4000

15 hours ago, Jus Lukin said:

I think there will be a strong consensus here!

A Rick kicks out a hell of a punk tone but is very expensive and an acquired taste to play. A P can be had very easily and makes a very suitable noise- rounds with the tone up gives a good throaty clank, and rolled back for more of a pummeling pump, Dee Dee style! The 70's sound is often quite lo-fi, too; quite mid-focused, and I find that a sealed cab without a horn tends to shape the voice in an appropriate way for the mix. EQ can be used to roll off highs and deep lows while emphasising the mid range of course. Certainly, ultra-deep sub bass tends to detract from the punky punchiness.

I agree on the horns bit, definitely. I almost never use horns and the majority (if not all) of the people I like sonically, most of whom have very aggressive sounds, don’t use them either. 

13 hours ago, casapete said:

could still have done without Stevie Nicks though

This sentence makes no sense in any universe I exist in. 😂

12 hours ago, Marvin said:

Mike Campbell is superb, very much overlooked.

 

I've just mistakenly watched the Radiohead gig on Sky Arts. I've got quite a few of their albums but I'm glad I've never gone to see them live, hell they're dull. They seem to have persuaded audiences that 'garage jams' and dicking about with old gear with loads of patch cables sprouting from it is edgey. 

🙄 Radiohead’s 2017 Glastonbury spot is, IMO, probably the best televised gig I’ve ever seen. 

Just now, wateroftyne said:

 

Nah, they haven't been seen yet on the tour.

That’s a shame, but also something of a relief for me as they’re two of my favourite bits and the thought I’d missed them due to the generator issue was rather annoying. 

2 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Newcastle last night - absolutely amazing.

 

To be fair, I'd been following reports of the previous dates so I was prepared for Phil's voice. And I knew what the setlist was going to be, so I'd got over the disappointment of that.

 

It turns out Phil's voice was - whilst still a shadow of its former self - far, far stronger than it was even a couple of shows ago. I was pleasantly surprised. There was only one song he had a sustained battle with, but it's not really one they can drop.

 

He's relaxed and clearly enjoying himself, as are the band (presumably even Tony, but you'd never know). Nic Collins is dynamite.

 

We had crap seats but the sound was amazing, especially for a Quality Street tin box like the Arena. The production was incredible (although we didn't get the full lighting setup last night - not enough room).

 

If you're a fan, but you're not going because you want to remember them how they were... I strongly urge you to reconsider.

 

The last domino? I actually have a feeling it might not be.

 

 

 

Really glad to hear you enjoyed them too. 
 

Did you get LE and the excerpt from The MB, as per the programme set list? We didn’t, but I assumed that was due to the timing issues caused by the failed generator. 

Sunburst and NM for me. The NM had a nice all-round tone, a bit softer than the others but with nice growl. I liked the natural least. 

Although I play mainly - although not exclusively - pick, I’m constantly fiddling with my tones, volumes, hand placement, type of attack, etc etc as I feel each part of the song requires. Do what the song requires would always be my advice. 

4 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

Maybe he's calculated that he's only got enough strength for rehearsals and performances, and that if he had done more preparation he would have given a worse overall performance, or simply not been able to complete the tour? Does becoming a feckless chancer sound in character for him? Seeing the boot being shoved into an old and unfirm man on the grounds of a couple of quotes is uncomfortable reading. 

This. He’s known for being the ultimate professional, the “workaholic’s workaholic”. I’m sure if he could have he would have. Sometimes, as I know all too well (and he’s in way, way worse condition than me) you simply can’t. 

6 hours ago, SteveK said:

 

Sadly, on social media that does seems to be the general opinion, "Considering Phil's problems, he did very well!"

I've always been of the opinion that if an artist or band in their 70s or 80s wants to tour, then that's absolutely fine. There's no hiding a band's age from the ticket buying punter. We kind of know what we are, and what we aren't going to get. Pete Townshend is not going to be doing his leaps and spins from his 20s and 30s. Jagger is not going to be leaping from the drum riser.

