Q:VDC... Boring? A: Yes!!

[sonicshake]

Hi All!

No bottom end etc.

No bottom end?! You need to invest in a new pair of speakers my friend!

Not really!
I have a high end system.
This record is extremely mid range heavy.

Listening again right now actually. Sound is sh**e to my ears.

Nate

Mouthshit.

Is this comment supposed to have any constructive meaning?
If so, I'm afraid you've lost me. Sorry!

Nate

Don't apologise. I just think you're talking crap. This album is in no way boring and the production is absolutely fine. I know that everyone is entitled to an opinion, but your opinion is wrong.

[nyanyanya]

I know that everyone is entitled to an opinion, but your opinion is wrong.

Did I wake up in 1936 this morning?

N.

[Zo]

ps. again, to those who keep asking why I'm even posting on this board since I don't like the record. Well, I've been a fan of all things Ginger since 1992 and this release was a real disappointment to me. I just had to vent. OK

I wasn't "keeping asking" actually... merely explaining my point.

Go roll you eyes at someone else, mate.

[Assmask]

The chap has a fair point, it took me a few listens to get properly into it.

Don't condemn someone for not having the same views.

Any album that has Yeah Yeah Yeah on it has to qualify as the best thing ever committed to CD, but I don't hate you if you don't agree.

[nig1012]

vdc boring? defo not it rocks like a bastard
person who asked the question boring? probably yes

[evildave]

"your opinion is wrong"

A subjective opinion on music cannot be wrong or right. Duh. And the typical over-emotive response to someone stating a negative opinion about something held dear is lame, IMO.

The production on this baby sounds cheap by any standards. Someone mentioned Dev's Sycnhestra - now that has jaw-dropping production, not that that kinda sound would work for Ginge but go dig out a random selection of your favourite rock records and compare them on a half-decent system. If you can't hear the difference then you just don't have much of an ear for detail.

Far be it for me to put words into the great man's mouth but I'd guess that if you asked Ginge he'd say "Yeah, the sound is a bit squashed and the snare was triggered - if I had a lot more cash it would sound different but it all costs money, you know? It is what it is, flaws and all, take it or leave it, motherfukcer!"

You only have to check out the packaging to see this album was produced on a shoe-string. The printing on the discs and booklet is so cheap it's cool - it has character!

[SteveP]

To be honest with you all, I think you need to remember that this is a collection of songs written/ developed post 40th Birthday party (and we all know what happened then!!)

Revelations on Ginger's private life as we have all read have a bearing on just about every song on this album.

It shows great maturity in my opinion of how to make something positive out of a really low point in your life, and love it or hate it, this album is the product of those thoughts and actions.

Hopefully, the next album will be based around more happy experiences and thoughs, and can you imagine what that's gonna sound like???????, I think we'll see an even better album than VDC.

[Ean]

Hopefully, the next album will be based around more happy experiences and thoughs, and can you imagine what that's gonna sound like???????, I think we'll see an even better album than VDC.

But when he's happy it sounds like TWMBD and everybody whinged about that too...

[Assmask]

I didn't - it was fab, each album has been fab.

[theprisoner]

production means nothing.

i am a fan of guitar wolf, this album is postively crisp and clear by comparison. besides, even if it wasn't i wouldnt care, rock is supposed to be scruffy and unpolished. as someone said earlier it makes it cool that something so awesome looks and sounds a bit rough.

[KevLikesLoudGuitars]

Heh heh - it's funny reading through a thread such as this - everyone gets so defensive over their own point of view!!! Not that that's a bad thing by any means, you should stand by what you believe in, and when it comes to music - no one is wrong (horses for courses and all that)...

