Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories...

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Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories...

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Tue Oct 23, 2012 11:18 pm

So I was listening to Crime Of The Century after reading Ken Scott's stories about it in his great new book. I'm reminded how much of an impact this record had on me as a very young boy, discovering just how great a record can sound. Not only sonically, but as a vast canvas of interesting textures and effects which, as it turns out was very different and intentional by Ken. This album was one that truly changed my life and made me not only question how they did that, but made me want to do it too.

So for anyone out there who hasn't heard this particular Supertramp album... It deserves you taking a listen, especially a good (not mp3 or youtube only) copy, if you are at all interested in the history of popular recording in the 1900s...

Thanks to my brother Brian for introducing me to such great records at such a young age... For a non musician, the single biggest musical influence in my life.

So... What are some of the albums that you all look back on, the same way I do with that record?
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It just fills Forum pages..." --compasspnt

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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Mathieu Benoit » Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:17 pm

Does Music from "The Elder" count? :oops:

If not, I'll pick another one.

PS - I only ask because William Wittman just made fun of me for it. :-P
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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby macrae11 » Wed Oct 24, 2012 5:51 pm

For me "that album" happened later in life, actually when I was already in school for audio. I was planning on going to work in broadcast but during the first week of school one of the instructors played Grace by Jeff Buckley and I was changed. Went immediately after class to pick up my own copy and listened to it for weeks and it totally changed my focus.

I really need to pick up a copy of Crime of the Century. I've heard all the tracks but have never sat down and listened to the entire album.

I think I'm going to skip "The Elder".

As for albums of my youth that got me interested in music it would have to be the Beach Boys catalogue. It was before I was interested in production but that's when I knew I was interested in music.
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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Alain Benoit » Thu Oct 25, 2012 8:42 am

The Cars' eponymous album.
First time i remember hearing the individual quality of the tracks in the mix and the mix itself.

Way later it was Queensryche's Empire album that impressed on me that a cohesive signature could be attained for an entire production.

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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Mathieu Benoit » Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:05 am

For me it was Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales. That album changed the way I perceived music, and musicianship. It's such an immaculate album from start to finish. It was also the album that started my love affair with Vinnie Colaiuta's playing.
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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby sean.boyer » Thu Oct 25, 2012 3:19 pm

The two albums that turned me on to the idea that production matters and is an artform unto itself were first Steely Dan's Aja, and the biggest "ah-ha!" moment for me was the first note of In Utero by Nirvana. That record sounded soooo different from anything I had ever heard, ever, that it pretty much literally took my breath away for a few minutes. I listened to it over and over the first few weeks. Sure I listened to the songs, but I found I was more listening to the SPACE around and behind and next to the instrumentation.... It was like I could hear the grillecloth flapping in the wind in the quite parts. I could hear the ceiling when the kickdrum was hit... It was eyeopening.

Aja was similar, but in another respect. Where In Utero is a great example of RAW and REAL, Aja was almost ultra-real. A good example of how a recording can achieve a perfection impossible in a room or on a stage, which is eyeopening in its own right.
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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Christian LeBlanc » Thu Oct 25, 2012 3:52 pm

I can't remember one moment when I started noticing different tracks, but the biggest revelation in music to me was Aphex Twin's "Come To Daddy" ep. In particular, there's a moment on one song (either IZ-US or Flim, I forget which) where the drums are going along fine and then they grind to a halt, like the tape machine slowing to a stop, in the space of a quarter beat, and then start right back up again as if nothing happened in the next measure. To me, it was just this really beautiful way of playing with expectations and reminding you that everything you were listening to was a reproduction of sound, not the actual sound itself.
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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Thu Oct 25, 2012 7:20 pm

I'm not sure what would have been the first for me, but Crime would definitely have been one of them. There would be many that would co-exist for me from that same time of my life.

Another of my earliest memories of feeling that way about an album is Pink Floyd - Animals

...and it just goes on and on forever from there.
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It just fills Forum pages..." --compasspnt

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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Alain Benoit » Fri Oct 26, 2012 7:23 am

Mathieu Benoit wrote:For me it was Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales. That album changed the way I perceived music, and musicianship. It's such an immaculate album from start to finish. It was also the album that started my love affair with Vinnie Colaiuta's playing.


For me that moment came with Pearl Jam's Ten.

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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Alain Benoit » Mon Oct 29, 2012 9:39 am

Mathieu Benoit wrote:For me it was Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales. That album changed the way I perceived music, and musicianship. It's such an immaculate album from start to finish. It was also the album that started my love affair with Vinnie Colaiuta's playing.




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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:27 am

Although I've always loved that video, part of me hates the "Watch us record the album live in studio" vibe that these kind of things have. We know it's for show, but the newbs don't.

"Born To Be Spoilt" on Vinnie makes me laugh every time I see it!
"Once again, it is NEVER the gear that makes a good record.
It just fills Forum pages..." --compasspnt

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Re: Crime Of The Century changed my life- and other stories.

Postby Malcolm Boyce » Tue Oct 30, 2012 1:30 am

Alain Benoit wrote:
Mathieu Benoit wrote:For me it was Sting's Ten Summoner's Tales. That album changed the way I perceived music, and musicianship. It's such an immaculate album from start to finish. It was also the album that started my love affair with Vinnie Colaiuta's playing.


For me that moment came with Pearl Jam's Ten.

A.
My equivalent there might be Toto IV.
"Once again, it is NEVER the gear that makes a good record.
It just fills Forum pages..." --compasspnt

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