Talking in between songs
Does anyone have an opinion on film dialogue, found sounds or live on stage banter in between songs on an album?
Interesting on the first listen. Okay for the second time. Then you come round to the third listen and boy, does it get right up my nose. The skip button or a strategically edited MP3 version become indispensable to get rid of Axel Rose jabbering away on the Guns N' Roses live album etc.
Short sound snippets are okay like The Pixies "F**king die" moment on one of their albums. It's when they go on and on that they annoy me. There are advantages to dialogue on a soundtrack CD, as it gives context to the music so it doesn't just become a random collection of tracks. And on stage banter can be funny, or just plain interesting. Unfortunately it rarely ever stands up to repeat listening. In the end I'm here for the music, not the witty comments.
Anyone else have a comment on talking breaking up the flow of music on an album? Or would like to list any good or bad examples?
The worst for me was the two Johnny Cash prison albums. The current CD versions have the WHOLE concert; minutes of chatter and lots of false starts. Fascinating on the first listen etc. I had to edit every track on my MP3 version so now I can just listen to the music without the distractions.
I haven't heard the Tarantino soundtracks in a long time, but I assume they're quite annoying as they have lots of dialogue on them.
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FYI
you could try this post first
http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/what039s-best-spoken-word-and-musi...
Everybody be cool, this is a robbery!
Any of you f*cking pricks move, and I'll execute every motherf*cking last one of you!
1st track on Pulp Fiction
Would be fine if that was it. If it has a minute or so of that rambling scene then it would be something to skip in future.
Fun Loving Criminals
use it to great effect on Scooby Snacks though. Genius.
Exactamundo.
One of my best ever Glastonbury moments; The Crims, Scooby Snacks. Outstanding.
Woolies
I was in my local Woolworths just after the film (and its CD) were released when this came over the shop's speakers. Oddly enough none of the customers turned a hair, but whoever had put the album on still hit the Stop button very quickly.
I'm sure I've mentioned this before...
...but the thing that really ticks me off on live albums is when the spoken introduction to a song is tacked onto the end of the song that precedes it, rather than the beginning of the song it actually refers to. Only really an issue I suppose in the mp3 environment, but nonetheless hugely annoying when you're shuffling tracks rather than albums!
Praise The Lord
You are not alone in thinking this. I am constantly arguing with a friend about this very point. It really annoys me too when the intro is on the end of the previous song. I am of the opinion that for live albums the between track banter should be on a track by itself.
Solo Acoustic Vol 1 - banter separate tracks
I believe that's what Jackson Browne did on his 2005 album. Not sure if he's done it on the new one.
Just An American Boy
Steve Earle also separates out the dialogue from the music on this live set.
He did
and it is not a perfect solution - now you get "blah blah blah now I'll sing For Everyman" CLICK shuffle dished up a totally different track.
Two solutions for your MP3 version
1. Delete the talking tracks and instead get wall to wall music.
2. If you have iTunes you can tick a box that means that the track won't come up when you shuffle your iPod.
A bit impractical for iPoddery
In shuffle mode, wouldn't you get Rory Gallagher saying "Thanks a million! This next one's an old Muddy Waters tune. . ." followed by Kraftwerk's "Autobahn"?
Ah yes...
...which is exactly what you get when it's tacked onto the end of the previous track - hence my original post!
Introductions belong at the start of the track they are introducing.
But
"Das var ein classic von 1972, und zis ist ein neu track" closely followed by "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" would be a hoot.
Stranglers Live
Seem to recall (I was 11 at the time) that there was a very clear shout of Wa*ker during the gap between 2 songs. We thought it was fantastic.
Lock, Stock....
Generally good inclusion of dialogue.
I used to have Barry's camera problems, "not now you f... bast...", as my startup sound and Big Chris' "its be emotional" as the shutdown sound on a PC.