desmond wrote:No sequencers, no programming, just good musicians, playing well together, with loads of analog gear and tape warmth, with skilled people in control of it all..
But it's the musicians (and the arrangement) that make the groove happen...
Spot on, back of the net. I am an evangelist for music done on computers, but even so, if I make the analogy with buildings - music done on a computer is akin to 60's concrete breeze block music and music played by artisans/craftsmen is akin to a building built by stone masons, it is simply more elegant and creative. I feel that many of us sit at a computer and knock out a 2/4/8 bar phrase/groove. and that's as far as we get. Pick up a guitar, sit at the piano and the whole thing is more organic as you can instantly re-arrange the chords, sock in a minor7th or a sus9th, whatever, yes I know you can do that on a computer too, but the whole process is more clunky and not as immediate.
But whatever the tools, one needs a globally recognised classic piece of pop, now there's the rub! There's always a catch.