Virtual Meet

[stuartbert two hats]

3 minutes ago, Losing my hair said:

I can confirm that he does in fact believe this - we've had this conversation at Glastonbury 🙄. 

Bjorn Again were fun, but musically disappointing. And I like to approach  listening to ABBA like listening to Radiohead - fun is the last thing I was to have. I'm listening to chord changes and arrangements.

[Funkyfairy!]

1 hour ago, Wellyboot said:

I'm dressing up too!

Every other one I've been in my jarmas! Time for a change 😊 

Wings wings - its time to wear my wings :-) (any excuse - don't wear them out in public these days - far too old )

[Funkyfairy!]

20 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Bjorn Again were fun, but musically disappointing. And I like to approach  listening to ABBA like listening to Radiohead - fun is the last thing I was to have. I'm listening to chord changes and arrangements.

Seriously --- have you seriously just compared the musicality of radiohead and Abba ?

 

[stuartbert two hats]

3 minutes ago, Funkyfairy! said:

Seriously --- have you seriously just compared the musicality of radiohead and Abba ?

 

I know, I know. Radiohead tend to use a reasonably narrow range of instruments and have very simple vocal arrangements compared to ABBA.

*SIGH* This is what I'm up against 😆

[Funkyfairy!]

1 minute ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I know, I know. Radiohead tend to use a reasonably narrow range of instruments and have very simple vocal arrangements compared to ABBA.

*SIGH* This is what I'm up against 😆

I;ve just spat a marshmallow across the room laughing (it was one of those tiny ones balanced on top of my hot chocolate)

I want to see Thom Yorke cover an Abba track and vice versa ……

Actually I can't think of two bands on different ranges of the 'erm erm erm cheese ' spectrum

[stuartbert two hats]

7 minutes ago, Funkyfairy! said:

I;ve just spat a marshmallow across the room laughing (it was one of those tiny ones balanced on top of my hot chocolate)

I want to see Thom Yorke cover an Abba track and vice versa ……

Actually I can't think of two bands on different ranges of the 'erm erm erm cheese ' spectrum

Obviously, my tongue is somewhere in my cheek, but you're right - they are different bands and have different strengths and weaknesses, but I still think that even now there has been something of a critical re-evaluation, there's something to be gained from properly listening to how ABBA put a song together. That shit is not easy!

https://strongsongspodcast.com/dancing-queen-by-abba

[stuartbert two hats]

And I'm glad to have caused amusement, that was the intention 😁

[Quark]

14 hours ago, Kalopsia said:

Still makes me laugh 😂 have you heard the horn section in No One Knows yet? 

Yes!!! Listened just now, I always thought that added depth of sound was just multi-tracking guitars but gave it a proper listen and I hear the brass now

[Kalopsia]

3 minutes ago, Quark said:

Yes!!! Listened just now, I always thought that added depth of sound was just multi-tracking guitars but gave it a proper listen and I hear the brass now

It's really subtle but quite a cool find haha.

[Quark]

13 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Bjorn Again were fun, but musically disappointing. And I like to approach  listening to ABBA like listening to Radiohead - fun is the last thing I was to have. I'm listening to chord changes and arrangements.

Also gone back and given Dancing Queen a listen.  I couldn't place the bit you meant at the time but listening again yes that rising note in the background is something I was aware of previously, but I wouldn't say i had properly "appreciated" it.  Lovely stuff.

EDIT: Just to be clear, you were still way more intense about it than is strictly reasonable

Edited August 25, 2020 by Quark

[ghandi]

13 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Bjorn Again were fun, but musically disappointing. And I like to approach  listening to ABBA like listening to Radiohead - fun is the last thing I was to have. I'm listening to chord changes and arrangements.

We saw Bjorn Again, they were ok, the guy playing Benny was a laugh, but as a tribute band that's what they are, as a kid of the 70s i'd never think of comparing like for like. The same with the Bootleg Beetles who are great for a sing along and to be fair at a long distance are good lookalikes if nothing else. Obviously going to see both of these that is exactly what we were after.

[ghandi]

30 minutes ago, Quark said:

Also gone back and given Dancing Queen a listen.  I couldn't place the bit you meant at the time but listening again yes that rising note in the background is something I was aware of previously, but I wouldn't say i had properly "appreciated" it.  Lovely stuff.

EDIT: Just to be clear, you were still way more intense about it than is strictly reasonable

 , as a kid growing up in the 70s Abba were he tits !   .......sorry i'll gt my coat.

