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Schweiz (Deutsch)Mr. Rubin....if you are listening could you please...
Mr. Rubin....if you are listening could you please...
Posted: Tuesday, August 18, 2009 - 18:23
Mr. Rubin,
PLEASE make the world a better place by taking out the "teach me how to use part" from the last verse in Laundry Room. IMHO that is the most powerful verse in the whole song, and the studio version breaks the entire rhythm of the last verse.
The first time I heard this song last summer, the line about burning the "lyrics cause every chorus was your name" gave me chills and made me realize this is indeed a GREAT song. I worry that some kid that hears this on the album for the first time will not get that same feeling because the listener is distracted by a line that was already sang in the song (and that is also a great line btw).
I know we have at least another month till the album is released, so I beg the powers that be to consider changing this small but important aspect of the song.
Replies for this Board Topic
I hate to sound insensitive, but you're probably SOL both in hoping that Rick Rubin reads this message board and in hoping that anything will change on that album over the next month. Regardless of how I feel about the differences in the live versus studio arrangements of that song, I don't think you're going to get very far. Just think of it as having 2 different versions of one fantastic song.
--
~Megan
"Life's too short, just be nice."
You never know, that part on the album version could very well bring about the same feelings for others as the live version did for you. Everyone is different, and new listeners don't know the live version. I know its hard to imagine, but just try and imagine hearing the album version first. I personally think it's well done and shows a different side -which the brothers have said is what they were going for. (i.e-live vs. studio). Ive seen laundry room live countless times, and i still love the album version. You have to respect that as important as fans are to this band, this is their art and their decision and i doubt they would have put the EP containing this version out unless they were happy with it. I also doubt that they will change it for any of us.
Try giving it a few more listens, you may warm up to it.
--
Kill the doubt that strangles my self worth
Paint the picture that I swore I heard
While the album is definitely finished and no changes will be made I agree with the sentiment- that part is just terrible.
That being said I love everything else but that part is just flat out wrong
--
I've been drinkin' seven hours now
sympathy is a waste of my high
yeah I don't expect it to change. But I had to get it off my chest to someone other than my girlfriend. It just doesn't make sense to me.
--
For all I know, there's more I dont
your avatar is cool, jakeverb. i saw that movie a few months ago again for the first time in years!
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And I spent the last one just hidden away
Screaming my lungs out with nothing to say.
Calling it terrible is a bit harsh.
I dont think so, the use of the floaty background vocals of that part really irked me. I thought everything else about that song and all the others sounds great...that part just seems like a big mistake. BUT that's just my opinion obviously!
--
I've been drinkin' seven hours now
sympathy is a waste of my high
Initially that was my only complaint about the recorded version as well, that the layering of another lyric takes away from the power of the verse, but that will be up to each new listener to decide. I made this point to my girlfriend, and she had the excellent opinion that it's just keeping up with the call and response aspect of other parts of the song (ie; I am a breathing time machine, and how that keeps going back and forth at the end), and I think she's right. It makes it a more consistent song.
I think it's a mistake to assume that this is RR's doing. Initially I thought the same thing, but the boys have made it abundantly clear that they are making the album that they want. This is how they want it, whether we like it or not.
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There was a dream, and one day I could see it, like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it.
Well said, kinglet. That is a point that I think is often forgotten when discussing the EP, and it is one I had intended to make (but I forgot).
--
~Megan
"Life's too short, just be nice."
I gotta say....
I didn't dig it initially either, but after a few listens it doesn't really bother me that much. In fact it was always one of my favorite lines in the song and I consider it a homage to one of the greatest Beatles lines ever ("and in the end the love you take is equal to the LOVE YOU MAKE" - The End / Abbey Road).
It sounds, to me, like an impassioned plea. I find myself singing that part now.
Can't wait to hear the entire CD.
--
http://www.tablive.net
I haven't heard the "disliked" version.
Reminds me of my early love for the Stones, "Honky Tonk Women." Sure didn't care too much for the version called "Country Honk," on the Let It Bleed album.
Maybe when the Avetts release their version of Hot Rocks, there will be the more favored "Laundry Room" available.
