SteveK

I put ABBA in the same bracket as the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. They're obviously well crafted songs, well performed, and the whole world likes them.

Personally... my life would be just that little bit better if I never hear another one of their tunes (😉). ABBA and ALW get nowhere near to pressing any of my buttons.

Having said that, ABBA do inspire me get around the aisles of Morrisons  like Max Verstappen around Monza😊

2 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

You would prefer to stick to one of them for consistent sound EQ etc 

I wouldn't let "consistent sound EQ etc" determine whether to use fingers or pick. I haven't heard you play, but I would think the sound difference is less than you think. Certainly not enough that a little judicious adjustment wouldn't fix it. If you have a FOH engineer you may want to give him a heads up.

For me, the difference between pick and fingers is more than EQ - There's a difference in attitude, and a subtle, or not so subtle difference in playing style.

Only you can decide when to use which.

2 hours ago, Dood said:

Thank you all so much for your responses, I hear you loud and clear, it's certainly making me think about my next move. I've actually been on IEMs alone for live music and ear plugs (or my own private ambient system) for rehearsals, but this hasn't been enough to keep things under control. Even for the last two years I have operated a silent stage save for the acoustic drums.

 

I genuinely fear the worsening of my Tinnitus and it could signal some very depressing and dramatic changes in my musical life. Even now, the howling is very disruptive.

Assuming that your IEMs are operated at normally safe levels, the text I've highlighted suggests that your tinnitus may not necessarily be a result of loud noise. Maybe a trip to the doc's would be advisable.

While I've never used IEMs myself, I've worked with many professionals... and singers😉 who have. Invariably the professionals say that they have to be used properly, ie: Not half in - half out; Not just in one ear; Problems can arise when using IEMs in addition to on stage monitors; etc

Edit: Just seen Bolo's post.

I've had a maple P bass since '72. Apart from when changing string gauge, have never had to make any serious adjustments. I would doubt humidity would make much difference to a lacquered maple neck. Extreme heat though, may well cause problems and necessitate adjustments.

8 minutes ago, Bolo said:

Even if you play music where it's expected to be at harmful level in the audience, there's no need for that on stage. Eliminate cabs on stage. See if you can get transparent screens around the drums or get the drummer to use quieter materials.

 

As musicians we are at the root of improving quality everywhere we play.

That all sounds very sensible😉

1 hour ago, Dood said:

Just bumping this topic.

 

At what point is Tinnitus too much? At what point do you decide that it being any louder, more impinging that you no longer risk more damage?

 

If you know a certain thing exacerbates it and it continues to get worse, is it time to heed the warnings and cease? Even if that very thing is necessary to doing what you do, playing live for example.

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I've played and attended loud shows for more than 50 years, played professionally for nearly 45 years, and not had a noticeable problem until about 5 or 6 years ago. Until then, I cockily thought that I'd got away with it. The permanent tinnitus appeared to happen after one particular show, although ear damage had probably been building up over many years.

To answer your question:

My tinnitus is at the point, where, any louder it would be extremely difficult to live with. I try to be philosophical about it, and think that it is the result of many incredibly enjoyable shows, some great times in my life, and a hazard of the trade that has been my living and life - it's my equivalent of "the old shrapnel wound"! Of course, I'd rather not have the constant noise in my ears, but, it is what it is! I wouldn't change a thing... other than maybe starting to use earplugs sooner. Hindsight, eh?

I'm not ready to retire, and fully intend carrying on with playing live shows.  The only difference now being the wearing of custom earplugs. The gigs are a little less enjoyable, but at 66 I guess it's time to be responsible😨

21 hours ago, 4000 said:

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! 

12 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

Phil missed a couple of cues and in “That’s all” Went for a chorus when there was another verse.

 

But overall - did really well. He’s obviously up against it (against all odds jokes aside…)

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(?)

14 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Why not, we need you to listen to them all and report back 😂

Nothing would give me greater pleasure🥳! Sadly, my laptop isn't up to the job... such a shame😁

1 hour ago, dave_bass5 said:

Arent these just like those Top of the Pops albums we used to get. Not the original artist's, so not always spot on?

Ive heard a few isolated tracks and know 100% they aren't as played on the original recordings. 

I (obviously🤪) haven't listened to all of them, but the couple I have listened to sound like the genuine artist. Certainly, "Money for Nothing" is the real McCoy.

22 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

There’s a lot of videos on that site, It would make browsing easier it they would have separated the content into  various playlists 

There's so many (thousands?), that my laptop ground to a halt. It was impossible to view them all. Not complaining - just staggered at the number of files.

That's a helluva lot of isolated tracks. Fast scrolled through them for 15 mins and still haven't seen all of them

1 hour ago, Lozz196 said:

Agree, as has been said it seems it’s the imperfections that make these parts sit so well in the tracks. 