I personally believe this is one of the best albums Ginger has done, at least lyrically and possibly musically as well. Don't get me wrong - I love everything the Wildhearts have ever done (SG5, SS666, CA included) - I have every album, single and most vinyls all of which I have listened to time and time again (and Don't Be Happy... is still as brilliant 14 years on as it was back then). Ginger is an amazing musician - and one that I'm proud to be a fan of. Whereas most musicians fade into obscurity or run out of ideas - Ginger just won't let that happen, and there's always new music coming from somewhere - music that still means so much to so many people...

My point is - if you think the sound is too tinny, turn your bass up! If you think there's too much middle - turn it down..! And if you can't......then buy a better stereo. I've been listening to VDC through Windows Media Player, my personal CD player and my car stereo, and it sounds just as good (and I sing along just as much) through every single one. But then - I'm not afraid to adjust my equaliser!!!!

[nyanyanya]

My point is - if you think the sound is too tinny, turn your bass up! If you think there's too much middle - turn it down..! And if you can't......then buy a better stereo. I've been listening to VDC through Windows Media Player, my personal CD player and my car stereo, and it sounds just as good (and I sing along just as much) through every single one. But then - I'm not afraid to adjust my equaliser!!!!

This only proves my initial point. It does sound OK (not good but OK) on crappy equipment.
Adjusting bass, treble or equalize. Why?
It's not about personal preference in sound. On better stereos you don't even have those options.
Like too many albums nowadays this one seems to have been mixed to sound better on mp3-players. Which I find really, really sad.

I'm of course happy that you find the quality acceptable. I can't understand why, but still.
All in all this album is a sonic disaster and for me it really does degrade the quality of those songs on here that actually are good.

Too bad.

Nate

[psychodoyle2002]

production means nothing.

i am a fan of guitar wolf, this album is postively crisp and clear by comparison. besides, even if it wasn't i wouldnt care, rock is supposed to be scruffy and unpolished. as someone said earlier it makes it cool that something so awesome looks and sounds a bit rough.

Exactly Robert, good material shines through bad production.

Again like I said in another thread, people need to stop argueing.

[Ean]

My point is - if you think the sound is too tinny, turn your bass up! If you think there's too much middle - turn it down..! And if you can't......then buy a better stereo. I've been listening to VDC through Windows Media Player, my personal CD player and my car stereo, and it sounds just as good (and I sing along just as much) through every single one. But then - I'm not afraid to adjust my equaliser!!!!

This only proves my initial point. It does sound OK (not good but OK) on crappy equipment.
Adjusting bass, treble or equalize. Why?
It's not about personal preference in sound. On better stereos you don't even have those options.
Like too many albums nowadays this one seems to have been mixed to sound better on mp3-players. Which I find really, really sad.

Actually, your initial point was that the songs were crap, but you seem to have drifted a bit - Kev seemed to be suggesting that it sounds good on all of his players, no matter what the media.

A good album should be mixed so that it plays well on anything from the cheapest, tinniest to most expensive player - this used to be achieved by mixing on tres-expensive studio monitors, then running outside to somebody's car stereo to see if it sounded any good: I'd imagine it probably still is. Your own (earlier) argument refutes what you say about it being mixed for MP3 players (notwithstanding that there's no way to tell how someone will encode the tracks, so there's no real way to do this). You say it lacks bass, which unfortunately is one of the things you lose when you rip something to MP3 - the algorithms are unable to convert the rich depths that a cd can reproduce except at higher bit-rates than most people use (i.e. 200kbps plus).

Of course it's about personal preference in sound - everyone's ears are different (and some are more fucked than others ). I don't need a sub on any of my stereos, but I like the way it sounds - so I have one (um, several). The 'neutral' eq point on every stereo is different (dependant on an almost infinite number of possible differences between makes), so there's no way that just playing the mix that's on the cd will make it sound exactly like the artist intended.

The only thing I've noticed about the mix is that it could have used a bit of gating on the cymbals to kill the ringing a bit here and there, particularly on the chorus to The Way - even the forward mixed guitar part in L.O.V.E. doesn't get to me any more.

[Dairylea Roth]

Nerd alert!