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Great cover or devolution into elevator music?

#61
I’m ambivalent about the version, it’s competent enough but I can’t help thinking that some of the responses here tell a lot about the human need to label or pigeon-hole artistic endeavours and when they don’t fit our particular concept they must not be worthwhile. I particularly don’t understand the popular opinion that mellow equals elevator music.
All kinds of people create all kinds of music. Criticising style is pointless. I get that people won’t like it but if it’s well conceived and well played, it’s ok.
Duke Ellington said there are only two kinds of music. I take that to mean it’s either done well (in tune, in time, has form etc) or not.
 
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#63
What you guys think?[/QUOTE]
I went in expecting I wouldn’t like it, wanting it to suck. I’m kind of a purist/stickler. And the lame intro seemed to validate my preconceived conclusion. But then I was surprised how good it was. They are, most of them, very good players. Great singer. The bassist got the bass riffs down; I liked their dynamics; the Les Paul guy was very good but kind of close-but-no-cigar at times, kind if fudging it. Wish he had nailed the key details of some of Page’s passages better because they grated on my ears. *Not that I could ever come that close.* And yeah, as also mentioned in other posts, the transition chords coming out of the choruses were out of character and it lost energy there.

But I did what I always do watching musicians play and imagined myself in there with them, and felt it would be a blast to play with those guys. Now I want to resurrect that song.
 
#64
It's like silk undergarments. I like when My Girl wears them. Not for Me. But... they're fun for around 2 minutes, then... wind up on the floor, and are forgotten.

Too smooth. I prefer the friction.

Was that bad?

Oh... that ascending lead section... PEW!!!

Although... if You have Children...




Cheers!!!
Marc
 
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#67
Paulabass said:
How to write the jazz version of a popular song- Write, and play on an electric piano, a 50 bar intro that has NOTHING AT ALL to do with the song. Pause. Nod a count-in that makes you look like you assume none of your band mates can count to four.
After that, it was actually pretty good.
Click to expand...
There's nothing 'Jazz' about that at all, I think. Nothing whatsoever.
 
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#68
It's not terrible. I don't like the Fender Rhodes intro. The singer is pitchy at times, especially when she's trying to push her vocals. It's better than a lot of bands could do with that song but not interesting enough for me to want to go see them.
 
#71
They ruined it.

Zep had attitude, swagger, and power. This is feeble and clueless imo. If you’re going to cover a tune, you should bring something to it besides an attempt to get some mechanical royalties. More talent needed should be a label placed on the packaging. Simply weak... and the producer should be cited. I suspect they probably produced it themselves... And objectivity was lost.
 
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#72
retslock said:
I’m ambivalent about the version, it’s competent enough but I can’t help thinking that some of the responses here tell a lot about the human need to label or pigeon-hole artistic endeavours and when they don’t fit our particular concept they must not be worthwhile. I particularly don’t understand the popular opinion that mellow equals elevator music.
All kinds of people create all kinds of music. Criticising style is pointless. I get that people won’t like it but if it’s well conceived and well played, it’s ok.
Duke Ellington said there are only two kinds of music. I take that to mean it’s either done well (in tune, in time, has form etc) or not.
Click to expand...
Ellington was raw & visceral (and complex while being primitive like LZ) and the soloists all had an individual style.
It's a distortion (gas-lighting, arguing from a fiction) to say that anyone has said that "mellow equals elevator music". That is not a popular opinion. Brian Eno's Airports etc is great music, this is not. John Hassell's Fascinoma is great music, this is not. This is a watered down over produced product.

Every criticism I've read here is valid. We ARE ALLOWED to compare and contrast real qualities. Most people, myself included, have also praised the pro effort going on, but I think that's part of the problem. Budgetary constraints normally would have eliminated the cajon player.

I don't think anyone is criticizing "style" either, just sincerity within a style. People Can Tell when something is contrived and more of a product than an art work.

PS, I heard allot of real elevator muzak growing up. It was played by orchestral instrumentalists making a paycheck and it was arranged by a cadre of professionals. It was bizarre. It was never ending boredom played by Very Great players. It amazed me. Today we forget that there used to be so many professional orchestral instrumentalists. What happened to Detroit for cars happened in Elkheart Indiana for wind instruments. desolation.
Musak did get a bunch of melodies of the "American songbook" into my head most of which I don't know the names of, so it was musical education.
 
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#73
As a person that isn't terribly familiar with the source material, and who doesn't know the band covering it, I can tell you it is pretty boring to me.
It is like if Snarky Puppy was 20 years older and started doing adult contemporary music. The production is great, but I could argue almost too good and precise.
Whatever, I'm sure they will make a few nickels repackaging someone else's stuff for nostalgia purposes.
 
#74
Pauly 4001 said:

I dunno.
At least this was made by a person who was involved with the original version: Bruce Woolley was briefly a Buggle and was the primary songwriter on the original.
Click to expand...

Now, this I can get with. It's an entirely different take on the song through and through, and they completely commit to the approach. The Zep cover in the OP was trying to have it both ways, and didn't do anything "different enough" for it to work well.

Thanks for that, Pauly. I like it! :thumbsup:
 
#75
BassBrass said:
Ellington was raw & visceral (and complex while being primitive like LZ) and the soloists all had an individual style.
It's a distortion (gas-lighting, arguing from a fiction) to say that anyone has said that "mellow equals elevator music". That is not a popular opinion. Brian Eno's Airports etc is great music, this is not. John Hassell's Fascinoma is great music, this is not. This is a watered down over produced product.

Every criticism I've read here is valid. We ARE ALLOWED to compare and contrast real qualities. Most people, myself included, have also praised the pro effort going on, but I think that's part of the problem. Budgetary constraints normally would have eliminated the cajon player.

I don't think anyone is criticizing "style" either, just sincerity within a style. People Can Tell when something is contrived and more of a product than an art work.

PS, I heard allot of real elevator muzak growing up. It was played by orchestral instrumentalists making a paycheck and it was arranged by a cadre of professionals. It was bizarre. It was never ending boredom played by Very Great players. It amazed me. Today we forget that there used to be so many professional orchestral instrumentalists. What happened to Detroit for cars happened in Elkheart Indiana for wind instruments. desolation.
Musak did get a bunch of melodies of the "American songbook" into my head most of which I don't know the names of, so it was musical education.
Click to expand...
The thread title raised the question and in doing so makes the implication if not the confirmation. I’m not evaluating the performance either way but I have heard the term elevator music used many times in relation to music that doesn’t rock hard. Perhaps it’s just an Australian attitude but it’s common here. I don’t believe all music has to be art to be valid either and I’m wondering what you might imagine the motivation is for this version to be recorded. I can’t see it making a huge impression on the music buying public but I don’t assume that the musicians are insincere. Some people just play for enjoyment and sometimes they play music we don’t necessarily care for.
PS: There used to be a band in Australia called The Far Gone Beauties. Their thing was to play Hendrix and AC/DC and other high energy rock stuff in straight ahead country style. Not art but a lot of fun. There’s room for people to just enjoy music without bending minds and changing the world. It can just be for pure enjoyment without pretensions of creating art.
 
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