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Have we perfected ourselves right out of the music game?
I was intrigued with an article sent to me about the latest recording by Michael Buble, who is stepping away from “perfection” and going for the “groove” in an “old fashioned” way of recording.
Imagine the concept—musicians all playing on the floor in the same room and recording it LIVE! And he admits that the idea was not well received by the “experts,” and that it is risky, and may not be “commercially” successful!
There was something more important to Michael Buble—the music—real and moving.
“Despite the massive success of his first three albums, the Vancouver crooner had fallen out of love -- not with the music he was making, but with the way he was making it.”
Although he says he was very proud of his first three albums that sold 21 million copies, “there was something missing.”
“They sound really good; sonically, they're beautiful. They're all about perfection -- everything is recorded onto ProTools, and if something isn't perfect, you pull it out and fix it. There are no mistakes.”
And so, to “rekindle” an old flame, he listened to recording of Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles.
“And I would feel something -- I can't really explain it, but there was a great presence in some of those records. I kept wondering why they had this great presence and why I didn't always feel that when I was listening to myself, or to other records that are made today. And one of the first things I realized was that we live in a ProTools, American Idol generation. We've become used to listening to this absolutely perfect music, but the heart and the soul are gone. It's so antiseptic.
“At the same time, he admits, he was getting slightly tired of hearing an eternal refrain from fans and critics: That his live shows are more enjoyable than his studio albums. Putting the two ideas together led to his eureka moment. ‘I realized that maybe I could meet somewhere in the middle and capture the energy and the raw excitement that comes from doing it in a live setting.’”
The old fashioned way.
His fans were not the only ones saying live shows were better. Prolific music blogger, Bob Lefsetz, has said many times that he is blown away by live performances of artists whose recorded music he would not buy and listen to. He recently “discovered” Taylor Swift live at the Ryman and was moved to tears by the “real” music.
“Music done right is life itself,” Lefsetz said.
Have we ProTooled ourselves right out of music itself? If it no longer speaks to us, is it music? Or is it engineered sound…beautiful, yes, and listenable, and commercial.
Is it music?
Michael told his producer, David Foster:
“'I need to do this in a different way. It has to be far more organic. I don't want to record to a click track. I don't want to tape everything separately. I want to shove those microphones in the room and I want the band just to go in there and play. I don't care if the tempo speeds up or slows down. I just want it to feel great. I want those drums to be bleeding into the bass, and the bass bleeding into the strings, and them bleeding into my vocals. I want this to have some real edge.' "
He took a chance:
"I got my 18-piece big band, threw them in a room, chucked up the microphones, set up a little vocal booth, and we did Stardust with (a cappella septet) Naturally 7. My rhythm section was 10 feet away, and nobody wore (headphone) cans, and we played. We played the song three times and we ended up using the first take. It was so satisfying."
Who knew what the commercial success of “Crazy Love” would be?
We recently witnessed the “real” music of Taylor Hicks at WorkPlay and much has been written about it.
Could the “music” of WorkPlay have been produced on ProTools? Can you imagine Billy Earl McClelland in one room, Taylor in another, and Brian Less in another with the keyboards…making music like that?
What is music? Is it perfect sound? Or, are heart and soul essential ingredients for “music.”
How far can we go electronically and call something “real.” Call it “music.”
What is it? Really?
Engineered sounds, or a human experience?
Michael admits that he possibly erred:
“But I erred on the side of integrity. I tried to make a record that really moved me. And I hoped that if it moved me it would move other people.”
Music moving people—an old fashioned idea? Was that the magic of Sinatra, Elvis, the Beatles? Not the voices, nor perfect sounds.
Here is the uniqueness of Taylor Hicks and his music. Listen to recordings of “The Distance,” and “Early Works.” The music moves you. Taylor so lives his music that the recorded sounds capture the intensity of that human experience. Add the ProTools environment. The heart and soul—the real music—still comes through.
It just gets better on the live stage.
