Does anyone else ever find it strange to listen to a recording where musicians just show up in the middle, or drop off without any explanation? Yes, it's been 100+ years since the birth of recorded technology, and we know that it's possible to overdub more musicians onto a cut than were in the studio in the first place. But intuitively, sometimes it sounds weird when the cast changes in the middle of a piece.
For example:
- Charles Ives, Piano Sonata No. 2 - Halfway through the last movement, a flute comes in. Where the hell did he come from?
- Destroyer, "Rubies" - At the end of the song, it's just Dan Bejar in the studio, setting down his guitar. Okay, but where did everyone else go?
- Kanye West, "Gold Digger" - Broke Phi Broke just shows up in the middle. Surprising the first time!
- Jethro Tull, "Baker Street Muse" - It starts with Ian Anderson sitting there with his guitar, screwing up his part. As the piece goes along, he's joined by strings, electric guitar, rhythm section, etc., but at the end, he's just sitting there in the studio by himself (we hear him get up and try to walk out). Where the hell did everyone else go? Were they all in his head?*
Anyone else have moments like that? Is it just me?
* I've often thought the electric guitar solos on that song sound more like a dude air guitaring than like someone actually seriously playing a guitar lead, but whatever.
― save the robot (save the robot), Monday, 3 April 2006 17:51 (twenty years ago)
In an old version of Wimoweh, the big band plays the first half, then a folk troupe sing the second half, and the band, obviously waiting all this time, play one short blast as the final note. Which bears no relation to anything the folk troupe played.
― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 3 April 2006 18:01 (twenty years ago)
somtimes the band's still there, they're just being really quiet. ian anderson was known to threaten heavy-breathing or clumsy musicians with flute spankings.
― baby, disco is fuck (yournullfame), Monday, 3 April 2006 21:06 (twenty years ago)
I always thought Martin Barre's electric guitar playing seemed really out of place on a lot of Tull records. "Cold Wind to Valhalla," for instance, would've been a lot cooler if it'd remained an acoustic song, instead of shoehorning in that electric guitar stuff.
So I guess my answer would be "He came from somewhere annoying, and he went back there to wait for the next time he could jump out and butcher a song."
― vartman (novaheat), Monday, 3 April 2006 23:15 (twenty years ago)
- Destroyer, "Rubies" - At the end of the song, it's just Dan Bejar in the studio, setting down his guitar. Okay, but where did everyone else go?Unfortunately, it wasn't him leaving and everyone else staying behind.
- Charles Ives, Piano Sonata No. 2 - Halfway through the last movement, a flute comes in. Where the hell did he come from?
Jethro Tull, obviously.
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 6 April 2006 13:32 (twenty years ago)