REM Broke Up!!!

[Sweden]

I have a fg ricky 330/12 which has all rem's original members signed on the back...Buck had written "live long and prosper" lol, but Bill Berry wrote "Green", It was 1986 so that must have been premonitions. Anyhow, this axe is now a memento of a band that influenced me deeply.

Cool! Picture?

[Noelleon]

Good News.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ ... m-20120314

[jdawe]

Good news indeed, although I'm not thrilled about the suggestion that the album will only be released on vinyl.

[electrofaro]

Will he be getting any help, though?

[wordsonyou]

@niolieon...will def post some om the weekend...


a buck solo project confuses me...

[Sweden]

First songs from Peter's solo album. Pretty groovy!

http://soundcloud.com/chartstonge/10-million-bc

It's not entirely clear if he sings on this, although it has been reported that he will sing on some of the songs and use guest vocalists (possible Scott McCaughey, Steve Wynn, Mike Mills etc) on some.

[marc61]

Good news indeed, although I'm not thrilled about the suggestion that the album will only be released on vinyl.

I think it's a good idea. There's a growing school (myself included) that feels we were duped by the CD, and certainly the MP3. Interesting that the article doesn't mention if he's recording analog.

It'd be interesting if the concern was pirating because as kids, we certainly made cassette copies of everything and shared with friends etc.

[rkbsound]

Not to turn this thread in another direction, but would a tube audio receiver make an mp3 sound any "better", or are we just gonna have to put up with sub-par listening from now on? I am regularly disappointed with the quality of the music coming from my iPod.

[jdawe]

I think it's a good idea. There's a growing school (myself included) that feels we were duped by the CD, and certainly the MP3. Interesting that the article doesn't mention if he's recording analog.

I'm aware of that. I don't agree on the CD vs. vinyl debate, and while the case against MP3s is stronger, it also can't be denied that MP3s have huge convenience advantages which for many (myself included) outweigh any loss in sonic fidelity. I'm delighted to have people continue to release records on vinyl for those who still own turntables, but to me it seems a bit arrogant for an artist to dictate the format in which I choose to listen to his or her music. Even though I'm a huge admirer of Buck's work, if I can't listen to his new record on my various i-devices I'm not likely to get to listen to it at all.

[jdawe]

Not to turn this thread in another direction, but would a tube audio receiver make an mp3 sound any "better", or are we just gonna have to put up with sub-par listening from now on? I am regularly disappointed with the quality of the music coming from my iPod.

I can't imagine why it would. The issue with MP3s is that they are compressed (to reduce size) in a way that causes data to be lost, which some people (not me, I must confess) find noticeable. No amp, no matter how good, can put the missing data back.

Also, I'm not sure that tube audio receivers are necessarily superior. People like tube guitar amps because the tubes do sonically interesting things when overdriven - - that is, because they don't accurately reproduce the input signal. It's not obvious to me that tube amps are necessarily going to be better at amplifying sounds accurately (although I have no doubt some people think they are).

Personally, I think we've reached the point where digital sound quality (including guitar amp modelling) can match analog technology. I recall reading an article a year or so ago where a bunch of sound engineers were put in a room and made to listen to some high-end guitar tube amps alongside digital amp modellers. They were unable to tell the difference. Likewise, I suspect that a lossless digital recording played through quality digital equipment will sound better than a vinyl LP played through a tube receiver. To the extent that there is a problem with digital recordings, it is with the current format, not with digital technology per se.

[marc61]

I agree re: MP3s. With CDs I think the biggest challenge it the method we use to listen to them Usually car stereo, or computer. On an excellent system (and I've heard tube CD players with crazy expensive wires, power amp and speakers) sound tremendous. With vinyl it seems you can have a reasonable set up and get pretty darn good sound quality. Vintage turntables with excellent cartridges can be found on local Craigslist for $50-75.

Pete is taking a risk with this but I give him kudos. He does as he believes.

[electrofaro]

Peter singing!

[electrofaro]

14 November 2013:

[rkbsound]

Sweet!

[David Watts]

Nice to see Bill Back on drums.