Entertainment For Lively Minds
Career advice for your favourite artist
Posted by Joe Robert on 8 March 2010 - 11:38am.
Ever get the feeling you know more about the next direction your favourite band should take than they do?
For instance, I know that what the world needs is an acoustic Neil Young and Crazy Horse album. No, really. Listen to Lotta Love and Look Out for My Love off of Comes a Time, or the Horse's beautiful harmonies on Pardon My Heart on Zuma. Of course every third album of his tends to be an acoustic one, but never with those players. Shame.
What career advice would you give to your favourite artist?
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R.E.M.
Just pack it in, please. It´s getting painful.
Someone the other day...
...said, I think in the "rock n' roll truisms" thread, that records which everyone hails as a "return to form" are never anything of the kind.
So yeah. Agreed. The idea that "Accelerate" could ever hold a candle to "Reckoning", "Document", "Out Of Time" or even "Up" is ridiculous.
Retire, boys. And let Peter Buck do a lot more producing. He knows his onions, that man, and no-one has been more honest and scathing about the fiasco of "Around The Sun" than him.
I love R.E.M. I've been a fan since I was 11, about the time that "Out Of Time" came out. So it's pretty painful to see them routinely humping the corpse of a great musical legacy.
I was going to mention them in my OP
...but didn't because it sounds like my solution to everything is to go unplugged. But basically I wish they'd do an album and tour like this (points below) - they've never sounded more beautiful. Or, as you say, give up. Certainly save us from another Accelerate.
You're a man after my own heart, Joe.
That version of "Fall On Me" is heart-stoppingly gorgeous. The R.E.M. Unplugged session made the entire series worthwhile - who'd have thought that "Love Is All Around" would sound so perfect? And they did "Fretless", which is the best song never to be on an R.E.M. album.
Also...
...isn't Bill Berry's backing vocal on the above just lovely? Just a simple, diffident "it's gonna fall" in the choruses. There's something about the way he sings it that raises the hairs on my arms.
Kudos for mentioning Up
I too have been a fan since Out Of Time. I was in my early teens and a girl I had a crush on liked them, so I didn´t have much of a choice.
I think Up may be my favourite. It´s their Berlin-trilogy rolled into one. Weird arrangements combined with some beautiful melodies. I guess esoteric would be the right word.
We also agree on Peter Buck. It´s nice to see someone on that level who hasn´t misplaced his head up his own ass.
Ah, another kindred spirit.
"Up"'s not my favourite, but I really like it. People who do are in short supply, but I've always suspected they're not using their ears properly. There's an assumption (tragically realised on the last three records) that any band who lose a pivotal member 20 years into their career must automatically be shit thereafter. "Up" gave the lie to this, even if they did shit it and try a disastrous former-glory attempt with the follow-ups.
It's a great album.
Depeche Mode
get Alan Wilder back on board. The post Wilder material has been good but they lost that dark and broody magnificence that his production brought out so well. Hopefully his appearance on stage with them at the Albert Hall last month is a good sign.
To several artists I can think of
don't do your next album in a style/production ripped off from the latest chart toppers, stick to your guns and your direction.
To any chart act
Ditch the autotune.
The Stones
Think back ... the correct formula is Charlie & Bill, acoustic rhythm, electric lead and a great big piano. Gospel style backing vox optional.
Tom Waits:
Listen to advice if you want but then go ahead and do your own thing.
Mark Knopfler
Some recent solo work has contained some great lyrics and even more lyrical melodies. I complain not.
Just up the tempo a bit on some of them in future. Get the rhythm player to play some big barre chords and chug along a bit faster on the top.
There. Sorted. Come and see your Dad...
For Kate Bush...
Don't write any more songs about your son. Other than that, as you were.
Radiohead
Find the buttons marked "rock" and "tune" and keep them pressed for a whole album. Disengage the weird gears and just enjoy yourselves. Give Ed and Colin creative control.
Eels
Time to stop the self-production and find a producer.
And Pete Doherty
Time to be produced by Eels.
Pete Doherty
Time to be stuffed full of live eels and thrown into a shark tank.
Yeah... the shark could help him greatly with his penchant...
for doing paintings in his own blood.
Sigh
Belongs on another thread, idiot(bear).
Sorry, dad.
I've let you down, I've let the school down, and - most importantly - I've let myself down.
Liked what you did with the brackets there, by the way. Clever stuff.
Morrissey, Belle & Sebastian
Morrissey - co-write some songs with Conor Oberst and have Mike Mogis produce your next album. Ditch the raawwkk and get some acoustic guitars out.
Belle & Sebastian - ditch the 70s theme-tune sounds and general kitsch and go back to what made Tigermilk & ...Sinister so magnificent: sweet songs sung by Stuart (only) without much else instrumentation outside the core band.
Macca...
... sing an octave lower - write songs with strange chord progressions - write weird lyrics that don't reference your former band - get Jim 0'Rourke in to produce it.
The Dame
Just do something really.
Good point
Who do you think you are, not giving us any more music?
U2:
If you've got nothing to sing about, don't. You don't need the money, and it's just getting undignified.
Underworld: Stop pretending you're not musicians. You keep looking for new twists on the worn-out, hand-tying old dance thing and you've surpressed your natural instincts as a consequence.
Noel Gallagher: Read a book.
Pet Shop Boys: Keep it pop, stick with Xenomania.
R.E.M.: You said when you signed to Warners over 20 years ago that you'd split after ten albums or if any original member left the group. If you'd kept your promise and bowed out after "New Adventures..." you'd have a reputation and a back catalogue as big as Led Zep's.
Kate Bush, Radiohead, Damon Albarn, Portishead, Massive Attack: Don't listen to me or anybody; just keep doing exactly what you want, as infrequently as you want.
Actually, Kate, just one suggestion: bits of "Aerial" suggested that it's almost time for you to think about doing an album of Bessie Smith covers.
Noel has read a book!
Shakey, Neil Young´s Biography by Jimmy McDonough. Not being a fan of Oasis I´m not sure why I keep track of Noel´s reading habits, but there you go.
Billy Bragg
Write and record more songs.
Two albums of original material since 1997* hardly represents an unswerving devotion to the Protestant work ethic, does it? Yes, I know you've been busy writing books and campaigning and generally shoring up the crumbling walls of British democracy, and believe me, your fans are grateful. But we'd like to hear some new music from you some time before you start drawing your pension.
*I'm not counting the two albums of Woody Guthrie songs - and anyway, they were recorded over 10 years ago now
The Edge
Put the delay pedal back in it's box.
Hmmm. I don't know about this.
I'd go so far as to say that delay is an integral part of what The Edge plays. He doesn't really play *guitar* as such. He plays heavily effected guitar. That Bill Bailey bit (disastrous power failure at a U2 gig) is funny, but I thought he slightly missed the point. Telling The Edge to get rid of his delay pedal is a bit like telling DJ Shadow to play an instrument instead of decks and samplers - it's just what he does.
That said, I'm not a U2 fan, so I don't know why I care. ;-)
Well...
I'm not saying he shouldn't use it on the old songs, but I genuinely believe he is capable of more, particularly when he plays around the bass strings (it's the treble stuff that's starting to grate). It's this song that prompted the thought, I think it's pretty good but the delay spoils the chorus for me by making it too close to so many of their others: