MLT Club Member Jürgen
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
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… or does pure blues flow in your veins?
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… the dreamy, imaginative type with the sun in his heart…
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8 Things the beatles pioneered. And one thing was forgotten: the synthesizer
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Harvey Phillip “Phil” Spector, a tragic figure on the music scene, produced the album “Let it be” together with the Beatles. John Lennon was of the opinion that Spector was a brilliant producer. Paul Mc Cartney, on the other hand, rejected the intensive use of strings and background singers, which Spector would probably have preferred. Phil Spector later developed the so-called “Wall of sound”. He was the first to underpin songs with intensive background instrumentation, for example percussion provided by several reverb effects and strong choral and orchestral accompaniment. This recording technique was applied to George Harrison’s album „All Things Must Pass“. As it turned out later, George Harrison was not particularly happy with this mix and would have liked to undo it. This wish was fulfilled in the 50th anniversary edition, which was published this year and freed from the „Wall of sound“. What do you think of this recording technique? A meaningful pioneering achievement in sound recording or something the world does not need?
PS: “Be my baby” from The Ronettes was one of the first productions with the „Wall of Sound“ technology. In the following video you can clearly see what effort was made to achieve a full, room-filling sound: the wall of sound.
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Hi Diana, thank you very much for the also very interesting video. Great idea to take a closer look at the history of musical innovations. I had heard the name Les Paul at some point, but had never associated it with the techniques and developments shown in the video. For example, I didn’t even know that he was the “father” of the electric guitar ( Or I read it at some point and forgot it again). Electric guitars already existed when I was born. So these are somehow self-evident for me. Just like I’ ve never thought about who actually invented the record or the record player. Yes, of course everyone knows a gramophone and my parents still owned an old shellac LP. But what exactly was it like, with the invention of early sound reproduction?
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Once again a very interesting video of you, Jung. Some aspects were known to me. For example, the Beatles “invented” the modern music video. Other facts, on the other hand, I have never consciously perceived so far. For example, the Beatles were the first band to fill entire stadiums. Thanks for sharing.
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and a little musical trip around the world
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Not shockingly, but very interesting, David. I wouldn’t necessarily have associated the Monkees with synthi music. Thanks for the video link.
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Hello David, thanks for the information. After our discussion, I googled “The David Letterman Show”, but only found a lot of interviews with guest stars. Great, then I got to know the house band now.
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Hi, Jung. You’re right, on the positive side, the screaming fans are certainly a luxury problem, although luxury can also seem to be very exhausting at times. John Lennon once said he wants to have a lot of money to just be rich. His wish was granted. Suddenly, he was rich in fans. Empty concert halls are a really more serious problem.
I also think that the Beatles chose a good path, or as Johnny Cash would have said “they walked the line”. After being known and famous, they retired to the studio and implemented their ideas there. I can imagine that bands have a lot of good ideas during extended live tours, but by the time they are back in the studio, many of the ideas are probably already gone. And it’s true: if the Beatles had wanted to, they could have played many of their songs in a simplified version; unplugged. The lively fans probably wouldn’t even have noticed.
The music session on the rooftop of the building during the shooting of „Get back“ was perhaps a last attempt to sniff something like live music. Maybe they really wanted to experience it again as a band: Get back in a figurative sense. Unfortunately, the band had already lived apart.
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Hello Diana,
I am very happy about your answer. „Pioneers in music“ can still become a very interesting topic. To your question: I live in Moers. This is a small town in the western part of Germany. About 44 miles to Cologne and 13 miles to the Netherlands. We live here on the edge of the so-called Ruhr area, the largest industrial area in Germany. I was born there almost at the same time as the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper. Lots of steel industry and coal mining. At least until several years ago. The mines have been shut down and the steel industry is also constantly shrinking. Here in Moers it is already very rural. Some more agriculture. Otherwise a very flat landscape with small forests and many fields and some original small towns. It’s funny, if I cycle along the Rhine, I can see cows on the left side and on the right side there are large chimneys and remnants of the steel industry. A very interesting scenery.
You wrote that you live in Utah. How can I imagine that? What is the landscape like there and what are the cities like? What do you particularly like there? I always find it exciting to hear from other places in the world. I miss traveling a lot at this Time. Yes and I would also like to experience Mona and Lisa live.
I had my first Walkman in the 80s. The construction of these small musical wonders was also a pioneering achievement. It wasn’t an original Sony Walkman, of course. It was far too expensive. But it was still cool. You could listen to your music anytime, anywhere. Yes, you are right, time flies.
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Hi Jung, I agree with you, the Beatles were a great live band. Their performances always seemed dynamic and they mediated fun in their music. But the fact that they filled entire stadiums soon became a problem: The loud fans. Paul McCartney had expressed himself in an interview about the behavior of the fans: the constant screaming had only annoyed him. As soon as the Beatles were on stage, the screaming began. Whether he said something or just made any sounds, the fans screeched non-stop. You can understand this very nicely on the Live album: “The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl”. I suppose this must have been very frustrating. A communication with the fans was no longer possible at all. Paul summed it up like this: the fans had simply come to the concerts to be collectively crazy. A balance to her otherwise rather well mannered and strictly ordered life in the 60s. For the fans, the concerts were a social valve. The Beatles, on the other hand, felt abused. And the tour in the Philippines almost ended in disaster. In addition, during their live tours, the Beatles could only stay in the hotel room. Sometimes they even retreated to the bathroom because this was the only windowless room where they could stay undisturbed. Perhaps the later music of the Beatles was just too complicated to be able to present it with the stage technology of that time. There was probably no such thing as half-play back or something else.
How do you assess this: did the Beatles at some point simply no longer feel like performing live or did their music become too demanding for the stage technology of that time?
PS: I hope you had a nice holiday
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Hi Diana,
the maniac drummer (his name is “Otto”) doesn’t need to increase his medication dose, he is always like that. I think Otto just has a very lively brain metabolism. Better give him no medicine.
Yes, the Theramin is a very impressive instrument. When I first saw and heard it, I was also completely fascinated.
That beer is a good idea. Ice cold beer, please. (What kind of beer do you have in Utah?) Or have I misunderstood that and you want to give us a round of pills because you’re a nurse? 🙂 What a fun coincidence. I also work in a hospital on a geriatric station.
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Hi David, I’m amazed again. How long did they saw it and how many trees lost their lives? Jung I unfortunately have to correct you: that is not ultra cool, but very ultra cool.
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David I’m thrilled. I don’t understand how you can do something like that. I would hit the keyboard from a distance, but individual keys? Impressive.
