fade out or end
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Topic: fade out or end
Posted By: kingcrimsonfan
Subject: fade out or end
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 20:40
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Here is another question for the prog rock community. would you rather a big epic to fade out or to end abruptly? personally i'd rather it end abruptly because it leaves you amazed at the music you have just heard. ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Henry Plainview
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:04
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Fade outs are the worst, most people don't like them.
------------- if you own a sodastream i hate you |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:06
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Fade out = I don't know how to end a song! ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: Alitare
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:17
| "Its better to burn out than to fade away". |
Posted By: logwed
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:23
| Fade outs suck big time. |
Posted By: feloniousgroove
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:36
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Both... depends on the song. You can end a song on the root note and will just seem lame but, if you keep playing and fade on that it keeps the audience guessing, "exactly when did they stop playing?" However, sometimes you hit that right ending and it just kicks ass. |
Posted By: Earendil
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:41
| I don't usually like fade outs as much, but I guess they can work. |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:49
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In whatever genre of rock, the best jamming often occurs during the fade out. And we hates it. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:50
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I feel that frustration sets in after spending a year writing an epic, recording several versions of it...and not able to decide upon what ending to use. In the past all of us have heard epics which fade out in the studio then later performed live with a abrupt ending. Then choosing the abrupt ending over the studio fade out. I think musicians have a difficult time making up their mind. Some musician/writers feel that the fade out leaves the listener in the dust. It leaves them cold with a ghostly feeling that the epic died....as if to say that is what they wanted ....where other times with a abrupt ending the epic is not escaping from you. Instead the listener feels as if they can still cling to it or take the music with them. If you can visualize the most 2 pathetic people in the world like Larry David and Woody Allen being the musician/writers. The epic is finished and they sit on the beach with wine talking it over for hours. Which version should we use for the release? What are the listeners going to think? How will they react? It's interesting you brought this to the table because it is a huge debate between artists prior to the official release of the product. Insane! |
Posted By: beebs
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 21:58
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I think that fade-outs can be used effectively. Some of the better ones I've heard ("Should Have Seen It Coming" - The Church) are like segues into another song, usually un-related in theme, melody or tempo. ------------- "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of one's own mind" * Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Posted By: Mushroom Sword
Date Posted: September 10 2011 at 23:38
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The Spirit of Radio has a great ending. It ends... THEN IT ENDS AGAIN! Tom Sawyer has a terrible ending. It ends... eventually... Pull Me Under has a great ending. It en- Every Yes epic has a very emotional ending just making the music better in general. The endings are all at last semi-related depending on the genre, at least as I view it. Progressive Rock epics all slowly fade out with some crazy wacky chord on the keyboard, Hard Prog ends on a powerful root-power chord, the good stuff (compilation albums) fade into another. I like it best when songs don't end. I'm going to type hitting enter after every sentence just to piss off everyone. ------------- 
"I gazed into the eyes of the madman and I saw, and I saw,and I saw myself. |
Posted By: frippism
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 00:47
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usually I'd stay away from fade outs but very rarely do they work. ------------- There be dragons |
Posted By: ExittheLemming
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 03:17
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Is 'wish they'd never started' an option? I guess that ending abruptly would be my preference as it's more faithful to a real performance as experienced in a real living space. Fading to silence in the live realm would be tad tricky methinks. (Techno Unplugged?) ------------- 
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Posted By: friso
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 03:35
| Usually I dislike fade-out, especially when the finest guitar parts are during the decrease of volume. For some pieces the face-out does work, but I can't think of a good reason for this. |
Posted By: JS19
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 04:17
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It depends on the type of song. A short and to the point song can work with a fade out, as can a song with a repeated coda. Longer songs need a climax or we're left feeling unsatisfied (hehe). Listening to IQ's Harvest Of Souls the other day, which simply faded out, was pretty annoying, because a simple ending would have been sufficient, but a fade out gives the impression that the song didn't properly finish.
