Formula

[steviespitfire.livejournal.com]

What's wrong (or right) with formula in pop? It seems to go hand in hand with the apparent 'disposability' of pop, really. I'm all for it: from Motown to, well, Lu Cont, I guess. On the other hand, I'm listening to the Coldplay remix and though I like it well enough, I do worry that JLC's just caning the same tried and tested formula again and again.

So, what do youse think? About formula? I'm sure Tom will have some stuff to say, what with all the 60s pop he's listening to for Popular. :)

Comments

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

A note or two on the Motown formula: firstly it was to a degree a set of formulas, the HDH one not identical to the Strong/Whitfield or Smokey formula. But even so, there were the famous rules such as followed their determining how long DJs liked to talk over the start of records, and tailoring their intros to closely match that. Also, there were elements of the formula that were consequences of the period, the production tools, the time demands and so on. Nonetheless, I defy anyone to claim that The Tracks of My Tears sounds like I Heard It Through The Grapevine or Stop In The Name Of Love, for instance.

We also have what is surely the first meta-song about a pop formula, in the Four Tops' (or Holland-Dozier-Holland's) 'Same Old Song', which was both a song about how words mean something different now their love has ended AND an explicit and open response to critics saying that their songs are all the same.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

also the shape of the soul orchestration, at least prior to the 70s = they had a house band (or rather, each producer had their own favoured band), so what was played couldn't move out beyond what was available in-house

(this "limitation" is not unique to motown, or any black indie label: but the majors -- w.pop acts -- left it to the producer to put together the orchtration, so he might, if budget allowed, say, i'd like 10 trombones and a tomtom plz)