Chilli Peppers barely used a click track on last record

[brandondrury]

I just read in EQ magazine that the Red Hot Chilli Peppers used a click track on like one song on their latest record. This is a tremendous departure from the modern, clinical sound which takes a drummer playing a click track and often edits that to the grid (kind of like dance music would).

While I haven't heard the new record, I like the idea that band that is #1 on the charts is playing together as a band. Granted, they are about 2 million times the musicians of anyone I know locally and can probably quite easily pull this off. I just thought it was very interesting that a band would consider just playing.

The mixing engineer said that at least 85% of the live bass and guitars were kept as well. I'm anxious to listen to this record just to see if it "feels" any different than the stuff out now. I'm pretty sure it's selling well.

Brandon

[TAlderson]

You know, this is really different from the RHCP, but I was listening to Phil Ochs the other day, and he speeds up and slows down a lot. He kind of used speed like tempo, speeding up when he got excited and stuff. I liked it, I thought it sounded good. Maybe that's just me.

-Tyler

[brandondrury]

Phil Ochs

I'm not familiar with this guy. Could you tell me more or send a good link?

He kind of used speed like tempo, speeding up when he got excited and stuff. I liked it, I thought it sounded good. Maybe that's just me.

There are times when natural tempo swing if VERY healthy. It just depends, though. It's hard to get a band do to this in unison, for one. Two, speeding up or slowing down has to sound like you meant to.

If the groove falls off in the middle of a song, your done. However, if the tempo matches your emotions you hit a home run!

Brandon

[TAlderson]

Phil Ochs was a folk singer in the 60s. He wasn't a great musician, but his topical songwriting rivaled that of Dylan, who quipped that he was more of a journalist than a musician. He really made people think, printing eight of Mao's poems on one album jacket with the question "Is this the enemy?" While he never had a popular hit outside of the folk community, he was active in the protests of the Vietnam War and such. However, he suffered from Bipolar disorder and paranoia in the 70s, and hanged himself in 76.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Ochs

-Tyler

[brandondrury]

Not to get too off topic here, but this is the number one reason that music isn't selling right now.

However, he suffered from Bipolar disorder and paranoia in the 70s, and hanged himself in 76.

THAT is what we need in our artists today. Does anyone here believe that Beyonce is going to drive her car off a cliff because she's crazy? No! And that's why music isn't the same. We need people who are really "interesting" like this Phil Ochs guy making music.

I'll try out some of his music, if I can.

He really made people think, printing eight of Mao's poems on one album jacket with the question "Is this the enemy?"

That's powerful! I'm sure that offended a lot of my Missouri neighbors back '63 or whatever.

Brandon

[Futant55]

Bill Hicks "Because you know if you play New Kids on the Block albums backwards they sound better. "Oh come on, Bill, they're the New Kids, don't pick on them, they're so good and they're so clean cut and they're such a good image for the children." Fuck that! When did mediocrity and banality become a good image for your children? I want my children to listen to people who fucking ROCKED! I don't care if they died in puddles of their own vomit! I want someone who plays from his fucking HEART!"
Tool didn't use a click track either. Umm thats all i have to say on this topic.

[natenatenate]

Unearth didn't use one at all on there new CD.

[brandondrury]

I discovered Bill Hicks about 2 months ago. AMAZING!! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Of course, New Kids On The Block is not the banner band for the click track. I'd bet 99% of all major label rock records done in the past 2 years have been quantized to a grid just as much as any New Kids song.

The click is not the problem. Quantizing is the problem in my opinion.

I don't want there to be any confusion about the click track. I'd say that .1% of all local drummers can groove well enough to play without a click track. That's 1 out of 1,000 drummers. There is a reason that many of the pro drummers I've talked to liked playing to a click track. (The #1 reason...."The click track lets me focus on being creative and expressive without having to think about timing").

I don't think that click track recordings sound sterile at all (although some songs call for gradual speedups over time).

I think the biggest argument for the click track comes from bass players and guitar players who push and pull the drummer in the live setting. When the drummer gets told what to do by guitar players who push or drag, then everything goes to hell really fast. A drummer playing to a click can ignore subpar guitar and bass players.

Brandon

[Futant55]

Have you seen bill hicks Revelations. It's one of his dvds. I think its his best performance and one of the best Stand-up closings ever.

[DT Chris]

All I know is that every band I've ever been in started the song at one tempo, and ended it at another tempo - usually faster. When I heard some of our live recordings, I cringed because it sounded like a runaway train. The vocal feel was ruined as a result.

I think only one of our drummers ever practiced to a click track, most of them just slinked out of committing to do it. The result was obvious. I would have got rid of a drummer that didn't, but back then it was about democracy (getting nothing done) and I didn't have the power to do what was necessary (other than leave the band which I eventually did)