One of the most legendary and iconic acapella covers of all-time, and what a joy it was to revisit 👏Always warms my heart to watch old videos when Avi was part of the crew -- hope you all enjoy the musical analysis of this fantastic cover!
The panning to the stars is an homage to Brian May, who holds a PhD in Astrophysics - the four shooting stars represent the 4 members of Queen. The shot of them lying on top of Scott references the art cover for Queen's Sheer Heart Attack album. They have said in interviews that this took them 5 years to get from initial conception to final product, because they wanted it to be perfect and they wanted it to be as close to possible to the original in honour of Queen. Brian May, at the time, linked to it on his social media, with one word - Enjoy!
Thanks for that! I honestly wondered if the four stars represented the four members of Queen. Amazing idea, in my humble opinion! I had never thought about the stars being a tribute to Brian, even though he is an astrophysicist (although it makes sense). I just simply imagined that it represented them being "stars," if you will, especially imagining Freddie, up there somewhere. Great info, thanks again!
Also, getting a nod on Brian May's own IG, is to me, a huge honor! I imagine that the members of Pentatonix are glad that they were so meticulous with doing such a great job, even though it took so long. I understand that this isn't a song, or band, that anyone wouldn't want to do proper justice to.
I've been a Queen fan since junior high school (70s). I kept getting this nagging, familiar feeling when I saw Pentatonix lying that way on the sofa. Of course--it's the Sheer Heart Attack cover! Thank you so much for pointing this out :-)
You definitely bring something unique to the table. Anyone can "react" and gush over how amazing a song is, but the ANALYSIS you do is very enlightening!!
I think Freddie would have adored PTX'S cover of the great BR so much. His bigger-than-life productions were showmanship extraordinary. Love your reactions, so well thought out and you show your excitement too. Much love!!❤💙❤
Actually, with Pentatonix, yes the audio is not being picked up from this video recording session, but they're still singing. That's just what Pentatonix does. Where most groups will lip sync for the video recording of their "official videos", Pentatonix has stated that they feel like they're getting a better video presentation if they can hear what each of them is doing to serve the video. So, while they don't have mics picking up audio from these recording sessions, they can still hear each other and set up off of what the others are doing stylistically. This adds nuance to their physical performances in these videos that might otherwise be lacking. If tgey had these sessions wired for sound, you would hear them singing along with the audio of themselves playing to set up the action. They basically sing along with themselves, they just aren't recording the sound for that singalong. Interesting bit of trivia, right? Also, that megaphone is a prop,and Mitch doesn't need it to reproduce that electric guitar riff. And Kevin is a full on drum kit with all the extras. Avi does both wind chimes and a bass guitar. No keyboard that I have been able to detect, though.
Lip sync doesn't just mean singing without making noise -- that's an option, but it simply means syncing of the music video to the recorded audio. I would say more often than not, singers are singing along while shooting the music video like PTX does, because like you said, it makes it feel more organic and authentic.
@PeterBarber I suppose we are all used to the Milli Vanilli format for lip syncing. Also, I did point out that beyond the music classes at school that everyone gets, I had no formal training until later in life. I am still learning, and the reason I watch pros like you is to learn something. I am a bit of a polymath in that I am capable of learning in vastly divergent areas simultaneously and a thirst for knowledge that may not be quenchable. Thank you for the information. It was indeed new for me.
They're all amazing but Avi's voice just warms my heart! I'd love to see/hear your professional take on some of his solo material as well! Full Moon comes to mind as one that's just absolutely beautiful
So about PTX videos….. their actual ’produced’ videos like this they sing or lip synch. In fact in Run To You, they lip synced part of it backwards so the ‘snow’ would fall UP. But PTX also has one-take videos that are just them singing. I’ve heard Scott say on those they do 4 takes, then chose the best to release. Gold is an example of that - along with their evolution songs. And the couch in THIS video was an homage to their early days of all 5 on a couch, singing. 🥰
It's amazing how well they fit together and seamlessly get out of each other's way and lend their voices to support each others etc. What an amazing group!! So much love for Pentatonix!!
As soon as anything PTX comes up with the name Peter Barber attached I get super excited! Your reactions are so fun and insightful! Your excitement on this one is infectious! I have a special request for you if you don't mind. It's a live version of a Pentatonix original song, Run to You. The video is linked below. This is truly one of their most stunning live performances I've ever seen. Not only are they amazing, but so is the sound engineer because you can clearly hear each individual person, which is hard to accomplish with live performances. I would love to get your take on this one. It's a very emotional song for anybody that has lost someone they love. It was written by Kevin and Avi. Thanks Peter! ua-cam.com/video/gVNamBJUdfU/v-deo.html
Hi Peter. I’m really glad you did this piece. As a 74 year old grandma, this is one of my PTX faves. (Odd, huh?) As always, I thoroughly enjoy your analysis. Take care from one of your devotees.
Can you do Run To You next? The song is an original written by Avi and Kevin and it's hauntingly beautiful ! Avi’s bass is the star of the song, it just makes all the other elements vocally beefier, velvety and texturized and just decadent. Oh and the song is an old school acapella.