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Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 04:32
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I hate fade outs, so god damn lazy. I dont care whether the tracks 4 minutes or 40 minutes, if you havnt got an ending for it hen its not finished, dont cop-out and just fade it out
------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
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Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 04:41
| Fade out, but only if it's used in an ironic way. |
Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 04:48
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Once in a blue moon, I'm fine with a fade out. Sure, a lot of times they may have had no idea how to end it but it's kinda cool, especially after a powerful or chill song, just kinda fading out. Of course this is just once in a while, I'd agree that an abrupt ending does have a great impact. |
Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 05:10
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Thik to the version of Comfortably Numb on The Wall or to Fat Old Sun on Atom Heart Mother. I hate fading out. ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 05:33
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Fade outs never end well.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Adams Bolero
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 05:36
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The fade out at the end of suppers ready always annoys me. ------------- ''Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.'' - Albert Camus |
Posted By: zappaholic
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 05:55
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Gotta echo what other have said - I prefer a proper ending, but there are cases where a fadeout can work. Sometimes you get a fadeout that fades back in - e.g. Led Zeppie's "Thank You", the Beatles' "Helter Skelter", Faith No More's "Anne's Song". There's a 22-minute song on Cheer-Accident's Introducing Lemon that has a long, slow fade IN THE MIDDLE, then it fades back in and keeps going for 10 more minutes. Made me scratch my head the first time I heard it. ------------- "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 06:21
This, although indeed very rarely they work, mostly when then suddenly the next song starts creating a sort of surprise, if both the fade out and new start fit eachother.
Fade outs to end an album really suck.
Starting a song with a fade in can be more original, none comes to mind right now but I'm sure I've listened to some.
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Andyman1125 wrote:Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 06:29
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this fadeout works like a clockwork but it could go on forever also -------------  
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Posted By: octopus-4
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 06:54
There are some fade in on The Snow Goose. ------------- I stand with Roger Waters, I stand with Joan Baez, I stand with Victor Jara, I stand with Woody Guthrie. Music is revolution |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 07:50
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I've faded out once in my two albums, and I preferred it that way (obviously). Twice if you count "Refulgence" as a fade out. It has a proper "ending," but there's a spacey loop at the end that gradually fades away. None of this reflects any dislike toward the fade out. In fact, I like hearing how a band ends a song live that fades out on the album. Compare the studio version of "Siberian Khatru" with the Yessongs version. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: Kotro
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 07:58
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I prefer a poor fade-out to a poor end, anytime. ------------- Bigger on the inside. |
Posted By: yanch
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 08:14
| I think a true ending usually works much better, but a fade-out can work when done right. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 08:24
Very annoying indeed. Taking into consideration that it is all a matter of taste...some pieces do not seem fitting without a fade out. I can't count the amount of times a band has ended a piece during live performance with a strike of a chord and a slam on the drums and it's soooo not fitting. What bands usually do is pick out 1 or 2 of the many abrupt endings they wrote during experimentation at the studio rehearsal only to discover in the end that the piece needs a fade out to sound fitting. The Beatles had a lot of fade outs. For me personally.....one of the best fade outs is at the closing of "All You Need Is Love". George Martin knew how to color a fade out! His input was vital in that case.
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Posted By: PabstRibbon
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 08:58
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I usually prefer direct ending that leaves you to think about what just happened (especially in long song) but I can't imagine Supper's Ready without it's fade out, it's very well done and I think that it fits the music the better way it can be made. So if it bring something to the music, I think that a fade out is as good as a abrupt ending.
But I must say that during a live show, a band is better to change the ending if it ends with a fade out (Like Rush did with Tom Sawyer). It's more energic. (Even if Genesis wasn't doing that, it's probably the only piece of music that I can accept that way ;) )
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Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 10:07
| I'm pretty sure I've heard a fade out played live but don't ask me which band or song it was, it must have been very long ago. And I think I've heard some in some live album too but I can't point my finger either, although then you're never sure if it was really played that way live or if they have faded out the original recording when editing the album. |
Posted By: irrelevant
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 10:43
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I generally like fade outs, I don't see what is wrong with them, it's a technique that has its use. Anyway, It's all down to the artist. ------------- https://gabebuller.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow - New album! http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=7385 |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 10:58
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For me The Musical Box and Supper's Ready are in the same level, but I like more Musical Box because of the ending: While Musical Box reaches the climax with the "Touch me Section" and simply adds a magnificent coda that captures and enhances the moment, Supper's Ready reaches the climax with "The New2 Jerusalem" but LOOSES IT MISERABLY with that anti-climatic fade. They ruin the most important part of the song in my opinion. Iván ------------- 
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Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 11:36
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I disagree with people about the fade on "Supper's Ready." To me, it evokes the notion of leaving, i.e., people going away to the New Jerusalem- an excellent ending. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 11:41
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Who cares? Seriously. The one thing that amazes me about proggers is that they always find something to complain about. You have to get to silence somehow, and I don't understand what's so annoying about a gradual decrease in volume. ------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 11:43
Thank you! We really give our community the bad rep and any stereotypes about us really are our own doing. I was surprised at the near universal, and passionate, hatred of the fade out. I do think it's overused which of course diminishes its impact but a fade out is kinda cool. Hence why too many do it. |
Posted By: zappaholic
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 11:48
That's not so much a progger tendency as it is a human tendency. Most people aren't happy unless they're complaining. ------------- "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken |
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 11:55
I care, we are here to express our honest opinions, for me the fade out is anti climatic, while the abrupt end (well used) can boost the climax. Lets remember, even though when Fading out is an old resource, in Rock is mostly used to:
But this is my opinion. Iván
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Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 12:02
How about Quella Vecchia Locanda's A Forma Di? ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 12:09
Its an internet forum, if we didnt complain about any and everything, nothing would be posted here!
