Post by skynetrp on Mar 31, 2006 14:31:22 GMT -5
I was reading a section on the DIARY page, and ran across this:
OK......I have extreme opinions when it comes to backing tracks. Backing tracks are a huge part of the downfall of rock n' roll and rock concerts in my opinion. To me it's like cheating the audience, a sort of "Millie Vanillie" of the music passages.
If we can't sound like what we recorded without adding backging tracks or having a handfulll of hidden musicians when playing live, then we did something very wrong in the studio. As far as I am concerned, if we need a backing track when I play a lead for example because it sounds thin there...........then I am going to hire another guitarist to play those passages live...even if he sits and does nothing the rest of the concert. It's the only fair thing to do for our audience.
Fortunately, I don't need to do that, I can handle both parts if I had to. I played in 3 piece bands and learned how to multitask and not let it take away from the solos. I do, however prefer to have 2 guitar players, especially since my vocals are not what they used to be, and a 2nd guitarist that sings well would take care of that. I learned a long time ago to "accept your limitations and embrase them".
That's why going to a 3 piece band's concert was so incredible....the awesome power they exibited and the ability to fill in the weaker spots by multitasking.........the ability to sound HUGE with no deceptions.....quite a talent (like For example "Mountain", or even better...."Humble Pie"). Aerosmith had a semi-hidden keyboard player/back up vocalist on their last tour that I went to........BUT he was easily seen if you took the time to look for him and there wasn't enough room on the stage to give him a place out front without cramping the others. He even waived to the audience after a great keyboard part. I was impressed to see them let him be so easily seen, no deception there. At least they didn't use backing tracks that I know of.
The only time that anyone should even consider a backing track is IF they did a song totally different than their genre......for example..........A horn section on a song that is a Johnny Winter tribute. Even then I wouldn't use a backing track....it would be so obvious that we weren't playing the horn parts. I would have to hire a horn section or keyboard player to play those parts......PERIOD.....even if I had to hire different union musicians in each city that the song was played in.
The idea of not playing ALL the parts live is disgusting to me, and disloyal to the fans. I believe that's what's wrong with music today.....too much manipulation in the studio making bands seem better than they really are making it impossible to play live without using smoke and mirrors......I call that cheating.
I saw The Police play in a tiny club called "The River Rat" under the bridge in St. Louis in the early 80's before they became famous, and they played every part 3 piece and sounded incredible.....as they well should have. They made you sit in wonder at how they could possibly sound so full.
If you can't do it live........don't play it. I know I am probably sounding out of line here since "95%" of bands use these tracks to make themselves sound like something that they're not, but I can't help it.....it's wrong, it's deceptive, and it promotes this kind of Millie Vanillie acceptance that almost ruined music as we know it forever. People didn't trust what they were hearing anymore, they lost respect for anyone who would try to pull off such a thing....at least all the people I asked.
I have the deepest respect for the Love Hammers for not using this deceptive sort of tactic....it's exactly what I have been talking about all along..........giving the audience the music in it's purest form........changing the way things are done bringing back that intense emotional concert that made goose bumps form on even the worst critic.
The reason that we used to go crazy at a great concert was because we couldn't believe what we were hearing coming out of just 3 or 4 players. We tried to figure out how our own band could sound that powerful......what were WE missing that this band had?? Adding backing tracks takes away ALL of that wonderment, and would make us not want to go to a concert that used such deceptive unacceptable measures. It just takes ALL the magic out of it and is VERY dissapointing. I mean, how far can you take these tracks? Just how much manipulation is acceptable before it becomes like a one man Holiday Inn band??? Think about THAT!
Let's hear your thoughts.
DK2 WROTE:
I was most flattered when some pretty big time musicians would come up to us after our set and thought that we were playing with backing tracks or hidden musicians, etc. I would tell them it was only us 4 and they wouldn't believe it - literally calling me a liar - LOL. There is nothing wrong with doing that as 95% of bands out there do it, but we just didn't for this tour. That makes me feel like we did a decent job.
