Re: The down fall of music due to SGT pepper?

[wagreiner@ucdavis.edu ()]

In article <V6oHic1w165w@cybernet.cse.fau.edu> lauren@cybernet.cse.fau.edu (Lauren Diehl) writes:
>I see all of the points made for the down fall of music as we know it, 
>but I totally disagree.  I know how much time, intelligence, and 
>imagination it takes to do this splicing and computerized music that is 
>being devalued.  I think music has come a long way and it will go much 
>further.  I takes just as much skill to play a typical instrument as it 
>does to mix sounds on a sound machine or get the right sound from a mix 
>machine such as an echo sound.  I hope those who think todays music is 
>not as full of energy and meaning will sit down and listen to some of the 
>somgs and see they have as much or more to say than the older songs.  *I 
>don't ant to offernd anyone's musical tastes, but I really hate it when 
>people judge things before they understand them.  Take a course in 
>multi-track recording and sound mixing and see what I mean.

Well, I am the one who was dissing the influence of Sgt. Peppers, but
I don't really think it has anything to do with not understanding
multi-track recording or soundmixing.  I'm perfectly willing to accept that
it takes a lot of skill to do the mixing and layering work.  It's just that
I don't particularly like the sound that results.  It sounds sterile
to me.  That is my prejudice, though, and I know that, as with all 
preferences in the realm of art, there are many who disagree and many who
do agree.  Blues purists cried bloody murder when B.B. King had strings
added to "The Thrill is Gone."  I didn't mind that so much because at least
the underlying recording was done in a live band setting.  It's all just a
matter of degree.  The complexity of the method, though, means nothing
to me.  The reason I mentioned effort in my previous post was just that 
I like the sound of traditional instruments (I think that even the electric
guitar, although not horrible, is still somewhat inferior in sound to
a good acoustic one) and so it disturbs me that so many do not take the
time to learn how to play them.  True, they are learning something else
that is just as hard, but I just don't like it as much.               

By the way, I think this does have Kate relevancy.  I'm not the only one
who has complained a bit about her use of drum machines, etc.  I love
Kate's music, but I do wish she would surround herself in the studio with
better micians sometimes.  Most of the musicians on the Red Shes seem
to be there just taking up space.  I think The Red Shoes is a very good
album but I think it could have been even better with musicians who would
be more capable of contributing to the arrangements etc.

Sorry if I was insulting and stepped on any musical toes though.  Just 
expressing my opinion on the music, I know there's no absolutes in matters
of taste.

Wade