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More on singers

More on singers

2008-03-18 by steve_tebble

Great! I thought you'd all bite!

And it's true most lyrics, in any form of music, are pretty awful.
Even the best don't look too good when removed from the song and
placed on the printed page.

No it's singers I hate. Regardless of how good the lyrics are, they
always sound better when left out completely and played by an
instrument other than the human voice.

Other reasons I hate singers:

1 - an extra person on stage to take up space and share our money
with.
2 - invariably the most musically inept member of the band, to whom
timing, tempo and key are alien concepts, and most importantly
3 - always think they're the most important person in the band
although of course the reverse is true.

'Shut up and play your guitar (sorry Mellotron' indeed!

In fact a friend recently asked me what my favourite form of music
was. I replied anything where the lead guitar and Mellotron got
together to drown out the singer. Not sure he understood!

Steve.

Re: More on singers

2008-03-18 by Bernie

So...who's been keeping up with American Idol?


--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, "steve_tebble" <steve@...>
wrote:
>
> Great! I thought you'd all bite!
>
> And it's true most lyrics, in any form of music, are pretty awful.
> Even the best don't look too good when removed from the song and
> placed on the printed page.
>
> No it's singers I hate. Regardless of how good the lyrics are,
they
> always sound better when left out completely and played by an
> instrument other than the human voice.
>
> Other reasons I hate singers:
>
> 1 - an extra person on stage to take up space and share our money
> with.
> 2 - invariably the most musically inept member of the band, to whom
> timing, tempo and key are alien concepts, and most importantly
> 3 - always think they're the most important person in the band
> although of course the reverse is true.
>
> 'Shut up and play your guitar (sorry Mellotron' indeed!
>
> In fact a friend recently asked me what my favourite form of music
> was. I replied anything where the lead guitar and Mellotron got
> together to drown out the singer. Not sure he understood!
>
> Steve.
>

Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by lsf5275@aol.com

In a message dated 3/17/2008 8:33:02 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, steve@studio43.free-online.co.uk writes:
3 - always think they're the most important person in the band
although of course the reverse is true.
When thinking of an example of this point, Queen comes to mind. Obviously they never needed Freddy.



Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by john barrick

Let us know how that Shadows/Ventures tribute project is coming... ;-)
johnb





steve_tebble wrote:
>
> Great! I thought you'd all bite!
>
> And it's true most lyrics, in any form of music, are pretty awful.
> Even the best don't look too good when removed from the song and
> placed on the printed page.
>
> No it's singers I hate. Regardless of how good the lyrics are, they
> always sound better when left out completely and played by an
> instrument other than the human voice.
>
> Other reasons I hate singers:
>
> 1 - an extra person on stage to take up space and share our money
> with.
> 2 - invariably the most musically inept member of the band, to whom
> timing, tempo and key are alien concepts, and most importantly
> 3 - always think they're the most important person in the band
> although of course the reverse is true.
>
> 'Shut up and play your guitar (sorry Mellotron' indeed!
>
> In fact a friend recently asked me what my favourite form of music
> was. I replied anything where the lead guitar and Mellotron got
> together to drown out the singer. Not sure he understood!
>
> Steve.
>
>

Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by fdoddy@aol.com

...then you won't like my album!!!!

Hate is such an ugly word.

Generally, I would say lyrics are intended to be sung and not recited or plainly read from the page. That is part of the freedom of confining them to musical constructs.

My daughter belongs to the all women's choir at the university she attends and to my untrained, sensitive and quite emotional ears, this amateur choir confirms my belief that the "first" instrument is truly the most beautiful.

Think about it, almost every solo/lead instrument was designed to imitate the human voice, or at least its expressiveness. Think of how string lines are written in phrases, and rehearsed as though it were being "sung". The same can be said of many instruments. Often when I need to tweak a phrase to be played by an ensemble or solo instrument, I will sing the phrase to more accurately reflect the intention of the notation.

Back to lyrics.... Anyone who has spent time with an Anglican hymnal can attest to the beauty and power of "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming" or Weatherly's heart wrenching "Danny Boy", and if rock is your thing (it's certainly part of my DNA) Neil Young gets me every time. Certainly, pop lyrics are not up to the level of what Jimmy Webb crafted for "Wichita Lineman", but I find value in what Ben Folds writes as well as the doe-eyed naivete of The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne. Sometimes the lyric is just a substrate for the melody, as is the case with most prog, old and new.

I'm not trying to convince you or anyone to start listening to lyrics or sung melodies or anything that has to do with the human voice. I use to think in a similar fashion when I was younger, I could care less about the value added or subtracted by the lyric. What I learned was that I really didn't have much to say when I was young, not because I didn't know how, but more because I was too ignorant of life and its many stories. The older I get, the more I realize I know far less than I did when I was young. Make sense? Now, I write about how much I don't know.

fritz






-----Original Message-----
From: steve_tebble <steve@studio43.free-online.co.uk>
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 17 Mar 2008 8:32 pm
Subject: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

Great! I thought you'd all bite!

And it's true most lyrics, in any form of music, are pretty awful.
Even the best don't look too good when removed from the song and
placed on the printed page.

No it's singers I hate. Regardless of how good the lyrics are, they
always sound better when left out completely and played by an
instrument other than the human voice.

