The Oldies Music Board

You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?



October 26, 2020 7:40 pm  #1


The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

Is this really a thing? The author argues the cold endings popular now are leaving him cold, a far cry from all those great 50s and 60s tunes.

The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

 

October 26, 2020 11:07 pm  #2


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

Verrrry interesting.  Speaking from a DJ point of view, doing the spoken outro as the fade started made it easy to keep up the tempo and the vibe of the song.  Also you could add a few seconds of chatter while the record played on, which in formats like the Bill Drake "Boss Radio" sound gave the DJ the freedom to do that.  Also, I was impressed with the fading end of "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro.  It created the impression that he would repeat the story of his lost love to anyone that would listen, so he could share his grief.

 

January 20, 2021 10:52 am  #3


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

Resurrecting this ancient thread about the fade-out in hit records, because of a new article I found. It doesn't reach any specific conclusion but the most common ones seem to be "because that's how radio wanted it," and more likely, "because they couldn't think of an ending."

Why Do So Many Recorded Songs End With a Fadeout? 

Last edited by aflem (January 20, 2021 10:53 am)

     Thread Starter
 

January 20, 2021 4:03 pm  #4


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

I love the fade out.  It could quite possibly be because that's what I was raised on, but it sure is a wonderful, yet sometimes sad feeling to slowly, gradually hear the song disappear to nothing.  The silence almost hurts.  It may have been lazy for producers or writers to use it, but I find it very artistic.

 

January 20, 2021 7:13 pm  #5


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

Besides the previous discussions, there are also the songs which have "double-endings" including The Rascals' "Good Lovin'" and The Gentrys' "Keep On Dancin'."  A DJ can't be "falling asleep at the soundboard" with those songs.

 

January 20, 2021 7:57 pm  #6


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

And then there's Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds," which contains a false fade right towards the end of the song, where the tune fades down and then comes back up again, before fading out for good.

For AM radio stations that used compression, it wasn't as notable. But if you hear it in its natural state, it's definitely there. I've heard it was Elvis' idea, although why he wanted it is lost on me.

     Thread Starter
 

January 20, 2021 11:28 pm  #7


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

Jim Southern wrote:

Verrrry interesting.  Speaking from a DJ point of view, doing the spoken outro as the fade started made it easy to keep up the tempo and the vibe of the song.  Also you could add a few seconds of chatter while the record played on, which in formats like the Bill Drake "Boss Radio" sound gave the DJ the freedom to do that.  Also, I was impressed with the fading end of "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro.  It created the impression that he would repeat the story of his lost love to anyone that would listen, so he could share his grief.

yes, i can see where a d.j. would find it a useful tool. however, as a listener, fade outs drive me nuts. curiosity being an element of my nature, i always want to hear what the band is still playing. as a sound engineer, though, i learned in the studio that there is indeed an art to recording a fade properly, so be it.
 

 

January 21, 2021 7:14 am  #8


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

From the funny perspective of the older generation, my dad always joked when hearing a song with fade out by saying what aflem  already mentioned, "couldn't they think of an ending?"

 

January 22, 2021 2:19 am  #9


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

I have had people tell me that they are upset when I do an outro on a song; they are unhappy if they happen to be recording the song.  I remind them they need to PAY for music - not free.

 

January 22, 2021 10:18 am  #10


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

Little Rich wrote:

I have had people tell me that they are upset when I do an outro on a song; they are unhappy if they happen to be recording the song.  I remind them they need to PAY for music - not free.

really, folks bootleg your shows? i'd take it as a promo point before getting too bent out of shape about money, perhaps..
 

Last edited by gopher (January 22, 2021 10:23 am)

 

January 23, 2021 6:53 pm  #11


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

I do take it as a promo but I don't need to get into it with the FCC, ABC, XYZ as well as the RIAA.  Kind of like downloading from YouTube which I have never done.  My conscience won't let me.  I've paid for every piece of music I own.  I just tout the company line and keep low key when I hear of someone stealing music.

Last edited by Little Rich (January 23, 2021 7:08 pm)

 

January 24, 2021 10:47 am  #12


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

I remember enjoying back in the old FM days when the song was fading out a well crafted segue was fading in.

 

January 24, 2021 10:59 am  #13


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

alangee wrote:

I remember enjoying back in the old FM days when the song was fading out a well crafted segue was fading in.

A lost art! Although it wasn't exactly a fade out, I remember one I heard that was incredible.

At the end of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, there's a long cymbal finish. The beginning of "It Don't Come Easy" by Ringo Starr starts with a similar cymbal clash. I once heard a producer mix one out of the other and it was so seamless, you couldn't even tell where one began and the other ended. It was a magic audio moment and I'll never forget it. 

     Thread Starter
 

January 24, 2021 11:06 am  #14


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

Little Rich wrote:

I do take it as a promo but I don't need to get into it with the FCC, ABC, XYZ as well as the RIAA.  Kind of like downloading from YouTube which I have never done.  My conscience won't let me.  I've paid for every piece of music I own.  I just tout the company line and keep low key when I hear of someone stealing music.

i can dig it, and i should've couched my comment in a different light. i suppose what i meant was that i'd hope you'd complement your fans, and steer them toward a proper copy, rather than berating them for wanting something free, as the emphasis in your post suggested to me. if that's not the case as you conduct busimess i apologise for having misuunderstood you.
 

Last edited by gopher (January 24, 2021 11:12 am)

 

April 18, 2021 9:46 am  #15


Re: The sad, gradual decline of the fade-out in popular music

Another take on this long-ago thread, in which Canadian broadcaster and musicologist Alan Cross attempts to trace the history of the fade out - and tries to pinpoint what may have been the very first tune that ended that way - as far back as 1772!

The history of the big fade-out

     Thread Starter
 

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum