Can someone explain Badly Drawn Boy's guitar rig?

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― Jole, Monday, 16 February 2004 11:08 (twenty years ago) link

It just seems a bit much.

― Jole, Monday, 16 February 2004 11:08 (twenty years ago) link

It's actually very simple when you look at it.

― Kate Jane Connolly (fixitgirl), Monday, 16 February 2004 11:12 (twenty years ago) link

It didn't look that complex when I saw him.

― ipsofacto (ipsofacto), Monday, 16 February 2004 12:08 (twenty years ago) link

Badly Drawn Boy rules!!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:44 (twenty years ago) link

True dat man.

― Jole (Jole), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:45 (twenty years ago) link

With this much gear, how come it still sucks?

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Monday, 16 February 2004 17:13 (twenty years ago) link

The trick is his resisting the temptation to deploy them all simultaneously and therby launch into "The Hour of BeLovelessBeast"

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Monday, 16 February 2004 18:11 (twenty years ago) link

that is the cutest illustration

― JaXoN (JasonD), Monday, 16 February 2004 18:20 (twenty years ago) link

The best part is the customized flight case!

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Monday, 16 February 2004 18:59 (twenty years ago) link

is someone going to get rid of that background or what?

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 05:54 (twenty years ago) link

Done.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 12:34 (twenty years ago) link

Thankyou Sean.

― Jole, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 13:30 (twenty years ago) link

two years pass...

Can somebody explain Badly Drawn Boy's career? I saw him at 9:30 Club in DC around the time of Bewilderbeest and while I had my reservations going in, the guy was outSTANDING -- and played some song for 20 minutes that had one of the most earthshaking verses and choruses I've ever heard.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 12 June 2006 03:04 (seventeen years ago) link

'Year of the Rat' damaged his flair

― Hotman Paris Almanac (Autumn Almanac), Monday, 12 June 2006 03:13 (seventeen years ago) link

Poor guy just ran out of ideas. It happens.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Monday, 12 June 2006 19:52 (seventeen years ago) link

Hmm, I suppose. Does anyone know what song I was talking about? It's not on Bewilderbeest...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 12 June 2006 21:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Well what did the song sound like?

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 00:30 (seventeen years ago) link

My memory of it (going back about 5 years now) was that it had a Todd Rundgren-y, New Radicals-esque soaring quality to it -- uptempo, with the boy climbing around in the rafters. Again, I recall it being just two parts that could go back and forth between each other ad infinitum. It easily outclassed everything on Bewilderbeest...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 01:41 (seventeen years ago) link

maybe it's unreleased. either that or it was from one of the earlier EPs? nothing post that first album has a screaming chance in hell of outclassing what came before it.

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 02:21 (seventeen years ago) link

i was this dude's biggest fan until that second album came out. i haven't listened to a note since.

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 02:22 (seventeen years ago) link

His last album (1+1=1) is much better than its predecessor, if that helps, but still not great. His great lost classic is the About a Boy soundtrack: better than Bewilderbeast, I'd say.

― bham (bham), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 07:50 (seventeen years ago) link

uhh

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Tuesday, 13 June 2006 22:18 (seventeen years ago) link

Judging from his past few releases, none of these pedals "turn down the suck".

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 00:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Um, I think the answer to the original question is that the JC-120 is a famously clean/chorusy combo and the Trace Elliott is a mildly crunchy combo. The only effect going into those amps is a delay, so he's got two clean-ish, complementary tones coming from that side.

The Plexi on the other side has most of the weird/distorting effects running into it--ring mod, auto filter, Big Muff. Let us assume therefore that there is also some Marshall-y distortion involved on that side, through the onboard gain control.

My assumption is that the two combos keep the midrange sound steady so that there's plenty of body and articulation on the sound, and the Marshall is there for weird, bloopy, blippy, squealy, highly effected stuff.

Not a bad idea, but I think it is a bit much. I can totally imagine benefits to having a two-amp stereo setup with a primarily clean side (JC120, Twin Reverb) and a primarily dirty side (Marshall, Soldano, Boogie, Hiwatt). Frankly I think it's the Trace that pushes that rig into overkill.

― The Mad Puffin (The Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 01:00 (seventeen years ago) link

My memory of it (going back about 5 years now) was that it had a Todd Rundgren-y, New Radicals-esque soaring quality to it

It Came from the Ground, maybe? Or The Shining?

The Four EPs as I call them (EP1, EP2, EP3, and It Came from the Ground) can all be fit on one CDR, and that's his REAL lost masterpiece. All those songs are incredible!

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 01:40 (seventeen years ago) link

Listening to "It Came from the Ground" now -- this wasn't it. To be clear, this was seriously earthshaking -- uptempo, too. For a while I wondered if it was actually a full-length "Fall in a River" w/o the bit where the record falls in the river.

Now, listening to "All Possibilities" from the much-maligned Have You Fed the Fish -- it had sort of a similar feel, but this isn't as catchy as I recall.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 03:49 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, dl'ing it now. But I WILL commit hari kari if it turns out that this song is the fucking UNKLE song he did...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 04:00 (seventeen years ago) link

He's never done "It came from the ground" or that Unkle song live, as far as I know.

My guess is "Another Pearl" from your description.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 14 June 2006 07:09 (seventeen years ago) link

fourteen years pass...

the guy was outSTANDING -- and played some song for 20 minutes that had one of the most earthshaking verses and choruses I've ever heard.

My memory of it (going back about 5 years now) was that it had a Todd Rundgren-y, New Radicals-esque soaring quality to it -- uptempo, with the boy climbing around in the rafters. Again, I recall it being just two parts that could go back and forth between each other ad infinitum. It easily outclassed everything on /Bewilderbeest/...

Twenty years later I still haven’t figured out what song this is. 🙄

I’m not sure the narrative of BDB falling apart after HotB really holds. I’m hardly a massive enthusiast but most stuff I’ve heard from him is pretty consistent. “All Possibilities” was as good as anything on Bewilderbeest.

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 30 June 2020 21:41 (three years ago) link

The first album is a 'sprawling epic' whereas the later ones are more disciplined.

I'll have a skim through, I have a long live 'tape' from Shepherds Bush Empire from his bewilderbeest days, that song is most likely there.

― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 July 2020 08:54 (three years ago) link

NTI, your show is mentioned on setlist.fm but doesn't have an, errr, setlist. Maybe this show from around the same time can offer some clues?

― Scampidocio (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 1 July 2020 09:17 (three years ago) link

Boy did his new “comeback” album Banana Skin Shoes just come and go without a trace. Did Pitchfork even bother reviewing it?

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 1 July 2020 12:22 (three years ago) link

He did go on "Sunday Brunch", the interview was fine but they faded the song out...

― Mark G, Wednesday, 1 July 2020 14:51 (three years ago) link

NTI, your show is mentioned on setlist.fm🕸 but doesn't have an, errr, setlist. Maybe this show🕸 from around the same time can offer some clues?

That’s actually the next time he was in town! Apparently by 2004 he was surly and complaining that DC only had one place to play (it has more).

My show was from November 4, 2000 – and I actually tried what you suggested. The only thing I can figure was that it might have been a rearranged Disillusion? So weird.

― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 2 July 2020 14:00 (three years ago) link

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