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To follow up, I have now had the new Elder album on heacy rotation for a few days and it is an absolute joy. I love the sound of it; the guitars and the solos are great, while the keyboards (just enough – not too much) really freshen things up. The vocals and vocal melodies are superb. It is a truly uplifting album and it is giving me a boost every day just now. If you’re deliberating, go for it!
@supernaut: You’re absolutely right of course; the original line-up has been back together since 2008. In Big Paul’s absence they used everyone’s former favourite freelance session drummer Dave Grohl (he played for free), Geoff Dugmore and Benny Calvert, none of whom were admitted to the band; otherwise, Martin Atkins and Youth’s replacement, Raven, got an equal share.
My point is that, while songwriting should be rewarded, for one or two of the guys in a band to get the lion’s share of the spoils seems unfair to me – especially if they are blocking the creative route of other members (think Lennon and McCartney with Harrison).
I really hope this wasn’t about money, but I suspect it might be a factor, and money goes with creative input. We can only speculate, of course, and I think it’s fair enough if we do.
@ Punj Lizard: I hadn’t wanted to read that into the statement but there might be something in what you say.
“… too different in…commitment”
What is that saying, I wonder?
I can well imagine Tomas’ frustration. If one is not a Christian Vander or a Neil Peart, where is a drummer to find his creative satisfaction – not to mention his status and reasonable financial rewards? Had Tomas wanted more creative input, perhaps it would not have been welcomed or encouraged. So there is a need then for him to pursue extra-curricular activities and maybe that doesn’t suit this band’s modus operandi. I’m tempted to say that Bent amd Snah want to have their cake and eat it, but, when the way things work has turned out so well for us aficianados, it would be churlish to question their approach. Maybe they will just have to burn their way through the Kenneths and Tomases of this world every few years. However, it’s difficult not to reflect that they have really lost a gem who will take some replacing.
I think they have to give the next guy a little more to get his teeth into. No matter how good the songwriting and all the other elements, the drummer can make or break this kind of band (yeah, I know it’s one of a kind) – especially live. When you get the right guy, you’ve got to keep him happy.
Given his own extra-curricular activities, I concede that it is unlikely that Torstein will occupy the stool. Maybe he is not quite the right fit for Motorpsycho as we have known them but I would love to see the Motorpsycho that would emerge from Bent and Snah working with him. Hey, he could even bring along his mates Ståle and Reine too!
The music of The Smiths is considerably less interesting and the demands on the drummer were relatively minimal but it was noteworthy how that all played out in court.
One band that splits everything equally and operates as a democracy is Killing Joke, even though drummer Big Paul writes half the lyrics and guitarist Geordie writes more than half the music. The result? The same line-up that set out in 1979 is live and kicking and just sold out the Royal Albert Hall in March.
One further reflection: this buggers up the film a bit, doesn’t it?
Aaaagh! That’s a real shame! Looks like it’s his wish. Perhaps ‘creative satisfaction’ is the key phrase? Well, good luck, Tomas, and thanks for the great job you did. I was thrilled by what you played on Ancient Astronauts and N.O.X. especially. I hope you’ll make this decision the right one for you, even if, right now, it feels like the wrong one for us.
Right, what about poaching Torstein Lofthus from Elephant9?
@Valderrama: As it happens, a copy is on its way to me! I definiotely approve of the direction they’ve taken. I have the delving album too and that’s pretty good.
@Punj Lizard: We can only dream of having seen them in their prime (and you caught the tail-end of it whereas I had to make do starting with the Drama tour in 1980), but, given that there is so little footage of any kind, let alone decent quality, documenting their ’70s heyday, the painstaking job done on this renders it priceless and goes some way to making up for having missed out. I just can’t get enough of Chris Squire’s bass on this and I wouldn’t mind betting Bent wishes he could be there playing that bass part. I’m sure he’d do a great job too.
‘Like new!’
Just see and hear what this guy has done for this fantastic performance of ‘Ritual’ from the QPR 1975 gig recording that was notorious for its audio problems. It’s amazing!
Breaking the rules, I know, but there are enough Anekdoten fans lurking here to justify it; this compilation is better than I expected and is worth seeing for the opening film of ‘The Old Man and The Sea’ alone – something I had not come across before. Only 13 viewers in nearly a month at the time of posting, so this needs more exposure:
Maybe we should have an Old Music thread?
@deusvic: I’m looking at the ‘Rock Family Tree’ type folded insert from the CD which details different incarnations/periods. Motorpsycho #11 made TDDU and, among other things, it says,
It is a serious work that is seriously demanding to listen to, but the reward is staggering if one likes anything Motorpsychodelic…..No detour, it is probably the strongest distillation of the Motorpsycho spirit recorded so far.
@mefisto: That’s a shame. I’m sure you given it every chance. I think it’s one of the best things they’ve done and the notes that came with Supersonic Scientists seemed to indicate they thought it was as close as they’d got to their essence.
@ThorEgil: That’s good news about the English version. I’ll be having a copy in that case!First a Blissard book, now a Unicorn book. I only need a LLM book to have my three favourite albums covered!
