This Side Full SONG!!!!!

[nitejule]

hey guys i went to nc.com today and they have a link to hear the new singel this side its the full song and its WONDERFUL!!!! you can go here to hear it!!!!

http://www.liquid.com/

its on the opening page!!! GO LISTEN NOW!!!!!!!!

[sarah]

yeah i did that this morning. i hate to say i like the live version a lot better.

[nitejule]

i like both of them, i must say the live version is more out there an would mean more, just b/c its live. but i like the cd version just as well!! they are so awesome and i am really liking this song and i think they did a good choice for the single.

[NC_FAN_13]

I think its sounds great. We were spoiled by Nickel Creek during their live shows when we heard songs of this new album. I think it sounds better than when I heard it live. Sean was not singing his best and his vocals sound 100x better on this than live. His voice, along with the entire bands vocals are maturing right before our ears.

[Banjo_Ken]

As much as I love the song from the times I've heard it live, I must say I'm very disappointed by this recording. It has a very processed and sterile sound that I usually don't associate with NC at all. The live versions I've heard are much better. They don't need digital effects and percussion tracks to make a song exciting, and just because those things are available in the studio doesn't mean they should be used if they won't make the song better. One of the things I loved so much about the first album was that it had a very pure sound. You could tell that for the most part, what you heard on the album was very close to the actual sound of their instruments and voices. I don't hear very many sounds on this recording that haven't been very obviously processed in some way.

The very beginning and very end of the track are, to me, the best parts because there's nothing going on there that isn't needed. Just guitar and mandolin are enough for those parts, and in the live versions, they're the two instruments that drive the rhythm, too. After going back and listening to both many times over, the thing that gets me most is the way the intro leads into the main part of the song. When I hear the live version, Chris and Sean play the introductory motif twice, and they use the second time to build up to the verse and the full band coming in. When this happens, it sounds like it's the same group playing the same song. What strikes me on the recording is that the guitar and mandolin all but vanish, and are replaced by a very heavy rhythm section that really doesn't fit as well as the original instruments did. On the live version, when the bass comes in all it does is fill out the sound, but it is still well beneath the guitar and mandolin. On the recording, the bass comes in very powerfully and it dominates the recording.

My apologies to those who like the recording (and those who had the patience to read all that!), but I wanted to share my disappointment and maybe even start a discussion about why they did this song this way and who does and doesn't like it and why. I love NC as much as anybody else on this website, and I still think they're the best thing to happen to the new acoustic/bluegrass world for a long long time. I must admit though that I've had building doubts about this album for a while, and this track seems to confirm some of them. I'll still go out and buy it the day it's released, and chances are I'll love it anyway. I look forward to hearing how everybody else reacts!

Ken

[mandoBob]

I think it's always interesting to know a song based on a live version and then hear it from the studio. for me I'll almost always like the original version I heard b/c that's what I've come to know and love. but I like this b/c I can understand Sean much better...seems like his voice doesnt come out much in concert. I know there's a ton of sean fans out there (and I cant get enough of his guitar) but it seems to me his voice is more nasal than Chris? but I agree with some of the previous reviews that Alison has done a great job getting the best sound out of him. but I do tend to agree that less is more when it comes to producing. overall I like it however.

on a different note, how long you think till NC gets a drummer?

oh and what's up with liquid.com? the last thing I need is ANOTHER music format and player on my computer. why not real audio or (gasp!) MP3? ok there's my rant.

[Johnny Do]

i immediately noticed the bass when listening to the studio version! at first , i really found myself comparing it to the live version a little too much, but after repeated listenings, i am happy and like the song. i wont go into too much detail, but i did find sean's voice more clear also.

johnny

[NCFan4Ever]

I can't figure out how to play the song. Do I click on preview or download? And then what kind of Music Playing program do I use to listen to it? I have tried WMP, RealPlayer, MusicMatch Jukebox, and some other player that i got with my TDK cd burner, but they all say that they can't support the file type....what's going on?

[sarah]

is it me or did they replace sara's fiddle solo with an electric guitar or just distort the fiddle?