Yep! At the risk of over analysing the part - It's interesting to note that all those string squeaks add to the rhythm of the bass track, some of them aren't necessary (as in, consecutive notes that aren't any distance apart), but they clearly help Tony Levin get into the groove of the track and give a great performance. Afterall, that IS the main objective of a bass player, or any musician🤘.

Great to hear all the imperfections: String squeaks and rattles etc.

I wonder how many of today's young producers would let it go.

Just read this in The Guardian. Have to say, this section makes for disappointing reading. It makes me think Phil's problems really aren't just physical. It does rather give the impression - as long as he shows up,  he thinks all will be fine.

This is what he said when asked by the reporter how he is preparing vocally for the tour...

“I don’t do anything at all,” says Collins, as Banks and Rutherford look on, uneasy for the first time. “I don’t practise singing at home, not at all. Rehearsing is the practice. These guys are always having a go at me for not, but I have to do it this way."

@Barking Spiders

You say that you have "several other long standing interests". Would you say that one of those interests has had an impact on your life? Surely, any interest that you regularly commit a part of your life to can be said to "impact on my life"... even going to the pub!

Thinking about it, regularly going to the pub has probably impacted some peoples lives more than intended😟

Surely, how much music impacts your life depends on how much you're into it.

If you don't play in bands, don't go to gigs, don't have musician friends... then, you can likely say that music has no impact on your life.

However, if you play in a band, rehearsing and gigging fairly regularly, have lots of musician friends, go to watch other bands... then, I think it's possible to say that music will have had a significant impact on your life. The longer you stick at it, the more the impact.

For me there wasn't really one song/album/gig that did it. It was more a combination of 6 or 7 significant events.

Since about the age of 11, music has totally enriched and changed my life.

I have no idea what my life would be without music.

On 13/09/2021 at 12:17, Pirellithecat said:

Anyone got any solutions (except get a different guitar player!!) which should reduce the time taken to for our guitar player to change from being Gary Moore to Robin Trower in an instant?  

A good therapist!

I would wager that most of his faffing about is psychological, or nerves, or both. I guess someone has told him that getting the precise depth setting on his chorus and delay isn't important.

If all that knob twiddling really is necessary then maybe a reliable friend/roadie could twiddle for him.

He may be too forthright for some, and sounds like he could be a little pretentious in the flesh. But, I remember ads from Melody Maker in the 70s, when pretentiousness was the name of the game. Consequently, I don't find this ad to be too bad!😃

At least he didn't stipulate, "No Ties"👔

13 hours ago, skidder652003 said:

Very sad IMO, Phil really should not be doing this, it's his choice obviously but he looks a poorly man

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-58508715

Yeah, he looks quite frail!

The band, doctors and insurers must feel confident that he is capable of completing the tour with no adverse effects.

I haven't seen the tour schedule, so don't know how intense it is, but...

The major stresses with tours of this nature is not so much the performing, but the lack of sleep due to different hotels (we all sleep better in our own beds), the travelling, the meet n greets, and the many interviews and general promo stuff. My guess is that Banks, Rutherford and everyone else involved will make sure that Phil is excused all that, and his load is made as light as possible.

I first became aware of TM Stevens when I bought The Dance of Life album by Narada Michael Walden.

This song, for me, is the ultimate "feel good" 70s disco track.

The clip credits Soundfiles and Video to someone called Rainer Wind (can't be his real name, can it?😀) On further investigation, Rainer Wind is a German bass player who demos loads of stuff on line. He demos a G&L Jazz Bass which sounds very similar to the OPs clip.

*removes deerstalker*

2 hours ago, Paul_S said:

I don't know if anyone else gets this but if I play in a loud band these days my ears will shut down after 20 mins and I can't hear the guitar or vocals clearly, it just becomes a distorted noise.

I think that's normal... even with healthy ears! Certainly, in my younger pre tinnitus days, when playing in or listening to amplified bands, the sound would become very dull and lacking top end very quickly. Sadly, that is now what I have to permanently live with, in addition to the constant high pitched buzzing noise.

Interesting to learn that Phil could  possibly play drums again if he put his mind to it and put the time and effort into it. I assumed that it was a physical impossibility.

19 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

 

Brace yourself.

Indeed!

I was a huge PG era Genesis fan, and quite liked some of the PC era stuff. Live - PG, or PC era - they were phenomenal!

In the Last Domino? vid, I got as far as That's All.

I know it was a rehearsal, but... Phil didn't sound like he was even in the same room as the other guys😔

Rather than watch the rest of the video I'd rather remember them as they were.

Having said that... some of the greatest moments of Genesis have been the instrumental pieces (Firth of Fifth for ex). If PC's son is up to the job those sections will still sound great live.

If there was an "InstruGenesis" tour I'd be up for a ticket.

I can't fault the songs, the atrangements or the performances - they're perfect! Perhaps that's the problem! For me, their music is just too "nice"!

And, I have to say, the clip of "virtual" de-aged ABBA looks soooo cheesy.