Fil, you are normally mr. positive. It's actually refreshing to see that you are capable of criticizing a situation. Not everything is sunshine and roses, and glad to hear you call this situation out.
Batphink Reynolds ... Better still, you should have someone take away your electronic devices when you've been downing too many ales or Fosters or whatever your poison is.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving voice to an issue that has irritated me since the early '90's!!! I'm 60 years old and grew up with bands who could actually PLAY actual INSTRUMENTS and were as good live, if not better, than their album. I pity this generation. 🤘🎸💯
You are so spot on here. Music has lost its soul. Music is emotion, raw, achingly beautiful, it should grab your heart and take you on a ride, it’s an experience. Autotune robs you of the mystery, the unexpected and truth of that experience
Most rock singers do not have pitch perfect voices: mick jagger, Robert plant, Janis Joplin, joe cocker, Carole king , but they convey their feeling so well. Well done fil!!!!!
*In the old days,* the soundboard tech would just *mute the singers mic* if it was bad or *used a back-up tape.* In the 1990's, a audio tape was leaked of Linda McCartney from Wings (Paul's then wife) was so off key & bad on *Hey Jude* that it was learned that the soundboard techs just muted her mic for the show.
*Brad Delp of Boston* was one such singer. He couldn't sing those higher notes in *More Than A Feeling* live anymore. So Boston had to get younger musicians to sing those parts live. Since Delp died (suicide), Boston hired female musicians/singers to achieve the sound Brad Delp used to do when he was younger.
@@kevinthetruckdriver353 heard that recording on a morning radio show called The Ron & Ron show and there was a guy who called them who was interviewing Paul. when he mention Ron & Ron. Paul became so furious that he wish them to have cancer. sadly, that not a wise thing to say, one the guys on the show died of cancer or some HIV related diease and he lost Linda of cancer. I can understand he was extremely angry and embarrassed with people mocking his late wife but words can back you in the ass if you're not careful.
there's always a range for any note, it's not incorrect to be a few cents off. to me it's like saying that artists can only use bright red of a specific degree or none at all, just imagine what that would do to the best paintings in the world, that's what their doing to music and i thank you, Fil for exposing this oppressive trend to remove emotion from all music.
I saw REO live in the 70s and they really kicked ass. Kevin was absolutely flawless as well as the rest of the band. Fil you are correct! Auto tune has ruined music today. Love your channel Fil! And your music ed teachings. You’re really amazing! Thank you for educating a new generation. ❤️💋🤘🏼
Why can't the music producers of today understand that when they remove the "imperfections," they remove the charm, or the "humanness?" Truely great analysis tonight, Fil!!
Laurie Kane As a music producer who refuses to use it, I can tell you it comes down to two reasons, neither of which is justified: 1. Laziness 2. No historical understanding of music
@@artysanmobile Yeah, I guess you're right. These producers have no business being in the music business. Imagine if George Martin had had this technology in the 60's, and if he had utilized it! The entire landscape of several generations of music would suddenly vanish out of existence!
@@artysanmobile perhaps you could somehow influence those who use auto-tune to stop. It truly ruins good music. Those who can't sing shouldn't be recording.
Do you remember the top 40 in our day ? Our host was Casey Kasem. I lived for it it was the highlight of my week in a tiny little Alabama town with one traffic light. On another note it was Casey who taught me that REO Speedwagon got their name from an antique fire engine
Possibly my favorite analysis yet, Fil. I appreciate not only your perspective, but passion as well. No need to apologize. Don't think the great Gary Richrath would have partaken in this.
I used to see REO in their early days in Racine WI. They were great! No auto tune needed. I agree the pure vocals need to be brought back. Sad music changed so much.
I also have seen REO several times back in the day and yes they were fantastic but I saw him live recently and he really has lost much of his vocal ability. I don't agree with the use of autotune, everybody's voice changes with time... Look at how many famous singers from back in the day who can't sing at all anymore.
Omg Fil, I am so with you on this auto tune bs. My aunt Anne Phillips is a singer from way back. She had a fabulous, very well-reviewed album in the early 60s called “Born to be Blue” - it’s amazing - she always says that today with all this technology, you can grab any young woman off the street and put her in a studio and auto tune her voice and presto! A pop star - talent not required 🙄🙄🙄 She sang with greats like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller and this stuff makes her so sad. I love how you’ve said that people like Janis Joplin and Neil young and Bob Dylan didn’t need perfect pitch - they gave you ALL the feels with the heart they put into their music! \m/
I’d never heard of vocal auto-tune before Fil’s explanation here. I knew nothing about it before this moment. But as I listened to Kevin singing in the recording of his band’s performance just prior to Fil’s comments, I was very consciously thinking to myself, “something’s off here”. “Something doesn’t sound right with his vocals”. I thought his voice sounded ‘short’ or ‘chopped’. I’ve listened to Kevin sing this song for nearly 42 years -since it first came out on REO’s album “You Can Tune A Piano But You Can’t Tuna Fish” in 1978. I well know what the real and full performance of this song sounds like! In fact it was THIS song (and its twin Speedwagon hit, “Roll With The Changes” which was released on the same album) that made me a fan of the band when that pair of excellent REO hits first began to be played on the radio and inspired me to go buy my first REO Speedwagon album. As I listened to this particular recording of the song posted by Fil, even before he had begun his analysis, it was OBVIOUS to me that there was a richness or a fullness missing from Kevin’s vocals. As Fil began talking about this vocal auto-tune tweek that’s becoming popular in the music industry now, that’s when I realized my ears or my mind weren’t playing tricks on me. It was the NUANCE of the PHYSICAL EXPRESSION that was MISSING. That it’s PURPOSELY missing (has been PURPOSELY REMOVED) is a travesty. It’s a travesty because what’s been removed is the part that conveys THE EMOTION of the performance! What’s left is MECHANICAL, machine-like, nearly emotionless! Like Fil, I DON’T LIKE IT! Don’t like it at all.
Taylor swift,,,maybe she is good song writer, but her vocal abilities are questionable. I heard her singing live with Mick and she was awful, nothing like her records where she gets by with her limited range.
Fil, I agree with everything you said, with one slight exception. Kevin Cronin has full control over whether or not they use auto-tune on his mic. He's not out there selling records like one of the new one-hit wonders - he and the rest of REO are touring to make money. Period. Kevin has - in fact - a long-standing reputation for being extremely involved in every aspect of his live shows, and not putting up with hijinks. If there's an auto-tune on his vocals, it;s because he wanted it there.