[Quark]

Just now, ghandi said:

 , as a kid growing up in the 70s Abba were he tits !   .......sorry i'll gt my coat.

Oh no, nowt wrong with being on board the ABBA train dude. It's more Mr Hats' insistence that everyone should stop having fun  and listen to the technical genius of ABBA that made us chuckle

[ghandi]

1 minute ago, Quark said:

Oh no, nowt wrong with being on board the ABBA train dude. It's more Mr Hats' insistence that everyone should stop having fun  and listen to the technical genius of ABBA that made us chuckle

Yeah that is a bit of stretch !

[stuartbert two hats]

Come back when you've all listened to the Strong Songs episode posted above.

[Quark]

Yes boss!

[Quark]

I actually went through a phase a few years ago of doing a similar thing myself.  I went back and revisited songs that made me groan every time I heard them because they were so cheesy, overplayed, or whatever, and listened to them with fresh ears (insert gag about my ears here).

Was actually really good fun.  The ones that stick in my mind were Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, and Livin' On A Prayer.

[Losing my hair]

30 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Come back when you've all listened to the Strong Songs episode posted above.

🥱

[stuartbert two hats]

36 minutes ago, Quark said:

I actually went through a phase a few years ago of doing a similar thing myself.  I went back and revisited songs that made me groan every time I heard them because they were so cheesy, overplayed, or whatever, and listened to them with fresh ears (insert gag about my ears here).

Was actually really good fun.  The ones that stick in my mind were Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, and Livin' On A Prayer.

Yeah, Livin' On A Prayer and Club Tropicana are both songs I've reappraised.

[ghandi]

44 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Come back when you've all listened to the Strong Songs episode posted above.

Ok, so i've just listened to the podcast, thanks for that i've followed ' Strong Songs' in my Podbean list now  . Very interesting. I remember watching a documentary on Abba where Benny and Bjorn went off in the woods to a log cabin that they used to write the songs, can't remember where, it's probably up on You Tube. Whilst not being anyway musically inclined, i have only my ears, like most folk,  it certainly made me listen differently to the pubescent kid that only really noticed the girls or to ' that' song that became such a wedding song must. They did write some great songs and melodies didn't they? At that time they were the great pop package.

I would like the podcast to look at Kashmir ( was listening to that again last night ) and discuss the melodies and layers around that sucker!!

[Kalopsia]

Talking about listening to songs in depth, check out Rick Beatos' "What Makes This Song Great?" on Youtube. 

[stuartbert two hats]

48 minutes ago, ghandi said:

Ok, so i've just listened to the podcast, thanks for that i've followed ' Strong Songs' in my Podbean list now  . Very interesting. I remember watching a documentary on Abba where Benny and Bjorn went off in the woods to a log cabin that they used to write the songs, can't remember where, it's probably up on You Tube. Whilst not being anyway musically inclined, i have only my ears, like most folk,  it certainly made me listen differently to the pubescent kid that only really noticed the girls or to ' that' song that became such a wedding song must. They did write some great songs and melodies didn't they? At that time they were the great pop package.

I would like the podcast to look at Kashmir ( was listening to that again last night ) and discuss the melodies and layers around that sucker!!

He's already done Stairway to Heaven and rarely repeats artists so might be a while.

[stuartbert two hats]

45 minutes ago, Kalopsia said:

Talking about listening to songs in depth, check out Rick Beatos' "What Makes This Song Great?" on Youtube. 

I find Rick's stuff a bit disappointing - he just describes what happens in the songs, rather than digging into what's effective about the song/arrangement.

[ghandi]

46 minutes ago, Kalopsia said:

Talking about listening to songs in depth, check out Rick Beatos' "What Makes This Song Great?" on Youtube. 

Not related but i've been watching a couple of Black kids reviewing old music on YouTube ( Twinsthenewtrent ) , pretty funny and rather cool. Although i do wonder if their parents had locked them in a cupboard for 10 years whilst growing up when their posts are ' First time i've heard.... '

 

[stuartbert two hats]

If we're talking musical analysis on YouTube, then I'm quite keen on David Bennett:

Although his video on "why does Oasis sound like The Beatles" was disappointingly as simple as "because they keep ripping off bits from The Beatles like these examples...", before listing all the obvious ones everyone noticed when they came out.

Edit: but this key change one is good.

Edited August 25, 2020 by stuartbert two hats