An interesting comparison to do with PTX is to watch their produced version of Hallelujah and compare that to the live performance of it on their TV Christmas special. That the two are so close to each other is a testament to their vocal skill (and the skills of the sound engineers on the live recording). And yet there are differences to be found. You can do the same with Disturbed's version of Sounds of Silence. They have an official music video (properly produced) and a live version from a performance on a late night talk show. Again, both are a testament to the musicians' skills.
I have no musical background unless you count playing the recorder in 4th grade so I gravitate to reactions by people who know what they are talking about because I learn so much and can appreciate their talent even more. The fact that you can vocally show what you explain is a bonus.
A lot of fun as expected! I love that Peter's R&A videos are a full-body feast: my brain gets all kinds of new info about sound recording & video production & vocal techniques, my ears bliss out on Peter's lovely voice (zomg smooooth!! his enunciation!!) & the video he's covering, & my heart is so lifted by Peter's joy & awe & love of music. Whoo, practically counts as circuit training.... 🤓 Thanks Peter-A-1 Finest Kind, as always! Every PTX R&A is must-view for me, as well as other a capella & bass-singer vids-I'd love to watch more with Avi. Take care, & the tattoo's lookin' great BTW. 🤓
Many of their videos are shot over a number of hours. For this one they rented a street, possibly in the LA area, from 10PM to 6AM and had to scramble to finish. In a few shots at different points in the song you can see the pre-dawn horizon lit up behind them. There is a video of the making of this and another video comparing this with the original Queen video side-by-side. The Hallelujah video was shot on a Southern California dry lake bed in late summer (about 105 degree). As it was for the Christmas album they were dressed for winter. All the shots were very short with lots of breaks to cool and dry off. Watching the light angles and clouds you can see thing skipping back and forth. The same thing on The Sound of Silence. There was a large window on the side wall to the viewer's right of Kevin and the shadows kept switching back and forth. The bright light behind them on the door was a small high intensity spot to try to distract viewers from the changing shadows.
I don’t think it’s actually lip synced, I think they are legit singing here, they just don’t use the audio from shooting the video. They absolutely use the studio audio. But I think that’s one of the reasons Pentatonix videos are so amazing is because they sing while doing their videos they’re able to express the emotion of the songs so well. There’s no exaggeration of mouth movements like in some music videos. For me it’s easier to see because I am hard of hearing and rely on lip reading so much.
I think that's what he means to be fair. I think most people that "lipsync" actually sing. Or at least the ones that do it well. But I get what you're saying.
@@hernameispekka_Rebecca I do think the knee that do it well sing while making the videos but don’t use that audio, but some music videos are done so poorly because they don’t actually sing while doing the video. Adele is one that clearly sings while doing the video (but uses the studio audio), it helps to know how the vowels, etc are placed for singers (not that I am) and she conveys emotion so well, in particular because she actually sings it.
Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Scott sings both the high and low parts in the “We won’t let you go” section. This effectively creates a sixth singer.
You mentioning opera reminded me of watching operas on TV with my mom when I was a child. So I decided to find one and watch it. Found the Magic Flute here on UA-cam. It was fun and I enjoyed it. Thanks!
Hi Peter, great review of this, PTX put so much work into. I am kind of surprised that you've never reviewed any of Avi's solo work. IMO Avi has one of the greatest voices around and his music is amazing. Would love to see you check some of them out.
I definitely love this rendition, I also have not heard it in awhile, I recently heard a cover of this by Halocene which was also great. But this is by far my favorite Acapella and overall cover version of this song. Without the background instruments u can so clearly hear the intensity of their voices. And in true Avi fashion, just effortless smooth as butter as always. I love going back and hearing him in the group. I Usually sit and sing along with these but this one has so many little vocal magic flows that I can't help but just sit and listen to them all. That guitar solo man!!! Just amazing!! Thank u again for an amazing reaction and analysis, love love love it as always. I'm totally catching up today, that's my goal today, get them all watched lol
Scott founded an all female Acappela group called Citizen Queen. Their contralto, Kaedi Dalley, can really get down in the bass line. I'd love to hear your reaction and analysis. Maybe start with their cover of Don't Call Me Angel.
regarding your comments about recorded vs. live, would you ever react/analyze live versions of PTX, Voiceplay, etc.? I know sometimes the audio quality isn't great on live recordings, but it could be interesting to see you talk about any changes they make.
