Tribute bands

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1400949477' post='2458492']
And the Rutles before them, although they were a parody more than a tribute, and have now had their own tribute band!
[/quote]
You mean the whole Rutles / Prefab Four thing was a spoof?

Not to worry i still think Cheese & Onion is the greatest slice of pop ever.

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1400949477' post='2458492']
And the Rutles before them, although they were a parody more than a tribute, and have now had their own tribute band!
[/quote]
I've just looked on t'internet and it seems that there are SIX Rutles tribute bands!!!

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 19, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1400950260' post='2458504']
I've just looked on t'internet and it seems that there are SIX Rutles tribute bands!!!
[/quote]

Mickeyboro, member on here has an excellent anecdote on this topic!

[Hobbayne]

All the oldies are turning in to covers bands, as indeed are The Eagles. Having stumped up enough wadge to keep Joe Walsh etc off the breadline, I am taking Mrs H to see them at the o2 next month. No one is interested in any new stuff, they just want to hear Hotel California and One Of These Nights and go home happy.

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1400949019' post='2458485']
It is the same when one drills down to specific composers. For example, The London Mozart Players have been around since the fifties.
[/quote]
The London Mozart Players do not only play music composed by Mozart.

Once i saw them play two pieces by Beethoven (no Mozart) and another time works by Rossini, Schubert & Mozart.

Edited May 24, 2014 by BetaFunk

[flyfisher]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1400948380' post='2458477']
What about a Milli Vanilli tribute act, or Boney M?

Would it be wrong to mime to songs that were mimed by the original acts that were supposed to have performed them , but in fact didn't? You would in fact be being more authentic by performing to a backing track created by someone else.
[/quote]

Ha! Interesting point. I guess this would also apply to Monkees tribute bands, although I think they may have played themselves later in their career.

[flyfisher]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1400950260' post='2458504']
I've just looked on t'internet and it seems that there are SIX Rutles tribute bands!!!
[/quote]

The whole Rutles thing is really funny but there's no doubting the musical pedigree of the band members and Neil Innes did a remarkable job of capturing the 'vibe' of the wide variety of Beatles songs. Even better than Oasis really

[BassTractor]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1400952827' post='2458549']
Even better than Oasis really
[/quote]


Also, this great line opens a new perspective: that of tribute through your own compositions, like XTC's open tribute to the Beatles.
Ethical? Interesting? Worth a punt? Etc. Not that I'm asking these questions.

This thread has become more interesting than earlier, similar threads, IMS&IMHO.
Thanks, BC.

[Bilbo]

If you think about it, the whole tribute thing has to be post radio/recording. Prior to that, the only time you would hear things played would be live so, to all intents and purposes, for most people, the first time you heard anything, particularly art music, may have been the last.

I think the originals thing was always one fo the defining characteristics of pop music post Beatles and became a badge of honour accordingly. Some have bought into that ethos, others haven't. It has never been an exclusive prerequisite of success in pop or rock, just an aspect of the content which some gravitate towards. No more definitive than guitar bands vs. synth bands. You either like them or you don't. For me, composing and listening to original music has been the main attraction; I don't even like Jazz standards really and regularly don't buy recordings of 'standards' albums by players I otherwise like. Horses for courses. If I hear a cover, I rarely (but not never) think 'Wow' and usually dismiss it as pointless. Not a universal truth, just my perspective on the thing..

[oggiesnr]

[quote name='Jus Lukin' timestamp='1400950366' post='2458508']
SGWAG- It must be something 'with a guitar'. Even Google doesn't know that one!
[/quote]

Some Guy With A Guitar Usually very earnest and telling us in great, graphic detail about his latest crisis.

Steve

[simon1964]

I saw Blondied in Derby last summer, and really enjoyed it. To be honest, having seen the real Blondie a few years back, the tribute act were the better musicians!