Before I got onto the internet in 2009, I was fed up with the mediocre singers and actors that were taking over, and I came up with a theory to explain it. Since I got onto the internet, I keep testing my theory and I am always right. Look up on Wikipedia the early life of these artists, and they will always come from affluent families, and quite often related to someone previously famous. If some bios are a a bit brief, click on the name of the school they attended, and that will prove they came from money. If a Johnny Cash or Elvis, was young today, they would never get discovered. It's a closed shop and they covering their lack of talent with autotune. Some of the best talent I've seen in recent years, are people on youtube with maybe a hundred subs, singing in front of their refrigerator. A few years ago, they started a talent contest on Australian TV, and they advertised it as over 10,000 people turned up for the auditions. I thought this was going to uncover real talent, so I watched the first few episodes. But, I noticed everyone who passed the audition, was filmed before they auditioned, having breakfast and waving goodbye to Mum and Dad. Did that mean there were 10,000 film crews filming everyone? It would be the most expensive production seen, if they did. Or, was it a coincidence that the few people they could realistically film before the auditions, happened to make it through? I stopped watching, and have never watched one again.
I really hate to admit this, but in the 70's and the 80's when I was a child and young adult I didn't really like live recordings because they didn't sound as good as the studio recordings. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I learned to like and now prefer live music to studio recordings. now days I almost entirely purchase albums and watch videos of bands that are unsigned. In fact I would much rather watch a band in some dive whole in the wall. Now after watching this video I understand why that is, but I had no idea that auto tune is used so much now. You really enlightened me. Thank you Fil!
Completely agree! I only like independent music. All the big acts are so ... blah. There's no excitement, no thrill in listening to them. It's all muzak now.
This video comes from a professional movie house, that means it was properly mixed and recorded off of the mixing desk. The autotune was applied not during the performance, but on the post production of the video. It's not uncommon on a commercial release of a live album or video of a concert to undergo overdubs for mistakes, vocals to be completely replaced to make the band sound better as a live entity. Best example of a live album that almost is basically a complete studio recording would be Ozzy's Speak Of Th Devil, both performances of the vynil release of all Sabbath material and the the Diary Tour concert film sound absolutely nothing like the actual performances on the raw bootlegs. If you want to see a live band that performs and sounds better live than studio, go watch a Styx concert, they still play everything in the original key, and the harmonies are freaking spine chilling.
Thank you so much for explaining this and making us all more aware of autotune everywhere. I still prefer live recordings of my favorite 70s group even when they were losing their voices. Live, without autotune, has so much more emotion and heart! You hit the nail on the head....it's all about the emotional connection!! Thank you!
Spot on ! Thank you !! Fil, you should have been born in 1950. You would have feasted as a young man in the 60s and 70s. There were no home computers or video games in those days. For me and my friends it was all about how good are your speakers, amp, turntable, cartridge, reel-to-reel, and record collection. Then it was “Who did you go and see last weekend.” The arguments were about solid state vs tube, who makes the superior record cleaning system, and what kind of gloves should you wear when handling records. You would have fit right in.
REO Speedwagon are such a great band! They don’t need auto tune. The music industry today and its hierarchy should leave bands alone and let them perform naturally....that’s the best part of seeing a band live! Great analysis Fil! Cheers Mario!😎🤘🤘
Hi Fil! REO Speedwagen was played a lot in my house when my daughter was in high school! I loved them too! Music was played constantly in my house, and perhaps that is why my daughter got her degree as a music therapist! Indianapolis held lots of concerts, and I made sure she got to go!
This is why I love this guy so much: he has passion. At 12:30-12:45 Fil is spot-on, bingo, bulls-eye, and any other superlative you can think of. Thank you!
As a singer in a band for (too many) years, I’m definitely losing my ability to hit some notes. When I perform, and half the reason I still perform, is that challenge a singer has - to be able to connect with the crowd. And honestly, sometimes I have to improvise, and really push beyond by limits. It can be very satisfying and sometimes very ugly. However, I (like you Fil) feel like auto tune would be sacrilege. Great subject Fil. You’re the best bro!! 🇺🇸
Thanks Fil, I'm no professional, but I love great music. Interesting to hear your take on the auto tune aspect. I don't like music that is over produced. It needs to sound like it would live.
U listen to many songs from the 60's 70's and even the 80's and I find myself with tears running down my cheeks! I no longer find this happening anymore! I'm 68 and I love your channel 💕
If Autotune hadn't been invented we would have never heard the names of more than half the "Artists" we have today. That's probably why I love to play acoustic guitar so much it's as honest as it gets. REO No doubt Absolute Professionals at what they do. I'm sure they've had a blast doin it. "Take It on The Run" my personal favorite. Especially the Solo's. Thanks Fil great and honest job as usual. See you Tuesday. ." Live Eruption" Yer The Ambassador To The People Of Rock. Melt our faces off ! ROCK 🤘
Thanks Fil for voicing how I also feel. The business insults true artists. I buy no "new" artists nowadays. I refuse to spend my money on fakers. Anyone with a soul should do the same. In the day I bought private collections and estate collections. I can safely say you probably can't name a recording artist or artists from the beginning of recorded music to this day that I do not have, EXCEPT for music made by new "artists" in the last 15 years. I buy 5 to 10 new cds monthly but only to fill in holes in the library. I'm not about to spend my money on crap artists that use artificial means to make "music". Period. That came from 50 years of searching and collecting. I have Wings of Pegasus - Persistence.
That's telling them Fil. (The auto tune commandos). I agree. I saw REO Speedwagon at the Tulsa Fairgrounds in 1987 and they really put on a good show. Kevin had a great voice live. Great analyses! 👍
ITA!!! I can't imagine how Johnny Cash's version of Hurt would sound like utter crap if it had been auto-tuned... his expression and feeling when he sings it absolutely guts me every time! The sanitized version would do nothing to move me.
Thank you, Fil for this. I had no idea that so much of this auto-tune was going on these days. There's a quote by audio engineer Ryan Shannahan on the Antares website where he says "“Auto-Tune is a tool I use on pretty much every vocal I engineer. I can’t remember the last time I worked on a record without it." I'm sure he's not alone and so I guess we can expect more and more perfectly pitched vocals in recorded music. I'm old school at 71 so I've been around a lot of both live and recorded music and I will say that this technology is part of the cultural trend in making everything perfect that wasn't perfect to begin with, which means the music industry is feeding crap to the public all in the name of revenues and profitability. Being aware of this now is key because I am not buying into this. I recorded some original music of mine with an engineer friend in a home studio and although my vocals are far from perfect the thought never occurred to us to ever want to alter what I had done. OK, we used Pro Tools to tweak a few blemishes in my guitar track but that was the extent of it. Thanks again Fil for this revelation.
I love REO Speedwagon. They are still touring and they are still wonderful. I have so many memories with this song. Rock on!! Thank you, Fil for bringing out the info on auto tune. You are amazing with the criticism as well as the praise. ❤️🌹❤️
There are a few songs that when I sing them, my voice cracks with emotion, sometimes I even cry. How does autotune deal with that? I prefer 'real' myself. Great rant by the way, I loved it. You are absolutely right that music needs to be felt, not just heard.
"I'm singing this note 'cause it fits in well..With the chords I'm playing...I can't pretend there's any meaning here....Or in the things I'm saying...But I'm in tune...Right in tune...I'm in tune...And I'm gonna tune.....Right in on you...Right in on you.....Right in on you." Getting In Tune, the Who.
Zenzi Cubik To those of us who have a lifelong love of music, those words have one meaning, somewhat ironic. To the bozos programming radio and producing pop music, those very same words have no ironic meaning whatsoever. They literally don’t know the meaning.
"Ridin' the Storm Out" back in 1973 was the first song I herd from REO Speedwagon and was hook. excellent "rant" on "auto-tune" and the music industry! I meant analysis "Chuckle" this is one of your best Fil.
WOW!!!! I've always enjoyed your comments and I like the positive way you do it but I REALLY appreciated your analysis of this video and your commentary on the industry. I love a lot of REO's stuff (and I did see them live with Chicago last year) and as you say, "THEY DON'T need this extra processing!!!! As a cover band gigging 50+ year old musician trying to do my best with my band to play this great music from the 70s-90s, it just makes me sick the way talented musicians use autotuning, backing tracks, click tracks whatever to make their "wall" of sound. Please industry, listen to Fil's voice. Let's get back to pure music (particularly vocals) from the heart and soul and not from software!
Excellent rant, Fil. Another downside to auto-tune is that it's training a generation of music listeners to always expect mechanically perfect pitch. So they won't appreciate earlier music that wasn't auto-tuned.
I grew up listening to the great bands of the 70s and you´re so so right about people feeling the music during that era and todays generation simply hearing it
...It's a technical and philosophical point, but one I've been saying...Look, people can bring up on the I- Phone the ORIGINAL song if they want..they don't want that..they want "LIVE"...a live version with all of it's errors, idiosyncrasies...It's important as it releases the creativity inherent in artists when they can be themselves...If I sing "Time After Time"...people want MY VERSION, not Cyndi Lauper's version because it's already on their phone !!! I've said my piece.
Thank you Fil for venting out and speaking the truth. Auto Tune is like taking a Van Gogh painting of flowers out of the museum in Amsterdam and having an artist repaint it an make the flowers perfect as a photograph and put that version on display.
Quick story about REO, a friend of mine came back from Indiana University in the early 70s and was raving about this great band REO Speedwagon. Little did we know this unknown band in 1972 would turn out to be a super group.
Thank you for your appreciation of the “real” music of my generation. I experienced so much great music in the 70s, I don’t even listen to today’s music. Sadly I don’t see it changing, time and technology move on and it’s all about $$$ now. You do a great job Fil, much appreciation. ❤️✌🏻🙏🏻
YES and thank you, Fil, for being the one who finally has the guts to say it out loud. This is one of the most honest videos on TH-cam, and anyone who listens to music needs to watch this. You’re THE MAN, Fil! 🙌🏻👏🏻❤️
Fil That is a perfect summation of the music today. I fell in love with music because of how it makes me feel and think. I never expected a perfect sound. And this an amazing song that got me through a tough breakup many years ago
Being from the 60's and 70's era in music, you are spot on Fil. My grandsons are very much into music, much from my era because I've shown them the greats and turned it up so they can "feel" what we did back then, to some degree. They realize that TALENT was needed to make back then, no computers, auto tune or anything else. Pure skill and talent!
So refreshing to hear analysis from a true music lover! You're so right here. The industries are just mass producing "perfection" for profit (movies with CGI, music with auto-tune, photos with photoshop, etc.). The creativitiy and authenticity is lost in those processes. I don't have a problem with using those processes, but within reason and not live.
I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend, who heard it from another that this was going to be about Auto-Tune. Just had to do it take off on a lyric there. Fil thanks you. Flagging good idea.
I have been a fan of REO since the 70s. I finally got to see them last year. Unfortunately the acoustics of the venue were horrible. I couldn't understand any of the talking. And it usually took a bit to figure out what song they were playing. They were halfway through Back On The Road Again before I figured out that was what they were playing. And that is one of my favorites.
I immediately went to TH-cam and watched this entire performance and watched the whole performance. You are right. I didn't notice the auto-tune. I did notice it right away. I just wasn't feeling moved and it sounded sanitized. As the performance went on it became glaring. I watched another much earlier performance and loved it. What a world of difference. I also went back and watched some live performances of Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley, (The Righteous Brothers) just to guys harmonizing and singing full out was amazing. No auto-tune there. Thank you Fil for shining a light on this. Maybe in the future analyze The vocal talents of The Righteous Brothers.
I'm not sure about all these complaints about auto tunes: I like listening to the radio in my car! :) You, of course, are bang on about the problems with the use of auto-tune in comparison with the days before when actual musical talent made a band successful.
REO was one of those bands that came around every year during the 70's and into the 80's in the midwest. They had so many recognizable songs. I think we took them a little for granted back then. They've been "Riding the Storm Out" for a long time.
agree totally - they were always a part of the Midwest summer concert festival scene AND yes, we did take them for granted (coz we were dazed and confused haha)
Brother I could not have said it better myself Kevin has such a beautiful voice the bands need control of the final product so people cannot mess with their music like that your right everything is about money these days art goes by the way side over greed on a positive note I love this video the twelve string sounds awesome Kevin glides around the stage playing that incredible intro and I love so many of their songs but this one holds a special place in my heart Thank You for your passion Fil :-)
AMEN!!!!!!! Just watch Keep on Rolling from the midnight special. One of the greatest live bands ever. You said what I have felt for years. You are my new favorite Fil
I have learned more about music in three months, by watching your reaction videos, than I previously knew in my fifty six years of living! What an outstanding, heartfelt, beautifully articulated response to soul killing auto tune! Thank you, Fil, for your support of REAL music and the integrity that must go with it! Great as usual-you keep up the stellar work! Treff
Hi Fil! All I can say about this video are two things; "Amen" and "Thank You!" What I like most about your videos is that even though you are analyzing something, you are always smiling, you are fair to the artist(s), and even if you critique a bit, you manage to do so politely and intelligently, and yes, that can be done! I have actually played this video for a friend who tends to argue with me over performances in the present day over how they sounded back in the day. Auto-tune is the issue. Spot on to say that Kevin Cronin or any singer of his day likely does not need it. This need for polish and perfection, I believe, started in the 1980s and has escalated since. It is the main reason why most singers presently sound exactly the same to me. It eliminates the need for someone to be "that good." Why do they need to be good? Vocals can be fixed in the studio, yes, but then it misrepresents what reality is to the listener. When my ears hear some enhancements going on, it sticks out right away to me. It just sounds too perfect, a bit "inhuman" sounding and just "off" in my humble opinion. It is probably true that most people cannot hear it. I can sing, read music and am a big music buff, so maybe that's why I hear it. Just like people are in the business now for the wrong reasons and they aren't prepared for the business because of the Willy Wonka "Golden Ticket" message that entering the music business has had attached to it for some time, the sound that appeals or doesn't appeal to people today has changed. Attention spans are also shorter as far as fans are concerned. Of course they will be in a generation that can Google something in a nanosecond. People don't seem to care how music makes you feel. It's stiff and wooden. I'm as insulted as you are by what I am seeing and hearing. I am not sure what will pull things back to authenticity again. I hope more people listen to what you have to say in this video. It speaks volumes!
I wish I could give this one several thumbs up. REO Speedwagon is from my hometown and, of course, one of my favorites. Finding this video pleases me...just yesterday, I realized I haven't listened to REO for much too long and was intending to crank it up today, anyway. I've only gotten to see them live once...bummer.
Wow! Fascinating discussion on Auto Tune. I really learned a lot. I think I know what you mean about how Auto Tune kind of gives everyone the same "stock" timbre to their vocal sound. I really admire and appreciate your dedication to music, Fil. Your integrity is refreshing , man .
That's the first time I have seen Fil genuinely pissed off. Bravo Fil! Everything you said is so true.
And well he should be.
Fil, you are normally mr. positive. It's actually refreshing to see that you are capable of criticizing a situation. Not everything is sunshine and roses, and glad to hear you call this situation out.
Mike Betts ... Is it possible that you were actually trying for actually when you put in accuracy? It actually fits the sentence more accurately.
@@JW...-oj5iw
.....woahhhh
Absolutely.
Batphink Reynolds ... Better still, you should have someone take away your electronic devices when you've been downing too many ales or Fosters or whatever your poison is.
To be fair, I don't think auto-tune makes REO Speedwagon any worse than they already are.
'Auto tune' should be legally stamped on every 'Music seller'. Let the listener decide!
But can you autotuna fish?
@@ChuckJolley Sure, 'Like a Sturgeon, tuned for the very first time.'
yeah like the explicit lyric stickers
RIP Gary Richrath....the real awesome guitarist that made REO a real rock band
And a inspiration for Power Metal
This young man is wise beyond his years. Once again, thank you Fil for sharing your incredible passion for music with all of us. Mucho respect to you.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving voice to an issue that has irritated me since the early '90's!!! I'm 60 years old and grew up with bands who could actually PLAY actual INSTRUMENTS and were as good live, if not better, than their album. I pity this generation. 🤘🎸💯
You are so spot on here. Music has lost its soul. Music is emotion, raw, achingly beautiful, it should grab your heart and take you on a ride, it’s an experience. Autotune robs you of the mystery, the unexpected and truth of that experience
You have hit the nail on the head. Says it all, thank you!
You are wrong Fil, the music of today does make me feel something-nauseated, and now I know why. Love your channel!
Most rock singers do not have pitch perfect voices: mick jagger, Robert plant, Janis Joplin, joe cocker, Carole king , but they convey their feeling so well. Well done fil!!!!!
💖🤘💯
Indeed
*In the old days,* the soundboard tech would just *mute the singers mic* if it was bad or *used a back-up tape.* In the 1990's, a audio tape was leaked of Linda McCartney from Wings (Paul's then wife) was so off key & bad on *Hey Jude* that it was learned that the soundboard techs just muted her mic for the show.
*Brad Delp of Boston* was one such singer. He couldn't sing those higher notes in *More Than A Feeling* live anymore. So Boston had to get younger musicians to sing those parts live. Since Delp died (suicide), Boston hired female musicians/singers to achieve the sound Brad Delp used to do when he was younger.
@@kevinthetruckdriver353 heard that recording on a morning radio show called The Ron & Ron show and there was a guy who called them who was interviewing Paul. when he mention Ron & Ron. Paul became so furious that he wish them to have cancer. sadly, that not a wise thing to say, one the guys on the show died of cancer or some HIV related diease and he lost Linda of cancer. I can understand he was extremely angry and embarrassed with people mocking his late wife but words can back you in the ass if you're not careful.
there's always a range for any note, it's not incorrect to be a few cents off. to me it's like saying that artists can only use bright red of a specific degree or none at all, just imagine what that would do to the best paintings in the world, that's what their doing to music and i thank you, Fil for exposing this oppressive trend to remove emotion from all music.
I relate to slightly flat in blues performances😎
Well said, David.
@@aprils6589 thanks
You just painted a picture through your words of what music is. Honest, real and raw, and definitely untouched by Auto tune. 👍
@@cindypowers4993 ❤️
It's good to see a young person with an understanding of art and expression.
Fil is awesome!
I saw REO live in the 70s and they really kicked ass. Kevin was absolutely flawless as well as the rest of the band. Fil you are correct! Auto tune has ruined music today.
