The Daves-- Grohl versus Stewart

[bombaysaffires]

I've been listening to 24karat Gold a lot lately, and I kinda forgot about You Can't Fix This. Then it came up in the shuffle on my iTunes today. I was really taken aback by the difference in the quality of the sound of compared to any of the tracks on 24k. Night and day to my ears. None of the digital muckery on 24k can hold a candle to that analog sound on YCFT. Her vocals are really warm, there's none of that "spitty" or slurry distortion that riddles her vocals on 24k, and the vocal edits are not glaringly obvious like on 24k. The bass is warm and fat... I could go on but you get my point.

The song itself goes on waaay too long, but then so do nearly all the songs on 24k.

I think Grohl really channeled the vibe of old-school Stevie, down to the reverb on her vocals (though far, far, far less than say Bella Donna, etc). But Dave Stewart uses none and that, combined with the flat sound of the compressed digital files really doesn't do her justice. (And that weird digital 'bass' sound on the beginning of Belle Fleur that makes me think of that "Oh yeah" song in Ferris Bueller's Day Off...don't get me started.)

Does anyone else feel this way?

[Macfanforever]

Hahaha.Mr Stewart is my pick.As everybody knows that I'm not crazy over the "You Can't Fix This".

I like Dave G as a person but if the mix of You Can't Fix This with the guitars and other instruments were tamed with lower sound levels .I would hear Stevie's voice better in the tune without the noise.

The 24K mix came out great.So far I have not hear any strange sounds then the music on my copy of 24K as some Ledgies mentioned about hearing strange sounds on the recordings.

[DauphineMarie]

I think the sound quality is WAAAAY better on You Can't Fix This, but prefer Stewart's production techniques in general. I miss the old feel of analog-recorded music, instead of the "digital muckery" as you've so appropriately named.

[StreetAngel86]

Dave S has always creeped me out. cannot help it.
I like Eurythmics songs and most of what he's done with Stevie but I don't like him.

Dave G on the other hand ... I have been a Foo fan since they worked on the X-Files soundtrack circa 98 I do not think he's creepy.

I think Dave G needs to work with Stevie more so we can see what he can get from her. One song isn't really enough to judge by.

[welcomechris]

Originally Posted by StreetAngel86

Dave S has always creeped me out. cannot help it.
I like Eurythmics songs and most of what he's done with Stevie but I don't like him.

Dave G on the other hand ... I have been a Foo fan since they worked on the X-Files soundtrack circa 98 I do not think he's creepy.

I think Dave G needs to work with Stevie more so we can see what he can get from her. One song isn't really enough to judge by.

I'm a small fan of both of their bands but I agree that Mr. Stewart is creepy (i thought i was the only one )

[Macfanforever]

Originally Posted by DauphineMarie

I think the sound quality is WAAAAY better on You Can't Fix This, but prefer Stewart's production techniques in general. I miss the old feel of analog-recorded music, instead of the "digital muckery" as you've so appropriately named.

Yes I rather see an album done the old fashion analog way then the digital way.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by DauphineMarie

I think the sound quality is WAAAAY better on You Can't Fix This, but prefer Stewart's production techniques in general. I miss the old feel of analog-recorded music, instead of the "digital muckery" as you've so appropriately named.

whew. so i'm not the only one out here in the wilderness.

[BlueDenimLamp]

Originally Posted by DauphineMarie

I think the sound quality is WAAAAY better on You Can't Fix This, but prefer Stewart's production techniques in general. I miss the old feel of analog-recorded music, instead of the "digital muckery" as you've so appropriately named.

This is why if Stevie is involved with a new FM record I hope LB has little to no production involvement with her songs...LB will equal "Digital Muckery" / production overload...I will take what either of the Dave's can offer from a creative /production stand point any day...

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by BlueDenimLamp

This is why if Stevie is involved with a new FM record I hope LB has little to no production involvement with her songs...LB will equal "Digital Muckery" / production overload...I will take what either of the Dave's can offer from a creative /production stand point any day...

agree on the over-production, but a lot of that is analog muckery (check him out with his razor blade editing the 2" tape in the Destiny Rules documentary). He's capable of bi-muckery.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by BlueDenimLamp

This is why if Stevie is involved with a new FM record I hope LB has little to no production involvement with her songs...LB will equal "Digital Muckery" / production overload...I will take what either of the Dave's can offer from a creative /production stand point any day...

