I was listening to Van’s (excellent) Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast album recently. Van was in a good period and it is well worth hearing, however the overuse of backing vocals almost ruins it.
I think that this can be an issue particularly with older artists, see musicians like Clapton and Gilmour, the often attractive female vocalists wearing appealing clothing and gyrating away, also probably contracted to look especially over enthusiastic when a song from the dreaded new album is being played.
David Bowie made especially good use of backing vocals throughout his career, but the example in the comments (Thursday’s Child) less so. It’s a good song, but what the hell are those backing vocals about?
It’s a pretty dreary album in all, “…hours” and the mildly soporific “Thursday’s Child” is probably one of the better ones of a watery bunch, overcooked backing vocals aside. Bowie really went hard on the backing vocals with sometimes great results (“Right”, “Sound and Vision”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Young Americans”) and maybe sometimes not-so-great results (“Day In Day Out”, “Cactus”)
But “…hours”. It is remarkable he ends a fairly colourful decade with Reeves Gabrels at his side egging him on to push himself and onwards, only to produce this inoffensive pile of MOR. Reeves left around this time, feeling the same. Good thing Bowie got back with Visconti and back on track with “Heathen”
I have a lot of time for ‘…hours, actually. Absolutely no pun intended, šÆ.
hoursā¦ā is an older David Bowie passing his younger self along the stair as he turns to make his descent. On the cover, a healthy, vibrant Bowie cradles a frail, dying one. Inevitably, he looks back but with sadness and regret rather than anger. Seven updates Five Years, this time desperate for more time. Something In The Air references Thunderclap Newman, Albatross and Straight To Hell. The Strangers or the Sons Of The Silent Age revisit in The Angels Of Promise. There are echoes of Hunky Dory, an album recorded by a young man without an audience but with ambitious dreams. āhoursā¦ā is a quiet, delicate, intimate record, that of a mature man coming to terms with who he is, who he used to be, the inevitability of death and mourning the loss of dreams unfulfilled. The production successfully avoids crushing the lovely melodies but, in the lyrics, Bowie often finds himself unable to breathe. He is on the edge of life, uncertain if he will make it until tomorrow, anguished and alone, vulnerable and beautiful to behold.
Takes all sorts š
That looks familiar, Tiggsā¦was it you? Or Paul Morley? š
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Oh. And I’m insulted by the Paul Morley comparison!
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Apologies! š
Accepted. šŗ
Actually, Paul Morley wrote this on the subject of backing vocals on Bowie songs:
Of course Bowie’s BV preferences were informed by the “divine voices” from the proto-industrial faction of the well-established Berlin-based anatonal cognoscenti. This essentially being a situationist hangover from the mid-century intellectual powerhouses of Keffelslauten and, obviously, Gunter Schnuckiputzi. “Do Do Do the Funky Gibbon?” – well indeed, yes! Only Kafka himself would disagree but with a raised eyebrow …
(and so on)
Arf!
(You can see why I might have had my doubtsā¦š)
Fantastich @black-celebration
Nice, but it is still a bland, fairly dreary listen
It is, and Thursday’s Child is the dreariest.
I always wonder this about Thursday’s Child. It’s a really lovely song, but the production and particularly backing vocals don’t do it justice at all.
My favourite “what are they doing” backing vocal of all time is this: Buttons by the Pussycat Dolls. Basically one of the group gets thoroughly sick of Nicole Scherzinger stealing all the shine and goes comprehensively rogue, with hilarious results…
I disagree about Thursday’s Child. Until about 4:04, I see the “Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday …” refrain almost as call-and-response with Bowie’s lines. I think it really works. I find the “wah-ah ah” and “ah ha-ha, ah ha-ha, ah ha-ha” after 4:04 annoying and I do think that they are out of place.
I agree with Bingo that it is a really lovely song. Along with Strangers When We Meet, it is one of my favourite late Bowie tracks.
Yes that was my main issue
@dai I did wonder. I hesitated before posting because I wasn’t sure. I’m glad we agree!
The peerless, lovely ladies known as Thunderthighs
Not overused at all! Perfect backing vocalsā¦
I think they’re wonderful!
They provided the backing vocals on Walk On The Wildside. Can’t imagine these ladies taking any of Lou’s nonsense.
Afterword brothers and sisters, I refer you to the lyrics of Mott’s “Roll Away the Stone”, specifically the spoken dialogue been Ian Hunter and one of Thunderthighs:
“There’s a rockabilly party on Saturday night
Are you gonna be there?
