at what point is it a different band? (part 2)

A few days ago I considered the question of when a band, after multiple lineup changes, is no longer the same band (even if they still retain the same name). But other things happen as well. Bands break up and reunite.

For me, a case in point is Ducks Deluxe. The Ducks were one of the premiere pub rock bands of the early to mid '70s, and they were my absolute favorite band for several years, starting in the early '80s when I was in high school.

Before going on, let me share the following clip of the Ducks in their heyday, performing "Coast to Coast," one of their signature songs. I will use the video to illustrate a point later in this post.

This was the classic Ducks Deluxe lineup: Sean Tyla (vocals and guitar), Martin Belmont (guitar), Nick Garvey (bass and vocals), Andy McMasters (keyboard) and Tim Roper (drums). They broke up in 1975 -- more than half a decade before I ever heard of them -- so I never actually saw them perform live. And I would have loved to see them live. The YouTube clip gave me a taste of what they were like at their raw energetic best.

In 2008, the Ducks announced that they would be doing a couple of reunion concerts. Unfortunately (for me, anyway), the concerts would be in England. And they would be during my busy season at work. I considered going -- figuring out how to fly to England, see the show, then fly back to New York. If I could do it just right I could manage to miss little enough work that I could swing it. I really gave it some thought -- the cost, the insanity and of the hectic trip for the chance to see the band that had meant so much to me and that was such a huge influence on my musical taste. In the end I didn't go. It was just too much money. There was just too much possibility of it causing trouble at work.

I'm glad I didn't go. The following is a clip of the Ducks new, reunited lineup performing the same song:

Sean Tyla is still playing guitar and singing. Martin Belmont is still playing guitar -- he even still moves the same way. The other personnel have changed: Kevin Foster's on bass, Jim Russell's on the drums and there's no keyboard player. But those changes aren't the issue here; Tyla and Belmont had been the heart of the Ducks back when. But that energy is gone. The hungry twenty-somethings with the passion and energy (and sweat) of youth have been replaced by 60 (or so) year-olds reliving their past with an audience that is similarly reliving its past. It's not the same band.

To be fair, I should note that I still like the music these guys are doing now, and have bought the material they released since reuniting. Also, after three more decades of honing their skills they are, technically, better musicians. But if I had gone to England expecting to experience what the first clip above shows, I would have been very disappointed. If they ever come out to New York I'll come to see them perform. But I'll be doing it without any illusions.

hello, and pleased to meet you

Hello, and welcome to my music blog. I am Moish.

My intention, right now, is to blog about music -- that means any aspect of music and my relationship to it. That's kind of vague, I admit. But the simple rule is that I decide what's acceptable. I'll probably touch on other topics -- politics and religion for example -- but for the purpose of getting at whatever music or music-related point I am trying to make. I have no intention of writing about politics for the purpose of debating politics.

So, I may as well describe the role music plays and has played in my life.

To star with, I enjoy music (duh). Generally speaking, I like most forms of rock (and rock-related) music, with special attention to British pub rock of the 1970s (and related acts), early new wave, C&W, and cowpunk. Oh, I also love the Monkees, even though they don't fit into any of those categories.

In college, I wrote for the music sections of a few campus newspapers -- mostly record reviews, but there were a couple of essays, interviews and concert reviews. At one point I was Music Editor for one of those papers. In grad school (at a different college), I wrote a couple of record reviews for the campus paper. I have also done some freelance music journalism (most notably for the now-defunct Tower Records' Pulse!). I toyed with the idea of pursuing a career in music journalism, but realized that, for a variety of reasons, that's not for me.

I also do a little songwriting on the side, At this point I have exactly three songs that I think are worthy of trying to sell. By contrast, I have written many, many songs that (how shall I put this delicately?) aren't worthy of trying to sell. As a songwriter, I have made about $20 in royalties (which isn't enough for me to quit my day job) and gotten into ASCAP.

I also collect CDs. I haven't really embraced the new digital reality of buying music as downloads. For me, it's got to be on a physical CD or it doesn't feel right.

I can play a little bit of guitar, enough to support my songwriting. But I'm not particularly good at it. As a singer, I'm an excellent guitarist.

UPDATE: I should have mentioned that in college I was also a DJ for the campus radio station. I did a show called The Alternate Version Show, in which I played, back to back, two versions of one song by two different performers.