Other reasons I hate singers:

1 - an extra person on stage to take up space and share our money
with.
2 - invariably the most musically inept member of the band, to whom
timing, tempo and key are alien concepts, and most importantly
3 - always think they're the most important person in the band
although of course the reverse is true.

'Shut up and play your guitar (sorry Mellotron' indeed!

In fact a friend recently asked me what my favourite form of music
was. I replied anything where the lead guitar and Mellotron got
together to drown out the singer. Not sure he understood!

Steve.

Supercharge your AIM. Get the AIM toolbar for your browser.

Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by lsf5275@aol.com

In a message dated 3/18/2008 12:16:02 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, fdoddy@aol.com writes:
Often when I need to tweak a phrase to be played by an ensemble or solo instrument, I will sing the phrase to more accurately reflect the intention of the notation.
Jeez Fritz, that must take forever.
JUST kidding!!!!!
I think you have made your case very well and I wholeheartedly agree.
f



Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by tronbros@aol.com

One of my favourite pieces is Spem In Alium by 15th century composer, Thomas Tallis. I have listened to it a million times and it still hijacks me completely. For those who don't know, this is a setting for 5 choirs of 8 voices singing latin religiousness. The lyrics don't matter a jot to me, the effect of these massed voices in groups of 8, repeating against each other and the natural dissonance that occurs is spellbinding. It is an orchestra of voices and the words are a vehicle for them to ring out.
Mike loves this choral work as well. His point is that the m a j o r i t y of rock singers and rock lyrics are detrimental to the music. I have to agree. There are obviously exceptions.
M
Streetly Electronics - All Things Mellotronic

www.mellotronics.com
US Sales East: Jimmy Moore JMoore6397@aol.com
US Sales West: Paul Cox pjc56@earthlink.

Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by Andy Thompson

----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 8:44 AM
Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

One of my favourite pieces is Spem In Alium by 15th century composer, Thomas Tallis. I have listened to it a million times and it still hijacks me completely. For those who don't know, this is a setting for 5 choirs of 8 voices singing latin religiousness. The lyrics don't matter a jot to me, the effect of these massed voices in groups of 8, repeating against each other and the natural dissonance that occurs is spellbinding. It is an orchestra of voices and the words are a vehicle for them to ring out.
So what the hell is it with 8-voice choirs, eh? :-)
Andy T.

Re: More on singers

2008-03-18 by Bernie

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, lsf5275@... wrote:
>
>
> In a message dated 3/17/2008 8:43:18 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> kornowicz@... writes:
>
> So...who's been keeping up with American Idol?
>
>
>
>
> Not me,
>
> Update us please, Bernie.
>

I can't Frank. That's why I was asking.

Re: More on singers

2008-03-18 by ceccles_ca

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, "Bernie" <kornowicz@...> wrote:

> > So...who's been keeping up with American Idol?

I tune in to see the hot babes. Kristy Lee Cook is fairly hot. She
can s-l-a-u-g-h-t-e-r a Beatles song like no one on earth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VmczzvwgKI
Some song arrangements work and some just don't. She is a country
singer and she had to do a Beatles song. A recipe for disaster before
they started.

Re: More on singers

2008-03-18 by James Bailey

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, tronbros@... wrote:
>
> One of my favourite pieces is Spem In Alium by 15th century
composer, Thomas
> Tallis.

Then there's the modern version by Hormel: Spam In Aluminum. Doesn't
make a sound at first, but leave it open on a counter for a few weeks
and it really starts to hum.

Jim Bailey

Re: More on singers

2008-03-18 by James Bailey

--- In newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com, tronbros@... wrote:
>
> Fritz, I think you are a smug git that smells of pooh and wee and has
a
> farty bum 'ole.
>
> Sir Arthur Trenchard - Escort to the Stars

I always thought that was Dickson, or did he just assume the role at
Tronto MKII? ;-)

Jim Bailey

Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by Mike Dickson

Certainly not as a lyricst they didn't.

lsf5275@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 3/17/2008 8:33:02 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> steve@studio43.free-online.co.uk writes:
>
> 3 - always think they're the most important person in the band
> although of course the reverse is true.
>
> When thinking of an example of this point, Queen comes to mind.
> Obviously they never needed Freddy.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms and advice on AOL Money Finance.
> <http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001>
>

--
Mike Dickson, Edinburgh

Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by lsf5275@aol.com

In a message dated 3/18/2008 4:33:38 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, mike.dickson@gmail.com writes:
Certainly not as a lyricst they didn't.
But as a singer and front man, they did. Hey not everyone can be the great lyricist that Pete Sinfield was.
Remember, "Song of the Seagoat?"



Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home.

Re: [newmellotrongroup] More on singers

2008-03-18 by Mike Dickson

I'm busy trying to forget it. Vivaldi would have died of embarrassment.

Like. Y'know. If he wasn't like....dead already.

Y'know.

Mike



lsf5275@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 3/18/2008 4:33:38 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> mike.dickson@gmail.com writes:
>
> Certainly not as a lyricst they didn't.
>
> But as a singer and front man, they did. Hey not everyone can be the
> great lyricist that Pete Sinfield was.
>
> Remember, "Song of the Seagoat?"
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Create a Home Theater Like the Pros. Watch the video on AOL Home
> <http://home.aol.com/diy/home-improvement-eric-stromer?video=15?ncid=aolhom00030000000001>.
>

--
Mike Dickson, Edinburgh