In deference to “Earth Day”, which is tomorrow, do you know how many kinds of pollution there are? Let me count the ways.
Most people, when they think of pollution, they think of pollution of the air we breathe. And that includes all of the crap in the air that comes from fossil fuels and tobacco and who knows what else. Carcinogens, here we come.
As of late (the past twenty years or so) those who want to save our planet have been concerned mainly about pollution of the oceans by the runoff into our sewers that which empty into our oceans. You know, save Willie and all of the creatures of the deep.
While there are many more types of pollution, I’ll add only one more to our short list – that of noise pollution. Why noise pollution? Because most people have absolutely no idea how much nor how often it’s being dumped on them. At one time noise pollution was conveniently referred to as the excessive honking of cars and trucks by their impatient drivers. But that was then and this is now. For example:
The other week my wife and I saw Barry Manilow perform at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. We also did our best to listen to him and the melodies. To be sure, we have been fans of Mr. Manilow since he started out in the entertainment business and we have seen him perform a number of times. Even after all of these years his voice and delivery are still strong and he can easily belt out a song acapela.
If there was only some way to let him know that he truly does not need a band that tries to outdo him.
No doubt, the band that he had with him was good, as long as you didn’t care about the life expectancy of your eardrums. But when the sounds of the band are so loud that you can no longer hear the lyrics of the song and the melody is no longer discernible, it can only be defined as an overabundance of noise pollution.
Over the years so many first rate performers have gradually fallen prey to this insidious practice where the ‘sound engineers’ are permitted to run amok so that they can do their utmost to outdo the singer. The quality of the music should not be defined by its decibel rating. The music should accompany the performer, and not run him or her over with an eighteen wheeler.
So what’s the solution? Take away the toys of the band and the ‘sound engineer’. In other words, outlaw the amps. Will this save the planet? Probably not. But it will save our eardrums.
Hallelujah on your screed against noise pollution! The first time we (Jane and I) saw Bruce Springsteen at Carnegie Hall, the volume was so loud it nearly left us deaf for a week (but we knew that we were in the presence of a great — and brand new — musical force at the time, as he was the “opening act” for “Chicago!”).
I sometimes bring ear plugs with me to concerts, just in case I need to muffle the sound.
But since you are railing against noise pollution, be glad you don’t live in NYC, especially Manhattan — where noise is just about everywhere, almost all the time, including seeping into one’s residence.
Peace and silence to you. Keep up the good fights!
Good point…. I have been beating the drum on loudness wars for years on my show. The over compression in the recording is making many deaf, especially those who where ear buds. The music should have dynamic range with fluctuation of sound so that it breaths..good music breaths and a concert that overrides the performer and hurts the audience is not therapy or at least enjoyable.
Musically,
I agree with you Stan, except you overlooked the remedy – it is the sound engineer. They have the tools and they are in charge to control the blend. But it is the music director that needs to set the balance.
Thank you and have a good night.
True. Or could I be getting older? Dislike decibals on loud motorcycles , people on Cell Phones in street giving their rap, in the movies – Oh don’t get me started!!! Good work Stan.
I totally agree! You can’t hear the singer anymore. Might as well by the CD instead. Regards to Marilyn. Hope all is well.
Joan