A little humor...

[Kevin Lightner]

My respect for David Lee Roth's writing ability increased when I heard his Skyscraper album.
He was good in Van Halen, but I was surprised how well he stood once he produced a solo album.
Having Steve Vai as guitarist didn't hurt tho.

But many artists seem to fall apart once it comes to their solo albums or they simply get older.
For example as much as I love Tony Banks' work in (early) Genesis, his solo albums (sans one or two solos) left me pale.
And yes, there are exceptions- music is subjective.
All of the Beatles members did decent solo works, even Ringo to some degree.

[unfiltered37]

Yeah, I've never understood why bands never produce the same level of quality they do on early albums. I guess people only have so much artistic energy in them, or else they get to where they only write songs for themselves.

[Rob Smith]

Kevin, I always thought that Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks all worked well together. The real downfall for Genesis is when Hackett left the band after Wind and Weathering. Hackett however is very good on his own and surrounds himself with very good musicians. Banks is one of my favorite keyboard players. But I have to agree his solo stuff doesn't do it for me either.

[Kevin Lightner]

Hackett however is very good on his own and surrounds himself with very good musicians. Banks is one of my favorite keyboard players. But I have to agree his solo stuff doesn't do it for me either.

I totally agree. I love the Steve Hackett solo albums.
I'm sure he's done more than I have, but have 3 and each is a gem.
I can't say that about Banks' solo ventures.
Even Rutherford's and Collin's albums were better than Banks, imo.

[EricK]

the very rare ability to sing harmonically like Mongolian throat singers.

Pardon me for a temporary hijack,
Tuvan throatsinging actually isn't all that hard to do to get those tones. What is difficult is not sounding like an idiot when you do them.

The way that I do it is more like a resonant highpass filter.

Heres a nice documentary about Paul Pena (who originally wrote "Jet Airliner") and his trip to Tuva.
Genghis Blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9IRA2RcMk4

If you watch this and still can't figure it out, pm me and I'll attempt to teach you how to do it.




Edit: A lot of times the band's producers totally ruin their creative engine but on the other hand, they can also be very beneficial. It all depends on the talent of the band and their creative will (and their contract).

Eric

[soundxplorer]

David lee Roth, though an idiot, was a tremendously energetic singer who had the very rare ability to sing harmonically like Mongolian throat singers.

I'd call myself a Van Halen fan, definitely, but this one still gets me rolling on the floor with laughter even years after first hearing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IArxakPsPE0

[_DemonDan_]

I've never understood why bands never produce the same
level of quality they do on early albums.

There are, of course, lots of reasons for this, including the ones
you stated. But one of the main reasons for the "Sophomore Slump"
(aka Second Album Sucks) is that the first album is filled with songs
that had been crafted over the current lifetime of the band, which
were then tested and honed on the road, in front of live virgin audiences.

The second album is demanded by the record label while the band is
having a huge success with their first album/tour. But almost all of
their time is spent on touring and promoting, so they're burnt out and
rarely have the time or energy to sit around writing new material.

The fans are also far less patient about hearing new, less-solid material
once they fall in love with the songs from the first album. So the band
rarely gets a chance to try their next songs in front of a real audience.

This problem becomes even more prominent when everyone in the
audience is recording their attempts at new songs and posting them
with complaints about them not sounding as good as the original songs.

Sometimes I'm glad I just design the sounds, and not write with them;-)

[unfiltered37]

Tuvan throatsinging actually isn't all that hard to do to get those tones.

True, I actually have been chanting in a quasi throat singing manner for a few years, but what's rare is the Dave's wail that somehow gets very strong upper harmonics which you can actually hear bend or vibrato. I was just pointing out that his wail is kinda similar to throat singing, though throat singing is more keeping a drone note while "filtering" the harmonics.

[stiiiiiiive]

Heres a nice documentary about Paul Pena (who originally wrote "Jet Airliner") and his trip to Tuva.
Genghis Blues

Thanks a lot for sharing this Eric. I'll watch it this week end.

[Voltor07]

...I felt that same schoolgirl "OMG... I'm talking to Ozzy Osbourne" feeling others might, but it was like talking to an alien.

Kevin, if I ever get the privilege to talk to you on the phone,(BTW, I'm prepared for the schoolgirl feeling of "OMG... I'm actually talking to the legendary tech Kevin Lightner !"), I hope you can understand me despite my alias...

Thanks for the humorous anecdote. I, too, could never quite understand everything he said, watching his show on TV.

I have spoken to Kevin over the phone a couple times, and he is a very pleasant person to talk to. I didn't get the feeling I was talking to a famous person at all...I felt like I was talking to my best friend. There is a quality to Kevin's voice that puts one at ease. Only trouble is, two hours goes by very quickly when talking to Kevin on the phone.

[cletisrayevans]

For black Sabbath,maybe who r u,or planet caravan,and for ozzy,mr Crowley.i always thought it was on loan from dr Robert moog through the studio,the power got routed through the wrong path,burned and smoked some parts,so repairs were made with parts they readily had.after bob moog inspected it,I think ozzy ate it and bought it from him.all rumor,but maybe the reason he wanted it properly restored.as for his babbling aimlessly,I think after ultimate sin the drug use started some brain damage and lots of rehab...

[Jaythejunkie]

being this is so off topic ill add mine.

back in high school age 15 or 16 we got so stoned until 2am we threw out our ozzy records.
we woke up to find them on my friends night table and we knew it was the devil who brought them back!!!
in his grip!!!