Re-David Crosby

If you have the vinyl of "if I could only remember my name" , open the double gate fold and there to my amazement, is a photo of me. Also a photo I took of Elliot with a bag of pot on a Chicago street corner with four cops.

I miss the f..k.

Ron Stone

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I did not know David Crosby well. I spent some time with him on the Neil Young Tour of 1973, and then not much beyond the occasional hello at some event or other. I had heard all about his excesses and bad behavior, and I remember being somewhat shocked to hear one of his last three or four albums, expecting to hear some croaking ex-druggie trying to sing and instead hearing some really fine vocal work. But one of his earliest works still stands out as a classic, and that's "Everybody's Been Burned," from the Byrds album "Younger Than Yesterday." His voice is haunting, smooth, mellow, in sharp contrast what was hip at the time. It's still one of my favorites from that era, and it still sounds great. I've been listening to it today, more than a little sad, but very glad we have David's music.

Best,
John Boylan

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You captured the essence of David Crosby as far as I knew him. 
I worked with him producing videos and concerts for CSN and his collaborations with Phil Collins and yes, he could be difficult, but not always, not even most times. 

His music, his art, transcended his human faults. The combination of him, Stills and Nash was a unique coalescence of talent.  They changed the course of rock forever, spawned many imitators, and delivered many rock classics. 

Crosby's solo work has received mixed reviews but I place his first solo album (If Only I Could Remember My Name)  high on my list of favorite albums.  

It's sad to know there will never again be a CSN or even a CSNY, but wow! What we are left with is f..king awesome and will be rock classics forever. RIP David Crosby.

Paul Flattery

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Bob : MEXICO never knew about crosby on that . Song and track brought me back to life so many times. Stay bright , o

Andrew Loog Oldham

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Thank you Bob for writing this. It reached me deeply. Written thoughtfully, strong, and to-the-point, just like my one experience with Crosby: recording demo vocals with him in a small NYC studio in the 90's.

-Dan Gellert

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Got to interview David Crosby a few times at KFOG. Check out the intro to this where he leaves a VM apologizing for missing an earlier appointment: https://www.patreon.com/posts/20490484?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

Greg McQuaid

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Tom Jones & Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
 
https://youtu.be/dIDzA0YDso8
 
This is the craziest pairing I've seen in a long time, but jeez it works way better than on paper!
 
Best,
 
Michael McCarty

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I'm a mid-40s child of boomers.

My mother, who had perfect pitch and loved singing harmony with her sisters, took me aside one day, when she felt I was old enough, to tell me this important thing -- like it was a serious family secret or something: 

"The most beautiful voices now belong to Mama Cass, Art Garfunkel, and David Crosby. Don't let anybody tell you any differently."

I miss her so much.

Jennifer Carney

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Recently I've been playing a number of David Crosby songs. Are you familiar with the live version of "Wooden Ships" with Jason Isbell? There are some great guitar breaks. 

https://spoti.fi/3JeeyJs

Nick Nichols

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Bob, All our music heroes are dying!  I still remember distinctly hearing Mr. Tambourine Man for the first time and seeing The Byrds on the Mike Douglas show and Ed Sullivan. CS&N and Deja Vu were probably two of my most played albums of all time and ingrained in my brain. I'd ride around in my red VW bug with the eight tracks blasting away and singing along with the music. About ten years ago I was in Los Olivos having lunch and David was eating in the back of the restaurant.  I was just too nervous to say hello and tell him how much his music has nourished me.  I didn't want to disturb him. 

His music and the bands he formed are part of my DNA. I  listened to "If I could only remember my name "after I read the news of his passing. 
I thought his last solo album was one of his strongest in a long time.
He will be missed.

Alan Oreman

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I spoke with him on occasion on Twitter, usually about how much we both loved Stephen Stills' music.  He could be cantankerous on Twitter but he also relentlessly promoted other artists' music that he loved.  RIP Croz.

Steven Monk

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Subject: The Byrds-Session fighting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsVs9-W0eSQ

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Thank you so much for this tribute to David Crosby. He is one of my forever heroes.

As you point out again and again, the Croz was difficult, pulled no punches and did not suffer fools gladly. There's a saying or a notion that you should never meet your heroes only because they'll disappoint you. Thankfully, I never met Croz. The closest I came was living vicariously through a friend who knew Croz in passing and had made it onto his joke of the day e-mail list. She used to share it with me. Then a falling out occured as quickly as it all started. I felt honored for a brief moment to be on the periphery of the circle then 'poof' and it was over. I first saw David Crosby as part of CSN&Y at Wembley Stadium in 1974. I was already a big fan and despite all of the stories about the drug and ego fueled state of the band on the '74 tour, Wembley was a magical night; and a testament to Croz's uniqueness and the band's power.

And here we are today. As you so rightly say, the new solo work over the past eight years has been nothing short of remarkable. What a loss.

Andy Jones

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"Crosby was an untouchable god."

That's all that really needs to be said.  I enjoyed reading the piece, nonetheless. Thank you.

Bill Nelson

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Hey Bob, I enjoyed hearing and seeing Crosby and Nash perform with David Gilmour on "On an Island."

Best,

Marc Andrews

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I never know where to go when someone like David Crosby, someone who meant so much to do many people, passes. It's moments like that that I long for 3 TV stations doing news people watched so that people could gather, listen and discuss.

There is a void there that you have filled Bob!

Thank you

Mark Burrell

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You remind us that the greats made their best music decades ago yet Crosby was one of the few that still gave you fresh goosebumps.. 
This track from his last album "Free" was hauntingly accurate when he says .." there's a sliver of air between the water and the ice... that's where I breathe .. where I live".... 
he knew he wouldn't live much longer but he shared this notion of what it feels like to be almost done... he was a brilliant singer-songwriter till the End. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WwF7IzH-Q60

Another rough January for our music era. 
Marty Simon

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Thanks for this great ode to the one and only Croz.  I just want to add that in his last decade, David's new friendship and collaborations with Snarky Puppy founder/leader Michael League was an important driving force in his late recording renaissance.  League produced three of Croz' last four albums, and Crosby appeared with Snarky Puppy numerous times.  One of those was at Carnegie Hall in January, 2018, a 1960's protest music concert I produced starring Snarky Puppy with guests David Crosby, Chris Thile, Laura Mvule, and Fatoumata Diawara,  It was an amazing thrill and privilege to work with Croz, as brilliant soulful and snarky as there ever has been.  

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/david-crosby-and-friends-revive-protest-classics-for-the-trump-era-at-nyc-show-205822/

And it's a fair wind
Blowin' warm out of the south over my shoulder
Guess I'll set a course and go

Danny Kapilian

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Enjoyed your honest tribute to Croz. 

Crazy to think the first time CSN ever performed Suite Judy Blue Eyes live (or ever as a trio) was before the Woodstock audience. Despite their respective big band experiences prior, CSN were visibly terrified at sharing their newest musical gift with the massive seminal crowd and admitted such onstage. 

Does anything like that ever happen anymore? Will popular music ever be so pure as it was then and there? Will there ever be an egotistical yet undeniably honest talent such as Croz? 

Dylan Muhlberg

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Great tribute. It's a testimony to Crosby's greatness that all those lyrics you quoted are seared into my memory.
 
One minor comment on Suite Judy Blue Eyes.that song (and the Doors Light My Fire) that turned me on to FM stations (WBCN) because the AM stations only played the short versions of those songs.

All the best.
Lyndon Virkler

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Thanks for another great one, Bob. 

Two of your lines stood out for me.... resonated in a personal way:
"Suite; Judy Blue Eyes...you heard it once....I tingle even thinking about it." Me too....to the point that I have absolute recall of the moment and circumstances when I first heard those mellifuous sounds coming from my car radio....probably in July '69. I actually recall the intersection I was traveling through at that moment...that's how powerfully I was struck. A month or so later it was my good fortune to witness the source of that magic in person...at Woodstock. Fast forward 50 years to May 2019 when I last saw David & Friends on their Sky Trails Tour. Pretty good run!
"Sure, he lost a decade or more, but so did I......" Me too. While my circumstances were not nearly as dramatic or devastating as David's, the waste of so much precious time is similar.  What we (all three) seem to have in common is that we each survived what might easily have been a terminal condition, and somehow emerged with new energy and a revived commitment to leading a productive life.     

Thanks for all you do.

Jim Dwyer

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I remember showing up at many of their shows with Ahmet who signed the group from David Geffen to Atlantic. Their vocals together were the best and they wrote amazing songs. I Was heard of promotion in those days and worked all there hits. And also they were all very nice guys. Very  sad.  Jerry Greenberg 

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Nailed it. Pitch perfect.

The way he sings about his mother in "Carry Me" gets me every time.

Scott Kauffman

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The anti-hero is always more fun. Really great piece Bob. You missed CPR and how great that story was and the wonderful music they created.

Their first album ended with "Time is the Final Currency" and that sure hits home this week.

Thanks.

Jay Janszen

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From David Crosby's song "Page 43"

Life is fine
Even with the ups and downs
And you should have a sip of it
Else you'll find
It's passed you by

Marty Bender

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Everything you said. 

Also worth noting:  Crosby produced Joni Mitchell's 1968 debut LP "Song to a Seagull." Stripped down and quite different from Joni's later quintessential albums, it has a dark mystique that brings to mind a one-woman Led Zeppelin. Of course, Page and Co were still a year away from their own debut as a heavy blues rock band. It's hard not to imagine that the folkier side of Led Zep may have been at least partially inspired by Joni, with the help of David Crosby's production.

Also, it may seem an odd comparison, but listen to any 70s Yes album and those vocal harmonies are clearly inspired by David with CSN & CSNY. 

After losing Jeff Beck 2023 is feeling like 2016 as far as these things go (make it stop, please). 

Thanks for the fine tribute Bob. 

 Peaceful Journey, Croz 

Alex Skolnick,
Brooklyn 

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Re: David Crosby and recovery

I had been sober a few years when that first CPR album came out. Always on the lookout for great recovery music, I took to it immediately.

I have no idea what Messrs. Crosby, Pevar and Raymond's intentions might have been when they made the album (so of course i projected my own meaning onto the songs, thank you very much)  but I think one would be hard-pressed to find a collection of songs that explore the thoughts and feelings associated with recovery - responsibility, the power of love, the passage of time, being present for your life, etc. - any better or more honestly than the ones on the first CPR record. A brilliant and powerful work from start to finish. 

Over the years I have given away dozens of copies of that album to people struggling in early sobriety. It's like someone took all the personal stories from the back of the Big Book and set them to music. 

Suffice it to say the album made quite an impression on me - so much of an impression that I decided I just had to let him know. I emailed Graham Nash, told my tale and asked him to pass it on to Mr. Crosby - if he thought it was appropriate. A couple of days later I recieved a response from David Crosby thanking me and saying that my feedback meant a great deal to him. 

In the final analysis, I hope people remember that David Crosby lifted a lot of people up with his music, and that his story was an inspiration to those of us who spent time considerable time fumbling around in the darkness looking for the light.

Vince Welsh

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Good post on David Crosby.  I agree and respect that he always kept pushing the envelope and creating.  You did not mention the CPR days that I think produced some great music in the late 90's and early 00's and continued in different forms almost to now.  I saw the group in the basement of a Maine ski area in 1998 or 9.   I have since seen them in various forms many times.  It was a great band whose live shows sounded better than their CD's.   That show on a cold March night rekindled my interest in David and and in searching out new music of all types.  I owe him for that.

Ralph Nodine

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This was a nice piece. I still will never appreciate him enough but you made me reconsider. Which is nice. 
Michael Becker

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Thanks for this Bob - really wonderful. He was a giant who mostly lived less out front but in the middle harmony - even his songs were those wonderful "middle" tracks - but as you say, we wouldn't have the whole without all the parts - and he was a major (complicated) part. Glad he was there to be part of making it all happen. Major part of the soundtrack of my life. RIP

Peter van Roden

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While well-done, I feel your post overlooks the most distinguishing talent of David Crosby which can be summarized in one word: harmonics. 

It's what set him apart from his peers and added a unique contribution to his and the music of others while also inspiring many of us to uncover new creative possibilities with our voices and instruments. 

Gary Goff 

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I greatly enjoyed reading this, even though I disagree 100% on your review of 
If I Could Only Remember My Name 
It's  still to this day one of my all-time favorite records. 
56 Years of Changing the way we hear harmonies forever
and a quintessential Songwriter

Long May His Spirit Fly
Morley Bartnof

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Thank you….this is the deep dive i needed this cold / grey morning in chicago. The brilliance of CSNY and David Crosby's contributions, is not lost in any way as these songs / voices / harmonies will resonate for us all as the song goes a  "long long time". 

Joe Shanahan / Metro 

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Saw him live at our little theatre out here in Eastern Long Island a number of years ago. Maybe 3 or 4. 
Didn't know what to expect. Dreading the worst, I hate to say. Boy, was I wrong. He was terrific. Band was tight. But his new songs were so good. Just great. I am so glad I saw him. One of the best shows I had seen in a long time.
Jan Burden
Westhampton Beach 

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This is a wonderful memorial to a complicated artist. Thank you.

One of the reasons David's later recordings are so worthwhile, I think, were his collaborations with younger musicians who lent fresh energy to his music. From his son James Raymond and Jeff Pevar in CPR, to Michael League of Snarky Puppy, and singer-songwriters Becca Stevens and Michelle Willis—they all made important contributions to what is a beautiful body of late life work. Croz was always acknowledging them in his Twitter feeds.

Thanks again,
Chuck Mitchell 

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Have you heard this version of Wooden Ships with Croz fronting Steely Dan?

https://youtu.be/BoebEunmPZ8

Don Bartenstein

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Memories of soaring to the magic of that first CSN LP, goosebumps, and tears this morning, Bob. You captured the Croz and effect to a tee.

Cameron Dilley
WMNF, Tampa

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Unknown to me at the time, I saw CSNY at the last concert they all played together on October 27th, 2013 for the Bridge School Benefit at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View California. They were the headliner and played the hits including my favorite as you pointed out Suite: Judy Blue Eyes. They didn't miss a beat with the harmonies and hearing it live again after may years still brought chills down my spine. David was the foundation of those harmonies and that unique sound they all produced together will be missed.

Doug Hart

Set List from the Bridge School Benefit 

Just a Song Before I Go
Human Highway
Don't Want Lies
Singer Without a Song
What Are Their Names
Déjà Vu
Long May You Run
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Teach Your Children

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Another great one, Bob. And thanks for including the true gem "I Won't Stay For Long." You're right. Some days we all wanted to be Crosby. Some days we couldn't imagine wanting to put his shoes on. From where I am standing, there are no days that the loss of David Crosby won't be a profound one.

Paige Mann

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This past year, I kept railing and railing at my friends to hear Crosby's newest album. Maybe you told us about it. Some of the best work of any of them. 

Steve Schalchlin

Note: "I Won't Stay for Long": https://bit.ly/3XHPHSk

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Many thanks for your thoughts on David Crosby. I agreed with 90% of your comments , however, in my view "If I Could Only Remember My Name" is a stone-cold classic . I bought it when it was first released and have treasured it ever since. It has an atmosphere all of its own and captures the essence of West Coast music by combining the sounds of both Los Angeles and San Francisco. It's a remarkable achievement considering the state of Crosby's mind following the death of Christine Hinton, the love of his life.  

Being English, the foremost band of my youth was The Beatles , followed by The Byrds , who I continue to revere.

I totally agree with you that Crosby never gave up . He continued to make new and exciting music right up to his death . In an astonishingly creative period between 2016 and 2021 he released no fewer than 4 superb albums of new material , "Lighthouse", "Sky Trails" , "Here If You Listen" and "For Free" . I was lucky enough to see the "Sky Trails" tour in Manchester and he and his youthful band put on an incredible show. Not bad for a man in his late 70's and in poor health. 
I found the film "Remember My Name" extremely poignant . He accepted who he was and what he had gone through and was ready to face his end . 

David Crosby we will remember your name as an outstanding musician who has provided the soundtrack to our lives  , from the early 1960's right up to the 2020's.  

Peter Cowley

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And this

https://open.spotify.com/track/53Mz3G03TnjabAqlD0SMOa?si=P_szL5nLTo2C7VD87xtHMg&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7hx6WRusv9B2Mtdq1Cm3Nk

Kaljot

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Thanks for your beautiful and dead-on testament to a one-of-a-kind artist. David will be sorely missed but we'll keep playing his music. 

Harold Love

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What a beautiful tribute to David Crosby - you hit all the right marks and left out the sordid details that have marred so many others. As I kid, he was THE hippie icon - the face of that generation, the one I gravitated to, because he looked like the most representative member of the audience. And after decades of wallowing in drugs and mediocracy, he reconnected with his lost son, found he muse again and, as you said, brought out some of the most accomplished music of his life. Plus his voice was still in full bloom - what other artist in their senior years possessed that ability? And he went out like he came in - a guy who still looked and spoke just like his hippie audience. 

Iain Taylor

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Thanks for the guided Crosby tour through your eyes!  It always shines a light on stuff we may have missed… 
So we get to swing back for yet another  "Damn! How did I miss THAT!"

I remember sitting a few feet from the stage at Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, CO. in 2000 with another instructor, not knowing what we'd hear. 
(The song school was a week before & some of us stayed on for the fest- we got to be in the fancy pants seats)

CPR took the stage… David Crosby & Jeff Pevar on guitar, David's son James Raymond on keyboard… 
Ok- convince me… 

The sound started building, those notes & lyrics that have you on the edge of your seat, waiting for each next one to land. Sweet!

Next…  harmonies full & weaving kicked in.. the kind that David was always known for, wrapping you & swirling you back, licking all of your bones.
It kicked up to WOW!!!

I remember a sort of acoustic musical start. Nothing I wouldn't expect. Still loving it.

THEN BOOM! 

The arrangements... were freaking brilliant! It wasn't like any folk/acoustic flow anyone would expect.
There were 3 instruments & voices on stage… but it sounded like 3 times that.

There were slaying counterpoint kind of stops & starts & bobs & weaves. My eyeballs kept getting bigger. I literally had chills.

Anyone who knew anything about music composition knew what they were doing wasn't a simple walk in the park.
It was folk meets jazz meets funk, meets WTF!

The other instructor & I kept shaking our heads, looking back & forth "Did you hear that??!"  "Did you hear THAT!~"

Damn it was BRILLIANT! 

I love that David went where the music led him through every turn.

I love that he didn't hold back.

& damn am I glad so many of us "got" the intricacies of what they were doing…

& witnessed that night of beyond freaking AMAZINGNESS...

Annie Wenz

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Oh man. Having absorbed too many recent losses, I was driving on my way to the post office, shaken up a bit but 'holding it together,' when the DJ on Sirius Classic Vinyl started crying, unable to continue his appreciation of David Crosby. There's no crying on radio, dammit!
I have many friends who have far more to say about their experiences with Croz, professionally. My encounters with him were warm and easy. We were with him on a stunning trip to the South China Seas in 2016. After a bunch of those 'hey, man' nods and mutual grins on this 10-day sea voyage, which was packed with great music & practitioners, playing together in endless permutations, we were at a lunch stop at a bizarre resort hotel sorta place in extremely hot Borneo. Where we'd been looking for rare proboscis monkeys hiding by a river. (Long story, that)
In that most obscure of environments, David, who'd mostly been huddling with wife Jan, son Django and a few others on the trip, walked over to Julie and me and let us know he'd like to know about us and what we were up to. Friendly as can be, he initiated the engagement and set the stage for vibing with him on the rest of the trip. And when I saw him next, at a wonderful Tribe show in 2019, we reminisced on our previous adventure, which he'd loved.
Musically, he always played an essential, yet subtle part in every band he was in. He was the 'middle' guy. With the lower and upper harmony parts usually pretty obvious in any situation, he was a master at finding the middle, buzzy, unpredictable, harmonically stretching element that changed vocal harmonies from predictable to thrilling. Not the obvious parallel movement. He did it in the Byrds, CSN & sometimes Y and elsewhere. In his beautiful recent recordings with my pal Michael League & others. In his harmonies with James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and David Gilmour.

