General Music Chat

Have you caught the duet between

"Taylor Swift" and what's left of DEF LEPPARD?

I was just curious of what YOU thought...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh6WKvQaCK4

I think you can guess my response to this.

HOLY CRAP Captain, when you said this would cause some trouble I don't think even you could have imagined so many varied responses. I'm going to quote and respond to some of the responses under this ever evolving topic. Good job of creating some controversy.

Really weak performance. She does not have the vocals to do that song justice.

She is cute - but this is music, not a pinup poster party.

I agree but I also agree with jw123. This duet is all about PUBLICITY. ANY publicity is good for any band. ANY controversy is good for ANY band. Did you notice all those very young people in the audience? Do you think Def Lepard noticed all those young people in the audience? I don't think Taylor sounded bad or good. They could have gotten somebody better or worse. She's very popular among young people. Now Def Lepard is MORE popular among young people. This was about MONEY first and foremost.

Ya'll wanna hear a chick that can belt it out? Check out Tracy Bonham. She had a video on MTV a long time ago and as soon as I saw it, I had to get the CD. Her band has an undefinable original sound and her voice does whatever the song calls for, going from smooth and innocent to raspy and hard edged.
This is the one from MTV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK0GgLKUU_I
or live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c7_u_eBam8

Evidently she can play guitar and violin too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8rfe8LxRZc

Want to hear a woman belt it out? two words: Ida McBeth. PERIOD (sorry three words.)

I am 100% with you, AirViking..

"The day the music died"..

The music didn't die here. It's just one song with somebody sitting in who you happen not to like.

And Captain take some self-defense lessons. If you're cornered by a 6'7" guy again you have several advantages in leverage. There's various parts of his body that are extremely vulnerable to you: kneecaps, nuts, and jaw. A very hard kick to the kneecap (or nuts) is immediately incapacitating. Also since I assume he's taller than you a strong uppercut to the jaw can break teeth, or get teeth imbedded in the man's tongue. Then when he's on the ground you stand over him and piss on his face and say "Does that answer your question dumbass?" Maybe Sans can give you some Kung Foo pointers, it wouldn't hurt.

I just saw this and it cracks me up. The performance, I dont see whats wrong with it. Def sounds good, Taylor is singing on pitch and looks like they are having fun doing it. When I first read some of the post I was expecting a trainwreck or something. I jsut dont get all the negativity, if its not your cup of tea, fine, but from where I stand I see nothing to get all upset about and like I said I doubt many of us on here could do any better.

Just my 2 cents, not trying to start anything with anyone. I actually watched it twice. Would I go out and buy it, no I wouldnt. But seeing a younger generation musician of another genre of music interpreting a song with the original artist, makes me feel warm. I guess it doesnt matter what I or you think anyway.

I didn't say that she was a bad singer...the music she was singing was not for her.It's like when Aretha Franklin subbed as an opera singer about 11 years ago. Of course she sings fabulously, but she is not the best opera singer. Taylor Swift lacked a little bit of roughness.

Aretha Franklin subbed for none other than Pavarotti (spelling?) who was so moved by her incredible performance that he cried tears of joy. Aretha Franklin is capable of singing ANYTHING at the highest level.

Missunderstood is just a way of life Mark.
I am not in the business of saving souls, not my job.
I would agree with you to some extent about the popular Christian music trend.
Thats why our band approches it from the loud and proud angle.
Not pride in ourselves, but in what our Savior has done for us.
I will be greatly relieved when we can get some decent recordings posted.
Frankly as a musician, we have grown and improved so much I am embarressed by the poor quality of the production.
That being as it is, I am but the sower of seed.
Some will fall upon rock and fail to sprout or be eaten by the birds of the air.
Some will fall amoung the thorns take root, to be strangled out before bearing fruit.
Some will fall on poor soil, wither and die in the sun.
Yet, God willing some will fall upon good soil, the Holy Spirit will water and nuture it, and it will bear fruit.
Still, I am just the sower of seed, hampered by my own short commings.
I have recieved many compliments and thanks from people whom's lives we have touched. This too is a burden, for I would take pride in a work that is not mine.
I am a proud and vain man.
This is my struggle, my curse, and my blessing.

