OMG! First Styx and now Britney. Is NOTHING sacred?!!!

[MuzikTeechur]

I feel so cheated. So used.

 

http://videogoneviral.com/2010/04/what-britney-spears-really-sounds-like-on-stage/

 

(sorry if this is a re-post)

[richwhite9]

As expected. How can someone not get cynical when they can show up at shows drunk, makes millions and know it's a performance. People are there to see her, not to hear her. That just invites abuse of the system.

 

Guys like Randy Jackson as a musical director? Paid as much for their discretion as much as anything else.

 

Why use autotune Brit? We can used tape and punch in your stage patter?

 

If Cirque Du Soleil can go out and lipsync to songs as part of their performance why not Brittney lipsyncing 'Circus'? Truth in Advertising?

 

What's missing is a good stage double story from all this. I know there's a couple of good ones out there.

[mate stubb]

[video:youtube]

[MikeT156]

Really terrible.

 

I don't get it, people paid good money for that?

 

 

Mike T.

[NoahZark]

There's no way that Britney video is real. She undoubtedly lip syncs in her live shows, but I'm not buying that that's how she really sounds.

[Tonysounds]

I do.

 

I know you've heard this!

[Analogaddict]

A swedish analyzed the vocals on "Toxic", and it's about 55% swedish backup singer Emma Nilsdotter... So, I guess she's miming more than lip syncing. ;-)

[Aidan]

The problem is partly public expectation. Performing highly aerobic dance routines AND singing competently with decent breath support are pretty much mutually incompatible. There are bits here which show that Spears can probably sing quite well, given time to breathe properly and concentrate on the music - just not in a situation like this. So it's lip-synced and presumably they only open the mic between songs for her to speak to the audience.

 

But I don't believe she's a really awful singer. When you're working your way up through the ranks, there are umpteen stage school hopefuls to beat off, all of whom can sing competently and probably look just as good as Britney. It doesn't make sense for record companies to make it harder for themselves by picking someone solely on looks, if she can't sing at ALL.

[richwhite9]

There's no way that Britney video is real. She undoubtedly lip syncs in her live shows, but I'm not buying that that's how she really sounds.

 

At question isn't whether she could do better. The question is why should she under the circumstances.

[Joe Muscara]

There are a lot of these things floating around lately for various performers. With the digital manipulation tools available, it's as difficult to tell whether the good performances are real as whether the bad ones are fake.

[Tonysounds]

The problem is partly public expectation. Performing highly aerobic dance routines AND singing competently with decent breath support are pretty much mutually incompatible. There are bits here which show that Spears can probably sing quite well, given time to breathe properly and concentrate on the music - just not in a situation like this.

 

I would counter that someone earning millions of dollars per year should be expected to do what shes being paid for. Seems to me there have been men and women who did that job pretty effectively: Tina Turner, Otis Redding, Steven Tyler and James Brown were pretty aerobic in their younger days. But of course if your whole presentation is based on a Lolita stereotype and then progresses to the Vegas showgirl or stripper pole from there, what do you expect?

 

When you're working your way up through the ranks, there are umpteen stage school hopefuls to beat off...

 

Not to mention a whole passel of sleazy managers, promoters and agents!

 

It doesn't make sense for record companies to make it harder for themselves by picking someone solely on looks, if she can't sing at ALL.

 

No, record companies wouldnt do that! (Milli Vanilli, meet Johnny Bravo.)

[Eric Jx]

This was posted a few months back and somebody made a good point.

 

If all the music was pre-recorded, then there probably weren't stage monitors with a proper vocal mix. If Brittney couldn't hear herself, is it any wonder her singing was that bad?

[stepay]

Whether it's real or not, I really couldn't care less. Even those who like Britney Spears don't think of her as the greatest singer in the world. She's not thought of like Mariah Carey is...a vocal superstar.

 

So really, the revelation here is that music stardom often involves style over substance. No big shock.

[mate stubb]

http://roflrazzi.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/celebrity-pictures-milli-vanilli-crap-music.jpg

[mate stubb]

[video:youtube]

 

Chester really rocks it at 1:12

[ABECK]

Chester really rocks it at 1:12

 

 

HAHAHA - I do detect a little "Final Countdown" in there.

[richwhite9]

http://roflrazzi.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/celebrity-pictures-milli-vanilli-crap-music.jpg

 

 

Frank Farian. A classic. Produce, sing, use studio musicians and hire pretty singers to do the press and touring.

 

That was at the time CC Music factory was hiding Martha Wash as was the earlier Black Box who hired a model to lip sync the Wash's vocals. Black Box had 4 top 10 singles in the US (I had to listen to them. Heard them all. Dance staples of the late 80s). Wash now gets a credit on their anthologies (after her lawsuit).

 

Jeff Beck and Ray Davies still argue over who did the lead on "You Really got Me".

 

Grand illusion indeed.

 

 

[ProfD]

Back in the 60s, Motown had a popular group featuring the weakest singer as lead vocalist. Turned her into a superstar.

 

IMO, technology has served as a gateway to over-produced records and shows.

 

Compromises have to be made i.e. live vocals with limited movement or elaborate dance routines, auto-tune and backing tracks.

 

Even artists/bands built on 'live' performance have been bought into flying with a safety net i.e. relying on tricks in order to have a better show.

[drawback]

 

Jeff Beck and Ray Davies still argue over who did the lead on "You Really got Me".

 

 

 

In what sense? If I were Jeff Beck I'd swear to my grave that solo wasn't me!

 

IIRC it was Ray's brother, Dave.

 

 

[Tonysounds]

I thought it was Jimmy Page who was alleged to have recorded that solo; it was also alleged that Dave did the solo after cutting the speaker cone intentionally.

[mate stubb]

Drawback, what's that combo organ in your avatar? I don't recognize it.