Love your channel Fil! And your music ed teachings. You’re really amazing! Thank you for educating a new generation. ❤️💋🤘🏼
Thanks for speaking up for purity. YES! It's about how music makes us FEEL!!!!
I couldn't agree more. REO is phenomenal live. All the artists from that Era. Today's era is equivalent to Millie Vanillie
Thank you Fil. You nailed it perfectly. It used to be about the talent. These days image is all that matters.
Why can't the music producers of today understand that when they remove the "imperfections," they remove the charm, or the "humanness?" Truely great analysis tonight, Fil!!
Perfectly put music now is clinical yuck
Laurie Kane As a music producer who refuses to use it, I can tell you it comes down to two reasons, neither of which is justified:
1. Laziness
2. No historical understanding of music
@@artysanmobile Yeah, I guess you're right. These producers have no business being in the music business. Imagine if George Martin had had this technology in the 60's, and if he had utilized it! The entire landscape of several generations of music would
suddenly vanish out of existence!
@@artysanmobile perhaps you could somehow influence those who use auto-tune to stop. It truly ruins good music. Those who can't sing shouldn't be recording.
Now I understand why the 'top 40' today all sounds the same. I can't even sit and listen to it.
Me neither-🤢🤮 ... it's GARBAGE.
Do you remember the top 40 in our day ? Our host was Casey Kasem. I lived for it it was the highlight of my week in a tiny little Alabama town with one traffic light. On another note it was Casey who taught me that REO Speedwagon got their name from an antique fire engine
The country band Diamond Rio got their name from the same place - in later days REO was known as Diamond-REO.
@@meliplay YES! I remember; it would come on Sunday mornings here in Chicago- I loved it!!
@@meliplay I loved Casey Kasem! He was fantastic. Got my transistor radio out, every Sunday morning it was for us (I'm all the way in Australia)
Possibly my favorite analysis yet, Fil. I appreciate not only your perspective, but passion as well. No need to apologize. Don't think the great Gary Richrath would have partaken in this.
EXACTLY F IL! AUTO TUNE IS JUST PLAIN WRONG. THE HUMAN VOICE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING 😍 I DON'T WANT TO HEAR A ROBOT VOICE 🤖🤖🤖🤖
💖🎸🤘💯
It’s AWFUL
I used to see REO in their early days in Racine WI. They were great! No auto tune needed. I agree the pure vocals need to be brought back. Sad music changed so much.
I also have seen REO several times back in the day and yes they were fantastic but I saw him live recently and he really has lost much of his vocal ability.
I don't agree with the use of autotune, everybody's voice changes with time...
Look at how many famous singers from back in the day who can't sing at all anymore.
Omg Fil, I am so with you on this auto tune bs. My aunt Anne Phillips is a singer from way back. She had a fabulous, very well-reviewed album in the early 60s called “Born to be Blue” - it’s amazing - she always says that today with all this technology, you can grab any young woman off the street and put her in a studio and auto tune her voice and presto! A pop star - talent not required 🙄🙄🙄 She sang with greats like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller and this stuff makes her so sad. I love how you’ve said that people like Janis Joplin and Neil young and Bob Dylan didn’t need perfect pitch - they gave you ALL the feels with the heart they put into their music! \m/
Your aunt- WOW 😲!!! Hey, we have the same last name- maybe we're related because we DEFINITELY think alike!💖🎸💯
Michele Parker ha ha we do! Are you in UK or US? I know
Parker is a very common name in Britain - my husband’s heritage is British
Hee hee! I'm in the US, Chicago, Illinois. 😃
I checked out "Born to be Blue" by your aunt. Veeeeery nice! Don't know why I never heard her before! Kinda reminds me of a female Chet Baker.
Michael McNeill ah thanks, I love that album 🥰
No apologies necessary about auto-tune, I agree with you 100% This was a great analysis as always.. I saw Reo several times and they are a great band.
I’d never heard of vocal auto-tune before Fil’s explanation here. I knew nothing about it before this moment. But as I listened to Kevin singing in the recording of his band’s performance just prior to Fil’s comments, I was very consciously thinking to myself, “something’s off here”. “Something doesn’t sound right with his vocals”. I thought his voice sounded ‘short’ or ‘chopped’. I’ve listened to Kevin sing this song for nearly 42 years -since it first came out on REO’s album “You Can Tune A Piano But You Can’t Tuna Fish” in 1978. I well know what the real and full performance of this song sounds like! In fact it was THIS song (and its twin Speedwagon hit, “Roll With The Changes” which was released on the same album) that made me a fan of the band when that pair of excellent REO hits first began to be played on the radio and inspired me to go buy my first REO Speedwagon album.
As I listened to this particular recording of the song posted by Fil, even before he had begun his analysis, it was OBVIOUS to me that there was a richness or a fullness missing from Kevin’s vocals. As Fil began talking about this vocal auto-tune tweek that’s becoming popular in the music industry now, that’s when I realized my ears or my mind weren’t playing tricks on me. It was the NUANCE of the PHYSICAL EXPRESSION that was MISSING. That it’s PURPOSELY missing (has been PURPOSELY REMOVED) is a travesty. It’s a travesty because what’s been removed is the part that conveys THE EMOTION of the performance! What’s left is MECHANICAL, machine-like, nearly emotionless! Like Fil, I DON’T LIKE IT! Don’t like it at all.
Such a great album title! Hi Infidelity is as well!
Madonna...Britney...a lot of careers would have died without auto tune.
Taylor swift,,,maybe she is good song writer, but her vocal abilities are questionable. I heard her singing live with Mick and she was awful, nothing like her records where she gets by with her limited range.
@@michaelholycross8718 I am not a Madonna fan, but her first major songs came out in the early 80"s before auto tune..
Great video Fil! I totally agree and was really happy to hear you will not show performances that use for autotune future vids. You rock!
Good analysis and even better rant. 👍
Fil, I agree with everything you said, with one slight exception. Kevin Cronin has full control over whether or not they use auto-tune on his mic. He's not out there selling records like one of the new one-hit wonders - he and the rest of REO are touring to make money. Period. Kevin has - in fact - a long-standing reputation for being extremely involved in every aspect of his live shows, and not putting up with hijinks. If there's an auto-tune on his vocals, it;s because he wanted it there.
WOW been listening to REO SPEEDWAGON here lately, One of my favorite bands! WOW!!! Thank YOU FIL!!!!