I just prefer having a propper ending to a song, and it doesnt have to be sudden, it should all depend on the song, but I will always find a fade out to be a little lazy. How much better would The Drapery Falls be with a proper ending? ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: Prometej
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 12:16
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I don't mind fade-out, and I never really quite understood why people get so bent out-of-shape over them. As long it's not just a sloppily-done afterthought, there's nothing inherently musically offensive about a fade-out to end a song.
------------- |
Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 12:18
I just think it's unfair on musicians, and I never knew this until reading this thread, but many many people seem to be happy to dismiss a fade-out as a lazy creative decision, or a quick, unoriginal solution to a problem, that therefore gives the song or the artist less merit. I've heard very few songs where I've thought the fade-out ruins the piece of music in any way. What's so satisfying about a "final" chord that really improves a piece so much more than a fade? Some artists may just want a fade-out, maybe because it brings a recognisable sense of closure, maybe because it signals that the music actually has no ending, but that practical reasons obviously prevent us from hearing it go on forever. This is true of jamming, in particular. Sure, it's irritating when an early Beatles single is mid-chorus, and then two seconds later it has faded away....... but I am able to differentiate that decision (the decision of EMI) from a creative decision to gently let the music ease away without ever actually stopping. ------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 12:22
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Exactly. So people, please stop referring to anything that isn't a fade-out as a "proper ending".......... you might as well say that any chord sequences you don't like aren't "proper" chords, or that bad lyrics aren't "proper lyrics". The demand by fans on any music with the word 'progressive' attached to it, which is never attached by the musicians themselves anyway, is getting ridiculously high. ------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 13:02
No, I'll still refer to anything with a fade out as a cop out. The main reason I dont like them is that there's nothing remotely interesting about a fade-out, I just cant help wondering "what could have been done there to make it more effective". And I aply this to all genres of music, why do you assume that I only apply it to prog? ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: JJLehto
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 13:08
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Well that's just it Sleeper, that is your opinion (which seems to be the main argument against it) but is it ALWAYS a cop out? Sure, do sometimes they just don't care or can't think of a good ending? Of course, but I really do think it can be a good way to end occasionally. Like you said how good would it be with a proper ending? A fade out is and ending, just not sure what else to say. All reality, most "normal" people wouldn't care, this really is a progger issue  |
Posted By: JD
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 13:19
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This thread definitely gets my vote for most off the wall concept ever. Clearly it's in the hands on the artist performing or composing the piece to decide how it ends. You may as well apply the same logic to film and say that any director that 'fades to black' is being un-creative because he could have cut to black or used the cheesy 'Spielberg wipe' technique instead. Dumb, dumb, dumb. It is what it is. If fades bug you so much, invest in SoundForge and do your own editing. ------------- Thank you for supporting independently produced music |
Posted By: Henry Plainview
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 13:28
If you really think that, you haven't been around the internet or even PA for very long...
Yes, and they can make poor decisions.
Comparing music to movies is silly, they are not the same thing.
