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Adele - am i the only person who thinks WTF ?!


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Old 25-10-2015, 21:34
FMKK
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Is there an argument now that Adele is without doubt the greatest ever?

I was speaking to some family members who think she'll be remembered the GOAT musician in years to come at this rate. I'm not so sure myself but they're convinced.

Certainly surpassing all the other Beatles/Queen/Led Zeppelin/Rolling Stones as Britains greatest.

Interesting somebody above took a swipe at current chart music but isn't there an argument that current chart music ever is the best ever and that 2010s is the greatest music decade now (simply because it contains Adele who might be remembered as the greatest musician in years to come).
Jesus Christ...
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Old 25-10-2015, 21:35
FMKK
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Don't you need to play an instrument to be regarded as the best musician in the world? And if you do, don't you need to be a virtuoso at it? I guess not in the over hyped Adele fan world.
The voice is an instrument.
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Old 25-10-2015, 22:17
shadesofblack
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To answer Chauffeur and Mistygal's question seriously (btw, with a name like Mistygal I'd suspect that you'd like Adele music. Sorry I digress). It's really really simple. Adele has a way of singing with emotion in her voice. I don't mean just over singing emotional lyrics, where they might add a shit load of runs for over-dramatic emphasis.
With Adele, you can feel the hurt or anger or loss or whatever in her voice. Even if its all contrived, she can still convey emotion. That is why she's different then almost every single major pop star today. That is why she sells 30 million copies of an album. It's not something you can learn. You have it or you don't.
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Old 25-10-2015, 22:32
shadesofblack
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In the real world, I do know that the voice is an instrument GL. You must have skipped that during your music research.
In my over-hyped fan world, I know that Adele has a singular voice, and is a very important part of the music industry.
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Old 26-10-2015, 10:00
Ibiza_Lad
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I just don't get why everyone gets themselves so worked up over this dreary singer. I don't get it all the fuss.
If someone can explain her appeal I'd be grateful, because to me she represents the kind of music I'd expect to hear in M&S.
Have I missed something ?
Agreed
Her songs are exactly as you put it - dreary
They're all the same and always on one level

I find her dull, tiresome and over rated
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Old 26-10-2015, 10:44
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It's nice to have something that doesn't sound over processed and doesn't have a pointing 'featuring' part. But for me it's no 'Rolling in the Deep' - it's a bit of a shame she's gone down the safe ballad route as the statement of intent for this album.
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Old 29-10-2015, 21:51
the chauffeur
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Agreed
Her songs are exactly as you put it - dreary
They're all the same and always on one level

I find her dull, tiresome and over rated
Dull, tiresome and over rated .. in a nutshell !
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Old 30-10-2015, 21:52
HeavySaurus
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What I find refreshing about Adele is that she's keeping it real and staying herself, instead of churning out new material out of pressure to stay in the headlines. Life got in the way, and she never releases anything if it hasn't had time to really develop. And her label are happy to let her get on with it. She comes across as not being too bothered about being a star, but genuinely in it for the music.

It's also kinda sweet seeing the industry get a little weird with the 'Adele effect'.

And despite having only listened to 'Hello' twice now it has been permanently stuck in my head for days. That's some magic.
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Old 30-10-2015, 22:31
Littlegreen42
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What I find refreshing about Adele is that she's keeping it real and staying herself, instead of churning out new material out of pressure to stay in the headlines. Life got in the way, and she never releases anything if it hasn't had time to really develop. And her label are happy to let her get on with it. She comes across as not being too bothered about being a star, but genuinely in it for the music.

It's also kinda sweet seeing the industry get a little weird with the 'Adele effect'.

And despite having only listened to 'Hello' twice now it has been permanently stuck in my head for days. That's some magic.
This isn't true.

She handed in a full album, but the record company didn't like that it was "upbeat" so told her to go and work over it some more.
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Old 30-10-2015, 22:45
FMKK
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This isn't true.

