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Sandra Merkatz

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Nancy Sinatra - Son of a preacher man

 

 

For me, this is one of those cover-versions that are better than the original. Although I don´t hate the Dusty Springfield version, I´m not a fan of her voice, I don´t really like the way she digests syllables at the end of words or single letters like “S” or “N” or “M”. Also, the arrangement with the electronic organ(?) is a little bit too “cheesy” for me.

But the Sinatra-version is great! The original was in E-Major, the Sinatra version was transposed down a major third to C-Major, the feeling of the song is more relaxed in my opinion, and the arrangement with the brass sounds better, not so “soft”.

And of course her interpretation! She sings it more self-confident and more interesting, emphazising different lyrics in a different way, with a little bit more erotic then the original; I also like the way she sings words like “mine” or “time”: it sounds a little bit like “time-a” or “mine-a”. (A little bit like Eartha Kitt used to pronounce some endings of words) And I think the American accent adds more to the song too.

 

(I wonder how they managed to make that photo on the video. Seems like a very strong key- and fill-light, because there is no nose shadow at all)

 

What songs, what music are you listening too?

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

Edited by Sandra Merkatz
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Franz Schubert: Streichquartett D810 "Der Tod und das Mädchen" (String-quartet D810 "Death and the Maiden")

 

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There are so many versions of this very famous quartet, but this is the only one that I love, for different reasons.

 

The most important thing is, that the Quatuor Terpsychordes are playing HIP (historic informed performance), with old instruments and gut strings! Those strings sound so much better and fuller then those steel strings players use today. They sound metallic and thin. But the sound here is sooo beautiful, especially the second subject in the 1st movement! Schubert wrote this piece for gut strings and with a lower tuning then the standard 440Hz they use today, no matter what music they play, and this quartet plays it like back then, so we hear the sound Schubert wanted.

 

But there is another reason this record is great: they play the correct notes. There are different full scores of that piece out there, and most of them have MANY, MANY mistakes. Especially in older recordings you can hear that the players used a defective score. Suddenly a pulsating portamento in the cello from measure 61 on becomes a soft legato! Triplets become Eighth Notes! But not here.

 

I listened to that record with an Urtext Edition, that also contains a critical commentary. This way I find new beautiful details in this piece.

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

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(I wonder how they managed to make that photo on the video. Seems like a very strong key- and fill-light, because there is no nose shadow at all)

 

It's a near-miss attempt at butterfly lighting, so called because of the shape of the shadow that should be under the nose. It misses partly because of her retroussé nose, but the chin shadow is the giveaway. It's a classic portrait technique. A hard key barely above her eyeline, it needed to be higher, and very little fill at all, possibly only a reflector- look at the catchlights in the eyes. It doesn't help that the highlights are blown on the video. You'll find better examples in the classic studio portraits of Marlene Dietrich. The Google search panel is full of them.

 

Edited by Mark Dunn
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It's a near-miss attempt at butterfly lighting, so called because of the shape of the shadow that should be under the nose.

 

Ah, I read about that, it´s also called "Paramount lighting".

 

It misses partly because of her retroussé nose, but the chin shadow is the giveaway.

 

What do you mean exactly? How would the shadow look when the lighting wouldn´t be butterfly lighting, but a "normal" one? What does the shadow tell you here?

(I´m not asking because I doubt what you say, but because I want to learn and understand it so I can see it myself in other pictures)

 

A hard key barely above her eyeline, it needed to be higher, and very little fill at all, possibly only a reflector- look at the catchlights in the eyes.

 

You mean, all the bright light only comes from ONE keylight?

 

It doesn't help that the highlights are blown on the video.

I also think it´s too bright, more darker areas would be nice!

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

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Now I´m listening to AC/DCs Album

 

"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"

 

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In my opinion, AC/DC is a child of the 70s and only belongs in this era. The shows back then were great: a stage, some spotlights, and the band. A show was about 60-70 minutes long. That´s it.

 

But when singer Bon Scott died in 1980, everything went down. Instead of the dirty blues-rock, AC/DC became a radio-rockband, producing boring riffs, boring music and a boring sound. When you listen to the album "Let there be rock" you can hear the amps humming, but from 1980 on everything was overproduced and clean. The concerts went over the top. Everyone has that red blinking plastic horns, the show lasts for about 2 hours and is filled with giant bells, a big inflatable doll, canons, intro-videos before every concert, etc.

 

I think every kind of music belongs and works best in the time it comes from.

 

"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" is not my favourite AC/DC album of the 70s, but I still like it. The title-song is great (especially the drums!), and there is also a nice cover by Joan Jett from 1990 of this song. This album still has that raw, dirty guitar sound!

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

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What do you mean exactly? How would the shadow look when the lighting wouldn´t be butterfly lighting, but a "normal" one? What does the shadow tell you here?

 

The shadow is directly under the chin. Classic 3/4 portrait lighting would have it displaced to the right or left.

 

You mean, all the bright light only comes from ONE keylight?

 

It's unusual to have more than one keylight for a portrait. You get multiple shadows, just like those giveaway "exteriors" where the talent appears to be lit by three or four "suns" because it was actually shot in the studio.

I see one catchlight from the key and two others underneath and to the left. They could well be from silvered reflectors, as they're quite bright- there is some fill on the chin, though some of that could be from the white fur she seems to be wearing.

Edited by Mark Dunn
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Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Jackson

 

 

Again Nancy Sinatra, this time together with Lee Hazlewood, altough I´m not a fan of his voice. The original version by Johnny Cash and June Carter is great too, but I love the arrangement here, it has more drive, and I like the little syncopic way Sinatra sings "And I´ll be dancing on a pony keg".

 

(Unfortunately I never understood what "You turn-a loose-a my coat" means, maybe someone can explain me?)

 

 

Greetings,

Sandra

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