The live concert is the artist’s recorded music kicked up a big notch. Why artists tour. Why Taylor has said touring is where it’s at. Why Bob Lefsetz says give away the recorded music—live music is where it’s at. Recorded is the enticement to see it live?
OR, record it live?
Anyone for “Taylor Hicks—Live at the Fillmore!”
Sources: The Lefsetz Letter, http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
“Buble is Crazy” by Darryl Sterdan, http://www.thewhig.com/
Taking a chance paid off commercially too for Michael Buble. “Crazy Love” is Number 1 on the charts in Canada.
~Thanks to KarinP for sending me this article on Michael Buble. It started the wheels turning.
Thanks to Wonder for the photo above: "Taylor at WorkPlay"
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7 comments:
Live is where the action is and live is where Taylor shines. Mr. Buble ; however, had the luxury of 3 CD's that sold extremely well. He had a built in audience of millions who would accept a change of pace from him.
I am not sure that Taylor can afford that luxury. While I believe he would garner more fans by recording live performances, the cost may be prohibitive without major financial backing. The release of WATW may be an indicator of how successful he could be.
Just my initial reaction to the blog topic. I will be interested in reading what others think !!!
I think that Taylor is going to have to take some chances. Though I am NOT sure why a live recording would be considered such a risk? The live music, as is clear from what Buble did for his CD, is
still selected and, to some extent, edited.
The value is in the excitement, described very
well in the blog, generated by the live performance
between Taylor and his fans.
As we all know, Taylor live provides his audience with an entirely different dimension to his music. Brilliantly written commentary. Thanks for once again getting to the center of all things Taylor.
Allyn
I am reminded of "Rebel without a Cause ". For Mr. Bubel there is not much rebellion , to my way of thinking , as he has the credibility to take chances without much repercussion.
Taylor would be more "Rebel with a Cause" . Getting the general music listener and buyer to recognize his talent makes for a good "cause" , while continuing to step outside the box and taking charge of his career makes him a rebel.
cath
Interesting thought. But I do not see a live recording as rebellious. Many vocal stars have done
live recordings, from the Grateful Dead to
Barbra Striesand. This is a standard process
and in the mainstream for recording artists.
Many symphony orchestras are recorded live, as well.
Where is the risk? When I said that Taylor needed
to take some chances, I was actually referring to
moving away from the safety of Grease, though I did not specifically refer to that in my original posting.
I think Grease has now served its purpose in
keeping Taylor before the public eye. Of course
he has to finish his contract, but I am sure
there are some more diversified opportunities
that will become available.
Recording live, one possibility,
is just not that risky, in my opinion, since
there is both an editing and a selection process.
Taylor live is electrifying. I can not
see a CD produced in such a fashion
doing anything but promoting his
musical talent.
Allyn
And he admits that the idea was not well received by the “experts,” and that it is risky, and may not be “commercially” successful!
In my opinion, which is biased as far as Michael Bublé is concerned, is that the only thing Michael was wrong about in the quoted article is that Crazy Love "may not be "commercially" successful.
In the article, Michael says:
"I remember taking Stardust to Foster and I said, 'What do you think?' And he said, 'Dude, it's pitchy.' And it makes you second-guess yourself. But I kept listening to the record and saying to myself, 'I'm not crazy. If this feels so good to me, if it feels this soulful, other people have got to feel what I'm feeling. I'm not alone.' "
Michael wasn't alone in his thinking and the sales numbers prove it. This album not only entered Canadian charts at No. 1 but it was No. 1 in many countries. For the past two weeks, Crazy Love has held the No. 1 slot on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.
Yes, it is true, Michael has a very established fan base and has had previous successful album releases. Let's step back and look at the the actual concept of "live off the floor" versus the "Pro Tools" concept.
While I am not a musician, I would think that the reasons that we have talented musical performers and music itself in our lives is much more simple than the craving for music with the "perfection" of recorded sound.
