Milo T. Frobisher, Senior Research Analyst at RTH Labs, sent along the following, asking for your assistance:
Greetings, Hrrundi —
I wonder if you’d be so kind as to post the attached file on Rock Town Hall at your earliest convenience. It may help address the issue of “instant recollection” that some claim is possible upon hearing a few distinctive notes played on an elctric amplified guiitar. Our goal in assembling the audio sampler I’ve forwarded is to determine whether the notes are what is being recognized by RTH’s over-educated rock nerds, or the “tone” of the guitars in question. I for one have my doubts about the possibility that “tone” on its own is sufficient to generate recollection, but, with the help of RTH’s membership, we shall see.
You’ll note that all the audio samples in this collage are backwards. This should have no effect upon tone, but ought to do a reasonable job masking the musical phrases in question. I assure you all of the tunes in question, when played “forwards,” ought to be quite easily recognized by the basement-dwelling, mac-and-cheese-eating, pock-marked denizens of the Hall. To make matters easier, the RTH Labs have selected only the first second of all the songs being sampled.
If, as I suspect, few of the sampled songs are recognized, please post the second file I’ve attached, which features these same songs, played *forwards*. And please make it clear to those Townsmen with recording facilities enabling them to “flip” these tunes on their own, that doing so would run counter to both the spirit and technical purpose of this exercise.
Thank you once again for your service to the advancement of science in rock and roll, Hrrundi. You are a great asset to these halls, to be sure.
Sincerely,
Milo T. Frobisher
Senior Research Analyst
RTH Labs
I believe the ninth one or so is No Matter What by Badfinger
the third or fourth one in is “Chemical World” by Blur
Mockcarr, good ears. Townsman mac: all I gotta say is “wow.” I wouldn’t have expected folks to ID that one! There are a number of “gimmes” in here, even backwards.
So far, correct answers are:
No Matter What, Badfinger
Chemical World, Blur
For half credit, give us just the band you think you’re hearing. Come on, guys, let’s prove Milo wrong!
Wow, this is tough! Do I hear some acoustic Zeppelin song, like “Going to California”, near the beginning? Then I hear something that sounds like an occarina-driven Pere Ubu or David Thomas song, but that’s probably just a coincidence, because it sounds like it’s the sort of song I have in mind played forward.
Toward the end, is that “Oblivious”?
As a fellow Blur fan, I also spotted Chemical World.
First one – is that Are You Experienced?
I want to say #2 is Over The Hills And Far Away, but a later one also sounds like Zeppelin.
Last one sounds like It’s Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock ‘n Roll).
Sheezus! Could Milo T Frobisher be wrong about this stuff? You guys aren’t perfect, but Cher and Alex — you each got one!
Current list of correct answers:
No Matter What, Badfinger
Chemical World, Blur
Oblivious, Aztec Camera
It’s a Long Way To the Top, AC/DC
HVB
Is that Toys in the Attic towards the end?
2000man, you are awarded a half-point for that excellent guess. Right band, wrong song.
Current list of correct answers:
No Matter What, Badfinger
Chemical World, Blur
Oblivious, Aztec Camera
It’s a Long Way To the Top, AC/DC
(UNIDENTIFIED SONG), Aerosmith
I’m surprised nobody’s ID’d the first tune.
i believe i heard an electric zeppelin piece, one or more def leppard jawns, and a thin slice of Long Time by Boston.
Our first completely *incorrect* assessment since Mod’s sad entry! Sorry, shawnkilroy.
I can see Milo’s chest swelling with pride.
Walk This Way, then? I think It’s been proven that when a song is either much loved or played to death we can get it, even backwards, a remarkable amount of the time. I don’t like Blur, so I wouldn’t have got that even going forward.
Sorry, 2Kdude; that, too is incorrect. Right band, wrong song.
Is the fifth clip or so a Pretenders’ song? I think it’s called “Tatooed Love Boys” – the one with the really dirty line about a biker showing Chrissy what that hole was for?
Is the Aerosmith clip the intro to “Dream On”? There’s a “twinkly” number in the middle somewhere that I was thinking might have been Kansas or some band like that. “Dream On” has a similar wizardly vibe in the intro.
I’m leaving this backwards track up for the remainder of the day. I assure you a close listen will reveal at least one or two more recognizable trackssss.
Our posts passed in the electronic ether, Mod. Sorry, but: WRONG on both counts.
First one: Wild Thing?
Sorry, Alex. But that first one *should* be recognizable. I know I’d get it right away. To me, it’s one of theeasy ones. There’s another one in there that strikes me as obvious, even backwards. Really, I’m surprised at some of the ones you guys got.
Is the first one Hendrix?
The last one is Rush, I think, but I’m not enough of a fan to know which one. If I was sitting next to one of you guys, I could say “You know, the one that goes da-na-na-na-na-NAAAH-NAAAH-NAH” and you’d know, but I’m not that good of a typist.
“Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” by Barry White is in there, isn’t it?
P.S.: Regarding Daryl Hall – Not that I don’t find the poll answers funny, but any time someone with Lyme Disease is suddenly and inexplicably under the weather, especially for a big-deal event that they wouldn’t want to miss, I would assume that’s the reason until proven otherwise.
cherguevarra is WRONG. Massimo’s Rush guess is even more WRONG, seeing as how it was already correctly ID’d as “It’s a Long Way To the Top” by AC/DC. HOWEVER: mad props to Massimo for correctly ID’ing Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe”!
Current list of correct answers, in no particular order:
No Matter What, Badfinger
Chemical World, Blur
Oblivious, Aztec Camera
It’s a Long Way To the Top, AC/DC
Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe, Barry White
(UNIDENTIFIED SONG), Aerosmith
I had no idea about Hall’s Lyme disease. Is that the reason he couldn’t perform? What a buzzkill. Now I feel like a schmuck. Let me know if there’s a need for removing that poll and issuing an official RTH apology.
First one is “Boot-leg” by Booker T. and the MGs.
The only other one I could immediately identify was the Badfinger.
YES! Tvox gets the first track correct.
Current list of correct answers, in no particular order:
No Matter What, Badfinger
Chemical World, Blur
Oblivious, Aztec Camera
It’s a Long Way To the Top, AC/DC
Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe, Barry White
Boot-leg, Booker T & the MGs
(UNIDENTIFIED SONG), Aerosmith