The British Invasion Sound

[phaeton]

As i noted in the thread "The Motown Sound!!!!" i was going to start this topic. Over the last few years, i've often considered trying to put a band together around the styles of music on a lot of my all-time favourite records. Stuff like Yardbirds, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Ten Years After, and all the Claptonisms. Blues-based rock with an edge that spelled the dawn of heavy metal. I'm not talking about another cover band, or a retro/nostalgia band here. I mean real honest playing and minimal cover tunes. It doesn't mean going out and getting a lot of vintage gear, wearing period-style clothing and putting on a cliched "70's show". Stuff that's for today, but goes back to the roots of rock where the drumming was solid, the bassline was effective, and the guitar was king. Music that's not overly technical, but it all fits together. You folks know what i mean. I've seen a lot of cover bands that do eagles, some random post-80's clapton and stuff you'd probably find on a billboard list somewhere, and that's great.... but stuff i'm referring to was probably played on the radio, but most likely wasn't what you'd consider "pop". I don't see too many bands these days, but the only one i've heard of that even attempts to do original stuff in the vein of this genre is Lee Flier's band. It would take a group of folks that grew up with this type of thing and we were all on the same page to get the chemistry right. I haven't asked around much, but visits to the music store indicate that i'm at a very awkward age to do this. I'm 28, and i'll bet that most of the guys i would find interested in doing this will be 10-25 years older than me, married, with kids (almost my age), and no time. Players my age and younger will be more into what you hear on the radio now and/or detuning a 7-string guitar to a low G and screaming into the mike. I could be totally wrong, and i hope i am. Do you think it's possible to recreate an atmosphere like that within a 4-5 piece band? Think it could be popular? Think we'd get prunes and dentures thrown at us? ================================================== #include

[Tedster]

Go for it. But don't initially limit yourself to that. Allow it to evolve.

[phaeton]

[b]Go for it. But don't initially limit yourself to that. Allow it to evolve.[/b] Oh certainly... i just don't want to play incubus-like tunes between "space truckin"-like and "i'm a man"-like stuff. :oP [b]OWWOOOOOO!!![/b] Werewolves of london.... (always makes me think of that) :oP ================================================== #include

[patrick_dont_fret]

Good solid lows, some mids, but turn the highs back a bit. And a lot of folks back then played with a pick, cause they were all former guitarists.

[whitefang]

Why don't you listen, I mean, REALLY listen to a wide cross section of the stuff you're talking about, and see if you detect a common thread. Then try to see how you can fit that into what you're trying to do. I'm not sure if you're after the playing style, or the sound, or what. Whitefang

[phaeton]

[b] Good solid lows, some mids, but turn the highs back a bit. And a lot of folks back then played with a pick, cause they were all former guitarists.[/b] huh? [b] Why don't you listen, I mean, REALLY listen to a wide cross section of the stuff you're talking about, and see if you detect a common thread. Then try to see how you can fit that into what you're trying to do. I'm not sure if you're after the playing style, or the sound, or what. Whitefang[/b] Hrmm... that might be the crux of it. I'm not really entirely sure what i'm after either. It's just that when i hear Sabbath's W.A.S.P. or something like Jeff's Boogie i think "YES!! I want to do THAT type of stuff!!" One thing i've been toying with is that maybe it's the "campy" recordings. It could be the equipment and era of time, but nothing is ever 100% "perfect" in those old recordings. There's a lot of noise and hum and warts and channel bleed and uncooked guitar tones and stuff and it all just sounds so much more tangible and "alive" to me. If "unpolished and rough" is what i'm after, then that's the wrong thing, but i'm SURE there's more to it than that. Such artifacts are just the sprinkles ;)

[Lee Flier]

Hi phaeton, Well thanks for the mention. :D And yeah of course we're all about the British Invasion thing, 60's more so than 70's influenced, but kinda the same vein. The thing is though, we're in our late 30's-early 40's, so we as 60's freaks were in the same boat as you. We're too young to have lived through the era we like the best musically. When I was in my teens and 20's I always just got around this by playing with guys who were 10 years older at least. Yeah some were married with kids or whatever, but it's not impossible to find people. And you don't necessarily need to rule out people close to your age either, who are into that stuff. They do exist. In fact a lot of my musician friends here in Atlanta are heavily into that whole scene and are still in their late 20's-early 30's. There aren't a ton of such people, mind you, but there's a little "scene" of them. My own bandmates are in my age group too now, which is cool. All of us basically grew up in the 70's but preferred the 60's stuff and have that in our blood somehow. And yeah we leave a lot of spontaneous noise in our recordings - amp buzz, fan noise, the bass player breaking a string. :D Having everything sound "under control" is about the last thing we want! Actually there are quite a few bands here in Atlanta in the vein you're talking about, the heavy blues based rock stuff. Seems to be a lot of it around the South in general. Definitely if that's what you want to do you ought to be able to find people to do it.

[RM]

I know a drummer who still uses his picks..