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1400950826' post='2458517']
The London Mozart Players do not only play music composed by Mozart. Once i saw them play two pieces by Beethoven (no Mozart) and another time works by Rossini, Schubert & Mozart.
[/quote]

Correctamundo. The LMP do not play exclusively the works of Mozart, though they [i]were[/i] founded specifically to perform certain Mozart pieces. For many years their repertoire centred on Mozart and his contemporaries. Their tour of China this year mostly comprises Mozart pieces.

You are correct in an absolute sense, but I think you get my general drift.

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1400952827' post='2458549']
The whole Rutles thing is really funny but there's no doubting the musical pedigree of the band members
[/quote]

Thanks for the heads-up. Never realised Ricky Fataar played drums for The Beach Boys.

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1400954413' post='2458569']

Also, this great line opens a new perspective: that of tribute through your own compositions, like XTC's open tribute to the Beatles.
[/quote]

Loved the Dukes Of Stratosphear stuff.

Edited May 24, 2014 by skankdelvar

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1400955325' post='2458584']
If you think about it, the whole tribute thing has to be post radio/recording. Prior to that, the only time you would hear things played would be live so, to all intents and purposes, for most people, the first time you heard anything, particularly art music, may have been the last.

I think the originals thing was always one fo the defining characteristics of pop music post Beatles and became a badge of honour accordingly. Some have bought into that ethos, others haven't. It has never been an exclusive prerequisite of success in pop or rock, just an aspect of the content which some gravitate towards. No more definitive than guitar bands vs. synth bands. You either like them or you don't. For me, composing and listening to original music has been the main attraction; I don't even like Jazz standards really and regularly don't buy recordings of 'standards' albums by players I otherwise like. Horses for courses. If I hear a cover, I rarely (but not never) think 'Wow' and usually dismiss it as pointless. Not a universal truth, just my perspective on the thing..
[/quote]

Following on in the spirit of this (that's to say, more my musings than looking for a squabble... ), I'm not so sure that I'd agree totally. Just a few notions come to mind... The sing-song down at the local, with some bloke (or lady...) going through the hits of the day and yesteryore on the piano. Sometimes with sheet music, sometimes by ear. Original..? Cover..? Tribute..? Most cinemas had an organ, which would pump out all sorts of stuff for the morning matinee, or as an interlude. Again, sometimes from score, sometimes by ear or memory, or improvising. Before those times, the wandering minstrels would ply their wares from town to town. The lays that they played and sung may well have been heard for the first time by the audience, but would be well-worn by the performer, I'm sure. Many tunes have come down to us through the ages, certainly with variations, but I'm not sure how much real leeway the fellow would have for trying out new stuff. Must have happened, but the main bulk must surely have been sticking to the known, well-trodden paths of the fore-fathers. I'll skip over liturgical music, as in hymns and such...
The concept of self-penned, original music as a popular art form is, I would hold, not only very recent, but extremely 'niche'. Not to discredit any merits it may hold, but it's an exception in the global vision of things. Hmm; I may be wrong...

Edited May 24, 2014 by Dad3353

[spinynorman]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1400949019' post='2458485']
True that the big ones have varied programmes. But there are plenty of performing ensembles that specialise in different periods or genres - Early Music, Baroque, Choral, etc.

It is the same when one drills down to specific composers. For example, The London Mozart Players have been around since the fifties.

And certain performers become known for their affinity for certain tunesmiths. While known for his interpretations of many different composers, Alfred Brendel has recorded the complete Beethoven Piano sonatas no less than three times in his career.

The thing about interpreting classical composers (particularly the better-known and more popular) is that the performer is expected to bring a highly personal component to the exercise of reading off a pad. Their success - or otherwise - is judged upon their 'faithful' rendition of the piece in an [i]individualistic[/i] way.

