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When should legends retire?


Mickeyboro

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20 years ago I worked at one of the big Butlins as a sound engineer.  On 60s, 70s, 80s rtc weekends we used to get a lot of examples of this.

 

For me, I don't mind them doing reworkings of songs or clever medleys but I think the essence of the original feel and sound of the act/band should still be there. 

 

In my experience, a lot of these bands (especially the 60s ones) would have one "original" member who would be someone like a keyboard player who had joined just after the last hit (when the main songwriter had left and was sunning it up on a beach somewhere).  The keyboard player would have then recruited a band of mates who weren't good enough to be in the band the first time round and were all deaf from poor sound over the year so would be painfully loud on stage.  Either that or the fading star would introduce their son on bass who would slap through most of the gig or their daughter on vocals who just couldn't sing.....I could go on.

 

However, I feel a bit of a contradiction too as I start to get older and still want to be able to get/play gigs as long as I can play (not that I am legendary or famous in any way, but I assume they feel the same).

 

I know it isn't really relevant, but reading the Rod Stewart stuff reminded me that we used to get two Rod impersonators regularly when I was there.  Both looked and sounded nothing like each other, but weirdly they both looked and sounded like Rod!  Always made me laugh!   

 

 

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15 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

ironically, there's a band I would go and see if they reformed (properly!)

 

There was a big rumour going round that they were supposed to playing the Legends slot at Glastonbury this year.  Sadly not.  I suppose he's earning so much swag off Merry Xmas Everybody, there's little need for him to go out and do it live.

 

Noddy has just recorded something with Brian Eno.

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On 15/11/2022 at 06:56, NancyJohnson said:

 

Blimey!

 

I have no idea what year this was, early 90s?  Nothing on the internet. 

 

Saw this show with a couple of mates - we were all Sweet fans as kids - it was just a truly harrowing freak show; Connolly got through it somehow, he was being heckled by a group of people.  It was just awful.

Yeah, my time with Les was through the mid 80s, great bloke, and mostly he would do a blinder of a show, but sometimes the drink would get the better of him.  We regularly gigged with The Sweet, The Glitter band (only a couple of times with Gary...  those were rather strange ones...), Rubettes, etc..

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42 minutes ago, MoJoKe said:

Yeah, my time with Les was through the mid 80s, great bloke, and mostly he would do a blinder of a show, but sometimes the drink would get the better of him.  We regularly gigged with The Sweet, The Glitter band (only a couple of times with Gary...  those were rather strange ones...), Rubettes, etc..

 

You're not John Berry, are you?

 

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I think both Johnny Cash and Gil Scott-Heron did it well, their last albums were some of their best music. Artists need to make music that fits their age and voice rather than trying to poorly reproduce what they did 50 years earlier. 

 

 

Edited by SumOne
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On 17/09/2022 at 13:52, Lozz196 said:

For me once their singing is out of key on a regular basis. Someone like Elton John has been sensible enough to realise he can’t sing at the original pitch of many of his songs so has dropped the keys to suit, but many sound horrible, trying in vain to reach highs they’ll never get again unless someone hits their toes with a hammer.

With Elton it has not worked, I wince when I hear him now.

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  • 2 months later...
13 hours ago, greavesbass said:

If I have to see Rodders in a morning suit thinking hes Sinatra again I'll probably thro the TV out the window. Give it a rest Rod your awful. He'll always be in my eyes that screeching rock God on TOTP circa 73. His image and vocal tone was just off the scale original.

  I agree. Can't stand the twatt!

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I saw Tears For Fears last Summer, in a field in the grounds of Kelso Castle. Strange place for a gig but they had a great sound and they had a good crowd of about 3,000 there. They were fantastic even though they are both the wrong side of 60 (and Roland Orzabal now looks like Santa Claus).

 

Unfortunately the day after that gig Curt Smith broke a rib and they had to cancel the rest of their tour.

 

Hopefully they'll get back on the road again before they are past it.

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On 03/02/2023 at 22:55, greavesbass said:

If I have to see Rodders in a morning suit thinking hes Sinatra again I'll probably thro the TV out the window. Give it a rest Rod your awful. He'll always be in my eyes that screeching rock God on TOTP circa 73. His image and vocal tone was just off the scale original.

Rod Stewart is what you get if you try to buy Steve Marriott from Lidl

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I'm off to see Peter Hook & The Light again in April. They don't play anything new, purely Joy Division and New Order, (maybe Monaco) 

They're an odd one as even Hooky admits he's frontman to his own covers band. 

I was too young to ever have seen JD so I'm delighted he's doing what's he's doing. Some might see it as sacrilege to Ian Curtis' name but Hooky said that so few actually got to see JD, as they existed for such a short time, and most know them from the records, that were as much about Martin Hannett's production as JD's playing that he decided to go out and play them live again. When they became New Order they pretty much turned their back on JD. 

So should he be doing these tours? 

The band (which are basically Monaco) are excellent and although Hooky's voice isn't the best they play every gig with everything they've got so I think they are doing absolutely the right thing. 

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13 hours ago, Maude said:

Some might see it as sacrilege to Ian Curtis' name

 

If you ever find yourself in conversation with anyone from this self-elected priesthood, turn and run 🏃

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I make no apology for the fact that Clapton has been my absolute idol since I was a teenager and bought Behind the Sun on vinyl. 
I saw him for the first time around 2003 at the RAH. It was fantastic. I was as nervous before the gig as I used to get before my own gigs (until I found a technique that worked to calm that down a bit) in case he was crap lol. He wasn’t. 
I saw him another 2 times with VIP tickets so was almost within touching distance and watching him play up close was a great experience. 
Sadly now although he is still delivering a good live show his playing is no where near what it used to be due to illness and old age, and I wouldn’t go see him live again as I want to remember the great performances I have seen. 
Should he retire? I think he has a few times but keeps getting bored and comes back lol. 
Incidentally my wife asked me yesterday why I hadn’t been to see an old (in both ways) friend of mine recently and I replied because I hate seeing people I love grow old and frail. How selfish of me!!!

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15 hours ago, Maude said:

I'm off to see Peter Hook & The Light again in April. They don't play anything new, purely Joy Division and New Order, (maybe Monaco) 

They're an odd one as even Hooky admits he's frontman to his own covers band. 

I was too young to ever have seen JD so I'm delighted he's doing what's he's doing. Some might see it as sacrilege to Ian Curtis' name but Hooky said that so few actually got to see JD, as they existed for such a short time, and most know them from the records, that were as much about Martin Hannett's production as JD's playing that he decided to go out and play them live again. When they became New Order they pretty much turned their back on JD. 

So should he be doing these tours? 

The band (which are basically Monaco) are excellent and although Hooky's voice isn't the best they play every gig with everything they've got so I think they are doing absolutely the right thing. 

This is one of the best versions of the song I've ever seen (and one of the best live songs, too) - OK, it's the last song and it's in Manchester, but there's an energy and a real vibe to it... 

 

Two basses, too...😁 And miles, miles better than the mimsy New Order version the other two are doing these days...

 

 

Edited by Muzz
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On 14/11/2022 at 09:45, tegs07 said:

The problem with this stuff is it’s all subjective. My daughter is going to see Pixies live. I wouldn’t bother seeing them live anymore as I saw them several times during the Surfer Rosa and Doolittle years and for me that is what they look and sound like.

 Another generation just get to enjoy the current line up warts n all and don’t have the same expectations.

Pixies are arguably my fave rock band, based on their original four albums. I've had several chances to see them in the reformed line-up but haven't as I don't want to risk tarnishing my memory of seeing them live in their heyday

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