Deconstructed #15

Recording, Mixing and Producing
#1

Check out the new one now on Youtube:

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#2

I always got a chuckle from the harmonica players’ name: Magic Dick. :grin: He got to do a lot more cool stuff when the band was less well known … before these “pop” songs. But it’s interesting to hear the harmonica doubling the keys as I had never noticed that before this solo’ed breakdown. I think the “live” sound of the song hearkens back to the band’s history and reputation for being more of a live ‘show’ band than recording artists.

How do you determine the tempo/bpm? Is it published somewhere, or are you tapping it out yourself?

Good choice, and BTW, Geils is pronounced with a hard G like in “guitar” (not a J sound). I assume that’s your French diction kicking in. :slightly_smiling_face:

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#3

Sigh… another song on my “Personal Hell Playlist”. Gotta give this one a miss I’m afraid. No reflection on you Patrick! But I despise this song with a passion. I have no doubt you have dissected it with your by-now customary skill and insight. :slight_smile:

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#4

It got really overplayed on the radio back when. I was probably sick of it for a long time, but was able to listen with fresh ears now. It’s also very different than their earlier down-home, foot-stompin’, gritty juke-joint brand of music. Very slick and (over) produced, but that actually seems to work with the storytelling aspect which I think is quite good. It was also a big commercial success for them, which is usually the point that I find most bands get less interesting. In other words, it wasn’t only the live shows that “sold out”. :laughing:

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#5

Thanks for the tip, I never knew how to pronounce J. Geils. It’s pronounced totally differently in French, actually! :joy:

As to the tempo, I usually google it, then try it in Cubase to see if it seems to fit. Most of the multi-tracks haven’t been recorded to a click, so it’s fluctuating quite a lot depending on the tune. So it’s an average BPM more than a tightly fixed one.

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#6

If you haven’t seen this source yet, I’d be curious what you think.

Yeah, you’re doing older songs from the mostly analog era (though clicks and metronomes were certainly available and used at times) and I have noticed that as well. The bpm can easily vary by several beats - usually a few (2-3) faster during a chorus and then back down to the previous one. If those drummers didn’t use any assistance, they were incredibly consistent in some cases.

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#7

Yes, I know that one, and have used it. It’s usually pretty accurate. But usually I find it best to try and check on various sources and then check in the DAW to see if it matches…

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#8

Nicely done Patrick,
Where do you find the tracks for theses break-downs?

S

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#9

I’ll send you a link in DM

#10

I am also interested in finding these multi-tracks. :slight_smile: