Sparks: Academy Award Performance: Song analysis with MetaSparks and AdRebirth
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- Опубліковано 17 січ 2025
- This is a breakdown of Academy Award Performance, track 2 from Sparks 1979 Disco classic No.1 in Heaven, written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael. In this vid, Ad breaks down the music and Paul provides meta theories.
Just starting to watch. Always enjoy these!
Hello! One thing I find I hear in the instumental break it's that is similar in a way to the break in Stereo, only faster paced! These are great so far!
They probably used an Roland MC8 micro Composer as Moroder had one and used it on From Here to Eternity>
It can emit a click or trigger a drum synth - which KF would play to. His 'human' variation' is what stops it being robotic. But all those electronic trills and effects are perfectly in time.
That’s good to know. I’ll namecheck you and the MC8 when we record the Beat the clock vid. I love music tech so these insights are great. On the the ‘all you ever think about is Sparks’ pod, Christian Huey said they used tape loops too, so there’s a touch of sampling in there too!
@@MetaSparks Too early for 'sampling' Tape loops have been in common use since the 60s but not something that would be easy to sync a sequencer to.
In terms of gear obv they would be using Moroders Moog Modular system and a Solina String Synth. In addition the three synths in NOSIH video are (going left to right) a Mini Moog, n ARP 2600 and an Oberheim 4 voice all of which were common at the time and could produce the sounds on the album.
As for the meaning of Academy Award - I have always thought this was about Liza Minelli and her Oscar Winning performance in Cabaret.
The lines about Joan of Arc - referring to her Louise Brooks inspired bob haircut and the box office success that packed the aisles.
But who knows with Ron🤓
Thanks for the info. I looked into the MC8 (most commonly associated with YMO apparently), there's still a couple of working devices around, a couple of demos on YT. It looks like a big calculator with a small LCD display, really tricky to program but pretty sophisticated abilities to arrange several different synths. It's hard to imagine Ron, Russell and Giorgio sat around one of these machines, with Keith in the drum booth listening to the click track, but if that's how they did it, fair play to them!
@@SamLowryDZ-015 We'll discuss loops more when it comes to My Other Voice, and maybe La Dolce Vita (we're not sure how those rhythmic noises were created, sounds like it could have been a tape loop of live hi-hat hits). Tape loops were definitely in use in those days - apparently the beat from Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees was basically a loop reused from Night Fever! The Maels then did it a few years later with Angst In My Pants - David Kendrick had already gone home so they just looped some of his drums from another track.