Sam Smith....evidence rock and roll may finally be dead

JH6056

HesCalledDyer said:

Uptown Funk is actually by Mark Ronson, with Bruno on vox. Both excellent artists!

Mark Ronson is incredibly talented as a songwriter, arranger, and producer. Bruno Mars can perform circles around most artists, which if you see how much he can really do, even if you hate his music you can't deny his talent.

tempo_n_groove

JH6056 said:

HesCalledDyer said:

Uptown Funk is actually by Mark Ronson, with Bruno on vox. Both excellent artists!

Mark Ronson is incredibly talented as a songwriter, arranger, and producer. Bruno Mars can perform circles around most artists, which if you see how much he can really do, even if you hate his music you can't deny his talent.

Ah-men!

helplessdancer

mwplum said:

....
The reason I hark back to that example is because I get the feeling its the same with Bruno. Does he actually play multiple instruments on his albums (say like Dave Grohl did on the self-titled FF debut?) or is it the multi-instrument story just an easily digested narrative to make people think he is "so talented"...I claim ignorance as I only saw him at the Super Bowl, where the drum beat he was playing was so basic that someone could play it after their first lesson. To me that does not make them talented, it just makes them more marketable.

this is what i CAN say about bruno mars. I've seen him twice in concert now. during one of the first few songs he always plays a guitar solo that will blow your mind. after that moment he needs to prove nothing else imo. huge talent.

Agg

HesCalledDyer said:

Uptown Funk is actually by Mark Ronson, with Bruno on vox. Both excellent artists!

Bruno co-wrote the song as well (music and lyrics).

helplessdancer said:

mwplum said:

....
The reason I hark back to that example is because I get the feeling its the same with Bruno. Does he actually play multiple instruments on his albums (say like Dave Grohl did on the self-titled FF debut?) or is it the multi-instrument story just an easily digested narrative to make people think he is "so talented"...I claim ignorance as I only saw him at the Super Bowl, where the drum beat he was playing was so basic that someone could play it after their first lesson. To me that does not make them talented, it just makes them more marketable.

this is what i CAN say about bruno mars. I've seen him twice in concert now. during one of the first few songs he always plays a guitar solo that will blow your mind. after that moment he needs to prove nothing else imo. huge talent.

Agreed. I've never seen him in concert (I'm hoping to, but of course I become a fan right after he finishes a world tour), but I've seen clips and his solos were great. I was surprised and it really made me appreciate him more. That's why in my earlier post I said that I wouldn't put him in the same category as Bieber, Taylor Swift, Kate Perry, etc.

JH6056

I agree too ^^, although I would even put Taylor Swift and Katy Perry above Justin Bieber - don't Perry and Swift write most of their own music? Not all of it I'm sure, but more than Bieber by a mile!

It's all a range, a big spectrum. I have a young child, and even though Taylor Swift does nothing for me in general, dammit if I didn't have "Blank Space" stuck in my head for weeks awhile back. She writes some infectious songs, even when I don't want to like them.

Tim Simmons

TSwift writes much of her own stuff. People don't give her credit for it though because shes had help since shes gone after the pop market. But she wrote absolutely every thing on her Speak Now album.

Pretty sure Katy perry writes much of her stuff too. I think it gets tweaked by Max Martin though. I know she's written songs for Kelly Clarkson.

I'm not sure on bieber, he may be talented, but he is a shit, so I don't care.

But people really need to rethink their POV on pop music. Its not the enemy and its made by equally talented people as any "legit" artist you listen to.

mwplum

....an anteresting tie-in to this discussion would be the overall feeling of Kanye headlining Glasonbury. What does everyone here feel about that?

While I despise everything Kanye stands for, it's hard to argue that he hasn't worked for it, that he doesn't deserve it, and that he wouldn't be an upbeat closer for a music festival.

This is the real crux of my original post. That billing a one-hit Sam Smith (maybe soon to be many more), slow, mellow pop star who lacks originality and is essentially a carbon copy of George Michael at a major music festival is brutal.

Although Kanye is a mega-douche, he has paid his dues, working hard as a producer for artists like Talib Kweli and Mos Def, and then finally finding success as a solo artist. He has so many upbeat hits, that despite not catering to my personal tastes, I can see how he would be a very exciting festival closer.

63schoefflin

I can't stand Kanye as a person, but his first two albums are some of the best since 2000. I saw him live a few times and it's a killer show. Sam Smith.... I agree, I just don't get a headline slot with a handful of songs. Kanye can do a 2 hour set with nothing but hits. Sam Smith might be able to knock out an hour and a half with a few songs people know? It just seems like an unnecessary move. Nothing wrong with putting him towards the top and maybe in 5 years he has enough material, but right now I haven't talked to anyone that understands it.

PJ_Soul

mwplum said:

....an anteresting tie-in to this discussion would be the overall feeling of Kanye headlining Glasonbury. What does everyone here feel about that?

While I despise everything Kanye stands for, it's hard to argue that he hasn't worked for it, that he doesn't deserve it, and that he wouldn't be an upbeat closer for a music festival.

