The most abused song at audio shows... ever: "Keith don't go" Nils Loftgrin live

[marty]

There should be an annual award for most abused demo song at Audio shows. Ye with long memories will remember such cult classics as "Switched on Bach" (played ad nauseum when the ARC 3 preamp and original Magneplanar tympani's first appeared circa 1973) or Cat Stevens "Peace Train"; Elton John's "Take me to your pilot"; The Kodo drummers; Radka Toneff's ""Moon is a harsh mistress", the list goes on.

 

[puroagave]

There should be an annual award for most abused demo song at Audio shows. Ye with long memories will remember such cult classics as "Switched on Bach" (played ad nauseum when the ARC 3 preamp and original Magneplanar tympani's first appeared circa 1973) or Cat Stevens "Peace Train"; Elton John's "Take me to your pilot"; The Kodo drummers; Radka Toneff's ""Moon is a harsh mistress", the list goes on.

ARC SP3? you have been around your list should include the Sheffield track/drum record, james newton howard and friends, Amanda McBroom anything, RR dafos, willie Nelson "stardust" and when CDs came about telarc's Bach busters, 1812 overature, flim and the BBs "tricycle" and...drum roll....most overused/abused of them all has to be "jazz at the pawnshop.'

 

[Alan Sircom]

so, by your reckoning playing black Sabbath at a show would be a mistake?

the bass and drums cut from Nil's first album is the 'killer' track...I get a severe allergy when I hear "brother in arms" at shows and anything by Diana krall is closing in fast.

Not at all, but you need to have the stones to accept there's more to this than simply a room filled with people. If you play the full selection of audiophile-chummy unthreatening choons - Rickie Lee Jones to Norah Jones - you are likely to have a very high seat occupancy. But, you'll also probably get a lot of nodding approval and not a lot of sales. On the other hand, if you play a diverse selection of music no-one's heard of before, the head count goes down, but if you get it right those who sit and listen are those who are more likely to buy your wares.

It's getting the balance right; accept that the audiophile staples are played for a reason, but don't make them the focus of your demonstration.

Another difficulty that comes with playing outside the audiophile canon is the music is more likely to be disrupted by someone asking for one of the standards midway through the piece. If you play 'Tin Pan Alley' for example, people either sit enrapt or go elsewhere. If you don't, you'll get a few interrupting the flow of the music asking for 'some blues' (audiophile code for 'Tin Pan Alley'). Over the years, a lot of demonstrators take the path of least resistance and mostly (or only) play audiophile-approved music. I think this is fundamentally wrong, and I think anyone playing Diana Krall or Dire Straits at a show today (unless specifically requested by an audience member) should be fined $5 per play. The money raised should go to charity (such as a music therapy charity like Nordoff Robbins in the UK, or better still the Audio Reviewer Benevolent Cocktail Fund).

Oh, and have a good Labor Day!

 

[cjfrbw]

The shows certainly give pause to WHAT is actually being played on some of that expensive equipment. "Easy" elevator jazz, close miked, solos, small string quartets/ensembles, piano/guitar and vocal, recessed genuine ambience but florid echo chamber, lots of gushy female vocals, and tempo speed limits that seldom exceed adagio.

Put in some challenging tempo, imagination, unrecognizable material or too much ambience which might confuse the imaging and the 'philes start bailing out like rats from a sinking eight track.

I have noticed that as soon as the tempo starts getting faster, attendee dysphoria tends to increase noticeably. Reminds me of my dad's "music for shell shocked nerves."

 

[Alan Sircom]

The shows certainly give pause to WHAT is actually being played on some of that expensive equipment. "Easy" elevator jazz, close miked, solos, small string quartets/ensembles, piano/guitar and vocal, recessed genuine ambience but florid echo chamber, lots of gushy female vocals, and tempo speed limits that seldom exceed adagio.

Put in some challenging tempo, imagination, unrecognizable material or too much ambience which might confuse the imaging and the 'philes start bailing out like rats from a sinking eight track.

I have noticed that as soon as the tempo starts getting faster, attendee dysphoria tends to increase noticeably. Reminds me of my dad's "music for shell shocked nerves."

I think what's played in demo is different to what's played privately. At least that's my hope. If all this remarkable equipment is only being used to play Diana Krall at home too, that's a travesty.

 

[Ronm1]

I certainly play DK, but its just one among hundreds. I find limiting your selections to a particular genre the travesty.

 

[Peter Breuninger]

The AVShowrooms' team has been playing Anne Bisson's, September in Montreal, and Musica Nuda's Roxanne or Eleanor Rigby in many of our show videos. We can judge a system's performance within 30 seconds on either of these tracks.

 

[Alan Sircom]

I certainly play DK, but its just one among hundreds. I find limiting your selections to a particular genre the travesty.

Agreed. Diana Krall gets singled out because her music is played almost endlessly at shows, along with all the other audiophile standard issue pieces. Some of them are musically pretty good (Jazz at the Pawnshop and the Sheffield Drum Record are not among the 'musically pretty good' line up) but the sheer weight of exposure ruins that.

There doesn't seem to be an easy way to fix this though.

 

[JackD201]

I thought Jennifer Warnes' The Hunter had finally been retired. Then the reissue came out..............

 

[Shaffer]

I wanna hear a good Polka album!

"Who stole the kishka" is a personal favorite. I can make some recommendations. Seriously.

 

[marty]

Excellent selections Rob. Each and everyone a show stopper in its day. Don't forget Cantate Domino!