However, I've always assumed that all these ageing musicians (of which I'm one) do everything in their power to get their chops up to scratch, to be match fit, in order to deliver the best (age related) show possible.

As I said earlier in an earlier comment, I found Phil's comments... "I don’t do anything at all. I don’t practise singing at home, not at all. Rehearsing is the practice. These guys (Tony & Mike) are always having a go at me for not, but I have to do it this way."  quite disappointing, and not very respectful towards the ticket buying fans.

But, of course, the bottom line is - everyone had a great time, so what's the problem(?)

Well the room certainly was supportive. There were loads people shouting out “I/we love you Phil” all the way through. 

He also said “I have to do it this way”. Given his physical issues (and simply watching him) it’s obviously difficult for him to sing. Spinal problems affecting your singing, as I know all too well. They affect your breathing, full stop. Anyone who couldn’t give him a pass shouldn’t have bothered going IMO. 

I didn’t hear a single negative comment about Phil, even in the crowd on the way home, and it’s something I was concerned about. I heard comments about the set list, all sorts of stuff, but nothing negative about Phil. 

1 minute ago, Cow said:

Interesting, how so? The pickup mod? 

No, that’s an easy mod to do. Everything else! I replaced the white scratch plate on mine with a black one but left the truss rod cover white and - whilst that’s not entirely uncommon and is an even easier mod - it just looks like mine. Not saying it is though, I’d have had to see it in real life. I do wonder where mine went. Serial number TC915, just in case. 😉

On 21/09/2021 at 21:11, wateroftyne said:

...and Nic Collins is an absolute BEAST.

This. I wish I could afford him for my solo album! 

On 22/09/2021 at 10:12, wateroftyne said:

The setlist is as lazy as hell - disappointed about that. But, I’ll still enjoy it in when it comes to Newcastle.

I went to Manchester last night and loved it. It was incredibly moving; I wept at several points. The band have meant so, so much to me over the years. It was so sad to see Phil like that; he has always been one of my musical heroes, having first come to Genesis via And Then There Were Three. However he did his best with the singing given the circumstances and was very, very funny. He was like a Prog-pop Yoda! 
 

Unfortunately there was a delay at the start due to one of the generators failing, so they had to drop a couple of the older tunes due to timing issues which was disappointing, but I couldn’t fault the show, I thought it was fantastic. What was really nice was seeing the absolute love for the band - and Phil in particular, given his current circumstances - from the audience. Also, the amount of younger people singing and dancing along with even the oldest material and knowing all the words.

It was doubly poignant for me given it’s a year this month since I lost my dad, who paid well over the odds to get me a ticket to see them locally in 1980 after the gig had sold out, because he knew they were my favourite band. And seeing the band in their autumn years, with my dad now gone, when that 1980 gig still seems like yesterday……😢

43 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Think there's a wee Ric theme going on there. 

Dave

There were actually other Rics too but I bottled including them! 

On 22/09/2021 at 00:43, Cow said:

 

Alex from Ned's Atomic Dustbin's Rickenbacker (not that Matt's stingray isn't a looker too)

I always used to wonder if that was mine that was nicked around ‘86. 

I guess that while your life is your life and there are no “alternate realities” (or are there?😉), your life is also not set in stone, it is a fluid thing that is affected by every event experienced, every decision made. So I personally feel that any event or experience potentially “changes” your life because it dictates the course of the rest of it. Again, semantics. 😁

7 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

It may be purely semantic, but this why I don't take the notion of any single event as having 'changed' a life very seriously.

Philosophically speaking, there is no 'what could have been'. Alternate timelines and so forth are science fiction and a thought experiment, all we have is what is.

Music has been a very deep part of my life from the very beginning, and has been my living for many years; not only that but many of the decisions I have made have been influenced by the place of music in my life. Who I am now might make very little sense if music was removed from my existence, but did music change my life, or it it just significant part of the life I have lived so far?

Surely, things would be different had I not gone to school, had the religious upbringing I did, fallen in love with that particular girl and eventually married her, been hit on the head by a falling scaff clamp in Trafalgar Square...

