Can We Ever Be This Good

[Retronut]

I just listened to the "Love" cd (I know, I know! I am behind cause it has been out for some time now). It would seem to me that the Martin's are just showing off now. This remix/master of the Beatles material simply knocked me out. Creativity, production, execution are simply of the scale IMO. How can I ever be this good? There is no way! Not possible. Never going to happen. So, I know exactly what I'm going to do. I will retire the Love cd and I will never, ever listen to it again. I can't stand getting sidetracked or discouraged by unrealistic goals or desires. Life is to short and besides I don't have that kind of artist talent to work with.

I think it is going to be one of those days when I need to get away from this stuff.

[brandondrury]

Well....

I've got a few thoughts on this.

First, we all have days like this. It's when we are overthinking it. In that case, there is nothing wrong with taking a break. I do it all the time. If I need two days away from recording, I take them. It always results in me being much happier the next time I hop in the control room.

Second, you can't make this out to be a competition. There are a whole bunch of people who have no use for the Beatles. (Take a listen to pop radio today.) I was a VERY late bloomer. I listened to enough of the Beatles to "get it" and that was good. I get way more out all kinds of other bands/albums that will never rank nearly as high on the all-time scale.

I can say for sure that if you are putting away your favorite cds because they frustrate you, then you've got a little bug in your head that needs to be destroyed. That's dangerous thought and can push you off the deep end, musically.

I've come to accept where I am in my music / recording journey. I realize that I will never be whatever it is the bands I grew up listening to were to me. However, that doesn't mean I can't make something that will be way bigger to younger people.

When I was down at Wagener's, we all asked him about mixing Metallica's Master of Puppets...which is considered by many metal heads to be the best metal album of all time (myself included). When he mixed it, it wasn't like there was any "magic" to it. He was paid to mix a record and he moved on to the next project. Looking back, he seamed to think it was cool that the record was successful, but it wasn't like the faders were covered in gold or anything.

Just take a break. However, the day you quit listening to your favorite music simply because it's "too good" is the day you are done.

Brandon

[MR.BYTCH KILLA]

i feel you bando,thats so true that the day u stop listening to cds that the day u just out of there!!!!! i still listen to my favorites shyt i wanna make a song with some of my favs.

[DT Chris]

Originally Posted by Retronut

I just listened to the "Love" cd (I know, I know! I am behind cause it has been out for some time now). It would seem to me that the Martin's are just showing off now. This remix/master of the Beatles material simply knocked me out. Creativity, production, execution are simply of the scale IMO. How can I ever be this good? There is no way! Not possible. Never going to happen. So, I know exactly what I'm going to do. I will retire the Love cd and I will never, ever listen to it again. I can't stand getting sidetracked or discouraged by unrealistic goals or desires. Life is to short and besides I don't have that kind of artist talent to work with.

I think it is going to be one of those days when I need to get away from this stuff.

Nonsense. Don't compare your talent to someone else's. There may be someone around you thinking the same thing... of you. Music is an art, and expression, and there is always an audience.

Unless you are in fact, untalented, you will create music that noone else has created. It will always be unique.

I've looked in awe of other musicians, other vocalist's talents, but never, never did I say to myself "I'll never be as good". Actually, I don't worry about such things. I'll have my own style, my own talent. To compare my singing against other vocalists is silly. I have my own style. They may have more years of experience than me, but I can hold my own, and find worth in my own talent.

Given a chance, and the right conditions, all of us are capable of attaining greatness. Remember, all these awesome musicians are human beings like the rest of us. They are not gods.

If they can do it, so can you.

[AfaraWayland]

Originally Posted by Retronut

I think it is going to be one of those days when I need to get away from this stuff.

like it or not, the stuff that really stands out, the stuff that 'withstands the test of time' is very, very rare. So are the people who put it out.