This is the real crux of my original post. That billing a one-hit Sam Smith (maybe soon to be many more), slow, mellow pop star who lacks originality and is essentially a carbon copy of George Michael at a major music festival is brutal.

Although Kanye is a mega-douche, he has paid his dues, working hard as a producer for artists like Talib Kweli and Mos Def, and then finally finding success as a solo artist. He has so many upbeat hits, that despite not catering to my personal tastes, I can see how he would be a very exciting festival closer.

As long as the douche doesn't do something stupid, like try and make people in wheelchairs stand up or some shit..... the chances of Kanye doing something stupid and basically ruining the show are pretty high.

my2hands

Sam Smith = Adele with testicles

blatant ripoff IMO

HesCalledDyer

I wish Kanye would go away. I wish people would stop giving him attention. His biggest 'hit' was putting his own lyrics over 90% of a Daft Punk song. That's not talent, sorry. I'm usually pretty diplomatic even when I don't like the music, but I really don't know why people give him so much credit as an artist. Plus the fact that he's the biggest ego-maniacal douche bottle on the planet. He can go back to moving sliders in a studio if that's what he's good at.

my2hands

fuck kanye

lolobugg

my2hands said:

fuck kanye

and btw... who the fuck is Sam Smith?

tempo_n_groove

lolobugg said:

my2hands said:

fuck kanye

and btw... who the fuck is Sam Smith?

He is the illegitimate love child of Will Smith...

lolobugg

tempo_n_groove said:

lolobugg said:

my2hands said:

fuck kanye

and btw... who the fuck is Sam Smith?

He is the illegitimate love child of Will Smith...

ok. it all makes sense now... thanks, Chris.

Agg

my2hands said:

Sam Smith = Adele with testicles

blatant ripoff IMO

Pretty accurate. And I can't stand either of them.

lolobugg

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thousands-sign-petition-to-cancel-kanye-west-glastonbury-2015-performance/

this is why I love the European audiences.....
"taste, you've got taste" -EV

Tim Simmons

Are these the same people who were pissed about Jay Z headlining?

lolobugg

Tim Simmons said:

Are these the same people who were pissed about Jay Z headlining?

probably....
they don't think hip hop should be headliners at a traditional Rock Festival.
I don't really have a dog in the race- but they are already up to 60,000 signatures.
Personally I wouldn't have a problem with rock influenced hip hop headliners(Run DMC, Public Enemy) but I would not want to see JayZ or Kayne.
I quit listening to popular rap in 1993.

Edit:
http://www.pollstar.com/news_article.aspx?ID=817135

Tim Simmons

It's funny that the guy who started it isn't even going to Glasto. IMO these people are pretty ignorant. Times change.

tempo_n_groove

So did people buy the tickets in advance in a "hope" that someone good would be playing? What if Silverchair, Nickelback or Daughtry were announced as headliners?

lolobugg

tempo_n_groove said:

So did people buy the tickets in advance in a "hope" that someone good would be playing? What if Silverchair, Nickelback or Daughtry were announced as headliners?

if they petitioned against Kanye.
they would probably kill themselves if those were announced.

Tim Simmons

Pretty sure tickets are bought blindly.

I don't think they realize Kanye puts on a great show. And personality or attitude aside, Hes got the jams to back him up.

Tim Simmons

HesCalledDyer said:

I wish Kanye would go away. I wish people would stop giving him attention. His biggest 'hit' was putting his own lyrics over 90% of a Daft Punk song. That's not talent, sorry.

This is silly.

So are Pauls Boutique and Odelay less legitimate classics because they were lyrics over 90% samples?

lolobugg

Tim Simmons said:

HesCalledDyer said:

I wish Kanye would go away. I wish people would stop giving him attention. His biggest 'hit' was putting his own lyrics over 90% of a Daft Punk song. That's not talent, sorry.

This is silly.

So are Pauls Boutique and Odelay less legitimate classics because they were lyrics over 90% samples?

Dust Brothers.... still around??

Tim Simmons

Good question. no idea.

Tim Simmons

Best I can find is that they are still working. Simpson has moved into film scoring. King did a Steve Earle album a few years back.

lolobugg

Tim Simmons said:

Best I can find is that they are still working. Simpson has moved into film scoring. King did a Steve Earle album a few years back.

wow... Steve Earle?
didn't see that partnership coming.
might have to check that out.

MedozK

Tim Simmons said:

HesCalledDyer said:

I wish Kanye would go away. I wish people would stop giving him attention. His biggest 'hit' was putting his own lyrics over 90% of a Daft Punk song. That's not talent, sorry.

This is silly.

So are Pauls Boutique and Odelay less legitimate classics because they were lyrics over 90% samples?

Paul's Boutique is one of the greatest albums of all-time. So many samples, that a record like that is not feasible now. Would be to expensive to clear all the samples.

Tim Simmons

No doubt. My comment was more about how using samples isn't as legitimate of music as creating it yourself (which is even more silly, because Kanye, Beck, Beastie boys aren't using just samples, there are synths, guitars and drums on there too).