Auto tune - Good or Bad?

The face of the auto tune beast!

These days it's very rare to hear a song that's not coated with lashings of auto tune all over the vocal tracks and it's not hard to understand some of the reasons why.

• Iron out the imperfections to appeal to as large an audience as possible.
• Make a marketable face with a poor voice sound decent enough to sell records
• Reduce the amount of studio time wasted on vocal re-takes

But is it really necessary, would you stop listening to a song if it wasn't auto tuned, shouldn't singers be properly rehearsed before recording and should pretty faces with poor voices be selling records?

Like with most things in life, it's not a black and white argument, there are so many levels of auto tune that you can't really just say that you don't like it as chances are, if you're listening to a song that's been recorded in say, the last ten to fifteen years, the vocal track has auto tune applied to it.

I've no issue, per se, with using auto tune.  In fact, we've used it on some recordings in the past and I’ll very likely use it again in the future but where my problem with it lies is when it’s used without subtlety, for no apparent reason or as a vocal effect.  It’s in these situations where I am actively turned off as I find it overpowers the song.

I think auto tune should be like a referee in a game of football.  You know it’s doing a good job because you don’t notice it’s there but this is something I find to be an increasingly rare thing in music these days.  Mostly, auto tune is used like a sledgehammer and while manufactured pop has been a major culprit, it’s not exclusive to that genre.  It affects most genres to a certain degree but it’s also prolific in today’s Rap and R&B which are styles that, to me, are now mostly all about image – video first, music second. 

It appears that it’s more important for Rap and R&B ‘stars’ to spend their time in the gym rather than practicing their vocals.  Of course, this is a sweeping generalisation and it doesn't apply to all artists but I’d say the over use of auto tune is rife, particularly in the three genres I've just mentioned.

 just... just no.

It’s also particularly frustrating when it’s used for no apparent reason.  The best examples of this are ‘divas’ like Cristina Aguilera, Beyonce and the like.  These are singers famous for their strong vocals so surely there’s absolutely no need to apply auto tune to their vocals but yet every one of their songs have a thick coating of auto tune on them.

makes my ears bleed and not just because Xtina sings the arse off each and every note

Another use of auto tune that really grinds my gears is when it’s used as an effect.  The song everyone thinks about for this is obviously Cher’s “Believe” but even when that first came out and the technique was all new and shiny, it still sounded bloody awful. 

Of course, this is all just personal opinion but whenever I hear a song that uses this effect I instantly switch it off and there are no exceptions to this rule.  It’s not even a rule as such, it’s more an involuntary reaction.  To demonstrate this, I’m a big fan of Alice Cooper and bought his latest album, “Welcome 2 My Nightmare”, when it was released.  As I do with every new album, I got myself comfy and settled down to listen to my purchase (I was brought up with vinyl and still like to hear music for the first time with no distractions so I can pay attention).

The first song started and when the vocals came in, they were plastered with this auto tune effect so I instantly stopped listening went and did something else.  It was couple of days later before I heard anything else from that album and discovered that, thankfully, it was the only song on the album which had his vocals treated like that.

good song, shame about the auto tune

As a fan, I put up with the fact that he releases some right guff (I’d say that for every good album, he releases two right duffers) but I've never before stopped a first listen of an album before hearing every track. 

Now this post may just be an old fart ranting about today's technology so to counter balance I'd say that when auto tune is used correctly, it’s a good thing which can make a record sound more professional and appeal to a wider audience but the over use and over application means that it’s ultimately defeating its intended purpose.

Effects in general should be about enhancing the music; they shouldn't distract from the music.

  

Covers vs Originals

I was having a wee think about cover and original songs recently and then stumbled upon a blog from Red Dog Music where they were discussing just that so I thought I'd give my take on the debate.

I'd better point out at the start that I'm talking about recorded music here rather than playing covers live.  I've played both original and cover gigs far too many times to count and although I find them totally different experiences, I've had just as much fun playing both.

Also, it'd be far too easy to just write a (very long) list of covers that completely destroy the original but that wouldn't be very big or clever.  We all know what they are and I'd be forced to talk about X-Factor contestants and a slew of turgid, done for maximum profit, cash in releases and it'd make me angry... and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

Anyway, back to my point.

My default stance is that the original is always better but I'd also argue that this is not always the case.  Take Bob Dylan, for example.  There are a lot of his songs where I've heard a cover before his actual recording and have, pretty much 100% of the time, preferred the cover version.  Now this could just be that I'm not a fan of his vocals and while I think there's something in that, I also think there's more to it and it's probably because when people cover Dylan, it's usually more of a re-working of the song than a direct copy.