I'd like to say that I have asked the same thing myself about other stuff.

unfortunately the answer to your question and mine is...for most if not all of us here, probably not.

but I don't think that should be our focus, [wether we will or won't get there]

I don't think the folks who achieved these feats ever asked coming up, "am I going to be this,"

they simply became it, or came into it without striving for it.

now, I'm not saying they didn't earn it, just that they probably never planned it that way. They just set out to make good music, became experts in their field, and got really really really really really lucky to work with people who could help them ascend to that most holy level.

how many of us here are experts in our field? I know I'm not.

take Tom Dowd for example,

watch some DVD's concerning the lives and experiences of certain producers/engineers/artists.

you'll find that none of them say, "i always knew I would be here."

----

[.tom]

yeah, have the courage to plan and live your own adventure. music is not something you should do alone --you might ponder how many people staffed the pre production and excecuted the production of that cd. he is no young man today, he had alot of help the first time too. really, it's about the staff you have around you and most importantly, the musicians themselves. patience to actually pull this shit off has to start b4 production. the vision has to be there and its gotta be lose and lax going thru cuz the best stuff happens without plan... it would seem. but in reality, it was always there waiting 4 the moment to present itself. like magic. choose your music mates carefully and, patiently and hope you figure out wut you've got b4 it goes "cliff burton" on you. you've really gotta like this music thing alot.... a ton of time/gear was spent just mastering that cd

[brandondrury]

like it or not, the stuff that really stands out, the stuff that 'withstands the test of time' is very, very rare. So are the people who put it out.

To take this a step further, the people who make stuff that stands the test of time are not consciously aware that they are making a classic record. They are just doing what they do. In the end, someone ends up liking it.

You see this a lot with producers who may have done some mega huge record 20 years ago and now do bands that no one has ever heard of. It's not because the producer is a "has been" or anything like that. It's because you just make music. Sometimes it sticks and somtimes it doesn't. Sometimes you have to be dead before you are appreciated.

figure out wut you've got b4 it goes "cliff burton" on you.

I do want to say that there is nothing wrong with busting your ass to get better at the objective things. We could all be better at engineering, be better at setting up guitars, and be better at dealing with singers.

You should push yourself to get better, but the second that this "push" becomes negative, it's time to back off. Strive for perfection, but be willing to compromise at just the last second before you snap.

Brandon

[AfaraWayland]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

To take this a step further, the people who make stuff that stands the test of time are not consciously aware that they are making a classic record. They are just doing what they do. In the end, someone ends up liking it.

exactly!

-Andrew

[metrognome]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

I do want to say that there is nothing wrong with busting your ass to get better at the objective things. We could all be better at engineering, be better at setting up guitars, and be better at dealing with singers.

You should push yourself to get better, but the second that this "push" becomes negative, it's time to back off. Strive for perfection, but be willing to compromise at just the last second before you snap.

Brandon

Wow. Deep thread here.

It's hard not to get your ego involved with your art and technical ability. In fact, you have to have some healthy ego to sell yourself no matter if it's to band you want to record or an audience to want to perform for. That said, getting threatened or discouraged by the accomplishments our idols is the road to artistic self-destruction.

I'm finding the more I listen to some of my idols the more I hear the "human" side of things. The things I couldn't conceive of when I was younger and wide-eyed. I now hear more mistakes. I can hear the vocal limitations of some of the singers I love.

These revelations don't lower my opinion of them. On the contrary, they raise it. It proves to me that even my idols are human and are able to put out stuff that blows my mind despite their human limitations. It gives me hope that I'll be able to put something out that will blow someone else's mind someday.

Listen closely and you'll hear the imperfections but don't obsess about them either. They don't matter. The art that really touches just sails on through all of it so that you hear it with perfect ears.

Sorry if I'm heading towards the deep end a little on this but I'm just telling you how I see it and I tend to get a little intense on subjects I'm passionate about.

I write, sing and play because I love to. Sometimes because I have to. I'm learning to record so that I can communicate to more people and because its all part of the process I love. Take joy from the music you love to listen to and take joy from making and recording music. Otherwise what's the point?

Hope I've made some sense here...

MetroGnome

[DT Chris]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

T We could all be better at engineering, be better at setting up guitars, and be better at dealing with singers.

Grrr.. lol. How about dealing with guitarists?

Ha ha, the inevitable guitarist vs singer battles. Maybe you can start a new topic about what problems you have with singers and I can give my perspective on it