Re: How come pop music never comes up here?

[tim echols <eekamouse67@yahoo.com>]

i would argue that it was the ubiquity of remixing that pushed this to the forefront, at least in anything the least bit dancey.  you can watch it solidify in the 90s, as, for an example, jamiroquai changed from loose n' limber stevie wonderesque acid jazz grooves that any motown session would have been proud to produce, to the wretched fourth album, called "synkronized" because it was linked to a 4/4 template for ease of remixing.  i would also say that the reliance of touring acts on pre-recorded backing tracks in place of touring musicians has increased reliance on metronomic means of recording the original album material. oh, and neil peart set a new level of precision for all drummers after him.  after my third rush concert, i stopped going, because i actually wanted to hear something different than the album, and rush reproduced their songs so faithfully in the late 80s that it was a waste for me to go to shows.  but i am sure that quite a few "feel" drummers from the 80s on have been frustrated in studios as one producer after another attempted to smooth their groove by the metronome.  i'm sure the disco years were tough on charlie watts.

 

time (tsunamidaily)

From: andy butler <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk>
To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 12:02 PM
Subject: Re: How come pop music never comes up here?

Matt Davignon wrote:
> I wouldn't even say it's to cover bad musicianship. I think the amount
> of polish that goes into modern rock and roll is so ubiquitous that
> listeners expect bands to play songs with inhuman precision, and no
> variation. Anything less than that is considered a "bad take"!
>
> Personally I enjoy hearing the occasional subtle screwups.

Right, so in the 1980's someone decided that metronomic was
accurate and correct, and anything else, even if it added
a certain charm, was essentially a mistake, or at least inaccurate.

Anyone know why that caught on?
andy
(thinks he's playing off the beat with precision )