Another Dark Side of the Moon
October 4, 2020 5:02 AM Subscribe
Martin Miller Session Band perform live in studio a cover of The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.
Its interesting that you can't really re-create the album without having the singer on "Great Gig in the Sky" be the star of the show. Jenny Marsala delivers I think
Instrument wise: I picture the place smelling credibly of hot valves.
posted by rongorongo at 6:01 AM on October 4, 2020
Instrument wise: I picture the place smelling credibly of hot valves.
posted by rongorongo at 6:01 AM on October 4, 2020
Drummer is sometimes working the snare and kick bass a bit too hard for my taste, and the drums could sometimes be a touch further back in the mix (mainly in the first half, IIRC), and there is never going to be another Clare Torry.
But nice work and excellent musicianship all round, with smoking guitar solos on Money and Any Colour You Like. Live band performances are always much harder to get right and they nailed it.
Good engineering too for a live gig in such a small space, covering an album so renowned for its sonic and engineering quality.
Added to my YT list of DSOTM covers.
Thanks. :)
posted by Pouteria at 6:16 AM on October 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
But nice work and excellent musicianship all round, with smoking guitar solos on Money and Any Colour You Like. Live band performances are always much harder to get right and they nailed it.
Good engineering too for a live gig in such a small space, covering an album so renowned for its sonic and engineering quality.
Added to my YT list of DSOTM covers.
Thanks. :)
posted by Pouteria at 6:16 AM on October 4, 2020 [2 favorites]
Agreed, Pouteria. The snare seemed tuned really high for the first 2-3 songs. The drummer was incredible, though.
posted by kuanes at 6:24 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by kuanes at 6:24 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
Drummer is sometimes working the snare and kick bass a bit too hard for my taste,
He is fire-able just for the little snare roll at the end of the "Breathe" intro
posted by thelonius at 6:42 AM on October 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
He is fire-able just for the little snare roll at the end of the "Breathe" intro
posted by thelonius at 6:42 AM on October 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
Yeah, the drummer stuck out like a sore thumb. Really technically proficient musicians - particularly jazz musicians - have a really, really hard time when it comes to playing pop and rock music, where the first and foremost rule is: serve the song. Don't add flibbertyjibbets everywhere to prove how awesome you are.
They are all of them amazing musicians, but right out of the gate it feels like a soundalike attempt, and on that front it falls flat.
posted by grumpybear69 at 6:49 AM on October 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
They are all of them amazing musicians, but right out of the gate it feels like a soundalike attempt, and on that front it falls flat.
posted by grumpybear69 at 6:49 AM on October 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
The duo of singers on Roger Water's 2016 tour made the show with Great Gig in the Sky. I was floored. Some of the best few minutes of my life - transported.
I wish it were as easy to find rosters for roadshows as it is for records.
posted by j_curiouser at 7:03 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
I wish it were as easy to find rosters for roadshows as it is for records.
posted by j_curiouser at 7:03 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
and...nice listen, thanks.
posted by j_curiouser at 7:09 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by j_curiouser at 7:09 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
The drummer was incredible, though.
posted by kuanes
Just to be clear, I was not in any way dissing his chops, and there were times when he was hitting the musical mark nicely, especially in the second half.
Really technically proficient musicians - particularly jazz musicians - have a really, really hard time when it comes to playing pop and rock music, where the first and foremost rule is: serve the song. Don't add flibbertyjibbets everywhere to prove how awesome you are.
posted by grumpybear69
Username checks out. :)
I have always liked Nick Mason's understated economical style, which always serves the music.
posted by Pouteria at 7:24 AM on October 4, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by kuanes
Just to be clear, I was not in any way dissing his chops, and there were times when he was hitting the musical mark nicely, especially in the second half.
Really technically proficient musicians - particularly jazz musicians - have a really, really hard time when it comes to playing pop and rock music, where the first and foremost rule is: serve the song. Don't add flibbertyjibbets everywhere to prove how awesome you are.
posted by grumpybear69
Username checks out. :)
I have always liked Nick Mason's understated economical style, which always serves the music.
posted by Pouteria at 7:24 AM on October 4, 2020 [4 favorites]
The duo of singers on Roger Water's 2016 tour made the show with Great Gig in the Sky.Lucius has collaborated on a few things with Waters. Wondering if it was them?
posted by missmobtown at 8:47 AM on October 4, 2020
I have always liked Nick Mason's understated economical style, which always serves the music.
