Sorry for not blogging much yesterday but I was hanging out with the guys in our high-resolution digital downloads group. These are the guys who are working on next-generation digital streaming technologies that will let you download music at way better sampling rates than ordinary CDs (at a premium price, of course). The goal now is to match and then outdo vinyl, which these guys insist is still the best sound available. What I love about these guys is that they're engineers but they're also total music freaks and they all have backgrounds in recording studios and so forth. They love music. And they love to get high. They've got their own building on the campus with a listening room that's completely sound-treated and loaded up with the finest gear money can buy, plus loads of comfortable couches and chairs, and cool rugs and black lights, and this killer music collection.
Yesterday I went down there, got stoned, and kicked back for a listen. They had this German turntable that costs some ridiculous amount of money and looks like it fell off a spaceship, plus some Spectral Audio amps and a pair of Wilson Audio Alexandrias which to my taste are a bit overdone; I prefer my old WATT Puppies, but whatever. Anyway. They put on an album I hadn't listened to in years -- Robin Trower Live, first released in 1976. Mindblowing. I'd forgotten how good he was. We just sat there, pinned to our chairs, stoned out of our minds, saying stuff like, "Man. Wow. Hmmm." And trust me these are some jaded dudes who are not easily impressed. Then we listened to the same music on remastered high-rez digital and it was close but still not quite there with the vinyl.
But the real point, the one we all made to each other, was this: Can you imagine if Robin Trower came along today? He couldn't even get a record deal. It's hard to believe today that only 30 years ago there was a market for guys who were just flat-out virtuoso musicians, guys who could fill a stadium with people who just came to hear some amazing dude play his instrument. No back-up dancers, no flashing video screens, no lip-synching. Just three guys on a stage. And people would sit there and listen. We all agreed that the music business sucks today. Then we all felt sad. Then we all felt old.
Then we fired up the monster bong again and listened to side one of the Live album on vinyl and everything was cool again.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Today's music depresses me
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
48 comments:
Well said.
I see you know how to celebrate those good quarterly results! Rad
Robin Trower would be able to get a record deal today. Only he would be considered "indie" and would be a draw at services like eMusic or Audiolunchbox, not iTMS.
That's agreed. But we're old. It'll come around again.
More importantly, what's up with your anti-button attitude?
Yeah, you're not the only one. I would much rather listen to Dark Side of the Moon on my record player than just about anything that's come out in the last few years on CD.
By the way, when is some of that high-definition love coming to the video store? Watching movies at 480p is so depressing, man.
FakeSteve, you are one cool dude, no doubt way cooler than the real Steve Jobs by far.
AH, Bridge of Sighs. Makes me weep.
Dynamite weed, man!
There is great music out there today, but you have to go digging. Step one is to stay away from the major labels.
Perhaps you could make iTunes link up with sites that suggest new music based on the music you already think is great. You are the boss, right?
not a trower fan, more of a jeff beck man m'self, but i get what you mean, fakey-steve-o.
and for the record, if you'd take my (fake) resumé, i'd lick boots and sleep like harry potter under the stairs just to work as even janitor in that same super-secret apple hi(gh)-rez download building.
So so true. I think I would want more of that guy and less of Brintey Spears. I really dislike what music is today for the most part. Give me the Offsprings and some nice Rock, Christian or other wise and I'm happy as a clam.
Agreed! Today's music quality sucks, sounds compressed, horrible on any decent stereo. Mine however is way above decent, so I'm disappointed at most music I buy these days.
Glad to see you're on to other topics besides the ticker - tedious tunnel vision when that's the sole
focus - "Think Different" / "Blog Different.? "Think
Nonlinear". Remember, but avoid the herd nostalgia,
that dog looks friendly but, he'll bite you in the ass
every time... and he loves those hemp treats you keep
in your pocket. Anyway, glad you and yTunes will be exposing more to Mr. Tower.
BTW, you are old - maybe not as much as RSJ but...
how 'bout you and APPL talking about that NeXT -
thoughts or bongs, o sage of Cupertown
me too FSJ, me too...
This is possibly the best post in a very long time. And I too feel sad and old from reading it.
Writers of Greek tragedies in the 4th C BC looked back in awe at the work of the 5th C BC writers such as Sophocles etc. knowing that their work was never going to be as good.
So it is today with pop culture - we're living in a cultural footnote.
Who today can write as well as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and have such a massive cultural impact?
Not FSJ's best pal Bono, that's for sure - although he's certainly very trying...
...that turntable is off a spaceship, and THEY want it back. Reverse engineering is one thing, permanent borrowing is something else. Oh , and they want Woz, Al, and that intern in design research back too. FSJ, you do NOT want to upset these folks.
