georg
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Post by georg on Oct 9, 2020 1:27:50 GMT
For your consideration:
Listening to WWTLF (album version) just now with headphones, I’m going to argue that the drums are mostly live (not a machine as has been hypothesized, notably on the ultimate bastion of knowledge, Wikipedia) but have certain production effects added to make them sound bigger and louder. Listen to the drums during Brian’s solo; the open hi-hat and drums, and the penultimate chorus at 2:49. The hi-hat that runs throughout may have been programmed, but it sounds like it may have been performed by Roger and then sampled (much like in One Vision).
Regarding bass, I can’t hear any. I’m trying to hear it but I guess there isn’t any whatsoever. I think I delude myself into hearing it during the final two choruses, but my hearing has gotten worse so I don’t trust my ears.
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pg
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Post by pg on Oct 9, 2020 6:54:51 GMT
Do we now all takes bets on whether Sebbie says "well spotted" or "yes i know"?
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jeroeng
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Post by jeroeng on Oct 9, 2020 9:49:23 GMT
According to the off-the-record score book, Who Wants To Live Forever has the following instrumentation:
lead vocals
backing vocals
electric guitar 1
electric guitar 2
electric guitar 3
keyboard 1 (organ)
keyboard 2
french horns
trumpets
trombones
strings
percussion (concert bass drum, woodblock)
drums
So indeed NO bass guitar! Only the basses in the string section.
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emrabt
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Post by emrabt on Oct 9, 2020 9:50:57 GMT
Do we now all takes bets on whether Sebbie says "well spotted" or "yes i know"? Sebastian, the true ultimate bastion of knowledge. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 13:31:11 GMT
I am not by any means the ultimate bastion of anything. My knowledge is far less than 0.00001% of what there is to know about any of these things.
However, even I can provide a far more accurate account than whoever edited that Wiki crap:
- Drums are mostly real indeed, although there's also a programmed hi-hat beat alongside the real one at some points (e.g. just before the beginning of the solo).
- There is electric bass too. That was something I only realised around 2015 when someone pointed it out to me via QZ. Especially noticeable, for instance, just before Frederick sings 'oh, when love must die'.
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emrabt
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Post by emrabt on Oct 9, 2020 14:07:01 GMT
I am not by any means the ultimate bastion of anything. My knowledge is far less than 0.00001% of what there is to know about any of these things. It was a play on words with your name and a quote in the OP's post.
Because people are always trying to get you to use shortened version of names, it jumped out at me as funny when you were mentioned in the thread .... and you know... bastian / bastion.
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Oct 9, 2020 14:21:33 GMT
Let's keep things friendly, folks. Sometimes, even if humorously intended, an unprovoked dig can come across as just that.
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emrabt
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Post by emrabt on Oct 9, 2020 14:26:31 GMT
It wasn't a dig.
It didn't land as intended as i had to explain it.
Maybe if it was originally formatted like this it would have been a bit more obvious:
Seb, the true ultimate BASTIAN of knowledge.
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pg
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Post by pg on Oct 9, 2020 22:37:43 GMT
To be clear, Sebbie was intended as jocularity.
Hopefully taken as such...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2020 20:14:54 GMT
Eight replies to this thread so far, nine if we count this one, and only two (22.22%) of them have dealt with whether or not 'Who Wants to Live Forever' has (human) bass and (human) drums.
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Oct 10, 2020 20:43:48 GMT
If only we had the stems...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2020 20:55:12 GMT
Of course, but even without the stems there's a lot that can be analysed, discussed, compared and contrasted. For instance, while the record certainly does contain real bass and real drums, it could be informative and interesting to compare them to the 1986 and 1992 live versions, which had no orchestra and therefore pushed them both more into the foreground. That's far more illustrative, educational and entertaining than devoting four or five replies to me. I'm not that important!
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emrabt
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Post by emrabt on Oct 10, 2020 20:58:21 GMT
I wonder if those AI programs which split tracks into separate stems would be able to help with analysis or would they not be clean enough?
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Oct 10, 2020 21:01:21 GMT
To be honest, I've never liked the production on the studio version, mostly because of the drum sound (live or processed, or a mix of the two), and comparatively, the live versions have never sounded very strong to me. To take a bit of a swerve, it's a bit like the live versions of Mama by Genesis. They never managed to recreate that huge gated reverb snare sound in the live environment, which took all the power out of the song, in my opinion. The first live version of WWTLF I've enjoyed is the one with Adam Lambert. Not a bad drum sound and he so nails that vocal!
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georg
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Post by georg on Oct 10, 2020 21:48:54 GMT
I never thought the live versions worked well; it just loses its power without the orchestra, and, incidentally, the live bass is unusually plodding and the live drums aren’t as powerful. At least they have it a shot, I suppose!
Edit: same with The Show Must Go On, I never felt any of the live versions stood up to the majesty of the album version. Perhaps that’s why Queen+ rarely tackles any of the post-1986 albums, because the production was so adventurous that it just couldn’t be replicated as well live. (It also doesn’t help that any of those live versions have not featured Freddie on vocals – obviously...)
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DasTarD
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Post by DasTarD on Oct 10, 2020 23:23:09 GMT
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Oct 10, 2020 23:59:19 GMT
That's a really interesting site. Do we know that the information is fact and not supposition? I was also looking at Breakthru and was surprised to read that the drums are real Roger drums. I'd always thought that was a drum machine all the way through. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2020 1:11:29 GMT
It is a drum machine (on 'Breakthru', that is). Philip was a pioneer of that sort of thing but he quit his project decades ago and didn't get to correct loads of things which have been cleared up since.
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Post by ploughman on Oct 13, 2020 19:15:34 GMT
It is a drum machine (on 'Breakthru', that is). Philip was a pioneer of that sort of thing but he quit his project decades ago and didn't get to correct loads of things which have been cleared up since. Funilly...it seems to have a real drums underneath the programmed stuff. There is programmed hihat, snare and bass drum for sure, but Roger has played the rhythm through one time at least. The cymbals are mainly used from that live take. |
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Oct 13, 2020 19:20:00 GMT
It is a drum machine (on 'Breakthru', that is). Philip was a pioneer of that sort of thing but he quit his project decades ago and didn't get to correct loads of things which have been cleared up since. Shame. I did wonder how accurate the information was. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2020 21:41:13 GMT
It's mostly accurate as far as I remember. Keep in mind that not even those who were there recall everything in flawless detail, but not being right about everything is not the same as not being right about anything.
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cmsdrums
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Post by cmsdrums on Oct 28, 2020 22:05:31 GMT
It is a drum machine (on 'Breakthru', that is). Philip was a pioneer of that sort of thing but he quit his project decades ago and didn't get to correct loads of things which have been cleared up since. One of the really annoying things for me is that when as they go into the second chorus of Breakthru there should be a crash cymbal on the first chord of the chorus (after the vocal line of '...I'm outta control , I want to rush headlong into this ecstasy', but it's been edited out! There is a slight snare double hit, but where a 'live' drummer would naturally hit a crash to start the chorus, it's just an obvious omission here. |
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Post by wizeutropio on Dec 18, 2020 14:53:56 GMT
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Post by Chief Mouse on Dec 18, 2020 20:58:41 GMT
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