What Matt Good said about the Live album...

Henrietta · Post by **Henrietta** » 7/5/2003, 7:54 pm

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me that there are just as many "radio hits" on Clumsy as on Gravity.

Mechanical Thought · Post by **Mechanical Thought** » 7/5/2003, 8:20 pm

I hope this is goodbye wrote:By the way, don't think I hate OLP or anything, I will still go to their shows when they come to Detroit and everything, but I don't want to see OLP to go more to the rock side of music. I liked it when they came out with all their cds. They were all off-beat compared to each cd before it, not to mention everything else that was on the radio. Now with Somewhere Out There and Innocent, it just feels like OLP is becoming one of those bands that come out with songs that can be radio friendly and nothing more.

I turned my radio on today and the local radio station was playing Thief. By all means that song is not what one would consider radio friendly, yet it's still getting played on the radio on regular rotation since 1999 here. They haven't played Somewhere Out There since January 1 of this year. Yet if you look at what OLP says they want, it's more to the song that gets real popular real quick, then ultimately forgotten in 6 months. That saddens me. I worry that I'll never get to hear another Thief of 4AM getting regular play on the radio anymore.

That was so well put, Alan. The last line is the one that stands out the most for me. I am 100% behind you on that.

Sufjan Stevens · Post by **Sufjan Stevens** » 7/5/2003, 8:58 pm

I don't know about Utah and all, but here in Detroit, Clumsy is viewed as a classic record, and Gravity certainly is not. Off of Clumsy, Superman's Dead, Clumsy, Automatic Flowers, and 4AM got loads of airplay back in 97, and they still do today. Off of Gravity, Somewhere Out There, Innocent, and Sell My Soul got radioplay, with SOT getting a lot, Innocent getting minimal, and Sell My Soul getting a good amount, but now, none of those three songs get played on the radio anymore.

Looking at the fact, off of each of OLP's previous cds, they all had huge amounts of airplay here, and all of them, excluding Gravity, still get airplay. I still hear Starseed a lot, Naveed every once in a while, all the Clumsy songs a lot, One Man Army, Is Anybody Home, and Thief a lot, Right Behind You a lot, and Life every once in a while, and these cds came out between 1994-2001, while the cd that came out barely a year ago can't get airplay. When a radio station won't play any of their new stuff that sounds like everything else on the radio, you know something is wrong.

I guess I am trying to say that when OLP tried to conform to what was popular on the radio, it worked for a minimal amount of time, but in general, failed. They need to keep that edge of difference in their music to keep them in the public eye, which is what they want. They killed off everything beyond the guitar, bass, drums, and falsetto, and they flopped in Detroit, a city where everyone loves what they come out with. You know something is wrong when the radio chooses to play what OLP considers "old" and worth moving on from, but shy away from what they consider "progress" because it sounds like everything else. I want the old OLP back. I don't want another generic rock band.

Candy-coated Fake · Post by **Candy-coated Fake** » 7/5/2003, 9:27 pm

^ (Alan, I think?): That was so well put. You deserve a cookie. :love:

I completely agree with everything you're saying. In Winnipeg (not that i listen to the radio lots) Superman's Dead, Naveed, and Starseed are still huge hits. Innocent which is suposedly "more rock" than their previous songs, was played regularly on Hot 103, a POP station. Raine has said they are becoming the band that they've always wanted to be...my question is why is the band that they've always wanted to be so much like every other band?

PS: No, I don't hate OLP. I'm just a little, shall we say, "disappointed". :neutral:

joe_canadian · Post by **joe_canadian** » 7/5/2003, 9:37 pm

alright, I'm late, but what's this about "overdubbing"?

Sufjan Stevens · Post by **Sufjan Stevens** » 7/5/2003, 10:10 pm

I can see what you're saying. The only time OLP has ever been on a pop station since I heard them in 1994 and started liking them in 97 was when Somewhere Out There was released for a month or so. Last time I checked, if you want people to take you seriously as a straight-forward rock band, making songs that get played more on a dance radio station (what the station does is take popular songs and speed them up so you can shake your groove thang) doesn't make you credible. All it does is make people download your song online and maybe every once in a while a new fan buys your cd. Beyond that, you just look like a clown because you have your great rock music on a pop station, which is a station that most of your hardcore fans loathe.

