beauty, meaning, and other things out of fashion...

[Jon Drukman <jdrukman@us.oracle.com>]

Wade writes:

>led to a shift from the skill of performing music to that of
>"composing" an album, a trend that I just don't care for.  (Of course
>that doesn't mean it's bad, just means I don't like it.)

well, as you say it's YOUR problem, then i can't really debate it.  i
will just say that as someone who has done his fair share of
composition and performance, i don't think it's a bad thing and i do
like it.

>(My all time favorite artist is Bob Dylan, and let's face it if
>there was not a Bob Dylan doing psychadelic lyrics we probably wouldn't
>have had to deal with "Donovan" so even Bob had something of a negative
>influence on pop music!  :-)

ooh, i hate Dylan.  has there ever been a Dylan original that was
better than the cover?  i don't think so.  he was a much better
composer than performer, if you see what i mean.

>But there are examples of new instruments that were used to good effect
>and for good reason, and some examples of the oppisite.  Good example:
>the invention of the electric guitar used in it's early years so that
>blues musicians could be heard over the racket in a bar.  Turned out
>to work well and lead to many musical inovations.  Bad example:
>Switched on Bach, and drum machines.  Yuck.  'Nuff said.

i think the guitar is just as abused and misused as synths & drum
boxes are.  right now i am listening to an album that manages to
integrate synths, drum boxes, guitars and actual singing in a really
wonderful and innovative way.  i don't expect to find more like it any
time soon, however.  these guys (Underworld) are as unique as Kate in
that they make music unlike anyone else.

>I have no problem with "art" or "rock".  My problem is with "art-rock."

have you listened to Ozric Tentacles?  their musical is meticulously
crafted but with room for the human element.  as a composer, i am
aware of the value of spontaneity, which is why i usually leave a
little room in my tracks for some jamming and improv.  the Ozrics have
me beat hands down, though, when it comes to musicianship - they are
incredibly talented and versatile and technical.  check 'em out.
particularly "Jurassic Shift".

>The original point I was making was that I think that the advent of using
>multiple tracks and "splicing together" different performances was leading
>to a situation in which the art of performing is being lost in popular
>music to the point that many artist have to resort to "lip-syncing"
>(spelling??) because they simply can't perform.

i think you are being gratuitously unfair in lumping together all
types of "layered" music.  multitracking can be used to make a madonna
record or a kate record or something far stranger.  this prejudice
against composed works in favor of spontaneous jamming and the
exaltation of "live musicians working in a live setting" just grates
on me.  where would jamaican dub reggae be without the advent of the
modern recording studio?

Jon Drukman                                         jdrukman%dlsun87@oracle.com
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This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence.