Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 8, 2014 20:15:59 GMT
Touch
This is a lovely album with top notch recorded sound. The songs are well crafted and the album as a whole works well. For me it is a one of my reference recordings that I now use to test equipment.
I'll just outline track 1 for now.
The Expert
Opens with a ‘vocal rhythm’ including sniffs that are also part of the duet. The first vocal rhythm is in a the form of a ‘riff’ where he’s humming as well with the sound and the second vocal is the percussive element. Actually, the second vocal part is imitating a conga rhythm where the word ‘Ka’ is a substitute for what is known as a ‘slap’ sound on the conga. (A high pitched sound you get by cupping your hands when you hit it) A little syncopated rhythm comes in and a very deep bass sound plays a glissando going down before the snare plays a fill to take us into the real riff.
There’s a bass chromatic riff and a synth brass sound, a ‘funky’ guitar pattern with percussion and slaps going on. Dieter goes into one of his mono-tones, low down. A short link where an organ does some ‘comping’ and then sounds are taken suddenly out of the mix when Dieter continues the second verse. It has a much emptier backdrop with just a high hat accompanying him.
The riff returns with the opening vocal riff being played as well. An answering bass riff appears before he raps the next verse and an instrumental link. There are loads of sounds coming in and out of this mix. There is then an instrumental section. The bass riff keeps going and vocal percussion joins in before a lonely synth melody at the top over the riff and some female vocalists join in.
The next verse is two voices in unison and it is answered by a guitar. They are answered by guitar and low grunts before the next verse in unison again. The punch line is solo before the girls join in again and then another final verse before a low glissando and the girls finish the piece with no percussion at all.
I love this opening number because it has such a wide range of sounds in the mix and the stereo placing is quite different with the voices on the edge of the left/right stereo and the guitar riffing dead centre with the bass line.
It has the Yello humour, their brilliant mixing skills and with some fantastically tight rhythms. This is very accurate stuff and played with precision. Sounds come and go so easily in the mix that it’s really easy to miss them.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2014 20:48:11 GMT
It seems strangely 'unfinished' to stop at the first track of the last album. And such a superb album! As I say, sad to finish with just the first track . . . hint, hint
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 8, 2014 21:21:16 GMT
OK .... I'll finish the album off. Actually, I was thinking about doing some programme notes for other albums too. Just takes time, but if people enjoy following them with their albums then I don't mind doing them. I was writing stuff for the blog, but the reading figures show that it wasn't that popular tbh. That whole thread was meant to lead up to the new one and if people had the taste for YELLO, then they might have tried the new one out for themselves. The last one shows a very mature and well integrated and developed band in comparison to some of their early stuff.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 8, 2014 21:21:55 GMT
OK .... I'll finish the album off. Actually, I was thinking about doing some programme notes for other albums too. Just takes time, but if people enjoy following them with their albums then I don't mind doing them. I was writing stuff for the blog, but the reading figures show that it wasn't that popular tbh. That whole thread was meant to lead up to the new one and if people had the taste for YELLO, then they might have tried the new one out for themselves. The last one shows a very mature and well integrated and developed band in comparison to some of their early stuff.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2014 21:41:28 GMT
OK .... I'll finish the album off. HURRAH!!
Right you 'orrible lot! Pin yer lugholes back, get some Yello on, get reading and get listening!
THATS AN ORDER!!
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 8, 2014 21:59:21 GMT
You make me laugh Jeff!!!!
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 19, 2014 11:24:57 GMT
Touch
This album is superb and shows a really mature outlook and is (for me) also kind of retrospective, in that they are revisiting old ideas like the use of strong riffs and creating 'cinematic' ideas as they did of old. Dieter's monotone features once again but in this one, there is more of an influence of jazz ideas and less so Latin American although it's still there.
Not only is it a good album but also a very high quality recording too.
The Expert
This number starts with unaccompanied (a cappella) vocal sounds which are layered. The second layer sounds as though it was recorded in a different room. What they are actually doing is imitating the sounds of drums. This technique is used in places like India and Africa, where drummers learn the 'language of drums and 'say' the sounds before they play them. This is becasue they don't write them down in notation and learn things by heart. In India, this is called the BOLS. Electronic 'sniffs' are added followed by an electronic 'soft' snare sound and then a very low bass falling glissando (slide downwards) which goes really deep.
A drum intro brings us into the real start of the piece where there are basically three elements. A bass riff, a guitar chord accompaniment and electronic brass chords. (short bursts). A couple of electronic sounds interject at different times before Dieter does his 'monotone' thing. This has become a trademark of the YELLO sound. BTW, Dieter can be quite lazy and he doesn't have a lot to do with these arrangements.... he has a tendency to just turn up and do his thing!!! He's more like a businessman really. A great deal of the work is done by Boris.
Dieter's voice has been layered twice. This is done quite often with singers who overdub their voices more than once to create this 'chorus' effect. A short link where a synth enters takes us to the next section line which is only accompanied by a high hat sound and then the riff starts again. The verse is capped off with a brass statement and a lovely couple of syncopated (off beat) electronic smacks. A low grunting riff that acts as a link.
Verse two continues in much the same way with a brass/guitar link. The guitar plays a short kind of 'chromatic' solo (uses notes out of the key) and has quite a lot of reverb on it. The brass play what I call a 'stock' phrase which is a kind of 'cliche'. Again, YELLO are experts in the use of 'cliche' and phrases that eminate from other sources or styles. Next verse is much the same. The link that follows uses elements from the beginning of the song. The slow bass glissando, percussive samples, vocalised percussion and is slightly more extended. A short snare drum links us to an inverted pedal. (High note held on the synth) and a piano repeated chord followed by an arpeggio which has an echo. Then we hear female vocalising. (No words) The piano arpeggio is used as a link to the female vocalising changing sounds to oooooh!! The riff starts up again after this brief break and Dieter does another verse with guitar interludes and low brass interjections.
The voices are used as a link to the next short section and mixed in with it. The riff stops and leaves them on their own to end the piece.
You Better Hide
An electronic wind (rushing) type of sound. Pad sound on the synth followed by a brass sound and voice in unison (together) making two short sounds. If you listen carefully to the humming in the background, you will hear that they are humming that same phrase in slow motion. (It's the interval of a falling third) It then changes to a falling fifth. A chord is the fundamental, third and fifth, so they are outlining the chord of e minor, which is the key of the piece. Very deep bass sounds follow a guitar intro on top of the synth pad sounds. The bass on this track is very deep. This song is for a female voice. What really makes this track for me is the wide variation of things happening behind the voice. That bass rhythm and sounds coming in and out of the mix. You also suddenly become aware of a snare drum being played with brushes. After she sings, 'I'm sorry', there is some harmony sung by a group of vocalists as a link to the next verse. This is kind of reminiscent of the 40's to me in 'attitude' (not instrumentation) After the second verse, a flugel horn plays a breathy solo. It's slighter deeper and more muffled than a trumpet. He plays in a 'jazz' style. The ends of his phrases are punctuated by a synth chord where they use 'aftertouch'. The sound grows where you play the keys softly and then press harder so the sound grows louder. Verse 3 with low synth pad sounds and effects coming in and out. Some from perviously and some new. (Binds the piece together) The piece finally fades away with sweeping sounds and pads.
Out of Dawn
Is a real contrast to 'You Better Hide'. It's more up front. Here we hear the YELO of old. Strong bass riff with a pad sound and Dieter on his monotone. It actually keeps altering between major and minor key if you listen to the pad synth!! When Dieter says You give me pleasure' it's a minor chord and when he says, 'shivers', it changes to major. A short link to 'I wanna be with you' which is the 'hook'. The melody is very quietly doubled by a synth in the background and the voices are singing in octaves. (One higher than the other) The riff continues with quiet brass stabs and synth pad for verse two. Listen for certain words like 'pleasure' being illustrated in sound in the background. For instance, 'pleasure' as a whooooo sound going in the band, very quietly. This is called 'word painting'. Back to the hook with a 'cello answer to each phrase. Instrumental section follows with the strings playing the lead. This music is very cinematic. The voice is heard again but sounds 'enclosed' as though it's coming from a small speaker. Back to the hook but the voice is answered this time by pizzicato strings. (Plucked) Listen in the background and you will hear a itched rhythm being played in an off beat kind of way. This is a Latin American rhythm. I'd need notation to put it down properly but it goes ... doo doo doo... da da. (1-2-3---4-5-) Normally played on claves. Rhythm stops and an Aeroplane literally flies over your head. (From left to right and on a good system thatbimages well, from back to front, so that it is actually flying diagonally) Interestingly, on headphones, to me it comes out left to right. On my speakers, it flies into the room and goes over my head and out the window!!)
More to come. Gets tiring!!!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2014 18:59:01 GMT
Good God, this is incredible! I've been a Yello fan since Stella but I can't play a note and have very little understanding of the technology, then or now. This thread is a fantastic resource, thank you.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jul 13, 2014 19:09:10 GMT
I had a bit of fun with it, revisiting them all again, Gordon. Always enjoyed their albums when they came out. I'm a great admirer of both Dieter and Boris and have been lucky enough to have met them too.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2014 20:02:55 GMT
Yello are the only band who's work is the first thing I copy to any media player. If you can't find the mood you're looking for in their catalogue you're already dead.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2014 23:10:10 GMT
I obviously haven't had time to listen to & read all of this yet but it's most interesting to read a musicians take on music. For the record, you mention the tape rolling in the intro to Of Course I'm Lying from Flag and it's there. It's actually there all the way through I think as it can be heard again near the end. To me it's like a test; if your gear resolves it then you're on the right track.
One more thing - Otto Di Catania. It's not Mexican but rather Sicilian. Otto is from Catania in Sicily. My (now) wife & I took night classes in Italian back then and I asked our lecturer if he could translate it for me. Apparently the dialect is so thick he couldn't understand much more than the title. I think he was just rubbish.
It's great to read your notes though, even if some of the musical terminology is over my head.
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