--
"Ronnie and Neil, Ronnie and Neil
Rock stars today ain't half as real
Speaking there minds on how they feel
Let them guitars blast for Ronnie and Neil"
i am praying for a broken down version on the demo cd or something
Thank god Seth doesn't read these boards....It takes a lot of nerve to imply that you are a better interpreter of the songs than the people who write and perform them
I dont like that rat crawling across the hand railing at the end of The Departed. Anyone know if Scorsese reads these boards?
I like it all.
I agree with Mr Okai.
Studio ≠ Live.
Live ≠ Studio.
Double your pleasure, double the fun.
i haven't relayed any feelings on any of the previous topics about the album, etc.... Before I heard the entire album, I expected that Laundry Room would be my favorite song on the album b/c of what I had heard live.... then i heard other songs and the album and quickly changed my mind, however, I truly believe that the album version of Laundry Room is awesome... i wouldn't change a thing.... i think it has its true sentimental moments, which include the part you're talking about, but it also has the great Bluegrassy Jam at the end - which really just ends the song on a great note....
so, sorry - i completely disagree - i think it fits perfectly within the song and helps to fill some empty space in that part of the song, that may not had appealed to others who have never heard Laundry Room before...
--
Well Locust, Mount Pleasant, Concord.... LETS GOOO!
I also am sorry. Studio version falls way below the live version for me. Triangle?!! I rather have more cowbell! I also wonder how much of the bluegrass ending is actually TAB. My guess is very little.
--
"Technology to wipe out truth is now available, not everyone can afford it but it's available." B. Dylan
Rejoice always, Mark
Aside from the fiddle, what parts in the hoedown would NOT be played by TAB? Not trying to get defensive, I just don't understand the statement. I'd imagine that the bass, guitar, banjo, and drums are all definitely TAB. That really just leaves the fiddle, which I'd imagine was either done by a session musician or maybe Sarah. I think as far as that part of the song is concerned, the only difference between the live version and the studio version, is that I can actually hear what they're trying to play. Usually it's just a raucuous jumble live. Not that that's not fun, too.
Not saying that I dislike the ending on the studio version....the fiddle part probably is a session musician. It kind of dominates the jam so it sounds like maybe that is what he meant by its not the avetts.
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For all I know, there's more I dont
They had guest musicians on all of their studio albums. That is really nothing new.I believe there is an interview where Scott mentions that it is always friends or someone with whom they have a close connection. I don't think they just hire random people to play, even on the new album. Even with the live ending being different from the studio version, this is the sound they wanted. It's great. I love the live and the studio hoedown.
What's wrong with the triangle?
Isn't there one on Emotionalism, too?
--
At the end of the set, the old man who was going to be behind the wheel for the long haul home said, "Boys, that gave me God bumps."
I would venture to guess that there wasn't even another drummer used on this track. The rhythm at the end sounds like the good 'ole Avett-style kickdrum and hi-hat combo to me!
alot of the hoedown part was reminiscent of the breakdown that used to be part of laundry room, while I cant recall ever hearing that part live it is at the end of this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYerGCsv5kw
--
I've been drinkin' seven hours now
sympathy is a waste of my high
Sounds like them to me too
--
I wanna have friends.That I can trust.That love me for the man I've become not the man that I was.
Jakeverb,
The live and studio versions are definitely musically identical. The only difference is you can actually hear everything going on at once in the studio version. As I said earlier, I love the live version, but this is the clarity I had been looking for from the hoedown at the end.
Ride in your car at 50+ mph, cranking this song, beating your steering wheel to the rhythm of the kickdrum, and then tell me that it doesn't have an equal amount of energy to the live version.
It's time I told the truth. I've been masquerading as a fan and I'm actually Rick Rubin. And I'd be happy to make the changes you suggested. Thank you.
......
....
..
.
Bwahahahaha!
Just kidding suckahs!
*grabs money and Avett souls and runs*
--
I’m walking with you,
I’m walking with you,
I might miss the meaning, but I’m catching the truth
It doesn't have an equal amount of energy to the live version. And I would add that the same applies to Kick Drum and I&L&U.
