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Holger Group: Members Posts: 1506 Joined: Feb. 2003 Posted: Mar. 27 2004, 06:01 Of course, much of the myth that surrounds Tubular Bells is the 'he played everything himself' thing, and upon first look the instrument list seems quite impressive. But if you look a little closer at what the instruments actually are, really the list could be boiled down to this: piano and organ tuned and untuned percussion electric and acoustic guitars bass guitar flageolet Piltdown Man The last two aren't major items either, I'd say. I wonder if it wasn't just, at least in part, a clever marketing trick to list every single instrument like that? It did work, after all. Back to top

dbruce Group: Members Posts: 48 Joined: July 2003 Posted: Mar. 27 2004, 11:55 Well I can't say anything about the marketing impact it had (not quite being alive yet! ), but when I first got the album I found it interesting to see all the different variations of instruments he played. Much better than the usual "electric guitar", "bass guitar", "keyboards" labels which seemed the norm with other artists at the time. Also, there's quite a difference in sound and technique between playing Spanish Guitar and "Fuzz Guitars" or "Guitars sounding like bagpipes", so it probably had to do with showing the diversity of the music. The instrument listenings generally seemed to be quite light hearted, especially when you look at Amarok. It's always fun trying to figure out where all the obscure instruments (or body parts! ) are in the music. The instrument listing on TB2003 took it too far though. Saying that, I'm sure it's always nice to rub it in peoples faces how many instruments you can cram onto one album! David Back to top

Holger Group: Members Posts: 1506 Joined: Feb. 2003 Posted: Mar. 27 2004, 12:16 I mean didn't Richard Branson also purposely spread the rumor that there were a thousand overdubs on the album? To make it seem more impressive? Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Mar. 27 2004, 12:17 I also noticed that the instrument list isn't very diverse. Still, what really blew me away was the ability Mike, Tom and Simon had to cram so many different tracks, most of them having been recorded by one man. That's a tough job, you know, and probably the biggest challenge in making the album. Plus, try it for yourself: play one super-complicated bass riff for eight minutes straight, without mistakes, in one take! -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 27 2004, 18:42 Quote (Sir Mustapha @ Mar. 27 2004, 18:17) Plus, try it for yourself: play one super-complicated bass riff for eight minutes straight, without mistakes, in one take! Sure it wasn't looped? -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Mar. 27 2004, 19:47 It is? As far as I have listened, it didn't sound like it. -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

Ben Group: Members Posts: 35 Joined: Mar. 2004 Posted: Mar. 28 2004, 07:26 Quote (Ugo @ Mar. 27 2004, 23:42) Sure it wasn't looped? Isn't it more likely he would have done it in several takes and just tacked them all together? -------------- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ~ Ben -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Back to top

Korgscrew Group: Super Admins Posts: 3511 Joined: Dec. 1999 Posted: Mar. 28 2004, 14:23 I think Mike has said in the past that it was one take, but it's not impossible that there could be some drop-ins there. I don't believe that it's a loop, from the way the feel of it changes as it progresses - making loads of tape loops would have been harder than just playing the whole thing all the way through (this was the decision with the intro - they did try a tape loop after Mike couldn't play it in time on the piano, but they could never get it to sound right). I think the instrument list is part of the bizarre humour that's present in many places on the album - it's Mike (and the others no doubt) having fun seeing how many different instruments they can make up. We have things like 'The Manor Choir' which is Tom and Simon shouting, and the 'nasal chorus' which is Mike humming, and of course Mike's drunken yelling is awarded the grand title of 'Piltdown Man'. I'm sure it is also part of an effort to make Mike appear as some kind of musical superhero, but I think not ultimately in a completely serious way. Most people don't have a clue about what things like 'the Manor Choir' actually are, which only goes to lend the album yet more of a mystique... Oddly enough, two real instruments are missed out - those are the mandolin, played in the Sailor's Hornpipe (and also, I think, in the finale of Part One, where a double speed mandolin plays after it is announced) and the violin, also played in the Sailor's Hornpipe. Evidently the silly instruments were deemed more noteworthy than the real ones! Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 28 2004, 17:12 [Slightly off topic...] I think the instruments list in Amarok is exactly the same as this. Much of the stuff mentioned there is silly - maybe even sillier than the stuff mentioned on TB. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Holger Group: Members Posts: 1506 Joined: Feb. 2003 Posted: Mar. 28 2004, 17:44 Good points all. Back to top

Afgyhi Group: Members Posts: 73 Joined: May 2003 Posted: April 03 2004, 20:43 Well, what I think is impressive are the tube demos, I mean, has anyone ever tried to do that?.. If I understand it corectly, that if he made a mistake, he had to record al instruments again.. -------------- Crises! Crises!! Back to top

Ben Group: Members Posts: 35 Joined: Mar. 2004 Posted: April 04 2004, 13:09 Quote (Afgyhi @ April 04 2004, 01:43) Well, what I think is impressive are the tube demos, I mean, has anyone ever tried to do that?.. If I understand it corectly, that if he made a mistake, he had to record al instruments again.. If you mean the tape he recorded on using that tape recorder with the erase head blocked, then i guess it would have because having the erase head work again would wipe everything on the tape, not just one wrong instrument part. -------------- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ~ Ben -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Back to top

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