Cato Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) I didn't watch the Brits last night, but I've been hearing a lot of love for this tribute performance today, it seems to feature most of Bowie's touring band plus Lorde on vocals. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7l3y7LOzLc[/media] Music starts at about 1.09 Edit original video taken down by youtube due to 'copyright issues' music now starts at about 8.50 Edited February 25, 2016 by Cato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 It was Bowie's band, although they hadn't played together for 12 years I thought they were fantastic. I'm not sure what purpose Lorde served. The weak link IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Adams Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I'm sure I heard that Bowie had sited Lorde as being the future of music......... Wasn't she the one who made "Royal"? I thought the band were brilliant, the backdrop stunning, and Lorde so-so. Could have been anyone as far as I'm concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 A million times better than Lady Gaga's effort. Dave has said previously of Lorde, "he told her that listening to her music "felt like listening to tomorrow"." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grassie Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 If Bowie rated Lorde that much then she was probably the only logical choice. Other than just having Bowie's mic stand at the front of the stage and the band playing behind, without the vocals. Because really, who's going to be able to follow him? No-one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikenbass Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Band excellent. Her, karaoke at best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) I actually thought she did well. Immense pressure to do that gig and if she had tried too hard to wow people she would have been criticised. She did the right thing and did it subtlety. Band were awesome though I agree. Edited February 25, 2016 by bonzodog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 [quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1456417446' post='2988845'] Immense pressure to do that gig [/quote] Not helped by "pressure" being the only word sung by the band in the otherwise instrumental intro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Yes, band amazing, did the guitar fluff a solo? And Lorde nailed it; probably not too concerned at the predictable flurry of forum whinges round the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiwcfA4fNx4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 [quote name='Grassie' timestamp='1456414932' post='2988811'] If Bowie rated Lorde that much then she was probably the only logical choice. Other than just having Bowie's mic stand at the front of the stage and the band playing behind, without the vocals. Because really, who's going to be able to follow him? No-one. [/quote]The empty mike stand gets my vote; a bit of simple technology could have spliced his voice into that (assuming the master tapes still exist). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Earl Slick, Sterling Campbell, Gail, Mike Garson. I didn't know the blonde guitarist and the female keyboard player. Anyone? And an interesting twist from another thread, Gail slapping (briefly) on Ashes to Ashes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted February 25, 2016 Author Share Posted February 25, 2016 I think she did well in keeping with her own style. It would have been truly horrendous if someone had come on & tried to do a Bowie impersonation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou24d53 Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 (edited) Gerry Leonard is the blonde guitarist, from Dublin I believe and Cathy Russell (I think?). Privileged to see them back in 2003 on the Reality Tour, absolutely sublime. Edited February 25, 2016 by lou24d53 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CokeyW Posted February 25, 2016 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I was lucky enough to be there and it sounded great in the hall, apart from guitar solos. You could have heard a pin drop while Annie Lennox and Gary Oldman were speaking. Cut Lorde some slack, not the easiest gig to carry off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 [quote name='Grassie' timestamp='1456414932' post='2988811'] If Bowie rated Lorde that much then she was probably the only logical choice. Other than just having Bowie's mic stand at the front of the stage and the band playing behind, without the vocals. Because really, who's going to be able to follow him? No-one. [/quote] That`s it for me - what better tribute to Bowie than an act he really liked and rated. Ok I wasn`t that keen, but it was about Bowie, and that`s probably what he would have wanted.That`s the important thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I don't buy the line about Earl Slick not suiting Mick Ronson's style being responsible for bum notes - just learn the song