dasilvasings Supertramp's A Soapbox Opera

dasilvasings · May 03, 2025, 05:29:44 PM

OK, following's JP's take on 1975 Supertramp's Crisis, What Crisis, here's my assassination attempt of A Soapbox Opera.

Obviously the instrumentation is quite different, as well as the vocals because of obvious reasons.

I recorded everything in Reaper. The synths use different patches (VSTs) from newly bought KORG Gadget 3. It is not expensive for the amount of sounds you can take, but I am not sure if I recommend it, because the UI is ridicously small, and it makes difficult to work with it.

The normal setup of my Risa Electric Ukulele, Fender Jazz Bass, and that's it... or not...

The original starts with a sample of a speech. I did some google of speeches, and came across a 1906 advertisement for Edison's phonograph, and I decided to keep it...

The recording was challenging since Supertramp have a dynamic as band that is impossible to replicate alone in front of the computer. There was a part that was intriguing me, and in the end I changed from 4/4 to 6/8 and it sounds a little better. Not sure if I nailed it, but it doesn't sound to weird.

So... Nevermind the bollocks, here's dasilvasings

Jean Pierre · May 03, 2025, 11:01:31 PM

decidedly, I'm rediscovering this 1975 album Crisis

QuoteThe recording was challenging since Supertramp have a dynamic as band that is impossible to replicate alone in front of the computer

...and I realized this when I was setting up the orchestration of Easy does it
under a simple or even simplistic appearance this song is not easy to to

..I had a lot of trouble synchronizing my Uke, the bass, the drums and the guitars..and it's still not perfect there are still some synchroisations to pick up, but hey it is what it is

I'm very happy to hear your two covers, you've done justice and recognition to this British band from the 70s.

Ted · May 04, 2025, 06:04:49 AM

That opening Edison sample reframes the song: Instead of the religious fanatics (in the original recording^*), it's the voice of a man who championed technology and had disdain for religion, setting the stage for a song grappling with moralism and hypocrisy. As though the protagonist's crisis of faith was catalyzed not by trauma, but by exposure to Edison's doubt, reason, and recorded truth.

I like the science-fiction synth sounds. It reminds of films such as Logan's Run. The bass part reminds me of one of my favorites – Barry Adamson – right down to the tone. The vocal is not in your natural range, but that makes it more interesting; more intense. I'm interested to know in what order you recorded the parts. Did you record to a click, and add the drums later?

*I didn't listen to the original in its entirety. I refuse! But I listened to the beginning to understand the creative choice you made by using the Edison speech instead.