Musically identical? I have not seen or heard a fiddle in any live show whereas in the studio version preeminent would be an understatement. Maybe it is meant to be a nod to all the musically demented souls who have (and continue to) label TAB as bluegrass - something they never were nor aspired to be.
Of course, it is all a matter of taste. I like my music to taste organic and real. I want to recognize instruments and voices. I don't want perfection because I know that the price of perfection is heart and soul. Multiple takes and electronic alterations choke the life out of music.
Now the Avetts have enough heart, soul and life for even the most edited songs to still touch me. I do not "hate" the songs released so far, but I far prefer the live versions. I know my take on this is in direct opposition to people in the nation who I have great respect for as well as the band's own statements. However, I will continue to voice my view without apology.
--
"Technology to wipe out truth is now available, not everyone can afford it but it's available." B. Dylan
Rejoice always, Mark
I never said anything ill about the hoedown, I know alot of people said they didnt like it or it was forced but I thought that part of the song was really great. It only gets better the more I listen to it.
--
I've been drinkin' seven hours now
sympathy is a waste of my high
I would bet the fiddle on laundry room is Donnie Herron who was also on Emotionalism, toured with them when they were billed with BR549, and is in Dylan's band - not a RRubin connection
jkilpatrick, I think you may be right. I believe I read that somewhere.......now, I'd like to try to find it, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that.
--
At the end of the set, the old man who was going to be behind the wheel for the long haul home said, "Boys, that gave me God bumps."
Jakeverb and bobz,
Just wanted to clarify that I have no problem with whether you do or don't like the song and I definitely enjoy discussing it with other people, regardless of their opinion. I meant to clarify my musically identical remark. I meant the chords/notes that are being played are the same, not that the same instruments are being used to play them. I should have made that more clear.
After laying down the primary tracks, or post-tracking, when we were overdubbing, we had Bill Reynolds come over and help with percussion, and Mo and Paleface helped on some things. And Donnie Herron [guitarist and violinist with Bob Dylan since 2005] was there. Sarah [McDonald] and Mary Ellen [Bush] from Ménage came over, so we still had a lot of that love that Emotionalism has on it as far as the pairing of all of us and friends.
http://www.indyweekblogs.com/scan/2009/04/interview-the-avett-brothers-r...
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At the end of the set, the old man who was going to be behind the wheel for the long haul home said, "Boys, that gave me God bumps."
Zimmy,
I am sad that you never had a chance to see or hear a fiddle at any of the Brothers’ live shows. Or are you talking about only on that song? It makes for a pretty sweet addition.
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2175602530078693903mluHlu
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/2913391660078693903RSiPYS
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/1532991294078693903togmqf
http://entertainment.webshots.com/photo/1542768022078693903fqddyW
--
"Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny." - Frank Zappa
(just playing. no ill will or ill humor intended at anyone...)
--
I’m walking with you,
I’m walking with you,
I might miss the meaning, but I’m catching the truth
"Or are you talking about only on that song?" I was referring to the break down at the end of Laundry Room. However, your evidence is questionable, David. Sarah plays violin, not fiddle.
--
"Technology to wipe out truth is now available, not everyone can afford it but it's available." B. Dylan
Rejoice always, Mark
What bob said!
But my opinion.... I have never heard anything in their entire catalog that sounds like the end of Laundry Room. It sounds like some cheap, digestible consumer version of bluegrass (or 'hoedown music') that you would hear from the Country Bears at Disney. That sounds harsh, and I like the Country Bears, but it's just my reaction when I hear it.
My other opinion.... how can someone think that Rick Rubin sat back in the studio and was dictated to by The Avett Brothers? In the end, Scott and Seth had to say 'yes' to a Rubin 'suggestion', ultimately making it 'what they want'.... but it's still from the brain of Rubin's, not theirs. (generally speaking) It's why they went with him, right? Not saying it's wrong one way or the other, but when such a big thing happens to your indie band and you can put your music in Rubin's hands...you aren't going to put up a fight.
--
So if ever someone says to you "Life isn't fair, get used to it"
Then you should say "Well It might be if folks like you would let it be."
"It sounds like some cheap, digestible consumer version of bluegrass (or 'hoedown music') that you would hear from the Country Bears at Disney." Harsh indeed. But perhaps painfully accurate?
