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Topic: Amarok final minute, How many voices?

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qjamesfloyd Offline

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Posted: Dec. 16 2009, 07:32

The final minute of Amarok is one of the most amazing musical climax's there is, in my view, but I was wondering how many voices there are? or how many tracks of voices there are, because there sounds like 100's

Ugo

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Posted: Dec. 16 2009, 17:47

The choir itself was about 100 people (I remember reading about it somewhere), then of course those 100 voices were overdubbed, probably more than once. Considering how many times the various "Son-de-la" chants in the very last seconds are layered on top of each other, I'd say that the choir (which were all African people, by the way) was overdubbed at least four times, thus close to 400 voices. African choirs tend to sound very big by their own nature, because all the choir members sing quite loud and they always go very precisely together. That's just in their nature - I saw Lebo M. do that with the African choirs on the soundtrack of Disney's The Lion King... they're about 30 people there, but they sound like 100. So I think that what Mike was after was a big choir sound, and (most probably taking advice from his longtime friend Julian Bahula) he decided that the best way to get it was to use an African choir... which, as I just said, sounds already big by itself. This one was also big in its size, so Mike exploited it in an excellent way to realize the grand, powerful and triumphant parts that make up the Amarok finale.

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Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian

The Caveman Offline

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 02:53

I think that's part of it but also the use of an African choir is an obvious choice really cos the album has a very African feel in places anyway.Jabula are there with the African drums for a start.Also the words were made up by Mike and then translated into one of the African dialects.I'd love a translation back into English.Can anyone help?

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THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH.

qjamesfloyd Offline

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 03:49

That's interesting, thanks for the info.
Are there any pics or film from the Amarok sessions?

The Caveman Offline

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 04:01

I think i read that the choir was recorded at George Martin's Air Studio somewhere in Middlesex.Twickenham rings a bell.I've never seen any pictures for the sessions.Don't suppose there's many as he recorded most of it himself,except for the guests obviously.

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THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH.

Dirk Star

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 04:30

As a Sunderland fan,I often like to think that the choir is chanting "Sun-der-lan...Sun-der-lan..Sun...der...land" Hope I hav`nt just ruined that for anybody there?It works for me anyway.

Tim Rice is a Sunderland supporter you know.Maybe he helped out with the lyrics?Or maybe Mike is a closet Mackem all these years,who knows?

The Caveman Offline

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 04:38

He's a Reading FC man.

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THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH.

Sir Mustapha Offline

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 07:36

Quote (Dirk Star @ Dec. 17 2009, 04:30)

As a Sunderland fan,I often like to think that the choir is chanting "Sun-der-lan...Sun-der-lan..Sun...der...land" Hope I hav`nt just ruined that for anybody there?

Not for me; the English language is ugly as all hell, so any african chant will sound better than it by default.

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The Caveman Offline

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 07:50

There's worse sounding languages.English is a mongrel hybrid but i think (and no offence is intended as i deplore racism in all it's forms)German for example is a much harsher sounding language.

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THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH.

qjamesfloyd Offline

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 09:34

I agree, and singing in German is awful, and German rap........

The Caveman Offline

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 10:04

There are millions of languages that sound worse than English come to think of it.And of course several that sound nicer.I may be biased (i am biased i admit)but Welsh is a nice language and is actualy the closest,along with Cornish,the closest it's possible to get to the original native tongue of Britain.When we were invaded we were pushed west into Wales and Cornwall.Both held out and as much as the English have tried to stamp it out there are still pockets of Cornwall and a lot of North Wales that stick to local variations of Welsh and Cornish.Irish Gaelic is also a lovely lyrical sounding language (again i'm biased).
However there are some instances where English sounds plain wrong.I don't like opera but it sounds bloody awful when it's in English!Same with choral.I really do like to hear it but it doesn't sound right in English.
And just about anything sounds better than Chinese.I'll say again this is not a racism thing as i'm not racist at all but Chinese (all versions of that i've heard)sounds very harsh and abrupt and somewhat aggressive.Not the language of love songs that's for sure. :laugh:

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THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH.

Ugo

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 17:22

@ Caveman: and yet there are lots of romantic songs sung in Chinese, and they're often quite big hits there.

Anyway, I agree with you that Chinese is harsh, but maybe most Far Eastern languages are - I've heard Japanese and Korean, and they both sound quite aggressive, as you say, even when singing about love. By the way, I think that the best-sounding language in the world is Spanish - Castillan Spanish, to be precise.

Mike didn't make up the choral text. It's a prayer in Xhosa: "Sondela uSomandla sukuma wena obengezela" = Come closer, God, You who shine must stand up.

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Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian

Bassman

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Posted: Dec. 17 2009, 21:57

"... the English language is ugly as all hell..."

Wow.

Classy.

Scatterplot Offline

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Posted: Dec. 18 2009, 02:45

Your kidding right? The English language is ugly? I don't think so. German is pretty bad, as discussed above. But the worst I've heard in my "old man" ever-diversifying world is some African dialects(Nigerian?). Based mostly on "P" pop, sounds. Pop, pop, pop. I was in a cab recently and the cabbie(of that genre) would not shut up on his cell. I was going nuts in the back seat. Ready to explode to get out of the thing. Just let me off here, I'll walk.
I think, if there is a message here it's this: I reffered to the movie "The Undiscovered Country" recently. The line "Our generation will have the hardest time living in it." That was 1991 foreshadowing for what was to come(now 2010). And it was correct and accurate(the basis for the whole movie, adapt or lose). Things will change even more quickly. Better adapt. I may be old, but I've learned, "adapt or drown". What's that prayer about "things I cannot change?" Better embrace the concept. David Gilmour sang of "One World", he got his wish. Us old sproutifarts better learn to live in it.
Jim

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We raise our voices in the night
Crying to heaven
And will our voices be heard
Or will they break Like the wind

Scatterplot Offline

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Posted: Dec. 18 2009, 02:56

I was trying hard to remember the name of the actor who said that line, it came to me, David Warner. Christopher Plummer had a few good things to say about change as well...Good script writing includes accurate foreshadowing. Unlike music, it's a form of art that causes attitudinal change. Lots of songs out there about "we are the world", but truth is, quickly forgotten. The big budget movie screen however....seems to hit home much more precisely.

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We raise our voices in the night
Crying to heaven
And will our voices be heard
Or will they break Like the wind

The Caveman Offline

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Posted: Dec. 18 2009, 03:38

Ugo i stand corrected about the words. :laugh:

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THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH.

15 replies since Dec. 16 2009, 07:32

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