Before I got onto the internet in 2009, I was fed up with the mediocre singers and actors that were taking over, and I came up with a theory to explain it. Since I got onto the internet, I keep testing my theory and I am always right. Look up on Wikipedia the early life of these artists, and they will always come from affluent families, and quite often related to someone previously famous. If some bios are a a bit brief, click on the name of the school they attended, and that will prove they came from money. If a Johnny Cash or Elvis, was young today, they would never get discovered. It's a closed shop and they covering their lack of talent with autotune. Some of the best talent I've seen in recent years, are people on youtube with maybe a hundred subs, singing in front of their refrigerator.
A few years ago, they started a talent contest on Australian TV, and they advertised it as over 10,000 people turned up for the auditions. I thought this was going to uncover real talent, so I watched the first few episodes. But, I noticed everyone who passed the audition, was filmed before they auditioned, having breakfast and waving goodbye to Mum and Dad. Did that mean there were 10,000 film crews filming everyone? It would be the most expensive production seen, if they did. Or, was it a coincidence that the few people they could realistically film before the auditions, happened to make it through? I stopped watching, and have never watched one again.
Another amazingly pure voice from that era....two actually. Dennis from Styx and Steve Perry from journey. Steve Perry? Phenomenal.
🏠💯
You forgot the best... Ian Gillan! Mic drop.......
Steve Perry 'THE VOICE'!
@@LostMyMojo100 The Greatest Rock Singer Period. That's saying something, considering the greats." Born Again" still mind blowing today.
John Farnham, THE VOICE!
You're a gem, Fil. Glad you're part of the conversation.
I really hate to admit this, but in the 70's and the 80's when I was a child and young adult I didn't really like live recordings because they didn't sound as good as the studio recordings. It wasn't until I was in my thirties that I learned to like and now prefer live music to studio recordings. now days I almost entirely purchase albums and watch videos of bands that are unsigned. In fact I would much rather watch a band in some dive whole in the wall. Now after watching this video I understand why that is, but I had no idea that auto tune is used so much now. You really enlightened me. Thank you Fil!
Completely agree! I only like independent music. All the big acts are so ... blah. There's no excitement, no thrill in listening to them. It's all muzak now.
This video comes from a professional movie house, that means it was properly mixed and recorded off of the mixing desk. The autotune was applied not during the performance, but on the post production of the video. It's not uncommon on a commercial release of a live album or video of a concert to undergo overdubs for mistakes, vocals to be completely replaced to make the band sound better as a live entity. Best example of a live album that almost is basically a complete studio recording would be Ozzy's Speak Of Th Devil, both performances of the vynil release of all Sabbath material and the the Diary Tour concert film sound absolutely nothing like the actual performances on the raw bootlegs. If you want to see a live band that performs and sounds better live than studio, go watch a Styx concert, they still play everything in the original key, and the harmonies are freaking spine chilling.
Some day people will be remembering the thrill of driving cars without auto-control.
Robert Cross I love your profile pic! Sluggo!! 👏👏
Hahaha.....True
I do it everyday.I don't even want a Modern car.
Amy Lee ... You are an amazing singer.
@@JW...-oj5iw Say What?? you got the wrong Amy Lee
Always respected REO. Excellent songwriting, great lead and talented musicians.
Thank you so much for explaining this and making us all more aware of autotune everywhere. I still prefer live recordings of my favorite 70s group even when they were losing their voices. Live, without autotune, has so much more emotion and heart! You hit the nail on the head....it's all about the emotional connection!! Thank you!
Spot on ! Thank you !! Fil, you should have been born in 1950. You would have feasted as a young man in the 60s and 70s. There were no home computers or video games in those days. For me and my friends it was all about how good are your speakers, amp, turntable, cartridge, reel-to-reel, and record collection. Then it was “Who did you go and see last weekend.” The arguments were about solid state vs tube, who makes the superior record cleaning system, and what kind of gloves should you wear when handling records. You would have fit right in.
Was a big fan of REO back in the 70's. Really loved their live album. There were so many, many great rock bands during the 70's👍😎🤘
Until they turned too bubble gum (for me)
You get what you play for is amzing!
The 60's 2!
@@paulablissett9396 absolutely 👍
@@stargazer1460 YAAAAASSSSS!
REO Speedwagon are such a great band! They don’t need auto tune. The music industry today and its hierarchy should leave bands alone and let them perform naturally....that’s the best part of seeing a band live! Great analysis Fil! Cheers Mario!😎🤘🤘
Great rant, Fil! Love REO and can’t wait for the real thing❣️
Outstanding heartfelt argument against use of autotuning, etc, and as advocacy for support of independent artists today.
Hi Fil! REO Speedwagen was played a lot in my house when my daughter was in high school! I loved them too! Music was played constantly in my house, and perhaps that is why my daughter got her degree as a music therapist! Indianapolis held lots of concerts, and I made sure she got to go!
This is why I love this guy so much: he has passion. At 12:30-12:45 Fil is spot-on, bingo, bulls-eye, and any other superlative you can think of. Thank you!
As a singer in a band for (too many) years, I’m definitely losing my ability to hit some notes. When I perform, and half the reason I still perform, is that challenge a singer has - to be able to connect with the crowd. And honestly, sometimes I have to improvise, and really push beyond by limits. It can be very satisfying and sometimes very ugly. However, I (like you Fil) feel like auto tune would be sacrilege. Great subject Fil. You’re the best bro!! 🇺🇸
Wow, Fil, you are so right about every single thing you said here, especially about auto tune! Thank you!
Thanks Fil, I'm no professional, but I love great music. Interesting to hear your take on the auto tune aspect. I don't like music that is over produced. It needs to sound like it would live.
U listen to many songs from the 60's 70's and even the 80's and I find myself with tears running down my cheeks! I no longer find this happening anymore! I'm 68 and I love your channel 💕
"Golden Country" is as relevant today as it was 40 some odd years ago. And it Rocks!...
First song that I ever heard by REO in 1972 on FM radio. I love the video that was released of Golden Country with the Trade Towers and Iraq War.
Well put Fil.
If Autotune hadn't been invented we would have never heard the names of more than half the
"Artists" we have today. That's probably why I love to play acoustic guitar so much it's as honest as it gets.
REO No doubt Absolute Professionals at what they do. I'm sure they've had a blast doin it.
