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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2019 12:19:37 GMT -5
With The Who's upcoming release I thought it would be good to have a Who Appreciation thread. I thought for sure we already had one, but I don't see one anywhere in Deadthreadville.
There's some dialogue regarding their newest song Ball and Chain in the Shoutbox, but I believe there is (and will be) more to discuss, so we probably don't want to take over the Shoutbox with that one subject. Which will soon disappear anyway.
Ball and Chain sounds very fresh. Lots of energy in the instrumentation and Roger seems to sound more powerful in his vocals than in the last several years. Many folks have commented that it sounds much like the old classic Who we all love.
As I mentioned in the Shoutbox, I had mixed feelings about their last album Endless Wire. I had high hopes for it, but it disappointed more than it satisfied, at least for me. There were some really good highlights, but some of the songs just seemed somewhat blah. Roger's vocals sounded a bit weak to me in spots, but I realize he's gettin' old just like all of us.
Ball and Chain sounds like it has some renewed energy to it. Keith and John will always be missed, but this sounds pretty solid.
I'm hoping any Who fans here will chime in as this new release unfolds. I'm also hoping that once that dies down we can keep some life in this thread with any discussion going all the way back to the Detours/High Numbers days.
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jay
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Post by jay on Sept 15, 2019 7:27:41 GMT -5
I really like "Ball and Chain". Roger sounds great on it, and Pete plays some awesome electric guitar on it. It feels very much like a "Who song". If the rest of the album is this good, then I can't wait for it! But, I read that one of the genre's of music style on the album is electronica, and frankly, that scares me. 😕
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2019 9:33:19 GMT -5
I too am looking forward to hearing their new album, although I'm becoming quite skeptical of new music, even from classic bands. And as far as the electronica number goes, we'll just have to see. They might just be able to pull that off. A little experimentation can be a good thing. Or at least an interesting side trip. Worst case scenario it ends up being a skipper track like Led Zeppelin's The Crunge!
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Post by kds on Sept 16, 2019 7:06:16 GMT -5
I listened to the new song. Pretty good.
I'm actually a pretty good fan of the 2006 Endless Wire album.
Hopefully, the electronica thing is a misprint or something. We've already had to endure Brian Wilson doing a techno / dance, whatever the f--- that was, song.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2019 23:31:04 GMT -5
Very classic sound on this newest one. So far, I'm very impressed with what I'm hearing. It's like The Who never stopped putting out studio albums!
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Post by kds on Oct 4, 2019 7:46:02 GMT -5
After these two songs, I'm pretty excited about this album.
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Post by Al S on Oct 23, 2019 1:21:36 GMT -5
Is the album out yet?
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Post by kds on Oct 23, 2019 7:32:37 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2019 13:03:10 GMT -5
Well I got the new Who album this morning. I looked around online and found that our local Target had the cd in stock. I can't remember the last time that the instant gratification thing applied to me....actually, I can't remember the last time I went into a big box store to pick up new music! The nostalgia wore off a little when I couldn't even find the cd display in the electronics department. I finally found it on an endcap hidden behind a stocker's cart. There were 3 or 4 copies each of about 12 titles of cd's. That was all. Sign of the times, I guess...
The good news is that I got this "Target exclusive" with three bonus tracks for $13. Unfortunately, my morning has become busy and I've only been able to listen to about half of the cd in my car on the way to where I am now. I'll give a full review later, but let me say that so far, I really like what I hear!
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Post by Al S on Dec 10, 2019 0:08:50 GMT -5
Well I got the new Who album this morning. I looked around online and found that our local Target had the cd in stock. I can't remember the last time that the instant gratification thing applied to me....actually, I can't remember the last time I went into a big box store to pick up new music! The nostalgia wore off a little when I couldn't even find the cd display in the electronics department. I finally found it on an endcap hidden behind a stocker's cart. There were 3 or 4 copies each of about 12 titles of cd's. That was all. Sign of the times, I guess... The good news is that I got this "Target exclusive" with three bonus tracks for $13. Unfortunately, my morning has become busy and I've only been able to listen to about half of the cd in my car on the way to where I am now. I'll give a full review later, but let me say that so far, I really like what I hear! Cool, looking forward to your review, sounds promising based on your quick thoughts!
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Post by kds on Dec 10, 2019 8:04:40 GMT -5
I've only heard to two songs they released early, but I very much liked what I hear.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2019 20:51:07 GMT -5
Ok, as promised here is my review of "WHO":
First off, let me say that the overall sound/groove/feel of the album is much better than I expected. The instrumentation is tight, with Zak Starkey on drums and Pino Palladino on bass. They are not trying to be Moon and Entwhistle, but their own styles fit right in with the current Who. The percussion is exciting and the bass is beefy. It sounds great all around. And the material is very high standard. To namecheck the title of one of the Target bonus tracks, these guys "Got Nothing to Prove". They've done it all, over the years and although not every one of their releases has been mind-blowing (ahem, Endless Wire) they are rock legends. If this is to be their last hurrah as The Who, it is certainly a high note. It's almost like a gift to the fans, as it sounds like a lot of thought and heart has gone into the songs.