Fuzzbee Morse

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Hey Bob,

This past Wednesday, January 18 REO played the iconic San Jose Civic, and before the show my friend and longtime promoter Alex Hodges took me on a little tour of the venue's history. We passed photos of Eric Clapton, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, but when we got to the photo of Crosby, Stills and Nash, on the stage where I would be standing that night, I couldn't help but stop and share my love of that band, and those three legendary musicians. On the following day, Thursday January 19, I would be heartbroken by the news that David Crosby had passed away.

It would be a stretch to call David a friend, but he was my neighbor, and the interactions David and I shared were always friendly and inspirational. By the time I met him, Crosby's wilder days were behind him, he had moved in with the love of his life Jan Dance, and his main vice was herbal tea! I was working on a song with Stephen Stills, a response to the bombing of Iraq in 1991, and my plan was to get the song recorded and on the radio as soon as possible. It seemed like a job for CSN, so I left a note in David's mailbox. 
 
I recognized his voice when he called back that afternoon and invited me over.  David was so joyful, having rediscovered his love of music, and was into writing songs with Phil Collins via Fax machine …very high tech for the early Nineties! Jan brewed the tea, and David handed me one of his beautiful acoustic guitars. I will never forget how David Crosby sat, cross legged, eyes closed, swaying gently to the rhythm as I played my song, "Hard to Believe". When I strummed the last chord, he was still, in a trance-like state. He felt music with every ounce of his being; he really listened. I don't know anyone who loved music like David Crosby. Then his eyes flashed open, and his face broke out in a big grin. "I'm in", he said, "Let me know when and where."

The recording session was booked for later that week, and in the meantime, unbeknownst to me David had skidded out his Harley on the treacherous S-curve just up our street. My friends Richard Marx, Bill Champlin, and I were at the studio sorting through the various sections of the song, thinking about who would sing what lines, when the doorbell rang. Through the peephole I recognized the unmistakable twinkle in the eyes of the great David Crosby. But when I opened the door, my mind was blown. David stood on crutches, bruised and battered from the motorcycle accident, yet ready and willing to add his distinctive tenor to our record.
 
I had loved David Crosby as a singer, songwriter, musician, and artist since I was a teenager. But now, having gotten to know him personally, I also love him as a man. David led a challenging life, and obviously made his share of questionable choices …haven't we all? But he showed his true colors during the "Hard to Believe" project. Richard Marx and I agree that that recording session was one of the most rewarding and inspirational musical experiences of our lives.
 
I am so sad in the wake of David's passing. I had always held out hope that our paths would cross again, or for the elusive CSN reunion. But I will always remember that twinkle in David's eyes and how he had my back when I needed him. REO worked up an impromptu version of "Almost Cut My Hair" for our concerts this weekend, and I channeled David as I sang the song live last night, and will do it again tonight at the Pearl in Las Vegas. It helped me to remember that David's music will live on forever. My condolences go out to his sweet wife Jan, his children, and his band mates Stephen, Graham, and Neil… much love and sadness, kc

Kevin Cronin

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The impact of David Crosby on me as a musician is as fundamental as anything I've been exposed to, ever, full stop. Because I'm Latino and bilingual, was classically trained on symphonic and choral music, was raised on American Top 40, and came of age in the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s, my influences are broad. 

I loved it all, from Vicente Fernandez to Aaron Copland to Dylan to Ray Charles to Laura Nyro to Miles Davis to Brian Eno to Nana Mouskouri and a myriad of points in between. I was in high school when The Byrds took flight, and I started college and began playing and writing in the immediate glow of the first CSN album, so it was Croz who caught my eye and ear. 

Sure, Jim/Roger was the Byrds' leader, his 12-string the trademark sound, and Gene was the best writer by far, but David's wild-ass high harmonies made the Byrds the Byrds, distinguished them from everyone else, even the Beatles. High school kid that I was, I mainlined Turn Turn Turn, then flipped it over and inhaled She Don't Care About Time, which didn't even appear on an album until an import best-of in the 1970s. It was the set opener in the earliest Lowen & Navarro shows.  The Byrds sang mostly two-part, not three part. Gene and Roger usually sang unisons (?!?), and Croz's vocals were so...magical and unique...that the harmony sounded fuller than it actually was. 

Where I lived in 1967-69, we weren't hip to any inside dope or rock gossip. So I had no idea of the drama his firing from the Byrds or the implosion of Buffalo Springfield. But CSN rocked my world with the first note, just like everyone. And it was Croz who was the vocal glue in CSN, the guy who could take, essentially, a bluegrass/barber shop vocal blend and make it utterly transcendent. He made CSN CSN. Jeez, that's twice!

I hung on very note, every word, every nuance. And when If I Could Only Remember My Name came out, I was one of the ones who flat out loved it. Gobbled it and digested it. Especially Orleans, which is all-David at his best. For my young aspiring singer-dreamer's money, no better singer ever existed in pop music. Period.

I only got to work with him once, in a benefit at The Ace Hotel in July 2019, as one of the backing singers on Ohio and Long Time Gone. Bucketlist, man. And I was all ready to go the The Lobero in Santa Barbara next month, Feb 22, to see his return to the concert stage, with several of my closest friends manning the band -- Steve Postell, Chris Stills, Hutch Hutchinson. Then the clothesline shock of my phone blowing up with the news of his death. A nuclear dart to the heart.

This one hurts, cuts deep, and makes ever so clear that time is marching on. Our heroes are leaving us. And me too sometime. Time to appreciate more, listen more, acknowledge more, and to work harder than ever to do this silly job that he inspired me to do. That's how I grieve. Sh..chyeah.

Dan Navarro

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I briefly met David Crosby over 30 years ago when my friend Jeff Pevar began playing with David and Graham Nash, I believe it was backstage at Carnegie Hall. A few years later, David enlisted Jeff and his newly discovered, uber-talented son, keyboardist James Raymond, to create the band CPR. In 1998, I was able to facilitate a show at The Wheeler Opera House in Aspen Colorado with my band Little Blue opening for CPR and then joining them for some rousing encores, thus my first time onstage with one of my heroes.

Over the years, as I continued to collaborate with Jeff and James on different projects, David and I became more and more friendly. Eventually this led to some co-writing, playing on some of his records, and a few memorable shows. We always had a special rapport. Aside from a natural musical connection, David enjoyed teasing me, and I think he was equally pleased that I could give it right back to him. He had many nicknames for me; most recently he referred to me as "Pudding Head". I once asked him if I had to be as big an a..hole as he was in order to play on his record, he told me that was something I could never achieve.

About a year and a half ago I was visiting with him when he told me he was going to retire from performing, which he did indeed announce to the world. He said his hands were too f..ked up to play adequately anymore, and a surgery to try to fix it had been unsuccessful. In kind of a throwaway comment, I told him that if he ever decided he just wanted to sing, I could play his parts. I joked that if I could play Bach … I could certainly play Crosby. I thought nothing of it, but 6 months later, I guess he started feeling antsy, and he called to ask me if I would like to learn the parts, some of which he had been playing for 50 years, and see how it felt. I went up to his house, wrote down all the tunings, and filmed his hands as he did his best to play through the repertoire. Then I dug in, between my iPhone videos and many years documented on YouTube, I studied this music as carefully as when I actually did play Bach in my conservatory days.

About 4 weeks later I met with David and James, we played through 6 or 7 songs, and he said "yep, I thought you could do it, let's put a band together". With James on keyboards and musical directing the project as he had brilliantly for years with David, me being David's hands and singing the Nash parts, we added longtime Crosby, CPR and CSN drummer Stevie Distanislao, Hutch Hutchinson on bass (with Leland Sklar on call when Hutch is out with Bonnie), James Harrah alternating with Dean Parks on electric guitar, and in a brilliant move, Chris Stills singing and playing his dad Stephen Stills' parts. As luck would have it, I had been speaking to David Asbell, who runs the Lobero Theater in Santa Barbara, about helping him create an event to celebrate the theaters 150th anniversary on February 22nd. Now we had a band … and a gig!

On Wednesday, Jan 18th, after talking to Croz about among other things recording the show, I spent the day as I planned to spend almost every day in the next month, surrounded by guitars, playing and singing through the show. David had the idea of instead of ending the last encore with a raucous rocker, we should bring it down and play his intimate and beautiful ballad, "Anything At All". After playing through it once, I texted David to tell him I thought it was the perfect, poignant way to end the night. The last 2 lines are:

I've got time for one more question here
Before I fall, fall
Is there anything at all

11 minutes later, as I was playing through the song again, I got a text from James that the great Croz was gone.

I have lost family members, parents and friends. There is something particularly cutting and heartbreaking about losing Croz 4 weeks before we were going to share this new project with the world, a prospect that brought everyone a lot of joy, most notably Crosby himself, who seemed practically giddy with all of it, from having the opportunity to play music again, to figuring our what kind of bus to rent.

This music is indelibly etched in my hands, heart and mind, and through that I will carry the memory of one of the most magnificent, flawed and beautiful human beings I have ever known.

My heart goes out to Jan, Django and James, the rest of his family, as well as all who loved his massive contribution to the fabric of our world.