"Take It on The Run" my personal favorite. Especially the Solo's. Thanks Fil great and honest job as usual. See you Tuesday.
." Live Eruption"
Yer The Ambassador To
The People Of Rock.
Melt our faces off !
ROCK 🤘
Love this guy's passion...
Thanks Fil for voicing how I also feel. The business insults true artists. I buy no "new" artists nowadays. I refuse to spend my money on fakers. Anyone with a soul should do the same. In the day I bought private collections and estate collections. I can safely say you probably can't name a recording artist or artists from the beginning of recorded music to this day that I do not have, EXCEPT for music made by new "artists" in the last 15 years. I buy 5 to 10 new cds monthly but only to fill in holes in the library. I'm not about to spend my money on crap artists that use artificial means to make "music". Period.
That came from 50 years of searching and collecting.
I have Wings of Pegasus - Persistence.
That's telling them Fil. (The auto tune commandos). I agree. I saw REO Speedwagon at the Tulsa Fairgrounds in 1987 and they really put on a good show. Kevin had a great voice live. Great analyses! 👍
Spinal Tap never employed auto-tune. They were real man!
Auto-tune cant go to 11!😳
Autotune is incompatible with dubly noise reduction.
@@garylaverty6607
Bahahaha!
@@garylaverty6607 , "Dubly" noise reduction? Is that a misspelling of Dolby or a Spinal Tap joke that I don't remember all these years later?
@@goodun2974 it's a Spinal Tap joke.
Their opening music sounds so clean. I feel REO is underappreciated.
ITA!!! I can't imagine how Johnny Cash's version of Hurt would sound like utter crap if it had been auto-tuned... his expression and feeling when he sings it absolutely guts me every time! The sanitized version would do nothing to move me.
Thank you, Fil for this. I had no idea that so much of this auto-tune was going on these days. There's a quote by audio engineer Ryan Shannahan on the Antares website where he says "“Auto-Tune is a tool I use on pretty much every vocal I engineer. I can’t remember the last time I worked on a record without it." I'm sure he's not alone and so I guess we can expect more and more perfectly pitched vocals in recorded music. I'm old school at 71 so I've been around a lot of both live and recorded music and I will say that this technology is part of the cultural trend in making everything perfect that wasn't perfect to begin with, which means the music industry is feeding crap to the public all in the name of revenues and profitability. Being aware of this now is key because I am not buying into this. I recorded some original music of mine with an engineer friend in a home studio and although my vocals are far from perfect the thought never occurred to us to ever want to alter what I had done. OK, we used Pro Tools to tweak a few blemishes in my guitar track but that was the extent of it. Thanks again Fil for this revelation.
Another great one Fil. Keep em coming.
I love REO Speedwagon. They are still touring and they are still wonderful. I have so many memories with this song. Rock on!! Thank you, Fil for bringing out the info on auto tune. You are amazing with the criticism as well as the praise. ❤️🌹❤️
There are a few songs that when I sing them, my voice cracks with emotion, sometimes I even cry. How does autotune deal with that? I prefer 'real' myself. Great rant by the way, I loved it. You are absolutely right that music needs to be felt, not just heard.
"I'm singing this note 'cause it fits in well..With the chords I'm playing...I can't pretend there's any meaning here....Or in the things I'm saying...But I'm in tune...Right in tune...I'm in tune...And I'm gonna tune.....Right in on you...Right in on you.....Right in on you." Getting In Tune, the Who.
Zenzi Cubik To those of us who have a lifelong love of music, those words have one meaning, somewhat ironic. To the bozos programming radio and producing pop music, those very same words have no ironic meaning whatsoever. They literally don’t know the meaning.
"Ridin' the Storm Out" back in 1973 was the first song I herd from REO Speedwagon and was hook. excellent "rant" on "auto-tune" and the music industry! I meant analysis "Chuckle" this is one of your best Fil.
WOW!!!! I've always enjoyed your comments and I like the positive way you do it but I REALLY appreciated your analysis of this video and your commentary on the industry. I love a lot of REO's stuff (and I did see them live with Chicago last year) and as you say, "THEY DON'T need this extra processing!!!! As a cover band gigging 50+ year old musician trying to do my best with my band to play this great music from the 70s-90s, it just makes me sick the way talented musicians use autotuning, backing tracks, click tracks whatever to make their "wall" of sound. Please industry, listen to Fil's voice. Let's get back to pure music (particularly vocals) from the heart and soul and not from software!
Hate auto-tune. I thought something was wrong with the vocals or the editing before Fil started talking about auto-tune. It sounded wrong.
Excellent rant, Fil. Another downside to auto-tune is that it's training a generation of music listeners to always expect mechanically perfect pitch. So they won't appreciate earlier music that wasn't auto-tuned.
I love REO Speedwagon! Never seen them live though! I was always at a Dream Theater or Van Halen show!! REO Speedwagon are amazing!
I grew up listening to the great bands of the 70s and you´re so so right about people feeling the music during that era and todays generation simply hearing it
...It's a technical and philosophical point, but one I've been saying...Look, people can bring up on the I- Phone the ORIGINAL song if they want..they don't want that..they want "LIVE"...a live version with all of it's errors, idiosyncrasies...It's important as it releases the creativity inherent in artists when they can be themselves...If I sing "Time After Time"...people want MY VERSION, not Cyndi Lauper's version because it's already on their phone !!! I've said my piece.
💖🤘
For years I've been saying I could go into a studio and they could make me sound good. Spot on Fil! They all sound alike now.
That whole album was incredible. "Roll with the Changes" is also a fantastic song. 😊
Thank you Fil for venting out and speaking the truth. Auto Tune is like taking a Van Gogh painting of flowers out of the museum in Amsterdam and having an artist repaint it an make the flowers perfect as a photograph and put that version on display.
Quick story about REO, a friend of mine came back from Indiana University in the early 70s and was raving about this great band REO Speedwagon. Little did we know this unknown band in 1972 would turn out to be a super group.
Thank you for your appreciation of the “real” music of my generation. I experienced so much great music in the 70s, I don’t even listen to today’s music. Sadly I don’t see it changing, time and technology move on and it’s all about $$$ now. You do a great job Fil, much appreciation. ❤️✌🏻🙏🏻
Listen to Exile On Main Street by The Stones. Recorded in Keith Richards basement. Raw, rough, Rolling Stones. Perfect.
