oakey
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Post by oakey on Aug 7, 2018 4:43:44 GMT -5
This rehearsal of Serious back in ‘93 should give a few clues.. The contrast with the actual piano player is large indeed. NR only tends to play single-finger melodies or basic background synth chords live, and never both at the same time. In some of the classic songs (Union of the snake, Wild Boys, New Religion, AVTAK, Rio) almost all keyboards are prerecorded, Nick just plays a few notes live on these songs and mimes the rest of it. It is what it is. While I fully agree that it is not necessary to play all keyboards live, I would appreciate if the 'main' keyboard parts are played live, eg the piano stabs in Wild Boys, the strings in AVTAK (not the orchestra stabs), the intro for New Religion. Don't think it is any different in some of the other 80s bands like a-aha who also have a second keyboard player live. Or the synth duos where the keyboard player hardly does anything live (Erasure, early Pet Shop Boys, but see Chris Lowe play on a ballroom organ in this video). Some of these keyboard players are trained musicians though who can play more complicated stuff live if they need to. Nick obviously isn't. He may lack the rhythmic abilities needed to be a fluent live piano player, so he sticks to the atmospheric aspects of keyboard playing.
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errbt
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"untalented guitarist"
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Post by errbt on Aug 7, 2018 10:58:25 GMT -5
Way way back I remember an interview where he mentioned that he didn't like playing live so much.(in the 80's) I think he has automated as much as possible and primarily plays simple parts live....triggers etc. When they did Make Me Smile, he didn't play piano on that song live either... There is a video out there. Yep, Andy Hamilton played piano (as well as percussion and, of course, sax) on that '82 tour. Check out 3:56 in for his introduction during GOF:
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2018 12:13:55 GMT -5
Someone I knew made a good observation. Nick is primarily a pad player= sustained chords, synth strings etc.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2018 13:40:17 GMT -5
I saw Bryan Ferry 11 days ago in the old Alma mater Trinity College Dublin. Before I go onto wax lyrical about his musicians (and yes I know this is a DD board)... I just want to add this, on the sudden death in Ireland of Lucy Birley 3 days previously, to whom he was married for 23 years and mother to his four sons. Please indulge me, Bryan deserves it. I was sure the concert would be cancelled, it wasn’t.
On Friday week last, when the band came out on stage I was closely watching everyone’s expression on stage, which was guarded. And when the applause erupted there was just such power and comfort in its sound, and Bryan broke into the most genuine smile. After that the performance was so uplifting and life affirming. Everyone in stage was so present and without sounding corny it was a real communion of artists and audience. I felt proud that a country that must hold such mixed emotions for him currently, was able to be truly present for him in return. Reportedly, at least three of his sons were in the audience (I didn’t see them glued to the barrier as I was), and I hope they felt the strength of the audience embrace too. It seemed to me that for those 90 minutes Bryan was right where he wanted and needed to be, and it spoke of the healing power of music, to me anyway.
That was a very powerful experience. Back to the musicians- I’ll spare you the finer details but..... A viola player who plays synths, a sax player who plays synths and oboe, a piano player plus Bryan who also plays the piano, he has recently lost one very talented guitarist but still has guitar and bass player. And two incredible backing singers. There have at times been more than one drummer.
Plenty of room for everyone. You don’t go to a Bryan Ferry gig to see Bryan, you go to see the entire band. I don’t need Nick to change or JT or well.... but it would be nice if the collaborations were of a more enduring basis for live audiences rather than Dr dancephobia. While I’m waiting for DD to think about investing more heavily in their musicians, my concert priorities for the foreseeable future will reflect that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2018 15:26:17 GMT -5
Would have like to have heard ‘more than this’ (sorry!) For a moment there I thought it was WC playing with a wig! My point being what an incredible solo! Loved it. I do need to see Ferry before he sails off into the sunset. Claim to fame: I met him while we were both holidaying in Zanzibar in 2000. We spent Christmas and New Year over there. What a chance encounter? Yes, very sad news about his ex (the mother of his children). Irrespective of his love of performing, it was still very brave to go on stage. The show must go on as it were. ] Ha consider yourself lucky. I have stood beside people who spend entire gigs filming and snapping. Each to his own. For me it feels well very “second hand in glove with second rate” and disrespectful almost, so I’m very light on film, I do understand the desire to capture an image through your own eyes and immortalise it in photo but for me the price of doing that means reduced presence and emotional connection so it’s not worth it. I do wish I’d filmed the tail end of “out of the blue” though, (which always reminds me of Rio incidentally) to support my point on musicianship. But yes gorgeous solo from Chris Spedding and sadly for me I never saw DD in the Warren years. Sometimes it’s a case of you gotta have been there.... but if I got the chance to meet BF somewhere exotic I wouldn’t complain!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2018 23:37:33 GMT -5
I looked at the Roland video and Nick like tries to stab at one chord the whole demo. And rather unconvincingly. Yes, best to try to take on multiple keys at once if talking about "polyphony," Mr. Rhodes! Yeah, I remember seeing the MTV unplugged and thinking there were a lot of cringe-worthy, Nick-looking-like-a-piece-of-furniture moments... For our resident youtube junkies, might I propose we try a friendly competition? To present video evidence of Nick's *most convincing, most proficient* keyboard moment? Ever? A piano riff? Perhaps a trill or a flourish? Certainly if more than two fingers are involved at a *simultaneous chronological instance* (see? I worked in some *Nickspeak*) then we're half-way to having a winner... Please submit your video in *black-and-white* accompanied by laissez-faire narration.