The gravitation to music in the first place for these performers is that once upon a time, they were intrigued by the combination of vocal talent, a good song and the various musical instruments used to actually "make the sound". The combination of all of these elements is what makes music pleasing to the listening ear.
The energy from each of these "elements" vibrates in the "room" and the energy produced can be profound. This is similar to someone like me who listens to music at home and I enjoy it very much. When I am fortunate enough to see someone in concert, the way I hear the music is different. I confess that I can actually get "lost" in the performances. Why? I think it is because while each part of the music is separate, it all comes together when it is performed "live". The combination of all of the energy in the room is the key component to the enjoyment of listening to the songs being performed.
(I have to post my thoughts in two parts - it's too long, LOL)
Part 2
If I take this thought one step further, I have to wonder how can an artist get into the same groove and feel the same "energy" when he is in a room all by himself laying down a track? Has Taylor ever performed a song in concert or during an interview the same way that he has recorded it? I really don't think so. He digs deep and really "feels" the music when he is on stage. I am still in awe of the way that he performed Maybe You Should at Workplay. It was absolutely amazing. Of course, that is my impression from watching the YouTube videos of this performance. I can only imagine how incredible it must have been for all of those who were there in the room watching and listening.
If Taylor recorded his next album "live off the floor" could we possibly hear a duel between Taylor and Josh? I think it is very possible and wouldn't that be great? It is as simple as "Keeping It Real". If we look back at Taylor's performances on American Idol, he was very successful in performing "live" so I don't think it is a risk at all.
Taylor and Michael have very similar "thought" processes. They have a unique desire to preserve the oldies and interpret them in their "own" way. They both hold Sinatra and Elvis in high esteem and perhaps as role models. They want to "do it their way" and I think that the winners of this honest attitude are the fans.
I really liked The Distance. While it may not have been "live", it was full of subtle nuances that I could hear when I gave the album my full and undivided attention. I like the "sound" of the Battlefield - you felt like you were on a battlefield. On "Once Upon a Lover", I could hear the needle in the groove of an old vinyl album. Each song had unique details which is what made it one of my favourite albums. The sound quality was outstanding which is a testament to the producers and to Taylor. How it would sound as a combination of a "live" recording and the various "tweaks"? It is unfortunate that The Distance did not receive the support within the industry that it deserved because the industry missed "the boat" by not noticing the value of this album.
In a recent ET Tonight interview, Michael said:
"People keep talking about the record business being in trouble. We don't sell as many records as we did before. You know, it's because you can't keep selling people crap. You can't keep expecting when you have one or two good singles on your record that someone is going to go out and buy the whole thing. That's why they are going to download the one track that they want so it was really important for me to have 13 incredible tracks and no "skippers" on Crazy Love.
While I do have my favourites on The Distance, I think that all of the tracks are great. In my opinion, there are certainly more than two potential singles on the album. Taylor told us that he did take his time putting The Distance together and the end result shows it. Taylor has continued to work his way around the country through his appearance in Grease. He may not have the huge influence of support that Michael Bublé has, but Taylor is gathering new fans and the respect he deserves one "soul at a time". Taylor and his music will always have my support. While the road is not as smooth or easy for Taylor, I continue to have confidence that he will get there in the future.
When I listen to music, I want to "feel" the depth of emotion in each and every word and note. If an artist puts his "heart and soul" into a song when he records it, it will find it's way into my heart and soul. The only way to achieve the true heart and soul sound, I think, is to record the album "live" in the studio. Michael just may have accomplished something incredible. He has made something "old" new again. If Taylor and Michael continue to do it their way, their music will stand the test of time.
Thanks for the very interesting and thought provoking blog, Sandy. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks, everyone, for your insightful comments! The more I read, the more I believe that it is time for GOOD music to make a come back. I think artists like Taylor Hicks and Michael Buble will lead the way in bringing back the days when it was all about the music! And it was REAL! I hope so!
Thanks for reading and sharing your knowledge and thoughts!
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