MK on the new Johnny Winter album

[2manyguitars]

Guys, do we not think that the nature of these 'collaborations' has changed due to the advance of music technology?

Let me clarify further.

20 years ago Mark would have to actually spend some hard earned time in a studio with his chosen collaborators. Now days everything is done in isolation, the artists in question often never even meet in person. Tracks can be recorded in London and cut and pasted in L.A.

Thoughts?

[vgonis]

I guess you can see it this way. I mean, playing in the same place at the same time is supposed to bring more "warm" and "natural" results. On the other hand, the overdubbing business has been here for almost half a century. And as you said, technology has progressed, so in a way it doesn't matter if the recording studios are thousand miles away and the time is days or months apart. There are many reasons that the latest collaborations seem inferior, if they do. Maybe we have grown older and the surprise element has faded. Or maybe it is in fact the pace of life that doesn't allow us to sink in the songs like in our days as teens. Maybe our artists are growing older, or maybe the new music has affected us so much we have little tolerance for things sounding old, except  the real vintage  old stuff. I don't know.
After all Steely Dan, Bob Dylan and most of the other studio  collaborations have overdubs and  every DS album has overdubbed as well. Of course the point you make is valid, because the physical presence was a given in those days, but still...

[LoveExpresso]

I always found that, on most collaborations,  MK plays with the handbrake on.. to keep his own stuff exclusive if you like. You could also say "half-arsed" - best example is the new recording of Sailing To Philadelphia by America... I mean, he played it much better on every live tour, even the ones with mistakes are better than that...

There might be many examples showing the opposite, but that is only because he really is SO productive. Yes, he really knows what his playing is worth and knows how to dose it. No offence to dear Mark, rather the opposite. I bet that solo on Redbud Tree would not be that impressive if there were four or five other Strat solos of the same calibre on the album...

When playing together with Bob Dylan in London, last show 2011, now THAT was a collaboration.. you could really touch the magic.. even on a YouTube clip!!    so I guess, yeah, you are right. Collaborations are somewhat redundant these days. Playing live in one room is everything. He knows it and does it more extensive than he used to.

Only my two cent of course.

LE

[dmg]

I agree LE.  I don't get excited by the prospect of a collaboration any more (of this sort) and even have to motivate myself to give them a listen these days whereas before I would have to own everything he played on.

[JF]

I agree with LE too. Mark keeps playing "in comfort zone", and yes the redbud tree solo has nothing special IMHO, compraed to many other clean strat solos in his carreer.


About overdubs/natural results, I think that it is more complex :


Mark and Tony Joe White played together in the same room in 2007 for "one bad thought". Does it sound more "spontaneous" or "fresh" than other collaborations ?



What is the more spontaneous recording  :

- a band playing together in the same room, BUT recording the 20th take, after several days rehearsing the tune ?

OR

- a musician playing alone along a backing track, but recording the FIRST take, just jamming and improvising ?


there are many examples of bands recording albums playing together in the same room, and you immediately think of "spontaneity" "freshness" "natural result", but you don't know how many takes they did before the one you hear on the final mix

on the other hand, I remember Jimmy Page explaining that he recorded his overdubbed solo for "since I've been loving you" (one of the best in rock history IMHO) in ONE take, in the corridor of the studio because the mainroom was not available. That's what I call "spontaneity", but it's an overdubb though....

[vgonis]

Nothing can beat the live thrill, if it is a concert. It is more of a physical  experience than just sound in your ears. That is the reason why so many great live bands have to "fix" their live recordings in order to appear on record.

[Pottel]

Guys, do we not think that the nature of these 'collaborations' has changed due to the advance of music technology?

Let me clarify further.

20 years ago Mark would have to actually spend some hard earned time in a studio with his chosen collaborators. Now days everything is done in isolation, the artists in question often never even meet in person. Tracks can be recorded in London and cut and pasted in L.A.

Thoughts?

good point

[jbaent]

I agree with LE too. Mark keeps playing "in comfort zone", and yes the redbud tree solo has nothing special IMHO, compraed to many other clean strat solos in his carreer.

About overdubs/natural results, I think that it is more complex :

Mark and Tony Joe White played together in the same room in 2007 for "one bad thought". Does it sound more "spontaneous" or "fresh" than other collaborations ?

For me its not a matter of sound fresh one way or the other, its a matter that if B.B.King wants me to play in one of his songs, I would be excited because I

[vgonis]

Maybe they will meet in a future Crossroads festival! And who says they haven't met. They probably have. Just not played on tape together.

[vgonis]

It seems that MK contributes to some liner notes in the new 4CD Winter copmilation. And reading the Winter interview, he just mentions that he would like to co-operate with MK, but his tour schedule is so tight for 2014 that probably we want see any recordings before 2015 (Roots 2?) . And given this  release, I wonder...

[vgonis]

http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/show_interview.php?id=173

3 paragraphs from the end

[surferboy]

thanx vgonis for posting this!

[IrisRose]

Thanks for this thread--it's good to find out about a couple of the collaborations I missed along the line.    I like MK's "It's a Wonderful World" on Chris Botti's cd better than the famous version.   It's more reflective, thoughtful, gentle than Armstrong's.  That's not a criticism of Armstrong.   Just my own personal taste.    I love Jon Allen too, although that one took a couple of listens.   
Dolby's good.    Also, Dolby had a great series of videos out about how he and MK worked together to get just the sound Dolby wanted.   A great thing to watch--MK's patience and cooperation with Dolby take by take.   

[vgonis]

Don't mention it Surfer! These collaborations are the next best thing, because you get to find out new music with the added bonus of MK!

[wayaman]

According MKNEWS, MK its not going to be in the Johny Winter cd in the end...