Members Stackabones Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 What has influenced you as a songwriter in the past ... or since the last FIT? * As a second-generation Dallas-area musician, I grew up with my father telling me tales about the Vaughans, Steve Miller, Boz Scaggs, and Denny Freeman (my dad actually played in band with Freeman). That's just the short list. Dusty Hill and Frank Beard are also from the Dallas area, which is probably where they first heard the Nightcaps play Thunderbird. A little Wiki backstory about this tune ... Thunderbird was originally written and performed by the Nightcaps, a band formed in the 1950s when the members were teenagers. The Nightcaps performed the song and distributed it on their album "Wine, Wine, Wine" but never applied for copyright. ZZ Top began performing its version of the song in 1975, and has conceded that its version is lyrically and musically identical to the Nightcaps' song. The Nightcaps sued ZZ Top for, among other things, copyright infringement, but their claims were dismissed because, in part, ZZ Top had registered a copyright on the song in 1975. Of course, I grew up with my dad saying -- that's a Nightcaps' tune! And I told my friends, who didn't know WTF I was talking about. Get high, everybody, get high! [YOUTUBE]3TkKnhbq6QY[/YOUTUBE] Everyone in Dallas in the 60s wanted to sound like Jimmy Reed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 Well... I'm in love so today I don't even have to think about it. Euro-Nigerian hip hop/neo-soul singer Nneka has grabbed me and won't let go... she's cute, funny, smart... and she doesn't write about partying and boys and bling. By a million miles. She's been active in Europe but a compilation of singles and European releases, Concrete Jungle, is her first US release... 6ivg3J3h5Ps GIDjwGChFo4 WmwXaPW6wG4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 Now... this is an influence but more on the cautionary side -- be careful what you wish for... AGaol2jsdgI I know I'm going to work on my pitch after watching that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 Thunderbird was originally written and performed by the Nightcaps, a band formed in the 1950s when the members were teenagers. The Nightcaps performed the song and distributed it on their album "Wine, Wine, Wine" but never applied for copyright. ZZ Top began performing its version of the song in 1975, and has conceded that its version is lyrically and musically identical to the Nightcaps' song. The Nightcaps sued ZZ Top for, among other things, copyright infringement, but their claims were dismissed because, in part, ZZ Top had registered a copyright on the song in 1975.Another good example of the Copyright Office re-enforcing its own franchise and jurisdiction at the expense of justice and true intellectual property rights. BTW, I totally remember the original -- not the ZZ Top rip off -- from the radio. I hope the ZZ Top boys enjoyed some extra mink trim on their guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted February 5, 2010 Moderators Share Posted February 5, 2010 I once opened a set with Thunderbird at an AA dance. I mean, we had to stop and drink before we arrived. So we got up and jumped into our current kill them dead opener and... it hits me and my buddy sharing vocals with me... oh {censored}. Blue, I dig her. So me, I'm sort of in a fun vein lately. I like a lot of music that has no purpose other than to be fun. And Slade is fun. A little stupid, but fun. Like watching the Hangover or better/worse yet, a Will Farrel movie. He can make you die with laughter. Stupid but funny. Or like when I was a kid and saw some Jerry Lewis movies. The guy was a genius! But I think they've changed those movies cause he's not that funny to me anymore. They must've taken the funny bits out. Slade is fun. [YOUTUBE]bHoPYLQvnQM[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 I always have tended to run The Sweet and Slade together in my head, somehow. That's certainly a goofy song and vid, no question. I remember the song, the line about the chameleon in the sun seems familiar. I liked that line. I'm guessing that was from about '82 or so and I had was pretty much moving into my post-punk, no-time-for-what's-laughingly-called-metal-these-days mode, after a brief flirtation with early speed metal and UK neo-metal (Iron Maiden and a couple others). But as someone somewhere suggested recently (last week, here?), maybe Slade wasn't ever really a metal band, anyhow. I guess I just lumped hard rock and metal together in what I dismissed as phony, teenybopper oriented costume rock. (Much as punk became in the 80s and beyond.) But props to Slade for not tarting themselves up in studded leather and such. They look like the guys you'd drink with down at the pub, here, which is pretty endearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted February 5, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 I once opened a set with Thunderbird at an AA dance. I mean, we had to stop and drink before we arrived. So we got up and jumped into our current kill them dead opener and... it hits me and my buddy sharing vocals with me... oh {censored}. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted February 5, 2010 Moderators Share Posted February 5, 2010 I always have tended to run The Sweet and Slade together in my head, somehow. That's certainly a goofy song and vid, no question. I remember the song, the line about the chameleon in the sun seems familiar. I liked that line. I'm guessing that was from about '82 or so and I had was pretty much moving into my post-punk, no-time-for-what's-laughingly-called-metal-these-days mode, after a brief flirtation with early speed metal and UK neo-metal (Iron Maiden and a couple others). But as someone somewhere suggested recently (last week, here?), maybe Slade wasn't ever really a metal band, anyhow. I guess I just lumped hard rock and metal together in what I dismissed as phony, teenybopper oriented costume rock. But props to Slade for not tarting themselves up in studded leather and such. They look like the guys you'd drink with down at the pub, here, which is pretty endearing. What almost ruined Slade for me, were the totally hack Quiet Riot covers of Come On Feel the Noize, etc. But Slade were fun, loud, quasi-glam contemporaries of T Rex, Sweet, Mott... Fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 The phrase "the law is an ass" originates in Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, when the character Mr. Bumble is informed that "the law supposes that your wife acts under your direction". Mr. Bumble replies "If the law supposes that ... the law is a [sic] ass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eeglug Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 Interesting coincidence - I just re-listened to 'Run Runaway' a couple of days ago. I hadn't heard since it was a hit way back. Ya, it's a fun song. It's probably not much of an endorsement to say that the members of Kiss were in admiration of Slade in their early 70s prime - the simple focused appeal of their material and their abilities as showmen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhino55 Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 A friend has been helping me learn to sing harmonies. Its been a challenge but well worth it. I've wanted to learn how to do this ever since I heard Its nice to be able to see some progress along these lines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rsadasiv Posted February 5, 2010 Members Share Posted February 5, 2010 I'm doing a Mingus song for my guitar lesson this week: 2aabGVlaFZE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted February 6, 2010 Members Share Posted February 6, 2010 Dan Seals & John Coley - most of their songs. But especially this one. uVnP_Otiafc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rsadasiv Posted February 6, 2010 Members Share Posted February 6, 2010 I know I'm going to work on my pitch after watching that. Holy Crap. Anyone who disses Auto-Tune has not had to listen to that performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chicken Monkey Posted February 6, 2010 Members Share Posted February 6, 2010 Holy Crap. Anyone who disses Auto-Tune has not had to listen to that performance. Or proper monitoring, I imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rsadasiv Posted February 7, 2010 Members Share Posted February 7, 2010 Or proper monitoring, I imagine. I did hear that they blamed a bad monitor mix, but Stevie Nicks somehow managed to stay on key. I had never listened to Taylor Swift before, but she seems like a perfect candidate for Auto-tune: her vocal timbre is fine, she just can't consistently hit a given pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chicken Monkey Posted February 7, 2010 Members Share Posted February 7, 2010 I did hear that they blamed a bad monitor mix, but Stevie Nicks somehow managed to stay on key. I may have a soft spot for Taylor because she's inspired one of the young people in my life to pick up guitar, but Stevie's been singing that song for 30 years. If I've been doing a song for a few months, I can usually lay down a vocal over a metronome, then go in to add guitar, and I'm usually spot on. Swift probably just didn't have the practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rsadasiv Posted February 7, 2010 Members Share Posted February 7, 2010 Yeah, but Taylor Swift's pitch was wandering on her own song as well. Auto-Tune FTW! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted February 7, 2010 Members Share Posted February 7, 2010 Or proper monitoring, I imagine.No one else was out like that. Poor Stevie -- who took her share of hits back in the day for her limited range, which, smartly, she never pushed -- looked horrified. And while there were some really stunning howlers in the "Rhiannon" duet and the third song, every other live performance I've seen has had at least as many problems as the first track here. I know a lot of folks like her girl next door personna and like her songwriting, but those are kind of separate issues. Here's someone who was taking home a best vocalist (country) award who is probably a worse singer than the average jane on the street. That's what at least part of the fuss is. And then, I suspect, the rest is that people are starting to move past the fiction that some people are only using A-T to give a little sheen to their vocals. I think part of the reason there was a big fuss about this is that people are starting to see just how much some of these pop stars rely on vocal pitch correction. Some people. There are -- according to their own statements -- people who swear they didn't here anything wrong with Swift's duet on "Rhiannon." All I can say is, wow, have I got an oldies act for you. They called her Mrs. Miller. I'm firmly of the opinion that with time and effort, even Taylor Swift could be taught to sing sufficiently for her clearly undemanding fans. What's insulting is that her handlers apparently don't think that's important -- and label head Borchetta said as much. (I rather liked Kelly Clarkson's barbed retort to that.) Do I feel bad for Taylor? You bet. I felt bad for Milli Vanilli, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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