Cutting off the fade out doesn't give it a real ending, either. ------------- if you own a sodastream i hate you |
Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 13:29
I don't make that assumption........ but I've seen in this forum the other expectations people make regarding prog music, and this only adds to it........ hence my comment about the high demand on prog. As for the question "what could have been done there to make it more effective?"....... well, that question can be asked about any element or section of a song....... the beginning, middle, or end. Even something seemingly perfect to one person won't please everyone. So, picking on the fade-out in particular seems random, if your only criticism is that there might have been a better way of doing it, because that very well applies to most parts of most songs. ...............And I'm pretty sure that when an artist can answer that question, they proceed to improve their composition. So, what about considering the fact that a fade-out isn't always, without question, evidence of the artist not being able to improve..... but rather that the fade-out may well be the artist's answer to the question. Because unlike you, the artists probable doesn't unconditionally categorise the fade-out as a cop-out, but may see it as a perfectly viable artistic decision, and one that may even improve upon an abrupt or "proper" ending. ------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 13:31
My problem is, why is the fade-out automatically a poor decision, without condition? If a better decision could have been made, they probably would have made it, which is why they are successful musicians and you are just a critic. ------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Progosopher
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 13:41
It all depends on the song and it really does not bother me. It is merely a convention like using guitars and keyboards, drums, bass, vocals, the occasional flute and mandolin, whatever. What I don't like is abrupt endings, like Pull Me Under. A song can stop with a resolving chord, or a big crescendo, or a fade out. I like the fade in Supper's Ready. Horslips ends their album Book of Invasions with a vocal line and a haunting fade that will keep the song in your mind for hours - to end it any other way would diminish it to meaninglessness. That is not sloppiness or laziness. We too often fall into the line of thinking that if something is not one thing then it has to be another single thing. But that's not the case. A fade out is not a crescendo, nor is it a resolution, nor is it abrupt. Balck or white thinking always stirs controversy and animosity.   ------------- The world of sound is certainly capable of infinite variety and, were our sense developed, of infinite extensions. -- George Santayana, "The Sense of Beauty" |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:34
So true, most fade outs are cop outs. CotC is one that could really end no other way. The melancholy echos into the distance are truly splendid. Name another example of a harmonica in an epic that works like that. There are many examples were fades work and many that are awful. Usually a fade reminds me of gold chains and wide collars of 70's top-40 dj's. My favorite fades are from epics that end albums or fades directly into the next song. A trick used in a lot of concept albums. It would be hard to argue that the various fade used in Lamb Lies Down don't have an appropriate feel to them. Really, there needs to be same fading context. Jumpy rock n' roll just fading sounds lazy. Fades to black are less desirable than fades to ambiance as in Close To the Edge. Nature sounds, storms, waves etc. ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:41
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I like fade outs a lot of the time. I don't buy that it's just a way for the song to end without the artist doing any work. It's not hard to end a song. V-I or V-vi if you want to be all deep and stuff. I usually respect is as an aesthetic choice unless the song really doesn't deserve a fade out. Like if it's not epic or if it's not like Bon Iver's "Beth/Rest".... ..which to be fair does kinda solidly end, but it could have just faded out with the full band it would have been ok with me. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:44
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How about when a song fades out, then fades back in again? I don't know how often is has happened in prog rock, but I know some funk and jazz bands have done this; and to great effect. Otherwise, I'd prefer to not have a fade-out. The end of Neal Morse's new album Testimony 2 seemed to have a rare effective fade-out though. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm 
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Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:46
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I despise fadeouts. I expect it from most people, but there are certain people like Zappa whereI'm almost appalled at hearing a fadeout, knowing he could (and does live) put fantastic endings on all of his songs. I'd even rather hear a generic ending, because it's less generic than a fadeout. Especially at the end of an album (if it's the end of a conceptual album then EWWWW) ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:46
Procol Harum - Rambling On Led Zeppelin - Thank You Only two I can think of off the top of my head...... but it works! ------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:48
That annoys me most of the time. It annoys me in the same way that massive abuses of stereo sound (like around 67-69 usually) bothers me. It detracts from the musicality in my opinion. The BIGGEST example is Hendrix's Voodoo Child...the guitar is impossible to hear because of the obnoxious 100% left, then 100% right, then left, then right, then left...........The Funkadelic song Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow always pisses me off because it contains massively abused stereo sound as well as a fade out and back in.....and I love that song despite those things, but I'd love to hear it in mono. ------------- Which of you to gain me, tell, will risk uncertain pains of hell? I will not forgive you if you will not take the chance. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:49
I have to agree with this. People seem to have the wrong idea. Or misunderstand the intentions of the musician regarding this fade out thing. How can that be? Misguided perhaps? I do find it confusing that people would think a fade out is a lazy creative decision. That hasn't much to do with whether or not a fade-out is good or bad. They are saying that a fade out is an unprofessional approach? Since when? Who created that rule? What rock is it written under?
