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Originally Posted by Urban Hatemonger
I think there are several ways of seeing if a band has passion.
Actually saying something rather than resorting to lazy lyrical cliches.
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Well some musicians put all the emphasis on the actual music and the lyrics are just filler. Whats wrong with that? I mean you're an AC/DC fan, you should understand what I mean.
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Excessive use of soloing when you can't be bothered to think up an original idea for a song to use instead. (Case in point Noel Gallagher admitted this is what he did on Be Here Now. An album slated by fans and critics alike)
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A song can be carried by a solo just like it can be carried by a riff, just as long as it's a good solo. I can't hide the fact that I love a good solo. I do think some metal goes a little overboard with it, the best example is Cacophony. My god.
But to me it's silly to judge passion based on the song structure. I think a band can be just as passionate playing a 20 minute prog suite as a band playing a 3 minute verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus pop song.
I really HATE the notion that more skilled musicians are less passionate about music, that's really the most retarded thing I've ever hard. If they didn't have a true passion or love of music why would they practice so much and devote themselves to getting better at their instrument? Are you telling me they are only in it for the money? That would be kinda pointless since that dosen't require any skill at all.
I find it plain insulting that people call bands like Yes passionless, not liking their music is one thing. But you have to be deaf not to appreciate how much care they put into what they do, memorizing a complex 20 minute song and playing it live ain't f*cking easy. And to be that devoted has to require some real respect for music. Just because it's technical music dosen't mean it's only about showing off, if that were true then every virtuoso would be doing what Yngwie Malmsteen is doing. And even to Yngwie's credit, you can tell he enjoys himself.
Watch Steve Howe live, he's always got a big grin on his face (which is kinda scary because he looks like the crypt keeper) and you can really tell he loves what he does.
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Vocal delivery , Just listen to Lydon sing at an early Pistols gig such as Screen On The Green in 76 when they just started out & he was angry and had something he wanted to say and then compare it to the last gig at Winterland in 78 when he sounded totally jaded , couldn't be bothered and just wanted it to end. There's a world of difference.
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Yeah, but it also depends on the genre of music, punk is simple and it dosen't give a sh*t about missing a note or two so it's great that punk bands can be really energetic on stage. But when you're making more complex music, it requires that you focus on what you're doing and you wont have time to jump around and sh*t. Robert Fripp on stage is a robot, son of a bitch dosen't even bother to stand up. That dosen't mean he has no passion for what he does, he's just completely focused on what he's doing.
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Progression (or lack of , or too much) Personally I think this works two ways, If you can't be bothered to build on what you can already do and just release the same album over & over I don't really see how you can get excited about playing it
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What about AC/DC?
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On the other hand if you suddenly want to add 500 piece orchestras , choirs , samples , studio trickery or whatever to your music then it's seems to me that there's not really anything there with any substance to start with.
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Thats not always true, some people prefer different sounds and different tools for making music. A sampler can be just as important of a musical instrument as a guitar, just ask a rapper. The studio can be the main instrument, and theres nothing wrong with that. Some bands just want to make a great album and not even care if it's too complex for them to recreate live, again theres nothing wrong with that.
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Sudden changes of direction for no apparent reason
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Theres always a reason. I certainly wouldn't call taking risks a sign of having no passion. Changing the formula is always risky. Some artists succeed at change (David Bowie, King Crimson) and some fail (KISS) but you know what they say, you never know until you try.
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- People like the Clash & Bowie have changed direction but it's always been a natural change. Bowie's Low album didn't come out of nowhere , he was building towards it even without Eno as in the Station To Station album. Same with The Clash , London Calling didn't just happen it was all their collective influences being brought to the front. Compare that to Madonna who just phones up ... (Insert trendy DJ name here)... And get's him to do the work so she's still 'hip' and can sell.
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Well you have a point about Madonna, I think Kenny said it best.
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Originally Posted by Kenny
Madonna is an old anorexic whore who wore out her welcome years ago, and that now she suddenly speaks with a British accent and she thinks she can play guitar and she should go **** herself.
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Soul music - How do you think it got it's name.
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Probably different reasons. A lot of soul singers have their roots in singing the gospel.
But really, just hitting the right notes can have an emotional effect on people, and I'm certainly not immune to that effect. But does that mean a musicians passion is pouring into the music (which dosen't even make sense) or is it just a sign of a damn good ear. I prefer to just think of it as the latter.
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Those are some of my interpretations or course there are others , of course there are always exceptions to these.
I guess at the end of the day some people are better at spotting a fake than others.
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Or maybe some people are really good at faking it. How could you tell?