[mandoBob]

you gotta download the liquid player as far as I can tell. bummer.

[mandoBob]

yes it's sarah with a tad of distortion. maybe someday Chris will pick up the electric mando (like sam bush tends to do now and then) but I sure hope they'll hold off on the electric guitars...

ok I've been listening to the live and then studio, etc etc
and overall I like the studio much better and it's because of the rhythm...the bass gives it a certain groove, and I'm a sucker for the grooove. yay for the groove.

the only thing I dont like is chris's little solo, b/c in the live version he tears it up at the end with some fancy fingerwork, but the studio keeps it simple. oh well.

[sarah]

i wish they kept chris' voice in it more. i do like the chops in it though.

[Banjo_Ken]

The wierd thing is I like the live version much better for the exact same reason, the groove! I think it's much better with less bass and more guitar. Funny how we can cite the exact same reason for having totally different opinions (that's one of the things that's great about music)!

Ken

[matt the fiddler]

again sorry for the typos... limited internet on the road means no proofreading, and really fast typing

when i first got the cd to this side- it was relly wierd, the songs i skippe d on the cd were the ones i know live- mainly this side, 7 wonders, reen and grey... etc. for very much the same reasons that you guys have allready discussed [and the new songs i think are even better than those] - also because the other part of the cd was stuff i haden't heard before...... but..... after a few days- the studio versions have really grown on me- give them some time- you will love them...

an di would encourage you all to approach thsi album not expecting anything specific to happen [such as certian type of solos or certian type s of songs or styles] jsut let them take you through the music... and let it speak for itself as it is - not what you think it should be- this cd is very mature and deep- and creative- you can trust me on that- yet it is a little different form the typical creek you are used to - yet all falls back on the base that they are- they have gone forward on their musical trip, not forgetting who they are, but reinforcing it-

matt

[nitejule]

i agree matt...i think we shoud just turn it up and sit back and enjoy the ride!! i can't wait!!

[Chip]

As I said in the review I posted elsewhere here, if you're looking for a newgrass or acoustic/folkie record, and that's all you will be comfortable with, you will (with the exception of one or two tracks) probably be very unhappy with This Side.

If you're looking for an *incredible* record that has a lot more acoustic pop/rock sensibility to it, you will *love* the upcoming record.

NC listens to Radiohead and Toad the Wet Sprocket and a lot of other rock and pop-oriented music, and it's been clear from their live shows that they're headed in that direction. I don't think they'll ever lose their bluegrass roots, but I also don't think we're likely to see another acoustic/bluegrassy record from them any time in the near future.

I'm sure that when the band and its management got together with Allison and the label to discuss what the new record would be, they considered the fact that some folks would be unhappy with ANY change from their old sound. But they are pioneers musically, constantly evolving. It's not reasonable or fair to them to expect them to continue producing the same sound. There's a world of difference between Here to There and Nickel Creek, and an equal, or greater, world of difference between Nickel Creek and This Side.

As for the processing, there are very, very few records that don't use processing. Audiences for the most part expect that kind of production in records that will be big sellers, and used tastefully (as Krauss has done throughout the recording), it can be a real enhancement to the sound, IF you view it as an evolution of their sound and not as continuing to do what they've already done.

Regarding This Side itself, I also agree that the live version has strong energy and excitement in it that isn't present in the same way as the recording, but I also agree that the recording is really strong in a different way. As I said elsewhere, right now I'm leaning toward Speak as the strongest track on the disc, but This Side is pretty strong as well.

I am confident that anyone who listens to the record with an open mind will be thrilled. And now we're less than a month away from official release!!

