go and see the counterfeit stones for £15 than the Rolling Stones for £150. Imagine the ticket prices if The Beatles had ever got together . . . Makes the bootleg Beatles a total bargain.

[quote name='Spike Vincent' timestamp='1400358564' post='2453242'] Each to their own. I'd rather go and see an original band I haven't heard before. [/quote] It is possible to do both

I can't understand what's NOT to like about tribute bands (with the proviso that they are good musicians, but that applies to any band). The ones I've seen have been really excellent and probably better than most bands I've seen down the Dog & Duck TBH. Also, as mentioned above, most people going to see a tribute band will be going because they like the original band and probably know their songs to the nth degree, meaning the band has to be spot-on. I saw The Bootleg Beatles on their 20th year tour and subsequently on their 30th year tour - which surely says it all in terms of the popularity and durability of tribute bands.

Wilko is an old guy, not in the best of shape and has just been through major, major surgery that would be a huge kick to anyone's system, so I'm not surprised to hear that snippet of news. The key thing will be how he recovers in the coming weeks. My father was in his mid-70s when he had a kidney removed. He's a really fit guy ( puts me to shame) and has been a serious runner all his life (sub 3 hour marathons and the like) and still runs today, though not marathons! Even so, the surgery really took it out of him and it was a real shock to see him in the days afterwards and it took a couple of months to fully recover. But today, you'd never know the difference and he's back to his regular 3 to 5 mile runs as he turns 80. Wilko's op would hit anyone for six and he may just need more time to recover. I really hope that's all it is.

Not just L-N reversal but also other wiring faults. I carry one in my gig bag to check what I'm plugging into. Not everything-proof but a useful reassurance for a few pennies. I also plug in using an RCD - again, not everything-proof and probably redundant with modern wiring systems, but also pennies really so why not? As for UPS, that's getting into the realms of quite specialised gear and I'd share icastle's point about the power quality. I've heard of 'true sinewave' units so I'm sure it would be possible, but at what cost?

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1399399901' post='2443887'] Right, let's see if I've got this right... To hear things that aren't there and to not hear things that are, all you have to do is [i]really believe[/i] it? [/quote] Sounds about right, which is why plenty of people think they play better when they are pissed and why others like to listen to their favourite tunes while stoned.

Just make sure you use a proper electrical switch cleaner and not something like WD40. I keep a can of this stuff for such purposes: http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/servisol-contact-cleaner-200ml-jp17t

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1399156358' post='2441685'] That's bugger all. Fancy spending £240 on a plug socket? http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/mains-plugs/188-furutech-fi-50m-rhodium-usa-plug--4582237532722.html# [/quote] Nah . . . I'm saving up for this £16k mains cable . . . http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/02/08/the-most-expensive-cable-in-the-world/

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1399154761' post='2441672'] Why do you accept these essays as being incontrovertible truths? They are just as prone to being mythologized as the myths they are supposedly debunking. [/quote] Remind me where I claimed they were 'incontrovertible truths'? Such material does, however, help to provide a more balanced view and at least attempt to some consistent method, testability and repeatability into the debate. I've always said I'm convinced that some people will hear differences between cables but I‘m suggesting these are based on placebo/psychology effects rather than physics (except in extreme cases). What much of the referenced trials suggest is that even 'special' people cannot reliably identify which type of cable they prefer when they don,t know which one is being used. Indeed, some people have claimed differences in sound when merely [u]told[/u] a cable has been changed - which tends to suggest the difference is all in the listener's mind and not the cable. This would suggest that if you believe that spending a great deal of money on cables will improve your sound then it will - to you.

[i] Conclusion The clear conclusion is that ABX testing does not back up many audiophile claims, so they become audiophile myths as they show cables do not inherantly change sound. Any change in sound quality comes from the listeners mind and interaction between their senses. What is claimed to be audible is not reliably so. Blind testing is also sometimes passed off as ABX. But blind testing is not really testing, it is a review of a product without seeing it, and that allows claims to be made about sound which have not been verified. If hifi is all about sound and more specifically sound quality, then we should, once the other senses have been removed be able to hear differences which can be verified by being able to identify one product from another by only listening. But time and agian we cannot. So you can either buy good but inexpensive hifi products such as cables, amps, CDPs and be satisfied that the sound they produce is superb. You do need to spend time with speakers as they really do sound identifiably different. Or you can buy expensive hifi products such as cable tec and luxuriate in the build and image and identify one hifi from another by looks and sound. But you cannot buy expensive and identify it from cheap by sound alone. Here is The Institute of Engineering and Technology's conclusions on audiophile myths http://eandt.theiet.org/magazine/2011/11/believe-in-better.cfm which backs up the above conclusions. [/i] http://www.head-fi.org/t/486598/testing-audiophile-claims-and-myths

Since this is a faith-like issue, this probably won't change any minds, but it's interesting reading nevertheless: http://scientopia.org/blogs/goodmath/2011/12/30/audiophiles-and-the-need-to-be-special/

I can quite believe that someone would prefer the ,sound' of one mains lead compared with another when they know what,s going on. I don't believe they could reliably detect any differences in a properly conducted double-blind trial.

Isn't is fairly obvious that the final metre or so of wire that connects your amp to a power station a few hundred miles away is bound to make a massive difference to the sound . . . . Still, the placebo effect might well affect how people actually perceive sounds based on what they believe is going on, so I reckon it's more a matter of psychology than physics.

Once upon a time we only had horses for transport and everything was fine and a whole infrastructure, way of life and acceptance had built up around them. Then along came the car and completely changed everything - jobs were lost ( and different ones gained), ways of life disappeared, public acceptance was upset and confused, enthusiasts for the new possibilities emerged. Amid all the turmoil and new consensus gradually emerged from the chaos and things settled down. With a new transport infrastructure, new ways of life and new public acceptance. There are umpteen similar examples where something radically new has upset the established order of things and a new consensus has always emerged and, I'd suggest, it has always turned out to be generally better . . . Otherwise, why would people accept and embrace it? The internet is just another in a very long and venerable history of 'new things' that have had profound effects on the existing order of things, and those things have had to adapt and change. Fortunately, human beings are intelligent and adaptable so I've every confidence we'll get through these changes to musical retailing, given a bit of time and grumbling along the way.

Pretty much summs things up.