YES and thank you, Fil, for being the one who finally has the guts to say it out loud. This is one of the most honest videos on TH-cam, and anyone who listens to music needs to watch this. You’re THE MAN, Fil! 🙌🏻👏🏻❤️
Fil That is a perfect summation of the music today. I fell in love with music because of how it makes me feel and think. I never expected a perfect sound. And this an amazing song that got me through a tough breakup many years ago
Being from the 60's and 70's era in music, you are spot on Fil. My grandsons are very much into music, much from my era because I've shown them the greats and turned it up so they can "feel" what we did back then, to some degree. They realize that TALENT was needed to make back then, no computers, auto tune or anything else. Pure skill and talent!
Goddam beautiful song any man ever had his heart broken it’s for us
So refreshing to hear analysis from a true music lover! You're so right here. The industries are just mass producing "perfection" for profit (movies with CGI, music with auto-tune, photos with photoshop, etc.). The creativitiy and authenticity is lost in those processes. I don't have a problem with using those processes, but within reason and not live.
I heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend, who heard it from another that this was going to be about Auto-Tune. Just had to do it take off on a lyric there. Fil thanks you. Flagging good idea.
One of my favorite bands. I have photographed them so many times. They are right up there with STYX as being one of the best live band performances.
I have been a fan of REO since the 70s. I finally got to see them last year. Unfortunately the acoustics of the venue were horrible. I couldn't understand any of the talking. And it usually took a bit to figure out what song they were playing. They were halfway through Back On The Road Again before I figured out that was what they were playing. And that is one of my favorites.
I immediately went to TH-cam and watched this entire performance and watched the whole performance. You are right. I didn't notice the auto-tune. I did notice it right away. I just wasn't feeling moved and it sounded sanitized. As the performance went on it became glaring. I watched another much earlier performance and loved it. What a world of difference. I also went back and watched some live performances of Bobby Hatfield and Bill Medley, (The Righteous Brothers) just to guys harmonizing and singing full out was amazing. No auto-tune there. Thank you Fil for shining a light on this. Maybe in the future analyze The vocal talents of The Righteous Brothers.
I'm not sure about all these complaints about auto tunes: I like listening to the radio in my car! :)
You, of course, are bang on about the problems with the use of auto-tune in comparison with the days before when actual musical talent made a band successful.
Even when you're miffed, you are still a gentleman. Thanks Fil. You are top shelf!
REO was one of those bands that came around every year during the 70's and into the 80's in the midwest. They had so many recognizable songs. I think we took them a little for granted back then. They've been "Riding the Storm Out" for a long time.
agree totally - they were always a part of the Midwest summer concert festival scene AND yes, we did take them for granted (coz we were dazed and confused haha)
I'm so glad that you explained this. I immediately heard the difference but assumed it was because he's getting older and just sounds different.
Brother I could not have said it better myself Kevin has such a beautiful voice the bands need control of the final product so people cannot mess with their music like that your right everything is about money these days art goes by the way side over greed on a positive note I love this video the twelve string sounds awesome Kevin glides around the stage playing that incredible intro and I love so many of their songs but this one holds a special place in my heart Thank You for your passion Fil :-)
AMEN!!!!!!! Just watch Keep on Rolling from the midnight special. One of the greatest live bands ever. You said what I have felt for years. You are my new favorite Fil
I loathe Auto Tune. Perfection is the enemy of great.
I would say more that perfection is the enemy of individuality..
I LOVE IT!! Fil... THANK YOU 👍 I knew you would eventually say this because you LOVE music and you are genuine 👍
Why was that good? Felt good. It made me feel good, excited, or relaxed. Mid-late 70's
I'm glad I'm old enough to remember live bands, original voices and lots of 15 min jams!
EXCELLENT JOB FIL ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT
Thanks!
I have learned more about music in three months, by watching your reaction videos, than I previously knew in my fifty six years of living! What an outstanding, heartfelt, beautifully articulated response to soul killing auto tune! Thank you, Fil, for your support of REAL music and the integrity that must go with it! Great as usual-you keep up the stellar work! Treff
Ive seen some other recent videos of Kevin Cronin, don’t be so sure he doesn’t need auto tune.
Hi Fil! All I can say about this video are two things; "Amen" and "Thank You!" What I like most about your videos is that even though you are analyzing something, you are always smiling, you are fair to the artist(s), and even if you critique a bit, you manage to do so politely and intelligently, and yes, that can be done! I have actually played this video for a friend who tends to argue with me over performances in the present day over how they sounded back in the day. Auto-tune is the issue. Spot on to say that Kevin Cronin or any singer of his day likely does not need it. This need for polish and perfection, I believe, started in the 1980s and has escalated since. It is the main reason why most singers presently sound exactly the same to me. It eliminates the need for someone to be "that good." Why do they need to be good? Vocals can be fixed in the studio, yes, but then it misrepresents what reality is to the listener. When my ears hear some enhancements going on, it sticks out right away to me. It just sounds too perfect, a bit "inhuman" sounding and just "off" in my humble opinion. It is probably true that most people cannot hear it. I can sing, read music and am a big music buff, so maybe that's why I hear it. Just like people are in the business now for the wrong reasons and they aren't prepared for the business because of the Willy Wonka "Golden Ticket" message that entering the music business has had attached to it for some time, the sound that appeals or doesn't appeal to people today has changed. Attention spans are also shorter as far as fans are concerned. Of course they will be in a generation that can Google something in a nanosecond. People don't seem to care how music makes you feel. It's stiff and wooden. I'm as insulted as you are by what I am seeing and hearing. I am not sure what will pull things back to authenticity again. I hope more people listen to what you have to say in this video. It speaks volumes!
Thanks for the kind words!
I shudder to think if anyone uses autotune on Paul Rodgers vocals. Don't mess with the greats!
I wish I could give this one several thumbs up.
REO Speedwagon is from my hometown and, of course, one of my favorites. Finding this video pleases me...just yesterday, I realized I haven't listened to REO for much too long and was intending to crank it up today, anyway. I've only gotten to see them live once...bummer.
Very cool. I wish you would've picked one with the late great Gary Richrath
Wow! Fascinating discussion on Auto Tune. I really learned a lot. I think I know what you mean about how Auto Tune kind of gives everyone the same "stock" timbre to their vocal sound. I really admire and appreciate your dedication to music, Fil. Your integrity is refreshing , man .