Entertainment For Lively Minds
New podcast: 40 noises and lousy first dates with Rhodri Marsden
Ever since we published Rhodri Marsden's 40 Noises That Built Pop we've been inundated with reaction and suggestions about what else might have been included. This week Rhodri visited us in the cupboard to talk about how some of the sounds in the list were arrived at and the instruments that gave birth to them. Should a third part include the electric sitar, mouth percussion or the clanging tattoo at the beginning of every ska record? You can throw in your suggestions below.
While he was with us Rhodri talked about how his simple recounting of a disastrous first date turned into the Twitter sensation that is recounted in www.firstdatehell.com and is soon to be a no doubt best-selling book.
You can follow this link to get the podcast every week.
I'm happy to pay for the app
to get it a day early but will it allow me just to download the podcast to play on my pc?
No, it doesn't
It allows you to access any of the podcasts on an iPhone or iPad.
Not a great interviewee
Enjoyable but laboured I guess?
He even admitted himself to not really contributing much.
That's a little unkind
I thought that Rhodri (crazy name, crazy guy!) came across fine.
He's just a guy who had the germ of a great idea and then followed it through to its logical and entertaining conclusion. What's not to like?
I could listen to this kind of stuff all day and found the entire concept fascinating.
nice little podcast
I thought Rhodri came across very well - nicely self-effacing - and clearly an amused and amusing person as well as knowledgeable about music.
I think the balance between ones like this and the more high octane ones with Van Dyke Parks, Danny Baker etc - provide a nice contrast.
On a wider and slightly critical note, the only thing I think is that "40 Noises that built Rock and Roll" is a fantastic idea but could have been better thought through, better executed and better examples selected. That is not to affect a "default stance of indignation" alluded to in the podcast - but more a sense of sorrow at an opportunity missed.
Just a few examples of omissions:
Awopbopaloobopbalapbamboom - the single most important noise arguably
The stutter in "My Generation"
Johnny Rotten's vocal sneer
Castanets - central to the oeuvre of Spector, Love, Motown and others
"Ooh Ooh Ooh" and similar noises as a backing vocal
I'm with you Uncle
I listen while 'working' and usually stop working cos I am too distracted by the podcast. Not the case here, I'm sorry. And I thought the 40 noises was a terrific article (and idea for an article) too. Unfortunately his anecdotes at the end were a bit limp. Yes, Fraser, I guess I am one of those people grumbling on the internet...
A Hat Trick!
A shame that the tonsorially resplendent Kate breaks the three-in-a-row run of "I'm Not Bald" headgear.
Good 'cast
Most enjojyable 'cast. Two points (dons cardigan, puts hands behind head)
The chaka sound on ska and reggae records is a guitar with muted strings, as clearly seen at the beginning of this Bob Marley number
The Phil Collins gated drum sound was discovered by Hugh Padgham whilst recording with Peter Gabrial and PC on drums. They were using a mixing desk with a mic out in the studio to allow the drummer to talk back to the control room, and Padgham, purely out of curiosity, had it patched back into the mixing desk. This particular desk had built in compression and gating. The compressor has the effect of boosting the quieter sounds and turning down the louder ones, giving a loud, even, solid sound. The gate has the effect of cutting off the mic when the sound decays to a certain level. The gate was set quite high, so listening to the mic they heard a thunderous drum sound which was abruptly terminated till Phil hit the drums again. PC could hear this effect in his headphones, and being a creative bugger, started playing to make use of it as a deliberate effect. And the 80s was born. See "Good Vibrations" by Mark Cunningham, a superb discourse on record production.
Chaka sound
In Marley's case - and on many other recordings - the guitar is simply imitating Prince Buster's mouth click rhythm, which is where the sound originated. You can hear it here:
I understand it happened in the Stone Room at the Townhouse
The desk was a, then new and revolutionary, SSL and the talkback mic was an STC 'Ball and Biscuit' mic suspended from the studio ceiling.
I think... :-)
Worst thing about 80's
Worst thing about 80's records for me is the drum sound on nearly every record.. Special praise to the few (Kevin Rowland...etc) who refused to sucumb to it..
How about the cow bell on pop/rock records... Always loved the intro to the Stones Honky Tonk Woman.
Know what you mean..
Added to that drum sound is the keyboards sound on the majority of pop hits that date them so much.
Did you forget to tell the guest...
...that you are a ukulele player Dave?
...hehe!
A lot of my heroes were
A lot of my heroes were drowned out by the excessive explosions of eighties snare drum sounds.. Bowie, James Brown etc..
In my defence, we just hit the things
Blame the producer for what ended up on the record :-)
Yeah.. I know
I just think it spoils so many records.. I wanna hear individual snare sounds on records..like on the Beatles albums.. no two sound the same..
flange, delay, chorus
Goth is lost sans it, but then we don't mention that scene