Thanks for doing this one! I’ve been hoping you would, so I was very excited to see the notification 😁 I’ve listened to this one a lot as I’m a PTX super fan and have been for a while, but just like you said, I heard new things when you pointed them out, such as Kevin going downwards in the percussion while the voices are going up before the last section. It was cool to hear that! Definitely an iconic cover of theirs ❤️
Peter, welcome!! You're the first bassist opera singer to react, if you hadn't noted that in video intro, one would've easily thought "JEEPERS!! He's got such a deep!!!" I might've also thought you've got some Barry White in there!! 😂 I digress, I really enjoyed your reaction, the breaks always point out that which stands out, in this first exposure to this ARTIST... IMO, her voice does resemble some of Nora Jones' (also different) nuances. In the performance intro she revealed her win of Norway's Got Talent in 2014, in her words she was 7yrs old.. I'm also certain you'll be inundated with everything you need to know about her... Her 1st official album produced with Republic Records should rock the world this summer.. your easy going style, informative (without it sounding quite like a lecture) and fast to smile at the ornaments she sprays in this (HER arrangement) rendition. Angelina is, as you will discover, the "Real Deal", the more you hear, the more you'll be amazed. So just be ready to be captivated with her abilities, and mesmerized by what she produces Angelina is LOADED up with "TnT". In other words, shes got enough TALENT to garner MILLIONS of fans globally, and every vocal tool to take literally AMAZE you. Her artistry, truly is unique. Because this was a competition of previous champions and wanting to give a nod to what the younger and young adults (for some crazy reason just delights the riffs and runs) she added more than usual. She uses them in a manner that qualifies them as official "melismas". I'm going to subscribe because I believe YOU won't BELIEVE the responses, comments & obvious BOOST to your algorithms that you're going to see. For your listed is between 1-2k and I'm going to check on additional stats, like your subscribers going up like a fire 🔥.. Cannot WAIT to see what you do next.. usually there's the video she out out after she won NGT @ 9. But you've already noticed she has 150+ covers and a few originals. I'm HOPING the suggestions you receive will have the links.. so many videos lack in quality and sound as they're taken with cell phones. I can't WAIT to see what you choose.. and thank you again for a really enjoyable reaction... PEACE!! 🔥🔥🎤🎹🎵🎷🎙️🎶🎸🎧🎼🎻🎺🎶
Love you analyses. Please, please please do a reaction to PL version of Take on me. If you want to hear Mitch use his lower range, this is the one to listen to. It will blow your mind!
Could not click this fast enough! Thanks Peter for your always informative and enjoyable analysis. And thanks for getting back to PTX, been awhile. 👍🏻 PS: if you want to hear a couple of ridiculously long sustained notes by Avi, their cover of “No” done live in front of mics. It’s a bop but Avi is so fun to watch on this one.
Kevin has mentioned they put vocal effect on that line. Don't know if they add it on the mic or make it sound different live, but I know Kevin talked about how they added a tiny effect on that part.
@@Seriphina yes it doesn’t sound quite as electronic sounding as the recorded version when he does it live but pretty close. As most of us know Mitch is known for being able to imitate different types of sounds and voices and do it very well.
If you liked this version of Bohemian Rhapsody you should check out Mark Martells version... One take, only him singing and playing the piano... simply magnificent...
Once again you have given me such an appreciation of this cover. Many times I don't appreciate all the singers because I am so in love with Mitch's voice. Thank you so much. And again I love your voice.
I really enjoy it when you analyze a song Peter. You are always spot on and very thorough. I heard you singing a little bit of tenor here, as well as bass, but what surprised me the most??...a little bit of Kevin percussion!!
You were my first reaction channel subscription on UA-cam and I love your detailed reactions. I also want to say that you have an incredible voice and I really love your cover of Change on the Rise. Just beautiful!
To make the lipsynching on this even more amazing, this video took them all night to shoot, out on a road (you can see the dotted white line down the center of the road in the video) with a motorized couch that kept trying to tip over while they were climbing on and off. There's a Behind the Scenes video that you can see here: ua-cam.com/video/Q8ugJnIG_Lk/v-deo.html Throughout the whole thing you can see the clock onscreen, counting down the hours until sunrise. And they cut it *very* close; by the final scenes on the road you can see that morning twilight is already beginning; the trees are becoming visible in the background.
I find any comments re: Pentatonix's "failure" to sing live in a video, especially of this song, to be highly ironic, given that Queen found themselves unable to perform this song live without at least parts being on tape! Their mix of harmonies came from dozens of takes of 3 vocalists from within the band. When they performed "live", the operatic sections were played on tape, and the band would leave the stage for a light show and a quick break! LOL
Honestly, I could listen to you analyse Pentatonix all day long! You have so much information to share, especially about Avi and singing in those lower registers. I noticed that, too... that for the most part PTX seemed to stick as close as they could to the original, but of course, so much of Avi's contribution was completely novel, since Queen had no real bass singer. FYI, the couch cuddle mirrors the Queen album cover, Sheer Heart Attack, and the sky-scape scene is a PTX nod to Queen's lead guitarist, Brian May, who has a PhD in Astrophysics, of all things! I love how PTX really does their homework when recording a cover. Such a great reaction, as always!
As people mentioned Pentatonix never does anything Studio that they cannot reproduce live. People often Give the example of the 2 versions of hallelujah. I don't know how I did it but I came across this Clip of Pentatonix doing bohemian rhapsody live. It quite possibly is off of somebody's phone ua-cam.com/video/C1PelJIxHTQ/v-deo.html Brian May is actually Dr. Brian May. His doctorate is in astrophysics. His PhD thesis "A survey of radial velocities in the Zodiacal dust cloud". He started his research in 1970 And took a hiatus for about 30 years to play around the world in this rock Band Queen. I'm not sure if they had any success. Perhaps that's why he returned to finished hit's it in 2007. His research was published in a a popular astronomy book Of the same name. The scene in which they pan up to the night sky is homage to Brian May being an astrophysicists. I always wondered why there are only 4 shooting stars when there are 5 members of Pentatonix. Then I read a comment that the stary sky was homage to Brian May then it made sense To me. I see it as the four Shooting stars representing the 4 members of queen. Brian May was so impressed With this cover that he posted it on all of his social media Sites. There is A behind the scenes of video to bohemian rhapsody. There are a few Pentatonix videos that also have a behind the scenes video. The moving couch pays homage to how they originally started. It would be them all sitting on a couch with a camera pointed right at them And doing the song in 1 take. This is what you see in there very early videos. I had mentioned that Avi has overtone. I know what it is but I have no idea how it is done or how to recognize it when he's doing it. There actually is a video of him demonstrating it. Love your reactions
One of my favorite performances of theirs is an impromptu version of the "Daft Punk Medley" with no costumes and no production. Shows their true talent.