John Jones has been an enthusiastic supporter of the band who after all this time continues to still champion DD. I think even Nile Rodgers is getting tired of being used & abused. If they don't recruit John Jones to produce the next album, they are truly retards. He saved the band from the *brink* before. Any man who can come in after Liberty and then get The Wedding Album out of 'em as an end-result less than 2 years later is a genius, imho. Ok, I know WaCu played a big part...
And I'm not slagging Nick - it is what it is. The thread posed a question about how much he's playing, etc. I like some of his sonic scapes ideas and it really does have a true cinematic feel at times, but sometimes the bleeps and Kurzweil farts are a little too annoying. At least he's not waving his hands through light beams anymore.
I love when the band talks about Duranocracy i.e. the democracy within the band but it's obvious *The Controller* gets his way most of the time... Who the hell argues about a chord with John *fcking* Barry?? Who gets TWO musical songwriting guitar geniuses thrown out a dance rock band, with the original guitarist getting thrown out TWICE because of *guitar hate?* Who owns the *brand* of a band with sole control over the Duran Duran name? That's a democracy? No, Roger, no... we will have *electronic drums* from now on incase I want to change something in post, I can put it in myself, incase I decide to, er, *re-do the whole album myself* and no, John, no, *synthbass* is the way to go. Simon, please sing these notes into my sampler incase your vocal chords ever go out again or if you get #me-too'd after all - so we can trigger your *dooo-doo-doo-doo-dooo's* etc just in case...
I've seen this mop of tousled hair before and now we understand - were Duran Duran a country called America, I think we've found our *Donald Trump*
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Post by sergejames on Aug 8, 2018 3:18:13 GMT -5
But you're not slagging Nick?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2018 11:06:16 GMT -5
I say bring on more synthbass!
Bring on more live bass!
Bring on more electronic drums!
Bring on guitar!
Bring on more Nile Rodgers- He loves the band!
Bring on more fun!
Keep the party going!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2018 13:10:44 GMT -5
But you're not slagging Nick? <iframe width="15.919999999999959" height="2.9200000000000017" style="position: absolute; width: 15.919999999999959px; height: 2.9200000000000017px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none;left: 15px; top: -5px;" id="MoatPxIOPT1_4263059" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="15.919999999999959" height="2.9200000000000017" style="position: absolute; width: 15.92px; height: 2.92px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 744px; top: -5px;" id="MoatPxIOPT1_34907098" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="15.919999999999959" height="2.9200000000000017" style="position: absolute; width: 15.92px; height: 2.92px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 15px; top: 87px;" id="MoatPxIOPT1_11920343" scrolling="no"></iframe> <iframe width="15.919999999999959" height="2.9200000000000017" style="position: absolute; width: 15.92px; height: 2.92px; z-index: -9999; border-style: none; left: 744px; top: 87px;" id="MoatPxIOPT1_18496257" scrolling="no"></iframe> No, not in the least. He does have *small hands* tho. And he seems very *low energy.*
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oakey
PAPER GOD
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Post by oakey on Aug 8, 2018 15:03:51 GMT -5
I found the PG tour very underwhelming. I think I set my standards too high perhaps. Having experienced over 60 shows by Duran, I expect more of the same thing. Old hands should be better equipped so to speak. The only tour pre reunion that fell flat for me was the ill fated ‘Let it Flow’ tour of 1999/2000 (perhaps my trip to Zanzibar was a bad omen - not here to keep an eye on things ) However, when Simon wasn’t throwing dirty glances towards Warren, the band still gelled. Forget ages of the band, the PG tour is the worst Duran tour I’ve ever encountered. Or to be positive it was my least favourite. Wow, 60 shows. I only saw them twice, BLT in 88 and reunion 2005 at MSG... I would very much have liked to go and see a PG show, even if it was underwhelming and NR only pressed the Play button for each song, but unfortunately, the band stopped touring Europe after the RCM tour (which I did not attend)
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