RIP Croz, I will love you always

Steve Postell aka Pudding Head


SET LIST - Lobero theater - Feb 22, 2023

1) Naked In The Rain
2) Long Time Gone
3) Homeward Through The Haze
4) Carry Me
5) Wooden Ships
6) Delta
7) Guinevere
8) Deja Vu
9) Carry On / Questions
—————————-
Encores:
Woodstock
Almost Cut My hair
Ohio
Anything At All


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Bonnie Raitt Originals Playlist

Spotify playlist: https://spoti.fi/3XPmd56
_________________

I AIN'T BLUE

Bonnie Raitt

Willie Murphy/Spider John Koerner

LOVE YOU LIKE A MAN

Bonnie Raitt

Chris Smither

TOO LONG AT THE FAIR

Bonnie Raitt

Joel Zoss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaAdtAw1jrg

LOVE HAS NO PRIDE

Bonnie Raitt

Libby Titus

CRY LIKE A RAINSTORM

Bonnie Raitt

Craig Fuller/Eric Kaz

I FEEL THE SAME

Bonnie Raitt

Chris Smither

THAT SONG ABOUT THE MIDWAY

Bonnie Raitt

Joni Mitchell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9R82TThjdw

WHAT IS SUCCESS

Bonnie Raitt

Allen Toussaint

FOOL YOURSELF

Bonnie Raitt

Little Feat

RUN LIKE A THIEF

Bonnie Raitt

J.D. Souther

I'M BLOWIN' AWAY

Bonnie Raitt

American Flyer

LOUISE

Bonnie Raitt

Paul Siebel

GAMBLIN' MAN

Bonnie Raitt

American Flyer


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Bonnie Raitt Originals-SiriusXM This Week

The original versions of the songs Bonnie Raitt covered.

Tune in tomorrow, Saturday January 21st, to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz 


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David Crosby

Spotify playlist: https://spoti.fi/3iUovBk
_______

"It's been a long time comin'
"It's goin' to be a long time gone"

1

David Crosby was a difficult man.

But he was brilliant. And the special sauce, the man whose magic could be hard to pin down, but without him in the room it didn't happen. And when he was...

Let's start with James Taylor's "Mexico." James was on a losing streak. He was losing his impact. After "Mud Slide Slim" the excellent "One Man Dog" was not well-received commercially and the follow-up, "Walking Man," produced by David Spinozza, was a dour disappointment. Not that James had lost his songwriting talent, it's just that certain something that endeared him to the public was gone.

And then came "Mexico."

Believe me, no one was waiting with bated breath for a new James Taylor album. The story of the summer was the domination of the Eagles' "One of These Nights" and the continued impact of Bob Dylan's revelatory "Blood on the Tracks," it was no longer 1970. And then out of car speakers was heard...

"Oh, Mexico
It sounds so simple I just got to go
The sun's so hot I forgot to go home..."

It was the background vocals that put "Mexico" over the top, the voices of David Crosby and Graham Nash. I need to mention Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker's production, they brought a sunniness back to James's sound, but when you heard those background vocals you smiled like you just bit into a candied apple and felt life was beautiful and you couldn't wait to live it.

Which is not the way it was for most of the sixties.

The sixties were all about growth, testing limits. The youth were quaking, and the establishment didn't like it. And what drove the youth was the music, it was the tribal drum, radio was far more important than television, music was not compromised, it embodied truth, and everybody listened.

First there was the British Invasion.

Next came folk rock. After that came the San Francisco sound.

And folk rock was ushered in by the Byrds, with "Mr. Tambourine Man." Sure, today everybody knows it was written by Bob Dylan, but this was before Bob broke through on Top Forty with "Like a Rolling Stone."

Yes, it was the jingle-jangle of the guitar. And Jim McGuinn dominated the vocals, but David Crosby was there too.

And back then music was scarce, not plentiful, you tuned in "Ed Sullivan" just to get a glimpse of your newfound heroes. And sure, Jim wore those granny glasses, but there was this slightly chubby guy with a Prince Valiant haircut holding his guitar high on his chest, the one who wore that velour overshirt that became all the rage.

That was David Crosby.

We didn't know who David Crosby was, we didn't know who ANYBODY was, other than the Beatles. All we really knew was what was on the album covers and what we occasionally saw on TV. But what we did know was everything, we wore the clothes of the stars, we wanted to be different, we wanted to stand out, we wanted to stand up for something.

So Gene Clark left the Byrds, and Crosby was kicked out.

This was before Eric Clapton formed and dissolved bands on a regular basis, we thought our groups were forever. And to a great degree we forgot Crosby, he didn't have a hit on the radio...

But neither did the Byrds, without Crosby they never had another hit single. Sure, they did "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" with Gram Parsons. And "(Untitled)," but that certain something that puts a track over the top, to the point where you had to hear it so much that you went out and bought it, was gone.

And then Crosby resurfaced with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

Stephen Stills was the guy who sang "For What It's Worth." And there were some hipsters who owned the Buffalo Springfield records, but that's about all most people knew about Stills, the hit. As for Graham Nash... The Hollies were seen as a lightweight pop group, and if you knew, and almost no one did, you thought Allan Clarke was the star. Believe me, when it was announced as "Crosby, Stills & Nash," most people went HUH? regarding Nash.

Which is all to say that the CSN debut was a complete surprise, a tour-de-force that no one was looking for, never mind expecting.

And it was all about "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes." You heard it once... I tingle even thinking about it. There was nothing quite like it. Acoustic-based, but with energy, long, with changes, meaning... You could listen to it again and again and again, you had to, you wanted in on this!
Sure, "Marrakesh Express" got some Top 40 airplay, but that was not the track, it was all about what was being played in people's houses. Yes, "Crosby, Stills & Nash" was not an immediate monster, that was " Déjà Vu." It took a while for the word to spread, half a year, a bit more. Most markets didn't even have an FM station, you went to a friend's house and they spun "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and your eyes bugged out. It was like J.C. had returned from the dead, embodied by these three angels.

But the amazing thing was it wasn't only "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes." You bought the album, you had to, and it took no time to get it, but the more you listened, the more you understood.

And the Stills songs contained a certain genius. Nash added a bit of lightness. And Crosby? David delivered the heaviness. It was a heavy era, completely different from today. You "rapped" with your friends about not only politics but emotions, personal development, it was all about conversation, who you were, more than money. We all had questions, and we were willing to raise them, but there were not a ton of bloviators boasting they had answers. All we had was these musicians, we pored over the words and the music looking for insight.

2

Don't forget, there were two sides, and they were different. I always preferred the second side, which began with "Wooden Ships."

"If you smile at me I will understand"

It started off quietly, then boasted searing electric guitars, and then got all quiet again. And Crosby wrote "Wooden Ships" with Stills and Paul Kantner, but it was definitely Crosby's song. There was a rich mellowness that Crosby specialized in. That only he could deliver. They say it was the honey in his voice, however you want to describe it the truth is it was unique, you always knew it was him, and unlike so many of his contemporaries Crosby still had it, intact, when he died.

But my favorite song on side two is "Long Time Gone."

Talk about heavy.

You can't fully appreciate "Long Time Gone" on headphones. Because it's the bottom that pushes it over the top. An oozy substructure on the verge of distortion that touches your heart and soul, your body vibrates in concert.

And the groove. Just a bit slow. You couldn't listen, still can't listen, without nodding your upper body in time.

"Speak out, you got to speak out against the madness
You got to speak your mind if you dare"

Talk to a performer today, I do all the time, and the one thing almost no one wants to talk about is politics, they don't want to take a stand, they're fearful of alienating a potential audience member, their pocketbook. But that was not the ethos of the sixties, and David Crosby was a representative of that era and never lost its essence. He continued to speak his truth, which was always considered and reasoned, sometimes uninformed, but he was willing to mix it up, get the issues in play, and you can't come to conclusions, can't get to the truth unless you lay it all out and argue about it.

3

"Déjà Vu" was a disappointment. Nothing could live up to the expectations. Not that that hurt sales. In my mind, adding Neil Young changed the chemistry. It wasn't the same band. Neil's songs didn't fit in.

Now that I've offended Young fans, I'm going to stick to my guns.

The "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" was "Carry On," which was nearly as magical, nothing could equal "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and nothing has to this day, by either these guys or anybody else. But the sheer elation of "Carry On"...you listened to it and felt hope, possibility. And the magical blending of the voices...

And David's impact on "Déjà Vu" was not as obvious. Of course, "Déjà Vu" contained "Almost Cut My Hair," but to tell you the truth, it seemed a bit obvious, a bit out of date, playing to those who hadn't gotten the message. It wasn't long after this, a matter of months, that I cut my own hair, because I didn't want to be associated with those who thought by growing their hair they were hip.

Not that "Almost Cut My Hair" is not a great track, it's got that "Long Time Gone" feel...slow, hypnotic, great guitarwork, great vocal.

And forgetting the title line, deeper in the song there is meaning and magic that had impact.

"Must be because I had a flu for Christmas
And I'm not feeling up to par
It increases my paranoia
Like looking at my mirror and seeing a police car"

Personal. Today people strive for the universal by being general, but the opposite is true, the more you testify as to your personal truth, the more your music resonates.

And the police are not your friend. Nor is the military. Necessary evils, but don't expect them to be there for you. The police don't even come, and if they do they do so late. I get uptight whenever I see a policeman or a cruiser. Too many of these guys are uneducated and aggressive. Yes, I'm a child of the sixties, Joni Mitchell, Crosby's discovery, sang about kissing a Sunset pig in "California" and she was not talking about the kind of swine that lives on a farm.

We were all paranoid, untrusting. As we should have been. As those in minority communities still are. That's what the L.A. riots taught us thirty years ago, everything the rappers were saying was true, and their music burgeoned because of this truth.

"But I'm not giving an inch to fear
'Cause I promised myself this year
I feel like I owe it to someone"

Standing up, not giving in. That's a sacrifice most people are unwilling to make. As for owing it to someone...that's us, the audience, Crosby was standing up for us!

4

You can rewrite history all you want, but "If I Could Only Remember My Name" was a disappointment then and still is. Oh, I bought it the day it came out. The opening cut, "Music Is Love," with everybody involved, is hypnotic and magical, especially when Neil starts to sing, but then...