One thing that strikes me right off is that there is quite a variety in the musical styles, especially in the latter half. I like albums where every song doesn't sound like the one you just heard. There's quite a bit of harking back to earlier eras, and I really wish there was a lyric sheet in the booklet, because I can't catch a lot of what's being sung. It just all sounds so good!
The set starts out with a one-two punch of the two hard rockers we've gotten a taste of on YouTube, "All This Music Must Fade" and "Ball and Chain". "I Don't Wanna Get Wise" is where things begin to get a bit nostalgic to the good old party days. "Detour" I'm going to guess is about the band's beginnings...ya know, when they were The Detours. The song itself has a shuffle rhythm to it, similar to some of those early songs. "Beads on One String" is a bit more toned down and reminds me of something that could have been on one of their early '80s WB albums. Must be the synths. "Hero Ground Zero" and "Street Song" are decent rockers. "I'll Be Back" is kind of a loungey type tune crooned by Pete that sounds like 70s MOR. But then it gets odd in the middle with a synth-voice break that thankfully goes by quickly! "Break the News" is a perky country flavored tune with Roger back on the vocal. This is what I was referring to as far as the variety goes, which really makes this album satisfying. "Rockin' in Rage" is a decent rocker, but "She Rocked My World" is a strange dark tune with a sort of Bossa nova thing going on. The three bonus tracks are Pete-voiced tunes that are each very different. "This Gun Will Misfire" is definitely a political statement and it's got a good groove. "Got Nothing to Prove"...holy crap, it's 1967 again! No kidding, this is a track that sounds like an authentic vintage outtake (much like the Smithereens were somehow able to do). No, wait! Is it an outtake? Liner notes aren't any help! Anyway, I like it. The final song is an acoustic ballad with an auto-tuned vocal. Why, Pete? Oh well, it's a pleasant song anyway.
So there it is. I really like this album, and I strongly recommend the Target version.
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Post by Beach Boys Fan on Dec 11, 2019 4:54:40 GMT -5
There is quite a variety in the musical styles, especially in the latter half. I like albums where every song doesn't sound like the one you just heard. It's favorite type album, agree. It looks like new thread idea.
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Post by dauber on Dec 12, 2019 10:08:53 GMT -5
CD arrived yesterday -- I totally forgot that concert tickets included the CD when it was released!
Listened to 9/11 of it on the way to work today. I really, REALLY like it a lot! Very true to The Who, and I totally agree that Pino and Zak are great on it without trying to emulate Ox and Keith.
Only complaint: the bass and bass drum tend to go in the red a lot, which is....sadly, the usual for modern engineering.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 18:05:28 GMT -5
Only complaint: the bass and bass drum tend to go in the red a lot, which is....sadly, the usual for modern engineering.
Yes, it is mastered extremely hot. Apparently the industry thinks that's the key to good sound.
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Post by Beach Boys Fan on Dec 12, 2019 19:49:09 GMT -5
Only complaint: the bass and bass drum tend to go in the red a lot, which is....sadly, the usual for modern engineering.
Yes, it is mastered extremely hot. Apparently the industry thinks that's the key to good sound. Did seek phrase "in the red", it tells being in debt to bank. Puzzled. Can you explain what really it means re: bass/bass drum, besides you reply back with "extremely hot" which is, again, puzzling. What do you 2 speak about?
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Post by dauber on Dec 12, 2019 21:23:58 GMT -5
Did seek phrase "in the red", it tells being in debt to bank. Puzzled. Can you explain what really it means re: bass/bass drum, besides you reply back with "extremely hot" which is, again, puzzling. What do you 2 speak about?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2019 23:26:42 GMT -5
Yes, it is mastered extremely hot. Apparently the industry thinks that's the key to good sound. Did seek phrase "in the red", it tells being in debt to bank. Puzzled. Can you explain what really it means re: bass/bass drum, besides you reply back with "extremely hot" which is, again, puzzling. What do you 2 speak about? BBF, Google "Loudness War" and you will find links that explain the whole thing in detail. Once the music biz went completely digital, they realized that they could compress the music files (in other words, squeeze the sound waves), and then boost the overall volume to the absolute maximum. This makes the music "louder", which makes it stand out from other music on the radio, or streaming services. That's a very simplified explanation, but it gives you an idea.
