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liddas
Up to 1990, the idea back every tour was "let's make something different". Since 1995, it is "let's make it sound better than the last time".

As I see it, the focus is on the general tone of the band on stage. The colors, the depth. Nowadays they make it seem simple, but there is a beauty, a delicacy, a refinement in every subtle detail, that always amazes me.

The band has the dynamics of a classic orchestra or a big band.

This has nothing to do with the technical abilities of the single artists. It's how the whole sounds.

There was an article some time ago where a Stones's sound tech acknowledged all this: they sound great, because they play great.

From this point of view, keeping the variations to the band minimal was an essential decision (and much appreciated by me).

The ONLY truly bad decisions since 1995 are 1) to keep that shitty sampled congas loop on Devil (this was particularly bad during the last tour, when they could have used the gorilla percussionist who played the intro back on stage!!!) and 2) not to force Chuck to use a true piano on stage.

Then again, people have different tastes, so the above may not be appreciated. But at least it should be noted!

C

Very well put, and I agree with the over-all analysis of the sound policy since 1994. As I see it, the musical content of the show and the sound of the band has been rather settled since the 1989/90 tour, and since then the attempt has been made to make that show a bit more interesting and better than last time (offering some non-much played or never played numbers belongs to the concept). The central idea in musical direction has been that of re-producing the original studio version by the best powers of their recent orchestra (which hasn't changed essentially since 1989). Before 1989, the way they approached their old numbers was more that of their recent sound, which changed along the years. That idea (of reproducing the original studio versions) alone, even though being a fresh and novel one in 1989, involves in itself the idea that there is not any longer progression in musical content looked for. Just make the re-production better and more appealing. I think the version of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in last tour was like a perfection of that idea. The song has not ever sounded closer to the original as it does there.

Like you said, this is a question of taste of how fascinating one sees the results during the last 20 years, and in that I apparently disagree with you.

- Doxa



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-01-15 13:38 by Doxa.

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matxil
Seeing and listening to the clips from Glastonbury and Hyde Park, I can only say they are doing a great job. There's still no band that can compete with them. And I am glad to say that they even still sound sloppy enough, although of course on the scale they are playing, a bit of organization is inevitable.
A band is a collection of people joining to create their overall sound. You deal with what you have not with "what you should have" (no band consists of what "they should be" because it's a meaningless idea).
In that sense, Lisa Fisher and Darryl Jones are just as much part of their sound and should obviously stay, and firing them would be wrong in so many ways. I don't care whether Lisa is 60 or 180 years old, she always will be great. However, having said that, I wouldn't mind if they lowered down this piano guy Leavell a bit in the mix...

+1

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DandelionPowderman
Edited due to boredom...

Dont tell me this is your first admission (a cryptic one) to being wr wr r r r ong..in attacking Doxa?

:-)

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Eleanor Rigby

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DandelionPowderman
Edited due to boredom...

Dont tell me this is your first admission (a cryptic one) to being wr wr r r r ong..in attacking Doxa?

:-)

I'm wrong all the time - Doxa is right...

Go by the opposite of what I'm saying, and you'll get a good life

Hehe..rock on

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Doxa

Quote
liddas
...
Up to 1990, the idea back every tour was "let's make something different". Since 1995, it is "let's make it sound better than the last time".

Nowadays they make it seem simple, but there is a beauty, a delicacy, a refinement in every subtle detail, that always amazes me.
...


There was an article some time ago where a Stones's sound tech acknowledged all this: they sound great, because they play great.

From this point of view, keeping the variations to the band minimal was an essential decision (and much appreciated by me).

C

Very well put, and I agree with the over-all analysis of the sound policy since 1994. As I see it, the musical content of the show and the sound of the band has been rather settled since the 1989/90 tour, and since then the attempt has been made to make that show a bit more interesting and better than last time (offering some non-much played or never played numbers belongs to the concept). The central idea in musical direction has been that of re-producing the original studio version by the best powers of their recent orchestra (which hasn't changed essentially since 1989). Before 1989, the way they approached their old numbers was more that of their recent sound, which changed along the years. That idea (of reproducing the original studio versions) alone, even though being a fresh and novel one in 1989, involves in itself the idea that there is not any longer progression in musical content looked for. Just make the re-production better and more appealing. I think the version of "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in last tour was like a perfection of that idea. The song has not ever sounded closer to the original as it does there.

Like you said, this is a question of taste of how fascinating one sees the results during the last 20 years, and in that I apparently disagree with you.

- Doxa

I think these points are well written, it's a question of taste. Imo the stones have reached a new point of perfection. Eg, watch YCAGWYW of the sweet summer sun dvd. It would be hard to top this perfection, and if you look not only at the band, how the two guitars are played, but also the chorus - and then the reaction of the audience with tears in their eyes.

Join the band on stage here - cool video, and a good Ronnie solo from 4:42