RE: Poor and youthful | from bkahunaFeb 25 2003 - 12:15
Sam - Agreed. In order it would have to be Jeff, Bob then J.
Axe wielding order would have to be J., Dan(Jeff?) then Bob.
Sam - Agreed. In order it would have to be Jeff, Bob then J.
Axe wielding order would have to be J., Dan(Jeff?) then Bob.
Well said-- for me it's Jeff and Mould with J for good measure.
Hmmm, I think Jeff Mould would be a killer hybrid... :)
Teethmarks, my vote for most powerful Idaho tune, Casa Mia the most beautiful. Speaking of powerful vocalists (not to mention gargantuan axe-wielders), I saw J. Mascis last thursday night. Jeff Martin and J. Mascis (throw in Bob Mould for good) measure - those three alone can get me through life.
check out
www.Onehundredthmonkey.com
I thank you
So what was Ms Marshall like Mr Martin??
I never thought Jeff had a great voice until I was in a rehearsal space with him, and he started ad libbing all these wordless vocals with no effects. It was a very powerful voice. I definitely prefer the howling-into-the-abyss voice to the whispery croaking voice, 'though. The Barry White/M. Gira voice is pretty cool as well. And I love that new Christina Aguilera tune.
What about "Come Back Home"?? Brilliant stuff.
"...the low-volume screaming of a life falling apart." Wow. It couldn't be said better than that. "For Granted" is certainly a wonderful song. To me, one of the most perfect parts of "Levitate" (the CD) is how the beginning piano chords on "Levitate Pt. 2" are also the last two chords (but with different roots) of the following song, "Santa Claus is Weird". This is perfectionism at its absolute finest.
my first introduction to imperfect voices came from the afghan whigs - greg dulli's cracking whispered screams on "gentlemen" destroyed me. i mean, christina aguilera is, like, celebrated for her voice and stuff, and look where it got her.
my favorite idaho song of all is "for granted", a song that is packed with all the emotion that i am unable to communicate myself. to me, the rawness in jeff's voice is just the low-volume screaming of a life falling apart. the song wouldn't be write without it.
ok, i realize i just said a whole bunch of nothing. uh, i like your voice jeff. that's all.
i agree with alex 100%. levitate the album is wonderful vocally top to bottom, but the hardly mentioned "casa mia" and obvious "levitate", are my favorites. mr. martin thanks for reading and responding to all this harassment. sometimes it seems like you feel you have to defend stuff - everything you have ever done has been golden. don't forget these are the types of people who take it from their bosses everyday, looking to ventilate - you're the king mr. martin, you're the king!!!!
Ahh... Perfectionism.
Jeff - I can totally relate to what you said about playing things for your father. My dad is a composer/choir director/theory teacher. It makes me sweat even thinking about playing my stuff for him anymore.
It's all rubbed off on me. Being your own worst critic can be a real drag.
I recently did some playing on a friend's album. It was an incredible relief - the most fun I've ever had recording. I just got to play and let someone else tell me if it was working or not. Someone else is mixing it, so they get to decide what to use and what not to use. I just want the guy that wrote the songs to be happy with the end result, so I don't really care what ends up in the final mix.
Hey C., I actually think "Alas contains some of Jeff's finest vocals. It's strange how rarely people can agree on thinks like this. Also, don't get me wrong about "Santa Claus is Weird". I ADORE that song. It is definitely one of the most intimately beautiful things I've ever heard. I agree that the vocals are VERY impassioned. A few intonation "problems" just bothered me at first, that's all. I quickly got over it, though. Personally, my favorite vocal performance on "Levitate" is "Casa Mia" (my vote for most intimate vocal ever), and "Levitate" itself.
Jeff, "Santa Claus Is Weird" is, to me, one of the most intimate pieces of music - no, make that the most intimate musical piece - I have ever heard. The vox, in my opinion are soft in delivery, but are really emotional. I would have to say you were bang on in on that song... which just goes to show for every yin there's a yang...