And the fiddler is undoubtedly the incredibly talented Mr. Herron. I am sure a live rendition would knock me off my feet, but alas we are presented with the digitalized and sanitized Country Bears' version.
Wes, I think we could get along quite well.
--
"Technology to wipe out truth is now available, not everyone can afford it but it's available." B. Dylan
Rejoice always, Mark
Just want to make clear that I prefer live versions of songs 99% of the time... my remark was to the first few posts that wanted certain things removed from the studio version ( which is just funny)... I completely agree with what Dolph has posted earlier, in that this album really reminds me a lot of Country Was.... I think that Laundry Room is the exact equal to the studio version of "November Blue".... The live version and the studio version are just different, but both are absolutely awesome..... There isn't one thing I'd change on either...
BobZ - I completely see your points, but I wouldn't speak too fast - I wouldn't be surprised to see a fiddle player ( and yes, its a fiddle - you can tell b/c the sound isn't as crisp as a "violin" which has a higher ark in the bridge) coming out with The Avetts on Laundry Room
--
Well Locust, Mount Pleasant, Concord.... LETS GOOO!
"A violin is a fiddle; a fiddle is a violin. There are no differentiating features period. The only true reason you'd call one instrument a violin and the other a fiddle is the approach...someone who plays fiddle tunes, a fiddler, will address their violin as a fiddle.
Some fiddlers will shave their bridge flat to ensure an easily attainable double-stop (two strings played at once)...so the set-up may be different on a fiddle...they're still one and the same instrument."
--
"Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny." - Frank Zappa
right
--
Well Locust, Mount Pleasant, Concord.... LETS GOOO!
I'm with zimmerman on this as well. As far as session musicians go, I get the feeling that the new ones on the album aren't part of the Avett "inner circle". It feels more to me like they're part of the Sony connection.
There may be another way to look at that. In the past the band was somewhat limited to using people in their “inner circle.” Now they have more options and can seek out the most talented players to get the exact sound they are looking for.
--
"Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny." - Frank Zappa
i have to agree sunday- i dont know... i guess after hearing scott say that they made the decisions on the album I really got a better feeling about what was to come... if this is the music they want on an album, to market to new listeners who will then hear them and then see them live, then i have to respect that decision... they know that a live show and an album are very different and so IMHO i think they are trying to make the best possible studio sound.
--
Team Avett #68
"You can say bless your heart before anything... like Bless your heart, you're a Dumbass... "- Jim Avett
Fiddle? Violin?
Who cares? It's not like they used something totally unprecedented like, oh say, a tuba.
I think it might be hard to listen to these tracks out of context of the entire album. I say we wait an see the entire picture before we start judging the color palette.
BTW, I'm pro-Tuba. I don't know why bands don't use the king of brass any more.
I miss it.
--
http://www.tablive.net
When Wilco sent in Monday to their record label at the time as a single, the label made them edit the horns out with the rationale that "There hasn't been a radio hit with horns in it for over 30 years." I think a couple years later that awful Mambo #5 song blew up the charts. Ha!
a fiddle is a violin you can spill beer on............
that was my understanding of the difference;)
--
Cheers
-A-
I'm with you mao... Pro-tuba indeed...
--
Peace,
Worth
~~~Roll Tide!~~~
All of you broken hearted children that feel as if you lost your puppy when The Avetts signed to American. Rest assured that the collaboration with Rick Rubin was just that. A collaboration. A lot of work went into recording this album with fans in mind and their artistic freedom. For you guys that know little about how the sessions went to think the Avett Brothers would compromise themselves for anything is foolish and incredibly presumptious (sp?). I understand not preferring a song over another version but some of the comments I'm reading are incredibly harsh. I would love them no matter what, but to hear the same album and ramshackle production over and over would grow tiresome so I welcome a cleaner sound and more studio production. I'm seeing them twice this weekend and my excitement is as paramount as it was the first time I saw them play in front of a Dairy Queen for change.
I also understand that the disdain that you guys feel is a testament to what they've created in a fan base and I welcome the differing opinions...
who knows.
continue.