Ron Geesin

[Enid]

The Adjustable Spanner

Thank you for these posts.

[rcarlberg]

https://youtu.be/Ev4qo5zKqWY

[Enid]

https://youtu.be/Ev4qo5zKqWY

You'll never be able to compare him to anyone else. I do believe that! One of my favorite lines of his: "I don't know what time of the day it tis...I'm only a composer!"

[rcarlberg]

One of my favorite lines of his: "I don't know what time of the day it tis...I'm only a composer!"

Mine is what he said in one of the interviews about AHM, where he says (paraphrasing) that Roger Waters dismisses AHM because he was only a session bassist on it.

[rcarlberg]

I've added another Ron Geesin disc to my collection. Ron performed Atom Heart Mother, with David Gilmour guesting on guitar, June 15, 2008 at Cadogan Hall, Chelsea -- on the one condition that he could perform a program of his own compositions* first. With a brass band, cellist and choir engaged for the evening, he made full use of the musicians for his own stuff.

The concert wasn't officially filmed (so far as I can tell) nor recorded, but technology being what it is today, by the day after the concert an excellent-quality audience recording surfaced on YouTube. After a bit of sniffing around I found artwork (for the Yellow Cow bootleg) and files in HD audio, and burned a double CD of it.

This was a slightly-extended version of AHM, with some additional cello bits added because Ron felt the original needed further development. This same "extended version" was also performed in 2012 in France (without Gilmour), professionally filmed and posted online. I may snag that one too.



* - Geesin has always maintained that he was a co-composer of AHM. There are however bootlegs out there of PF performing "The Amazing Pudding" in January & February 1970, before Ron was engaged (in late March) to fill out the Abbey Road recordings of it with choir and brass -- and they show that the "Untitled Epic" was already pretty much in its final form. He added a few themes and bridges for brass & choir, but well over 90% of it was done before he got involved.

[calyx]

Geesin has always maintained that he was a co-composer of AHM. There are however bootlegs out there of PF performing "The Amazing Pudding" in January & February 1970, before Ron was engaged (in late March) to fill out the Abbey Road recordings of it with choir and brass -- and they show that the "Untitled Epic" was already pretty much in its final form. He added a few themes and bridges for brass & choir, but well over 90% of it was done before he got involved.

That's 90% if you consider that actual melodies, on top of a band basically performing a backing track, only account for 10% of that becoming an actual "composition". While I would concur that a lot of the centre part of the suite works well enough (possibly even better) as a quartet performance, the opening theme and the "Breast Milky" cello theme, in particular, make the brass/cello-less performances sound like the main ingredient is missing.

[rcarlberg]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fnrBLdKoZcI&autoplay=1

[rcarlberg]

...and the "Breast Milky" cello theme, in particular, make the brass/cello-less performances sound like the main ingredient is missing.

Yup. Ron's cello counter-melody is my favorite element of the epic, and the one that elevates it to grand status in my view. The tape collage in the middle of AHM, which replaced a Grand Vizier-like drum solo when it was a Pudding, is my LEAST favorite bit. It feels tacked on, and tastes like filler.

[Trane]

Geesin has always maintained that he was a co-composer of AHM. There are however bootlegs out there of PF performing "The Amazing Pudding" in January & February 1970, before Ron was engaged (in late March) to fill out the Abbey Road recordings of it with choir and brass -- and they show that the "Untitled Epic" was already pretty much in its final form. He added a few themes and bridges for brass & choir, but well over 90% of it was done before he got involved.

That's 90% if you consider that actual melodies, on top of a band basically performing a backing track, only account for 10% of that becoming an actual "composition". While I would concur that a lot of the centre part of the suite works well enough (possibly even better) as a quartet performance, the opening theme and the "Breast Milky" cello theme, in particular, make the brass/cello-less performances sound like the main ingredient is missing.

You can hear this from the horse's mouth himself

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...=0&FORM=VDFSRV

[rcarlberg]

Ron's opinion of his own contributions, as expressed in France in 2012 and on the 2013 DVD "critical review of AHM," lend rather more weight than seems merited to me. Yes, he finished the tracks the band handed him, he added garnishment to their pudding... But the basic structure was complete January 16, 1970.

[rcarlberg]

This same "extended version" was also performed in 2012 in France (without Gilmour), professionally filmed and posted online.

Can anyone help answer a question on this? The Theater du Chatelet performance was gorgeously filmed, but I can't find a DVD of it. There's a Blu-ray cover image posted online of "Atom Heart Mother Compared Edition 2014" which includes this and seven other performances 1970-1972, but I have been unable to find any vendor selling it. Oh, there's a Japanese site, Nexttime.jp, that appears to have it but everything's in Japanese so I can't figure out how to buy it.

[rcarlberg]

Oddly, Geesin's "Electrosound (Volume 2)" (1975) and "Atmospheres" (1977) are now available on iTunes. TMK they've never been issued on CD.

All his other OOP stuff -- which HAS been issued in digital format -- is not available. Go figure.

[soundsweird]

I see on his website that only 3 tracks total from these albums have ever been released on CD (all on the "Land of Mist" compilation).

[rcarlberg]

I see on his website that only 3 tracks total from these albums have ever been released on CD (all on the "Land of Mist" compilation).

Well if you're like me -- and I know *I* am -- you've already remedied this.