Billie Eilish

[David Harper]

There's two kinds of old guys; those who say they like young women and those who lie.

 

[Helicopter]

What I was told by a cutting engineer that you basically have a 3-way tradeoff between low end, level, and side length. How many disks is it, 1? 2? If it's just one it must be printed relatively low in level.

2 discs.

 

[Jim Matthews]

This is a major corporate effort.

Pay no attention to The Man behind the curtain.

 

[Jim Matthews]

.

I loved teenage boy music, when I was a teenager. Think Wham!, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Nik Kershaw, Howard Jones and for the girls; Irene Cara, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper etc. It was fabulous.

Howard Jones and Thomas Dolby proved you don't need a band to make a hit record. They peeked inside Pandora's box and now we're awash in overproduced tuneless Pablum.

* with viscera rattling bass dubs, naturally *

 

[Helicopter]

The bass in bad guy brings my cartridge (or phono stage, i don't know) so much to the limit that from time to time it makes a "click". Has anyone had this? The streaming version (spotify) sounds like any other song in the same system, while the vinyl gives the impression that the walls are about to collapse, dont know if technically good or bad, but quite impressive. I have a couple of thousands of vinyls more and never heard such a thing.

I have some records that do this (a Glen Gould Goldberg Variations repressing for example), but I don't get this with my Billie Eilish records. Different cartridge and tonearm setups will tolerate different levels of bass.

 

[restorer-john]

I have some records that do this (a Glen Gould Goldberg Variations repressing for example), but I don't get this with my Billie Eilish records.

But how long (time) is the Eilish record per side? Short album, way more vinyl real estate to sway that cutter...

 

[mkt]

Also pretty good in dolby atmos on apple music.

 

[restorer-john]

Also pretty good in dolby atmos on apple music.

As compared to exactly what? This "dolby atmos" appears to me to be another MQA-like fiasco.

Please educate me on what it has to offer 2 channel stereo audiophiles.

 

[mononoaware]

But listening to current tweenager pop now in my fifties would be just, plain, weird. Creepy in fact. I grew up.

What is interesting is I have about 5 audio tracks which do not fit at all into the archive and could easily be considered modern “popular” music.
And it is a guilty pleasure once in awhile to “stress test” the audio system by playing one of these tracks.
(It’s more common than you would think, I have watched plenty of YouTube sound demos where after the usual audiophile tracks they start playing something “popular”, usually it’s something by Daft Punk)
I do not exactly understand the psychological part of it, but I suspect it has to do filling a void of synthetic mid-bass reproduction among other things. And the desire to listen to something with a brick-walled waveform and no dynamic range once in awhile?

Maybe part of it also has to do with “attempting to achieve the nostalgia of youth” (not sure if that is a thing for those in their early 30s).

 

[abdo123]

Please educate me on what it has to offer 2 channel stereo audiophiles.

well it ensures that you will be getting 2 channel content in the future even when the majority of playback devices are either binural or mono.

 

[restorer-john]

Also pretty good in dolby atmos on apple music.

I've just been fishing around on Apple Music for demos. The Norah Jones (debut album) spatial audio demos are actually putrid and horrible. I mean seriously bad. If you have the original CDs (PCM 16/44), it's just so much better in every respect.

If you've ever heard dbx encoding on analog tape, when it's not perfectly aligned and level set, that's what it sounds like. (bad compander sounds, dull and highs lost)

 

[abdo123]

I've just been fishing around on Apple Music for demos. The Norah Jones (debut album) spatial audio demos are actually putrid and horrible. I mean seriously bad. If you have the original CDs (PCM 16/44), it's just so much better in every respect.

If you've ever heard dbx encoding on analog tape, when it's not perfectly aligned and level set, that's what it sounds like. (bad compander sounds, dull and highs lost)

Which Dolby capable device did you listen with?

 

[Count Arthur]

I've just been fishing around on Apple Music for demos. The Norah Jones (debut album) spatial audio demos are actually putrid and horrible. I mean seriously bad. If you have the original CDs (PCM 16/44), it's just so much better in every respect.

If you've ever heard dbx encoding on analog tape, when it's not perfectly aligned and level set, that's what it sounds like. (bad compander sounds, dull and highs lost)

But how on earth are struggling corporations like Apple going to make a profit if you keep listening to your existing copies of music and not buying new copies in whatever new fangled format is concocted every few years.

 

[Koeitje]

But how long (time) is the Eilish record per side? Short album, way more vinyl real estate to sway that cutter...

What does the length have to do with the quality. Reign in Blood clocks in at just over 28 minutes. Landmark album.

Edit; oh you meant in terms of room for dynamics and such.

 

[Helicopter]

What does the length have to do with the quality. Reign in Blood clocks in at just over 28 minutes. Landmark album.

Edit; oh you meant in terms of room for dynamics and such.

Yes. More music per side means narrower grooves. Narrower grooves can't be cut as deep without bumping into each other. Shallower narrower grooves can't record as much dynamic information and are more prone to noise from the adjacent grooves.

 

[Koeitje]

Anyway, age really doesn't matter. U2's 'Boy' was made by teenagers. Same for Kate Bush's The Kick Inside. There are probably some others also, its just that its much easier to get your music out there these days. But you still have to be good to make a splash.

 

[mononoaware]

Anyway, age really doesn't matter.

Yes I agree I think the idea certain people cannot listen to certain music is silly.
If it sounds good to you then it’s fine.

I just do not get all the hype around Billie Eilish.
Some (who I assume are similar age around 30) seem to think she is equivalent to established song writers and artists and I do not see the connection.

 

[TankTop]

Nope. Exactly the same deal. So don't try to play some woke gender card- it just doesn't work with people who have independent and critical thinking skills.

I loved teenage boy music, when I was a teenager. Think Wham!, Culture Club, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Nik Kershaw, Howard Jones and for the girls; Irene Cara, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper etc. It was fabulous. It still is when I want a retrospective jaunt into my adolescence. Throw in a bit of Quiet Riot, Midnight Oil and you have an 80s party. Yay.

But listening to current tweenager pop now in my fifties would be just, plain, weird. Creepy in fact. I grew up. Have you?

Me thinks thou dust protest too much…

Anyway one of my three teenage daughters insisted on listening to it in the car and yes her voice is very young and songs full of teen angst. That said her and her brother have massive talent and even more potential and if you’re to narrow minded to see what’s coming you are musically blind. As I said in an earlier post, watching her voice develop over time with age, experience and coaching is going to be a fun ride. I like the fact she wasn’t grown in a test tube by Disney with dance and voice coaching from the age of three. Anyway I think you’ve protested enough publicly to feel better about your secret longings in private and you can feel free to move on from this topic.

 

[Koeitje]

Yes I agree I think the idea certain people cannot listen to certain music is silly.
If it sounds good to you then it’s fine.

I just do not get all the hype around Billie Eilish.
Some (who I assume are similar age to me) seem to think she is equivalent to established song writers and artists and I do not see the connection.

His argument is two fold: the age of the artist matters, and the age of the listener matters. I say listen to what you enjoy and don't be a grumpy old man.

I don't listen to Billie Eilish either, but mainly because I just haven't got into it. Maybe I should, because I'm generally not very interest in the later work of older artist because it often just doesn't feel fresh and just a recycling of what they already been doing for ages.

Some other teen artists: Adele, Amy Winehouse, Laura Marling, Kate Bush.

 

[diddley]

Her targeted audience are teenagers so i feel not a slightest interest in her music.