[frogmonkey]

Moe beat me to the "...Shreds" video

 

For some perverse reason I am compelled to bring up the time that Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Thomas Dolby, and Howard Jones *mimed* to their pre-recorded performance at the Grammys.

 

[video:youtube]ZZEGHnAxEpo

[mate stubb]

 

For some perverse reason I am compelled to bring up the time that Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Thomas Dolby, and Howard Jones *mimed* to their pre-recorded performance at the Grammys.

 

aka, "When Cheezy Wayne Newton Vegas Producers Ruled Award Shows"

 

This deserves many facepalms.

[drawback]

I thought it was Jimmy Page who was alleged to have recorded that solo; it was also alleged that Dave did the solo after cutting the speaker cone intentionally.

 

 

Tony - "you really got me" there. I do recall the rumour about Page doing the solo in Hurdy Gurdy Man, though.

 

Dave's live solo begins at 1:15 --- sounds as mindless as the recording, IMO it could've been him.

 

[video:youtube]

 

 

[richwhite9]

I thought it was Jimmy Page who was alleged to have recorded that solo; it was also alleged that Dave did the solo after cutting the speaker cone intentionally.

 

 

Several session musicians did play on "You Really Got Me": The piano was by either keyboardist Jon Lord of Deep Purple or Arthur Greenslade

 

In the same interview, Davies says that there was a session guitarist named Vic doubling his rhythm part, but that it wasn't Page.

 

At the behest of producer Talmy, session drummer Bobby Graham played drums on the recording, rather than regular Kinks drummer Mick Avory. Graham went on to play the main drum part on many of the Kinks' early recordings.

 

Interestingly, both Jon Lord and Talmy claim Jimmy Page did play on "You Really Got Me". Talmy credits him for the rhythm guitar and Lord for the solo.

[drawback]

Drawback, what's that combo organ in your avatar? I don't recognize it.

 

That is a googled image of the identical Howard Combo Organ (by Baldwin) I owned circa 1968.

 

 

[heehee62]

It is possible to sing and dance at the same time and a person who gets paid so much money should be able to do it.

 

Look, here's Debbie Gibson, the 80s version of Britney (she looks just like her) singing perfectly on pitch while dancing. Debbie also wrote most of her own songs and can play the piano.

 

And to think, I listened to Britney more than Debbie. Ughh. We were fooled.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxbISmBcYhg

[Cliffk]

Mariah Carey is...a vocal superstar.

Significantly, and for a while now, this description would be more accurate for omitting the word 'vocal'.

 

 

There are bits here which show that Spears can probably sing quite well, given time to breathe properly and concentrate on the music - just not in a situation like this.

To be blunt, the least of her priorities (now and at any other time) is singing or concentrating on the music. Her primary focus here, aside from performing, is to concentrate on lip-syncing accurately. Try doing that as a good singer and whatever singing technique you might have gets shot to hell. With Britney, well ... this is what happens - and yes, I'm convinced it's her.

 

 

Back in the 60s, Motown had a popular group featuring the weakest singer as lead vocalist. Turned her into a superstar.

Absolutely true, Prof.

Yet to sustain that level of stardom you've got to have that 'IT' quality, however trite this sounds. I still have a hard time believing Mary Wilson's protestations that, given Diana's advantages, she would've been just as great a star. One viewing of Ms Ross at Central Park convinces me that, however personally painful at the time, the right professional decisions were made. She owns the stage, engages the audience, performs consummately, and ad-libs to address the exigencies of the situation - alone. Oh, and she sings live. Can anybody imagine Britney or any of today's 'superstars' being up to that?

 

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXWDwVY-270&feature=related

 

...and I definitely wouldn't mind having her as the weakest singer in my group!

 

[video:youtube]

[SHaka40]

I don't really have much to add to this thread other than to say that I don't think many (if any...) of these videos are real. Not that I think Britney Spears is a great singer by any stretch, but I've seen similar "what _______ really sounds like" videos of singers that I do consider exceptional singers. Those particular videos didn't sound legit at all and didn't even sound remotely close to what the singer in question really sounds like. Yet sure enough, people were eating it up, leaving comments like "I knew he/she couldn't really sing." While I am not impressed by many/most of today's hot young singers, I think that their is a huge amount of undo cynicism that sorta blinds us from appreciating the artists that are truly talented (again I am NOT talking about Britney Spears). Not every singer on the charts in 2010 fits in the style-over-substance, only-famous-because-I'm-sexy, must-use-autotune-to-sound-on-key, nobody-over-30-cares-about-me, my-boobs-are-bigger-than-my-voice category! It's just that we have to weed through more trash nowadays to find the good stuff.

 

 

Also, keep in mind that with today's technology, any kid with a $300 computer can make these type videos. My guess is that most of these videos are made by high school students trying to get as many Youtube hits as the possibly can.

 

 

P.S. As a 20 year old, perhaps the above rant is the result of some desire to defend my own generation's music that I unknowingly possess. I strongly doubt it: I am one of the most critical people I know in terms of today's popular music; I'd say about 20% of my mp3 library was released sometime after the early 80's, and maybe about 10% of that 20% is "chart stuff." But any bias aside, I still say that there are plenty of talented young singers in the pop/r&b world.

[richwhite9]

We've talked about the use of prerecorded tracks at the Superbowl and in major venues where equipment failures may lead to crowd control problems.

 

It's a slippery slope and always has been going back to the bandstand days, doo wop, the 50s boy singers and it isn't generational. Showbiz is famous for this stuff and it's always been caveat emptor in the teen market. Get into bands that did arrangements for a singer, recorded some demos, and then got the squeeze from managemet and A&R men and if they are lucky some hush money but more likely some sour grapes and no money or credit for their work.