Lovesome Liverpool (including the live at “The Geek Theatre”)
Notes on “LOVESOME LIVERPOOL (including the live at “The Geek Theatre”)”(English)
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-596493783/lovesome-liverpoolincluding-the-live-at-geek-theatre
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGWzMkH2hWI
(Also, the concert version of this work was released in January 2022. For further details please refer to "Leaked Live FMT".)
(TI writes:)
Nowadays, even if you adopt the Beatles's methods (chord progression, melody) in order to do Beatles' tribute, it should not be like the Beatles. That also means that the music created by the Beatles has become that popular.
To do so, we had to study music back to the music the Beatles were affected. What the hell is that? The argument was made with TM.
As a result, elements such as folk music from northern Europe such as Celtic music and Raga from India were incorporated.
The Beatles music roots, we think, are closer to these European native music than to the church music that is the origin of classical music.
(TI)
The characteristics of the Celtic music can be theoritically explained quite simply. In contrast to the Western classical music theory developed from the church music, how to use the " middle note” of chords is different.
The classical music is in principle the sound of the middle of chords is the major and minor third. However, for ancient European music represented by the Celtic music etc. that is not necessarily the case. Instead, the second note is centered in many cases, meaning the suspended second (sus2) chords. The sound of bagpipes well symbolizes it.
Pops treat sus2 chords mostly as add9 (the ninth note added to triads). These chords are rarely used in the classics and is considered nonexistent.
Moreover, I don’t think that before the Beatles there were many pops songs that use the sus2 or add9. But the post-Beatles pops use them much more frequently. For example, I think The Police's “Every Breath You Take" is a memorable song in which the sound of sus2/add9 is exploited.
(TM)
We thereafter regard the sus2/add9 sound as one of the most significant characteristics of the Beatles, which we very often applied to this track.
Interestingly enough, in around the 1960s people thought such state-of-the-art music as the Beatles and Mersey Beats were completely different from old traditional music like the Celtic and Irish, I presume. But as a matter of fact they had important similarities.
I once lived in England and love to visit Liverpool on holidays, which is to me much like my home port city. Before moving to England, I resided in Dublin, Ireland. Both are so lovesome. For those who don’t know well about Liverpool, the city is deeply related to Republic of Ireland. You can ferry between Liverpool and Dublin over the narrow sea of Irish Sea. (The first tentative title of this track was “On A Ferry From Ireland To Liverpool.”) So, I was very excited to find out the close relationships between the Liverpool and Irish music through discussion with TI .
Besides, the Beatles and post-Beatles bands often use slash chords like A/G, which makes the sound equivalent to sus2/add9. You should be able to find out many slash chords in the track as well.
Another feature we paid attention to is omitted meters. We guess the Beatles were the pioneers of omitting one or some meters at the end of a phrase. They sometimes did it.
Also, we emphasised fills-in of toms and snairs using triplets. (Actually, Ringo Star’s shuffles are a little bit earlier in timing than triplets, like we tried in the track called “Bangriddim 594*.”)
* Also, refer to Notes on "Bangriddim 594."
We also reformed the Beatles’ actual melodies in a different manner. I keep them secret here and leave it as a quiz. If you notice them, just send us a direct message and I can tell you which songs :)
Another significance of the Beatles is, as widely dicussed, the societal aspects. Enthusiasm like that screaming is inseparable with pop stars now, but at the time it should be quite new and shocking. Perhaps Elvis Presley and the Beatles were the first and that was worldwide. Out of those screamers, how many were listening to the live performance?
In that way their music symbolises the power of the new media, TV, the rise of mass marketing, as well as explosive increase of the middle class in the developed nations. Although I write "inseparable now," that screaming seems extra-ordinary, doesn't it?
These societal aspects were out of their control. We intended to express being out of control with that screaming. We know it's weird and funny but that was the reality the Beatles faced and were likely to suffer from (eventually they gave up live performance) and thus was an important characteristics of their music.
(TM)
We thereafter regard the sus2/add9 sound as one of the most significant characteristics of the Beatles, which we very often applied to this track.
Interestingly enough, in around the 1960s people thought such state-of-the-art music as the Beatles and Mersey Beats were completely different from old traditional music like the Celtic and Irish, I presume. But as a matter of fact they had important similarities.
I once lived in England and love to visit Liverpool on holidays, which is to me much like my home port city. Before moving to England, I resided in Dublin, Ireland. Both are so lovesome. For those who don’t know well about Liverpool, the city is deeply related to Republic of Ireland. You can ferry between Liverpool and Dublin over the narrow sea of Irish Sea. (The first tentative title of this track was “On A Ferry From Ireland To Liverpool.”) So, I was very excited to find out the close relationships between the Liverpool and Irish music through discussion with TI .
Besides, the Beatles and post-Beatles bands often use slash chords like A/G, which makes the sound equivalent to sus2/add9. You should be able to find out many slash chords in the track as well.
Another feature we paid attention to is omitted meters. We guess the Beatles were the pioneers of omitting one or some meters at the end of a phrase. They sometimes did it.
Also, we emphasised fills-in of toms and snairs using triplets. (Actually, Ringo Star’s shuffles are a little bit earlier in timing than triplets, like we tried in the track called “Bangriddim 594*.”)
* Also, refer to Notes on "Bangriddim 594."
We also reformed the Beatles’ actual melodies in a different manner. I keep them secret here and leave it as a quiz. If you notice them, just send us a direct message and I can tell you which songs :)
(TI)
In the second half, we conceived what we call "Geek Theater Live" part. I originally intended to put only screaming, and merely mixed it with the sound of the first half, but it was not enough attractive. So I replaced the sound to live instrument sound etc. and tried to express an old live feeling.
In the second half, we conceived what we call "Geek Theater Live" part. I originally intended to put only screaming, and merely mixed it with the sound of the first half, but it was not enough attractive. So I replaced the sound to live instrument sound etc. and tried to express an old live feeling.
As a result, the number of tracks doubled and two mix consoles were used. Therefore, the sound image is completely different in the first half and the second half.
In addition, "The Geek Theatre" is a parody of "The Greek Theatre", which is an open-air theatre in Los Angeles.
(TM)Another significance of the Beatles is, as widely dicussed, the societal aspects. Enthusiasm like that screaming is inseparable with pop stars now, but at the time it should be quite new and shocking. Perhaps Elvis Presley and the Beatles were the first and that was worldwide. Out of those screamers, how many were listening to the live performance?
In that way their music symbolises the power of the new media, TV, the rise of mass marketing, as well as explosive increase of the middle class in the developed nations. Although I write "inseparable now," that screaming seems extra-ordinary, doesn't it?
These societal aspects were out of their control. We intended to express being out of control with that screaming. We know it's weird and funny but that was the reality the Beatles faced and were likely to suffer from (eventually they gave up live performance) and thus was an important characteristics of their music.
Furthermore, it would be funny and somewhat ironical if people screamed for Irish music (which I love so much, though), isn't it? And, of course, irony is inevitable if we deal with something English...
(TI)
The terms of classical western music are still expressed in Italian and German. Perhaps in prior to the Beatles the musical mainstream was there.
Through the creation of this track, isn't it possible to say that pop music born from there is, from the viewpoint of continental Europe, the music of the frontier / periphery? From the Beatles onwards, something like the geographical center of music seems to have been born anew.
We can only trace the history from now, but if we imagine the history along the flow of time axis, we think that we can have another view.