Nothing but respect for this guy. He absolutely delivers in the Pompeii movie, which probably rates as my personal fave Pink Floyd achievement. And I love what he's done recently with his trip back to the Syd Barrett era ... and points beyond and within.
posted by philip-random at 9:16 AM on October 4, 2020 [4 favorites]
Nothing but respect for this guy. He absolutely delivers in the Pompeii movie, which probably rates as my personal fave Pink Floyd achievement. And I love what he's done recently with his trip back to the Syd Barrett era ... and points beyond and within.
posted by philip-random at 9:16 AM on October 4, 2020 [4 favorites]
> Lucius has collaborated on a few things with Waters. Wondering if it was them?
That's correct - Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig from Lucius were the singers on Waters' 2016 performances and the 2017 tour (and lots of other work with Waters over the last few years). They're fantastic.
Currently looking forward to seeing Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets next year - postponed twice so far. It's a strangely encouraging time to be a Pink Floyd fan.
posted by offog at 9:50 AM on October 4, 2020
That's correct - Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig from Lucius were the singers on Waters' 2016 performances and the 2017 tour (and lots of other work with Waters over the last few years). They're fantastic.
Currently looking forward to seeing Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets next year - postponed twice so far. It's a strangely encouraging time to be a Pink Floyd fan.
posted by offog at 9:50 AM on October 4, 2020
no - i got as far as breathe and the drummer's pushing the band too much - nick mason pulls back and is simpler - he leaves a lot more space for the rest of the band and that's critical for this album
posted by pyramid termite at 10:12 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by pyramid termite at 10:12 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
Thank you for sharing this. I find it very enjoyable.
I was Extremely Cool in high school in the 80s and never listened to trash like Pink Floyd -- not that I'd ever heard their music, but i just knew it was trash. Then I got a nerdy boyfriend who liked to do stuff like "listen to whole albums from start to finish" and other radical things. On one of our first dates he took me to Laserium (!) at the Griffith Observatory (!!) and it was the entire Dark Side of the Moon album. It blew my mind (I promise I was completely sober at the time).
And then I can chart the progression of my fandom via purchasing the cassette (was it a double cassette? I can't remember) and later the CD and eventually getting it on iTunes. That meant when I finally became a mom I was able to have that beautiful full-circle moment of my kid asking me to "stop playing this outer space music." He was only about 5 years old, not old enough to be Extremely Cool like I once was, but that's how I knew that his opinion was authentic. It's outer space music, guys.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2020 [6 favorites]
I was Extremely Cool in high school in the 80s and never listened to trash like Pink Floyd -- not that I'd ever heard their music, but i just knew it was trash. Then I got a nerdy boyfriend who liked to do stuff like "listen to whole albums from start to finish" and other radical things. On one of our first dates he took me to Laserium (!) at the Griffith Observatory (!!) and it was the entire Dark Side of the Moon album. It blew my mind (I promise I was completely sober at the time).
And then I can chart the progression of my fandom via purchasing the cassette (was it a double cassette? I can't remember) and later the CD and eventually getting it on iTunes. That meant when I finally became a mom I was able to have that beautiful full-circle moment of my kid asking me to "stop playing this outer space music." He was only about 5 years old, not old enough to be Extremely Cool like I once was, but that's how I knew that his opinion was authentic. It's outer space music, guys.
posted by BlahLaLa at 11:27 AM on October 4, 2020 [6 favorites]
Speaking as a mediocre amateur drummer who has to struggle not to fill every space with my own sounds, I'm also marking this guy down quite heavily for the same thing. And the guitarist could use quite a lot more stripping back as well.
Great Gig vocals are pretty decent. I'd like to hear more of her and the keyboard and bass players, because between them they do the best job of resisting the tendency to complicate this piece to its detriment.