I don't know Sans except for what I read in his posts. IMO he's promoting his faith the RIGHT way, by example. He's not riding in armor on a horse with a sword held high lopping off the heads of non-believers. He's simply expressing his firm beliefs via music. He's not forcing it down anybody's throat. You're free to listen to it and whether you're inspired by it or not it's all good. Jesus lived by example. Gandhi lived by example. The greatest revolutionaries in history never harmed anybody. They showed the light as they believed and people who folllowed did so by faith, not by force.

Hi Airviking and all my Yankee cousins,
I feel like I need to play the devil's advocate on this thread!
I just don't get these assertions that something through its naievity or lack of rock context or connections is thereby 'not music'?

The arguments around this sound more like religion that of music... I mean like with evoking Black Sabbath as her ultimate sacrilidge if she sang it; actually, though as an aside, I always thought Black Sabbath a bit weak, and that Ozzy clung on to his position as much by myth and propaganda as by talent!
But that doesn't matter!

So to keep the pot boiling, I still say good on the girl to achieve what little she did with a pretty indifferent song!
Cheers all,
Mark in Sussex England................

Hi Airviking and all my Yankee cousins,
I feel like I need to play the devil's advocate on this thread!
I just don't get these assertions that something through its naievity or lack of rock context or connections is thereby 'not music'?

The arguments around this sound more like religion that of music... I mean like with evoking Black Sabbath as her ultimate sacrilidge if she sang it; actually, though as an aside, I always thought Black Sabbath a bit weak, and that Ozzy clung on to his position as much by myth and propaganda as by talent!
But that doesn't matter!

So to keep the pot boiling, I still say good on the girl to achieve what little she did with a pretty indifferent song!
Cheers all,
Mark in Sussex England................

hahahaha you got a good point there, this does feel like a religious debate.
Oh, and sabbath was best with dio as we all know.

I am sure Bob was right about the song and the singer being fully commercial and not "all about the music" as many of us would have it.
Hell, for that fact, she could have just stood there quietly naked, and let someone else sing the song right.
Now that would have gotten some attention.

LOL and this thread does smack of a religous debate. Funny that.

Hell, for that fact, she could have just stood there quietly naked, and let someone else sing the song right.
Now that would have gotten some attention.

Funny but I thought it should always be about the music..

She's a sideshow in sequins..

This wasn't about music at all, it was about PR and they got it. Lots of attention and lots of youtube views. They succeeded regardless of whether the music was redeeming or not.

May I never play a gig that is PR and not music oriented.

That's like eating candy that looks good, but tastes like sewage..

Funny, I saw Leppard on the Download Festival broadcast yesterday and after watching, I thought the video you posted on here had more fire than the stuff they did on there. It was their first appearance at Donnington since their drummer came back after his arm incident.

I think if you are trying to be active as a musician, pr is very important.

Just my 2 cents

So true John. Bad news travels ten times faster and further than good news, that's why companies have PR departments or hire PR firms to put a positive spin on anything that happens. Same is true in music; if you're negative or unfriendly word gets around quickly, and it doesn't matter how good your music is.

This was about MONEY first and foremost.

I'm not going to debate the truth of that statement - you're probably right on.


But I think that's a really bad motivation for doing something. I will quote from Stephen King (a guy I admire; sue me) when asked about whether he wrote fiction to become rich (excerpt from his book, "On Writing"):

Do you do it for the money, honey? The answer is no. Don't now and never did. Yes, I've made a great deal of dough from my fiction, but I never set a single word down on paper with the thought of being paid for it... I have written because it fulfilled me. Maybe it paid off the mortgage on the house and got the kids through college, but those things were on the side--I did it for the buzz. I did it for the pure joy of the thing. And if you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.

I really, honestly believe if you're doing something for the money - if that's reason - then it's the wrong reason.



As for what I wrote about Taylor Swift: I was critiquing her performance. Not the motive behind the performance. The bottom line is that whether she or Def Leppard were doing it for the money doesn't matter - she still didn't pull it off.

That doesn't mean I think she can't sing. I would like to hear her do something that fits her vocally. On that song, she was out of her range.