[John Brown]

I don't think that it was the "unpolishedness" that gave it it's vibe. I think that it was that they were serious about what they were doing. They weren't writing songs to get famous, or on TV etc. They were playing music that they liked, and having a good time, without being flip. What I miss most is the sublety that alot of music used to have. The harder stuff nowadays, reminds me of the tube discussion in one of miles' posts, all gain, no flavor. I really am tired of generic screaming, and generic power. I think that you could make something that was at least inspired by the old jams, but it would probably evolve a little more organicly?, and a little less Lincoln Parky. John Brown

[phaeton]

[b] I don't think that it was the "unpolishedness" that gave it it's vibe. I think that it was that they were serious about what they were doing. They weren't writing songs to get famous, or on TV etc. They were playing music that they liked, and having a good time, without being flip. What I miss most is the sublety that alot of music used to have. The harder stuff nowadays, reminds me of the tube discussion in one of miles' posts, all gain, no flavor. I really am tired of generic screaming, and generic power. I think that you could make something that was at least inspired by the old jams, but it would probably evolve a little more organicly?, and a little less Lincoln Parky. John Brown [/b] Right john, i agree. There's just too much substance there to say it was just appealing for trivial reasons. The artifacts and the vibe you get that they're all enjoying themselves profusely is only part of it. And don't get me wrong about hard n heavy. I've been the metalhead and still dig all my {Metallica, Megadeth, Maiden, Anthrax} stuff. I like insane power too. However, I find a lot of the harder stuff that's out now seems kinda `empty'. It could just be my age, i dunno. Linkin' Park was actually immediately appealing to me, but once i got over the power it just started to wear on me. Same with Papa Roach. I first heard them and was all "badass!! a heavier Iron Maiden!!"... but they start to sound cliched after a while. (this is also my age, i'm sure) A lot of music seems so much more angry nowadays. I'm trying to live a life where i'm not pissed off at the world anymore. [b]Hi phaeton, Well thanks for the mention. [Big Grin] And yeah of course we're all about the British Invasion thing, 60's more so than 70's influenced, but kinda the same vein. The thing is though, we're in our late 30's-early 40's, so we as 60's freaks were in the same boat as you. We're too young to have lived through the era we like the best musically. When I was in my teens and 20's I always just got around this by playing with guys who were 10 years older at least. Yeah some were married with kids or whatever, but it's not impossible to find people. And you don't necessarily need to rule out people close to your age either, who are into that stuff. They do exist. In fact a lot of my musician friends here in Atlanta are heavily into that whole scene and are still in their late 20's-early 30's. There aren't a ton of such people, mind you, but there's a little "scene" of them. My own bandmates are in my age group too now, which is cool. All of us basically grew up in the 70's but preferred the 60's stuff and have that in our blood somehow. And yeah we leave a lot of spontaneous noise in our recordings - amp buzz, fan noise, the bass player breaking a string. [Big Grin] Having everything sound "under control" is about the last thing we want! Actually there are quite a few bands here in Atlanta in the vein you're talking about, the heavy blues based rock stuff. Seems to be a lot of it around the South in general. Definitely if that's what you want to do you ought to be able to find people to do it.[/b] Well yes, i'll give a mention. I'd also like to add that (from what i've heard on your site) you make a pretty good run at it too. :D I feel kinda foolish ranting in such a way since I haven't really put on a serious search. I guess the age of any fellow bandmembers isn't *that* awful important, as long as we can all get along and work together. I'll agree with you that i'd be doing myself a great disservice checking into people in my age group. I've just got to get my shit together and start reaching out. ================================================== #include

[whitefang]

Well, we were pretty pissed off in the '60's, too. But we approached it differently in music. You know, tricky word-play in the lyrics, appealing on a somewhat "intellectual" level and offering alternatives (peace, love and all that stuff). When you think about it, all the loud, screaming anger in the music you refer to will fail miserably at getting any message out. It will only have aural appeal to those who relate to the rancor, and anyone who SHOULD listen will never even try. Hell, they listened to US, but ignored it all the same! So why waste time and energy? This is probably why those songs from that era that survive to this day as examples of the times generally are those "good time" tunes that were referred to. Basically, I always viewed the '60's "British" sound as a meld of what they were influenced by in American music, and the "skiffle" that was popular there in that decade. Whitefang

[phaeton]

[b] Well, we were pretty pissed off in the '60's, too. But we approached it differently in music. You know, tricky word-play in the lyrics, appealing on a somewhat "intellectual" level and offering alternatives (peace, love and all that stuff). When you think about it, all the loud, screaming anger in the music you refer to will fail miserably at getting any message out. It will only have aural appeal to those who relate to the rancor, and anyone who SHOULD listen will never even try. Hell, they listened to US, but ignored it all the same! So why waste time and energy? This is probably why those songs from that era that survive to this day as examples of the times generally are those "good time" tunes that were referred to. Basically, I always viewed the '60's "British" sound as a meld of what they were influenced by in American music, and the "skiffle" that was popular there in that decade. Whitefang [/b] Certainly there was a lot of angst in the 60's. There was a lot of stuff to be pissed off about. I'll also agree that the message coming across was much more cerebral. The music and the message and all the motives were just so genuine and pure. The music conveys a "feeling" for the era. I don't see anyone saying this about linkin park 40 years from now. But thenagain, once upon a time, my grandfather told my dad "In five years no one will remember who these 4 mop-haired british urchins are." Well... :p (we're talking bout the Fab 4 here)