So with that, it really comes down to the question, "Do you want to please your older fans and keep yourself on rock stations and make respectable music, or do you want to expand your fan base and get your music everywhere?" Each choice has consequences, but what everyone here on the board would choose is the first one. We don't want to stop listening to OLP because they put out sub-par work and abandon the band we love. But let's face it, these are four adults that have to make a living, two of which have families. Studio time isn't cheap and Bob Rock costs a pretty penny. They tour places in America that doesn't hold many people, like in Detroit, the largest venue they headlined was a 3000 person building. They need to make music that can cover their debts, and no matter how much we might hate it, it's how life works. They can spend a good amount of money and produce a cd we all love, or they can spend a lot of money and produce a cd that is catchy enough so they can cover their debts and make a profit. And if they can't do that, OLP will have to jack the price of their tickets up to break even.

As much as I hate to admit this, but all signs point to OLP coming out with something leaning more towards Gravity than Happiness. They'll probably lose a few die-hard fans and make about the same amount of new fans. Either way, OLP will make their money, make a profit, and not know the difference. They will sell out all their venues here in America, but the fans that have been around for a while might not be going to see them anymore.

But it all comes down to the reality that no matter how much I bitch, or anyone else on here bitches, about the new record and the potential of it being Gravity part 2, we will all go out and buy it. We just become a statistic to the Billboard chart and two or three dollars to OLP. That's life.

undecided · Post by **undecided** » 7/5/2003, 10:34 pm

Gravity was a pretty light album rock wise. I mean compare it to Naveed or Clumsy, gravity is not at all hard rock. But I still like the songs probably because it is OLP. I personally can't wait for album #6 because if you listen to their new songs like Our Time is fading and Not afraid there are both harder rock that most songs on gravity. I think Gravity was just a trial so Steve could get adjusted and feel confortable playing in huge rock band and now that he has been with them for almost a year they are going to make a lot tougher harder music like the ones on Clumsy and Naveed.

Undecided

Sufjan Stevens · Post by **Sufjan Stevens** » 7/5/2003, 10:47 pm

Tougher and harder doesn't equate to better though. When I hear Gravity, I hear simple music playing behind simple lyrics and a lack of falsetto. When I hear any of their other cds, I hear more complex music (maybe the change from Mike to Jamie playing on Gravity has something to do with it), much better lyrics, and the falsetto, the first thing that drew me to the band.

But back to the statement, tougher and harder doesn't make it better. Just because Raine makes his voice sound more "rock" without the falsetto and a harsher sounding voice, that doesn't hide the fact that it doesn't compare to the crazy voice he used to have in the first four cds. Harder guitar riffs don't make up for a lack of layers of guitar, missing strings, and no more synthesizers or pianos. It just sounds more hard rock, and I know you all agree with me when I say we don't want OLP to sound musically like Trapt or Mudvayne.

The fact of the matter is, the complexity that we've been spoiled with when we first started listening to OLP is going away, and we can't do anything about it. They want to have their songs recorded in two or three takes and not spend days working on their songs to perfection. I like Bring Back The Sun for its lyrics, but the recording quality on that song is pure ass. That was one of those two or three take songs. Now OLP want to record all of their songs like that. Most bands usually look to improve the quality of their recordings, not regress and wallow it fuzzy, dirty quality. That scares me. I mean, the least OLP can do for us is give us some decent quality songs if they're going to cop out on us and make the music and lyrics simplistic, no?

Candy-coated Fake · Post by **Candy-coated Fake** » 7/5/2003, 11:02 pm

I also miss Raine's falsetto. The reason I first liked OLP was Raine's amazingly crazy voice.

It's too bad that all this crap is happening. OLP needs to get back to their roots. It's also sad b/c we don't really get to hear what Steve would sound like on Happiness style songs. I bet he'd kick ass.

Meh, that really had no point. Oh well.

Long Jonny · Post by **Long Jonny** » 7/5/2003, 11:11 pm

I hope this is goodbye wrote:I don't know about Utah and all, but here in Detroit, Clumsy is viewed as a classic record, and Gravity certainly is not. Off of Clumsy, Superman's Dead, Clumsy, Automatic Flowers, and 4AM got loads of airplay back in 97, and they still do today. Off of Gravity, Somewhere Out There, Innocent, and Sell My Soul got radioplay, with SOT getting a lot, Innocent getting minimal, and Sell My Soul getting a good amount, but now, none of those three songs get played on the radio anymore.