(I got my invite)
Gonna bring your records?
(Ohh, will do)”
No, no, no, no, no, no, NO! This is the absolute worst thing you can do.
I tell you what’ll happen if you take your vinyl records along to a wild Saturday Night party. They will be taken out of their sleeves and then they’ll be covered in lager and cigarette ash. Someone will accidentally drop a couple of the records and step on them. At the end of the night, some of the records will be stolen, while all the others will be completely unplayable.
So Mott should amend the lyrics to:
“There’s a rockabilly party on Saturday night
Are you gonna be there?
(I got my invite)
Gonna bring your records?
(Definitely not. I’m going to keep them in pristine condition, in polythene outer sleeves)
šš¤£
Clapton now does “Cocaine” (well has done for some years) with horrible obtrusive backing vocals. JJ Cale must be turning in his grave.
Let’s not forget Van’s experiment with Brian Kennedy (Kennedy). I don’t think I ever got thought that album. Album.
You are right (you are right)
Letās not forget Vanās experiment with Brian Kennedy (Kennedy). I donāt think I ever got thought that album. Album.
Bowie has form in making the backing vocals lead. It was quite deliberate on Watch That Man in 1973.
One of my favourites – Up the Hill Backwards – sounds to me like backing vocalists taking on the whole song. I really like it until Fripp spaffs all over it towards the end (ducks).
Wait, what? Mr Willcox spaffing on ducks? I’ve never seen that on Sunday Lunch!
Dylan has a bit of form with intrusive backing vocals going all the way back to Budokan.
Real Gone Kid – Deacon Blue. Never could stand the female backing vocals,.
i liked When will you make my telephone ring, as that had the soul guys doing BVs. But the female BVs on most of their singles never worked for me.
I could never see the point of Lorraineā¦
ā¦mind you, I could never see the point of Deacon Blue.
I think her job was originally to make them more exciting to watch, as the rest of them were basically musos. I love them.
i get the band, but her voice, it doesnt compliment. Sore thumb.
Does this count……..probably not?
The best backing vocals ever
This one came to mind.
I’m happy with it. It’s meant to be a bit droll. It’s a style he has used before but here there’s some humour to offset the darker theme. You can be too tasteful.
Cohen is a serial offender.
As Mr Cohen has said he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, I think the backing vocals were there to sweeten the song.
I’m not sure where it’s unsuccessful in his case. Someone may well give us the answer(s) so we know.
Certainly when he sang live with the Webb Sisters and Sharon Robinson they were an integral part. I like the backing too.
Indeed – not sure where the problem lies.
āguidedā āguidedā etc
I first heard this song on Jennifer Warnesā brilliant Famous Blue Raincoat album, absolutely loved this track, and found laughing Lenās version inferior. I believe her version came out first? Sounds a bit 80s now but I still love it (also features Stevie Ray Vaughan)
He was born with the gift of a golden voice, surely?
Not obtrusive, but…
Donald Fagen has his limits as a lead voice, though he often makes his weakness a strength. However, he has always been a brilliant harmoniser. Steely Dan backing vocals have always been carefully worked out and perfectly delivered. There are a number of occasions when the backing vocals are more prominent than lead. Peg is the most famous example but listen to Carolyn Leonhart on Pixeleen.
I think this is almost as good as Morecambe & Wise at their best
Excellent! I haven’t seen that before.
Sometimes being obtrusive is a brilliant device as in this Randy Newman song “Shame” from the Bad Love album. He actually tells the backing singers to shut up (at about 4.07)
That song is surely inspired by Trump.
Superb! He sounds very comfortable in that weird skin of his now he’s gotten older.
ā¦although that was 27 years ago now. Heaven only knows how bitter and twisted he sounds now.
Those songs for children’s movies have done him the world of good financially but he’s still a curmudgeon.
He’s a bit of a curmudgeon but retains a wonderful sense of humour (cf Van for example). I fear we may not get another album from him, he’ll be 83 this year and has had health issues. His last album, Dark Matter came out in 2017 which is 9 years ago. OTOH 9 years seems to be the gap between albums these days (Harps and Angels 2008, Dark Matter 1999). So maybe we’ll get lucky this year.
Surely this – some of the most obtrusive backing vocals in beat pop history. He probably thought this song was about him