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:53
It's true, he was a master at writing great endings. The only times he used fade outs, as far as I know, was during his more commercial rock songs, though most of them had proper endings. However, the fade out during the Yellow Snow suite on Apostrophe(') is a little frustrating, especially if you've heard live versions of it where there is an actual ending. Anyway, he wrote 1000 songs, I let it go for the 4 songs he did with fade outs ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 14:55
I remember reading somewhere that many classical composers attempted, or would have liked to have attempted, fade-outs before recording technology existed, so I would say it is usually used for effect. I don't see a reason for it 99% of the time, but it has it's place in rare cases (as with the Neal Morse album I mentioned before). ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm
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Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 15:00
Without bothering to read through the entire thread, in at least 9 cases out of 10 when I hear a song fade out I want to shout at the artist 'finish writing the  ing thing before you release it!'.
If a fade out has to be used, I like to hear done with class - 'Hey Jude' has a fade out that lasts longer than the song itself. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 15:03
That's highly unfair. Read the rest of the thread to see why. ------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 15:04
Then there's John Cage's 4'33", which I suppose is technically nothing but a fade out... ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: Jake Kobrin
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 15:11
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There aren't enough cadences in prog rock. ------------- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Kobrin/244687105562746" rel="nofollow - SUPPORT MY FATHER AND BECOME A FAN Jacob Kobrin Illustration |
Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 15:29
| Don't have my CD's at hand right now, but if I remember well in The Lamb's The Waiting Room, after the initial experimental noises part, the "proper musical part" comes with a fade in, and then fades out leaving the way for the lovely piano beginning of Anyway. With music like this I don't care for fade in's or out's. |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 16:10
I think your missing the fact that this entire debate comes down to personal preferance and taste in music, and every single time I will personally much prefer almost any type of ending over a fade out. A fade-out may very well be the musicians personal answer in how to conclude the piece, but I'll always consider it to be the wrong answer as I want to here a conclusion, a real end, to the music I'm listening to, something to give it closure that a fade-out seems to rob from it for me. Every song I've ever heard that fades out leaves me feeling that its unfinished, that there's something missing (and please note that I'm completely diregarding the part in the OP about sudden ends, why does it have to be sudden, that could be completely wrong for the music). So yes, I dont doubt that you or whoever will find any given piece of music to be served perfectly fine by a fade-out, but I never will. Its in the same way that some people will never like extreme vocals. The real irony is that despite how hard I'm arguing against them, fade-outs dont actually make me "mark down" a song and on my list of musical pet hates they are a very long way down. I just havnt had a good argument on here in a long while! ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 16:17
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^ Well I'm at least glad about that last part......... because obviously people's opinions aren't what bothers me, it's the result of them on musicians. It's good that, no matter how much you might hate fade-outs, they don't totally ruin a song for you........ because that is a bit silly after all.
------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 16:20
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^Yeah. As much as I dont like the fade-outs, songs like The Drapery Falls, Sript for a Jesters tear and Suppers ready are still amongst the best pieces ever written. A collective 30 seconds of music (or lack there-of) is not going to ruin the other 40+ minutes of music in those three songs.
------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005
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Posted By: infocat
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 19:58
Best fade out ever: "I Want You (She's So Heavy)".  You know what's worse than fade-outs in songs? Fade-outs to end scenes in TV shows. Melodramatic nonsense, usually. I much prefer the quick-cut stop. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was the master of these! ------------- -- Frank Swarbrick Belief is not Truth. |
Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: September 11 2011 at 21:16
| Then there was the old 60's fade-out which faded back in and freaked kids out. "Helter Skelter" and I'm sure there were others. Strawberry Fields Forever comes to mind, but it seems like other bands were doing it as well. |
Posted By: Man With Hat
Date Posted: September 13 2011 at 23:14
|
An ending for sure. The only time a fade out properly works, IMO, is if there is a very ambient/atmospheric ending where not much is happening anyway and the sound just slips away.
I mostly hate fade outs because alot of the time there is some interesting musical element (guitar solo, drum fills, etc) that is extremely hard to hear and appreciate when there the sound isn't loud. ------------- Dig me...But don't...Bury me I'm running still, I shall until, one day, I hope that I'll arrive Warning: Listening to jazz excessively can cause a laxative effect. |