I was most flattered when some pretty big time musicians would come up to us after our set and thought that we were playing with backing tracks or hidden musicians, etc. I would tell them it was only us 4 and they wouldn't believe it - literally calling me a liar - LOL. There is nothing wrong with doing that as 95% of bands out there do it, but we just didn't for this tour. That makes me feel like we did a decent job.
OK......I have extreme opinions when it comes to backing tracks. Backing tracks are a huge part of the downfall of rock n' roll and rock concerts in my opinion. To me it's like cheating the audience, a sort of "Millie Vanillie" of the music passages.
If we can't sound like what we recorded without adding backging tracks or having a handfulll of hidden musicians when playing live, then we did something very wrong in the studio. As far as I am concerned, if we need a backing track when I play a lead for example because it sounds thin there...........then I am going to hire another guitarist to play those passages live...even if he sits and does nothing the rest of the concert. It's the only fair thing to do for our audience.
Fortunately, I don't need to do that, I can handle both parts if I had to. I played in 3 piece bands and learned how to multitask and not let it take away from the solos. I do, however prefer to have 2 guitar players, especially since my vocals are not what they used to be, and a 2nd guitarist that sings well would take care of that. I learned a long time ago to "accept your limitations and embrase them".
That's why going to a 3 piece band's concert was so incredible....the awesome power they exibited and the ability to fill in the weaker spots by multitasking.........the ability to sound HUGE with no deceptions.....quite a talent (like For example "Mountain", or even better...."Humble Pie"). Aerosmith had a semi-hidden keyboard player/back up vocalist on their last tour that I went to........BUT he was easily seen if you took the time to look for him and there wasn't enough room on the stage to give him a place out front without cramping the others. He even waived to the audience after a great keyboard part. I was impressed to see them let him be so easily seen, no deception there. At least they didn't use backing tracks that I know of.
The only time that anyone should even consider a backing track is IF they did a song totally different than their genre......for example..........A horn section on a song that is a Johnny Winter tribute. Even then I wouldn't use a backing track....it would be so obvious that we weren't playing the horn parts. I would have to hire a horn section or keyboard player to play those parts......PERIOD.....even if I had to hire different union musicians in each city that the song was played in.
The idea of not playing ALL the parts live is disgusting to me, and disloyal to the fans. I believe that's what's wrong with music today.....too much manipulation in the studio making bands seem better than they really are making it impossible to play live without using smoke and mirrors......I call that cheating.
I saw The Police play in a tiny club called "The River Rat" under the bridge in St. Louis in the early 80's before they became famous, and they played every part 3 piece and sounded incredible.....as they well should have. They made you sit in wonder at how they could possibly sound so full.
If you can't do it live........don't play it. I know I am probably sounding out of line here since "95%" of bands use these tracks to make themselves sound like something that they're not, but I can't help it.....it's wrong, it's deceptive, and it promotes this kind of Millie Vanillie acceptance that almost ruined music as we know it forever. People didn't trust what they were hearing anymore, they lost respect for anyone who would try to pull off such a thing....at least all the people I asked.
I have the deepest respect for the Love Hammers for not using this deceptive sort of tactic....it's exactly what I have been talking about all along..........giving the audience the music in it's purest form........changing the way things are done bringing back that intense emotional concert that made goose bumps form on even the worst critic.
The reason that we used to go crazy at a great concert was because we couldn't believe what we were hearing coming out of just 3 or 4 players. We tried to figure out how our own band could sound that powerful......what were WE missing that this band had?? Adding backing tracks takes away ALL of that wonderment, and would make us not want to go to a concert that used such deceptive unacceptable measures. It just takes ALL the magic out of it and is VERY dissapointing. I mean, how far can you take these tracks? Just how much manipulation is acceptable before it becomes like a one man Holiday Inn band??? Think about THAT!
Let's hear your thoughts.