I'd say that it's in this bracket where I'm more open to covers as I find them far more interesting to listen to than just a plain old re-hash of someone else's song.  So here's a few which I'll ponder over.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles/Bryan Ferry

Bryan Ferry is a master at re-working cover songs and I absolutely love his version of The Shirelles, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow".  He's turned an upbeat pop song into a melancholic ballad and flipped it from a song that wouldn't sound out of place at a party to one that you'd listen to in a darkened room when its all gone wrong.  Two completely different versions of the same song and I couldn't actually say which one I prefer.

I Just Want To Make Love To You - Willie Dixon/The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Alex Harvey was very skilled in making a cover song sound like his own.  With this one he's not strayed so far away from the original as Ferry did with The Shirelles but here he's given it a harder edge and a killer groove.  Just listen to the groove of his version, it stomps along full of arrogance, swagger and menace.  I love the Etta James version of this song too and while that's a far more popular choice, I think the SAHB version really nails it.

We'll Meet Again - Vera Lynn/Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash doesn't stray too far from Vera Lynn at all but the pared down sound combined with the context of his version (it's the last track of his last album and recorded with increasingly failing health), the song has a real personal poignancy to it.  Most people usually point to his cover of "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails and I wouldn't argue with that but it's this song that really touches my soul.  It's a beautiful song to finish any album and what a way for Johnny to say a musical goodbye.  On a different note, the guitar playing in this song is fantastic.

Crazy in Love - Beyonce/The Puppini Sisters

Now this is a good example for me where I was completely un-fussed by the original but love the cover.  The music was good but I was totally turned off by the auto-tune in Beyonce's voice and rapping mid-song doesn't do anyone any favours.  The Puppini Sisters version just sounds so alive and joyful that its almost impossible not to dance when listening to it.  It's one of the very few songs for me that, when finished, I could hit repeat and start it all over again.

So there you have it.  To sum up I guess my take on the issue is that it's totally fine to do covers so long as it does something interesting and isn't just a re-hash of the original.  

Vinyl Albums

I was recently watching a program on BBC4 where Danny Baker discussed the qualities and joy of vinyl albums and it got me thinking back to the good old days where I'd journey into town and spend hours in various record and music shops (train into Glasgow, head to 23rd Precinct to get some albums, then to McCormicks and check out the guitars, then head downstairs to a wee record shop - the name escapes me - in a basement shop next door to have a look at the import LP's before heading off to Tower, HMV and Virgin.  Pop into the Guitar Store to have a chat with the guys behind the counter and play some guitars I'd never be able to afford before heading to Wimpy for a cheeseburger before the train home).  Ah, those were the days!

Anyway, the program got me thinking about some albums that I just couldn't do without.  The rules are:

Five albums only

It had to be a record that I had on vinyl

No compilations or greatest hits

Were albums that I could listen from start to finish without skipping a track

One album per band

When I was buying vinyl I was big into rock so that makes up the majority of the list.  While there are countless great albums which I listen to now and consider classics, they didn't make it in because I wasn't listening to them at the time!

So, here they are, in no particular order...

Alice Cooper - Welcome To My Nightmare

Although the list is in no particular order, if it were, this would be number one.  An absolute masterpiece of a record that still sounds as fresh and interesting today as it did when I first heard it.  Alice may be considered a rock artist but he's never been afraid to experiment with different genres and that was particularly true during the 70's.  It was his first 'solo' album and what a statement to make!  The whole album is full of dark themes and wraps them in a pop/rock/prog package.  On side two there's a three song run (Years Ago, Steven, The Awakening) that's as close to perfection as songs get.  

Recommended track: Steven

AC/DC – Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

There are so many AC/DC albums that I could list here but Dirty Deeds gets in because it's been with me for pretty much all of my life.  My brother bought it for my dad's birthday when I was about three years old and I never stopped playing it.  If there's a better song in the world than 'Ride On', I haven't heard it.

Recommended track: Ride On

Blackfoot – Marauder

This record always makes me smile and contains the song that I took the name of this blog from!  I think it holds an extra place in my heart because the front cover of my copy was signed by the band and inside was a ticket stub from when they played the Glasgow Apollo in 1982.  Sadly, I wasn't responsible for getting their signatures or the ticket as I bought it from a second hand record stall at The Barras.  That didn't stop me from cherishing the album as if I did!

Recommended track: Diary of a Workingman

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Next

Every home should have a copy of this record.  There’s just so much going on and every song is entirely different to the next.  There’s absolutely no-one else that sounds like SAHB and they should have had far more recognition than they received.  Subconsciously, this album formed the template for all of my recordings.