Earl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkandrew Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I fully acknowledge and respect the artisic and cultural contribution of David Bowie, and do not wish to play that down in any way, but did I miss the Lemmy tribute? Perhaps a little sequence at some other point of the show dedicated to those in music that we have lost over the past year (I recall the BBC doing something similar last year during their music awards ceremony)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 I wouldn't want to comment about Lemmy's standing in the pantheon on rock against Bowie but, yes, a tribute to those who we lost during the year would have been good. How respectful is a moot point as most of the audience seemed to be either pissed or overexcited, or both. Respect to Annie and Gary for their moving tribute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oopsdabassist Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1456434626' post='2989099'] I thought it was ok, but a very bland reading of Life on Mars? to be honest. I thought Lorde got more comfortable as the song progressed, but the overly emotive breathing and bizarre over-enunciation sounded pretty amateurish, and her voice couldn't quite go deep enough to pull off the choruses. The real mistake though came from Earl Slick. The guitar bridge between the first chorus and second verse was a total trainwreck. He repeated the first lick twice and got thrown off by the underlying chord progression; like a musical carpet being pulled out from under him. This was followed by various fret squeaks and scrapes, culminating in him finally catching up with the 2nd (undermixed) guitarist and still somehow messing it up. His choice of tone, a very bright and fizzy Strat sound, didn't serve the song at all. I saw some criticism of this online today, but it was strongly rebuffed by those that simply pointed out that Slick was in Bowie's band and therefore incapable of making mistakes. My thoughts are simply that Slick didn't record or perform with Bowie during the period Life on Mars was composed, recorded or part of his live set. Mick Ronson had quite an orchestrated, legato guitar approach (which sounded slightly antiquated by the end of the Ziggy period) , whereas Earl Slick had a scratcher, fidgety guitar approach that was more heavily reliant on effects and textures. Bowie claimed he had 'found his Jeff Beck' when he discovered Ronson, whereas Slick was part of a bigger band that had moved away from roots-rock element of the Ziggy-era live band. I believe Slick has absolutely every right to participate in a Bowie tribute, and is no lesser a musician or 'Bowie person' in that regard. Simply put, his approach to guitar doesn't work so well with reproducing Ronson's parts. This is possibly why the Ronson-era tracks on the David Live album sound so different. The other thing to consider is that Slick didn't want to be, or wasn't allowed to be, anything like the visual focalpoint that Ronson was, so a lot of casual observers may have been wondering why a mystery guitarist was playing such an idiosynchratically re-worked guitar part on what was, otherwise, a fairly straight reading of Life on Mars. I would personally have preferred to see Adrian Belew up there, but that is just my opinion. Gail Ann Dorsey seemed to nail everything, but she was down in the mix. A shame as she is a brilliant player. I noticed that the audio mix went to pot when Lorde sat down on the piano stool, as her mic was picking up a lot of drums from the pianist's monitor. She also got a bit of feedback as well. This was the UK's high profile send off to Bowie, but it seemed sloppy, stilted and a little under-rehearsed in my opinion. There were technical and musical issues that should have been ironed out well in advance in sound-checks and rehearsal rooms. I'm also not impressed that this has been turned into some sort of Gaga vs Lorde pissing match. A poor effort, in my opinion. Adele blew everybody else away at the Brits, in my opinion. [/quote] You have very eloquently put just how I felt while listening to this, the guitar sounded wrong, but I couldn't nail why. Gail Ann Dorsey was, as ever, on the money..and she even did a bit of slap! All in all though it left me feeling vaguely uncomfortable. Mind you ANY tribute to Bowie is gonna be a tough gig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Tough gig. Very emotional performance by all. Considering the context, I thought worked very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Guy Pratt posted on FB yesterday that he was the bass player all the way through rehearsals, as GAD couldn't make it until just before showtime. That must have been frustrating....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 The budget was big enough to make everyone happy. Seems like some of them got on top of it and some didn't. 12 years is a long time. I guess how good you are depends on what you've been doing in the meantime. Typically the bass player turned up knowing the parts. Go girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spectoremg Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1456476988' post='2989338'] Guy Pratt posted on FB yesterday that he was the bass player all the way through rehearsals, as GAD couldn't make it until just before showtime. That must have been frustrating....! [/quote]I wonder if Rick Wakeman did the rehearsals too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Riva Posted February 26, 2016 Share Posted February 26, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1456434626' post='2989099'] I thought it was ok, but a very bland reading of Life on Mars? to be honest. I thought Lorde got more comfortable as the song progressed, but the overly emotive breathing and bizarre over-enunciation sounded pretty amateurish, and her voice couldn't quite go deep enough to pull off the choruses. The real mistake though came from Earl Slick. The guitar bridge between the first chorus and second verse was a total trainwreck. He repeated the first lick twice and got thrown off by the underlying chord progression; like a musical carpet being pulled out from under him. This was followed by various fret squeaks and scrapes, culminating in him finally catching up with the 2nd (undermixed) guitarist and still somehow messing it up. His choice of tone, a very bright and fizzy Strat sound, didn't serve the song at all. I saw some criticism of this online today, but it was strongly rebuffed by those that simply pointed out that Slick was in Bowie's band and therefore incapable of making mistakes. My thoughts are simply that Slick didn't record or perform with Bowie during the period Life on Mars was composed, recorded or part of his live set. Mick Ronson had quite an orchestrated, legato guitar approach (which sounded slightly antiquated by the end of the Ziggy period) , whereas Earl Slick had a scratcher, fidgety guitar approach that was more heavily reliant on effects and textures. Bowie claimed he had 'found his Jeff Beck' when he discovered Ronson, whereas Slick was part of a bigger band that had moved away from roots-rock element of the Ziggy-era live band. I believe Slick has absolutely every right to participate in a Bowie tribute, and is no lesser a musician or 'Bowie person' in that regard. Simply put, his approach to guitar doesn't work so well with reproducing Ronson's parts. This is possibly why the Ronson-era tracks on the David Live album sound so different. The other thing to consider is that Slick didn't want to be, or wasn't allowed to be, anything like the visual focalpoint that Ronson was, so a lot of casual observers may have been wondering why a mystery guitarist was playing such an idiosynchratically re-worked guitar part on what was, otherwise, a fairly straight reading of Life on Mars. I would personally have preferred to see Adrian Belew up there, but that is just my opinion. Gail Ann Dorsey seemed to nail everything, but she was down in the mix. A shame as she is a brilliant player. I noticed that the audio mix went to pot when Lorde sat down on the piano stool, as her mic was picking up a lot of drums from the pianist's monitor. She also got a bit of feedback as well. This was the UK's high profile send off to Bowie, but it seemed sloppy, stilted and a little under-rehearsed in my opinion. There were technical and musical issues that should have been ironed out well in advance in sound-checks and rehearsal rooms. I'm also not impressed that this has been turned into some sort of Gaga vs Lorde pissing match. A poor effort, in my opinion. Adele blew everybody else away at the Brits, in my opinion. [/quote] Really interesting and informed points, but a harsh analysis of Earl Slick, in my humble opinion. I really love his playing on David Live for the fact that I feel it nails Mick Ronson's Aladdin Sane era guitar parts perfectly and also actually adds something to tracks like Width of a Circle - and let's be honest, anyone up against Ronson has a challenge on their hands to say the least. David Live has been trashed over the years but I feel it stands up as a terrific live album in terms of it being a perfect snapshot of where Bowie was at that point in his career - finally laying Ziggy to rest and moving on to new (more soulful) areas (i.e. next up, Young Americans). Earl Slick's playing (to these ears at least) gives it a renewed energy. I've a lot of time for Earl Slick for the way he goes about his business as a hired hand and what he has added to the Bowie sound over the years. On a similar note, someone was telling me only today to look out for the Nile Rogers/Lady Ga Ga tribute, in terms of it being horribly off piste in content, approach and Rogers' guitar sound/playing on anything non-Let's Dance. And if we're talking guitarists interpreting Mick Ronson's parts I'd say that Adrian Belew (as great as he is) served up some horrible examples on the Sound and Vision gigs with respect to Ronson era tracks. This would make for a great 'pub' conversation back in the day..! Edited February 26, 2016 by Old Man Riva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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