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Post by Al S on Dec 14, 2019 16:54:25 GMT -5
Ok, as promised here is my review of "WHO": First off, let me say that the overall sound/groove/feel of the album is much better than I expected. The instrumentation is tight, with Zak Starkey on drums and Pino Palladino on bass. They are not trying to be Moon and Entwhistle, but their own styles fit right in with the current Who. The percussion is exciting and the bass is beefy. It sounds great all around. And the material is very high standard. To namecheck the title of one of the Target bonus tracks, these guys "Got Nothing to Prove". They've done it all, over the years and although not every one of their releases has been mind-blowing (ahem, Endless Wire) they are rock legends. If this is to be their last hurrah as The Who, it is certainly a high note. It's almost like a gift to the fans, as it sounds like a lot of thought and heart has gone into the songs. One thing that strikes me right off is that there is quite a variety in the musical styles, especially in the latter half. I like albums where every song doesn't sound like the one you just heard. There's quite a bit of harking back to earlier eras, and I really wish there was a lyric sheet in the booklet, because I can't catch a lot of what's being sung. It just all sounds so good! The set starts out with a one-two punch of the two hard rockers we've gotten a taste of on YouTube, "All This Music Must Fade" and "Ball and Chain". "I Don't Wanna Get Wise" is where things begin to get a bit nostalgic to the good old party days. "Detour" I'm going to guess is about the band's beginnings...ya know, when they were The Detours. The song itself has a shuffle rhythm to it, similar to some of those early songs. "Beads on One String" is a bit more toned down and reminds me of something that could have been on one of their early '80s WB albums. Must be the synths. "Hero Ground Zero" and "Street Song" are decent rockers. "I'll Be Back" is kind of a loungey type tune crooned by Pete that sounds like 70s MOR. But then it gets odd in the middle with a synth-voice break that thankfully goes by quickly! "Break the News" is a perky country flavored tune with Roger back on the vocal. This is what I was referring to as far as the variety goes, which really makes this album satisfying. "Rockin' in Rage" is a decent rocker, but "She Rocked My World" is a strange dark tune with a sort of Bossa nova thing going on. The three bonus tracks are Pete-voiced tunes that are each very different. "This Gun Will Misfire" is definitely a political statement and it's got a good groove. "Got Nothing to Prove"...holy crap, it's 1967 again! No kidding, this is a track that sounds like an authentic vintage outtake (much like the Smithereens were somehow able to do). No, wait! Is it an outtake? Liner notes aren't any help! Anyway, I like it. The final song is an acoustic ballad with an auto-tuned vocal. Why, Pete? Oh well, it's a pleasant song anyway. So there it is. I really like this album, and I strongly recommend the Target version. Outstanding review, dude, can’t wait to get my filthy mits on it!
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Post by Al S on Dec 14, 2019 16:58:51 GMT -5
Did seek phrase "in the red", it tells being in debt to bank. Puzzled. Can you explain what really it means re: bass/bass drum, besides you reply back with "extremely hot" which is, again, puzzling. What do you 2 speak about? BBF, Google "Loudness War" and you will find links that explain the whole thing in detail. Once the music biz went completely digital, they realized that they could compress the music files (in other words, squeeze the sound waves), and then boost the overall volume to the absolute maximum. This makes the music "louder", which makes it stand out from other music on the radio, or streaming services. That's a very simplified explanation, but it gives you an idea. It’s a bitch - a good (sic) indicator of a crushed track; turn it up and if it starts distorting early, well, yep... Sometimes, the vinyl versions can tame the cacaphonotics, but as usual it depends on the mastering blah blah
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jay
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Post by jay on Dec 14, 2019 17:11:49 GMT -5
BBF, Google "Loudness War" and you will find links that explain the whole thing in detail. Once the music biz went completely digital, they realized that they could compress the music files (in other words, squeeze the sound waves), and then boost the overall volume to the absolute maximum. This makes the music "louder", which makes it stand out from other music on the radio, or streaming services. That's a very simplified explanation, but it gives you an idea. It’s a bitch - a good (sic) indicator of a crushed track; turn it up and if it starts distorting early, well, yep... Sometimes, the vinyl versions can tame the cacaphonotics, but as usual it depends on the mastering blah blah I have it on good authority that all of the vinyl pressings are at the wrong speed and play to slow.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2019 21:11:04 GMT -5
It’s a bitch - a good (sic) indicator of a crushed track; turn it up and if it starts distorting early, well, yep... Sometimes, the vinyl versions can tame the cacaphonotics, but as usual it depends on the mastering blah blah I have it on good authority that all of the vinyl pressings are at the wrong speed and play to slow. Useful information there, jay. Thanks for passing that on. I was thinking about forking out for the vinyl, but now it sounds like not a good idea.
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Post by Al S on Dec 14, 2019 21:11:48 GMT -5
Wow! Really? What a cock-up. Did Pete tell you?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2019 21:15:04 GMT -5
BBF, Google "Loudness War" and you will find links that explain the whole thing in detail. Once the music biz went completely digital, they realized that they could compress the music files (in other words, squeeze the sound waves), and then boost the overall volume to the absolute maximum. This makes the music "louder", which makes it stand out from other music on the radio, or streaming services. That's a very simplified explanation, but it gives you an idea. It’s a bitch - a good (sic) indicator of a crushed track; turn it up and if it starts distorting early, well, yep... Worse yet, all the dynamics and detail are squashed out of the track and it becomes fatiguing to the ears in no time.
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jay
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Post by jay on Dec 15, 2019 12:32:31 GMT -5
Wow! Really? What a cock-up. Did Pete tell you? No, but this information came from a well known fan who's known to have the world's biggest Who collection. He's literally spent millions on it. If anybody would know, it's him. He said that he might contact Pete directly about it.
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