Points well taken. But how could an album sound cohesive if one third of the songs have a different production process/style? I agree that Lindsey's current approach relies too much
on technology that results in digital muckery (great term!). The sound is more sharp and steely, lacking a certain depth and warmth.

Prior to Tango in the Night, Lindsey had a much more organic, sensitive touch that served Stevie's songs very well. Let's no forget that his exemplary production work on Stevie's songs earned her the credibility to launch her solo career. His work on Say You Will revealed a substantial change in his production style, exposing how insular he has become.

I would hope that Christine's influence has provided crucial counter-balance. If Lindsey's ego can handle having a co-producer, I think everything will even out. If they choose a co-producer that Stevie gels with, even better!

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

I agree that Lindsey's current approach relies too much
on technology that results in digital muckery (great term!). The sound is more sharp and steely, lacking a certain depth and warmth.

Prior to Tango in the Night, Lindsey had a much more organic, sensitive touch that served Stevie's songs very well. Let's no forget that his exemplary production work on Stevie's songs earned her the credibility to launch her solo career. His work on Say You Will revealed a substantial change in his production style, exposing how insular he has become.

yes, that's it-- it's cold and steely.

Lindsey absolutely interpreted and arranged Stevie's songs in a way that got her the critical and popular attention that helped make her a star. I would add, however, that he never produced her best stuff single-handedly--- there was always another producer, another point of view with a say, whether it was Keith Olsen, Ken or Richard. For example, Richard says that Lindsey and the rest of the band were not that keen on Dreams and that he, Richard, really saw the potential of it and advocated for working on it. And Ken talks in his book about coming up with the arrangement of making "what you lost/what you had" into a pre-chorus …so who can say what that (or any other Mac song) would have become solely in Lindsey's hands Lindsey tends to really keep the drums and bass waaaay down in the mix, or out of a song altogether (see lots of solo stuff) and it's the drums and especially John's bass that reallllly takes a lot of Stevie's classic material into the stratosphere (Rhiannon, Dreams, Angel, etc).

You are so right that Lindsey's production has veered way off on another tangent --probably since the mid 90s really. His best solo album, for me anyway, and the one that got the most critical acclaim also, was OOTC, and that was co-produced with Richard, who states on his blog that he has a more 'commercial' style than LB (and he muses that might be one of the professional reasons they stopped working together).

Hmmm… maybe I should patent "digital muckery"…? I could sell teeshirts It could become a credit on people's albums: Digital Muckery by Dave Stewart. Would that make him the Digital Mucker? "Oh I'm doing another solo album and Dave Stewart's going to be my Digital Muckerer"?

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by StreetAngel86

I think Dave G needs to work with Stevie more so we can see what he can get from her. One song isn't really enough to judge by.

This. Results are inconclusive. After all, Dave freely admitted the Foo Fighters wrote the music for You Can't Fix this, and honed the sound over several years. Stevie just added her words on top of a finished product that was never meant for her consumption. So how would a fully Stevie written song produced by Grohl sound? I don't think anyone can know. We have little clues with how Grohl reinterpreted some of Stevie's classic songs with her onstage, but that's about all we have to go on. Between that and You Can't Fix This, I do know I greatly like what I hear, though. Grohl seems to bring out something special in Stevie.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Lindsey tends to really keep the drums and bass waaaay down in the mix, or out of a song altogether (see lots of solo stuff)

But if you listen to the stuff he did for John Stewart, that's not the case at all.

Michele

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by michelej1

But if you listen to the stuff he did for John Stewart, that's not the case at all.

Michele

yesss… but John surely had some input and ideas about his music (as much of a man-crush as he had on LB).

And LB hadn't gone fully over the edge at that point.. that was what? 77? 78?

[Macfanforever]

This is the way I like my music to be recorded.


Just think the lady is opening Stevie's 24K then Romeo and Juliet .LOL....