She handed in a full album, but the record company didn't like that it was "upbeat" so told her to go and work over it some more.
That's not quite true. It's because the songs were boring/substandard according to her.
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Old 30-10-2015, 22:55
shadesofblack
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She had Rick Rubin listen and he told her he wasn't feeling it cos she clearly wasn't feeling it. So she started over. She's in control 100% here. Her record company would have put out a turd if it got the album out sooner.
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Old 31-10-2015, 00:50
smilliekylie
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Not one person in my circle of friends has admitted to buying an Adele track (and yes I have a crazy amount of friends)

Yet judging by the sales of her tunes, someone in my circle should have.

Either my friends are liars, or we are in agreement with the OP, 'WTF'

I do live in Brighton, maybe that's it, we are very isolated in our music tastes here. I blame Fat Boy Slim and that Zoe Ball

We will never get that love for Adele.

Curses
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Old 31-10-2015, 02:05
highlander1969
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Well 'Hello' entered the chart at No.1 yesterday with 259 000 sales and 7.32 million streams in 7 days. Some people like her!
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Old 31-10-2015, 09:04
DRAGON LANCE
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I like Adele. I cannot relate to all her music, though she has some great stuff. She was a breath of fresh air in an industry that has become mechanised, so OTT, so hype laden and plastic. She wrote songs that came from an authentic place – even though I cannot relate to all of them. Her voice is big and genuinely soulful, but without overwrought vocal gymnastics. She knows how to phrase and use her voice to express without the OTT. She wasn't selling sex or a brand, she sold music. It was something not seen for a long time.

I'm not sure how some can say she has been over hyped. This album, maybe, but that is due to previous success. In the past you couldn't accuse her of being hyped. She's not traditionally marketable. She was very much ignored by the mainstream because she wasn't traditionally marketable. She's not selling her body or celebrity.

The odds of her having a hugely successful career were low in the mainstream industry. But lots of people related to just her music and rawness.
That is a really great summary of Adele. All these people that moan about her seem to totally ignore the fact that when she first came through she was a breath of fresh air from her peers. 19 was a far more (in commercial terms) modestly successful album than 21, even though the songs were excellent. At the time the industry seemed more intent on bigging up Duffy as the star. Adele was just supposed to be the quirky chubby girl who was doomed to fail.

Yet despite that she won over people in her millions. People responded to both the quality of her voice and music. It seems bizarre now that haters talk like her success was inevitable because she makes "bland" music cause that's total horse sh*t, what she did totally went against the grain of the time.

I think the only problem she has that because of that success lots of sound alike acts are doing the rounds: Emeli Sande, Sam Smith, Ella Henderson and Jess Glynne.

Adele has been cloned, however its good to see the original still seems to generate more interest, be it positive or negative.

As regards Summershudder's increasingly broken rants; If virtuoso musicians are the only people who should be regarded as great, how do you explain the likes of Lennon and McCartney being the most successful writing partnership ever? Neither of them were technically outstanding players. Great songwriters but not the greatest musical technicians. Its creativity that's the difference.

Also worth pointing out that studio trickery is not a modern invention; on the later Beatles work and his solo output Lennon used to sing with a delay effect (set very quickly so it doubled everything he sang) on his voice so it sounded thicker and bigger. Was Lennon a total vocal fraud like todays autotune users?

By that logic were Lennon and McCartney crap?

Worth mentioning that a lot of great 60's acts (everybody from the Beach Boys to the Kinks) who we think of today wrote and played everything actually weren't allowed to even record their music in the studio by the record labels. They weren't considered technically good enough players. The labels wanted it all doing in as few takes as possible to save money. Some of the guitar parts you hear on famous 60's albums are actually played by uncredited likes of Glen Campbell, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton (how all of them made names for themselves before getting solo careers of their own).

By that logic does that mean the likes of the Beach Boys and Kinks were crap?

David Bowie recently admitted that he enjoyed a successful career because he always found cool musicians and producers that made him and his ideas for songs sound great.

Does that mean David Bowie is crap too?

If virtuosity is everything why aren't you raving about the likes of former Frank Zappa and Whitesnake guitarist Steve Vai instead of "real musicians" like (snigger) Fall Out Boy? Skip to 2:20 onwards for him "shredding," often one handed whilst stroking his other hand through his hair(!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw74sDWPH7U

Now that guys a f**king virtuoso player, but most people have never heard of him. Or for that matter probably wouldn't even favour his style of music.

