Mellotronists

> The fact that this unknown band generates so many possible soundalikes 
> strengthens my opinion that there is a lot of clap trap out there 
> especially in a mellotron infested prog enviroment. The Beatles sounded 
> like the Beatles, Brian Wilson sounds like Brian Wilson but Standarte 
> sound like LeadLung, The Pratfall and Gifford's Broach. Sad.
>
> Martin
>


> But how many artists can be said to be truly original? You can spot 
> Genesis a mile off, but their sound on 'Trespass' has been described as a 
> straight cross between the Beatles, King Crimson and Simon & Garfunkel. 
> There's nothing new under the sun.
>
> Andy T.
>


> It's all about INTENT.  If you intend to emulate your heroes, then you 
> will.  If you intend to sound original, talent and material 
> notwithstanding, then you will.
>
> Fritz....m400#1697  makes records, not demos
>



An interesting issue that I have pondered more times than I can count. 
There are many bands that sound much like other bands and it's been that way 
as long as I can remember.  I don't think that the problem is always 
conscious emulation, as in Starcastle or Triumvirat, or common influences, I 
think the biggest part of the problem is that composers and songwriters 
these days usually aren't seasoned and that we are frequently hearing what 
are actually their very early works, which are of necessity going to be 
patterned after whatever the writer listens to.  We learn how to speak with 
our own musical voice by learning a whole lot of other voices first, and 
developing our own musical vocabulary out of what we like.  One of the most 
frightening sentences I have ever heard in the English language appears when 
a band announces from the stage "this is the first song we ever wrote."  I 
DON'T want to hear that, thank you very much.  I've lived for many years by 
"Jon's Law."


"It takes any songwriter/composer at least one hundred (usually bad) 
completed efforts before they do anything worth listening to."


Yes, you can find bits and pieces in early efforts, but let's face it, most 
composers early work blows.  After you have written a hundred songs, you 
have finally started developing a sense of who your musical self is, and IF 
YOU HAVE TALENT TO BEGIN WITH will probably start writing some interesting 
and inventive material in your chosen genre. There is also a similar 
corollary, dealing with ensembles.


"It takes any band/ensemble at least one hundred (usually bad) completed 
performances before they start playing well enough together to really be 
worth listening to."


I have counted performances for many years with the bands I've played with, 
and without exception, by the time the band reaches its one hundredth 
performance together it is hitting its stride, the arrangements have evolved 
to become unique to the band, the musical idiosyncrasies of the performers 
are known to each other, and the unconscious fit permits the players to 
start playing inside the music, instead of just jumping on the same trolley 
together.

Truth is, I surprise most people with the revelation that I really don't 
listen to very much music any more, and more often than not it is homework 
when I do. The reason is that the more stuff that I listen to that I like, 
the more I unconsciously cop the styles, the feel, the flavor of somebody 
else's writing.  I've been a musical misanthrope for many years, and now, at 
age 51, I'm finally starting to write things that I really like, and that 
sound like me instead of all of the people that I've enjoyed through the 
years.