I too, fell in love with Shine On You Crazy Diamond the moment I heard it, along with The Meters and Hank Williams, and Morbid Angel. I find it hard to consider that any of those things changed my life, rather that they are my life, along with all the less notable dull, dreary, boring bits which have filled the majority of my experience.

It takes nothing away from the richness of our experience, or the palpability of influence upon us, but 'what might have been' doesn't and can't exist outside our imagination- all we can possibly do is retrospectively obverse the singular course our lives have taken, make the best decisions we are able in the present, and remain prepared to deal with the difficulties which we will inevitably encounter as best we can.

This is true (and is also semantics😉), but as someone who has spent several years of his life in therapy, partly - although in no way exclusively -  over “might have beens”, this isn’t really how I see things. 😉 😂

52 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

 

But it was just put forward as a point of discussion and I did qualify my statement saying if someone makes their living from music all fair and good and understandable. Some of the anecdotes clearly explain how music changed someone's life. I'm referring more to those who don't make a living from music in any way. BTW I'd never call myself a musician. I'm a hobbyist that plays some instruments. Yeah you're partly right, music isn't an overriding passion of mine but a great interest.

Just to clarify something that may be being lost in translation, whilst many people’s lives have been directionally changed by music (in my case directionally in that everything I’ve done on a day to day basis, short of the stuff to pay the bills or eating and sleeping, has been dictated by music), when I say my life has been changed by music - and I’m sure many others are the same - I mean emotionally.  It has enriched my life, deepened my emotional understanding, expanded my consciousness, however you want to put it. 

Just now, fretmeister said:

Amazing isn't it!

 

The only downside was when I discovered how expensive good clarinets are. Us bassists have it cheap in comparison!

My parents had earlier - twice! - tried to interest me in picking up an instrument (as mentioned many times, my dad was a jazz musician) by buying me a clarinet, which I wasn’t at all interested in. 😂

3 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

She stopped dead and tilted her head towards the stereo and didn't move for a good 10 minutes. It was fascinating to watch her be so absorbed by it. 

Me, Pink Floyd’s Shine On You Crazy Diamond, aged about 14. Transfixed. Completely blew my mind, changed my perception of, well, pretty much everything. 

I’m only semi-pro. But even if I made no money at all from music - as I have for much of my life - it would be the same, because of how it makes me feel. It’s not a casual enjoyment, a bit of fun, it is everything. Although I have other interests (art, film, books), without music I would be completely, utterly lost. 

To be honest I’m extremely surprised that a musician would express difficulty in understanding why some people say “music changed my life”. If just put forward as a point of discussion then ok, I get that, but otherwise I just find it baffling. 
 

In my case, there are many ways in which music changed my life (not the least of which was becoming a musician, which has directed my life in more ways than I can count), but there are times in which it has actually saved it. I spent most of 2019 struggling with the desire to end my life. One of the main things that got me through - just - was Sandy Denny (ironic given her short and somewhat turbulent life and penchant for melancholy songs). Something about her music - possibly its apparent shared understanding of pain - gave me something to cling onto. I will never, ever forget that. 
 

On 15/09/2021 at 16:41, Jus Lukin said:

I believe it may just be hyperbole.

🙄

On 15/09/2021 at 16:13, Barking Spiders said:

changed their lives, what do they mean?

 

I'm not judging anyone. It's just that, sure, I have fave bands, albums and songs that remind me of the good times when I was younger but beyond that I can't say music has had any great impact on my life. This also leads me to ask what people mean when they say 'music/football/whatever else is my life', unless literally it is this what pays the bills etc

Sounds like you’re not very passionate about anything. Some of us are. Music is by far the most important thing in my life (well, bar my cats) and has been for most of my life. This week I’ve listened to music I’ve never heard before that has caused me to break down sobbing, because of how moving it is. If I was told I could never listen to music again, or never write music again, I would end my life. Seriously. 😡

Hawkwind - Space Ritual

Genesis - Seconds Out

Thin Lizzy - Live & Dangerous

Yes - Yessongs & Yesshows

Deep Purple - Made in Europe & Made in Japan