if the evidence of this is live videos that have been released, isnt it possible that they were just overdubbed after the fact? i cant imagine him really faking it live on the spot.
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Verdine White Tell me it aint so!! {:>(. ..
- Thread starter bassramos
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A bummer if it's true. If others still enjoy what's going on, cool, but I wouldn't lay down the money myself for that kind of show. Elton John recently said "Anyone who lip-synchs on stage when you pay 75 quid to see them should be shot." Not directly applicable here, but I'd lower the price minimum a good bit myself and extend it to instruments as well.
I saw EWF many times live back in the day, and no one could touch their live show. I am sure that a lot has changed since then. Frankly, they will always be legends in my book. Verdine White is one of the reasons I decided to pick up the bass.
Calebmundy
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A bummer if it's true. If others still enjoy what's going on, cool, but I wouldn't lay down the money myself for that kind of show. Elton John recently said "Anyone who lip-synchs on stage when you pay 75 quid to see them should be shot." Not directly applicable here, but I'd lower the price minimum a good bit myself and extend it to instruments as well.
Yup.. Makes you feel like you've been ripped-off in some way..
Whatever EW&F does now has nothing to do with the magic that was created and recorded in the 70's and early 80's. I could care less if Verdine plays live "now" because back in the 70's and 80's he did. Verdine is a legend and STILL one of my all time bass favorites.
Ross Kratter
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When I saw EWF at the end of August '09, Verdine was certainly playing every song. I was sitting in the 4th row, so I had really good sightlines to his playing.
There is plenty of video where what he's doing on stage does not go along with what you are hearing. He may have played those arts in the studio, or even live at one time, but not all the time.
I've seen video of him actually playing and it sounds nothing like the songs. The style is all different. He plucks hard, the tone is all off, etc. Just like the above video link. Sounds like crap. Nothing like what you hear on recordings.
I still love the EW&F stuff, and if they want to do a show that's fine. I'd still rather have artists do 1/2the "production" and all the playing. I don't need smoke and lights to entertain me at a show. I want to hear musicians singing and playing.
I've seen video of him actually playing and it sounds nothing like the songs. The style is all different. He plucks hard, the tone is all off, etc. Just like the above video link. Sounds like crap. Nothing like what you hear on recordings.
I still love the EW&F stuff, and if they want to do a show that's fine. I'd still rather have artists do 1/2the "production" and all the playing. I don't need smoke and lights to entertain me at a show. I want to hear musicians singing and playing.
I saw them in 2006 and he wasn't playing what I was hearing... I wasn't in the 4th row, though... More like the 40th...
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I played with Hiram Bullock at the Jazz a Vienne festival in France in 1998 where we opened for Earth Wind & Fire. I was standing at the FOH console with the sound guys when EW&F played. I can definitely attest that Verdine played every bass note that was heard that night. I watched his fingers carefully, as I have been a fan of his playing for a long time. No backstage bassist nor synth bass; it was all him. Amazing show. Sonny Murray was playing drums and Morris Pleasure was playing keys. Truly great.
I read the subject, not the whole chain of posts.
Verdine does play, I get sick of the people who are claiming he is not.
If you see him playing on any DVD something else then what you hear, that is because the band used several recordings from different live recordings ,so some soundtracks do no match with what you see. Sloppy indeed, but Verdine did play!
What they also did is work on the recordings back in the studio, to "spice" it a bit up. They did that with the vocals too. Also not the way it shoudl be, but 90% of the Concert DVD's out there have had a studio "makeover".
Verdine is a legend. Have a nice day!
Verdine does play, I get sick of the people who are claiming he is not.
If you see him playing on any DVD something else then what you hear, that is because the band used several recordings from different live recordings ,so some soundtracks do no match with what you see. Sloppy indeed, but Verdine did play!
What they also did is work on the recordings back in the studio, to "spice" it a bit up. They did that with the vocals too. Also not the way it shoudl be, but 90% of the Concert DVD's out there have had a studio "makeover".
Verdine is a legend. Have a nice day!
Drummer's name is Sonny Emory.
Maybe they switch up at different venues but there are a lot of ProTools rigs/Sequencing in action at their shows. Basslines could certainly be pre-recorded and he's miming them. I have several DVD's and I have watched very closely and his hands do not match what is going unless everything he plays is in the first few positions on the neck on every string. He does a little more during ballads. But the high energy stuff where he's doing all that dancing and crazy stuff......no way he's playing. He may play some but he is not playing every note at every show. Everyone has their opinion but I'm not blind nor deaf!
Um, wow.
Yeah, and then there's this...
YouTube - EWF (Verdine White Performance) - Rio 2008
It appears as though he's actually playing that, but... yikes... I guess i had no idea about any of these videos.
I still think Shining Star is one of the greatest bass lines ever written... nothing will change that.
Probably the worst bass solo ever. His job in that band is to strut and smile and get the audience going. That's fine, I have no problem with that, but lets not fool ourselves into thinking he's playing as well.
YouTube - "That's The Way Of The World" -Earth, Wind & Fire
The RIO clip was horrible, worst bass-solo ever? maybe.
But when you have created a bass-line like "That's the way of the World" ,I don't care.
I know it's not complicated, but it's making me feel real good, and I guess a few million others on this planet would agree with me.
The RIO clip was horrible, worst bass-solo ever? maybe.
But when you have created a bass-line like "That's the way of the World" ,I don't care.
I know it's not complicated, but it's making me feel real good, and I guess a few million others on this planet would agree with me.
Really??? I saw them a few years ago in Allentown, PA with Chicago and they sounded very live to me.
On a side note, Chicago absolutely blew me away that night!
I've been going to Chicago concerts since 1984. Although the lineup may have changed some over the years, they still sound as great as ever. Some of the best shows I've ever seen.
