This is why I love watching YouTube
Amateurs, doing what they love, having fun for the love of it.
Apparently they learned that in four hours.
Oh heck, I’ll throw this in too. Very schmaltzy, but good schmaltzy (the backstory is worth watching, but if you want to cut to the chase go to about 3:30):
One of my favorites, but you have to like music from Disney movies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOoMztym1LU
I have always loved The Impossible Dream!
for the longest time is fun to sing
and if you like musicality in psuedo acapella, try come softly to me
i think its the skyliners
or the other classic great… mr sandman..
ok.. my bad
its the fleetwoods
Come Softly To Me-The Fleetwoods-1959
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc4o_wNoOBk
the skyliners sang since i don’t have you..
the best mr sandman is
Mr. Sandman – The Chordettes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX45pYvxDiA
but they got theirs from the Andrew Sisters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a5Wn9nj-zA
which of couse, Andrews Sisters Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy is their icon…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8of3uhG1tCI
and for fun neo..
here is Bohemian Rhapsody A Capella
how? easy… do 16 different tracks and sing each part
then put it all together…
one man, 16 tracks – A Capella the way a time lord might do it
Bohemian Rhapsody (ACAPELLA) – Queen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dRLokdhZco
Such fun, and beautiful besides.
I think Youtube is the best part of the ‘net, except of course emails from loved ones.
All kinds of free music, and such; and I have learned how to do so much that I would have never attempted on my own
I use it for instructions on building models and cleaning guns. Both are quite good.
Mike K, please dont mix em up! 😉
I have saved millions, well maybe that an exaggeration, on repair of small engine-powered equipment (chain saws, weed eaters, mowers, etc) by watching You-tube videos. And some are rather entertaining at the same time. And I learned how to assemble and use my father’s Stanley 55 plane. I won’t talk about gun stuff here as I’m a Cali resident…
I can’t believe I hadn’t seen Richard & Adam yet. This is almost 6 years old.
Neil Patrick Harris fan club does doo-wop white boy style. I don’t care for this for one reason: they aren’t doing doowop. They are doing this barbershop quartet style, singing sustained chords together instead of authentic doo-wap all ahhs and oohs instead of do woppa do woppa do woppa do (Why Do Fools Fall in Love, say). Watch any live version of Billy Joel doing this song and you’ll see what I mean, these guys don’t even have anyone scatting the bass. They don’t understand doo-wop, can’t arrange for it and hence have no talent for it. They’ve taken all the soul and feel out of this song and reduced it to how it would sound playing chords with the ‘ahh’ human voice sound on a sampler, very nice representations of chords but no real feel or grit.
Number two, the low testosterone of these high heeled boys (sorry Traffic) means that not ONE of them taking turns on the verse has a decent lead vocal voice- they are on-key (I guess, can barely hear some of them) but there’s no power, timbre, vibrato, growl or even volume to any of these choir boys. I’m a rock singer myself- I could go in there with NO mike and blow out a lead vocal over all these timid nancies.
Sorry, they are obviously well-practiced at hitting 1 3 5s in unison and sticking in an occasional 7th, but why there are 6 of them I have no idea since they don’t bother with the bass line or countermelodies (which are different melodies in harmony.) They are pretty white-bread as well, but check out Manhatten Transfer or someone like that, they don’t merely sing a common line in harmony, they sing counter-melodies in the background, real background vocal parts. Another good example is Somebody to Love or Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen (not that they are in any way doo-wop) where the backing vocals arent just singing a sustained chord behind the vocals, they are singing PARTS that overlap the lead vocal in places, sing between phrases, and leave “air”, blank spots that emphasize the dynamics. These guys have zero dynamics, they are one-level (including their lead vocals!) and no ebb and flow of volume, dynamics or feel. Blank spaces are like white space in art, the empty space says as much as the painted area, this is why a good musician knows when to “lay out”.
I was in a touring band for 30 years, played everything from solo/duo folk gigs, bass in a 3 piece Joe Satriani type instrumental band, many cover bands, pop, hard rock, an all original power-metal (Judas Priest/Iron Maiden type) band, alternative ’90s when that was happening, Talking Heads/Police/Pretenders when that was happening, etc. I also ran my own 24 track studio for 20 years, producing, singing backups and playing bass, guitar and keys and programming drums when needed, sang lead vocals in almost every band I was ever in while playing either bass or guitar and done hundreds of ‘sit in’ gigs, on-call to play as a replacement at a moment’s notice with no rehearsal. So I know a little bit about what I speak.
the Welsh brothers performance was so powerful, it made me cry.
Check this out;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mSEb7Bl0hU
This is what REAL musical theater sounds like (albeit in concert form) performing one of the most classic (from the “Golden Age” ) songs of that genre.
Sierra Boggess – and incredible actress/singer – though unknown outside of the theater community and Julian Ovenden – also unknown outside of the MT world .
Compare this to what one commonly sees today on Broadway and weep.
Five Discs – The Was The Time – Awesome Early 60’s Doo Wop Ballad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjwc2hJlHHc
Steve Lawrence- Footsteps (Doo wop)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZJbH0c0qYY
I still remember not being able to sleep on hot summers in ny on the fire escape… cause under the light were a bunch of guys with hip flash glass bottles, drunk, singing really good 1950s classic doo wop all knight long..
Delilah:
Like I said, good schmaltzy.
Artfldgr:
And when I was a kid, the Everly Brothers was absolutely one of my favorites. Not doo-wop, but great harmony.
At the risk of blowing my own horn, Neo, here’s another YouTube video for you, of me & my guys:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NN07j0sOR4I
Search for “Fireside quartet” to find more if you want.
Artfldgr on May 3, 2019 at 9:38 pm at 9:38 pm said:
Mike K, please dont mix em up! ?
* * *
LOL –
doc’s analysis is musically correct, and lots of good information there, BUT
If they were putting it out on a label, maybe they would be better targets for the criticism, but these were just 6 guys having a good time & they sounded fine.
“Impossible Dream” brothers: they were from North Wales; I was not surprised.
Wales probably has more high-quality singers per capita population than any country on earth; they have annual festivals, and almost every town has a choir.
Speaking of Richard and Adam, what a horrible woman: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/britains-talent-pair-richard-adam-4281988
The Everly Brothers! Unforgettable harmonies. “Dream dream dream . . . “
Fine fun – great sounds.
The joy, in singing, of the boy-band wanna bees was fine. Doc’s critiques, for which I’m not qualified to disagree with, notwithstanding. They sounded good; the song made me smile.
Richard and Adam are truly talented.
Thanks.