"Tamalpais High (At About 3)" was supposedly about checking out the high school girls when they exited the building. Who knows, this was back when you couldn't check out rumors on Snopes. Furthermore, most people had no idea where or what Mt. Tamalpais was and still is.

"Laughing" is also hypnotic, but...

You see David Crosby was never supposed to be the leader, he was always supposed to be in a group, the guy calling b.s., adding the special sauce. When in total control, he didn't quite know where to go.

Believe me, if you were stoned, some of the cuts, like "Song With No Words (Tree With No Leaves)" would take you on a trip down a lazy, lolling river, or eight miles high.

But "If I Could Only Remember My Name" had to stand up against everybody else's work. "Stephen Stills," "After the Gold Rush," and the complete surprise, Graham Nash's "Songs for Beginners," and just wasn't in the same league.

But Crosby was smart enough to throw in with Nash and they immediately recaptured the magic with "Immigration Man." Sure, it's Graham's song, but Crosby is in there too. "Immigration Man" was a hit, whereas as good as "Songs for Beginners" was, it didn't break through on Top 40.

And then the duo switched to ABC, a second-rate record company, and the label might not have been able to deliver, but the opening cut on the act's first album for the label was so special, one couldn't even imagine it being cut, I mean humans can't produce this sound, can they?

"Carry me, carry me
Carry me above the world"

Play "Carry Me" for a youngster, they'll be stopped in their tracks, they've never heard anything like this before. It's like a Dead Sea Scroll, nobody makes music like this anymore. Authentic, from the heart, without airs, yet smooth and easy at the same time. "Carry Me" carried you away, above the world, released you, inspired you, what else can you ask for from music?

5

And when everyone had given up on the band reuniting, they did! Sans superstar Neil, but that meant there was no disruption in the magic, no thorn in the sound, it was what it once was, but the better part of a decade later. Sure, 1977's "CSN" was not as good as the first two albums, but it was in the same league.

The album opened with Crosby and Craig Doerge's "Shadow Captain" as opposed to a Stephen Stills extravaganza, but "Shadow Captain" was a journey on its own, it had the power of an opening cut, it inspired you when you dropped the needle, this was SERIOUS!

After that...

6

Well, there were more albums, even with Neil Young, none as good, the band lost credibility and stature. And the last time I saw them... It wasn't good. There was something missing, they were all there, but there was no magic. As for some of the voices...

But not long before that, in 2004, Crosby & Nash made an album that came out on the ill-fated Sanctuary label that opened with a cut...

It was a two-CD package in an era where the CD was in deep decline. As was terrestrial rock radio. I heard "Lay Me Down" a couple of times on XM, but...

I had a promo copy, but nobody I knew was even aware of this cut. A complete return to form without being nostalgia, "Lay Me Down" was exactly what it sounded like, aged rockers sans plastic surgery, owning their history, laying it down in the present.

And then Crosby commented on Young's wife to be and did something to Nash that is still unclear and not only did collaboration amongst the four end, the speaking relationship, other than with Stills, was gone too.

But at this strange point, completely down on his luck, Crosby soldiered forward. Decided to continue to make music, test limits, and the end result was GOOD!

This is astounding. Neil Young pulled out all the PR stops but his new album is nowhere near as good as Crosby's last, not that most people heard it. Crosby kept putting out records, kept going on the road, he was an inspiration, but even better what he was doing was current and had appeal. When everybody else was dyeing their hair and playing their hits David was still exploring, testing limits. You WANTED to listen to his new music, and I can't say that about most dinosaurs.

7

Yes, there was that song "Triad," but isn't it interesting that eventually it was Crosby who ended up with the most sustained relationship, with Jan.

And all that drug stuff...

None of it admirable, but Crosby admitted his faults and flaws and soldiered on, he didn't keep trotting out his sordid past for attention and cash.

Crosby was like Dylan in this way. They were artists, they needed to create, otherwise the whole enterprise didn't make sense.

And then there were the complaints about the internet and streaming... I didn't bother to get into it with him, he was convinced, but I believe he was ill-informed.

But talking to Crosby...

Did you see the movie? You should. One of the greatest rock movies ever made. Because Crosby is completely honest, not only revealing his warts, but owning them. NO ONE DOES THIS!

And speaking to David... He always talked about dying, at least for the last few years. To the point where you felt he'd be here forever.

But he's not.

Crosby's death was a shock in that it happened so soon, not in that it happened at all. He kept telling us he was in ill-health. He told me he probably didn't have the strength to go back on the road after Covid... But he was continuing to make music.

Jeff Beck was a complete shock, out of the blue.

Whereas Crosby...

Warren Zevon kept telling us he was going to die and he continued to live to the point where we wondered if he really had the Big C. We figured it would be similar with David, but it was not.

8

So where does this leave us?

Crosby was there. At the beginning. When America awoke after the Beatles. And he's been on the ride ever since, engaged, observing, not changing his identity a whit.

Let's be clear, Crosby didn't suffer fools. And hanging with his buddies he could be insufferable...I'm a rock star and you're not!

But the whole game changed in the last two decades and when all his contemporaries refused to own it, wanting the past to return, Crosby got into the flow and continued to swim, maybe with an aged body, but with all that experience, insight and wisdom.

Crosby was an untouchable god.

And then you could get into it with him on Twitter, he was right there.

Image? This guy didn't care at all.

Crosby was a survivor. When so many were not. And unlike Keith Richards, he realized, was forced to realize, the error of his ways, he adjusted, he changed, in a world where almost no one does. It's a badge of honor to change, to admit you were wrong. If someone never admits they're wrong ignore them, they're untrustworthy.

So when I think of David Crosby, I don't only think of the music. He and his work make the eras come alive in my mind. He was engaged. Sure, he lost a decade or more, but so did I, most everybody who lives long does, especially if you're pushing the envelope, living your life according to your own principles. People don't like that, they want to beat you down, make you crumble. But Crosby never folded.

Sometimes you wanted to be David Crosby, and sometimes you didn't. But who else had such a long career and continued to mean something?

Almost no one.

And Crosby wasn't running on fumes. The fire was still lit.

But now it's out.

9

David Crosby's death was a long time coming.

He talked about his money problems. Sold his catalog to Irving. He was not a rich rock star living off his past in the hills, he needed to work, he wanted to work. You see that's what artists do.

"Turn, turn any corner
Hear, you must hear what the people say"

Crosby was telling us to listen. To pay attention. To the people. The truth. Not the supposed leaders. That was the magic of Crosby, he was beholden to nobody, and he did not want you to be either, he was an inspiration.

"It's been a long time comin'"

It most certainly has been. Marijuana may be legal, but not abortion. In so many ways we seem to be going backward. Sure, we have these shiny devices, conveniences, but people's brains, what they think...

But David Crosby never gave up.

"But you know
The darkest hour
Is always, always just before the dawn"

Sure, it's a cliché, but the dawn Crosby was talking about...we believed in the possibility of change. We had no idea that Ronald Reagan would legitimize greed and the boomers would sell out to the dollar.

And many acts sold out too.

But David Crosby maintained his internal tuning fork throughout his life. He never compromised, never did it the easy way, always kept pushing towards the goal. There are people who don't like this, but Crosby was smart enough to know you don't retreat because of institutional blowback, you stay the course, otherwise you can never get to the goal.

So that's all she wrote. All he did. There will be no more story.

But there's enough for two or three lifetimes.

David Crosby first and foremost embraced life.

He'll be a long time gone.


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ChatGPT

The story of the year isn't the AI chatbot, but the risk to Google.

For years we've been hearing that these mega-tech companies were indomitable. Forever. If you started a new company they'd either buy you or compete with you, your choice, but they weren't going to allow you to build an independent unicorn.

Facebook bought Instagram. And then WhatsApp. Before D.C. was fluent in either. They owned the sphere. A juggernaut.

Then came TikTok. Which no one foresaw. And then the Apple privacy restrictions. Facebook is still making money on ads, but the future is not as rosy as it once looked.

As for Amazon... They've really screwed up the company. Forget the negative optics of being anti-union, the site itself is becoming unusable because of advertising. Anybody who shops there knows this. And although Amazon is still dominant, there is now an opening for a resurgent Walmart.

And we always thought that Tesla would have competitors, but we didn't think the company would be wounded by a self-immolating Elon Musk.

So the story this year certainly is not about hardware, despite Facebook telling us so with its nearly dead on arrival virtual reality system.

As for software... We always thought it was about manna from heaven, some startup would deliver something new that would thrill us. And I'm not saying we're not going to get new stuff, but just not at the furious pace of ten years ago, certainly not in the near future.

Silicon Valley, tech, is mature. And now old companies are being superseded, just like GE.

As for GE... It led the way in financialization. Which ruined not only the company, but the entire country, if not the world. Making money for the sake of making money. Wall Street used to provide the cash to build things. Then it became a casino wherein quants created products no one else could understand and everybody wanted a piece of the action.

And then China hiccupped.

You might have caught this week's news. That there are not enough young people to support the old people, China is heading for a cliff as a result of its one child per couple edict. Turned out it was totally wrong.

The world is fluid. Take a snapshot today and although it might be similar the following year, in a decade or two it won't look the same at all.

And it's not only tech, it's everything. Look at television.

As for music...

The focus for the last two decades has been on technology. And now it's shifted to software, the music itself, and no one acknowledges this. Unlike tech, the catalogs of major labels provide power. But the business always runs on the new, which the majors have lost control of. Meanwhile, the usual suspects, the terrestrial radio stations, the media, are still focusing on hit product when hit product means less than ever before.

Zach Bryan is going on an arena tour. And most people in America have never even heard of him! And demand is so great there is essentially a lottery for tickets. And the money isn't in the records, no way. And Zach's career is not driven by hits, but by authenticity and credibility. Kudos to Warner for signing Zach, but Zach's the outlier, the majors aren't signing anything that does not easily sell.