Looking at the fact, off of each of OLP's previous cds, they all had huge amounts of airplay here, and all of them, excluding Gravity, still get airplay. I still hear Starseed a lot, Naveed every once in a while, all the Clumsy songs a lot, One Man Army, Is Anybody Home, and Thief a lot, Right Behind You a lot, and Life every once in a while, and these cds came out between 1994-2001, while the cd that came out barely a year ago can't get airplay. When a radio station won't play any of their new stuff that sounds like everything else on the radio, you know something is wrong.

I guess I am trying to say that when OLP tried to conform to what was popular on the radio, it worked for a minimal amount of time, but in general, failed. They need to keep that edge of difference in their music to keep them in the public eye, which is what they want. They killed off everything beyond the guitar, bass, drums, and falsetto, and they flopped in Detroit, a city where everyone loves what they come out with. You know something is wrong when the radio chooses to play what OLP considers "old" and worth moving on from, but shy away from what they consider "progress" because it sounds like everything else. I want the old OLP back. I don't want another generic rock band.

I assume that you must listen to 89x- since your from detroit and they are the station that plays them the most--- I heard SOT on the way home tonight. I heard Innocent two days ago, and I heard Sell My Soul a few days ago too. It seems to me that they still like OLP's new stuff and are continuing to play it. Also, they were just 17 day champions of the People's Choice with the live version of 'Not Enough'... every day Phat Matt would say how much he loved that song and fans continued to call in to keep them champions winning some nights with 94% or 97% of the votes. OLP is probably the most played band on 89x aside from Eminem and a few other crappy acts. I still hear some of their old stuff on the radio as well- I was extremely surprised to hear 'Hope' a few months ago. The point i'm trying to make, however, is OLP is still being played on these stations. Everyone is saying that radio-friendly songs only stay on for a couple of months and that's it. SOT began playing in March of 2002- I still hear it on regular rotation along with Innocent which came out in August 2002. Sell My Soul (not what I would call a radio-friendly song) is not even a single and it is being played! OLP is still getting alot of coverage![/i]

I AM ME · Post by **I AM ME** » 7/5/2003, 11:15 pm

i agree with you about the 2 choices Alan, every altrock band is facing this situation now, and they're choosing diffrent paths, i know lot sof you don't like IME but they're a great example, at one time IME was as big as olp in fact olp used to open for them in canada. But now they've come to teh same road, they could choose to get poppier and conform to industry standards and stay in the lime light, or they could say fuck it and keep their integrity, IME have never bounced back from Blue Green Orange, and yet they still have made no effort to change, they plya very small shows in america and lost the ability to sell many stadiums alone, but they've kept the integrity and i wish olp had done the same. Oh and Allan you probably have no idea who IME are unless you've read one of my threads, they only have a cult following in america

thirdhour · Post by **thirdhour** » 7/5/2003, 11:22 pm

im going completly off topic here, so you have been warned.

speaking of blue green orange, i was flipping through my cds yesterday, and was pretty bored with the selection. i had listened to all my cds so much i was getting slightly sick of them...then i came upon blue green orange. i thought to myself, well that dude on the cm seems all about em, so i might as well give em a try. i have owned this cd for like four years and never listened to the entire thing. wow. :freak:

sorry, go back to what you were talking about before, i know this was boring and useless.

I AM ME · Post by **I AM ME** » 7/5/2003, 11:25 pm

lol actually BGO isn't as good as the new cd, and i absolutely hate infinity machine, but just give it a few listens the whole album will grow on you, you'll proabbly go from hating bryans voice to loving it

Candy-coated Fake · Post by **Candy-coated Fake** » 7/5/2003, 11:59 pm

< Agrees with ^ that OLP should've kept their integrity. Amen fellow OLP (and Manitoba) brother. :nod:

I AM ME · Post by **I AM ME** » 7/6/2003, 12:07 am

wooo go Shithole! although personally i believe us to be much better then Newfoundland and Sask! Sorry guys!

Candy-coated Fake · Post by **Candy-coated Fake** » 7/6/2003, 12:13 am

I'd love to live in Newfyland. But that's besides the point. Gotta stay on topic.

BTW, Sask. sucks ass. Yes...yes it does.

I AM ME · Post by **I AM ME** » 7/6/2003, 12:15 am

shhhh lando might hear!

Candy-coated Fake · Post by **Candy-coated Fake** » 7/6/2003, 12:17 am

He's a Sask dude? Ha ha...I'll shut my mouth then. :heythere:

I AM ME · Post by **I AM ME** » 7/6/2003, 12:19 am

well i couldn't see him being to defensive

Candy-coated Fake · Post by **Candy-coated Fake** » 7/6/2003, 12:20 am

...b/c there's nothing for him to defend.