Can you pass it this way?
Oh stop the hippy high school sentimentality FS. It's the dope that's depressing you; you must grow out of this recreational insanity and restore your true dopamine connections to be truly aware. I ran into Sting in Toronto last week and he said he hasn't touched the stuff in years, but has become true yoga master, now free and truly afraid of death. Namaste yourself.
How do you know when you're OLD?
When you don't like "todays" music!
FSJ you're OLD!
Much that I enjoyed this post (really fun...), from a more serious point of view I have to disagree with its title and conclusion.
Commercial music and Majors labels business do suck, but fortunately there is a wealth of indie music and labels (at least in Europe)that produce a lot of seriously beautiful music, from rock to avant-garde.
Being a DJ I could name you literally hundreds and hundreds of great bands and dedicated labels.
I am sorry to intrude a little self-ad, but if you go to our web radio (www.radiorock.to, a one-hour podcast every day) you'll see (ehm... hear) what I mean...
(Of course our audio quality doesn't match the sf chain of the post, but hey, it's your fault, Steve!)
Best post in a while. Can you take over Apple?
I hear ya, Brother.
Namaste yourself.
that sounds kinda okay to be doing in the dark, but not for in broad daylight. I don't know if I should be reading this kind of stuff.
Duuuuuuuuddddddddeeeeeee!
Don't bogart that bong, my friend
Pass it over to me!
Wow...
Far out...
Right on!
Sorry to see you got suckered into that high-end-expensive stereo equipment hogwash. There is NO REASON a stereo should cost any more than the amp and monitors that were used to record it in the first place. You're paying for marketing/audiophile-magazine bullshit. Seems you can dish it out, but you can't smell it.
Sting
Sting who?
Fake Steve, I had no idea you had a pair of Wilson WATT puppies. Great to hear you're into vinyl and some nice high-end hear (Spectral mmm).
Hey... Robin Trower still IS around, and he's actively producing new music, even as we speak. But, as another commenter said, it's more of an independent production.
I agree about the Live! album; that was my first exposure to Robin Trower and it was a life-changing experience for me. But you really need to listen to his new stuff too... he's one of these rare artists who get better with age. His recent albums... Go My Way, Living Out Of Time and Another Days Blues... are outstanding. Here are some tracks on iTMS.
If you want to know more about what Robin Trower is up to, like his 2008 tour plans, etc., head over to his website at www.trowerpower.com. The site design is very dated, but an update is in the works that will be online later this summer. It will be truly spectacular.
Yes I remember those analog devices fondly. The feeling of direct participation brought about by turning the handle and seeing that hinged arm follow the little grooves with it's 1/2" metal needle. A real pain having to replace the disc every time ... LP my ass!
who do you have to... (fill in the blank) to have full access to the Apple campus? Sounds better than Disneyland... oh, wait... guess that is redundant.
How old is Tinkerbell? Can she grant "Options" instead of wishes?
Yeah, today's mainstream music leaves a lot to be desired. Thank God for Mindless Self Indulgence.
Hey El Jobso!
Nothin' like a head-full of the ol' THC and the amp jacked up on 11 to get your RDF back in the groove.
...Cold wind blows
The Gods look down in anger,
on this poor child
Cold wind blows
And Gods look down in anger,
on this poor child
Why so unforgiving and why so cold
Been a long time crossing Bridge of Sighs...
Vaya con Dios!
HEADLINE: Amy Winehouse bitchslaps FSJ
what would your grandmother say?
Please say you will appear with Ms. W. on Letterman to
resolve this momentous cultural issue.
Then again, I guess you could just send her a new
yPod and tell her how young and vital she is. FS, she
didn't even thank you for making it possible for her to comment... AWH you're young! This is an OUTRAGE.
The unaware arrogance of youth... wait > guess that worked for you. Nevermindaste
Jeez-o Steve-o, you were sucking the feckin' life out of that bong, weren't you?
Robin Trower? That guy's been going as long as we have. But unlike us, he never evolved his music. Bit difficult if you're a one trick pony. Guitar music can't evolve, not since Hendrix anyway. That fecker went forward in time 50 years, took away all the light, cam back and let it bleed out of his fingers. All axemen are now cavemen. They inhabit a dark, cold and buttonless land. Even The Edge, who was crap when he started by the way, has a little plastic figure painted to look like Jimi. He won't go on stage without having it taped to his perineum. Mad idolatrous fecker.
Listen Steve-o, and all of you other dopey feckers, if you're in the mood for some My Mind Is A Soundscape Of Infinite Width aural stimulation, try the Easy Star All-Stars version of DSOTM or some Godspeed You Black Emperor! Just don't feckin' try to tell me you've got to go back to Robin Trower, or vinyl, to get satisfaction.
Steve, i am hooked up on your blog. it really makes me laugh, a lot :) and i don't even live in America.
What does it mean to "go back" to vinyl? Is there something newer? Vinyl is forever, and everything else is just a fad.
FSJ, when you are going to give us an iTurntable? My old Pioneer just isn't as good as it use to be. Then again, neither am I.
That's what happens when music turned into an "Industry", and then turns into a "Recording Industry".
That's the good thing about the demise of the recording industry. Suddenly people might have to listen to the music again.
"...which these guys insist is still the best sound available..."
seems to me *You* used to think that right here on this blog.
"...that turntable is off a spaceship, and THEY want it back..."
Turns out they're all probably stoned on the rocket ship too, according to NASA.
Wasn't it your pal, Bono, who wrote, "You glorify the past while the future dries up"?
Robin Trower? Please, dude. You HAVE to be wasted to enjoy that. Why not try listening to someone who's managed to stay relevant after the years, like Dylan.
Can't believe Real Bono knows Godspeed You Black Emperor!
Must be a Fake Bono...
Two words:
Ween.
Sound like you've been talking to the
"Fossil Poet" who works for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Powell_(musician)
Yeah he's old now too. Why do you think he named the new album that way?
Speaking of Sting, that reminds me, 'Artemis 81' is coming out on DVD this year. You remember, the one with Gog and Magog and Hywel Bennett.
Having been a Robin Trower fan for decades now, and seeing him live more times than I can remember anymore, I am in FULL agreement with Fake Steve; Robin Trower LIVE!, recorded Feb 3, 1975 from a Stockholm, Sweden Broadcast is by far my MOST favorite LIVE album of all time - by anyone! Flawless power leads, rhythmic chord structures from another world, that unforgettable voice of James Dewar perfectly interpreting the lyrics with so much soul and passion that experiencing this rare jewel in anything less than a completely Analogue environment is like taking an XKE out for a joy ride on a circle dirt track! The best thing about Robin Trower is HE IS STILL making records, albeit on CDs, still Touring the world (starting in the USA in January 2008) and still mesmerizing us with his virtuosity! Thankfully, Davey Pattison, a close friend of James Dewars' and the voice of Ronnie Montrose's band GAMMA, has been a much appreciated and quite capable addition to the overall sound of The Robin Trower Band now since the 80's! This TROWER 2008 World Tour is a concert Tour you do NOT want to miss!
Respectfully,
David Van Kleeck of PPCSI
Webmaster for Robin's Official Internet Store and Tour Info website at robintrower.com
Rockin' Robin still jams with the best of them...by his own words he is "Living Out of Time"... and does so stubbornly...still great music and shows...I had seen him 30 or so times...the shows are all roughly the same, but I keep coming back...I still listen to his music about 30% of the time I listen to music...hard to find good new music...Ryan Adams is about the best I found, and his recent stuff has fallen off..
Very cool that STEVE is a TROWER fan.I,ve been a fan since 1974 and I,ve seen him play 5 times.Trower played at SUMMERFEST in MILWAUKEE on JULY 2006.He was amazing and his energy was like a 25yr. old.He will be touring in 2008.My favorite album is also ROBIN TROWER LIVE. DALE
I picked up a bootleg way back in 1973 of a live recording of Robin that is professionally produced. I hope it's one of those rare early unreleased recording worth hanging on to. Even back then, his mastery of the guitar puts many "modern" player to shame and in awe. Just goes to show that new is NOT always the best. Like good wine, he only gets better and evolves to blow away many. Keep rocking Robin!!
Hmmm..Robin Trower is the most un-appreciated Guitarists ever. Bridge Of Sighs & Go My Way are my favorites. I don't have to get stoned to get high on his music. Sadly though, Dewar's unbeatable voice has long been gone.....though Davey is way kewl...Does anyone else think that if at all possible, Paul Rogers would make a great combo with Robin? They should collaborate an album, Jack Bruce is kewl but I don't think it is good chemistry. I see Robin every year he tours and though he doesn't run around the stage and have fireworks, he is so focused and into that strat, it is mind-blowing and takes me back every time when I was in a my Old Javelin listening to Bridge Of Sighs and token a number of Red Bud........MMMM, those were the days!
Robin Trower should be classified as one of the best 5 Guitarists of all time. Trower Power FOREVER!
Post a Comment