Recommended track: Next

Ozzy Osbourne – Diary of a Madman

There are two reasons why I took up the guitar.  The first was because my older brother, Jamie, bought one because he wanted to be Angus Young and the second was because he also bought this album.  From the very moment I heard Randy Rhoads blast the opening bar of Over the Mountain, I was hooked.  There are a million and one amazing guitar players in the world but, in my opinion, Randy was on a level above them all and I don’t think it’s too great a claim to suggest that rock guitar was re-defined by his (and Eddie Van Halen’s) playing style.  This album, more than any other, made me fall in love with music.

Recommended track: Tonight

So that was my top five vinyl albums, for what it’s worth.  It was exceptionally hard to only have five and even now, I’m still debating whether some should be replaced but no, I’m sticking to that list and instead, here are some others that could have easily found a home there had the above choices not had such an impact on me.

Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

Marillion - Script for a Jester's Tear

Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast

The Jeff Healey Band - See The Light

Frank Zappa - Broadway the Hardway

Back in Rehearsals

Rehearsals for The Stantons have started again!  With an almost full compliment of band members in attendance, it was great being back in the warehouse blasting out tunes.

The warehouse.  This is where the band calls home.  It's a pretty bleak and dangerous place, there's one electrical socket that serves several 4 ways daisy chained from it, the lighting is sparse and bits of the roof is missing but nevertheless, we call it home.

We started to go through a few songs.  First up was "Splinter".  The rust was blown away surprisingly quickly given that we hadn't actually played as a band for most of 2012.  Next up was "Moon in the River" and while Neil and I were trying to compensate for Cari's absence by trying to replicate her backing singing, we inadvertently came up with a new way to finish the song.  It still needs worked on and we'll need to hear how it sounds when Cari's back and singing her part but if it works it'll be a lovely way to end the song, particularly live.

The cold was biting hard though and fingers were getting pretty sore so we cranked up the heater, and
decided to warm ourselves up by belting out "Black Train".  This was the first time that Umi had sung this song outwith the recording sessions and it really suits her voice.

The recorded version of this song starts with some pretty awesome accordion breath and guitar feedback which is something that'll sadly be missing live so we tried working out an alternate beginning.

Mark started with some cymbal noise before I then joined in with the main riff.  It's not a million miles away from how we used to play it live but I think it now sounds more defined.  Neil also altered his piano part to try and fill in the blanks that are missing from the record since we won't have the distorted lap steel sound at gigs and all in all, I think it was sounding rather good.

We moved onto "Sweetest Decline" and all was going well right up until the acapella break where we all suffered from a collective brain fart.  Cari starts this break so since she was missing from the night, Mark tried to stand in for her.  Due to a slight pause between the instruments stopping and the singing starting, we all lost track of what key we were supposed to start on.  Sonic pain ensued once the instruments came back in although it took us all a moment to figure out the cause behind the horrendous sound.  At first we all looked at our instruments as if those were somehow at fault before realisation set in.



After that we decided to give "The Shamokin Uprising" a go.  I honestly can't remember the last time we played this song but it may be as far back as 2011!  Not surprisingly, it took a few goes to remember how it all went but it wasn't too long before it all came flooding back.  It was a shame we didn't get around to recording it during the last batch of recordings but it's going to be first in line when we get back to"the studio" (Andrew's rehearsal space) again.

Since we all had fun with Shamokin, we pushed the boat out a bit further and had a stab at trying to remember "Some Festival Love Song".  I had to dig out a very old demo recording that I had on my phone to jog everyone's memory but we gave it a shot.  It's a million years from being ready but there's some really nice sections that I'm looking forward to us getting ready.  In particular Umi and Cari's backing vocals which will be pure pop heaven.  It's a very jaunty, summer time tune and not the usual tale of murder and/or betrayal that we usually come up with!

And that was that!  The first rehearsal of 2013 done and dusted.  Last year was really fragmented and although we managed to record a batch of songs, it's felt like an eternity since we were all in the same room playing as a band so it was a great feeling being back and having fun again.  I can't wait until next week when we do it all again.

Finally, to end this post, there's some news about some gigs we have coming up later in the year.  We've been confirmed to play at The Traverse Sessions on June 3rd.  It's free entry and we'll be doing a 45 minute set.  We've also confirmed a date and venue for our "special" gig.  At the moment, I can't confirm what or why this will be special but details of that will be mentioned once things are a bit more confirmed so for now all I can say is that we'll be putting on a show at The Electric Circus on June 22nd and it will be, er, "special"!

Until next time!