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a feeling : no really new music can be recorded any more.
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IanB
IanB
6761 posts

Edited Sep 02, 2008, 14:53
Re: a feeling : no really new music can be recorded any more.
Sep 02, 2008, 14:50
singingringingtree wrote:
>>>The premise that started it all was Keith saying that " Idea's are far more important than musical ability will ever be". My argument is that at some point you need musical ability to bring ideas to fruition. That's all.

i know, i was being deliberately obstreperous ... but i'm w/ keith's prioritising - if you've not got that spark to start w/, forget it! i love that mark e smith idea that he's competing against bands full of people who'd be better suited to working in a bank.

>>>A no-chops-at-all indie band might get lucky once or even twice but at some point they need to learn to play to create sustained works or even a series of shorter ones.

or persist in their folly! see half japanese (ok ok, they did become slightly slicker as they went on, but jad fair's still pretty untrained) or even mark e smith (he didn't learn how to sing properly, he just kept on going + everyone else had to rearrange their ears to accommodate him) - now THAT'S the mark of an "artist".

And, i know it's outside yr point that mainly relates to rock bands, but there are scenes where "learning to play" in any accepted sense, doesn't make any sense ... like noise, or a lot of electronica ... i mean, can Masonna "play", or Florian Hecker? or even Aphex Twin?


>>>I hate 90% of U2s music but I totally respect their work ethic and bemoan the lack of it people who could have done more with what they had.

it's a good devil's advocate position, for sure ... but don't musos criticise U2 for not being much cop musically? received wisdom = the edge plays super-simple obvious things thru mountains of FX ... i've no idea myself.



Y'know I think we are more or less on the same page. Ability / skill whatever you want to call it definitely comes in different guises. It doesn't have to be learned in music college. Music college grads often make good sidemen/women but piss poor artists. So your electronica point is well made though I suspect Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, FSOL et al are actually really skilful (and had to work at it to get that good) if not in a traditional muso way.

Mark E Smith may consider himself to be a non musician but he has great taste in band members and I reckon is a bit of a James Brown / Zappa style task master on the quiet (though that may be common knowledge and I missed it)

As for U2 I think hard work *is* their most obvious talent. Adam Clayton is regularly listed in the luckiest-man-in-pop stakes though that may just be people's core anti-bass player ("four strings. how hard can it be?") bias! It coulda been the Bunnymen or Simple Minds. Even the Chameleons. U2 just out worked them. The David Battys of rock n roll.
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