This was brought home to me the other night when on Classic FM I heard an orchestra (I forget which) deliver the overture to Figaro as if they had been liberally dosed with amphetamines. Jesus, I thought, they're fairly rattling through that.
[/quote]

I've got the recording Pierre Boulez made of Beethoven's 5th Symphony, which I've since discovered was slated by critics for being too slow, and Boulez himself later disowned it. For me, it's the best version I've ever heard, and any other version sounds light and flipant by comparison. But, certainly in classical, it's dangerous to be too individualistic.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='Diablo' timestamp='1400860267' post='2457697']
To raise the point, there are plenty of covers that are far better than the original ever was. CCR do my favourite version of "Heard It Through The Grapevine", much better than the Smokey Robinson one.
[/quote]

Indeed, some have become iconic recordings in their own right e.g Hendrix's version of All along the watchtower, Santana's Black Magic Woman, Elvis's Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Van Halens You Really Got Me, Deep Purples Hush.

[neepheid]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1401015454' post='2459065']
Indeed, some have become iconic recordings in their own right e.g Hendrix's version of All along the watchtower, Santana's Black Magic Woman, Elvis's Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Van Halens You Really Got Me, Deep Purples Hush.
[/quote]

The Stranglers take on Walk on By is one of my personal favourites

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1401019243' post='2459140']
The Stranglers take on Walk on By is one of my personal favourites
[/quote]
I much prefer Lou Johnson's version but that's probably because i think that Johnson was the best interpreter of Bacharach and David songs.

One thing is for sure. This must be the best version of Rappers Delight.

[media]http://youtu.be/-YCeIgt7hMs[/media]

Edited May 25, 2014 by BetaFunk

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1401015454' post='2459065']
Indeed, some have become iconic recordings in their own right e.g Hendrix's version of All along the watchtower, Santana's Black Magic Woman, Elvis's Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Van Halens You Really Got Me, Deep Purples Hush.
[/quote]

Covering the better, but less well known cover versions can be great for covers bands. Most of the punters have never heardthe covers, so they think its your own, better than the original version.

Best thing about a lot of tribute acts is their names. Many are good, like Dizzy Lizzy for example, but some are dire, just doing poor covers with no real 'Act' to speak of.

Its as much about entertainment as playing a set of covers all by the same band isnt it ?.

Edited May 25, 2014 by BILL POSTERS

[Prosebass]

Next up someone will be telling us what a wonderful expressive artform karaoke is!

And yes, I would rather watch an original band play their own songs down the Dog & Duck on a Friday night, through a crappy PA
and have beer spilt on me rather than watch either a covers band or a tribute 'act'

Come on folks, originality, without it where would music be now?

[flyfisher]

Where would music be without entertainment?

Surely the real conclusion is that there is room for all forms of music . . . Even karaoke and elevator Muzak. You just have to choose the stuff you like and allow others to do the same.

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1401101872' post='2459985']
Where would music be without entertainment?

Surely the real conclusion is that there is room for all forms of music . . . Even karaoke and elevator Muzak. You just have to choose the stuff you like and allow others to do the same.
[/quote]

There should be, and I'd like to think that there is room. I just hope that, over time, the original stuff doesn't get elbowed out of venues for financial reasons.

[Prosebass]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1401101872' post='2459985']
Where would music be without entertainment?

Surely the real conclusion is that there is room for all forms of music . . . Even karaoke and elevator Muzak. You just have to choose the stuff you like and allow others to do the same.
[/quote]

Indeed, and whatever one plays requires no justification.

[KingBollock]

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1401101872' post='2459985']
Where would music be without entertainment?

Surely the real conclusion is that there is room for all forms of music . . . Even karaoke and elevator Muzak. You just have to choose the stuff you like and allow others to do the same.
[/quote]
It would be sososososososo much more artistic and worthy!

[Spike Vincent]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1400948380' post='2458477']
What about a Milli Vanilli tribute act, or Boney M?

Would it be wrong to mime to songs that were mimed by the original acts that were supposed to have performed them , but in fact didn't? You would in fact be being more authentic by performing to a backing track created by someone else.
[/quote]


You are my new Hero.