Thanks for the reaction. Love watching the analysis of Avi's AMAZING voice. Yes, there is post production of their voices for the video. BUT Mitch sings the guitar solo live and it is very nearly the same. He can sing that sound effect live!
Love your reaction to this song by PTX. Everything they do is top notch. I was wondering if you have ever heard of Gabriel Henrique from Brazil. I have never heard of anyone sing the way he sings. Beautiful, powerful, amazing range. He brings tears to my eyes, goose bumps all over. I would love to see your reaction to his vocals. Maybe start with his most recent release "STAND UP" from Cynthia Erivo cover. Thank you, Billy Boy
To be honest, this was my favorite accapella, vocal for a short time. Shortly after, I went down the Home Free rabbit hole and they are my favorite band.
Thank you so much for analyzing this video and cover. I love your analysis as being both a recording artist and having done music videos. That made this analysis very interesting. I recommend you check out Home Free's recent cover of "Unchained Melody." It's been a while since you've looked at them and I think you should give that a peek. Loved your reaction Peter! Especially when you were singing along.
Something I really highly recommend checking out is a kids a cappella group called Acapop Kids which were created by Scott from Pentatonix. They do a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody/Somebody to love and it’s incredible considering they are all 15 and younger.
They actually do record most of their evolution videos live and Also I believe Gold and No were also recorded live. Those are also songs that never got put on any albums. Album songs with official videos are always lip synced for videos like all artists. For their evolution videos they would usually go into endless noise studios and sing through a few times and pick the best take. In fact on the endless noise channel they have a behind the scenes of Ptx recording their evolution of Beyoncé. Would be fun to see you react to their Beyoncé evolution and the behind the scenes to show them doing it live.
Another great video. It’s incredible how you can hear all the things going on - I now realise how much I’ve missed when I watch/listen by myself. I would really love for you to react and analyse Pentatonix’s Silent Night which is I think was filmed/recorded live. Avi’s voice is amazing and the arrangement is sublime. They sing in a church with no microphones and I would be interested in your educational spiel about acoustics.
High-pass (and low-pass) filters can absolutely be applied for live performance these days, provided you've got a halfway competent sound tech at the mixer board (someone you can trust to recognize the correct point in the song at which the knobs should be turned). Even in the eighties, you could use an equalizer to achieve similar results.
One of the most legendary and iconic acapella covers of all-time, and what a joy it was to revisit 👏Always warms my heart to watch old videos when Avi was part of the crew -- hope you all enjoy the musical analysis of this fantastic cover!
Hey peter, may you check out Geoff's Big Bad John? :)))
Thanks (again) for all the analysis. It truly beings a whole new experience to listening to the song.
Love your face whenever Avi first sings 😍
Pentatonix my all time favourite!! Amazing analysis! Peter, your beatboxing is badass!! Love it!
Greetings from a sunny South Africa 🇿🇦
Pamela
@@helenat2446 literally EVERYONE'S face when Avi first sings😍
The panning to the stars is an homage to Brian May, who holds a PhD in Astrophysics - the four shooting stars represent the 4 members of Queen. The shot of them lying on top of Scott references the art cover for Queen's Sheer Heart Attack album. They have said in interviews that this took them 5 years to get from initial conception to final product, because they wanted it to be perfect and they wanted it to be as close to possible to the original in honour of Queen. Brian May, at the time, linked to it on his social media, with one word - Enjoy!
Woah thanks for this insight!
Thanks for that! I honestly wondered if the four stars represented the four members of Queen. Amazing idea, in my humble opinion! I had never thought about the stars being a tribute to Brian, even though he is an astrophysicist (although it makes sense). I just simply imagined that it represented them being "stars," if you will, especially imagining Freddie, up there somewhere. Great info, thanks again!
Also, getting a nod on Brian May's own IG, is to me, a huge honor! I imagine that the members of Pentatonix are glad that they were so meticulous with doing such a great job, even though it took so long. I understand that this isn't a song, or band, that anyone wouldn't want to do proper justice to.
Thanks very much for this info! For me, anyway, knowing about "non-musical" details like these adds to my enjoyment of the music itself 💜
I've been a Queen fan since junior high school (70s). I kept getting this nagging, familiar feeling when I saw Pentatonix lying that way on the sofa. Of course--it's the Sheer Heart Attack cover! Thank you so much for pointing this out :-)
I saw them performed live. The megaphone is a prop. He can actually do that with his voice. Amazing
The fact that you called Mitch "Freddie" is probably one of the biggest compliments Mitch could receive.
Best cover of Bohemian Rhapsody ever. I can't count the number of times I've watched this and thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s fun to hear you sing Mitch’s parts ❤
You definitely bring something unique to the table. Anyone can "react" and gush over how amazing a song is, but the ANALYSIS you do is very enlightening!!
I always enjoy your analysis. Very enlightening.
I think Freddie would have adored PTX'S cover of the great BR so much. His bigger-than-life productions were showmanship extraordinary. Love your reactions, so well thought out and you show your excitement too. Much love!!❤💙❤
Actually, with Pentatonix, yes the audio is not being picked up from this video recording session, but they're still singing. That's just what Pentatonix does. Where most groups will lip sync for the video recording of their "official videos", Pentatonix has stated that they feel like they're getting a better video presentation if they can hear what each of them is doing to serve the video. So, while they don't have mics picking up audio from these recording sessions, they can still hear each other and set up off of what the others are doing stylistically. This adds nuance to their physical performances in these videos that might otherwise be lacking. If tgey had these sessions wired for sound, you would hear them singing along with the audio of themselves playing to set up the action. They basically sing along with themselves, they just aren't recording the sound for that singalong. Interesting bit of trivia, right? Also, that megaphone is a prop,and Mitch doesn't need it to reproduce that electric guitar riff. And Kevin is a full on drum kit with all the extras. Avi does both wind chimes and a bass guitar. No keyboard that I have been able to detect, though.
Lip sync doesn't just mean singing without making noise -- that's an option, but it simply means syncing of the music video to the recorded audio. I would say more often than not, singers are singing along while shooting the music video like PTX does, because like you said, it makes it feel more organic and authentic.
@PeterBarber I suppose we are all used to the Milli Vanilli format for lip syncing. Also, I did point out that beyond the music classes at school that everyone gets, I had no formal training until later in life. I am still learning, and the reason I watch pros like you is to learn something. I am a bit of a polymath in that I am capable of learning in vastly divergent areas simultaneously and a thirst for knowledge that may not be quenchable. Thank you for the information. It was indeed new for me.
I think it's just amazing that they did the guitar solo like they did in it and it actually sounded like a guitar
They're all amazing but Avi's voice just warms my heart! I'd love to see/hear your professional take on some of his solo material as well! Full Moon comes to mind as one that's just absolutely beautiful
2017ⁿ
Their cover of "Gold" was done in one setting without doing the vocals separte from the video. Again, Mitch steals the day.
One of their best!
I just got Peter slapped by his A5 😮
So about PTX videos….. their actual ’produced’ videos like this they sing or lip synch. In fact in Run To You, they lip synced part of it backwards so the ‘snow’ would fall UP. But PTX also has one-take videos that are just them singing. I’ve heard Scott say on those they do 4 takes, then chose the best to release. Gold is an example of that - along with their evolution songs. And the couch in THIS video was an homage to their early days of all 5 on a couch, singing. 🥰
This is one of their greatest all times hits.kudos for the superb reaction and analysis👊👍👌🙋
It's amazing how well they fit together and seamlessly get out of each other's way and lend their voices to support each others etc. What an amazing group!! So much love for Pentatonix!!
I have seen them do this LIVE twice and there was NO MEGAPHONE and NO Modification! Mitch is unreal
I love Mitch's guitar solo when the sing it live, it so cool!!!
As soon as anything PTX comes up with the name Peter Barber attached I get super excited! Your reactions are so fun and insightful! Your excitement on this one is infectious!
I have a special request for you if you don't mind. It's a live version of a Pentatonix original song, Run to You. The video is linked below. This is truly one of their most stunning live performances I've ever seen. Not only are they amazing, but so is the sound engineer because you can clearly hear each individual person, which is hard to accomplish with live performances. I would love to get your take on this one.
It's a very emotional song for anybody that has lost someone they love. It was written by Kevin and Avi. Thanks Peter!
ua-cam.com/video/gVNamBJUdfU/v-deo.html
Yes yes yes it’s an amazing song! I LOVE run to you
I look at it this way, they are not recording the music in the video, but they are singing. Lol
Thank you for breaking this down so well!
Hi Peter. I’m really glad you did this piece. As a 74 year old grandma, this is one of my PTX faves. (Odd, huh?)
As always, I thoroughly enjoy your analysis. Take care from one of your devotees.
Whenever I see you doing a new Pentatonix-analysis, I´m here as fast as lightning. Wonderful as always, thank you very much.
Geeze, Peter. Just excellent. Wish you all the best. Talented guy, for sure.
Love your analysis. For those of us not musically trained, you really make music come alive.
Can you do Run To You next? The song is an original written by Avi and Kevin and it's hauntingly beautiful ! Avi’s bass is the star of the song, it just makes all the other elements vocally beefier, velvety and texturized and just decadent. Oh and the song is an old school acapella.
I agree!! And it's almost never reacted to
Wow. I had no idea it was an original song
An interesting comparison to do with PTX is to watch their produced version of Hallelujah and compare that to the live performance of it on their TV Christmas special. That the two are so close to each other is a testament to their vocal skill (and the skills of the sound engineers on the live recording). And yet there are differences to be found. You can do the same with Disturbed's version of Sounds of Silence. They have an official music video (properly produced) and a live version from a performance on a late night talk show. Again, both are a testament to the musicians' skills.
any time Mitch opens his mouth I 🙌🙌🙌😭
I have no musical background unless you count playing the recorder in 4th grade so I gravitate to reactions by people who know what they are talking about because I learn so much and can appreciate their talent even more. The fact that you can vocally show what you explain is a bonus.
A lot of fun as expected! I love that Peter's R&A videos are a full-body feast: my brain gets all kinds of new info about sound recording & video production & vocal techniques, my ears bliss out on Peter's lovely voice (zomg smooooth!! his enunciation!!) & the video he's covering, & my heart is so lifted by Peter's joy & awe & love of music. Whoo, practically counts as circuit training.... 🤓
Thanks Peter-A-1 Finest Kind, as always! Every PTX R&A is must-view for me, as well as other a capella & bass-singer vids-I'd love to watch more with Avi. Take care, & the tattoo's lookin' great BTW. 🤓
Many of their videos are shot over a number of hours. For this one they rented a street, possibly in the LA area, from 10PM to 6AM and had to scramble to finish. In a few shots at different points in the song you can see the pre-dawn horizon lit up behind them. There is a video of the making of this and another video comparing this with the original Queen video side-by-side. The Hallelujah video was shot on a Southern California dry lake bed in late summer (about 105 degree). As it was for the Christmas album they were dressed for winter. All the shots were very short with lots of breaks to cool and dry off. Watching the light angles and clouds you can see thing skipping back and forth. The same thing on The Sound of Silence. There was a large window on the side wall to the viewer's right of Kevin and the shadows kept switching back and forth. The bright light behind them on the door was a small high intensity spot to try to distract viewers from the changing shadows.
What amazes me is that after listening to it so many times, there are still new things to hear.
I don’t think it’s actually lip synced, I think they are legit singing here, they just don’t use the audio from shooting the video. They absolutely use the studio audio. But I think that’s one of the reasons Pentatonix videos are so amazing is because they sing while doing their videos they’re able to express the emotion of the songs so well. There’s no exaggeration of mouth movements like in some music videos. For me it’s easier to see because I am hard of hearing and rely on lip reading so much.
I think that's what he means to be fair. I think most people that "lipsync" actually sing. Or at least the ones that do it well. But I get what you're saying.
@@hernameispekka_Rebecca I do think the knee that do it well sing while making the videos but don’t use that audio, but some music videos are done so poorly because they don’t actually sing while doing the video. Adele is one that clearly sings while doing the video (but uses the studio audio), it helps to know how the vowels, etc are placed for singers (not that I am) and she conveys emotion so well, in particular because she actually sings it.
Brian May of Queen was so impressed with this cover that he put a link to it on Queen’s social media, saying “Enjoy!”
I so thoroughly enjoy your technical analysis. SO informative. Thank you!
If you've never seen it, here's the Behind the Scenes video of the making of "BoRhap". ua-cam.com/video/Q8ugJnIG_Lk/v-deo.html
I appreciate your commentary a lot. I learn a lot from your videos.
Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Scott sings both the high and low parts in the “We won’t let you go” section. This effectively creates a sixth singer.
Yep! He does both call and response. I think they all do though? Or most of them. Scott demonstrated his part once and it sounds so stupid! 😂
You mentioning opera reminded me of watching operas on TV with my mom when I was a child. So I decided to find one and watch it. Found the Magic Flute here on UA-cam. It was fun and I enjoyed it. Thanks!
PTX are simply fabulous. I haven't heard a so-so cover from them yet.
Our very own Peter Barber providing some 10/10 musical insight
Idk why this was so funny to me😂😂
Peter as always your reviews/comments are 🧨🤩❣️😉🤙🏼
Queen never did this live. I have this live and it is spot on to this performance.
This is the best Kevin full drum kit I have yet to see.
You are just musically brilliant- what a great find
Hi Peter, great review of this, PTX put so much work into. I am kind of surprised that you've never reviewed any of Avi's solo work. IMO Avi has one of the greatest voices around and his music is amazing. Would love to see you check some of them out.
I definitely love this rendition, I also have not heard it in awhile, I recently heard a cover of this by Halocene which was also great. But this is by far my favorite Acapella and overall cover version of this song. Without the background instruments u can so clearly hear the intensity of their voices. And in true Avi fashion, just effortless smooth as butter as always. I love going back and hearing him in the group.
I Usually sit and sing along with these but this one has so many little vocal magic flows that I can't help but just sit and listen to them all.
That guitar solo man!!! Just amazing!!
Thank u again for an amazing reaction and analysis, love love love it as always. I'm totally catching up today, that's my goal today, get them all watched lol
Scott founded an all female Acappela group called Citizen Queen. Their contralto, Kaedi Dalley, can really get down in the bass line. I'd love to hear your reaction and analysis. Maybe start with their cover of Don't Call Me Angel.
Really loved the analysis and commentary. Keep 'em coming!
I learn so much and increases my appreciation of their talents.
The more I hear you do reactions, the more I appreciate all of your knowledge and skills.
Nice beat boxing on your part Peter. I also like your beard.
This is my favorite song from them. I miss Avi with them.
I never thought about people not knowing they were lip syncing. Craziness.
regarding your comments about recorded vs. live, would you ever react/analyze live versions of PTX, Voiceplay, etc.? I know sometimes the audio quality isn't great on live recordings, but it could be interesting to see you talk about any changes they make.
Thanks for doing this one! I’ve been hoping you would, so I was very excited to see the notification 😁 I’ve listened to this one a lot as I’m a PTX super fan and have been for a while, but just like you said, I heard new things when you pointed them out, such as Kevin going downwards in the percussion while the voices are going up before the last section. It was cool to hear that! Definitely an iconic cover of theirs ❤️
I’ve seen them do this live in Boston…WOW!!! I sang along at the top of my lungs with tears and choking voice 🥹 I love your review vids so much!!!
