Which act demands the least *creativity* from its members? *

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Andy Smith, Jan 16, 2018.

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  1. Andy Smith

    Andy Smith .....Like a good pinch of snuff...... Thread Starter

    I’ll start by saying this is not an exercise in pulling acts apart. Far from it. But it must be easier to be in some bands than others. I’ll explain:

    I am a huge supporter of Hawkwind. I’ve followed them since the early 70s and own 40+ of their albums. Hardly a casual fan. Yet, can being a member of Hawkwind be that difficult as a musician?

    As I say, I LOVE them, but all their songs follow a recognisable structure;

    1. a robust snare drum

    2. pounding bass

    3. chugga-chugga guitars (with the occasional spiralling solo)

    4. ‘whoooooshing’/pulsing synth sounds

    5. Semi-shouted vocals with indeterminable lyrics (usually concerning androids/deep space/swords/cryogenics).

    6. The odd earnest smattering of poetry

    7. Repeat above for 8 mins.

    Now, this is fine by me! By and large, Hawkwind fans are a simple enough breed. We know what we like. We know what to expect. Why move away from a tried and trusted formula?

    BUT, can being a member of Hawkwind be that demanding? I’m not knocking their musical ability, sincerity nor commitment, but is it the easiest pay-cheque in music?

    Are there easier acts to be involved with? Discuss.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 18, 2018
  2. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Milli Vanilli
     
  3. johnebravo

    johnebravo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate New York
    Maybe you should also try to take the size of the fan base into account. Consider the total amount of effort expended by the band, divided by the number of fans for that band, to get an "average amount of effort per fan" metric, or AEPF. So the winner is the one with the best (i.e., smallest) AEPF. ;)
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2018
  4. lucan_g

    lucan_g Forum Resident

    I'll have to think about this... but for all the acts out there... Hawkwind would not have been my starting point for an 'easy' musical career. :)
     
  5. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    I suppose that performing 4' 33" is not very demanding.
     
  6. Rne

    Rne weltschmerz

    Location:
    Malaver
    All that dancing demands physical effort.
     
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  7. Andy Smith

    Andy Smith .....Like a good pinch of snuff...... Thread Starter

    I like your thinking, that man! Any maths scholars out there? :)
     
  8. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    Oasis bass and rhythm guitar positions.
     
  9. john lennonist

    john lennonist There ONCE was a NOTE, PURE and EASY...

    KISS.

    Once they've got the make-up on and the smoke bombs set, their performance demands little else.
     
  10. Pastafarian

    Pastafarian Forum Resident

    This was a smear used against Status Quo in the UK for many years, I'm not a musician so I'm not qualified to say this about anyone.
     
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  11. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    I came to this thread so I could specifically say that. May I add however that this is only true with the classic lineup. When it comes to the post-2000 lineup, everyone (except the drummers) contributes much more.
     
  12. segue

    segue Psychoacoustic Member

    Location:
    Hawai'i
    I think we will all learn much from this thread today

    [​IMG]
     
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  13. coniferouspine

    coniferouspine Forum Resident

    I don't think of Hawkwind fans as being a "simple breed." Quite the contrary, most of them I've known over the years are highly intelligent, sci fi geeks, fairly educated (and many of them that I've known have been mostly self-educated, avid readers, life seekers, non-conformists, free thinkers, etc) and when viewed as a group of individuals, as a loose rule of thumb I find that they are typically pretty unconventional in their opinions about the world. They are some very complex people who are Hawkwind fans, and I would assume the musicians are pretty complex personalities, as well. To adopt a "space rock lifestyle" as a touring/gigging musician full time, is not exactly the easiest road in life -- it's kind of an outsider mission or seriously underground type job position. I think that really getting into Hawkwind's music requires a certain amount of effort and attention by the listener, and for a band member it's got to be quite an immersion, to take in all that history and repertoire on your shoulders and perform it with Dave Brock and keep the group's vision going for show after show after show. Hats off to them. If the OP is "not knocking their musical ability, sincerity nor commitment," then what exactly about the musicians in Hawkwind is he knocking?
     
  14. Andy Smith

    Andy Smith .....Like a good pinch of snuff...... Thread Starter

    I must apologise for my sloppy English. On the last line of my original post I put 'their' when it should have read 'there'. Maybe some kind-hearted Gort could go in and amend it for me? FANX.
     
  15. t-man 54

    t-man 54 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Michigan
    I would say any country live act where you are a 2nd or 3rd string rhythm guitar player. Just stand there and do the basic chords. Not very demanding at all.
     
  16. Depeche Mode, if you're Andy Fletcher.
     
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  17. Andy Smith

    Andy Smith .....Like a good pinch of snuff...... Thread Starter

    I wasn't knocking them, and repeatedly said so. But their songs - which I love - are fairly formulaic and maybe writing material in the same vain each successive album is not much of a stretch.
     
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  18. jneilnyc

    jneilnyc Free Range Responder

    Location:
    New York
    What part of "Repeat above for 8 mins." sounds easy to you?
     
  19. Spruce

    Spruce Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brigg, England
    Bez...Happy Mondays.
     
  20. I think you'd be surprised. Those guys often have to double on a couple more instruments, and they almost always get asked to sing as well. There's typically very specific chord inversions, and precision is highly valued. Most of those players are university trained musicians, guys like Chris Rodriguez or Tim Akers.
     
  21. AndyK235

    AndyK235 Forum Resident

    Michael Anthony playing bass in Van Halen.
     
  22. Michael Rose

    Michael Rose Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davie,Fl
    U2 - Adam Clayton on bass. (dum dum dum dum dum dum). The easiest gig of all time.
     
  23. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    Wouldn't be surprised if they just loop it and keep him there as a prop. With parts like that a person just introduces the possibility of human error. A machine would never miss a beat to sneeze.
     
  24. Michael Rose

    Michael Rose Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davie,Fl
    VH would've been a Jam band if Mike would've played more than he did. But his bass playing aside, we all know he was crucial to the vocal support they needed on record and especially on stage.
     
  25. Michael Rose

    Michael Rose Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davie,Fl
    Complete opposite of The Edge in sonics and overall complexity. More so than Mike Anthony, imo.
     
    Andy Smith likes this.
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