Don't be overwhelmed by the hit parade. Never has there been such opportunity for the outside, at least not in decades. You're building it yourself. And the great thing about music is it scales. It costs even less to sell/stream the millionth or billionth copy than the first. And you can reach everybody.

We haven't had disruption in the creative sphere of music for more than two decades. We've been on this hip-hop/pop train and... In the old days, Top Forty played a smorgasbord of music. No more. It's like Top Forty is Google and we're waiting for ChatGPT.

And until the public actually sees it...

We heard about AI forever, but we didn't get it until we experienced the product.

So it's less about talking about trends than unique artists delivering what satiates the audience. I'm not talking about playing down to people, just the opposite, something so incredible that people glom on to it and want more, talk to everybody about it.

This is coming.

It won't be one act that everybody talks about, but many acts. More Zach Bryans. In their very big and profitable but relatively narrow verticals.

And it won't be about becoming a brand, it will be all about the music. The music will be the identity of the band, which is what the Beatles ushered in and underpinned the entire classic rock era. Matching songs with singers... That's old school, that's Yahoo, not even Google.

So this is the time. This is the line of demarcation. A mature music business is ready for disruption. Not via innovative business strategies as much as music. Which you can make and market for nearly free. A huge change from the past.

And the truth is if you do something great you will get some traction. Everybody is looking for great and there's very little of it and when they find it they tell everybody.

Top-down publicity no longer works. A story can't break you, but word of mouth can. People have to hear it from others. People trust no one but their friends these days. They're relatively unreachable. The key is to tap into this friend network. And you can't game the system, because you need legs to make this work. The word has to be spread from group to group and to happen the underlying music must be nearly spectacular.

You've got the tools.

The enemy is not the major labels, the streaming companies or Ticketmaster. That's completely old school thinking. The only person holding you back is you.

But ChatGPT wasn't built in a day. It took years. It takes longer than ever to break. And if you try and short circuit the process you don't sustain. It must be organic. Which means you must be dedicated for the long haul, it must mean everything to you. And sure, you should be available online, but hyping yourself is not enough to get you over the finish line.

The whole world is up for grabs.

This is the time music can fly. Reclaim its place not only in the artistic firmament, but the cultural and political worlds too. Nothing affects people like music. If it's honest and has something to say. Sure, people need to party, but they're thinking 24/7, appeal to their brains too.

Zach Bryan is a harbinger. He's been at it a while. Which is how it used to be. When you heard about an act they used to have already made a few albums, like Zach.

But these acts could never go clean in arenas the first time out.

They could never make this much money.

But today you can.

Start your engines. We're hungry for your words of wisdom. Aim high, we want to be wowed. You've got a shot. Only a few, talented, dedicated people will break through and triumph, but that's the way it always was. But the wealth will be spread around. And you might not be able to become an overnight billionaire like in tech, but you can have even more influence, speaking truth to power. Put the pedal to the metal!


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Even More Atmos

Note: I'm focused primarily on commercial appeal. I've heard quad that is great, but every format beyond stereo has failed in the marketplace. I am also worried creatively. As in if the Atmos versions of originals become the standard. Atmos is the default in Apple Music. Which is criminal. Atmos should be opt-in, not opt-out. It's bad enough that Beatles remixes are superseding the originals on platforms. It takes an effort to find the older, original versions. I mean when you mess with the Beatles... But it's always about money. I've got nothing inherently against Atmos, although I don't believe in remixing already recorded material. I've got nothing against the experience but do I think it will become anywhere near the dominant, accepted playback format? No.

_____________________________________

In 1975, my band, Fireballet, recorded our first album, Night On Bald Mountain, in Sansui Quad. 

Oh, it was fun having things bounce around the room, but that's all it was,  sonic fun you could  only properly experience if you stood dead center in the control room.

We did not do the 2nd Fireballet in Quad.

Quad faded away very quickly.

We're coming up on 50 years since my Quad experience. 

I'm with Mr. Ezrin and Mr. Anderton about this.

Jim Cuomo

_____________________________________

I'm sticking with the two Bobs on this.  I think Ezrin makes the most persuasive argument. Being blown away is exciting but it's about where we focus our attention on a primal level. Like worshiping at church or a sacrifice. The difference between the energy at a rock concert versus silent disco where everyone is free to focus on whet they want. The best experience is when are attention is directed. As a producer I'm always aware of HOW I introduce the information. 

I'm intrigued by the long game theory but I think it'll end up applying more to VR experiences than music which will always be worshiped at the temple of stereo. 

All the best,

Jeff Bhasker

_____________________________________

One fallacy repeated here is that stereo is effective because people only have two ears. That wasn't the way it was supposed to be. If you go back and review Steinberg and Snow's papers presented to the IEEE ca. 1931-1934 on stereo and auditory perspective, you will notice that they always intended for stereo to be delivered via three speakers, not two. Dropping the center channel was a mistake made by the business folks involved, citing costs. 

Jim Rondinelli

_____________________________________

Music lovers use equipment to listen to their music,
Audiophiles use music to listen to their equipment

Rusty Hodge

_____________________________________

Hey Bob, I've found it interesting that several of the most vocal and fervent supports of Atmos that have replied to you here also have a financial stake in it's success. Add a paycheck to the equation and it's easy to see objectivity go right out the door. 

Bret Bassi

_____________________________________

There is a big fallacy in spatial audio marketing, which is that two speakers cannot properly recreate a three-dimensional experience.

It's just that, with the availability of multi-track recording, audio engineers seem to have forgotten how to produce true stereo recordings, i.e. with a coincident pair of cardioids, or, if you also want to capture what's happening behind, with a pair figure of eight polar pattern microphones. On two tracks.

What has been happening since is the production of "fake stereo" where the spatial rendition is invented at the mixing table with or without the addition of effects. Atmos takes us even further down that path. 

While Atmos may provide more life-like simulations for movies or gaming, I doubt it is necessary for music if the aim is to reproduce a live experience. Pleasing or not, the final effect will be us listening to sound engineers much more than musicians. But in this realm of product manufacturing, if it is the product that sells...

Sincerely,

J-Dominique Sellier

_____________________________________

As usual people are thinking about Atmos with dated thinking. It seems a waste of time to take stereo mixes of music created for stereo and try to create a spatial experience. Atmos  is a niche technology that people need to write a musical experience for. As Mr Ezrin says we a wired to look where sound comes from so this technology at its best would be coupled with immersive visuals.  It isn't a mass market tech. Some people eat at Michelin rated restaurants. Most eat at McDonald's. Looks like the industry is trying to add garnishes to our happy Meal. 

Allan Davey

_____________________________________

Atmos, or any future "immersive" scenario will definitely get traction from a generation that grew up on video games, that are also immersive and may eventually prove to be influential in future music creation ... who knows? Humans evolve... or "devolve" depending on which side of the fence you fall on.

Which is a good segue to my stating that nonetheless, I'm on "Team Ezrin" 100%. 

Jason Steidman

_____________________________________

I haven't seen anyone mention this and I believe it's crucial.

The current technology is evolving towards the metaverse –at least that's where many big players are placing their bets. Immersive audio may be a fad now, but once virtual/augmented reality becomes a... well, a reality, dolby atmos will not only make sense, but play a huge role in our virtual lives.

I guess that's a whole other conversation. Not many people are talking about it from this perspective, I'm curious what are your thoughts.

Sergey Boket

_____________________________________

How many households have 5.1 speakers for watching films/sports/movies?

How many have 7.1?

Most consumers will use the tv speakers or maybe a sound bar, similar to just AirPods. 

I wonder if you went back though and looked at curmudgeons railing against new found stereo vs. mono would you see the same thing? Think of how bad early stereo mixes were because they were an afterthought after mono was done. Or how bad CD transfers were originally. 

Dolby and others are continually pushing tech to deliver different audio experiences. But just like any tech, it will be for a small part of the general public. And that's OK. 

Regards,
Ned Ward

_____________________________________

Dirty little insider secret among many top engineers (please don't use my name if you share this) is that Auro-3D is the best sounding of the immersive formats for music, due to speaker angle placement and lossless PCM playback (typically from Blu Ray disc).

Both Sony 360RA (which is a variant of MPEG-H) and Dolby Atmos are encoded in a lossy manner, Sony tends to have better imaging and placement and is a bit more "hi-fi", Atmos was developed for cinema and can work quite well for music, but seems to be a few steps behind the others when it comes to ultimate audio quality and fidelity. The angle and placement of the height channels in Atmos tend to make it difficult to get a seamless audio image from top to bottom.

Sadly Auro is a tiny niche within the limited immersive niche itself. Sounds incredible though if you ever get a chance to check it out.

Funny to see the "old guys" (Ezrin, Fremer - who's whole life is vinyl, etc) firmly rooted in the established standard. As you like to say, the cheese is being moved. Will they come along into the future (stereo isn't going anywhere, immersive is a bonus), or stay stuck where they've been throughout their career? Anderton's comment is correct, engineers are paid to listen to sound, and the good ones (along with the producer) are also listening for music -performance, artistry, magic, lightning in a bottle. Regardless of format or number of channels.

I could name a long list of horrible sounding vinyl LPs and CDs. Does that mean the formats suck? Not according to the market. Same goes for immersive. There's cheesy dreck, rushed remasters that butcher the original as well as mind-boggling well done inspiring tracks, new and old. Just because not everything is incredible doesn't mean it's dead as a format. Caveat emptor, as always. 

_____________________________________

OMG,

I remember not so long ago higher-ups in the business seemingly severely allergic to change screaming "PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS WANT TO HOLD SOMETHING IN THEIR HANDS - LIKE A CD!!! AND THE ARTWORK!!!  THIS WON'T STAND"!

It really doesn't matter what people think - this thing is here to stay.  You know what, like Giles Martin says: "You don't have to listen to it".