This is an all around masterpiece, both the original and the cover. Saw them live, almost died.
And your voice is delicious btw 😳.
Peter, welcome!! You're the first bassist opera singer to react, if you hadn't noted that in video intro, one would've easily thought "JEEPERS!! He's got such a deep!!!" I might've also thought you've got some Barry White in there!! 😂 I digress, I really enjoyed your reaction, the breaks always point out that which stands out, in this first exposure to this ARTIST... IMO, her voice does resemble some of Nora Jones' (also different) nuances. In the performance intro she revealed her win of Norway's Got Talent in 2014, in her words she was 7yrs old.. I'm also certain you'll be inundated with everything you need to know about her... Her 1st official album produced with Republic Records should rock the world this summer.. your easy going style, informative (without it sounding quite like a lecture) and fast to smile at the ornaments she sprays in this (HER arrangement) rendition. Angelina is, as you will discover, the "Real Deal", the more you hear, the more you'll be amazed. So just be ready to be captivated with her abilities, and mesmerized by what she produces
Angelina is LOADED up with "TnT".
In other words, shes got enough TALENT to garner MILLIONS of fans globally, and every vocal tool to take literally AMAZE you. Her artistry, truly is unique. Because this was a competition of previous champions and wanting to give a nod to what the younger and young adults (for some crazy reason just delights the riffs and runs) she added more than usual. She uses them in a manner that qualifies them as official "melismas". I'm going to subscribe because I believe YOU won't BELIEVE the responses, comments & obvious BOOST to your algorithms that you're going to see. For your listed is between 1-2k and I'm going to check on additional stats, like your subscribers going up like a fire 🔥.. Cannot WAIT to see what you do next.. usually there's the video she out out after she won NGT @ 9.
But you've already noticed she has 150+ covers and a few originals.
I'm HOPING the suggestions you receive will have the links.. so many videos lack in quality and sound as they're taken with cell phones. I can't WAIT to see what you choose.. and thank you again for a really enjoyable reaction... PEACE!!
🔥🔥🎤🎹🎵🎷🎙️🎶🎸🎧🎼🎻🎺🎶
Love you analyses. Please, please please do a reaction to PL version of Take on me. If you want to hear Mitch use his lower range, this is the one to listen to. It will blow your mind!
I was literally thinking about the fact that this video should be made earlier today, and just opened UA-cam and there it was 🤯😂
Could not click this fast enough! Thanks Peter for your always informative and enjoyable analysis. And thanks for getting back to PTX, been awhile. 👍🏻
PS: if you want to hear a couple of ridiculously long sustained notes by Avi, their cover of “No” done live in front of mics. It’s a bop but Avi is so fun to watch on this one.
Thank you for explaining parts of music I never even knew were there! Love watching your reactions.
love your analysis but Mitch can do that guitar solo live and sounds amazing!
Kevin has mentioned they put vocal effect on that line. Don't know if they add it on the mic or make it sound different live, but I know Kevin talked about how they added a tiny effect on that part.
He CAN do it live, but it definitely sounds a bit different than the studio recording. I've heard it.
@@Seriphina yes it doesn’t sound quite as electronic sounding as the recorded version when he does it live but pretty close. As most of us know Mitch is known for being able to imitate different types of sounds and voices and do it very well.
If you liked this version of Bohemian Rhapsody you should check out Mark Martells version... One take, only him singing and playing the piano... simply magnificent...
Once again you have given me such an appreciation of this cover. Many times I don't appreciate all the singers because I am so in love with Mitch's voice. Thank you so much. And again I love your voice.
Love your voice @peterbarber !
Amazing cover, amazing reaction. I was able to hear something I did not the first 100 times I listened to it. Great job!👏
Gold! Good song of theirs too
thank you for this, I'm so impressed by your knowledge to break this down, and also the talent to mimic what they just did
This is one of the best covers I have heard.
I really enjoy it when you analyze a song Peter. You are always spot on and very thorough. I heard you singing a little bit of tenor here, as well as bass, but what surprised me the most??...a little bit of Kevin percussion!!
You were my first reaction channel subscription on UA-cam and I love your detailed reactions. I also want to say that you have an incredible voice and I really love your cover of Change on the Rise. Just beautiful!
Also, I saw PTX perform this live. Mitch does the guitar sound without the megaphone prop.
Live he had no megaphone and his voice does exactly that with his voice
Best cover of this song!
To make the lipsynching on this even more amazing, this video took them all night to shoot, out on a road (you can see the dotted white line down the center of the road in the video) with a motorized couch that kept trying to tip over while they were climbing on and off. There's a Behind the Scenes video that you can see here: ua-cam.com/video/Q8ugJnIG_Lk/v-deo.html Throughout the whole thing you can see the clock onscreen, counting down the hours until sunrise. And they cut it *very* close; by the final scenes on the road you can see that morning twilight is already beginning; the trees are becoming visible in the background.