Personally I can respect all forms of music, there is no right or wrong way as long as the end result if excellent.
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Old 31-10-2015, 09:26
my name is joe
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Agreed
Her songs are exactly as you put it - dreary
They're all the same and always on one level

I find her dull, tiresome and over rated
This opinion, often repeated, is obviously perpetrated by those who don't listen closely. I can't think of any 2 of her singles that sound remotely alike apart from it being her who sings them.
But tbh we all think music by people we casually hear all sounds the same, I think Coldplay Ed Sheeran, beyonce, 1D and nearly everyone else have released the same song over and over but they probably haven't. Well Coldplay have but you know probably not the others
Iv'e even seen it posted on here that all Beatles songs sound the same. It's the opinion of someone who doesn't really know the subject they're talking about.
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Old 31-10-2015, 10:00
Leicester_Hunk
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The female Gary Barlow.
She's not that bad!

She is immensely talented but appears as a one trick pony because all her songs are the same.
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Old 31-10-2015, 11:07
my name is joe
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She's not that bad!

She is immensely talented but appears as a one trick pony because all her songs are the same.


that's what's known as wasting my breath
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Old 31-10-2015, 11:28
Grabid Rannies
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Every time I hear Someone Like You I just think of fat female office workers a bit worse for wear on the karaoke.
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Old 31-10-2015, 16:03
shadesofblack
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that's what's known as wasting my breath
Lol. Classic. Anyone who says that Adele music all sounds the same has never listened to more than one song. It's hard to believe that Rolling in the Deep and Daydreamer are the same artist. But even looking at 21 by itself. What two songs sound the same? Since everyone in the free world owns the album, go listen to her four singles. Rolling in the Deep, Set Fire To The Rain, Rumor Has It and then Someone like you. How the f* do these songs sound alike?
And you are right about the other groups. I know a Coldplay song within a few seconds. And Muse. And Ed. And Sam.
So I get why people who don't like her would throw that line out there. It's what they are used to and its a lazy fallback.
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Old 31-10-2015, 16:36
RedOrDead36
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Hope Lionel Ritchie does her for plagiarism.
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Old 31-10-2015, 17:07
mgvsmith
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That is a really great summary of Adele. All these people that moan about her seem to totally ignore the fact that when she first came through she was a breath of fresh air from her peers. 19 was a far more (in commercial terms) modestly successful album than 21, even though the songs were excellent. At the time the industry seemed more intent on bigging up Duffy as the star. Adele was just supposed to be the quirky chubby girl who wans doomed to fail.
The only thing about this is that Amy Winehouse opened the door for Adele in terms of the confessional nature of both artists music. So there was already a breath of fresh air as you put it. Both artists owe a lot to Dusty Springfield from much earlier as well

I must admit I prefer 19 to 21.


Yet....

As regards Summershudder's increasingly broken rants; If virtuoso musicians are the only people who should be regarded as great, how do you explain the likes of Lennon and McCartney being the most successful writing partnership ever? Neither of them were technically outstanding players. Great songwriters but not the greatest musical technicians. Its creativity that's the difference....

Also worth pointing out that studio trickery is not a modern invention; on the later Beatles work and his solo output Lennon used to sing with a delay effect (set very quickly so it doubled everything he sang) on his voice so it sounded thicker and bigger. Was Lennon a total vocal fraud like todays autotune users?

If virtuosity is everything why aren't you raving about the likes of former Frank Zappa and Whitesnake guitarist Steve Vai instead of "real musicians" like (snigger) Fall Out Boy? ......
I agree with your point about creativity v virtuosity. Music is a both a creative and an expressive art. The Beatles were more on the creative artist side of this, although I should point out that George Harrison was a technically gifted musician.

Classical music elevates the composer over the performer. In jazz though, expression and creativity are merged.
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Old 31-10-2015, 18:29
FMKK
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Hope Lionel Ritchie does her for plagiarism.
I didn't realise he had copyright on the word 'Hello'...
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Old 31-10-2015, 22:03
Ba Na Na
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I didn't realise he had copyright on the word 'Hello'...
Some people!

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Old 02-11-2015, 02:51
Makson
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Have to hand it to her, not only did she come back with a big song, but it's also become an instant meme/parody all over social media......just genius promotion.
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