Far from a wank, this format, done right, is transformative - it takes listening to recorded music to a whole new level - there is no doubt about this.  

To my dear friend John Van Nest: You can't listen to Atmos on stereo speakers - doesn't work that way.

To my friend Bob Ezrin - I love the allegory of human beings spinning to face the new sound, but once we realize that it wasn't a lion about to eat us, we relax and enjoy the immersive-ness (yep that's the word) of an Atmos music mix.

For what it's worth - the amazing kids I teach at USC are crazy for this shit!! 

All my best, -b 

Brian Malouf

_____________________________________

Subject: Suddenly everyone is an Atmos expert

Hi Bob, respectfully disagree with almost everything that was posted on your pages regarding this topic. 

I get it, most of the released Atmos is shit. So when people are complaining, it's because they have a lack of skill or a lack of imagination.  Yet if a scientist compared three or four tracks for a few minutes each of a format with 70 years of experience versus a more complex format with just a couple of years of experience and came to any conclusions they would be fired. 

This is mostly a headphone format not a speaker format as with cinema, and it's the future of headphones, absolutely.  Apple invests billions per year in developing VR.  Atmos sounds objectively better when it's done right in headphones versus the stereo in headphones.  More canvas, more dynamics. Better.  

I have pioneered analog atmos mastering using 50 custom EQ's and 48 analog compressors.  Better in headphones, always, compared to stereo.  Not only is 99.9% of Atmos released unmastered, the rare mastering paid for by the people who care is not sufficient for the format. Too safe, too clinical ... something we wouldn't pay for it if was a Stereo mastering job. 

I had to figure out what was the purpose of mastering in this format (if any) and learn how to do it on any project in any genre, at any quality of mix, just like I do in stereo. I have done that work. 

My analog Atmos mastering work sounds better in the headphones vs. stereo, every time, every headphone, every listener, every style, no exceptions, no excuses, no fish bowl of sound, no phase mess, no weird center vocal image, no lack of punch down the center ... absolutely better, end of argument.

Analog while mastering atmos is needed else the distortion / harmonics sound like a demo.  No analog bus processing in atmos and no analog mastering processing as we have with the highly evolved stereo format.  Plugs in don't add what Class A discrete op amps with juicy transformers do. So analog has to happen on every object (3D track).

As far as the skill set, almost everything released is middle to awful and the five percent that's good could still be much better. And that makes sense.  This is new territory, and it's a great opportunity for those of us who are older to be young again, to learn every day, to take everything we know about stereo and to apply it into an arena which is not a completely new invention. It's just an extension of stereo into a larger field.  

Everything we know about stereo still applies and it's important.  Again we have 70 years working in stereo vs. just a couple years on this format, with many skilled people not even bothering.  And yet suddenly everyone is an expert?  I'm at the front of this and learning constantly, that is the mind to have.  

This is not surround ... or from the past ... this is a streamable and accessible room full of sound decoding for every speaker system and every headphone. That is new.  As are the height speakers.

Humans are wired to expect sounds from behind to be a threat, and we hear them very well ... so there is a stress thing that can happen.  Yet when the music is great, and we let that fear stress go, there is no greater feeling of euphoria assuming the music has the punch we expect down the middle like in stereo.

Yet again, Atmos is a headphone product 99.9%  

What's needed in atmos is Center Power and to combat the phase issues from the DSP in headphones.  That's the skill of atmos.  What's needed in stereo is to combat stereo phase issues, created by the limitations of the two speakers. And we have mastered that skill.  Phase issue either way, just a different issue.  

Size is built from the center power out, in stereo.  Power is built from the inherent size inward, in Atmos.  

Atmos is triple the canvas, and double the dynamics, and that's good news for music.  It's a better phase problem to have. 

Stereo is not going away, this is not a contest.  Stereo is convenient for speakers and Atmos is superior for headphones and the rare speaker set up, when done well which most people have not heard.

Stereo headphones are actually quite terrible yet we accept that. What's good about them is the phase clarity and punch of everything that's mixed down the middle .  Except that center lives at our third eye, it's not in the audio in front of us as in a room, it's in our head.  There's a whole empty space in front of us.  Stereo headphones have no center image like a room, it's a weird image in the mind.

Those of us who understand and enjoy phantom center from speakers are in the .00001 percent of humans on the earth.  Meanwhile atmos on any headphone (highly recommend the new $200 Apple AirPod Pro 2) puts everybody into a room with not just a center, but a room experience all around ... just like a studio with 2 speakers up front.  

Putting the average person into real listening rooms is a big deal.  And just because we don't have the skill on aggregate to do it consistently well yet, as we do with stereo, doesn't mean anything about the format or its potential.  

That potential is available today.  Send me anything and I'll send it back better than the stereo in headphones.  That's the job of Atmos mastering, something with an evolving understanding, to beat the stereo in headphones. Every time.

Yes atmos speakers don't translate perfectly to the headphones yet, but that doesn't matter.  Move on.

Brian Lucey

_____________________________________

Everyone has the wrong take on Atmos. Personally I like The Beatles in mono but that's just because that what I'm used to and I think most atmos mixes are disappointing because we're used to the listening experience of stereo. The question is where is music listening experience going and how should we format for that? 

Arguably, no one sits and listens to music anymore, well certainly no on under the age of 40, its generally a soundtrack to something, driving, washing up, working out, etc and sometimes accompanied by visuals, so what listening experiences are actually needed?
Ever since the Walkman, stereo as a listening experience became normalised and therefore more intense and where instruments were placed in the stereo field became an artistic choice tuned to that experience. Want the chorus to sound bigger? Add more stereo instruments, backgrounds, FX, etc. 

As we move more into an immersive online experience, which if you speak to any 15 year old you will see they are already there, then sound has the opportunity of working in different and exciting ways with the visual. Companies like Dolby are building for that. Personally I love the way atmos mixes envelop you on even a straightforward Sonos 5.1 system and listen to a good atmos system in a Merc, its incredible but on AirPods some mixes work, some don't. That's the art form and over time the tech and engineers ability will improve exactly the way stereo mixes did. Remember all the drums on the left hand side in Beatles stereo mixes?

As a music creative my job is to take people on a journey and deliver messages and experiences through sound. Where the world is going is augmented reality and 360 immersive experiences, totally blowing stereo out the water and atmos will be imperative for that.

Best
TommyD

_____________________________________

I'm with Tom Waits who said something along the lines of, music sounds best when you hear it blaring out the windows of a passing car.

Rob Radack

_____________________________________

I admire and appreciate innovation and technology but hearing sounds in recorded music I do not recall from the originals is discomforting and disingenuous but I remain open.

Andrew Paciocco

_____________________________________

A little late to the game, but so glad many said the same thing I was thinking - Ezrin nailed it. The man who got one of the best 'no frills' sound for guitar/bass/drums on a hard rock album with Love It To Death.

Cheers,

Thomas Quinn


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Spencer Proffer-This Week's Podcast

Spencer Proffer made his name producing records, most notably Quiet Riot's "Metal Health," which sold in excess of ten million copies, and now he's producing movies, most recently "The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's 'American Pie.'" Proffer is a hustler/entrepreneur/survivor with a long history in entertainment, tune in for the story of his career.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/spencer-proffer-107512689/

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spencer-proffer/id1316200737?i=1000595414384

https://open.spotify.com/episode/387wrhYaaXZPdlNVu8sqW8?si=z6f8N6DVRXGlYhocZHHhCA

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/041035cf-0add-46a9-98a5-762131c5bb29/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-spencer-proffer

https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/spencer-proffer-210934085


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More Atmos

Subject: Why you get pushback from some people about Atmos

Hey Bob,

Consumers listen to music, which includes sound. Engineers listen to sound. which includes music.

People whose priority is music don't really care about the delivery system. 

Craig Anderton

_______________________________________________

I stood down on this one though I'm with you and awaited the responses. Ezrin is where I'm at..

Michael Fremer

_______________________________________________


Ezrin nailed it. 
Joe Solo
Producer

_______________________________________________

It's about the money, not the sound!

I'm sure you know this. The best way to sell new devices is to add features that the old ones don't have. Apple knows this, headphone manufacturers know this, studios know this, engineers know this, Harman knows this, record labels know this. They all profit from new technology purchases. Please buy new things, download new files, compare, opine, and prove how good your ears are.

Everyone in the audio business thanks you.

I agree with Bob Ezrin on almost every point, but I also believe spatial audio has it's place in the experiential marketplace. As a fan of mono I haven't invested the time to critically listen yet, but I expect that tracks created with the new format in mind are going to sound a whole lot better than old analog masters phased out of their minds.

Thanks for keeping the dialog relevant.

Victor Levine

_______________________________________________

Wow. Bob Ezrin has turned into the old guy who doesn't like change. But two ears? Really? Yes there is a lot of crap out there calling itself immersive. But when it is done right, from people like Bob Clearmountain or Steven Wilson or Alan Parsons or Elliot Scheiner, it can be thrilling. It's like hating music videos because the visual is a distraction from the music. Maybe it is sometimes. And sometimes, 1+1=3. 

Bruce Greenberg

_______________________________________________

I listened to a couple sample Apple spatial remixes of Sgt. Peppers when they were released. It was THE worst thing I've ever heard. An abomination and crime against The Beatles. And us. What do you expect from a company that paid a billion dollars for Beats (they sound like doo-doo)?

Knox Bronson

_______________________________________________

Ezrin nailed it. The rest is just a big wank.

Hugo Burnham

_______________________________________________

This is not necessarily about Atmos specifically, but it's related. I still have my wired EarPods from my iPhone 6, and they work great. I tried the wireless ones and they simply died within a year. Then I tried the enhanced ones with the spatial audio and it drove me nuts. The sound adjustments that were being made completely messed with the original mix and with my perception of the music. The mid range sounds nearly took my head off, but all of the lows and nice clean high end sounds completely got obliterated. The texture of the music was gone in favor of this boomy fake surroundsound that was hitting my skull.