I find any comments re: Pentatonix's "failure" to sing live in a video, especially of this song, to be highly ironic, given that Queen found themselves unable to perform this song live without at least parts being on tape! Their mix of harmonies came from dozens of takes of 3 vocalists from within the band. When they performed "live", the operatic sections were played on tape, and the band would leave the stage for a light show and a quick break! LOL
Honestly, I could listen to you analyse Pentatonix all day long! You have so much information to share, especially about Avi and singing in those lower registers. I noticed that, too... that for the most part PTX seemed to stick as close as they could to the original, but of course, so much of Avi's contribution was completely novel, since Queen had no real bass singer. FYI, the couch cuddle mirrors the Queen album cover, Sheer Heart Attack, and the sky-scape scene is a PTX nod to Queen's lead guitarist, Brian May, who has a PhD in Astrophysics, of all things! I love how PTX really does their homework when recording a cover. Such a great reaction, as always!
As people mentioned Pentatonix never does anything Studio that they cannot reproduce live. People often Give the example of the 2 versions of hallelujah. I don't know how I did it but I came across this Clip of Pentatonix doing bohemian rhapsody live. It quite possibly is off of somebody's phone
ua-cam.com/video/C1PelJIxHTQ/v-deo.html
Brian May is actually Dr. Brian May. His doctorate is in astrophysics. His PhD thesis "A survey of radial velocities in the Zodiacal dust cloud". He started his research in 1970 And took a hiatus for about 30 years to play around the world in this rock Band Queen. I'm not sure if they had any success. Perhaps that's why he returned to finished hit's it in 2007. His research was published in a a popular astronomy book Of the same name. The scene in which they pan up to the night sky is homage to Brian May being an astrophysicists. I always wondered why there are only 4 shooting stars when there are 5 members of Pentatonix. Then I read a comment that the stary sky was homage to Brian May then it made sense To me. I see it as the four Shooting stars representing the 4 members of queen. Brian May was so impressed With this cover that he posted it on all of his social media Sites. There is A behind the scenes of video to bohemian rhapsody. There are a few Pentatonix videos that also have a behind the scenes video. The moving couch pays homage to how they originally started. It would be them all sitting on a couch with a camera pointed right at them And doing the song in 1 take. This is what you see in there very early videos. I had mentioned that Avi has overtone. I know what it is but I have no idea how it is done or how to recognize it when he's doing it. There actually is a video of him demonstrating it. Love your reactions
One of my favorite performances of theirs is an impromptu version of the "Daft Punk Medley" with no costumes and no production. Shows their true talent.
Ugh your voice is so deep, love it!
Thanks for the reaction. Love watching the analysis of Avi's AMAZING voice.
Yes, there is post production of their voices for the video. BUT Mitch sings the guitar solo live and it is very nearly the same. He can sing that sound effect live!
Okay but now you have to do Voiceplay's "Queen in 5 Minutes".
Thank you so much for your reaction 🤩
Thanks!
Love your reaction to this song by PTX. Everything they do is top notch. I was wondering if you have ever heard of Gabriel Henrique from Brazil. I have never heard of anyone sing the way he sings. Beautiful, powerful, amazing range. He brings tears to my eyes, goose bumps all over. I would love to see your reaction to his vocals. Maybe start with his most recent release "STAND UP" from Cynthia Erivo cover. Thank you, Billy Boy
love the info we get from you
Avi is currently in Europe on tour.
Love his two band members as well.
Thorough analysis. Thank you!
I dont get why I always get surprised by the voice
To be honest, this was my favorite accapella, vocal for a short time. Shortly after, I went down the Home Free rabbit hole and they are my favorite band.
Thank you so much for analyzing this video and cover. I love your analysis as being both a recording artist and having done music videos. That made this analysis very interesting. I recommend you check out Home Free's recent cover of "Unchained Melody." It's been a while since you've looked at them and I think you should give that a peek. Loved your reaction Peter! Especially when you were singing along.
I think you would love Avi in No or Matt in Rules
Look into Kevin's solo work... so creative and fun to listen to...
Love your reactions! Thanks
Something I really highly recommend checking out is a kids a cappella group called Acapop Kids which were created by Scott from Pentatonix. They do a cover of Bohemian Rhapsody/Somebody to love and it’s incredible considering they are all 15 and younger.
They actually do record most of their evolution videos live and Also I believe Gold and No were also recorded live. Those are also songs that never got put on any albums. Album songs with official videos are always lip synced for videos like all artists. For their evolution videos they would usually go into endless noise studios and sing through a few times and pick the best take. In fact on the endless noise channel they have a behind the scenes of Ptx recording their evolution of Beyoncé. Would be fun to see you react to their Beyoncé evolution and the behind the scenes to show them doing it live.
Another great video. It’s incredible how you can hear all the things going on - I now realise how much I’ve missed when I watch/listen by myself. I would really love for you to react and analyse Pentatonix’s Silent Night which is I think was filmed/recorded live. Avi’s voice is amazing and the arrangement is sublime. They sing in a church with no microphones and I would be interested in your educational spiel about acoustics.
High-pass (and low-pass) filters can absolutely be applied for live performance these days, provided you've got a halfway competent sound tech at the mixer board (someone you can trust to recognize the correct point in the song at which the knobs should be turned). Even in the eighties, you could use an equalizer to achieve similar results.
Have you listened to their "Wicked" tribute WHAT IS THIS FEELING live? Please do. Amazing!! Enjoy
Gah! You are so incredibly skilled and talented. Blows me away how much you pick up and are able to point out to us. Just stop.
Thanks so much :]