Long Play: Legit Tips And Tricks For The Perfect Music Album ~ Adelaide Fringe 2023 Review

[Comedy/Talk ~ WORLD PREMIERE ~ VIC] The Warehouse Theatre, Sat 4 Mar, 2023. If I had somehow gone along with the idea that this show would be an amusing but insightful talk about how to create the perfect music album, from an insider in the music industry with secrets to share, that was quickly dispelled as soon as Conor ‘Conk’ Dariol hit the stage. This is a fast paced stand up comedy routine from someone with a passion for music, and the knowledge that the history of recorded music is a goldmine of absurd comic material, but with probably no music industry experience whatever. No mind. Conk’s energy and enthusiasm for his topic quickly has us engaged. There are fleeting references to recordings familiar to most of us, and others we may never have heard of. Some for good reason. There is a quick succession of images on a large screen to match the pace of Conk’s delivery. A brief history lesson: first the single – which always involved two songs. Then came the EP with four. Then the long play part of the show’s title. But things have become so confused these days that sometimes an EP can go for longer than an LP. And there was a reason why the CD was slightly larger than originally intended. Good news for Beethoven fans, bad news for Metallica fans. And the rules for making a good album. Does a song need to have a good lyric to be a hit?  Let us examine for a moment the lyrics of Love Shack by the B52s. Good cover art? The original cover for the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds gave no indication of the masterpiece within, and arguably could have led to the album being overlooked. A record producer can lift a song to the heavens or make every track sound the same as the last one. Examples provided. Choose wisely. Death is apparently a good career move. Several posthumous singles and albums have been very successful, including Otis Redding’s Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay. John & Yoko’s Double Fantasy album was receiving very lukewarm reviews until his murder. A massive hit afterwards. But timing is everything. Someone else releases an album at the same time as Lennon thinking his suicide will give his album some notoriety. But no coverage because of bigger events means that no-one remembers him or the album. You don’t need to be a budding recording artist to enjoy this show. It’s for anyone who enjoys popular music. The main message seems to be that there are no rules. Or at least those that are there are there to be broken.  Lesson learned. 3 stars Adrian Miller Long Play continues at The Warehouse Theatre from 9.15pm until Sun 5 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #Clothesline_Mag #ADLfringe