Music is dynamic. Over compressing mixes, infusing technology that alters the sound in between the creator and the listener, completely distorts the human experience of enjoying the music in context, and from a personal point of view. 

Music has a flow. Ups and downs. Energy and digression. Intensity and serenity. We have reached a point where sonic loudness and everything pushed to the hilt is absolutely destroying the ability of a listener to hear what was the originally created.

Sucks. That's why I went back to vinyl. I still stream and I use my nine year old EarPods when I'm out walking, but I want to hear the music the way it was created, not interpreted by a bunch of nerds in a sealed pristine environment.

Jimmy Becker

_______________________________________________

Hello Bob.  I want to throw up.  Audio masturbation is the category for Atmos.  That's what I need, media vampires telling me what I like to hear.  Yeh, right.  rwhake 

_______________________________________________

Hi Bob, I've had good experience with ATMOS. I put together a room last year and it's been enjoyable to listen to and mix in ATMOS. I have Dante Virtual Soundcard in my laptop and I'm able to play discrete ATMOS mixes from Apple Music directly into my system. If it's on Apple in ATMOS I'm able to listen to it. I do think the binaural mode is a little underwhelming but listening on speakers is quite an enjoyable experience. Perhaps you'd like to come by the studio  on Olympic and check out some tracks? I'd be happy to host you and give you a tour.
Have a Great Day! Peter A Barker

_______________________________________________

I agree with Brian Malouf. He has been on both sides (label and production).

Gen Zs and beyond, brought up in the gaming world, hear music differently than most do.  Their tastes and expectations are different. 
The most impressive immersive sound i've experienced (and there are many in LA, including Sony's at Paramount, Atmos configurations at Spotify and at the Mix Lab studios) is Björk's multifaceted retrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art --an immersive audio and video installation entitled 'Black Lake'.  To duplicate that, including its 44 speakers, in our homes is pretty far-fetched now or in the near future!
I also respect highly credited mixers like Niko Bolas, Greg Penny, Matt Wallace and Sylvia Massey who are keeping an open mind and ear working in this arena.

Every generation has a sound revolution, not always for the better, but it's a revolution and with new technologies on the horizon,  it's best to listen. And heck, if it's helping move music and people, that's icing on the cake!

Claris Sayadian-Dodge

_______________________________________________

Just yesterday I got to listen to spatial audio in a custom listening room, with tracks by a variety of both legacy artists (Elton John, Marvin Gaye) and new acts (Billie Eilish, A Star is Born soundtrack). As a musician and producer I think ambisonics, when done well, are wonderful and make the listening experience much more interactive and dynamic and the creative process interesting. I also must point out the technical fallacy in the comment above, that simply because audio formats were previously designed in a stereo R/L manner, that stereo is "natural." Stereo sound is a massive reduction of the entirety of sound that we can hear in any environment we're in. You can hear things behind you, which is why you turn your head to look, for example. Just as mono was the dominant format until stereo became more available and engineers got familiar with it, spatial will eventually become standard. It's going to get to the point where people can't believe we ever limited ourselves to only a right/left pan environment. Having ears on the right and left side of our head doesn't mean we can only hear to those two directions. Our ears are powerful instruments and one of the features of spatial is that the technology can scan your head size and position and detect movement and continually adjust to deliver the sound in the best possible way for ultimate listening clarity. It's a really cool technology! 

Kela Parker

_______________________________________________

Typical of the music business " if man were meant fly he would have had wings." There are some great stereo mixes and some real crap the only thing that saves a crap mix is a great song. Joe public doesn't really care about the mix. Same with ATMOS some amazing mixes some not so good. Like anything. It's another option I guess that's terrible? The stereo does not go away. If you don't like ATMOS listen in stereo. For those who have not heard a good ATMOS mix you need to get out more. What's funny is back in the day everyone complained about MP3's compared to PCM. Same thing, this is  another option on headphones, sound bars, huge home systems and cars, Your choice. As soon as an after market car system is available for my restored Pinto I'm getting one. 

Dave May

_______________________________________________

If you own a MacBook Pro and are NOT wearing headphones, here's a test:

1) Open Apple Music, go to Settings - Playback and make sure Dolby Atmos box is either "Automatic" or "Always On".
2) Search for the song, "Something Just Like This" by Chainsmokers and Coldplay and cue up the first result (upper left).  Don't play it yet though.
3) Open YouTube and go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM7MFYoylVs
4) On YouTube, wait for the ad to go by and then listen to the first minute of the song.
5) Now switch to Apple Music and listen to the Atmos version.  

Which do you prefer?

For me, the Atmos mix has the vocal quite buried, especially in the crucial first 30 seconds, so the song doesn't connect with me emotionally as much as the normal YouTube stereo mix.  

NOW, I don't know if the problem is 1) the Atmos process itself (blame the technology), 2) simply a bad Atmos mix (blame the engineer) or 3) if the label had an intern run the original mix through some sort of Atmos plug-in (blame the label).

Doing the same comparison on headphones, at least the Atmos vocals seem louder than they did over my MacBook Pro speakers.

However, this is only MY opinion.  Does the general listening audience care?  And/or, are we heading towards a TikTok world where people don't even care to hear an entire song but rather just a snippet?  Maybe Atmos will become the new normal and either the technology and/or engineers and/or labels will improve as time goes by.

I tend to believe that Atmos as it relates to music is largely hardware manufacturers wanting to sell more equipment and record labels wanting to create some excitement especially for catalogue product.  I mean, I venture to say that hearing that song over my MBP speakers in Atmos kind of sounds like ass.  Is this the future of Atmos over stereo speakers?

I do love the sound of multichannel in a room with a proper speaker setup, but I'm not at all convinced that younger people will *ever* be installing lots of speakers in their homes.  The world has never adopted multi-channel sound in its many earlier attempts.  Besides, my wife won't let me put more than two speakers in our Palm Springs condo AND I'M IN THE FUCKING BUSINESS.

And probably most of us on this thread are music/audio people by trade and probably grew up in an era where, because music was all we had pretty much, we really cared about the quality of the sound.  I don't see that in the TikTok - or even Spotify - generations whose lives are more focused on social media in general, and especially Insta and TikTok which are visually oriented. 

John Van Nest

_______________________________________________

Bob,
 
For what it's worth….
 
I've been through this multichannel stuff for 20+ years, mostly on the research and playback assessment side, and not entirely on the creative side. 
 
Perceptually we are all gifted with ability to perceive sounds pretty much the same way. I'm not talking just from a frequency perspective but also from level and direction. 
 
As I like to point out in my seminars, our ears are like warning devices. They often help to verify what we can't see. If there is danger above and behind, we should all get the same idea where it's coming from, either static or moving - speed included. If we are interested in a sound, we can focus on location and further evaluate its importance.
 
But given all heads, torsos and ear shapes are different, how is this all done so accurately and with such similarities? Well, for those without a belief in divine evolution, we depend on research. And there is a lot of research dedicated to this. Modern day Head Related Transfer Function filtering - HRTF, is a big piece of the puzzle, but not the complete puzzle. 
 
I agree as one of your writers wrote we are often steered to look for the sound source, especially if it is not expected. But if you are in a concert hall, one can close their eyes and just appreciate the music and acoustics. In this type of environment sounds are highly externalized. Envelopment is enhanced by subtle differences in timing arrivals in low frequencies being slightly or greatly out of phase. This is a delicate topic, and I'll leave it at that. 
 
Headphone reproduction is quite the opposite where most everything is internalized. Attempting to externalize the listening experience is difficult but having a good HRTF filter and a way to use it is a step in the right direction. Ear canal resonances, researched extensively by Dr. Dave Griesinger, can help equalize the headphone system to be more linear and make better use of the HRTF for binaural reproduction. Head tracking is another dimension that complicates the headphone recipe.
 
If you consider for the moment that attempting to shrink the natural world around your head into a pair of headphones, you'd think it was an impossible idea. We can play tricks for starters, (and have been for years) but the real test of where this is headed is the goal of making something that is supposed to be rendered in front of you, whilst listening over headphones actually sound is if it's in front of you, not over, on top of your head.  We are still a bit away from that, but once it's achieved, trust me, all the other pieces will fall into place.
 
As for the streaming business, the distribution as vastly easier for immersive platforms, rather than the old 5.1 platform which only could be played back over speakers and a CD/DVD.  I think the record companies are within their right to explore other options for playback.  If you don't like it, listen to the stereo track.
 
Virtualization is just that….virtual.  A properly calibrated monitor system is the valued starting point on the creative side, but any mixer will tell you, you must rely on the headphone rendering to check what is happening at the consumer level.  Headphones will always be the final arbiter. Which headphones…? I have no idea. None of them have been accurately linearized for my ears or yours.  Sony has an interesting approach to putting the mixer close to their Renderer.  They will come to your mix room and measure your ear response to the immersive monitor setup in your room.  They will then also measure your ear response with their headphones on. They then cross correlate the two in order to provide the mixer with as good a starting point as possible when you switch between your monitor system and the headphone.  Sony consumers are instructed to take pictures of their heads and ears to which Sony then models and selects a somewhat "personalized" HRTF that lives on your phone while listening to Sony 360RA releases. 
 
While in LA last week, I happened to pass by the Lucid dealership at the Westfield Mall in Century City. I stepped into the car, rolled up the windows and listened to a Dolby ATMOS playback – the first I've ever witnessed. I can tell you it's hit or miss with a lot of mixing results.  But the cut I cued up was "Let's Talk About It" by Queen Naija, and the playback experience was actually really good. But this is just another flame in the fire. (on the flip side the stereo playback of Huey Lewis' "Power of Love" sounded no better than a decent car stereo.)
 
It's a new world with regards to playback technology Bob.  You and I may not live long enough to witness front facing sounds to appear to be in front of you over headphones, but someday it will and along the way there will be other iterations of immersive audio to either admire or curse.
 
Br,
 
Will Eggleston

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