For the first time in its illustrious 114 year history, the historic London Palladium will host a monthly orchestral residency beginning in February 2024, which will see iconic artists’ music celebrated. This was an entertaining, but curious, gig. It isn't a tribute act - no sequinned sound-alikes strutting the stage here - it's a a full rock-n-roll orchestra fronted by three dazzlingly t…
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The Who are LOUD. Even from the nose-bleed seats at the unfashionable end of the O2 arena, my ears were ringing and my throat was raw from screaming. The "Hits Back" tour pairs The Who with... The Heart of England Orchestra. Now, obviously, The Who are your classic 4-piece rock 'n'roll group. Do they need a full backing orchestra on their songs? I don't know about "need" - but it works…
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Another short - and probably incorrect - prediction about disruption. Spotify, for all its tech, isn't magically disruptive. The business model is similar to a radio station. It pays music publishers based on what songs its listeners' request. (This is grossly oversimplified. Stick with me.) Spotify buys a product wholesale and then sells it retail. This is different from, say, the original…
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None of us are going out to gigs in the foreseeable future, right? So the next best thing is watching shows on video. Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets is an epic blast. Recorded at the Roundhouse, it is gorgeously colourful and has just the right amount of "backstage" interviews", And, being a disc, there's no sticky floors and the beer is a lot cheaper. The surround sound speakers get a good …
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Previously, on the Terence Eden Adventures: I accidentally won a load of vinyl on eBay, and I bought the cheapest record player I could find. The record player has USB output. So I shoved it into a Rock Pi S - an SBC similar to a Raspberry Pi - to broadcast vinyl all over my house via ChromeCast! Here's how. Detect the audio Install alsa-utils if they're not already present. Find your…
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I've just built this magic floating record wall on the cheap. I think it looks great during video calls. Here's how I did it: Step One - Stalk eBay With lockdown, I couldn't exactly go to my local record store. And I didn't fancy rummaging through bins of second hand items trying to find exactly what I wanted. So I decided to buy a job-lot of records from eBay. Beatles collections are…
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I'm 16. My mate Pete has been humming "Achinta beyda beyda tatvaaaah" endlessly. I finally break and ask him what gibberish he's spouting. And thus I am introduced to Kula Shaker. It was the first CD I ever illicitly ripped to MP3. It was my reference album for any audio equipment purchase. Potential girlfriends were unfairly judged on their appreciation of its mystic tosh. I'm 36. My mate V…
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I like to listen to music while I work. I find - especially in an open plan office - that it is an essential aid to concentration. That said, I find music with lyrics particularly problematic as my brain prefers to concentrate on the words rather than the task in hand. On long flights, I often use a white noise generator to drown out sound. I've recently started listening to random music. A…
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I'm working on a new project which, unless UK copyright law radically changes, will only be available if you pop round my house :-) Yesterday... In 1960s the predominant form of music recording was in mono. Indeed, The Beatles weren't involved in many of their stereo mixes. If you listen to some of those early tracks, you'll get an idea of how stereo worked back in the day. For example,…
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Last NaBloPoMo, I wrote up my review of a Mitch Benn gig I'd seen. I know I’m not going to leave it ten years before I next see him. Indeed, I didn't even leave it a full calendar year. Mitch is back and better than ever - he even has a new single out. Buy the single for 79p at Amazon It's rare for Brits to get passionate without being cynical. Watching Mitch Benn sing "Proud of the BBC" is a…
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Amazon's mp3 store on mobile Music is a huge seller in the mobile marketplace. Why carry a walkman or a discman when your phone can deliver high quality music to your £3.99 headphones? Hear a song you like on the radio, in a concert, from a busker singing - a few clicks and it's on your phone ready to play. At the moment, MNOs* rule the roost in terms of mobile music sales. Customers don't wa…
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When I was a fresher at university, Mitch Benn played the union. I don't remember why I didn't go. I do remember being woken up by the guys in my halls banging on my door telling me that I'd missed a brilliant evening. The CDs that they bought back from the gig were hilarious - the perfect antidote to looming finals. Since missing him play 10 years ago, I've caught up with him on The Now Sh…
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