...and in terms of Mr. Berry stepping up to the mic, I'd pay handsomely to hear that! Which reminds me, the Starry Experience, where's that at?
recently it's been "A Second Chance" for me; the guitars, the vocals, the melody, beautiful...
i remember when i first got "alas" (still my favorite idaho LP) it tooks quite a few plays for me to get used to the dry vocal delivery, but once i did i realized that no other vocalist would suit the music. while they may not be all perfect, jeff's vocals are an essential part of idaho's music, just as much as those 4-string geetars. but HEY IDAHO - just for variety how about letting john b. take a vocal turn or two on the next record?
I have to agree with most of the recent posts, that Jeff's voice almost defines the Idaho sound. If you get the best guitarist in the world and put them with the best singer, drummer, basist et c. It doesn't mean that you will end up with the best band in the world.
It's like this with all art, it's the product that matters. When you want to create something, you have to employ any and all methods to do so. Like Dean says, Mariah Carey might be famous for her amazing vocal range, but I don't want to hear her try to sing 'Lately' or 'Drown'!
As far as tossed off vocals are concerned, I think that there are a couple of tracks on 'Levitate' which really benefit from that kind of delivery. They kind of remind me of those sunday afternoons when you just cannot be bothered to do anything. I don't know if that was the intention, but it certainly does it for me.
i type recklessly fast but thats no excuse for the "allmost"...thats a real mess that one....i cant spell for shyte i admit....by the way im going to see cat power tonight....i know there was a thread about her earlier...she is an amazing singer to my ears...a real natural. many may disagree though
i just find it so odd that someone should criticise the way you sing Jeff. Not because I believe my view is an objective truth but just because to me it's so much the imperfections and feeling in what you do that makes it special. You are like the polar opposite of those frenetically pyrotechnic "soul" singers who fit 25 notes into one sylable and transmit ZERO emotion.
You can sing soft and crooney and broken and impassioned and loud. Jeepers: creep at the garage last year left me with goosebumps for about 10 minutes!!
I love that post too when you say what a perfectionist you are and then spell "almost" wrong!! Tortured artists are not supposed to be funny!!
I don't care about the lyrics. Jeff Martin's voice is all heart...
I agree with Ross...IDAHO is IDAHO because of Jeffs' voice...I love it whether it's cracking or not. It's perfectly imperfect at times, but always emotionally perfect. Well, I guess he knows that he can do no wrong in my book...hey how bout them lyrics Jeff??
strange, i think santa claus is weird is one my best vocal tracks ....darn it
The vocals only bother me once in a while throughout "Hearts of Palm". The only Idaho song I used to skip over because of vocal intonation/excessive cracking is "Santa Claus is Weird", (sorry Jeff). However, most of the time, a crack or two in the vocals can give off more genuine emotion than an entire song processed with Antares Auto-Tune 3.
what a thought...Sinatra singing
I D A H O covers, it could have been intresting. i think i'd much rather hear jeff's attempt at "luck be a lady" or " fly me to the moon"
later
I have to say that the voice has always been the distinctive element of IDAHO. The music has changed quite dramatically over the years... and I guess the same could be said about the vocal delivery, to some extent. Nevertheless, it's always been Jeff's voice that has made IDAHO IDAHO. Like B. I often wondered who Jeff Martin was (and was blown when I actually met the man who sang like that). I guess I was maybe expecting a poor man's Barry White, or something.
For me personally, I always identified with the voice. It was imperfect in some places, and perfect in others. I loved that dichotomy about the vocals. They are and have always been really honest and raw. That made the band "real" to me. You could tell from the records that this was no polished turd, simply because there are traces of imperfection, as well as glory (sorry I had to). I've always loved that.