Oh dear... Money just started. Somebody please replace that drummer's Duracells with regular batteries.
I don't hate the sax player.
posted by flabdablet at 11:29 AM on October 4, 2020
Great Gig vocals are pretty decent. I'd like to hear more of her and the keyboard and bass players, because between them they do the best job of resisting the tendency to complicate this piece to its detriment.
Oh dear... Money just started. Somebody please replace that drummer's Duracells with regular batteries.
I don't hate the sax player.
posted by flabdablet at 11:29 AM on October 4, 2020
OMG. Us and Them and funk so don't make comfortable travelling companions. I just cannot.
posted by flabdablet at 11:38 AM on October 4, 2020
posted by flabdablet at 11:38 AM on October 4, 2020
Playing exactly what was required and nothing more is a hallmark of the Pink Floyd sound. The only players given room to noodle are guests like Clare Torry and whoever played sax on "Money." They may have been spacey but they were most definitely not a jam band.
posted by grumpybear69 at 11:41 AM on October 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 11:41 AM on October 4, 2020 [3 favorites]
I liked the organ parts. As I said at the time it was released, "All the right notes and with a ton of feel."
posted by ob1quixote at 11:42 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by ob1quixote at 11:42 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
The only players given room to noodle are guests
Quite so. Gilmour's guitar parts were always much more your al dente pasta than your noodle.
posted by flabdablet at 11:58 AM on October 4, 2020 [5 favorites]
Quite so. Gilmour's guitar parts were always much more your al dente pasta than your noodle.
posted by flabdablet at 11:58 AM on October 4, 2020 [5 favorites]
They're very composed, which fits well with Roger's songwriting and the extremely deliberate production.
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:06 PM on October 4, 2020
posted by grumpybear69 at 12:06 PM on October 4, 2020
The only players given room to noodle are guests
what about Any Colour You Like?
posted by philip-random at 2:27 PM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]
This is why I could never be in a cover band; it'd be OOPS ALL FLIBBERTYJIBBETS at least 33% of the time
posted by runehog at 3:39 PM on October 4, 2020
posted by runehog at 3:39 PM on October 4, 2020
I wish it were as easy to find rosters for roadshows as it is for records.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_%2B_Them_Tour
posted by anazgnos at 8:39 AM on October 5, 2020
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_%2B_Them_Tour
posted by anazgnos at 8:39 AM on October 5, 2020
My main men The Main Squeeze — known for a killer cover of “Have a Cigar” among many other outstanding achievements — will cover Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety live on their YouTube channel Sunday, 11 October 2020 at 5 P.M. PST [Facebook announcment].
posted by ob1quixote at 10:49 AM on October 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by ob1quixote at 10:49 AM on October 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Now there is a drummer who understands how to play Pink Floyd's material.
Looking forward to their live Dark Side. Thanks, ob1quixote!
posted by flabdablet at 10:00 AM on October 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Looking forward to their live Dark Side. Thanks, ob1quixote!
posted by flabdablet at 10:00 AM on October 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Holy crap, those guys are seriously good. This cover of Led Zeppelin's No Quarter reveals a better understanding for the feel of the material than any other band I've ever heard do it, and that includes some of Zeppelin's own performances; there are a lot of Zeppelin bootlegs out there and only a very few of them rise to this level.
posted by flabdablet at 10:14 AM on October 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 10:14 AM on October 7, 2020 [2 favorites]
Also, whoever is engineering their recordings deserves many many beers. Those recordings are beautifully balanced.
Also also, they're on Bandcamp. Go. Buy.
posted by flabdablet at 10:46 AM on October 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also also, they're on Bandcamp. Go. Buy.
posted by flabdablet at 10:46 AM on October 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
This Main Squeeze cover of With A Little Help From My Friends is exactly what my socially distanced soul needed right now.
posted by flabdablet at 8:55 AM on October 8, 2020
posted by flabdablet at 8:55 AM on October 8, 2020
« Older There’s No Stronger Way to Meet the Unknown | The Insufferable Hubris of the Well-Credentialed Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by fairmettle at 5:34 AM on October 4, 2020 [1 favorite]