[David Royko]

My initial concern when This Side came was What? Only 1 instrumental? (which shows where my biases lie), but that concern quickly evaporated. This is one great album, and a real progression over the previous one. I love the studio version of this side (the busier bass and hi hat mando chopping work for me), and the tunes that I don't know from live performances are, in several cases, exceptional. I've probably listened to the disc 30 times over the past month, and I am not tired of it, and (real test here) neither are my wife or kids. I expect this disc to swamp the previous one in terms of sales. I hope NC NEVER add a drummer, and I wouldn't be pleased to see them integrate electric instruments in any significant way into their sound, and sure, I love a bare-bones acoustic approach to recording. But I trust these folks to maintain their integrity and I have to think that, if they do, whatever music they make will be worth hearing. One thing I've always loved about them is that their live gigs are not just excuses to push product. They seem to revel in doing tunes that they've never recorded and don't plan to, and that you might hear them play once or twice and then that's it. That is a rare quality, and it's exciting and also ballsy.

Dave Royko

[Jason13]

I can't get the song to work for some reason... I downloaded the liquid player thing, but it wont work...

[ScarletAnneGray]

I can't get the new song for some reason:( I have Kaza and WinMX and it's not on there either. Oh well, I guess I'm just destind to wait til August 13th.... Which is when I'll be on vacation in SC!! Hopefully I can find a music store close. I'm going to be going nuts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Peace in tha middle-Annie

[nitejule]

since it is on liquid.com i wonder if i made it into a mp3 if that would be ok?? if so i can make it to where you can just stream it off my site. does anyone know if that would be ok, since the whole song is already on the net?

[katiekind]

That's a good question. Liquid Audio is a company that works with record companies and distributors to try and provide digital distribution that retains some level of control. (This is what I understand from reading their company information FAQ.)

Because Sugar Hill has chosen that method of delivery instead of putting an MP3 up on their site, it seems that you can surmise that they *would* prefer to retain control over the distribution.

[nitejule]

yeah thats what i though but instead of makin it a mp3 i could jsut do it as a real player stream so that all the other people that it won't let play on their computers can just use real player

or something like that...i don't know....i would have to ask matt or chip first about it....i wouldn't do it until i knew it would be ok to put it as a stream

[katiekind]

I guess one solution would be to link to the Liquid site. I know some people have had a bit of a problem with it but I (a techno clutz of the first magnitude) didn't have much trouble playing it from there--I think it sort of automatically put a little plug-in in my real audio player--but other than that it was easy.

The other thing you could try would be to seek permission from Sugar Hill.

[nitejule]

yeah i might do that.

it automatically dl'd the thing i needed to, but oh well its all gravy. by the time i got permission and got it up the album would be out, lol :)

[NCFan4Ever]

I WANT TO HEAR IT! I HATE MY COMPUTER!!!!

[ncangie]

Liquid Audio took awhile for me - I had to d/l the song twice (lost it the first time cuz I didn't restart my computer to finish set up) and then when I got Audio Player set up, the song d/led so fast and went somewhere. So I had to go to to LiquidAudio.com/support and reconfigure my browser. If that happens to you, follow their instructions (it took a bit of doing on my part), but now I've listened to this side on constant repeat....literally tens of times over and over! it's great!
I love Sean's voice! The only thing I wonder, is where's Sara on backup? [think]

-Angie
it's foreign on this side, and I'll not leave my home again. - this side

[Chip]

I thought about making it available here on nc.info as an mp3, but as Katiekind said, Sugar Hill chose to use Liquid.

Yes, it's a kludgy format, but it does retain more digital rights management, so I think we should assume that Sugar Hill chose that format for that reason... otherwise, they would have just made it available on their own site in MP3 format. So I think it would be best if people who wanted to let others know simply linked to Liquid's site.

[Marianne]

I just hear the song and think it's Amazing. It's very pretty and has a nice sound. Unlike many of you I've never heard this song live, so I have nothing to compare it to. I still it love nonetheless. It's nice to hear Sean singing lead.

Marianne:)

[NCFan4Ever]

Well, I finally got my computer to play the song....and all i have to say is.....wow. if the whole cd is as good as this song....then what the hell were we all worried about?

[nitejule]

i agree!! there is nothing for us to worry about !!!!! the cd is gonna be great!!!

[Chip]

If you like This Side, you'll probably like some of the other tracks even better... In my opinion, there are several other tracks even stronger than that one on the album.