A couple people I've played the records for have been unable to 'get past the voice'. It's like everything else, people have an idea of what a singer should sound like. We'd all have to agree we're dealing with an incredibly distinctive sounding singer, and I suppose an IDAHO fan's reduced level of objectivity makes it so that it all sounds very normal to them, where it's the polar opposite for the unenlightened. I guess it's like Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan - their vocal styles are either loved or hated. It seems like a moot point, that if you love IDAHO it has quite a lot to do with the voice.
as long as the singing is with emotion (and the music is moving in its own right), and of course the lyrics are good, i like it. Funny you should say that about your dad. One of my favorite idaho songs is "alive again". my dad couldn't enjoy it when i played a little idaho for him a couple years ago because of the vocals....and i love the vocals on that song.
lets just say that singing does not come naturaly to me....its not something i was born with the capacity to do well....the vocals on the records are not just thrown on for the most part....sometimes i get lucky and get them in one take, but i will never have good pitch and will never have the upper hand with my vocal chords..i cant fake it...i only sound good when im actually really feeling the song ...suddenly i get a fleeting glance at what it may have been like to be frank sinatra...this does not happen often...when my dad heres a record or live recording of idaho , he cringes and sais "your voice sounds awful" ...thanks dad....IM NOT A SINGER....ive met real singers and it is an amazing thing...that being said though, i wouldnt want to change a about my voice i guess....many of my favorite singers couldnt really sing either...
My friend anonymous
when i was a younger lad, my first exposer to I D A H O was the forbidden ep. i remember it was a drive across the country. with a limited amount of music,and somwhere in nebraska, that little jewel got me threw like three states - no lie. I thought the instrumentation was unique, with the guitars sounding all different from anything i had ever heard- but the one thing that facinated me was that voice. i remember i kept thinking who is this guy? i had come from a line of listening to many bands and styles - i remember thinking this is the biggest breath of fresh air to date. now that i have rambled my point is, i know in the past mr. martin has stated that at times he likes instrumental - however his voice in my opinion is the staple of
I D A H O . today my only problem is that this band has set a standard and i have a very hard time liking anything else. so when the day comes where i am stranded on an island in the pacific, as long as i have the
american beauty - score, the beatles - magical mystery tour, and idaho - hearts of palm, at my side i think i could manage just fine.
thanks
that's what i dig about the vocals, (among the things i dig about the vocals) that they crack up sometimes. which in my ears is perfect.
ok i'm probably gonna get flamed here but i have to point something out... it's obvious from listening to idaho's music that jeff IS a perfectionist... every note makes sense, it's all perfect. jeff's vocals, however... they always sound to me randomly tossed-off in one take, without much effort. so there's a real dichotomy there. i don't mean to say i don't like jeff's vocals, but sometimes (SOMETIMES) their rough-hewn nature (voice cracking, sometimes mumbling/wavering out of pitch)kinda detracts from the music. does jeff's perfectionism play any part in recording vocals??? if so it doesn't sound like it. just my opinion. i will always love idaho regardless.
you dont know how much of a perfectionist i am...its allmost crippling
That's totally funny, because I think that "To be the one" has probably the warmest and sweetest drum sound ever. Actually that's probably the best drum sound on any album I've ever heard. That and the drums on the Forbidden E.P. By my ears, they're perfect.
Like it was written in the liner notes of the Forbidden E.P., the drums sound "pregnant". I love that. Big, round, and warm.
My buddy once said that "To be the one" was the most beautiful song he'd ever heard, mostly because of the sound of those drums. I have to agree with him, the chemistry between the drums and the piano is honest and majestic.
yeah, i guess those drums are probably just right for that lil' diddy
hi jeff,
i hadn't noticed anything wrong with the drums on to be the one, now i listen to it, i think there really good, and they suit the song really well
you're totally right about axis bold as love, it's not worth worrying too much about how your recording them as long as they fit suitably
my favourite drums are probably what the flaming lips were doing on soft bulletin, especially on the intro to race for the prize, they make me want to jump up and down
also ringo stars drumming on the magical mystery tour are pretty cool
personally if i could put drums on my music that sound as good as what you've acheived on to be the one i'd be more than satisfied
Can you please put up the lyrics to Hearts of Palm too, please......
Flat Top is too great of a song to make a joke out of it
lord no....ill put em up in a sec
Wait a minute, those aren't really the lyrics to Flat Top are they?
why don't you get together with terry, dan and mark and play some of those songs?
were all god right? as far as drummers go....1st of all the only way for my drumming to work is to play to a click into protools...thusly, a metronomic feel is unavoidable and im forst to move things around to make it listenable. all of this initiates a horrible case of carpal tunnel to my wrist...not good....i practically killed myself doctoring the drums on hearts of palm...a friend showed me the beat detective option in protools which in theory could have saved me a lot of time but i now believe it only works for simple rock drumming. i prefer to track the initial guitar or piano with a drummer because it just sounds more natural for lack of a better word. its hard to het drummers to keep it simple however....and bryan kertenian has a very busy style of playing..hes just so damned good that i figure "why not" you know , listen to hendrix's axis bold as love..mitch mitchell's drumming is crazy good and all over the place
Jeff Martin is God.
"I've got a chubby
and it's becoming clear...
you're a cute Marine,
but you smell like beer
FLAT TOP
FLAT TOP
I've got somthin special
and it's coming your way
Just because I'm good lookin
doesn't mean I'm..
FLAT TOP
FLAT TOP
break
FLAT TOP
Jeff- Why do you enlist other drummers to record albums? I never think their drumming sounds any better than yours.
Jeff...any chance we could get lyrics to Flat Top?? Or just tell us a bit about it maybe? It's one of my favorites...Thanks
im gonna have to say that i played lead on that one...it reminds me of the guitarist from concrete blonde.....
It sounds like Marty Willson-Piper playing lead on "flat top"... even though it's probably Dan.. right?
I'm curious as to when "Flat Top" was recorded. Three Sheets era, or This Way Out? Probably neither, right? Either way, it's a gritty rocker for the IDAHO. I hear shades of Swervedriver in there. Whoever was manning the axe in that song has some mighty chops.
I'm not a big lead lead guitar fan, but I sure do love love that one. It makes the song... provides colour, and character. Although, the vocal harmony is also brilliant.
I always thought that your deep voice thang was inspired by the swans?? The slower chimey songs on YAY in particular?? Like the swans but with melody and decent lyrics :)
teethmarks would be impossible to play without terry, dan and mark....actually to go back and learn most old idaho songs is a futile undertaking.....
anyone.
drown is amazing i wish you would do more of that dark stuff. Though teethmarks is maybe my favorite, you should do that thing live.
im just sayin it wouldn't hurt no one if you did.
the deep voice on 'drown' is great. but i am always longing for the ending in that song. that high voice of yours is what i like. and the whispery one.
the drums (in 2 be the one) sounded so flat that we decided to put this rotating effect on them...i dont really love it ...its a little distracting.. and yeah on drown..what is that low voice character i was puttin' on anyway? it made sense then i guess....my goth roots were fully in bloom at that time.....
'drown' is the track that does it for me. i love those ultra low barry white vocals!
Jeff - It's interesting that you mentioned that. I've always wondered if that phasey stuff on that drum part was intentional or not.
I dig those drums! I love that song. But I think the bass is pretty weird. but cool.
yep, im not crazy about those drums...id re do them and remix ....
Yeah, what's wrong with TBTO. Is it the drums?
Personally, I think spiral is mindblowing. That chorus is sick.
Jeff, just wondering, what about "To Be the One" dissatisfies you? Personally, I like the mixing job on it. I'm not sure what I would change if given the chance to remix it.
yeah, "we were young and needed the money" is great stuff. i like that the earliest songs are last on the disc. it's a good finish to the album.
maybe when we have to print up more hearts of plam when idaho gets big and famous?!.... ill remaster and include those 2 songs ..i always wanted to fix a couple of things and remix "to be the one" anyway
social studies, absolutely - i love that song, if it were on hearts of palm it probably would've been my favorite of the album.
I feel a re-pacekage comin' on.
i remember dan really wanted to put it on hearts ...i guess i was just tired of it at that point...i regret not includijng it now...i even think social studies would have been a good addition too..
Hey. I'm way late on this one but I have to say; I love the compilation. Such a generous offering of 17 hard to find IDAHOAN gems. The songs are definitely heavier than any I've heard IDAHO put out lately... or ever.
I just have one question - How the hell is it that "Nothing Wrong" didn't make Hearts of Palm?! I completely adore that song... I'm talking hairs standing; arms and neck. How it slipped under the radar, is just beyond me.
A testament to a band with songs so rich that one such as "Nothing Wrong" can actually end up on the burner.
Love and respect to I D A H O.
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